Ahmad 6400

Its chain of transmission is sahih. This has already appeared as no. 4676 in similar form, from the narration of Thawri, from Abu Ishaq Sabi, from Abdullah bin Malik, and there the questioner is Abdullah bin Malik. It also already appeared in similar form as no. 4893, from the narration of Thawri, from Abu Ishaq, from Abdullah bin Malik, and there the questioner is Malik bin Khalid Harithi. It also already appeared in similar form as no. 4452, from the narration of Ismail bin Abu Khalid, from Abu Ishaq, from Saeed bin Jubayr.We cited Tirmidhi's preference (2:101) for the narration of Thawri, and we disputed his view. We also cited his statement that Israil narrated this hadith from Abu Ishaq, from Abdullah and Khalid, the two sons of Malik, from Ibn Umar. The narration here is that of Shubah from Abu Ishaq, so it is preferred that the questioner was Khalid bin Malik, brother of Abdullah bin Malik, and it becomes clear that whoever made the questioner Abdullah bin Malik, or Malik bin Khalid, was mistaken. This is because Shubah was the most retentive of them, and because Israil was among the most retentive and reliable of people regarding the hadith of his grandfather Abu Ishaq. Indeed, Hajjaj Awar said, "We said to Shubah, 'Tell us the hadith of Abu Ishaq.' He said, 'Ask Israil about it, for he is more reliable in it than I am.'" And Ibn Mahdi said, "Israil, regarding Abu Ishaq, is more reliable than Shubah and Thawri."We had indicated in our commentary on no. 4893, concerning Malik bin Khalid Harithi mentioned there, that he was the one who asked Ibn Umar, and that it is quite possible he was Malik bin Harith Hamdani, following the apparent wording of Abu Dawud's narration that he was Malik bin Harith. But we have now corrected this here, and it has become clear to us that what appears there, and what appears in Abu Dawud, is a mistake on the part of some of the narrators, and that the correct name is Khalid bin Malik. This is based on preferring the narration of Israil, to which Tirmidhi referred, and the narration of Shubah here, both of which indicate that Abdullah bin Malik and Khalid bin Malik were brothers.What further confirms our preferred view is that Bukhari, in Tarikh al-Kabir (2/1/160,161), gave an entry for Khalid bin Malik Hamdani, saying, "He heard from Ibn Umar at Jam." Sindi said, Yahya bin Adam narrated to us, he said, Israil narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq. And Abu Ahwas said, Abu Ishaq narrated to us, from Abdullah bin Malik, "I saw Ibn Umar." It is said, "Ibn Malik bin Khalid," and Shubah followed him in narrating from Abu Ishaq.These precise indications from Bukhari show, first, that the narration of Israil which Tirmidhi cited with a suspended chain is in fact connected, and second, that Abu Ahwas narrated it from Abu Ishaq in the same way as Shubah's narration, that is, the one found here. In any case, the hadith is sahih, and the disagreement over the questioner's name is not of great consequence.