2583), and Ahmad (2/304–305, 305), through Saʿd ibn ʿUbayd al-Taʾi Abu Mujahid: Abu al-Mudillah, the freedman of the Mother of the Believers, narrated to us that he heard Abu Hurayrah say: “We said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, whenever we see you, our hearts soften and we become people of the Hereafter; but when we leave you, the worldly life appeals to us and we become occupied with women and children.’ He then mentioned it.”

This is a weak chain of transmission because of this Abu al-Mudillah. Al-Dhahabi said: “He is scarcely known; no one besides Abu Mujahid narrated from him.” In al-Taqrib, it says: “Acceptable.” The rest of the hadith’s chain consists of trustworthy narrators used by al-Bukhari.

I say: Nevertheless, it is a good or authentic hadith in light of its preceding corroborating reports and others. See the following hadith with the wording, “If you were to remain ...,” no. 1965, and with the wording, “If you were to be ...,” no. 1976. Among its corroborating reports is: “If you did not sin, Allah would bring a people who sinned, so that He might forgive them.”

970 — “If you did not sin, Allah would bring a people who sinned, so that He might forgive them.”

Imam Ahmad (1/289) narrated it: Ahmad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik al-Harrani narrated to us; Yahya ibn ʿAmr ibn Malik al-Nakari narrated to us; he said: I heard my father narrate from Abu al-Jawzaʾ, from Ibn ʿAbbas, attributed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

This is a weak chain of transmission. Yahya ibn ʿAmr al-Nakari—the nun is vowelled with a dammah—was described in al-Taqrib: