Linguistic note: (Irtithath) means: they were carried from the battlefield wounded. "Al-rathith" means the wounded one.

Grading: Its narrators are "thiqah", but it is "mursal".
Identification of the narrator: "Abu Yunus al-Qushayri" is "Hatim bin Abi Saghirah".

Corroborating chains and supporting reports: Abu Ishaq al-Sabi'i also agreed with Habib bin Abi Thabit that 'Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl was martyred on the day of "Yarmuk" (see Ibn Abi Shaybah 5/344 and 13/37). He said: "When the day of Yarmuk came, he dismounted and fought on foot and was martyred; more than seventy wounds of spear, arrow and sword were found on his body." But in Ibn Abi al-Dunya's "Makarim al-Akhlaq" (202), in this same narration of Abu Ishaq al-Sabi'i, the wording is: "When it was the day of Yarmuk or some other (day)", i.e. it is mentioned with doubt.

Details of the narration: Among those who mentioned 'Ikrimah's martyrdom at Yarmuk are also Ibn Ishaq (as cited in "Tarikh Khalifah bin Khayyat" 130-131) and, according to one statement, al-Zubayr bin Bakkar (as cited in "al-Isti'ab" p. 581).

Verification and preference: Whereas according to another statement of al-Zubayr bin Bakkar, 'Ikrimah was martyred at "Ajnadayn"; this statement agrees with 'Urwah bin al-Zubayr, al-Zuhri and Musa bin 'Uqbah (as passed at number 5133), and this is the "sahih" position.

Technical note / Defect ('illah): This is what al-Waqidi stated decisively, and he declared this narration of Habib bin Abi Thabit "defective" (ma'lul, i.e. wrong). Ibn Sa'd, after quoting Habib's narration in "al-Tabaqat" (6/88), wrote: "I mentioned this hadith to Muhammad bin 'Umar (al-Waqidi) and he rejected it and said: This is an 'error' (wahm). The narration of all our companions among the people of knowledge and sirah is that 'Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl was martyred on the day of 'Ajnadayn' during the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, and there is no disagreement among them about this. As for 'Ayyash bin Abi Rabi'ah, he died in Makkah, and al-Harith bin Hisham died in Syria in the plague of 'Amwas in the year 18 AH."

Reference / Source: Al-Bayhaqi narrated this "mursal" narration of Habib in "Shu'ab al-Iman" (3209), and by way of him Ibn 'Asakir in "Tarikh Dimashq" (11/504), from Abu 'Abdullah al-Hakim with this same chain.

Reference / Source: Ibn Sa'd narrated it in "al-Tabaqat" (6/88), Abu Nu'aym in "Ma'rifat al-Sahabah" (2030), Abu al-Qasim al-Asbahani in "al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib" (1557), Ibn 'Asakir (11/504), and al-Mizzi in "Tahdhib al-Kamal" (5/301) in the biography of al-Harith bin Hisham, from Muhammad bin 'Abdullah al-Ansari through various routes with this same chain.

Reference / Source: And al-Tabarani narrated it in "al-Mu'jam al-Kabir" (3342), and Ibn 'Asakir (47/247), by way of Abu Wahb 'Abdullah bin Bakr al-Sahmi from Abu Yunus al-Qushayri.

Technical note / Inconsistency and preference: A similar incident at Yarmuk is also narrated in the hadith of Abu Jahm bin Hudhayfah (who is a Companion), but it does not have the three men whom Habib bin Abi Thabit mentioned; rather they are "Hisham bin al-'As" (the brother of 'Amr bin al-'As), a paternal cousin of Abu Jahm al-'Adawi, and a third man who is not named. Ibn al-Mubarak narrated it in "al-Jihad" (116) and "al-Zuhd" (525) with a "sahih" chain. It seems that this is what is "mahfuz" (preserved), and that Habib made an "error" (wahm) in naming the three: he named al-Harith bin Hisham in place of Hisham bin al-'As and also erred in the names of the other two. And Allah knows best. This supports the earlier statement of al-Waqidi.

Important point: The mention of Hisham bin al-'As in place of al-Harith bin Hisham is also supported by the fact that Hisham's brother, 'Amr bin al-'As, mentioned that his brother Hisham was martyred on the day of Yarmuk, as has passed in the takhrij of hadith number (5128).