is that he prayed on a camel. This, however, is not—so far as I am concerned—a flaw that undermines the report, for ʿAmr ibn Yaḥyā is reliable, as al-Nawawī, al-Dhahabī and Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī affirm in al-Taqrīb. He has related something that is perfectly possible, and therefore his wording must be accepted. The fact that other trustworthy transmitters phrase the report with “camel” neither nullifies nor contradicts it; the Messenger of Allah ﷺ could well have ridden this animal on one occasion and that one on another. I have discussed the authenticity of the ḥadith and refuted the alleged defect at length in al-Taʿlīqāt al-Jiyād ʿalā Zād al-Maʿād—let the reader consult it.

The ḥadith is also supported by the report of Anas ibn Mālik:

He saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ praying on a donkey while riding toward Khaybar, with the qiblah behind him.

Al-Nasāʾī recorded it from Muḥammad ibn ʿAjlān, from Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd, from Anas.

This chain is sound: all of its narrators are trustworthy, except Ibn ʿAjlān, about whom there is some discussion—yet his ḥadith is judged fair.

Al-Ḥāfiẓ, in Fatḥ al-Bārī, attributed the report only to al-Sarrāj and then remarked: “Its isnād is ḥasan.”

I add: al-Nasāʾī, after citing it, commented, “The correct version is that it is a statement of Anas.”

I further add: Mālik likewise transmitted it as a statement of Anas, from Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd, who said: I saw Anas ibn Mālik on a journey, praying on a donkey while facing a direction other—