Issues of Chain of Transmission and a Fabricated Narration
Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
Question:
What is the authenticity of the following narration?
It is reported from Sayyiduna ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما regarding the tafsīr of ﴿وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ﴾:
يوشع بن نون سبق إلى موسى عليه السلام، ومؤمن آل ياسين سبق إلى عيسى عليه السلام، وعلي بن أبى طالب رضى الله عنه سبق إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم.
"Yūshaʿ ibn Nūn preceded towards Mūsā عليه السلام, the believer from the people of Yāsīn preceded towards ʿĪsā عليه السلام, and ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib رضي الله عنه preceded towards the Messenger of Allah ﷺ."
(Tafsīr Ibn Mardawayh: 1/241)
Answer:
This narration is bāṭil (false) due to issues in its chain:
① Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Yaʿqūb – needs proper identification and authentication.
② Abū Sahl Ismāʿīl ibn Ibrāhīm al-Madāʾinī – his biographical details are unknown.
③ Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah رحمه الله – reports with ʿanʿanah, which further weakens the chain.
Thus, the narration cannot be accepted.
