The Shaykh’s remarks on the Musnad of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him).

The Shaykh : And especially the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, which, among the musnads we have in hand today, is the broadest and most abundant in chains of narration. Among what the scholars mention, there is nothing broader except the Musnad of Baqi ibn Makhlad or Makhlid, and unfortunately, this one remains in the realm of manuscripts. In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad that we have in hand today, the second part, which is the second volume, reaches, in our count, six hundred pages. The second half of it is exclusively the Musnad of Abu Hurayrah, while the first half collects the musnads of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As, and a third Companion known by his kunyah, which is Abu Rumthah. The musnads of these three form the first half of the second volume of the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, and the entire second half is the Musnad of Abu Hurayrah.