was considered trustworthy; whereas in the case of the other two he was unduly negligent. Both of them are counted among the leading scholars (1), even if they erred in their personal reasoning.
Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb said: “Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd and Abū ʿAwānah looked alike; to all appearances they were fit for nothing but tending sheep. Nevertheless, I did write down hadith from Jarīr in Mecca.”
Yaʿqūb ibn Shaybah related: “I heard Abū al-Walīd al-Ṭayālisī say, ‘I entered Rayy shortly after the death of Shuʿbah, with Abū Dāwūd in my company, carrying with me the master copy of my book from Shuʿbah.
“Jarīr would sit with us at a merchant’s shop, and he would hear us discussing hadith. He would be struck with admiration—like a man who has heard knowledge but not committed it to memory. He heard me narrate: “From Shuʿbah, from ʿAmr ibn Murrah, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Salamah—the hadith of Ṣafwān ibn ʿAssāl (2), or the hadith beginning, ‘You two are coarse men, so seek treatment for…’”
(1) Although Ibn Jurayj—whose name is Abd al-Malik—is highly esteemed and trustworthy, he is known for tadlis (concealing the directness of transmission). Therefore, none of his reports is accepted unless he clearly states that he heard it himself.
(2) Ahmad, 4/239–240, records—through the chain of Shuʿbah, who said: “ʿAmr b. Murrah told me, ‘I heard ʿAbd Allah b. Salamah al-Muradi report from Safwan b. ʿAssal…’”—that a Jew said to his companion, “Let us go to this prophet and ask him about the verse: wa-laqad atayna Musa tisʿa ayat (Indeed We gave Moses nine signs…).” His companion replied, “Do not call him a prophet; if he hears you he will have four eyes.” They questioned him, and the Prophet ﷺ answered: “Do not associate anything with Allah; do not steal; do not commit adultery; do not kill a soul whom Allah has forbidden except with right; do not practise sorcery; do not consume usury; do not hand over an innocent person to one in authority so that he is killed; do not slander a chaste woman—or, he said, do not flee from the battlefield (Shuʿbah was uncertain)—and you, O Jews, are especially charged not to transgress the Sabbath.” They kissed his hands and feet. He then asked, “What prevents you from following me?” They replied, “David prayed that a prophet would never cease to arise from his descendants, and we fear that if we accept Islam, the Jews will kill us.”
Also narrated by Ibn Jarir, 15/172–173; al-Tirmidhi (no. 3144, Tafsir); and al-Nasaʾi, 7/111–112, Kitab Tahrim al-Dam, section “Sorcery,” all through routes from Shuʿbah. Al-Tirmidhi graded it hasan sahih. After citing it, Ibn Kathir remarks in his Tafsir, 3/67: “This hadith is problematic; ʿAbd Allah b. Salamah’s memory is questionable, and scholars have spoken against him; perhaps the nine…”