Sunan Abi Dawud 3814
سنن أبي داود#3814Da'ifحَدَّثَنَا نَصْرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا زَكَرِيَّاءُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ عُمَارَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي الْعَوَّامِ الْجَزَّارِ، عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ النَّهْدِيِّ، عَنْ سَلْمَانَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم سُئِلَ فَقَالَ مِثْلَهُ فَقَالَ " أَكْثَرُ جُنْدِ اللَّهِ " . قَالَ عَلِيٌّ اسْمُهُ فَائِدٌ يَعْنِي أَبَا الْعَوَّامِ . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ رَوَاهُ حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ أَبِي الْعَوَّامِ عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَمْ يَذْكُرْ سَلْمَانَ .
The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Salman through a different chain of narrators. This version goes:Salman said: The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) was asked about locusts. He replied in a similar way(as mentioned above) saying: The most numerous of Allah’s host. The narrator ‘Ali said: His name is Fa’id, that is the name of al-Awwam. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted by Hammad b. Salamah, from Abu al-Awwam from Abu uthman, from the Prophet (ﷺ). He did not mention salman (i.e., the companions)
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. Each scholar's own wording:
In-book reference: 28:79