Baḥīr ibn Saʿd—through Khālid ibn Maʿdān, through Jubayr ibn Nufayr—narrated from Abū Ayyūb, who said:
“The Anṣār drew lots to determine who would host the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The lot fell to Abū Ayyūb; so whenever food was presented as a gift to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, an identical gift would be sent to Abū Ayyūb as well. One day Abū Ayyūb entered and found a large dish containing onions. He did not eat from it and said, ‘Something approaches me that does not approach you (1).’
Al-Ṣanʿānī reported: Muḥammad ibn Sābiq related to us—Ḥashraj ibn Nubātah—from Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm; he heard Abū Qilābah say:
“Abū ʿAbd Allah al-Ṣunābiḥī told me that ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit told him:
‘I was once alone with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and asked, “Which of your Companions is dearest to you?”
He replied, “Keep it to yourself during my lifetime.”
I said, “Very well.”
He said, “Abū Bakr, then ʿUmar, then ʿAlī.”
He paused, so I asked, “And who after them?”
He said, “Who else could it be after these but al-Zubayr, Ṭalḥah, Saʿd, Abū ʿUbaydah, and Muʿādh…’
= Al-Musnad 5/420, through Yunus ibn Muhammad al-Muʾaddib, from al-Layth ibn Saʿd with this same chain. Al-Tabarani also records it (no. 3878) through al-Layth; Ibn Hajar, in al-Isaba 3/56, attributes the report to Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shayba and Ibn Abi ʿAsim. Al-Hakim 3/460–461 transmits it via Ibn Ishaq—who said: “Yazid ibn Habib related to me, from Abu al-Khayr Marthad ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Yazni, from Abu Umama al-Bahili, from Abu Ayyub”—and declares, “This hadith satisfies Muslim’s criteria,” a judgment endorsed by al-Dhahabi. It also appears in al-Muʿjam of al-Tabarani (no. 3855) via Muhammad ibn Ishaq, and Muslim includes a similar version in his Sahih (2053, Book of Drinks, chapter: Permissibility of eating garlic) through ʿAsim ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Harith, from Aflah, the freedman of Abu Ayyub, from Abu Ayyub.
(1) Reported by Ahmad 5/414 and al-Tabarani (no. 4091) through two chains from Baqiyya ibn al-Walid, from Buhayr ibn Saʿd with this chain. All the transmitters are trustworthy, but Baqiyya ibn al-Walid practiced tadlis and here narrates with ʿanʿana. The phrase “so he did not eat from it” refers to the Messenger of Allah. In the wording found in the Musnad, after the words “it contains onions,” he asked, “What is this?” They replied, “It was sent by the Messenger of Allah.” Abu Ayyub then went up to the Prophet and said, “O Messenger of Allah, what kept you from this dish?” He replied, “I noticed it had onions.” Abu Ayyub asked, “Are onions forbidden to us?” He said, “No; eat them, but I am approached by what does not approach you.”