in Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb: “He narrated from his father, and those who narrated from him included Ahmad ibn Hanbal, his cousin Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Abd al-Karīm, and others. Ibn Ma‘īn said: ‘There was nothing objectionable about him.’ Al-Ma‘jalī said: ‘Trustworthy.’ The hadith master said: ‘I say: Ibn Khuzaymah included his hadiths in his Sahīh, as did Ibn Hibbān and al-Hākim. Ibn Abī Khaythamah reported that Yahyā ibn Ma‘īn said: “Ibrāhīm is trustworthy, and his father is trustworthy.” He also said: “His father’s son, Wahb ibn Munabbih.”’” End of quotation.

The third narrator in the hadith’s chain is ‘Aqīl ibn Ma‘qil. The hadith master stated in al-Taqrīb that he was Wahb ibn Munabbih’s nephew and described him as “truthful, of the seventh generation.” He used an abbreviation indicating that Abū Dāwūd narrated his hadiths. In Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb, he mentioned that ‘Aqīl narrated from his two uncles, Hammām and Wahb, and that his son Ibrāhīm and several others, whom he named, narrated from him. He also mentioned that Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ibn Ma‘īn declared him trustworthy, and said: “Ibn Hibbān included him in al-Thiqāt. In the commentary on Sūrat al-Nisā’, al-Bukhārī cited a report from him, on Jābir’s authority, concerning soothsayers, with the beginning of its chain omitted. It has also been transmitted with a connected chain through this ‘Aqīl, from Wahb; his son Ibrāhīm and ‘Abd al-Razzāq narrated it from him. Ahmad said: ‘Trustworthy; he read the Torah and the Gospel.’” End of quotation.

The fourth narrator in the hadith’s chain is Wahb ibn Munabbih ibn Kāmil al-Yamānī. He said in al-Taqrīb: “Trustworthy, of the third generation,” and used abbreviations indicating that his hadiths were narrated in the two Sahīhs, by Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī, and al-Nasā’ī, and by Ibn Mājah in his Tafsīr.

In Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb, he stated that Wahb narrated from Abū Hurayrah, Abū Sa‘īd, Ibn ‘Abbās, Ibn ‘Amr ibn Shu‘ayb, Abū Khalfiyyah al-Basrī, his brother Hammām ibn Munabbih, and others. He mentioned that those who narrated from him included his two sons, ‘Abd Allāh and ‘Abd al-Rahmān, and his nephews, ‘Abd al-Samad and ‘Aqīl, the sons of Ma‘qil ibn Munabbih. He also cited ‘Abd Allāh ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal as reporting from his father: “He was of Persian descent.” Al-‘Ijlī said: “A trustworthy Successor; he served as judge in Sanaa.” Abū Zur‘ah and al-Nasā’ī said: “Trustworthy.” Ibn Hibbān included him in al-Thiqāt. End of quotation.

Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: “He used to concern himself with certain matters of divine decree, but later abandoned this.” The hadith master also said in Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb that al-Bukhārī included one hadith transmitted by Wahb from his brother, from Abū Hurayrah:

“No one has more hadiths than I do except ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās, for he used to write them down, whereas I did not.”

He added: “I say: ‘Amr ibn ‘Alī al-Ghallās said: ‘He was weak.’” End of quotation.

I say: The commentator on al-Tahāwiyyah reported that Wahb ibn Munabbih said:

“I examined divine decree and became bewildered; then I examined it again and became bewildered. I found that those who know most about divine decree are the most restrained in speaking about it, while those who know least about it are the most outspoken.”

As for al-Hārith ibn Abī Usāmah, the author of the Musnad, al-Dhahabī included a biographical entry for him in al-Mīzān and said: “He was a hadith master, well versed in hadith, whose chains of transmission had exceptionally few intermediaries. He was criticized without evidence.” Al-Dāraqutnī said: “Opinions about him have differed, but I consider him truthful.” Ibn Hazm said: “Weak. Some Baghdad scholars also considered him weak because he accepted payment for