Ahmad 5385

Its chain of transmission is sahih. Yahya bin Rashid bin Muslim Dimashqi is a trustworthy successor (tabii thiqah), who narrated from Ibn Umar. Abu Zura confirmed his reliability, and Ibn Hibban listed him among the trustworthy successors. In Tahdhib it states that he narrated from Ibn Zubayr, and Ibn Hajar said that Ibn Hibban distinguished between Yahya bin Rashid who narrated from Ibn Umar and Yahya bin Rashid who narrated from Ibn Zubayr, and that in doing so he was following Bukhari.This was challenged by the eminent scholar Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Bani, editor of Tarikh al-Kabir 4/2, 272-273, who noted that Bukhari never gave a biographical entry at all for the narrator from Ibn Umar, but did give one for the second narrator, mentioning that he narrated from Abu Zubayr. He also noted that Ibn Hibban listed the first in the trustworthy successors and the second among the trustworthy followers of the successors. So Ibn Hibban was not following Bukhari, and he did not err in distinguishing between the two. He said, it appears that the copy of Thiqat that Ibn Hajar had access to contained a scribal error, where "Abu Zubayr" was corrupted into "Ibn Zubayr," and he failed to notice that the entry was placed among the followers of the successors. This is a sound and precise piece of research, by which the copy of Tahdhib should be corrected.Abu Dawud narrated this hadith, 3:334, from Ahmad bin Yunus, from Zuhayr bin Harb, with this same chain, except that he abridged it and did not mention the part concerning debt. He then narrated it via Muthanna bin Yazid, from Matar Warraq, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, as a raised report (marfu) with the same meaning.Munziri said, "Its chain contains Matar bin Tahman Warraq, whom more than one scholar has declared daif, and it also contains Muthanna bin Yazid Thaqafi, who is unknown (majhul)." Matar Warraq is actually trustworthy, as we have already stated at 3285. As for Muthanna bin Yazid, he is the Basran, and Munziri erred in supposing him to be the Thaqafi. This Basran Muthanna is likewise nearly unknown, since Tahdhib records no criticism or endorsement of him at all, but rather states, "Dhahabi said, only Asim bin Muhammad transmitted from him alone."The hadith concerning debt, which Abu Dawud did not mention, will come later. Ibn Majah narrated it, 40:2, by the other route found in Abu Dawud, transmitting it via Husayn Muallim, from Matar Warraq, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, who said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Whoever dies owing a dinar or a dirham will have it paid off from his good deeds, since there will be no dinar or dirham there.'"It is quite possible, indeed most likely, that this is part of what Abu Dawud transmitted via Muthanna from Matar. Imam Ahmad did not narrate this hadith in the Musnad via the route of Matar Warraq. However, something similar in meaning, and longer, will come later by another route, via Numan bin Zubayr, from Ayub bin Salman, from Ibn Umar, 5544.Regarding the wording "he has thereby opposed Allah in His command" (faqad dada Allaha fi amrihi), as opposed to "he has thereby opposed Allah's command" (faqad dada Allaha amrahu) with the word "fi" dropped, the version given here is a confirmed reading, with the alternate noted in the margin.Regarding "Allah will confine him in the mire of corruption" (ridghat al-khabal), an alternate version in the margin also reads "ridghat al-khabal." The word "ridghah" is spelled with the letter ghayn (غ), though in one manuscript it appears with the letter ain without the dot, which is a scribal error. Ibn Athir said that its meaning has been explained in the hadith as referring to the discharge of the people of Hellfire. As for "ridghah," whether pronounced with the dal at rest or with a vowel, it means mud and thick mire.