"... when he finished, he stood up, and his companions stood up and went out before him. He used to say: 'Leave my back for the angels....'" It was recorded by Aḥmad (3/397-398) and al-Dārimī (1/23-25). I said: This is an authentic isnād, and it is a strong witness for the two preceding narrations. It indicates the authenticity of each of them, reconciles them, and shows that their walking before him and leaving his back (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) was indeed by his command (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam). However, this is problematic in light of the narration of Shuʿbah from al-Aswad ibn Qays, in which it is raised with the wording: "Do not walk before me, nor behind me, for this is the place of the angels." It was recorded by al-Ḥākim (4/281) who said: "Authentic according to the criteria of the two Shaykhs." He said so! And in "Talkhīṣ al-Dhahabī": "Authentic isnād" and this is more likely, for Nabīḥ is not among the narrators of the two Shaykhs, but he has been deemed reliable by a group, and those below him are all trustworthy. Thus, the prohibition of walking before him was also added, while they used to walk before him as previously mentioned. So, it can either be said that the prohibition came later, or it is an anomalous addition. And perhaps the latter is closer. And Allāh knows best.

- "Remove harm from the path, for it is a charity for you." It was narrated by Ibn Saʿd (4/299), al-Bukhārī in "al-Adab al-Mufrad" (228), Ibn Naṣr in "al-Ṣalāh" (222/1 and 224/1), and Aḥmad (4/422 and 423) from Abū al-Wāziʿ, who is Jābir ibn ʿUmar, from Abū Barzah al-Aslamī who said: I said: O Messenger of Allāh, command me with an action I can perform. He said: and he mentioned it