Abu Sa'id said, “O Abu Abd al-Rahman, did you not hear the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say: ‘Whoever is able not to sleep a night’s sleep, rise to a morning, or enter an evening except while he has a leader over him [should do so]?’” He said, “Yes, but I dislike allegiance being pledged to two leaders before the people have united under one leader.”
Ahmad recorded it (3/29–30).
I say: Most scholars declared this Bishr ibn Harb weak. Al-Dhahabi said in al-Kashif: “Weak.” Al-Hafiz said: “Truthful, though with some weakness.”
- As for the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, Abu Hilal narrated it from Qatadah, from Sa'id, from him, like the hadith cited in the heading.
It was recorded by al-Bazzar in his Musnad (2/235/1595), al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat (4/320/2534—Majma' al-Bahrayn), and Ibn 'Adi in al-Kamil (6/213).
Abu Hilal was Muhammad ibn Sulaym al-Rasibi, truthful though with some weakness; however, his chain of transmission was contradicted. Ibn 'Adi recorded it by way of Abu al-Walid, from Hammam, from Qatadah, from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, as a mursal report (a Successor’s direct attribution to the Prophet). Ibn 'Adi also related from Abu Musa Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna—who narrated it to him from Abu al-Walid—that he said:
“I said to Abu al-Walid, ‘Yet Abu Hilal narrated from Qatadah, from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him!’ Abu al-Walid said to me, ‘O Abu Musa, Abu Hilal cannot be relied upon for this.’”