and has a sound basis, beyond any doubt. Indeed, this may even give him certainty on the matter, as we noted earlier. For it is established that ‘Abd al-Rahmān ibn Yazīd ibn Jābir narrated it, and that Yazīd ibn Yazīd, Abū Qilābah, and al-Awzā‘ī related it to him from Khālid ibn al-Lajlāj. All these are well-known trustworthy narrators, and this establishes that Khālid narrated it.

However, one of them reported it from Ibn ‘Abbās, who said, “I heard the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace),” while another reported it from Ibn ‘Ā’ish, from one of the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). This entails that one of the two versions is established rather than the other, since they differed not over its text but only over the structure of its chain of transmission.

It may be argued that the second is more authentic, because it is not agreed that Ibn ‘Ā’ish heard directly from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and because one version contains an addition, and an addition transmitted by a trustworthy narrator is accepted. It may also be argued that the first is more authentic, because more narrators transmit it from Khālid, and indeed