companionship for him.”

I say: The preponderant view, then, is that he was not a Companion. Accordingly, the hadith is mursal—its chain omits the Companion—and is therefore weak. Allah knows best.

However, the hadith has a corroborating narration reported by Ibn Hibbān (1315), through Umāra ibn Thawbān, from Atā, from him: The men sought permission from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to beat women, and he granted them permission, so they beat them. He then spent the night and heard a loud noise. He asked, “What is this?” They replied, “You gave the men permission to beat women, so they beat them.” He then forbade them and said, “The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am among the best of you to my family.” Ibn Mājah (1977) and al-Hākim (4/173) also reported its final sentence. Al-Hākim said, “Its chain of transmission is authentic,” and al-Dhahabī agreed with him! Yet Umāra is unknown, as al-Dhahabī himself stated in al-Duafā. Al-Hāfiz said, “He is of unverified standing.”

It has another corroborating narration, reported by al-Hākim (4/191), through Umm Kulthūm bint Abū Bakr—may Allah be pleased with them both—who said:

“The men had been forbidden from beating women. They then complained about them to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so he allowed them to beat them. He later said, ‘Seventy women came to the household of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) tonight, all of whom had been beaten.’ Yahyā said: ‘I believe that al-Qāsim then said: “Afterward, they were told: ‘The best of you will never beat their wives.’”’”

Al-Hākim said, “Its chain of transmission is authentic,” and al-Dhahabī agreed with him! This is open to question, for al-Hāfiz said concerning Umm Kulthūm bint Abū Bakr in al-Taqrīb: “Her father died while she was still in the womb; she is trustworthy.” Thus, the chain is also mursal. Al-Hāfiz identified this as its defect in al-Fath (9/266), attributing it only to al-Bayhaqī.

All this said, perhaps the hadith is strengthened by these two corroborating narrations and rises to the grade of hasan. Allah knows best.

252 – (Al-Nasāī reported the hadith of Āisha: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) never struck any wife of his or any servant, nor did he ever strike anything with his hand, except in the cause of Allah or when Allah’s sacred limits were violated, whereupon he exacted retribution for Allah’s sake.” Fath al-Bārī, vol. 9, p. 249.) p. 199

Authentic. Al-Nasāī reported it in al-Kubrā (fol. 87/1) with this wording, while Muslim (7/80) and Ahmad (6/229, 232, 281) reported it in this complete form, as did al-Dārimī