It also has a corroborating report from Alī with similar wording. Ahmad narrated it (1/114) through Mughīra, from Umm Mūsā, who said that she heard Alī—may Allah be pleased with him—say it, and then related the report.

417 — (The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said: “Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the falsest form of speech.” Al-Bukhārī and others.) p. 406.

Authentic. Al-Bukhārī (3/431, 4/128), Muslim (8/10), Mālik (2/907), al-Tirmidhī (1/359), and Ahmad (2/245, 287, 465, 517) narrated it through al-Araj, from Abū Hurayra, traced back to the Prophet with this wording. Al-Tirmidhī said: “A fair and authentic hadith.” Al-Bukhārī (4/282) and Ahmad (2/342, 539) also narrated it by another route from Abū Hurayra, while al-Musnad (2/312, 470, 482, 491–492, 504) contains other routes from him.

418 — (The hadith states: “When you become suspicious, do not seek to confirm it.” Al-Tabarānī.) p. 406.

Weak. The discussion of it appeared previously under no. 300.

419 — (“I heard the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—say: ‘Whoever conceals a person’s shameful fault is as though he had saved a girl buried alive in her grave.’” Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasāī, Ibn Hibbān in his Sahīh—the wording here is his—and al-Hākim.) p. 307.

Weak. It is defective because of an unidentified narrator, as I explained in al-Ahādīth al-Daīfa (1265).