Jarir ibn Ayyub al-Bajali—through Abu Zurʿah—through Abu Hurayrah—from the Prophet ﷺ with wording similar to the foregoing.
Zuhayr ibn Muʿawiyah relates—from Mansur—from Abu Ishaq—from al-Harith—from ʿAli—that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Had I been minded to appoint someone as commander without consulting the community, I would have put Ibn Umm ʿAbd in charge of them.” (1)
The same report was transmitted by Wakiʿ, from Sufyan, from Abu Ishaq;
by Abu Saʿid, the client of Banu Hashim, from Israʾil, from Abu Ishaq; and by al-Qasim ibn Maʿn, from Mansur, who named ʿAsim ibn Damrah in place of al-Harith.
Wakiʿ’s precise wording is: “If I were to designate a successor without consultation, I would choose Ibn Umm ʿAbd.”
Ibn Fudayl reports: Mughirah narrated to us—from Umm Musa—who said: I heard ʿAli say, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered Ibn Masʿud to climb a tree and bring him something. The Companions looked at ʿAbd Allah’s leg and laughed at the thinness of his shins. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘What makes you laugh? The leg…’”
(1) The isnad is weak because of al-Harith b. Abd Allah al-Aʿwar al-Hamdani. The report is also found in Ahmad, 1/76, 95, 107, 108; al-Tirmidhi, no. 3810, “Merits of Abd Allah b. Masʿud”; and al-Khatib, Tarikh Baghdad, 1/148. Wakiʿ’s transmission from Sufyan appears in al-Tirmidhi, no. 3811 (same section), Ibn Majah, no. 137 (Introduction, chapter on the virtues of Abd Allah b. Masʿud), and al-Fasawi, al-Maʿrifa wa-t-Tarikh, 2/534. Israʾil’s route from Abu Ishaq is cited by Ibn Saʿd, 3/1/109. The chain through Asim b. Damra is recorded by al-Fasawi, 2/534, deemed sahih by al-Hakim (3/318), but al-Dhahabi replied, “Asim is weak.” Nevertheless, Ali b. al-Madini, al-ʿAjli, Ibn Saʿd, and al-Bazzar declared him trustworthy. Ahmad said, “He ranks above al-Harith al-Aʿwar and, to me, is a valid authority.” Al-Nasaʾi stated, “There is no harm in him,” and even al-Jawzajani—known for his hostility toward Ali’s companions—did not weaken him, though Ibn ʿAdi followed that verdict. Ibn Hibban judged his memory poor and his errors many, yet “he is still better than al-Harith; a report of his would therefore be hasan.” Taken together, the two chains reinforce one another.