(1) This note refers to the hadith reported from Ibn Abbas: “Allah has cursed women who frequently visit graves and those who build mosques and place lamps upon them.” It is transmitted by Abu Dawud and others, but its chain of transmission is weak. Although many Salafi writers cite it repeatedly, the truth must be stated and followed. Among the early scholars who judged it weak is Imam Muslim, who wrote in his Kitab at-Tafsil: “This hadith is not sound. Abu Salih Bazam’s narrations have been carefully examined, and no proof exists that he ever heard anything from Ibn Abbas.” Ibn Rajab quoted this statement in Fath, as also recorded in al-Kawakib (65/82/1). I have shown the weakness of this hadith in my book Al-Ahadith ad-Daifa wa-l-Mawdu‘a wa-Atharuha as-Sayyi fi-l-Umma, no. 225, where I explained that, apart from the clause about placing lamps, the report is authentic by virtue of other chains; the reference to lamps is rejected because it occurs only through this defective route. I have now come across a serious mistake concerning this hadith. In Al-Qawl al-Mubin, by a respected contemporary Salafi scholar, we read (p. 79): “Although the isnad found in the Sunan collections has been criticised, the chain cited by al-Hakim is free from such criticism, because al-Hakim’s route is different from theirs!” I reply: The hadith, in al-Hakim and elsewhere, revolves entirely around Abu Salih reporting from Ibn Abbas, and al-Hakim himself, after citing it (1/374), said: …