he took the Torah and read until he came to the description of the Prophet and his community. He said, “This is your description and the description of your community. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah, and that you are the Messenger of Allah.” Then he died, and the Prophet said to his Companions:
“Take charge of your brother.”
Ahmad recorded it (1/416), as did al-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir (10/190/10295). After citing both as its sources, al-Haythami said (8/231):
“Its chain contains Ata ibn al-Sa'ib, whose memory became confused.”
Shaykh Ahmad Shakir—may Allah have mercy on him—criticized him for this in his notes on the Musnad (6/23), saying:
“He overlooked its defect—its discontinuity—and declared it defective on grounds that are invalid, since Hammād ibn Salamah heard from Ata before his confusion, according to the stronger view!”
I say: The stronger view is that he also heard from him after his confusion, as al-Hafiz established in al-Tahdhib. Thus, the defect identified by al-Haythami is valid. And Allah knows best.
- “The beginning of this affair will be prophethood and mercy; then there will be a caliphate and mercy; then there will be kingship and mercy. Then they will contend for it as donkeys bite one another. So adhere to jihad, for the best of your jihad is frontier duty, and the best place for your frontier duty is Ascalon.”
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir (11/88/11138): Ahmad ibn al-Nadr al-Askari narrated to us; Sa'id ibn Hafs al-Nufayli narrated to us; Musa ibn A'yan narrated to us, from Abu Shihab, from Fitr ibn Khalifah, from Mujahid, from Ibn Abbas, who said: The Messenger of Allah said ... and then he cited it.