Al Salamu 'alaykum.
Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib said, "There is not anyone left with more knowledge of every decision which the Messenger of Allah made, every decision of Abu Bakr and every decision of 'Umar than me." My father said, "I think that he also said, "And every decision that 'Uthman made."
When someone asked Zuhri about the ones from whom Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib took his knowledge, he said, "Zayd ibn Thabit. He also sat with Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn 'Umar, and visited the wives of the Prophet, 'A'isha and Umm Salama. He listened to 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, 'Ali, Suhayb and Muhammad ibn Maslama, and many of his transmitters go back to Abu Hurayra whose daughter he married. He listened to the companions of 'Umar and 'Uthman. He said, 'No one has better knowledge of the decisions of 'Umar and 'Uthman than me.'"
Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Hayyan said, "Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib was the the most eminent of those in Madina in his time, superior to them in fatwa. He was called 'the faqih of the fuqaha'.
Malik ibn Anas said, "'Umar ibn 'Abdu'l-'Aziz did not give a decision until he had asked Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib. He sent a man to him to ask him something but instead he summoned him. He came and entered. 'Umar said, 'The messenger made a mistake. We sent him to ask you in your assembly.'"
Muslim al-Khayyat reported that Ibn al-Musayyib said, "The fetter in a dream represents firmness in the deen." A man said to him, 'O Abu Muhammad, I dreamt that I was sitting in the shadow and I went into the sunlight.' Ibn al-Musayyib said, 'By Allah, if your dream is true, you will leave Islam.' He said, 'Abu Muhammad, I dreamt that I was brought out until I was in the sunlight and then I was cast aside.' He said, 'You will be forced into disbelief.' He went out in the time of 'Abdu'l-Malik ibn Marwan and was captured and forced to disbelieve and then he came to Madina and reported that.
'Imran ibn 'Abdullah reported that Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib said, "I have not missed the group prayer for forty years nor seen the backs of their necks."
Muhammad, Sa'id's son, said, "In the days of al-Harra, Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib was in the mosque and did not give allegiance and did not leave. He used to pray jumu'a with them and go out to the 'ids. The people were fighting and looting while he was in the mosque and only came out at night.
Burd, the client of Ibn al-Musayyab said to Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, "I have not seen anyone do better than what they did." Sa'id asked, "What did they do?" He replied, "One of them prayed Dhuhr and remained praying until 'Asr." Sa'id said, "Woe to you, Burd! By Allah, that is not worship. Do you know what worship is? Worship is to reflect on the command of Allah and to refrain from the things which Allah has forbidden."
Ibn Harmala said, "I went out to ad-Dabh and found a drunkard there. I looked after him and brought him into my house. I met Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib and I said, 'If a man is found drunk, should I take him to the ruler so that the hadd can be carried out on him?' He said to me, 'If you are able to shield him with your garment, do so.' I returned to my house and the man had come around. When he saw me, I recognised shame in him and I asked, 'Are you ashamed? If you had been taken yesterday, you would have received the hadd and you would have been like a corpse among people whose testimony is not allowed!' He said, 'By Allah, I will never do it again!'" Ibn Harmala said, "I saw that his state was good after that."
Al-Mughira ibn 'Abdu'r-Rahman said that he visited Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib with his father and he fainted and so he turned his face towards qibla. When he came around he asked, "Who did this to me? Am I not a Muslim who turns my face to Allah wherever I am?"
'Abdu'l-Hakam ibn 'Abdullah said, "Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib died in Madina in 94 AH at the age of 75 when al-Walid ibn 'Abdu'l-Malik was khalifa. The year in which Sa'id died is called the Year of the Fuqaha' because of the great number of fuqaha' who died during it."
'Alaykum Salam.
Taken from my blog:
http://drabutamim.blogspot.com/2011/...-musayyib.html