- Al-Qāsim—namely, Ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, the companion of Abū Umāmah—is a narrator concerning whom scholars differ. The established conclusion regarding him is that his hadith is good when his reports are not contradicted. 2. ʿAlī ibn Yazīd—al-Alhānī—is weak, as stated in al-Taqrīb; however, his reports have not been wholly discarded, as al-Dhahabī said in al-Kāshif. 3. Maʿān ibn Rifāʿah is a narrator of mild weakness, as al-Ḥāfiẓ stated. These brief biographical notices indicate that the chain is not severely weak and may therefore be cited as corroborative evidence. The various parts of the hadith have been reported separately from a number of Companions, except for its first passage; as far as I presently know, I have found nothing in the sunnah to corroborate it. Yet the Quran is sufficient testimony. Allah Most High says:
“Never will the Jews or the Christians be pleased with you until you follow their religion. Say: Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the true guidance. And if you were to follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you would have from Allah neither protector nor helper.” (Al-Baqarah 2:120)
And He says:
“Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian; rather, he was a hanif, submitting to Allah, and he was not among the polytheists.” (Āl ʿImrān 3:67)
And He says:
“Indeed, those most worthy of Abraham are those who followed him, this Prophet, and those who believe. And Allah is the Protector of the believers.” (Āl ʿImrān 3:68)
As for the second passage, it has been narrated in reports from ʿĀʾishah, Jābir, Ḥabīb ibn Abī Thābit, and Ibn ʿAbbās. As for the report of ʿĀʾishah, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī al-Zinād narrates from his father, who said: ʿUrwah told me that ʿĀʾishah said on that occasion—meaning the day when the Abyssinians were playing in the mosque and ʿĀʾishah was watching them—“Let the Jews know that there is latitude in our religion. I have been sent with an upright and tolerant faith.”
It was recorded by Aḥmad (6/116/233) and al-Daylamī in Musnad al-Firdaws (2/1/4).