“Yahya ibn Hassan was a trustworthy and well-known Palestinian.” Imam Ahmad said, in his version of this narration from Ibn al-Mubarak: “Yahya ibn Hassan was from the people of Jerusalem, and he was an elderly shaykh of sound understanding.” Al-Nasa’i and Ibn Hibban also declared him trustworthy.
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As for the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, Rashdin ibn Sa‘d narrates it to us: Musa ibn Habib narrated to us, from Suhayl ibn Abi Salih, from his father, from him, attributing it to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Al-Hakim recorded it, but Rashdin is weak.
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As for the hadith of Anas, Mu’ammal ibn Isma‘il narrates it from Hammad ibn Salamah, from Humayd, from Anas. Al-Tirmidhi recorded it (4/267) and said: “It is a singular hadith and is not preserved. Rather, this is narrated from Hammad ibn Salamah, from Humayd, from al-Hasan al-Basri, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him; and this is more sound. Mu’ammal erred in it, saying: ‘From Humayd, from Anas,’ and no one corroborated him in this.”
I say: Ibn Abi Hatim mentioned something similar in al-‘Ilal (2/170 and 192). However, his statement, “and no one corroborated him in it,” is open to question, for Ibn Abi Hatim also mentioned that Ruh ibn ‘Ubadah narrated it from Hammad, from Thabit and Humayd, from Anas, with this wording. Abu Sa‘d al-Muzaffar ibn Hasan also recorded it in Fawa’id Muntaqah (136/2). Ibn Abi Hatim then said: “My father said: This is an error by Hammad; he narrates it from Aban ibn Abi ‘Ayyash, from Anas.”
I say: Ruh ibn ‘Ubadah was a trustworthy and eminent narrator, relied upon by the six compilers. Thus, I do not know the basis for deeming his narration erroneous without clear evidence, especially since it is possible to hold that both what he narrated and what other trustworthy narrators narrated are sound—namely, that Hammad