Thus it becomes clear that the compiler has so abridged the documentation of the ḥadith that it is misleading: he made it appear as though it has only one route of transmission, whereas it actually has several. The author of al-Tāj al-Jāmiʿ li’l-Uṣūl often engages in this sort of detrimental abbreviation, and I possess a great many examples; this very ḥadith is one of them. I am almost inclined to think the compiler simply copied his citation from that work.

His words:

4 ‘On the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ dispatched a detachment that gained spoils and returned quickly … He ﷺ said: “… Whoever performs ablution and then goes off to the mosque with the same calm composure is nearer to the objective, gains more booty, and returns sooner.” It was narrated by Aḥmad and al-Ṭabarānī, and something similar was reported by Abū Yaʿlā.’

I say: This citation is marred by the same faulty abbreviation just mentioned, for Abū Yaʿlā narrated it only from Abū Hurayrah ﵁. He brought it from his teacher Ibn Abī Shaybah, and Ibn Abī Shaybah recorded it in his al-Muṣannaf with a chain that satisfies Muslim’s criterion. Hence, after the words “something similar” the compiler should have added, “on the authority of Abū Hurayrah.” The report is traced in al-Taʿlīq al-Raghīb 1/235; see also Ṣaḥīḥ al-Targhīb, nos. 663–664.

His words:

6 ‘On the authority of Anas ﵁: I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, while on a journey, perform eight rakʿahs of the mid-morning voluntary prayer (subḥat al-ḍuḥā). When he finished he said, “I have just prayed a prayer of hope and fear … .” It was narrated by Aḥmad, al-Nasāʾī, al-Ḥākim, and Ibn Khuzaymah, and the last two declared it authentic.’

I say: Two observations are in order:

First: The ḥadith is not found in al-Nasāʾī’s Sunan al-Ṣughrā—the collection intended whenever one attributes a report to al-Nasāʾī without qualification. It was therefore necessary to specify that the reference is to his al-Sunan al-Kubrā, for that is where he recorded it, as noted by Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar in Taʿjīl al-Manfaʿa. It is not present in the Moroccan printed edition of his ʿAmal al-Yawm wa’l-Laylah.