an eloquent and fluent tongue on the Day of Resurrection.”

Al-Bukhārī narrated it in al-Adab al-Mufrad (54) with a chain acceptable for corroborative purposes. It has another route in al-Musnad (2/189, 209), with similar wording but without its opening portion.

It has a fourth route, likewise narrated by Ahmad (2/160) and al-Tirmidhī (1/350), who said, “A sound, authentic hadith.” Its wording is like that of the preceding version, but without mention of the tongue.

Al-Suyūtī cited the hadith with the wording:

“The bond of kinship is an interwoven branch suspended from the Throne.”

He attributed it to Ahmad and al-Tabarānī in al-Kabīr, from Ibn Amr. Yet I have not found Ahmad combining the two expressions “interwoven branch” and “suspended” in any of the foregoing routes. It is therefore possible that both occur in a narration by al-Tabarānī, or that al-Suyūtī combined them from the various narrations of the hadith and, for brevity, did not point this out. The latter possibility may be supported by the fact that al-Haythamī cited it in al-Majma (8/150) through the first route with the wording, “The bond of kinship is suspended from the Throne,” and said:

“Its narrators are trustworthy.”

I have, however, found both expressions combined in a narration of Ibn Hibbān (2035), in the hadith of Abū Hurayra—may Allah be pleased with him—whereas “suspended” is not mentioned in the other narration. Ahmad likewise narrated it (2/295, 383, 406, 455).

Among its corroborating reports is the hadith of Ibn Abbās, traced back to the Prophet, with wording similar to that of the third route from Ibn Amr.

Al-Hākim narrated it (2/302) and said:

“It is authentic according to the criteria of al-Bukhārī and Muslim.”

Al-Dhahabī concurred with him.