598 - Muhammad ibn Musa informed me, on the authority of Hamdan ibn 'Ali, and Muhammad ibn Musa, on the authority of Ishaq ibn Ibrahim, and Muhammad ibn Musa, and Muhammad ibn Ja'far, on the authority of Abu al-Harith, and Muhammad ibn al-Husayn, on the authority of al-Fadl, and Abu Dawud al-Sijistani, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Faris—the meaning [in these reports] is similar—they said: I asked Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and he said: "Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and 'Uthman." And if someone were to say: "And 'Ali," I would not rebuke him."