حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ أَبُو خَيْثَمَةَ حَدَّثَنَا وَهْبُ بْنُ جَرِيرٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي قَالَ سَمِعْتُ يُونُسَ عَنْ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ خَيْرُ الصَّحَابَةِ أَرْبَعَةٌ وَخَيْرُ السَّرَايَا أَرْبَعُ مِائَةٍ وَخَيْرُ الْجُيُوشِ أَرْبَعَةُ آلَافٍ وَلَنْ يُغْلَبَ اثْنَا عَشَرَ أَلْفًا مِنْ قِلَّةٍ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُد وَالصَّحِيحُ أَنَّهُ مُرْسَلٌ
سنن ابودوٗد · Hadith 2611
Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Prophet ﷺ said: The best number of companions is four, the best number in expeditions four hundred, and the best number in armies four thousand; and twelve thousand will not be overcome through smallness of numbers. Abu Dawud said: What is correct is that this tradition is mursal (i. e. the link of the Companion is missing).
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020