He came to Qays bin Saad bin Ubada during the first civil strife, while Qays was mounted on a horse. Qays moved back from the saddle and said, "Mount." Habib refused.Qays bin Saad said to him, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'The owner of the mount has more right to its front.'"Habib replied, "I am not unaware of what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, but I fear for you."
أنه أتى قيس بن سعد بن عبادة في الفتنة الأولى، وهو على فرس، فأخر عن السرج، وقال: اركب، فأبى، وقال له قيس بن سعد: إني سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: صاحب الدابة أولى بصدرها فقال له حبيب إني لست أجهل ما قال رسول الله ﷺ، ولكني أخشى عليك.
Ahmad (15478), Tabarani in Kabir (25/4), in Awsat (1948), and Ibn Abu Asim in Ahad wal-Mathani (853) all narrated it, all of them through Haywa, who said, "Abdul-Aziz bin Abdul-Malik bin Mulayl told me, from Abdul-Rahman bin Abu Umaya, that Habib bin Maslama came to Qays bin Saad bin Ubada," and he related the hadith.Its chain is hasan, because of Abdul-Aziz bin Abdul-Malik bin Mulayl Balawi Qudai, who is among the men mentioned in Tajil. A group of narrators reported from him, and Ibn Hibban rated him trustworthy. It is also hasan because of his teacher Abdul-Rahman bin Abu Umaya Kinani Damri, of Makkah and then of Egypt, who is likewise among the men mentioned in Tajil. A group of narrators reported from him, and Bukhari mentioned him in Tarikh al-Kabir (257/5), noting that he heard from Ibn Umar during the sea expedition. Ibn Hibban listed him among the trustworthy narrators in the third generation.Ibn Hajar said, "Had Ibn Hibban known of the narration of Talq that Bukhari mentioned, he would have placed him among the Followers, because he explicitly stated that he heard from Ibn Umar."Abu Saeed bin Yunus said, "Abdul-Rahman bin Abu Umaya Kinani Damri was known by the kunya Abu Walid. He was a righteous man, and he died close to the year one hundred and eight." End of quote.As for his statement "during the first civil strife," he probably meant the strife arising from the killing of Uthman .Similar in meaning is what was reported from Abdullah bin Hanzala, who said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "A man has more right to the head of his own bedding, more right to the front of his own mount, and more right to lead the prayer in his own house."Bazzar narrated it in Kashf Astar (470), and Bayhaqi (125/3–126), both through Ishaq bin Yahya bin Talha bin Ubaydullah, who said, Musayab bin Rafi and Mabad bin Khalid told us, from Abdullah bin Yazid Khatmi, who said, "We were at the house of Qays bin Saad bin Ubada, and with us were some of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ. We said to him, 'Step forward.' He said, 'I would not do that.' Then Abdullah bin Hanzala said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said," and he related the hadith, "so he ordered a freed slave of his to step forward, and he led the prayer."Ishaq bin Yahya bin Talha bin Ubaydullah is daif according to the majority of scholars, and Haythami faulted the hadith because of him in Majma (2/65), though he added, "Yaqub bin Shayba rated him trustworthy, and Ibn Hibban rated him trustworthy."Likewise, what was reported from Anas bin Malik is not sound, namely that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "A man has more right to the head of his own bedding."Bayhaqi narrated it (69/3) through Saeed bin Zurbi, who said, Thabit told us, from Anas, and he related it. Saeed bin Zurbi, with the zay vowelled and the ra silent, is daif by agreement of the scholars, to the point that Ibn Hibban said, "He was among those who reported fabricated narrations on the authority of trustworthy narrators."