“We were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when ‘When there comes’ was revealed, and he said:

‘They are the people of Yemen.’”

Al-Bukhari narrated it thus in al-Tarikh (3/2/195), saying: “ʿAbd al-ʿAziz said: al-Khidr narrated to us: ʿUmar narrated to us, from ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abi Bashir …”

I say: This is also a good chain of transmission, and a strong corroboration through this ʿAbd al-Malik, for he is trustworthy, as are those below him in the chain.

ʿUmar is Ibn Mujashiʿ al-Mada’ini. In his biographical entry, al-Bukhari cited this report but mentioned neither criticism nor accreditation of him. Ibn Abi Hatim did likewise. However, Ibn Hibban included him among the trustworthy narrators in al-Thiqat (7/184), on the authority of this al-Khidr—namely, al-Khidr ibn Muhammad al-Harrani—from him. Al-Lisan mentions two other narrators who reported from him and states that Ibn Maʿin said, “There is no objection to him.” Refer to it, if you wish, or to Taysir al-Intifaʿ.

I say: It has a supporting report in the hadith of Mina, from ʿAbdullah ibn Masʿud, with the same meaning. Ahmad recorded it (1/449), but this Mina is abandoned. It was also narrated from Ibn Masʿud at greater length through another chain even weaker than this one. I have documented it in al-Daʿifah (6445).

I say: It is from Allah’s favour upon me that He enabled me to document and revive these virtues of the people of Yemen, especially the hadith under discussion. It escaped many hadith masters and source-tracers, let alone others. Although some of them mentioned certain chains and wordings of it, none of them comprehensively gathered its chains and supporting reports that strengthen it; and whoever did find something of them did so without verification or authentication. Let us therefore mention the statements we have come across: