Ibn Sa'd recorded it (2/347): Abu Bakr ibn Abd Allah ibn Abi Uways al-Madani informed us; Sulayman ibn Bilal narrated to me from Amr ibn Abi Amr.
I say: This is an authentic mursal chain of transmission. All its narrators are trustworthy and are among those relied upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. Abu Bakr's name was Abd al-Hamid.
The other route is through Abd al-Aziz ibn Muhammad, from Umarah ibn Ghaziyyah, from him, with the same wording. Abu Nu'aym recorded it (1/229) through Abu al-Abbas al-Thaqafi: Qutaybah ibn Sa'id narrated to us; Abd al-Aziz ibn Muhammad narrated to us.
I say: Its narrators are trustworthy and are among Muslim's narrators. Abu al-Abbas al-Thaqafi was Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Sarraj, the hadith master. Thus, this too is an authentic mursal chain. However, Yahya ibn Ayyub differed from him and narrated: from Umarah ibn Ghaziyyah, from Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Azhar, from Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi, with the same wording. He thus inserted Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Azhar between Umarah and Ibn Ka'b. Abu Nu'aym likewise recorded it through al-Tabarani, with his chain of transmission from him. Al-Haythami said in Majma' al-Zawa'id (9/311): “Al-Tabarani narrated it in mursal form, and it contains Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Azhar al-Ansari, whom I do not know; otherwise, its narrators are those of the Sahih.”
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As for the mursal hadith of Abu Awn, Ibn Sa'd said (2/347): Abu Mu'awiyah al-Darir informed us, from Abu Ishaq—that is, al-Shaybani—from him, attributed to the Prophet, with the wording: “Mu'adh is ahead of the scholars by a stone's throw on the Day of Resurrection.” This too is an authentic mursal report.
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As for the mursal report of al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Sa'd likewise recorded it through Hisham ibn Hassan and Thabit, both from him, with the same wording. It too is authentic. In sum, the hadith is undoubtedly authentic when all these routes are taken together. No one possessing knowledge of this noble discipline could entertain any doubt about that. Its being well known among the early generations further supports it. Al-Hakim narrated with an authentic chain of transmission from Malik ibn Anas, who said: