127 – (Some people came to him, peace and blessings be upon him, and said: “O Messenger of Allah! O best of us and son of the best of us! Our master and son of our master!” He replied: “O people, say what you have to say, but do not let Satan carry you away. I am Muhammad, the servant and Messenger of Allah. I do not want you to elevate me above the rank in which Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has placed me.” Narrated by al-Nasāʾī with a good chain.) p. 100
Authentic. It was narrated by Ahmad in al-Musnad (3/153, 241, 249), ʿAbd ibn Humayd in al-Muntakhab min al-Musnad (fol. 143/2), Ibn Mandah in al-Tawhīd (fol. 63/1), and al-Diyāʾ al-Maqdisī in al-Ahādīth al-Mukhtāra (1/26), through several routes from Hammād ibn Salama, from Thābit, from Anas ibn Mālik, with the same report.
I say: This chain is authentic according to Muslim’s criteria. Al-Nasāʾī did not include it in his al-Sunan al-Sughrā, which is the edition that has been printed. It therefore appears that the author attributed it to al-Nasāʾī by following other hadith scholars, and that by al-Nasāʾī he meant the latter’s al-Sunan al-Kubrā, which has not been printed.
The hadith also has a supporting narration reported by Abū Dāwūd (4806), from ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhīr, with similar wording.
128 – (The Mother of the Believers ʿĀʾisha said: “I used to play with dolls in the presence of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Some female friends of mine would come to me, but they would withdraw (hide) out of fear of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would be pleased when they came to me, and they would play with me.” Agreed upon.) p. 102
Authentic, but its wording is: “I used to play with dolls in the presence of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and I had female friends who would play with me. Whenever the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, entered, they would hide from him, so he would send them in to me and they would play with me.” This is its wording in al-Bukhārī (4/142) and Ahmad