In view of this we say:
As for the first report—the narration of Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib—our discussion with you concerns it on two grounds:
- Whether it is authentic when traced back to the Prophet ﷺ.
- Whether its wording supports your point of contention.
Regarding the first ground, we state plainly: this ḥadīth is in no way soundly ascribed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. We shall quote the verdicts of the leading critics on the report itself and on Sufyān ibn Ḥusayn, its chief transmitter.
Abd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim said in his work al-ʿIlal (1): “I asked my father about a narration transmitted by Yazīd ibn Hārūn and others from Sufyān ibn Ḥusayn, from al-Zuhrī, from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib, from Abū Hurayrah, raised to the Prophet: ‘Whoever places a horse between two horses while feeling sure it will not be outpaced—that is gambling.’ My father replied, ‘This is erroneous; Sufyān ibn Ḥusayn has added nothing of worth. It bears no resemblance to a Prophetic ḥadīth. At best it is a statement of Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib himself, and indeed Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd related it from Saʿīd as his own saying.’ ”
Ibn Abī Khaythamah said in his Tārīkh (2): “I asked Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn about …”