It was also recorded by Abu Dawud (5128) and Ibn Majah (3745) through this route. Ibn Majah (3746), al-Darimi (2/219), Ibn Hibban (1991), and Ahmad (5/274) also recorded it from Abu Mas‘ud al-Ansari in a report attributed to the Prophet. Its chain is good as corroborating evidence. Abu Hatim claimed in al-‘Ilal (2/274) that an error had been made, but the basis for this is not clear to me; so consult it. Al-Tirmidhi also recorded it (2/135) in the hadith of Umm Salamah and deemed it singular. Abu Nu‘aym recorded it in al-Hilyah (6/190) from Samurah. Al-Tahawi likewise recorded it, as did Ahmad in al-Zuhd (p. 32), from Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman as a mursal report, as will follow.

The version recorded by al-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim contains the additional wording: “Do not slaughter a milk-giving animal.” It also occurs in the hadith of Abu Salamah. The hadith has, moreover, been transmitted differently from Abu Salamah: his son ‘Amr ibn Abi Salamah narrated it from his father as a mursal report, together with the story, but it does not contain the hadith cited in the heading. Ahmad and al-Tahawi recorded it as mentioned above. This ‘Amr is weak, so his contradiction is not to be taken into account—especially since al-Zuhri corroborated ‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Umayr in al-Nasa’i (2/186), al-Tahawi (3/22–23), and Ahmad (2/237 and 289), through several routes from him, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, with it. Al-Bukhari cited it in suspended form (4/401).

Yunus differed from them and said: from Ibn Shihab, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, in a report attributed to the Prophet, with the wording: “Allah has sent no prophet, nor appointed any caliph, except that he has two entourages: an entourage”