In this chapter, there is also a report from Abu Basra al-Ghifari in Ahmad (27224), from Abu Malik al-Ash'ari in Abu Dawud (4253) and al-Tabarani in *al-Kabir* (3440) and in *Musnad al-Shamiyyin* (1663), from Ibn 'Abbas as recorded by al-Hakim 1/116, from Anas ibn Malik in Ibn Majah (3950) and Ibn Abi 'Asim in *al-Sunnah* (83) and (84), from Ka'b ibn 'Asim in Ibn Abi 'Asim's *al-Sunnah* (92) and al-Daraqutni 4/245, from Qudamah ibn 'Abd Allah al-Kilabi in al-Hakim 4/507 and 556, from 'Amr ibn Qays in al-Darimi (54) as a mursal report, from Abu Mas'ud in al-Tabarani 17/(665), (666), and (667), al-Hakim 4/506-507, and Ibn Abi 'Asim in *al-Sunnah* (285), and from al-Hasan as a mursal report with a chain whose narrators are trustworthy, in al-Tabari (13373).

These supporting witnesses, although not free from weakness, are strengthened by one another, and their foundation is reinforced by the hadith of Anas in the two Sahihs: that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, passed by a funeral procession, and the people spoke well of the deceased, so he said: "It is obligatory." Then he passed by another, and they spoke ill of the deceased, so he said: "It is obligatory." It was asked: "O Messenger of Allah, why did you say 'obligatory' for this one and 'obligatory' for that one?" He said: "The testimony of the people — the believers are Allah's witnesses on earth." In a wording of Muslim: "Whomever you speak well of, Paradise is obligatory for him, and whomever you speak ill of, the Fire is obligatory for him. You are Allah's witnesses on earth," said three times.

Ahmad also recorded in *al-Musnad* (3600) with a good chain, as a statement of Ibn Mas'ud, in which he said: "Whatever the Muslims see as good is good in the sight of Allah, and whatever they see as evil is evil in the sight of Allah." Al-Haythami said in *al-Majma'* 5/218 after citing al-Tabarani's hadith: "Al-Tabarani narrated it with two chains, the narrators of one of which are trustworthy, the narrators of the Sahih, except for Marzuq, the freed slave of the family of Talhah, and he is trustworthy."