Qays, thereby opposing every ḥāfiẓ who recorded his biography and declared him trustworthy. He likewise went against more than ten ḥuffāẓ who explicitly affirmed the ḥadith’s authenticity and the strength of its chain—most of whom had already answered Ibn Ḥazm, the very man he is imitating. Fully aware of all this, he still clings to his view, just as the proverb says: “A goat—even if it flies!”

He also alleged that al-Bukhārī’s phrase “So-and-so told me” is no different from his phrase “So-and-so said,” both supposedly amounting to a disconnected chain. By doing so he attributed to al-Bukhārī blatant tadlīs, something no rational person would accept for himself—nor would even this offender if he realized what he was doing—otherwise he would have to dismiss his own statements whenever he says, “So-and-so told me.” We seek Allah’s refuge from ignorance, conceit, delusion, and abandonment.

Among his errors is his open denial that the word maʿāzif (musical instruments) appears in the version cited by al-Bayhaqī and Ibn Ḥajar through the route of Bishr b. Bakr, even though it is plainly there, as you have seen⦗1⦘. He likewise ignored the earlier narration of Ibn ʿAsākir that contains the same word; he never even mentioned it, although he knows it well—he saw it in the series Ṣaḥīḥ al-Aḥādīth, the very work on which he poured his criticism in his attempt to weaken this ḥadith. These are but a few of his calamities and disgraces; we ask Allah for safety.

Moreover, ʿAṭiyya b. Qays—a trustworthy transmitter, despite the obstinate critic’s protests—is not alone in reporting the ḥadith; two others corroborate him.

The first is Mālik b. Abī Maryam. He said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Ghanm related that he heard Abū Mālik al-Ashʿarī report from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: