Azami 3225

Abu Naeem reported it in Marifat al-Sahabah (5/2976), "Abu Bakr bin Malik (that is, Qutayi) narrated to us, Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal narrated to us, my father narrated to me, Walid bin Muslim narrated to us, he said, I heard Yazid bin Abu Maryam say, Abaya bin Rafi caught up with me while I was walking to Friday prayer and he was riding, and he said, 'Rejoice, for I heard Abu Abs say...'" and he mentioned the hadith.This isnad is hasan, all its narrators being trustworthy, except Qutayi, whose name is Ahmad bin Jafar bin Hamdan bin Malik bin Shabib bin Abdullah, Abu Bakr al-Qutayi, the transmitter of the Musnad from Abdullah bin Imam Ahmad. He had the highest isnad of his time, and there has been some discussion about him, though he does not fall below the rank of "truthful." Abu Abdullah Dhahabi said, "Truthful in himself, accepted, though he changed somewhat toward the end." Al-Mizan (1/87). See further Tarikh Baghdad (5/116–118).As for Yazid bin Abu Maryam, the Hafiz said of him, "There is no harm in him." But it is more fitting to say of him, "thiqah [trustworthy]," for the imams have declared him trustworthy, among them Ibn Main, Abu Hatim, Bukhari, Duhaym, and Ajli. Bukhari included his narrations in his Sahih. Abu Zura said, "There is no harm in him." Daraqutni said, "He is not up to that level." The statement of the group takes precedence, which is why Dhahabi said in al-Kashif, "Thiqah [trustworthy]."As for Abu Abs, with the ba sakin, it is also said Abu Isa, with a ya, though the first is more correct. He was the Ansari of Madinah, who witnessed Badr and died in the year 34 AH.