“How are you, Abū Zurʿah?”
He replied, “I praise Allah in every condition. I was brought and made to stand before Allah, Exalted be He. He said, ‘O ʿUbayd Allah! Why did you dare speak about My servants?’
I answered, ‘My Lord, they tampered with Your religion.’
He said, ‘You have spoken the truth.’
Then Ṭāhir al-Khulaqānī was brought forward. I lodged my complaint against him before my Lord, so he was given one hundred lashes and then ordered to prison. After that it was proclaimed: ‘Join ʿUbayd Allah to his companions—Abū ʿAbd Allah, Abū ʿAbd Allah, and Abū ʿAbd Allah: Sufyān al-Thawrī, Mālik ibn Anas, and Ahmad ibn Ḥanbal.’ (1)”

I said: Its chain of transmission is as bright as the sun.

Ibn al-Khallāl (2) informed us; al-Hamadhānī informed us; al-Salafī informed us; Ibn Mālik informed us; Abū Yaʿlā the ḥāfiẓ informed us; I heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Faraḍī say: I heard al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad ibn Maymūn say: I heard ʿUmar ibn Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq the ḥāfiẓ say: I heard Ibn Warah say:

“I and Abū Ḥātim were present at the death-bed of Abū Zurʿah. We asked, ‘How does one prompt (talqīn) a man like Abū Zurʿah?’

“So I began, ‘Abū ʿĀṣim narrated to us; ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us…’

“Abū Ḥātim added, ‘Bundār narrated to us, along with others; Abū ʿĀṣim narrated to us; ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd narrated to us…’

“At that, Abū Zurʿah opened his eyes and said, ‘Bundār narrated to us; Abū ʿĀṣim narrated to us; ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd informed us; Ṣāliḥ ibn Abī ʿArīb narrated to us, from Kathīr ibn Murrah, from Muʿādh who said:

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Whoever’s last words are: There is no god but Allah,’—and his soul departs with it.” (3)”