(1) In Sahih al-Bukhari, 5/199 (Book of Testimonies, Chapter: “Women attesting to one another”), the wording is: “and Ahmad explained part of it to me.” (2) The author of Tabaqat al-Qurra likewise affirms that the person meant is Ahmad ibn al-Nadr. Al-Hafiz states in the introduction to Fath al-Bari, p. 219: Abu Ali al-Jayyani did not specify which Ahmad is intended, and Khalaf al-Wasiti’s Kitab al-Atrāf reads: “Ahmad ibn Yunus explained part of it to me.” This was also the opinion of al-Dimyati, whereas Ibn Asakir and al-Mizzi considered it a mistake. I (Ibn Hajar) have examined the copy owned by al-Hafiz Abu’l-Husayn al-Yunini; he omits the name in all chains except one, where he marked it with the siglum (q) and wrote: Ahmad ibn Yunus. (3) The only scholar who suggested that the Ahmad in question might be Ahmad ibn Hanbal is Abu Abd Allah ibn Khalfun, and no one followed his view. (4) The author writes, “Muhammad narrated to us,” but this is incorrect; it should read “Ahmad.” In Sahih al-Bukhari, 8/231-232 (Tafsir of Surah al-Anfal), the hadith is transmitted once through Ahmad and once through Muhammad, both from Ubayd Allah ibn Muadh. In the first chain al-Bukhari leaves Ahmad unidentified, while in the second he names Muhammad. Al-Hafiz comments that all manuscripts read “Narrated to us Ahmad” without a patronymic, and the two Hakims, Abu Ahmad and Abu Abd Allah, state categorically that he is Ahmad ibn al-Nadr ibn Abd al-Wahhab al-Naysaburi. Al-Bukhari then transmits the same hadith immediately afterward from Muhammad ibn al-Nadr, proving that the unnamed Ahmad is the same man. Al-Hakim adds that al-Bukhari used to stay with the two brothers and spend long periods with them whenever he visited Naysabur. Al-Hafiz notes that the brothers belong to the generation of Muslim and other disciples of al-Bukhari, although they share some of his teachers; Muslim himself reports this very hadith directly from their teacher Ubayd Allah ibn Muadh. The isnad and wording of the hadith are: “Ahmad informed me; Ubayd Allah ibn Muadh told us; his father narrated to us; Shu‘bah narrated; from Abd al-Hamid, the associate of al-Ziyadi, who heard Anas ibn Malik say: Abu Jahl prayed, ‘O Allah, if this is indeed the truth from You, then rain down stones upon us from the sky or bring us a painful punishment.’ Thereupon was revealed: ‘But Allah would not punish them while you are among them, nor would He punish them while they seek forgiveness…’ (Q 8:33-34).”