became senile and grew old. Al-Thawrī heard from him after he became senile, whereas Ibn Abī Dhi’b heard from him before that (1).” Ibn Hibbān said (2): “He changed in the year 125 AH and began transmitting reports resembling fabrications on the authority of trustworthy narrators. His later narrations became mingled with his earlier ones and could not be distinguished, so he merited being abandoned as a narrator.” End of quotation.

This hadith is good, for Ibn Abī Dhi’b narrated it from him, and he had heard from him at an early date, before his memory became confused. His subsequent confusion therefore provides no grounds for rejecting what he narrated before it set in. Al-Tahāwī (3) took another approach to this hadith of Abū Hurayrah and the hadith of ‘Ā’ishah, saying: “The Prophet’s offering the funeral prayer for Suhayl ibn Baydā’ in the mosque was abrogated. Of the Messenger of Allah’s two practices—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—the later was to refrain from doing so. The evidence is that the Companions generally objected to ‘Ā’ishah’s action; they would only have done so because they knew that the established practice differed from what she had done.”

A number of scholars, including al-Bayhaqī, rejected al-Tahāwī’s argument. Al-Bayhaqī said (4): “Had Abū Hurayrah known that what ‘Ā’ishah narrated had been abrogated, he would have mentioned it when the funeral prayer was offered for Abū Bakr al-Siddīq in the mosque, and when it was offered for ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb in the mosque. Those who objected to ‘Ā’ishah’s instruction to bring him into the mosque would also have mentioned it (5), as would Abū Hurayrah when she narrated the report concerning it (6). Only those unaware of its permissibility objected. So when