Al-Nawawī reports differing dates for plagues called al-Jārif, including 67 AH and 87 AH. He reconciles some reports by observing that more than one deadly outbreak could have received the designation “al-Jārif,” a name associated with sweeping away many lives. References to this name need not all denote one event.
Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ identifies a plague here with 119 AH, but al-Nawawī expressly rejects applying that identification to Qatādah’s testimony: Qatādah had died in 117 AH according to the prevalent view, or 118 AH according to another. Al-Nawawī considers 87 AH the more apparent dating for this context, while also addressing Qatādah’s age (about six) if 67 AH were meant. This is a reasoned preference about the event relevant to the report, not a declaration that every historical mention of al-Jārif has one fixed date.