Abū Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, passed away, and there was not a bird flapping its wings in the sky except that he had given us some knowledge about it.”
Al-Bukhārī states in the Book of the Beginning of Creation: It is related from ʿĪsā ibn Mūsā Ghunjar, from Raqaba, from Qays ibn Muslim, from Ṭāriq ibn Shihāb, who said, “I heard ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb say: ‘The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, once stood among us and spoke of the origin of creation, continuing until the people of Paradise had entered their dwellings and the people destined for the Fire theirs. Whoever retained it, retained it; and whoever forgot it, forgot it.’”
Abū Masʿūd al-Dimashqī comments in his work Aṭrāf: “This is how al-Bukhārī recorded it, though in fact ʿĪsā Ghunjar narrated it from Abū Ḥamzah, from Raqaba.”
Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, reports in his Musnad: “Abū ʿĀṣim told us; ʿAzrah ibn …”
(1) In manuscript B it reads: “except that he reminded us.”
(2) In manuscript B it reads: “his book.”
(3) Here the passive voice is used. The same form appears in al-Mizzi’s hand in Tuhfat al-Ashraf (vol. 7, p. 208, hadith 10470). In al-Bukhari the chain reads: “and ‘Isa narrated from Ruqba.” The author explains that this refers to ‘Isa ibn Musa al-Bukhari, nicknamed Ghunjar (“the ruddy”). Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar (Fath al-Bari 6/207) notes that most transmissions omit an intermediary. He cites Ibn al-Fulki, who inserted Abu Hamza between ‘Isa and Ruqba—a position also taken by Abu Mas‘ud. Al-Tariqi reports that Abu Hamza is missing in al-Firbari’s Musnad but present in Hammad ibn Shakir’s version as “narrated by ‘Isa from Abu Hamza from Ruqba,” and Ibn Rumaih confirms this in his report on al-Firbari. Abu Nu‘aym in al-Mustakhraj likewise includes Abu Hamza via al-Jirjani from al-Firbari, indicating a variant in al-Firbari’s work. Al-Nasafi’s transmission again omits Abu Hamza, though he inserts “Dabba” instead. It appears that Abu Hamza was later appended in al-Jirjani’s chain. This hadith occurs only here in al-Bukhari, transmitted by ‘Isa ibn Musa al-Bukhari from Abu Hamza (Muhammad ibn Maymun al-Sukkari) from Ruqba. Al-Tabarani also preserves this chain, though its transmission is considered weak in parts.
(4) Al-Bukhari records it in his Sahih (3192) under the chapter “What has been related concerning Allah’s statement: ‘And it is He who begins the creation and then repeats it…’” (Quran 30:27). It is also found in Musnad Ahmad (vol. 5, pp. 385, 389, 401) and Sunan Abu Dawud (4240) under “Trials: Chapter on mentioning trials and their signs,” narrated by Hudhayfah; and in Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi (2191) under “Trials: What the Prophet (peace be upon him) informed his Companions would occur until the Day of Resurrection,” narrated by Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, which at-Tirmidhi grades as Hasan Sahih (good and authentic).
(5) In manuscript B it reads “Ibn Mas‘ud,” which is a scribal error. Abu Mas‘ud al-Dimashqi was Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ubayd al-Dimashqi, a reliable, pious muhaddith who died in 401 AH. His biography appears in al-Siyar by al-Dhahabi (17/227), and his work Atraf al-Sahihayn arranges the hadith of each Companion separately (Kashf al-Zunun 1/116). This is one of the principal works on which al-Mizzi based his Tuhfat al-Ashraf.
(6) Additional reading from manuscript B.
(7) See Musnad Ahmad (vol. 5, p. 341).