Muwatta Malik 1760
موطأ مالك#1760SahihThese are the words of a Companion, not of the Prophet ﷺ. The chain is graded on its own terms.
وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، وَسَلَّمَ، عَلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ فَرَدَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمَ ثُمَّ سَأَلَ عُمَرُ الرَّجُلَ كَيْفَ أَنْتَ فَقَالَ أَحْمَدُ إِلَيْكَ اللَّهَ . فَقَالَ عُمَرُ ذَلِكَ الَّذِي أَرَدْتُ مِنْكَ .
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ishaq ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Talha that Anas ibn Malik heard Umar ibn al-Khattab return the greeting of a man who greeted him. Then Umar asked the man, "How are you?" He said, "I praise Allah to you." (Ahmadu ilayka Allah) Umar said, "That is what I wanted from you
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: 53:5