" and this is more authentic than the ḥadīth of Muḥammad ibn Faḍīl." The ḥadīth has two other paths previously mentioned in "The Best of My Ummah," and it has a supporting narration with the wording: "The best of people are my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them, then there will come a people whose testimony precedes their oath and their oath precedes their testimony."

"The best of people are my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them, then there will come a people whose testimony precedes their oath and their oath precedes their testimony." It was recorded by al-Bukhārī (5/199, 7/6, 11/460), Muslim (7/184-185), Ibn Mājah (2/63-64), al-Ṭayālisī (p. 39, no. 299), Aḥmad (1/378, 417, 434, 438, 442), and al-Khaṭīb in his "Tārīkh" (12/53) through the chain of Ibrāhīm from ʿUbaydah al-Salmānī from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd as a marfūʿ ḥadīth. Al-Shaykhān and others added: "Ibrāhīm said: Our companions used to forbid us when we were young boys from swearing by testimony and covenant." It has a supporting narration from the ḥadīth of al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr with this wording, except that he said three times "then those who follow them," thus affirming the fourth generation. It was recorded by Aḥmad (4/267, 276, 277) through the chain of ʿĀṣim from Khaythamah ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān from him. This is a good chain, and it was stated in "al-Majmaʿ" (10/19): "It was narrated by Aḥmad, al-Bazzār, and al-Ṭabarānī in 'al-Kabīr' and 'al-Awsaṭ,' and in their chains is ʿĀṣim ibn Bahdalah, who is a reliable narrator, and the rest of Aḥmad's narrators are those of the authentic collections." This is confirmed in the following ḥadīth. However, the authenticity of this addition is questionable to me because it did not come through a sound chain, and ʿĀṣim ibn Bahdalah has some issues with his memory, so what he narrates alone without the support of reliable narrators is not used as evidence.