“Al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani narrated it, and its chain of transmission is good.”

Al-Hafiz likewise graded it good in Mukhtasar al-Zawa'id (2/366)! Thus, they both overlooked Ibn Ishaq’s use of the ‘from’ formula. Here, they ought to have drawn attention to his explicit statement that he heard it directly in Ahmad’s preceding narration; but such was the divine decree.

There is no contradiction between their narration and that of the others, for the two may be reconciled by combining the details found in each. Thus, it may be said that the other man asked the same question as the first, adding that he also asked about one who believed in him, peace and blessings be upon him, ... yet had not seen him. The substance of the reply would then be: “Blessed is he who saw me; and blessed—then blessed, then blessed—is he who did not see me.” This is what the discipline of reconciling apparently conflicting hadiths requires. And Allah knows best.

Ibn Lahi'ah also narrated part of this, though his chain differs from that of Ibn Ishaq. Ibn Lahi'ah said: Yazid ibn Abi Habib narrated from Bukayr ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Ashajj, from Bayhas al-Thaqafi, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Umrah al-Ansari, from his father—so far as I know, only from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him—that he was asked:

“O Messenger of Allah, what of those who believe in you without having seen you, and affirm you without having seen you? What is there for them?” He replied:

“Blessed are they”—twice—“they are among us; they are among us.”

Al-Tabarani narrated it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir (1/182/576).

He also narrated it in al-Awsat (9/283/8619) through another route from Ibn Lahi'ah, who said: Bukayr ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Ashajj told me this report. In this version, he omitted Yazid ibn Abi Habib. Perhaps this is one of Ibn Lahi'ah’s confused narrations.