He said: I asked, “Did he say it?” He replied, “He did.” I asked, “Did he say it?” He replied, “He did.” Then I proclaimed Allah’s greatness, praised Him, and thanked Him.

I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission. Ruh is Ibn ‘Ubadah, a trustworthy narrator whose reports were used by both al-Bukhari and Muslim. Habib ibn Shihab al-‘Anbari is unanimously regarded as trustworthy; he is mentioned in Ta‘jil al-Manfa‘ah. His father, Shihab, was declared trustworthy by Ibn Hibban (4/363) and by Abu Zur‘ah, as recorded in al-Jarh wa al-Ta‘dil.

He was corroborated by al-Qalus bint ‘Ulaybah, who said: “I heard Shihab ibn Mudlij say: Abu Hurayrah narrated to us that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘The best of people is a man who withdraws from people’s evils.’”

2260 — “Whenever three children of two Muslims die before reaching the age of accountability, Allah will admit their parents into Paradise by virtue of His mercy towards them. And no Muslim spends two of his possessions in Allah’s cause without the gatekeepers of Paradise competing to receive him, each inviting him to the gate in his charge.”

Ibn Hibban recorded it in his Sahih (4/260/2929 and 7/77–78/4624–4626), as did Abu ‘Awanah in his Sahih (8/8–9, al-Zahiriyyah manuscript), al-Bayhaqi (9/171)—with the additional wording found in his version—Ahmad (5/151, 159, and 164), and al-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir (2/154–155/1644 and 1645), through Sa‘sa‘ah ibn Mu‘awiyah from Abu Dharr, attributed to the Prophet, with this wording. Ibn Hibban and others added: “What are the two items from his property?” He said: “Two slaves from among his slaves, two horses from among his horses, or two camels from among his camels.” Al-Nasa’i also recorded it as a report attributed to the Prophet (1874 and 3185), and his version contains the substance of this additional wording.