1877 — “Al-Zubayr is the son of my paternal aunt and my trusted disciple from among my community.”

Ahmad recorded it (3/314): Abu Muʿawiyah narrated to us; Hisham ibn ʿUrwah narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, from Jabir, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said it.

I say: This chain of transmission is authentic according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim. However, Hammad ibn Zayd differed from him. Ahmad said (4/4): Yunus narrated to us; Hammad—that is, Ibn Zayd—narrated to us, from Hisham ibn ʿUrwah, from his father, from ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Every prophet has a trusted disciple, and my trusted disciple is al-Zubayr, the son of my paternal aunt.”

Sulayman ibn Harb differed from him, saying: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated it to us with the same chain, except that it was mursal, with Ibn al-Zubayr omitted. Ahmad recorded it. Yahya and Wakiʿ likewise narrated it from Hisham ibn ʿUrwah as a mursal report. Ahmad also recorded it.

All of them were contradicted by Yunus ibn Bukayr, who narrated to us from Hisham ibn ʿUrwah, from his father, from al-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwam, in a report attributed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, with the wording: “Indeed, every prophet has a trusted disciple, and my trusted disciple is al-Zubayr.” Al-Hakim recorded it (3/362) and said: “Authentic according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim.” Al-Dhahabi agreed with him.

I say: This is questionable, for al-Bukhari did not rely upon Yunus ibn Bukayr, but only cited him in a suspended report. Al-Taqrib states: “He makes mistakes.”