The entire report, together with its complete chain analysis and grading, has already been presented under the discussion entitled “The Prohibition of Praying in Camel Pens.”
In another narration he ﷺ said, “And pray in sheepfolds, for they are closer to mercy.” This comes from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Mughaffal and was recorded by Aḥmad with a ḥasan chain, as noted earlier.
He ﷺ also said, “Pray in sheepfolds and wipe away their nasal dust, for they are among the beasts of Paradise.” This ḥadīth is related by Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) and reaches us through three separate isnāds.
- The first route: Yaʿqūb ibn Kāsib narrated to us; Ibn Abī Ḥāzim reported from Kathīr ibn Zayd, from al-Walīd ibn Rabāḥ, from Abū Hurayrah, as a marfūʿ tradition. Al-Bayhaqī recorded it.
This chain is graded ḥasan; all of its transmitters are reliable, though some remarks exist about the precision of Yaʿqūb ibn Kāsib—also known as Ibn Ḥumayd—and Kathīr ibn Zayd. Even so, these observations do not lower the ḥadīth beneath the level of ḥasan, particularly since they are not its sole transmitters. Al-Ḥāfiẓ states in al-Taqrīb: “Kathīr ibn Zayd is truthful yet makes mistakes, and Yaʿqūb ibn Ḥumayd ibn Kāsib—so called after his grandfather—is truthful though he may err.”