1987 — “They are accountable for what has been laid upon them, and you are accountable for what has been laid upon you.”

Al-Bukhari reported it in al-Tarikh (1/1/42), from Muhammad ibn Abi Israʾil, who heard Abd al-Malik ibn Abi Bashir, from Alqamah ibn Waʾil, from his father, who said to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “What if we have rulers who act in disobedience to Allah?” He then replied with the above. He also reported it through the route of Shuʿbah, from Simak, from Alqamah ibn Waʾil, from his father, who said: Salamah ibn Yazid al-Juʿfi said something similar to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Through the route of Israʾil, he said: Simak narrated to us from Alqamah that Yazid said to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

I say: The first report is defective on account of Muhammad ibn Abi Israʾil. In his biographical entry, al-Bukhari cited this hadith without mentioning any narrator criticism or accreditation; Ibn Abi Hatim did likewise in his book (3/2/209), without mentioning either. He is therefore counted among the unknown narrators. The chain of the second report is authentic: all of its narrators are trustworthy and are narrators of Muslim. It is sounder than the third report, because Shuʿbah had a stronger memory than Israʾil, especially in his narrations from Simak.

Al-Suyuti attributed the hadith to al-Tabarani in al-Kabir, from Yazid ibn Salamah al-Juʿfi. Al-Manawi said: “Al-Haythami said: ‘It contains Ubayd ibn Ubaydah, whom I do not know, while the rest of its narrators are trustworthy.’” Al-Manawi endorsed this.

I say: Its chain of transmission with al-Bukhari is not among al-Tabarani’s routes; this is one of the benefits of tracing the various routes and chains of transmission. So praise be to Allah for granting success. I then came across its chain in al-Kabir and found that he reported it (6322) through Ubayd ibn Ubaydah, who said: Al-Muʿtamir ibn Sulayman narrated to us from his father, from Zaʾidah, from Simak, with the same wording as Shuʿbah’s report. Thus, through this corroborating transmission, his report gained strength upon strength.