and the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said: ‘Do you know what this wind is? This is the wind of those who backbite the believers.’” Ahmad; its narrators are trustworthy.) p. 309.
Fair. Ahmad narrated it (3/351), as did al-Bukhārī in al-Adab al-Mufrad (732) and Ibn Hibbān in al-Thiqāt (2/72), through Khālid ibn Arfata, from Talha ibn Nāfi, from Jābir ibn Abd Allāh, with this wording. I say: Its narrators are trustworthy narrators used by Muslim, apart from Khālid ibn Arfata, who is unknown, as Abū Hātim and al-Bazzār stated; al-Dhahabī followed them in al-Duafā. No one other than Ibn Hibbān declared him trustworthy.
However, al-Bukhārī (733) narrated the hadith by another route, from Sulaymān, from Abū Sufyān, from Jābir, who said: “A foul-smelling wind arose during the time of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—and the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said: ‘Some hypocrites have backbitten some Muslims, so this wind was sent on that account.’” This is a good chain whose narrators meet the criteria of the authentic collections. Its narrators are trustworthy and used by al-Bukhārī and Muslim, apart from Musaddad, whom al-Bukhārī used, and Abū Sufyān—Talha ibn Nāfi, who appears in the first route—whom Muslim used. Sulaymān is Ibn Mihrān al-Amash, who was known to obscure his immediate source in transmission. If he did not do so here, the chain is good, as we have stated; otherwise, it is fair by virtue of the preceding route. Allah knows best.
Al-Bayhaqī also narrated it through al-Amash in al-Shuab (1/304/2), as did Ibn Abī al-Dunyā in al-Samt (2/36/2).
430 — (Fātima bint Qays informed the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—about two men who had proposed marriage to her. He said to her concerning one of them: “He is destitute and has no wealth.” Concerning the other, he said: “He never takes his staff off his shoulder,” meaning that he frequently beat women.) p. 310.
Authentic. Muslim and others narrated it from her. Its full sourcing is given in al-Irwā (1804).