Ahmad 6499

Its chain of transmission is sahih. Abu Muawiya is Darir, Muhammad bin Khazim, with the dotted kha, Tamimi. His reliability was already established at 969, and we add here the statement of Abu Hatim, "The most reliable people regarding Amash are Sufyan, then Abu Muawiya." Bukhari mentioned him in al-Kabir, 74/1/1-75.Abdul-Rahman bin Ziyad, or Ibn Abu Ziyad, freedman of Banu Hashim, is thiqah. He was declared thiqah by Ibn Main, Ibn Hibban, and Ajli. Bukhari said, "There is something questionable about Abdul-Rahman." Here in this chain it is established as Ibn Ziyad, while in the chain that follows it is Ibn Abu Ziyad. The hadith will come again with both chains, as we will mention, and in both of them it is Ibn Abu Ziyad, while in Ibn Saad it is Ibn Ziyad. It appears that this disagreement is an old one, or perhaps his father's name was one of those whose given name and kunya happened to coincide, which is common.Abdullah bin Harith is Abdullah bin Harith bin Nawfal. Something about him was already mentioned at 783. He is thiqah, narrated many hadiths, and was among the jurists of Madinah. Ibn Abdul-Barr said, "They agreed that he is thiqah." He is among the senior Tabiin, born during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, as we said before.The hadith was narrated by Ibn Saad in al-Tabaqat, 3/1/180-181, with this chain, "Abu Muawiya Darir informed us, from Amash, from Abdul-Rahman bin Ziyad," and so on. Ibn Kathir quoted it in al-Tarikh, 7:270, from this place in the Musnad, and said, "Then Ahmad narrated it from Abu Naeem, from Sufyan Thawri, from Amash," similarly, meaning the chain that follows this one. Then he said, "Ahmad alone transmitted it with this wording from this route." It will come again in the Musnad at 6927 with this chain, and at 6926 with the chain that follows it, but there he presented the wording of Abu Naeem's hadith and referred to it for the wording of Abu Muawiya, the opposite of what was done here.Dhahabi quoted it in Tarikh Islam, 2:180, but cut off its chain, beginning it with Amash, and did not mention who transmitted it. Tahdhib and its derivative works, in the biography of Abdul-Rahman bin Ziyad, indicate that Nasai narrated it in Khasais Ali. See also Majma al-Zawaid, 7:241-242 and 9:296-297.As for his saying "bihanatin," al-hanah, with fatha on the ha and the nun, refers to great matters and calamities, and is also used for a need. Ibn Athir said, "It is used to express anything." It is also said as "hanat," with sukun on the nun, and its plural is hanat and hanawat. One says, "There were hanat and hanawat," meaning calamities and great matters.The meaning here is clear, that Muawiya was objecting to Abdullah bin Amr narrating this hadith in this situation, fearing that his supporters around him might turn against him if they learned that they were in the wrong. He was not objecting to the soundness of his narration of the hadith, nor did his father Amr bin As object to it, for he had mentioned that he too had heard it from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Therefore Muawiya resorted to an interpretation that was neither correct nor acceptable, namely that those who killed him were merely those who had brought him to the battle!