1. As for the hadith of Abu Saʿid al-Khudri, it is narrated from him by ʿAtiyyah al-ʿAwfi, with this wording. It was recorded by Ibn al-Mubarak in al-Zuhd (1597), al-Tirmidhi (1/70/316), Ibn Majah (4273), Ahmad (3/7 and 73), and Abu Nuʿaym in al-Hilyah (5/105; 7/130 and 312), through several routes from him. Al-Tirmidhi said: “A good hadith.”

I say: That is, it is good due to corroborating evidence, because ʿAtiyyah al-ʿAwfi is weak. A group narrated it from him in this manner, while others narrated it in two other forms, as will follow. Abu Salih also corroborated him, narrating it from Abu Saʿid with the same wording. It was recorded by Abu Yaʿla in his Musnad (71/1), Ibn Hibban (2569), and al-Hakim (4/559), through two routes from al-Aʿmash, from Abu Salih, with the same wording. Al-Hakim said: “Were it not for Abu Yahya al-Taymi being in the chain, I would have ruled the hadith authentic according to the criteria of the two shaykhs.”

I say: Jarir also corroborated al-Aʿmash in the reports of Abu Yaʿla and Ibn Hibban; thus, the chain is authentic according to their criteria.

2. As for the hadith of Ibn ʿAbbas, it is narrated from him by Mutarrif, from ʿAtiyyah, with this wording. It was recorded by Ahmad (1/326) and al-Hakim, from Mutarrif, from ʿAtiyyah.

3. As for the hadith of Zayd ibn Arqam, it is narrated by Khalid ibn Tahman, from ʿAtiyyah, with this wording. It was recorded by Ahmad (4/374) and Ibn ʿAdi (fol. 116/1).

I say: You have already learned that ʿAtiyyah is weak. One indication of his weakness is that he was inconsistent in its chain of transmission, narrating it in these three forms. The first is the form most commonly narrated from him, and all those who narrated from ʿAtiyyah cited the wording, “the bearer of the horn,” except Hajjaj alone in Ibn Majah, who narrated it with the wording: “Indeed, the two bearers of the Trumpet have two horns in their hands, watching intently for when they will be commanded.” Hajjaj practised tadlis, and he narrated it with an ambiguous transmission formula. The hadith of Abu Mariyah in the following report is similar to it.

4. As for the hadith of Anas, it is narrated by Ahmad ibn Mansur ibn Habib, Abu Bakr al-Marwazi al-Khusayb: “ʿAffan narrated to us; Hammam narrated to us, from Qatadah, from him,” with this wording, but without the words, “The Muslims said…”