1224 — “The most compassionate of my community toward my community is Abu Bakr; the most resolute of them in upholding Allah’s command is Umar; the most modest of them is Uthman; the most proficient in the Book of Allah is Ubayy ibn Kaʿb; the most knowledgeable of them concerning the laws of inheritance is Zayd ibn Thabit; and the most knowledgeable of them concerning what is lawful and forbidden is Muʿadh ibn Jabal. Indeed, every community has a trustee, and the trustee of this community is Abu ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarrah.”

It was recorded by al-Tirmidhi (2/309), Ibn Majah (154), Ibn Hibban (2218 and 2219), and al-Hakim (3/422), through the route of ʿAbd al-Wahhab ibn ʿAbd al-Majid al-Thaqafi, who said: Khalid al-Hadhdhaʾ narrated to us from Abu Qilabah, from Anas, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: He then mentioned it.

Al-Tirmidhi said: “A good, authentic hadith.” Al-Hakim said: “This is an authentic chain of transmission according to the criteria of the two Shaykhs.” Al-Dhahabi concurred with him, and it is as they both said.

Sufyan al-Thawri also narrated it from Khalid al-Hadhdhaʾ through the same chain. It was recorded by Ahmad (3/184), al-Tahawi in Mushkil al-Athar (1/351), Abu Nuʿaym (3/122), Ibn ʿAsakir in Tarikh Dimashq (2/296/2; 6/282/2; and 11/97/2), and al-Baghawi in Sharh al-Sunnah (3/534/2, Islamic Office edition). It was also narrated by Wuhayb, who said: Khalid al-Hadhdhaʾ narrated to us through the same chain. It was recorded by Ahmad (3/280), al-Tahawi, and likewise al-Tayalisi (2096).

ʿAbd al-Aʿla ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿla also corroborated him regarding its final sentence, as recorded by al-Bukhari (7/73); and Ismaʿil ibn ʿUlayyah did likewise, as recorded by Muslim (7/129). The former explicitly stated that Abu Qilabah narrated directly from Anas.

The hadith has been criticized on account of an unusual hidden defect. Al-Hafiz said in al-Fath, after attributing it to al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban: “Its chain of transmission is authentic, except that al-Hafiz said: The correct view is that the beginning of it is mursal, while the portion transmitted with a connected chain is limited to what al-Bukhari recorded. And Allah knows best.”