(1) Ahmad ibn ʿAmr ibn Abi ʿAsim al-Dahhak ibn Makhlad al-Shaybani al-Basri was a leading, reliable hadith scholar. After Salih ibn Ahmad he served as judge of Isfahan. Among his many works are al-Sunna (now published), al-Ahad wa-l-Mathani, al-Diyat, and al-Awaʾil. He died in 287 AH; his kunya was Abu Bakr. See: Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa-l-Nihaya 11:84; al-Zirikli, al-Aʿlam 1:189. (2) Wahb ibn Buqiyya ibn ʿUthman ibn Shabur ibn ʿUbayd ibn Adam ibn Ziyad al-Wasiti, Abu Muhammad—known as Wahban—was rated reliable by Ibn Maʿin and al-Khatib and is listed by Ibn Hibban among the trustworthy. Born in 155 AH, he died in 239 AH. See: Tahdhib al-Tahdhib 11:159–160, no. 270. (3) Khalid ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Yazid al-Taman al-Wasiti al-Muzani, their mawla, is described by Ibn Hajar in al-Taqrib as “trustworthy, firmly accurate, eighth generation.” Born in 110 AH, he died in 182 AH. All six canonical compilers and others transmitted from him. See: Taqrib al-Tahdhib 1:215, no. 46 (kh). (4) ʿImran ibn al-Hadir al-Saddi, Abu ʿUbayda al-Basri, is rated by Ibn Hajar as “trustworthy, sixth generation.” He died in 149 AH, and Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, al-Nasaʾi, and others narrate from him. See: Taqrib al-Tahdhib 2:82, no. 718 (ʿ). (5) Lahik ibn Humayd ibn Saʿid al-Sudusi al-Basri, well known as Abu Mujliz, was a reliable transmitter of the senior third generation and died in 106 AH. See: Taqrib al-Tahdhib 2:340, no. 1 (l). MS A reads “from Abu Mukhled,” which is a scribal error. (6) All the narrators in this chain are reliable. (7) The Companion Fudala ibn ʿUbayd ibn Nafidh ibn Qays ibn Suhayb al-Ansari al-Awsi embraced Islam early, fought at Uhud and the subsequent battles, participated in the conquests of Syria and Egypt, commanded expeditions, and was appointed by Muʿawiya as judge of Damascus after Abu al-Dardaʾ. He died in 53 AH during Muʿawiya’s reign. See: Ibn Hajar, al-Isaba 3:206, no. 6992 (f).