Hasan bin ur-Rabī’ narrated to us, Hammād bin Zayd narrated to us, on authority of Ayyūb and Hishām [bin Hassān] , on authority of Muhammad [bin Sīrīn] ; and Fuḍayl [bin Īyāḍ] narrated to us on authority of Hishām [bin Hassān] ; he said Mukhlad bin Husayn narrated to us, on authority of Hishām [bin Hassān] , on authority of Muhammad bin Sīrīn , that he said: ‘Indeed this knowledge is faith, so carefully consider from whom you take your faith’.

Abū Ja’far Muhammad bin us-Sabbāh narrated to us, Ismā’īl bin Zakariyyā’ narrated to us, on authority of Āsim il-Ahwal, on authority of Ibn Sīrīn that he said: ‘They would not ask about the chains of narration, and when the Fitnah occurred, they said: ‘Name for us your men’. So Ahl us-Sunnah would be regarded, and their Ḥadīth were then taken, and Ahl ul-Bi’dah would be regarded, and their Ḥadīth were not taken’.

Ishāq bin Ibrāhīm al-Hanthalī narrated to us, Īsā, and he is Ibn Yūnus, informed us, al-Awzā’ī narrated to us, on authority of Sulyamān bin Mūsā, he said: ‘I came across Tāwus and said: ‘So-and-so narrated to me such-and-such’. Then he said: ‘If your companion is trustworthy, then take from him.’

'Abd Allah bin Abd ir-Rahman ad-Dārimī narrated to us, Marwān, meaning Ibn Muhammad ad-Dimashqī informed us, Sa’īd bin Abd il-Azīz narrated to us, on authority of Sulaymān bin Mūsā, he said, I said to Tāwus: ‘So-and-so narrated to me like this-and-that’. He said: ‘If your companion is trustworthy, then take from him.’

Nasr bin Alī al-Jahdhamī narrated to us, al-Asma’ī narrated to us, on authority of Ibn Abī-Zinād, on authority of his father, he said: ‘I met one hundred [transmitters] in al-Madīnah, each of whom were reliable. Narrations were not taken from one about who it was said, ‘he is not from its people’.’

Muhammad bin Abī Umar al-Makkī narrated to us, Sufyān narrated to us; and Abū Bakr bin Khallād al-Bāhilī narrated to us – and the wording is his, he said, I heard Sufyān bin Uyaynah, on authority of Mis’ar, he said, I heard Sa’d bin Ibrāhīm saying: ‘There is to be no narrating on authority of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah send blessings and peace upon him, except by trustworthy narrators (Thiqāt)’.

Muhammad bin Abd Allah bin Quhzādh from the people of Marw narrated to us, he said I heard Abdān bin Uthmān saying, I heard Abd Allah bin al-Mubārak saying: ‘The chain of narration is from the Dīn, and were it not for the chain of narration whoever wished could say what he wanted’. Muhammad bin 'Abd Allah said, al-Abbās bin Abī Rizmah narrated to me, he said I heard 'Abd Allah [bin al-Mubārak] saying: ‘Between us and the people are ‘the legs’ (meaning the chain of narration, i.e. if a Ḥadīth was like a creature)’. Muhammad said, I heard Abā Ishāq Ibrāhīm bin Īsā at-Tālqānī say, I said to 'Abd Allah bin al-Mubārak: ‘Oh Abā Abd ir-Rahman! How is the Ḥadīth which goes ‘Indeed from al-Birr after al-Birr is that you pray for your parents after you pray for yourself and you fast for them both after you fast for yourself’? So [Ibn al-Mubārak] said: ‘Oh Abā Ishāq! On whose authority is this?’ I said to him: ‘This is a Ḥadīth from Shihāb bin Khirāsh’. [Ibn al-Mubārak] said: ‘ [He is] trustworthy. On whose authority [did he transmit] ?’ I said: ‘on authority of al-Hajjāj bin Dīnār’. [Ibn al-Mubārak] said: ‘ [He is] trustworthy. On whose authority [did he transmit] ?’ I said: ‘He [al-Hajjāj said] the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah upon him, said…’ [Ibn al-Mubārak] said: ‘Oh Abā Ishāq! Indeed between al-Hajjāj bin Dīnār and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah upon him, is a wilderness in which the necks of the mounts are severed, however, there is no difference of opinion regarding charity [offered on behalf of one’s parents] ’ Muhammad said, I heard Alī bin Shaqīq saying, I heard 'Abd Allah bin al-Mubārak saying in front of the people: ‘Abandon the Ḥadīth of Amr bin Thābit for indeed he would curse the Salaf [i.e., the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them] ’.

Abū Bakr ibn in-Naḍr bin Abīn-Naḍr narrated to me, he said Abūn-Naḍr Hāshim bin ul-Qāsim narrated to me, Abū Aqīl, companion of Buhayyah, narrated to us, he said: ‘I was sitting near al-Qāsim bin Ubayd Allah and Yahyā bin Sa’īd [bin Qays al-Madanī al-Qāḍī] , when Yahyā said to al-Qāsim: ‘Oh Abā Muhammad! Indeed it is gravely harmful for the likes of you to be asked about something from the affair of this Dīn, and then knowledge of it is not found with you, and no relief [in the form of an answer] ’ -or- ‘…knowledge and no articulation’. So al-Qāsim said [to Yahyā bin Sa’īd] : ‘Where did that come from?’ [Yahyā] said: ‘It is because you are the son of two Imāms of guidance- a descendent of Abu Bakr and Umar.’ [al-Qāsim] said to him: ‘More harmful than that- according to whoever reflects about Allah- is to speak without knowledge or to take [Ḥadīth] from someone who is not trustworthy’. [Abū Aqīl] said: ‘So [Yahyā bin Sa’īd] was quiet and did not respond to him’.

Bishr bin ul-Hakam al-Abdī narrated to me, he said, I heard Sufyān bin Uyaynah saying, they informed me on authority of Abī Aqīl, companion of Buhayyah, that a descendent of 'Abd Allah bin 'Umar was asked about something that he did not have knowledge about, so Yahyā bin Sa’īd said to him: ‘By Allah, indeed it is a grave matter that the likes of you, a descendent of two Imāms of guidance – meaning 'Umar and Ibn 'Umar – is asked about a matter and you have no knowledge of it’. So [al-Qāsim] said: ‘By Allah, more grave than that according to Allah, and to whoever reflects about Allah, is to speak without knowledge or to report on authority of one who is not trustworthy’. [Ibn Uyaynah] said that Abū Aqīl Yahyā bin al-Mutawakkil witnessed them both when they said that.

Amr bin Alī Abū Hafs narrated to us, he said I heard Yahyā bin Sa’īd, he said: ‘I asked Sufyān ath-Thawrī , Shu’bah, Mālik, and Ibn Uyaynah about a man who is not reliable (Thabt) in Ḥadīth, and someone comes and asks me about him, and they said: ‘Inform [others] against him that he is not reliable’.’