- “His Companions would toss watermelon rinds at one another; but when serious matters arose, they proved themselves men.”
Al-Bukhari recorded it in al-Adab al-Mufrad (41): Sadaqah narrated to us: Mu'tamir informed us, from Habib Abu Muhammad, from Bakr ibn Ubayd Allah, who said: and he then mentioned it.
This is an authentic chain of transmission. Its narrators are all among al-Bukhari’s narrators in his Sahih, apart from this Habib, who is trustworthy and devout, as stated in al-Taqrib.
In our copy, the name appears as Bakr ibn Ubayd Allah, but this is a corruption. The correct name is Bakr ibn Abd Allah—not the diminutive form—namely, Ibn Amr ibn Hilal al-Muzani. He was a trustworthy, highly reliable, eminent member of the middle tier of the Followers. He met a great many Companions and narrated from them.
- “His Companions would walk ahead of him whenever he went out, leaving the space behind him for the angels.”
Ahmad recorded it (3/302): Waki' narrated to us, from Sufyan, from al-Aswad ibn Qays, from Nubayh, from Jabir, who said: and he then mentioned it.