This chain is good or authentic. Its narrators are those found in the Six Books, apart from ‘Ajlan, the client of al-Mish‘al. Al-Nasa’i said of him: “There is no harm in him.” Ibn Hibban declared him trustworthy, and al-Taqrib states: “There is no harm in him.” The hadith is authentic and mass-transmitted from Abu Hurayrah in closely similar wordings, which were mentioned earlier under: “When one of you comes to his servant.”
- “Gabriel came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and said: ‘What do you consider the people of Badr among yourselves?’ He replied: ‘Among the best of the Muslims.’ He said: ‘And likewise those angels among us who were present.’”
Ibn Abi Khaythamah recorded it in al-Tarikh (230): My father narrated to us; Jarir informed us, from Yahya ibn Sa‘id al-Ansari, from Mu‘adh ibn Rifa‘ah ibn Rafi‘ al-Zuraqi, from his father—whose father had been among the people of Badr and whose grandfather had been among the people of al-‘Aqabah—who said: … and he then cited it. He said: “Yahya ibn Ma‘in was asked about this hadith, and he replied: ‘It is worthless and false.’”
That is what he said, but as we see it, there is no basis for it. The chain is authentic and continuous according to al-Bukhari’s criteria, for he recorded it in his Sahih (3992—Fath): Ishaq ibn Ibrahim narrated to me; Jarir informed us, with this chain. He then narrated it (3993) through Hammad—meaning Ibn Zayd—from Yahya, in similar wording. He then cited it (3994) through the route of Yazid: Yahya informed us that he heard Mu‘adh ibn Rifa‘ah say that an angel asked the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Its apparent form, then, is that of a mursal narration, with an omitted link; perhaps this was the basis of Ibn Ma‘in’s preceding statement. However, Jarir and Hammad agreeing in relating it with a continuous chain strengthens it and makes the connected version more likely. And Allah knows best. See Fath al-Bari (7/312).