Al-Hakim said: “Authentic according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim.” Al-Dhahabi agreed with him. Al-Bazzar (2247) and Ibn Jarir, in his exegesis (20/50), then recorded it through several routes from ‘Awf, with the attribution stopping at Abu Sa‘id. Al-Haythami said in Majma‘ al-Zawa’id (7/88): “Al-Bazzar narrated it both as a report attributed to the Companion and as one attributed to the Prophet, and the narrators of both chains are narrators of the Sahih.”

I say: Both versions are authentic, and there is no contradiction between them. It is evident that a report attributed to a Companion has the ruling of one attributed to the Prophet in matters of exegesis, even if it has not been narrated as a Prophetic report. So how could there be any contradiction when it has also been authentically narrated as such?

2259 — “Among people, none is like a man who takes hold of his horse’s reins, striving in Allah’s cause and avoiding people’s evils; or a man living in the open country with his sheep, who entertains his guest and pays what is due on them.”

Imam Ahmad recorded it (1/311): Ruh narrated to us; Habib ibn Shihab al-‘Anbari narrated to us, saying: I heard my father say: A companion of mine and I came to Ibn ‘Abbas, and we met Abu Hurayrah at Ibn ‘Abbas’s door. He asked, “Who are you two?” We told him, and he said, “Go to some people who live on dates and water; every valley flows according to its measure.” We said, “May your goodness abound! Seek permission for us to enter upon Ibn ‘Abbas.” So he sought permission for us, and we heard Ibn ‘Abbas narrating from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. He said: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, delivered a sermon on the day of Tabuk,” and then mentioned the above hadith. He said: I asked, “Did he say it?” He replied, “He did say it.”