Abū al-Faraj said(1): “Among the facts that invalidate these hadiths is the undisputed precedence of Khadījah, Abū Bakr, and Zayd(2) in embracing Islam, as well as the fact that Umar embraced Islam in the sixth year of prophethood, after forty men(3) had already done so. How, then, can this be sound?”

He also cited a hadith(4) from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “(I am)(5) the Greatest Truthful One(6).” Regarding it, he stated: “It was the handiwork of Ahmad ibn Nasr al-Dharrā‘(7), for he was a liar who fabricated hadiths.”

He cited another hadith containing(8) the words: “I am the first of them to believe, the most faithful of them to Allah’s covenant, the firmest of them in upholding Allah’s command, the fairest of them in making equal allocations(9), the most just of them toward the subjects, and the most discerning of them in adjudication(10).”

He said: “It is fabricated(11), and the one accused of fabricating it is Bishr ibn Ibrāhīm. Ibn Adī and Ibn Hibbān said: ‘He used to fabricate hadiths and attribute them to trustworthy narrators.’” Al-Abzārī, al-Husayn ibn Ubayd Allah, also narrated it from Ibrāhīm ibn Saīd(12) al-Jawharī, from Ma’mūn, from al-Rashīd. He said: “This al-Abrāzī was a liar(13).”