and it has also been reported from Uthman, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, and Anas ibn Malik. The wording in the reports of these men, except Uthman, is: “The best of you.” This was mentioned shortly before.

Likewise, it was narrated without the addition from Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud with the wording: “The best of you are those who read the Quran and teach it.” Al-Khatib transmitted it (2/96) through Sharik, from Asim ibn Abi al-Najud and Ata ibn al-Sa'ib, from Abu Abd al-Rahman, from Abd Allah, attributing it to the Prophet. Al-Hafiz cited it (9/61) through Sharik with this chain, without mentioning Ata, and said: Ibn Abi Dawud transmitted it.

I say: This is a weak chain, because Sharik had poor retention. The hadith is in fact narrated by Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami from Uthman, as mentioned above.

1174 - “The best of you are those who are best to their families; and when your companion dies, leave him alone.”

Al-Darimi transmitted it (2/158): Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; Sufyan narrated to us from Hisham ibn Urwah, from his father, from Aishah, attributing it to the Prophet with this wording.

I say: This is an authentic chain according to al-Bukhari’s criteria. It has a corroborating report in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, cited earlier under no. (284): “The most complete of the believers ...,” though without the second clause.

1175 - “A believer is not bitten from the same hole twice.”

Al-Bukhari transmitted it in his Sahih (10/436) and in al-Adab al-Mufrad (p. 185), as did Muslim (8/227), Abu Dawud (2/297), al-Darimi (2/319 and 320), Ibn Majah (2/476), and Ahmad (2/379), from the hadith of Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, from Ibn al-Musayyib, from Abu Hurayrah, attributing it to the Prophet.

Ibn Majah, al-Tayalisi (no. 1813), and Ahmad (no. 5964) also transmitted it through Zam'ah ibn Salih, from Ibn Shihab, from Salim, from Ibn Umar, attributing it to the Prophet with this wording. Zam'ah is weak. Salih ibn Abi al-Akhdar also followed him, but he too is weak. The sound narration is that of the group, from al-Zuhri, from Ibn al-Musayyib, from Abu Hurayrah, as stated in al-Fath.