Sahih al-Bukhari
Sahih al-Bukhari 3060
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ، عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " اكْتُبُوا لِي مَنْ تَلَفَّظَ بِالإِسْلاَمِ مِنَ النَّاسِ ". فَكَتَبْنَا لَهُ أَلْفًا وَخَمْسَمِائَةِ رَجُلٍ، فَقُلْنَا نَخَافُ وَنَحْنُ أَلْفٌ وَخَمْسُمِائَةٍ فَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنَا ابْتُلِينَا حَتَّى إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيُصَلِّي وَحْدَهُ وَهْوَ خَائِفٌ. حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ، عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، فَوَجَدْنَاهُمْ خَمْسَمِائَةٍ. قَالَ أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ مَا بَيْنَ سِتِّمِائَةٍ إِلَى سَبْعِمِائَةٍ.
Muhammad ibn Yusuf narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-Aʿmash, from Abu Waʾil, from Hudhayfa (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Write down for me those among the people who have declared Islam.” We wrote down for him one thousand five hundred men. We said, “Should we be afraid when we are one thousand five hundred?” Then we were put to such a trial that I saw a man praying alone in fear.
ʿAbdan narrated to us, from Abu Hamza, from al-Aʿmash, and we found them to be five hundred. Abu Muʿawiya said: “Between six hundred and seven hundred.”
Translation notes
The source gives differing counts in successive reports: 1,500, then 500, and a further estimate of 600–700. These are preserved as transmitted.
فَكَتَبْنَا لَهُ أَلْفًا وَخَمْسَمِائَةِ رَجُلٍ
The later reports in this source give 500 and 600–700; no explanation is supplied for the differing counts.
Are these intended as separate variant counts, or is there additional context needed to interpret them?