1084 — “Leadership is among Quraysh, the judiciary among the Ansar, the call to prayer among the Abyssinians, the Sacred Law in Yemen, and trustworthiness among the Azd.”

Ahmad (2/364) reported it: Zayd ibn al-Hubab narrated to us; Mu‘awiyah ibn Abi Salih narrated to us, saying: Abu Maryam narrated to me that he heard Abu Hurayrah relate it as a hadith attributed to the Prophet. This is an authentic chain of transmission: its narrators are trustworthy and are among Muslim’s narrators, apart from Abu Maryam, who is al-Ansari. He is trustworthy, as stated in al-Taqrib.

Al-Tirmidhi also reported it (2/329, Bulaq edition): Ahmad ibn Mani‘ narrated to us; Zayd ibn Hubab narrated to us—from the same chain—but without the words, “the Sacred Law in Yemen.” He then reported it through the route of ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi, from Mu‘awiyah ibn Salih, with similar wording from Abu Hurayrah, but without attributing it to the Prophet. He said: “This is sounder than the hadith of Zayd ibn Hubab.”

I say: Zayd is trustworthy and truthful, as stated in al-Mizan, and he attributed it to the Prophet. This is an additional wording that must be accepted, as established in hadith methodology. Al-Haythami cited the hadith in al-Majma‘ (4/192) and said: “Ahmad reported it, and its narrators are trustworthy.”

I say: Parts of it have corroborating reports; see the preceding hadith, no. 1039, and al-Irwa’ (513).

1085 — “The worst food is the food of the wedding feast: those who would attend it are excluded from it, while those who refuse it are invited to it. Whoever does not accept the invitation has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger.”

Muslim (4/154) reported it from Thabit al-A‘raj, from Abu Hurayrah, as a hadith attributed to the Prophet. Al-Hafiz said (9/200): “Abu al-Shaykh likewise reported it, through the route of Muhammad ibn Sirin from Abu Hurayrah, explicitly attributed to the Prophet.”

I say: It was also reported by al-Bukhari (6/144), Muslim, and Abu Dawud (2/136),