605 - Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Atrush informed me, saying: Muhammad ibn al-Fadl Abu Bakr al-Qastani al-Razi narrated to us, saying: I heard Abu Hatim al-Razi, [409], say: I heard Ahmad ibn Abi al-Hawari say: Ahmad ibn Hanbal came to us, so I went to him and asked him about the order of precedence (al-tafdil). His companions shouted at me, but he said: "Leave him, for he is one of the people of the Sunnah. What do you want?" I said: "What do you say regarding the order of precedence?" He replied: "According to the Hadith of Safinah regarding the order of precedence and the caliphate."
٦٠٥ - أَخْبَرَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ الْأَطْرُوشَ، قَالَ: ثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْقَسَطْانيُّ الرَّازِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا حَاتِمٍ الرَّازِيَّ ⦗٤٠٩⦘، يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ أَبِي الْحَوَارِي، يَقُولُ: قَدِمَ عَلَيْنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ، فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ التَّفْضِيلِ، فَصَاحَ بِي أَصْحَابُهُ، فَقَالَ: " دَعُوهُ؛ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ، مَا تُرِيدُ؟ قَالَ: قُلْتُ: مَا تَقُولُ فِي التَّفْضِيلِ؟ قَالَ: عَلَى حَدِيثِ سَفِينَةَ فِي التَّفْضِيلِ وَالْخِلَافَةِ "
