1546 — “I am the supplication of my father Abraham, and Jesus, son of Mary, peace and blessings be upon him, was the last to give glad tidings of my coming.”

Ibn ‘Asakir related it in al-Tarikh (1/265/2), through Bishr ibn ‘Umarah, from al-Ahwas ibn Hakim, from Khalid ibn Sa‘d, from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Ghanm, from ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit. It was said: “O Messenger of Allah, tell us about yourself.” He replied, “Yes, I am...” and then related the hadith.

I say: This is a weak chain of transmission, for Bishr ibn ‘Umarah and al-Ahwas ibn Hakim are both weak. However, it is supported by the hadith of Abu Umamah, who said: “O Prophet of Allah, what was the very beginning of your mission?” He replied by relating it in the wording: “The supplication of my father Abraham, the glad tidings of Jesus, and my mother saw a light emerge from her, illuminating the palaces of Syria.” Ahmad related it (5/262): Abu al-Nadr narrated to us; Faraj narrated to us; Luqman ibn ‘Amir narrated to us. He said: “I heard Abu Umamah say: ‘I said...’” and then he related it. Ibn Sa‘d also related it in al-Tabaqat (1/102), as did Ibn ‘Adi (165/1).

I say: This is a good chain of transmission, as al-Haythami said (8/222): “It has corroborating reports that strengthen it, and al-Tabarani also related it.”

Among them is the preceding hadith. Another is what Buhayr ibn Sa‘id narrated from Khalid, from ‘Utbah ibn ‘Abd al-Sulami: a similar report, more complete than it, with the wording: “My nursemaid was...” the hadith. It has previously appeared in full, along with its documentation, under no. 373.