Then al-Tabarani’s statement cited above is not accepted, for al-Hakim also recorded it in al-Mustadrak (4/470) through Abu ʿAwanah, from al-Aʿmash, with this chain. Thus, Abu ʿAwanah corroborated Ibn Numayr. Al-Hakim said: “An authentic hadith according to the criteria of the two Shaykhs!” Al-Dhahabi agreed with him. This is an evident error, for ʿAmr ibn Hanzalah is not among their narrators, quite apart from the unknown status concerning him to which al-Hafiz alluded in al-Taʿjil.

The second chain is from ʿAbd al-Jabbar ibn al-ʿAbbas al-Shabami—al-Shami in the original—from Abu Qays. ʿAbd al-Jabbar said: “I believe [he narrated it] from Huzayl,” who said: Hudhayfah rose to deliver an address in the house of ʿAmir ibn Hanzalah, where there were men of Tamim and Mudar. He said: “A day will surely come upon Mudar when they will not leave any servant of Allah who worships Him without killing him, or they will surely be dealt such a blow that they will be unable to defend even the far end—or the lower end—of a valley.” He was asked: “O Abu ʿAbd Allah, do you say this about your own people, or about a people to whom you belong?” He replied: “I say only what I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say.”

Ahmad recorded it (5/404). I say: This is a sound chain, provided that al-Shabami—so called in relation to Shabam, a mountain in Yemen—retained it accurately. He is trustworthy, as are those above and below him in the chain. Abu Qays is ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Tharwan, mentioned earlier in the first chain through al-Aʿmash. There is no doubt that al-Aʿmash had a stronger memory than al-Shabami, especially since the latter expressed uncertainty concerning his chain when he said: “I believe [he narrated it] from Huzayl.” Thus, I fear that he did not retain it accurately. And Allah knows best.

The third chain is from Mansur ibn al-Muʿtamir, from Ribʿi, from Hudhayfah, who said: