Sunan Abi Dawud 4188
سنن أبي داود#4188Sahihحَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي ابْنُ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ كَانَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ - يَعْنِي - يَسْدِلُونَ أَشْعَارَهُمْ وَكَانَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ يَفْرُقُونَ رُءُوسَهُمْ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم تُعْجِبُهُ مُوَافَقَةُ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ فِيمَا لَمْ يُؤْمَرْ بِهِ فَسَدَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَاصِيَتَهُ ثُمَّ فَرَقَ بَعْدُ .
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:The people of the Book used to let their hair hand down, and the polytheists used to part their hair. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) like to confirm with the People of the Book in the matters about which he had received no command. Hence he Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) let his forelock hang down but afterwards he parted it
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave, each scholar counted once — 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. When they judged only its chain of narrators (“Isnaad”), the label says “Sound chain”. Each scholar's own wording:
Our source also lists this ruling under Muhammad Muhyi Al-Din Abdul Hamid, the editor of the printed edition it was taken from. It is al-Albani's ruling printed again, so it is counted once.
In-book reference: 35:30