I said, "Messenger of Allah, a man from my people insults me though he is beneath me in rank."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, "Two men who trade insults are like two devils slandering and lying about one another. Whatever they say falls upon the one who started it, unless the wronged party exceeds his bounds."
قلت: يا رسول الله، الرجل من قومي يشتمني وهو دوني؟ فقال رسول الله ﷺ: المستبان شيطانان يتهاتران ويتكاذبان، فما قالا فهو على البادئ حتى يعتدي المظلوم.
Narrated by Abu Dawud Tayalisi (1176) — and from his route Bayhaqi (10/235) — and Ahmad (17486-17488), both of them through various routes from Hammam, from Qatada, from Yazid bin Abdullah bin Shikhir, from Iyad bin Himar, who related it. The wording given is that of Tayalisi.It was also narrated by Ahmad (17483), and Ibn Hibban graded it sahih (5726-5727), through the route of Saeed bin Abu Aruba, and Ahmad (17489) through the route of Shayban, and Tayalisi (1176) through the route of Imran Qattan, all of them from Qatada, from Mutarrif bin Abdullah bin Shikhir, from Iyad, in similar wording.The isnad is sahih, and the divergence over Qatada is to be understood as both versions being sound, since both Yazid and Mutarrif are reliable narrators. So whichever way the isnad turns, it turns upon a reliable narrator.His saying, "they revile one another and accuse one another of lying," means they exchange harsh words and indulge in false and shameless speech, from al-hatr, with a kasrah, meaning false or baseless speech.