Sunan of Abu Dawood Book 2, Hadith 690

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ فَارِسٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيٌّ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ الْمَدِينِيِّ - عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ أُمَيَّةَ، عَنْ أَبِي مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ حُرَيْثٍ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، حُرَيْثٍ - رَجُلٍ مِنْ بَنِي عُذْرَةَ - عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ، صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ فَذَكَرَ حَدِيثَ الْخَطِّ ‏.‏ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ لَمْ نَجِدْ شَيْئًا نَشُدُّ بِهِ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ وَلَمْ يَجِئْ إِلاَّ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِسُفْيَانَ إِنَّهُمْ يَخْتَلِفُونُ فِيهِ فَتَفَكَّرَ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ قَالَ مَا أَحْفَظُ إِلاَّ أَبَا مُحَمَّدِ بْنَ عَمْرٍو قَالَ سُفْيَانُ قَدِمَ هَا هُنَا رَجُلٌ بَعْدَ مَا مَاتَ إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ أُمَيَّةَ فَطَلَبَ هَذَا الشَّيْخَ أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ حَتَّى وَجَدَهُ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْهُ فَخَلَطَ عَلَيْهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَسَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ حَنْبَلٍ سُئِلَ عَنْ وَصْفِ الْخَطِّ غَيْرَ مَرَّةٍ فَقَالَ هَكَذَا عَرْضًا مِثْلَ الْهِلاَلِ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَسَمِعْتُ مُسَدَّدًا قَالَ قَالَ ابْنُ دَاوُدَ الْخَطُّ بِالطُّولِ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَسَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ حَنْبَلٍ وَصَفَ الْخَطَّ غَيْرَ مَرَّةٍ فَقَالَ هَكَذَا - يَعْنِي - بِالْعَرْضِ حَوْرًا دَوْرًا مِثْلَ الْهِلاَلِ يَعْنِي مُنْعَطِفًا ‏.‏

This tradition has also been reported by Abu Hurairah through a different chain of narrators. Abu Hurairah reported:The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ...... He then narrated the tradition about drawing the line. Sufyan said: We did not find anything by which we could reinforce this tradition, and this has been narrated only through this chain. He ('Ali b. al-Madini, a narrator) said: I said to Sufyan: There is a difference of opinion of the name (Abu Muhammad b. 'Amr). He pondered for a moment and then said: I do not remember except Abu Muhammad b. 'Amr Sufyan said: A man had come to Kufah after the death of Isma'il b. Umayyah ; he was seeking Abu Muhammad until he found him. He asked him (about this tradition) but he became confused. Abu Dawud said: I heard Ahmad b. Hanbal who was questioned many times how the line should be drawn. He replied: In this way. horizontally like crescent. Abu Dawud said: I heard Musaddad say: Ibn Dawud said: The line should be drawn perpendicularly. Abu Dawud said: I heard Ahmad b. Hanbal describing many times how the line should be drawn. He said: In this way horizontally in the round semi-circular form like the crescent, that is (the line should be) a curve