Ahmad 7481

Its chain of transmission is sahih. Sulayman Aghar is Abu Abdullah of Madinah, a client of Juhayna. He was originally from Isfahan, and he was a reliable and well-known successor. Bukhari included his biography in Tarikh al-Kabir (2/2/138), where he said, Sulayman Aghar, Abu Abdullah, a client of Juhayna, heard from Abu Hurairah, and his son Ubaydullah [Umar] Isfahani narrated from him, and Zuhri heard from him. He also included his biography in Tarikh Saghir (112) in similar terms, saying he was Isfahani, and this is correct, for in the manuscripts of Kabir it appears instead as "and Isfahani," which is a scribal error, as noted by its editor, the eminent scholar Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Yamani. Ibn Abu Hatim followed him in Jarh wa Tadil (2/1/297), adding that he narrated from Ammar bin Yasir, and that Abdullah bin Dinar also narrated from him, as did Muhammad bin Amr. He then narrated, with his chain, from Ahmad bin Hanbal, from Hajjaj bin Muhammad Awar, from Shuba, who said, Aghar was a judge among the people of Madinah, and he was well regarded, and he had met Abu Hurairah and Abu Saeed Khudri.Ibn Saad included his biography in Tabaqat (5:210), saying, Muhammad bin Umar (meaning Waqidi) said, I heard his children say that he met Umar bin Khattab, though I cannot confirm that from anyone else. He was trustworthy but narrated few hadiths. Tirmidhi said, after narrating this hadith through Malik's route, as we will mention, Abu Abdullah Aghar's name is Sulayman. Abu Naeem likewise included his biography in Tarikh Isfahan (1:336) under the name Sulayman Aghar Isfahani, who heard from Abu Hurairah and his peers. He then narrated this hadith.The people of Kufa narrated from this same Aghar, but they gave his kunya as Abu Muslim, so many scholars concluded firmly that this was a different person. Hafiz said in Tahzib (4:140), Among those who distinguished between the two were Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Madini, Nasai, Abu Ahmad Hakim, and others.Hadith 7376 has already passed, narrated by Ata bin Saaib from Aghar, from Abu Hurairah, and in many of its routes it is worded "from Aghar Abu Muslim." Bukhari gave him a separate entry (1/2/44-45), saying, Aghar Abu Muslim heard from Abu Hurairah and Abu Saeed, Abu Ishaq Hamdani narrated from him, and his hadith belongs among the Kufans. He then narrated from Ahmad bin Hanbal the same statement that Ibn Abu Hatim narrated in the biography of Sulayman Abu Abdullah Aghar, which we quoted earlier, in which Shuba says, Aghar was a judge among the people of Madinah. Ibn Abu Hatim followed Bukhari in giving Aghar Abu Muslim a separate entry (1/1/308), and narrated the same statement from Shuba through Ahmad bin Hanbal's route, as if he were inclined to think that the Aghar narrated from by the people of Madinah is the very same one narrated from by the people of Kufa.Dulabi also distinguished between the two in Kuna, mentioning at 2/56, Abu Abdullah, Sulayman Aghar, then mentioning at 2/112, Abu Muslim Aghar, from Abu Hurairah. Ibn Hibban did likewise in Thiqat, mentioning Aghar Abu Muslim on page 114, then mentioning Abu Abdullah Aghar, whose name is Sulayman, on page 212.Also in Tahzib (1/365-366), in the biography of Aghar Abu Muslim, after Mizzi's statement, "Some people claimed that he is Abu Abdullah Sulayman Aghar, which is a mistake," Hafiz said, verbatim, Among them was Abdul-Ghani bin Saeed, and Tabarani preceded him in this, adding further error, claiming that Aghar's name was Muslim and his kunya was Abu Abdullah. He was mistaken, for the Aghar whose kunya is Abu Abdullah has the name Sulayman, not Muslim, and he was narrated from exclusively by the people of Madinah, whereas this one was narrated from exclusively by the people of Kufa. It seems Tabarani confused him with Muslim Madani, a teacher of Shaybi, who also narrated from Abu Hurairah but was not given the title Aghar. As for this Abu Muslim, Aghar is his name, not his title. So said Hafiz, but this is an unrefined analysis.First, among the references available to me, I found only two men named Muslim Madani with the kunya Abu Abdullah who narrated from Abu Hurairah and from whom Shaybi narrated, and it is possible that one of these is the one to whom Hafiz refers. In Tahzib (10/124) there is a biography of Muslim bin Jundab Hudhali, Abu Abdullah, whose biography has already passed at 7269. This man narrated from Abu Hurairah, and Bukhari included his biography in Tarikh al-Kabir (4/1/258) without mentioning that he was from Madinah. Ibn Abu Hatim included his biography (4/1/182) and mentioned that he was from Madinah, but neither he nor Bukhari mentioned that he narrated from Abu Hurairah, nor did anyone mention in his biography that Shaybi narrated from him. The other is Muslim bin Saman, who has no entry in Tahzib or Tajil, but rather has an entry in Tarikh al-Kabir (4/1/262) and in Ibn Abu Hatim (4/1/184). Both mention that he was from Madinah and that he narrated from Abu Hurairah, but neither mentions his kunya, nor that Shaybi narrated from him. So I do not know what Hafiz meant, and I fear it may be a mistake.Second, regarding Aghar Abu Muslim's narration from Abu Hurairah in hadith 7376, Ata bin Saaib narrated it from him, saying merely "from Aghar," without a name or kunya. But Ibn Majah (4174) and Dulabi in Kuna (2/113) narrated it through Ata bin Saaib, from Aghar Abu Muslim, from Abu Hurairah. Muslim (2/292) narrated it through Abu Ishaq Sabi, from Abu Muslim Aghar, that he related it to him from Abu Saeed Khudri and Abu Hurairah. Abu Dawud (4090) narrated it from two teachers, Musa bin Ismail and Hannad bin Sari, both from Abu Ahwas, from Ata bin Saaib, from Aghar, but neither of them used the title alone. Rather, Musa said in his narration, "from Sulayman Aghar," mentioning him by his name and title, while Hannad said in his narration, "from Aghar Abu Muslim," mentioning him by his title and kunya.So Musa bin Ismail Tabuzaki, the trustworthy, reliable, precise Hafiz, states that this Aghar, the narrator of hadith 7376, is named Sulayman, and that he is the very same Aghar narrated from by the people of Kufa, who is given the kunya Abu Muslim. So it was not an error on the part of Abdul-Ghani bin Saeed, nor of Tabarani, to hold that Aghar is Sulayman, and that his kunyas are Abu Abdullah and Abu Muslim. I do not have Tabarani's book, to which Hafiz attributes this error, and to which he attributes a further error, claiming that Aghar's name was Muslim and his kunya Abu Abdullah. Perhaps what Tabarani actually said was that he had two kunyas, and Hafiz's attention shifted when he quoted from it what he quoted.In fact, the Imam of imams, Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Khuzayma, firmly held that Aghar is Abu Abdullah Sulayman, narrated from by the people of Madinah, and is also Abu Muslim, narrated from by the people of Kufa. He narrated in Kitab Tawhid (pages 83-85) the hadith of the descent when half the night has passed, through many chains, some from the Madinans narrating from Aghar and some from the Kufans narrating from him. Some of them mention him by his kunya Abu Abdullah, some add his name Sulayman, and some mention him by his other kunya Abu Muslim. Ibn Khuzayma said (83-84), The Hijazis and Iraqis differ regarding Aghar's kunya. The Hijazis say Aghar is Abu Abdullah, while the Iraqis say Abu Muslim. It is not implausible for a man to have two kunyas. A man might have two sons, one named Abdullah and the other named Muslim, so he would have two kunyas, based on his two sons' names. Likewise, the possessor of the two lights had two kunyas, Abu Amr and Abu Abdullah (meaning Uthman bin Affan), and both kunyas were truly his. (This is common with kunyas.)This is a precise verification from the Imam of imams, and it is supported by the fact that Muslim narrated the hadith of the descent in his Sahih (1/210) through Malik, from Zuhri, from Abu Abdullah Aghar and from Abu Salama bin Abdul-Rahman, from Abu Hurairah. He then narrated it through Mansur, from Abu Ishaq Sabi, from Aghar Abu Muslim, narrating it from Abu Saeed and Abu Hurairah. Praise be to Allah for this guidance.As for Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, he erred in this matter, treating it as two separate entries, and indeed he compounded the error further by including two additional entries within it. He said (1/2/44-45), at the end of the biography of Aghar Abu Muslim, It is said, on the authority of Ibn Abjar, from Abu Ishaq, from Aghar bin Sulayk, from Abu Saeed and Abu Hurairah, and the two of them jointly freed him from slavery. He then mentioned, at 2/2/128, following the biography of Salman Aghar, a new entry, as follows, Salman Abu Abdullah, a client of Ibn Zubayr, Adham narrated from him, and the chain is disconnected.As for Ibn Abu Hatim, he did nothing new, except that he followed Bukhari in the last entry and omitted what Bukhari had added in the first entry. His exact wording in the last entry (2/1/298) is, Salman Abu Abdullah, a client of Ibn Zubayr, narrated from Ibn Zubayr, and Adham bin Tarif Sadusi narrated from him. I heard my father say that.As for what Bukhari mentioned, that Aghar Abu Muslim is also referred to as Aghar bin Sulayk, he himself was not satisfied with this, for he mentioned, right after that, another entry (page 45), Aghar bin Sulayk is counted among the Kufans. Simak bin Harb and Ali bin Aqmar narrated from him. Abu Ahwas said, from Simak, Aghar bin Hanzala. Ibn Abu Hatim quoted this entry almost verbatim (1/1/308), saying as usual, I heard my father say that.Bukhari was correct, however, in separating the entry for Aghar bin Sulayk, for he has a biography in Ibn Saad (6/169) indicating how far removed he is from Aghar Abu Abdullah. Ibn Saad said, Aghar bin Sulayk, and in another hadith, Aghar bin Hanzala, narrated from Ali bin Abu Talib. Muhammad bin Saad said, Perhaps he was attributed to his grandfather, Sulayk bin Hanzala. He then narrated, through Shuba from Simak, who said, I heard Aghar bin Sulayk. He then narrated through Israil from Simak, from Aghar bin Hanzala. Ibn Saad then said, and Aghar's kunya is Abu Muslim. This is a well-established entry, vastly different from the Aghar discussed here.As for Salman Abu Abdullah, whom Bukhari described as a client of Ibn Zubayr, and whom Ibn Abu Hatim followed him in describing so, he is in fact Salman Aghar Abu Abdullah, the one in this hadith. Bukhari erred. Perhaps he was led into error by some narrator claiming that he was a client of Ibn Zubayr. He also erred in his claim that the narration transmitted from him by Adham was disconnected.For Dulabi, when he mentioned in Kuna (2/56) Abu Abdullah Salman Aghar, followed his usual practice in many of his entries of narrating a hadith through the chain of the person being profiled. He narrated (2/56-57), with a sahih chain, up to Shuba, from Adham Sadusi, who said, I heard Salman Abu Abdullah say, I prayed behind Ibn Zubayr. This is explicit that the chain is connected, that Adham heard from Salman Abu Abdullah, and that Salman prayed behind Ibn Zubayr. So the suspicion of disconnection is removed without doubt.Dulabi then gives us an additional point from Bukhari, saying, Bukhari said, Aghar Abu Abdullah, whose name is Salman, was narrated from by Zuhri, Abu Bakr bin Amr bin Hazm, Muhammad bin Amr bin Alqama, Walid bin Rabah, Abdullah bin Dinar, Yahya bin Abu Ishaq, Saad bin Ibrahim, and others. This statement is not found in Bukhari's two histories, Tarikh al-Kabir and Tarikh Saghir, so it is perhaps from his Tarikh Awsat, or from another one of his books.Adham Sadusi, who narrated from Aghar, is Adham bin Tarif, Abu Bishr. Bukhari included his biography (2/66), as did Ibn Abu Hatim (1/1/348), and Dulabi mentioned him in Kuna (1/127), narrating another hadith through him at 128.An important note. Aghar's name is Salman, with a fatha on the seen and a saakin lam, and he is listed under the chapter of Salman in all the alphabetically arranged references. Nevertheless, it occurs frequently in these same references, especially Tahzib, and in other places in the books of hadith, as Sulayman. This includes the hadith we are discussing here, where it occurs in all three manuscripts as Sulayman, which is a clear error.In any case, the text of the hadith is sahih, with no doubt about its authenticity. It has been narrated from Abu Hurairah through more than one route, as Tirmidhi said, and it has also been narrated from Aghar through more than one route. It will come in the Musnad at 9000 and 10445, narrated by Shuba, from Saad bin Ibrahim, from Aghar. Nasai likewise narrated it (2/34) through Shuba's route. It will also come at 10010, narrated by Malik from Ubaydullah bin Salman, who is Aghar's son, from his father. This narration of Malik's is in Muwatta (page 196), from Zayd bin Rabah and Ubaydullah bin Abu Abdullah, from Abu Abdullah Salman Aghar. Bukhari likewise narrated it (3/54), as did Tirmidhi (1/269) (number 325 in our commentary), and Ibn Majah (1404), all through Malik's route. Ibn Abdul-Barr also mentioned it in Taqassi (118, 305), through Malik's narration.It will also come at 10304, narrated by Aflah bin Humayd, from Abu Bakr bin Hazm, from Salman Aghar, with an addition at the end. Darimi likewise narrated it (1/330) through Aflah's route, without the addition.Abu Naeem narrated it in Tarikh Isfahan (1/336) through the route of Abu Salih, the secretary of Layth, from Abdul-Aziz bin Abdullah, from Abdullah bin Dinar, from Salman Aghar Isfahani, who said, I prepared myself to go to Bayt al-Maqdis to pray there, and I passed by Abu Hurairah to greet him, and he said, "Where are you headed, O Persian?" I said, "I intend to go to Bayt al-Maqdis to pray there." He said, "Shall I not direct you to something better than that?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Take these preparations of yours for Umrah instead, then go to the masjid of the Prophet and pray in it, for I heard the Messenger of Allah say, 'A prayer in this masjid of mine is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere, except Masjid al-Haram.'"This hadith has already passed through two other routes from Abu Hurairah at 7252 and 7409, and it will also come from him through another route at 7719, 7720, 7721, 7725, 7726, 9142, 9143, 10016, 10116, 10117, 10280, 10480, and 10849.