Azami 1116

Imam Ahmad (16042) narrated it, and this is his wording, as did Harith bin Abu Usama (45) in his Zawaid, Bukhari in Adab al-Mufrad (970) and in Khalq Afal Abbad (p. 92), Ibn Abu Asim in Sunnah (514), and Hakim graded it sahih (2/437). All of them narrated it through various routes from Hammam bin Yahya, from Qasim bin Abdul-Wahid Makki, from Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Aqeel, that he heard Jabir bin Abdullah say, "A hadith reached me from a man who had heard it from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so I bought a camel, loaded my saddle onto it, and traveled for a month until I arrived at him in Syria. There I found Abdullah bin Unays. I said to the doorman, 'Tell him Jabir is at the door.' He said, 'The son of Abdullah?' I said, 'Yes.' So he came out, treading on the edge of his garment, and he embraced me and I embraced him. I said, 'A hadith reached me about you, that you heard it from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ concerning retribution, and I feared that you might die, or I might die, before I heard it.' He said, 'I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say...'" and he related the hadith.Its chain is hasan because of Qasim bin Abdul-Wahid Makki and his teacher Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Aqeel, for neither of them reached the rank of "trustworthy narrators." Munziri also graded it hasan in Targhib wa Tarhib (4/202), though Haythami, may Allah have mercy on him, weakened it in Majma (1/133) because of Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Aqeel. But the correct view is that his hadith is hasan unless he contradicts others, in which case it is not accepted, as Dhahabi said in his biography in Mizan. Bukhari cited it with a definitive attribution (1/173), saying, "Jabir bin Abdullah traveled a month's journey to Abdullah bin Unays for the sake of a single hadith."Hafiz said in Fath al-Bari (1/174), "It has another route recorded by Tabarani in Musnad Shamiyin, and by Tamam in his Fawaid, through Hajjaj bin Dinar, from Muhammad bin Munkadir, from Jabir, relating something similar, and he said its chain is sound. It also has a third route recorded by Khatib in Rihlah, through Abu Jarud Ansi, spelled with a silent nun, from Jabir, relating something similar, though its chain contains weakness." End of quote.Ibn Abbas said, "A hadith would reach me from a man among the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, and though I could have sent for him to come and tell it to me, I would instead go to him myself, and wait napping at his door until he came out to tell it to me."And Saeed bin Musayab said, "I would travel for nights and days in pursuit of a single hadith." Ibn Abdul-Barr recorded it in Jami Bayan Ilm (569–570), and Khatib in Rihlah (41–42), among others. From this it is said that traveling in pursuit of hadith is an established practice handed down from those who came before.As for what is reported, that Abu Ayub traveled to Uqba bin Amir, he came to Maslama bin Makhlad, who went out to him. He said, "Guide me to him." So he went to Uqba and said, "Tell us what you heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, for no one else remains alive who heard it." Uqba said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'Whoever conceals the faults of a believer in this world, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection.'" Then Abu Ayub went to his mount, rode off, and returned home. But this is daif.Imam Ahmad (17391) narrated it, as did Humaydi in his Musnad (384), and Ibn Abdul-Barr in Jami Bayan Ilm (567), all through the route of Sufyan, from Ibn Jurayj, from Abu Saeed the Blind, who related this to Ataa, and he mentioned something similar. Abu Saeed the Blind, also said to be Abu Saad, had no one narrate from him except Ibn Jurayj, and no one has verified his reliability, which is why Dhahabi and Ibn Hajar both said of him, "Unknown."Tabarani recorded it in his Kabir (19/439) from Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal, from his father, from Abbad bin Abbad Muhallabi, from Ibn Awn, from Makhul, that Uqba bin Amir came to Maslama bin Makhlad. There had been some tension between him and the doorman, but when Maslama heard his voice, he let him in. Uqba said, "I have not come to you as a visitor, but out of necessity. Do you recall the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'Whoever learns of a fault in his brother and conceals it, Allah will conceal it for him on the Day of Resurrection'?" Maslama said, "Yes." Uqba said, "That is why I came."Of this chain, Haythami said, "Its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih," and this is correct. However, the well-known account is that it was Abu Ayub who set out to Uqba, not Uqba to Maslama. There is also disagreement regarding the companionship of Maslama bin Makhlad. Some say he was born during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, and Bukhari affirmed that he was a companion, but Ibn Abu Hatim challenged this, saying, "He was not a companion, he settled in Egypt. Bukhari had written that he was a companion, but my father corrected that and said, 'He was not a companion.'"Imam Ahmad said, "Maslama bin Makhlad was not a companion."Ibn Hibban said, "He was born in the first year after the migration."Hafiz reported from Askari that he said, "He had seen the Prophet but was not a companion."And it is said that the one who set out to Maslama bin Makhlad was Jabir bin Abdullah. This is found in a report by Tabarani (Majma Bahrayn, 217), through the route of Ubaydullah bin Muhammad bin Abu Ayesha, from Yahya bin Abu Hajjaj, from Abu Sinan, from Raja bin Haywa, "I heard Maslama bin Makhlad..." This chain includes Yahya bin Abu Hajjaj and Abu Sinan, who is Isa bin Sinan, and both of them have been criticized.It appears that there is confusion in the chain of this report, and none of its routes are free from criticism. The correct view is that Jabir bin Abdullah traveled only to Abdullah bin Unays, as mentioned earlier. And Allah knows best.It is also reported, regarding a man among the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, that he used to relate from the Prophet ﷺ that he said, "Whoever conceals his Muslim brother's fault in this world, Allah will conceal his fault on the Day of Resurrection." So someone traveled to him while he was in Egypt and asked him about the hadith. He said, "Yes, I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'Whoever conceals his Muslim brother's fault in this world, Allah will conceal his fault on the Day of Resurrection.'" The man said, "I too have already heard it from the Messenger of Allah."Imam Ahmad (16596, 23185) narrated it from Muammal bin Ismail, who said, Hammad, that is, Ibn Salama, told us, Abdul-Malik bin Umayr told us, from Munib, from his uncle, who said, "It reached a man among the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, from another man among the companions of the Prophet ﷺ..." and he related it.Munib and his uncle are both unknown. Husayni and Ibn Hajar said, "Munib is not known."And Haythami said in Majma (1/134), "Ahmad narrated it. As for this Munib, if he is Ibn Abdullah, then Ibn Hibban confirmed his reliability. But if he is someone else, then I have not seen anyone mention him."