Al-Sa'ib bin Yazid narrates: In the blessed time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and in the caliphate of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), storytelling was not practised. It was begun by Sayyiduna Tamim al-Dari (may Allah be pleased with him); he asked Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) for permission to stand and tell stories before the people, and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) gave him permission.
Ahmad (in his Musnad) and Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir recorded it; its chain contains the narrator Baqiyyah bin al-Walid, who is thiqah (trustworthy) but a mudallis (one who conceals defects in the chain).
Hadith Referenceمجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد / كتاب العلم / 906