Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2221
حَدَّثَنَا وَاصِلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الأَعْلَى، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْفُضَيْلِ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُدْرِكٍ، عَنْ هِلاَلِ بْنِ يِسَافٍ، عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " خَيْرُ النَّاسِ قَرْنِي ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ يَأْتِي مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ قَوْمٌ يَتَسَمَّنُونَ وَيُحِبُّونَ السِّمَنَ يُعْطُونَ الشَّهَادَةَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُسْأَلُوهَا " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَكَذَا رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ فُضَيْلٍ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُدْرِكٍ عَنْ هِلاَلِ بْنِ يِسَافٍ وَرَوَى غَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ مِنَ الْحُفَّاظِ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ هِلاَلِ بْنِ يِسَافٍ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرُوا فِيهِ عَلِيَّ بْنَ مُدْرِكٍ . قَالَ وَحَدَّثَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ حُرَيْثٍ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، حَدَّثَنَا هِلاَلُ بْنُ يِسَافٍ، عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَهُ . وَهَذَا أَصَحُّ عِنْدِي مِنْ حَدِيثِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ فُضَيْلٍ وَقَدْ رُوِيَ مِنْ غَيْرِ وَجْهٍ عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Wāṣil ibn ‘Abd al-A‘lā narrated to us; Muḥammad ibn al-Fuḍayl narrated to us, from al-A‘mash, from ‘Alī ibn Mudrik, from Hilāl ibn Yasāf, from ‘Imrān ibn Ḥuṣayn, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “The best of people are my generation; then those who follow them; then those who follow them. After them will come people who make themselves corpulent and love corpulence, and who give testimony before they are asked to do so.”
Abū ‘Īsā said: This is how Muḥammad ibn al-Fuḍayl transmitted this hadith from al-A‘mash, from ‘Alī ibn Mudrik, from Hilāl ibn Yasāf. More than one of the expert memorizers transmitted it from al-A‘mash, from Hilāl ibn Yasāf, without mentioning ‘Alī ibn Mudrik in its chain.
He also said: Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ḥurayth narrated to us; Wakī‘ narrated to us, from al-A‘mash, who narrated to us: Hilāl ibn Yasāf, from ‘Imrān ibn Ḥuṣayn, from the Prophet—then he mentioned a similar report. This version is more authentic in my view than the report of Muḥammad ibn al-Fuḍayl. It has also been transmitted through other chains from ‘Imrān ibn Ḥuṣayn, from the Prophet.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic source preserves two transmission forms: Muḥammad ibn al-Fuḍayl’s route includes ‘Alī ibn Mudrik, while other memorizers omit him; al-Tirmidhī prefers the version through Wakī‘. The source English witness gives only the saying and omits this transmission discussion.
هَكَذَا رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ فُضَيْلٍ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُدْرِكٍ عَنْ هِلاَلِ بْنِ يِسَافٍ وَرَوَى غَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ مِنَ الْحُفَّاظِ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ هِلاَلِ بْنِ يِسَافٍ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرُوا فِيهِ عَلِيَّ بْنَ مُدْرِكٍ
The source explicitly reports a chain variation: several transmitters omit ‘Alī ibn Mudrik, who appears in Muḥammad ibn al-Fuḍayl’s route.
Is the contrast between the two transmission routes represented clearly enough in English?
وَهَذَا أَصَحُّ عِنْدِي مِنْ حَدِيثِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ فُضَيْلٍ وَقَدْ رُوِيَ مِنْ غَيْرِ وَجْهٍ عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم
The compiler states a comparative preference for this version and notes other chains from ‘Imrān ibn Ḥuṣayn.
Does “more authentic” best convey aḥaṣṣu ‘indī in this hadith-critical context?