“Come near, O company of Mudar! By Allah, you will continue to persecute and kill every believer until Allah, His angels, and the believers strike you, so that you will be unable to defend even the far end of a ravine.” They said, “Why do you summon us near when this is to be our fate?” He replied, “For among you is the master of Adam’s progeny, and among you are forerunners like racehorses.”

Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded it (15/111/19248), as did al-Bazzar (3362). I say: Its chain of transmission is authentic according to the criteria of the two Shaykhs. Ribʿi is Ibn Hirash.

I then found another teacher of Ribʿi’s, who said: “Sayf ibn Wahb related to us that Abu al-Tufayl said to me: ‘How many years have passed over you?’” …the hadith. It states that ʿAmr ibn Dulayʿ was a Companion, and that he visited Hudhayfah and asked him, “How are you this morning?” … It further states that Hudhayfah related to him this hadith in similar terms.

Al-Bukhari recorded it in al-Adab al-Mufrad (no. 1135), and al-Hafiz graded its chain good in al-Isabah. Perhaps he meant that it is good owing to corroborating evidence, on account of these chains; otherwise, Sayf is weak in hadith according to him in al-Taqrib. Ibn ʿAsakir also recorded it through this route.

The hadith also has a corroborating report with similar wording: “Mudar will surely strike the servants of Allah until Allah is no longer worshipped, and the believers will surely strike them until they are unable to defend even the far end of a ravine.” Ahmad recorded it (3/86–87): Khalaf ibn al-Walid related to us; ʿAbbad ibn ʿAbbad related to us, from Mujalid ibn Saʿid, from Abu al-Waddak, from Abu Saʿid al-Khudri, attributing it to the Prophet. I say: This is a weak chain of transmission. Its narrators are trustworthy except for Mujalid ibn Saʿid, who is not strong, as stated in al-Taqrib.