So this is a flagrant case of inconsistency on Shahr’s part, and—as mentioned earlier—it points to his weakness. For that reason al-Nasāʾī said immediately afterward:
“Shahr ibn Ḥawshab is weak. Ibn ʿAwn was asked about Shahr’s ḥadith and replied, ‘They impugned Shahr,’ meaning they criticized and disparaged him. Shuʿbah held a bad opinion of him, and Yaḥyā al-Qaṭṭān abandoned his narrations.”

As for the wording itself, at times it mentions the Fajr prayer without Maghrib, as in the report of Abū Dharr; at other times it combines both prayers, as in the mursal report of Ibn Ghanm and the report of Fāṭimah; on yet another occasion it substitutes ʿAṣr for Maghrib, namely in the report of Muʿādh. Sometimes it includes the phrase “He gives life and causes death,” and sometimes it omits it; sometimes it precedes that with “in His hand is all good,” and sometimes it leaves it out; sometimes it adds “before he turns away and folds his legs,” and sometimes not. It even vacillates when stating the reward, details of which need not be given here.

In short, this degree of inconsistency in both chain and wording would unsettle one even if it came from a reliable transmitter—so how should it be viewed when it comes from Shahr, who is well-known for weakness?

Despite all that, I have found supporting narrations for this report of Ibn Ghanm that strengthen it and make one comfortable acting upon it, together with all the additional phrases already noted. They appear in various separate ḥadiths that I cited in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Targhīb wa’l-Tarhīb 1/262, 469–472 (Maktabat al-Maʿārif edition, Riyadh), and I authenticated some of them in al-Ṣaḥīḥah 2563. Allah—exalted is He—is the One who grants success.

He then said: “15 – Abū Ḥātim narrated that the Prophet ﷺ used to say upon finishing his prayer: ‘O Allah, set aright for me my religion, which is the safeguard of my affair …’”

I say: There are several points here:
First: He attributed it to Abū Ḥātim, and when this kunyah is left unqualified, what is meant is the Imām Abū