Abu Bakr al-Khallāl said: “Abu Dāwūd was the leading imam of his age. In his time no one equalled him in the ability to classify the disciplines of knowledge and locate their proper places. He was a foremost, God-fearing man. Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal heard a single ḥadith from him, and Abu Dāwūd would often mention it.”

I say: The report in question is that of Abu Dāwūd, from Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr al-Rāzī, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Qays, from Ḥammād ibn Salamah, from Abū al-ʿUsharāʾ, from his father: that the Prophet ﷺ was asked about the ʿatīrah, and he approved of it.

This is a munkar (rejected) ḥadith; because of it Ibn Qays was criticised (1). The only reliably preserved narration that Ḥammād transmits with this chain is the ḥadith: “Is not proper slaughter only from the throat? (2)”

Al-Khallāl then said: “Ibrāhīm al-Aṣbahānī ibn ʾUrmah and Abu Bakr ibn Ṣadaqah used to exalt his rank and praise him in a way they did not praise anyone else of his time (3).”

Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yāsīn said: “Abu Dāwūd was one of the guardians of Islam concerning the ḥadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ—its knowledge, hidden defects, and chains of transmission. He occupied the highest level of devotion, chastity, righteousness, and scrupulous piety, and was among the champions of ḥadith.”