I say: Sa‘id ibn Zurbi’s hadith is rejected, as stated in al-Taqrib, while all the other narrators are trustworthy, except that al-Hasan—that is, al-Hasan al-Basri—practised tadlis and transmitted it using an ambiguous “from” formula. He then narrated it through Mus‘ab ibn Ibrahim, from Sa‘id ibn Abi ‘Arubah, from Qatadah, from Anas, attributing it to the Prophet.

I say: This Mus‘ab ibn Ibrahim’s hadith is also rejected, as Ibn ‘Adi stated; and he cited another hadith among those denounced in his case. Al-Dhahabi said: “I say: He has another hadith from Sa‘id, from Qatadah …” I say: He then mentioned it. He subsequently narrated it (91) through Muhammad ibn Isma‘il ibn ‘Ayyash: My father narrated to us from Damdam ibn Zur‘ah, from Shurayh ibn ‘Ubayd, from Ka‘b ibn ‘Asim, attributing it to the Prophet, with the wording:

“...from three things: that they should not suffer hunger, that they should not unite upon misguidance, and that the collective security of the Muslims should not be violated.”

I say: Its narrators are trustworthy apart from Muhammad ibn Isma‘il ibn ‘Ayyash. Abu Dawud said: “He was not of that standard.” Abu Hatim said: “He heard nothing from his father. They prompted him to narrate from him, and so he narrated.”

I say: Thus, through the combined strength of these routes, the hadith is good. See al-Da‘ifah (1510).

1332 — “Among people are those who are keys to goodness and locks against evil; and among people are those who are keys to evil and locks against goodness. Blessed is the one at whose hands Allah has placed the keys to goodness, and woe to the one at whose hands Allah has placed the keys to evil.”

Ibn Majah (237) and Ibn Abi ‘Asim in al-Sunnah (251—the office copy) narrated it through Muhammad ibn Abi Humayd al-Madani, from Musa ibn Wardan, from Hafs ibn ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Anas, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said it.

I say: This is a weak chain of transmission, for Muhammad ibn Abi Humayd is weak.