said, لَا تَسُبُّوْا قُرَیْشًا—Do not speak ill of the Quraysh—فَاِنَّ عَالِمَهَا یَمْلَاُ الْاَرْضَ عِلْمًا  —      as a scholar from them will fill the land with knowledge.^[1]

The Scholar of Quraysh who is mentioned in this hadith refers to Imam Shāfiʿi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه. Imam Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه once said:

When someone asks me about a religious issue, I try to find an answer from Quran and hadith firstly. If I cannot find the answer, I search through the statements of Imam Shāfiʿi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه. This is because he is the Scholar of Quraysh who filled the land with knowledge.^[2]

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب                 صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

Go! May Allah grant you blessings!

Imam Shāfiʿi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه describes:

I fell asleep one night, yet my destiny awoke, and I beheld the final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in my dream. He proceeded to ask, یَاغُلَامُ! مِمَّنْ اَنْتَ - “O son! What nation are you from?”

“O Messenger of Allah!”, I replied, مِنْ رَھْطِکَ یَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰہ “I am from amongst your servants!” In a display of his unmatched kindness, he ordered for me to come closer to him. I did so, and he صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم proceeded to place his sacred saliva in my mouth.

He صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم then said, اِمْضِ بَارَکَ اللّٰہُ فِیْکَ- “Go! May Allah grant you blessings.”^[3]