Its chain of transmission is also authentic, and there is no conflict between it and the report attributed to the Prophet; both are authentic. The report attributed to the Prophet, however, is more authentic, and its narrators are more numerous.
It provides evidence for the invalidity of the hadith now commonly repeated by preachers and writers: that the Prophet said regarding the protected non-Muslim subjects: “They have the same rights as we do, and bear the same obligations as we do.”
This has no basis from him. Rather, this authentic hadith refutes it, for it explicitly states that he said this only concerning those among the polytheists and the People of the Book who embraced Islam. Those preachers rely on certain jurists who possess no knowledge of the noble hadith, as I have explained in al-Ahadith al-Da'ifah wa al-Mawdu'ah (no. 1103). Consult it, for it is among the important matters.
The hadith also has a corroborating report with another wording:
“Whoever from the People of the Book embraces Islam shall have his reward twice over; he shall have the same rights as we do and bear the same obligations as we do. Whoever from the polytheists embraces Islam shall have his reward; he shall have the same rights as we do and bear the same obligations as we do.”
304 — “Whoever from the People of the Book embraces Islam shall have his reward twice over; he shall have the same rights as we do and bear the same obligations as we do. Whoever from the polytheists embraces Islam shall have his reward; he shall have the same rights as we do and bear the same obligations as we do.”
Al-Ruyani recorded it in his Musnad (30/220/1): “Aḥmad informed us; my uncle informed us; Ibn Lahi'ah informed us, from Sulayman ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥman, from al-Qasim, from Abu Umamah al-Bahili, who said: ‘I was beneath the mount of the Messenger of Allah during the Farewell Pilgrimage. He delivered an excellent address, and among what he said was...’” Then he cited it.
I say: This is a good chain of transmission. Al-Qasim was Ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥman, Abu ʿAbd al-Raḥman al-Shami, a companion of Abu Umamah, and he was truthful.
Sulayman ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥman was Abu ʿAmr al-Khurasani al-Dimashqi, and he was trustworthy.