Yahya is disputed over, and his biography is treated at length in al-Lisan. It erroneously gives his name as “Yahya ibn Burdah”; therefore, reliance is upon the narration of Abu Usamah, for he was a trustworthy and firmly reliable narrator.

3060 — “I mark my brother’s grave with it, and bury beside it whoever of my family dies.”

That is, Uthman ibn Mazʿun, may Allah be pleased with him.

Abu Dawud narrated it (3206), and al-Bayhaqi (3/412) through his route; as did Ibn Shabbah in Tarikh al-Madinah (1/102), from Kathir ibn Zayd al-Madani, from al-Muttalib, who said:

When Uthman ibn Mazʿun died, his funeral bier was brought out and he was buried. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, instructed a man to bring him a stone, but he was unable to carry it. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, went over to it and bared his forearms. Kathir said: Al-Muttalib said: The one who related this to me from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “It is as though I can see the whiteness of the Messenger of Allah’s forearms when he bared them.” He then carried it and placed it at the head of his grave, and said … then he mentioned it.

I say: This is a good, continuous chain of transmission, owing to the well-known disagreement concerning this Kathir ibn Zayd al-Madani. Al-Hafiz summarized this in al-Taqrib, saying: “Truthful, but makes mistakes.”

For this reason, he said in al-Talkhis al-Habir (5/229, al-Muniriyyah edition):

“Its chain is good. Its only issue is Kathir ibn Zayd, who narrates it from al-Muttalib; he is truthful. Al-Muttalib clarified that an informer related it to him, without naming him; but the anonymity of a Companion does no harm. Ibn Majah and Ibn ʿAdi also narrated it in abbreviated form, through Kathir ibn Zayd, from Zaynab bint Nubayt, from Anas. Abu Zurʿah said: ‘This is an error,’ indicating that the correct version is that of those who narrated it from Kathir, from al-Muttalib. Al-Tabarani also narrated it in al-Awsat as a hadith of Anas through another chain containing weakness.”