Sunan Abi Dawud 4894
سنن أبي داود#4894Sahihحَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ - عَنِ الْعَلاَءِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " الْمُسْتَبَّانِ مَا قَالاَ فَعَلَى الْبَادِي مِنْهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَعْتَدِ الْمَظْلُومُ " .
Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying:when two men abuse one another, what they say is laid to the charge of the one who began it, so long as the one who is wronged does not go over the score
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: 43:122