Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 15521

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) reports: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, I said to a man: Come, let us acquire knowledge from the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and ask them questions, for at present they are numerous. That man said: O Ibn Abbas! By Allah, I am amazed at you! Do you think that people will ever need to turn to you, when, as you can see, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah are present among the people? Then I set out and began asking questions, and I began following the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Sometimes I would go after a Companion regarding a hadith which I had learned he had heard from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and I would find him taking his midday rest. I would wait at the door of his house, using my cloak as a pillow, with the wind blowing dust over me, until that man himself came out. When he saw me, he would say: O cousin of the Messenger of Allah! What brings you here? I would reply: I wanted to ask about a hadith which, I have learned, you narrate from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and I wanted to hear that hadith from you myself. That man would say: Why did you not send me a message? I would have come to you myself. I would reply to him: I have more right to come to you. Then, when the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had departed and people came to need me, that companion of mine saw me in this state and said: You were more knowledgeable than me.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.