Abu Bakr (rta) and ‘Umar (rta) being best
أخبرنا محمد بن عبد الملك القرشي أخبرنا عثمان بن محمد بن القاسم الآدمي حدثنا عبد اللّٰه بن إسحاق المدائني حدثنا محمد بن داود الأكبر حدثنا جبرون بن واقد حدثنا مخلد بن حسين عن هشام عن محمد عن أبي هريرة قال قال رسول اللّٰه صلي اللّٰه عليه وسلم أبو بكر وعمر خير أهل السماوات وخير أهل الأرض وخير الأولين والأخرين إلا النبيين والمرسلين .
Abu Hurayrah stated that God’s Messenger said: “Abu Bakr and ‘Umar are the best in the heavens and the earth and the best from the earlier and the later generations except the prophets and messengers sent by God.”[1]
Following is the schematic illustration of the isnad of this narrative:
About Jibrun ibn Waqid, Ibn al-Jawzi records: according to Ibn ‘Adi, he is not known and this narrative is munkar. [2] Sibt ibn al-‘Ajami and al-Kanani say that he is muttaham bi al-wad‘.[3] Al-Dhahabi says that he is munkar al-hadith.[4] Ibn Hajar says that he is muttaham.[5]
It is known that Hisham ibn Hassan narrates from both Muhammad ibn Sirin and Anas ibn Sirin.[6] If the person in the narrative mentioned as Ibn Sirin is Anas ibn Sirin, then the narrative is broken because it is known that he does not narrate from Abu Hurayrah.[7]
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[1]. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad, vol. 5, 252; Ibn ‘Asakir, Tarikh Madinah Dimashq, vol. 30, 182; Ibid., vol. 44, 195; Ibn al-Jawzi, Al-‘Ilal al-mutanahiyah, vol. 1, 198, (no. 311).
[2]. Ibn al-Jawzi, Al-‘Ilal al-mutanahiyah, vol. 1, 198, (no. 311).
[3]. Abu al-Hasan ‘Ai ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Iraq al-Kanani, Tanzih al-shari‘ah al-marfu‘ah ‘an al-akhbar al-shani‘ah al-mawdu‘ah, 1st ed., vol. 1 (Beirut: Dar al-kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1399 AH), 44; Abu al-Wafa Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Sibt ibn al-‘Ajami al-Halbi, Al-Kashf al-hathith ‘an man ruwiya bi wad‘ al-hadith, 1st ed. (Beirut: Maktabah al-nahdah al-‘arabiyyah, 1407 AH), 83.
[4]. Abu ‘Abdullah Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Uthman ibn Qayimaz ibn ‘Abdullah al-Dhahabi, Al-Muqtana fi sard al-kuna, 1st ed., vol. 1 (Madinah: Al-Jami‘ah al-islamiyyah bi al-Madinah, 1408 AH), 341.
[5]. Ibn Hajar, Lisan al-mizan, vol. 2, 94.
[6]. Al-Mizzi, Tahdhib al-kamal, vol. 30, 182.
[7]. See, for example: Al-Mizzi, Tahdhib al-kamal, vol. 3, 347; Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib al-tahdhib, vol. 1, 328