Grading: (1) Its chain is very weak (da'if jiddan) because of Sawwar bin Mus'ab al-Hamdani, who is matruk al-hadith. But Sufyan al-Thawri narrated it from al-Aswad bin Qays, from Amr bin Sufyan, that Ali delivered a sermon … Al-Dhahabi mentioned it in "Tarikh al-Islam" (1/ 834) and graded its chain hasan. Likewise a group narrated it from al-Thawri.

Reference / Source: It was narrated by Abdullah bin Ahmad (al-Sunnah: 1334), al-Daraqutni (442) and al-Khatib (4/ 276-277) via the route of Isam bin al-Nu'man; by al-Bayhaqi (al-Dala'il: 7/ 223, al-I'tiqad: 357) and Ibn Asakir (30/ 292) via the route of Abu Dawud al-Hafari; and by Ibn Asakir (30/ 291) via the route of al-Husayn bin al-Walid; all three from Sufyan al-Thawri, from al-Aswad bin Qays, from Amr bin Sufyan, who said: "When Ali prevailed over the people on the day of the Camel, he said …", and he related it in mursal form.

Reference / Source: It was narrated by Nu'aym bin Hammad (197), Ahmad (2/ 921, Fada'il: 477), Abdullah bin Ahmad (al-Sunnah: 1327), al-Daraqutni (442) and Ibn Asakir (30/ 292) via the route of Abd al-Razzaq; by Abdullah bin Ahmad (1333) via the route of Zayd bin al-Hubab; and by al-Daraqutni (442) via the route of Abu Yahya al-Himmani; all of them from Sufyan al-Thawri, from al-Aswad bin Qays, from a man, from Ali.
Technical note / Defect ('illah): These narrators left the name of the Tabi'i unspecified; Qabisah bin Uqbah also narrated it thus from Sufyan, as stated by Ibn Abi Hatim in "al-'Ilal" (2638) and by al-Khatib, and so did Muhammad bin Yusuf al-Firyabi, as al-Khatib stated in "Mudih al-Awham" (1/ 209). But in the narration of others the name has become clear (namely Amr bin Sufyan), as has passed, so that is what is to be relied upon.

Technical note / Defect ('illah): All of these were contradicted by Abu Asim al-Dahhak bin Makhlad, who narrated it from Sufyan al-Thawri, from al-Aswad bin Qays, from Sa'id bin Amr bin Sufyan, from his father.
Reference / Source: It was narrated via his route by Ibn Abi Asim in "al-Sunnah" (127), Abdullah bin Ahmad in "al-Sunnah" (1336), al-Uqayli in "al-Du'afa'" (255), al-Daraqutni in "al-'Ilal" (442), al-Lalaka'i in "Sharh Usul al-I'tiqad" (2527), Ibn Asakir (42/ 1438 and 48/ 52) and Diya' al-Din al-Maqdisi in "al-Ahadith al-Mukhtarah" (471). Abu Zur'ah al-Razi said, as Ibn Abi Hatim quoted from him in "al-'Ilal" (2638): "I do not think Abu Asim did anything right in adding 'Ibn Amr bin Sufyan' to its chain."

Reference / Source: Sharik al-Nakha'i, in Ahmad (2/ 1256), narrated something like the second half of this report, concerning the appointment of Abu Bakr and Umar as caliphs, and explicitly named the Tabi'i, who is "Amr bin Sufyan".

Reference / Source: Ali's denial that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had appointed anyone as successor was narrated by Ahmad (2/ 993), Abu Dawud (4530) and others via several routes from al-Hasan al-Basri, from Qays bin Ubad, who said: "Al-Ashtar and I went to Ali and asked: Did the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entrust you with any instruction that he did not entrust to people in general? He said: No, except what is in this document of mine." He said: And there was a document in the sheath of his sword, in which was: "The believers, their blood is equal …" and so on. Its chain is sahih.

Reference / Source: Ali's statement about Abu Bakr and then, after him, Umar becoming caliph and their uprightness in governing was narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah (14/ 570), Abdullah bin Ahmad in his additions to his father's "al-Musnad" (2/ 1055, 1059) and his additions to "Fada'il al-Sahabah" (72, 427), al-Ajurri in "al-Shari'ah" (1804), Ibn Asakir (30/ 292 and 44/ 259) and Diya' al-Maqdisi in "al-Mukhtarah" (670, 671) via the route of Abd al-Malik bin Sal', from Abd Khayr al-Hamdani, from Ali, who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away and Abu Bakr was made caliph; he acted according to his (peace and blessings be upon him) practice and followed his way, until Allah (Mighty and Majestic) took him in that state. Then Umar was made caliph, and he acted according to the practice of the two of them (the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr) and followed their way, until Allah (Mighty and Majestic) took him in that state."
Grading: Its chain is "jayyid" (good).

Note / Clarification: A similar narration has already passed at number (4475) with a hasan chain.

Note / Clarification: His saying "daraba al-dahru bi-jiranihi" means: time settled down and became steady (i.e. conditions became calm). "Al-jiran" is the underside of a camel's neck (when a camel kneels and rests its neck, it is a sign of settling).