Hammad bin Yazid said:
"I said to Abu Ayyub: 'Do you know of anyone who said that: "Your case is up to you?" counts as three besides Al-Hasan?' He said: "No, not besides Al-Hasan.' Then he said: 'O Allah forgive me - except for what has been narrated to me by Qatadah, from Kathir the freed slave of Banu Samurah, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurairah, that the Prophet said: "Three.'"Abu Ayyub said: 'So I met Kathir the freed slave of Banu Samurah and asked him about it, but he was not aware of it. So I returned to Qatadah and informed him about that and he said: "He forgot."
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ نَصْرِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ، حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لأَيُّوبَ هَلْ عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ أَحَدًا قَالَ فِي أَمْرُكِ بِيَدِكِ أَنَّهَا ثَلاَثٌ إِلاَّ الْحَسَنَ فَقَالَ لاَ إِلاَّ الْحَسَنَ . ثُمَّ قَالَ اللَّهُمَّ غَفْرًا إِلاَّ مَا حَدَّثَنِي قَتَادَةُ عَنْ كَثِيرٍ مَوْلَى ابْنِ سَمُرَةَ عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ . قَالَ أَيُّوبُ فَلَقِيتُ كَثِيرًا - مَوْلَى ابْنِ سَمُرَةَ فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَلَمْ يَعْرِفْهُ فَرَجَعْتُ إِلَى قَتَادَةَ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَقَالَ نَسِيَ . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ حَرْبٍ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ . " ثَلاَثٌ "
