from Jābir, who reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed by him … to the end of the hadith. Its chain meets Muslim’s criterion, even though Abū al-Zubayr transmitted it using the ambiguous “from” formula! Muslim narrated it in his Sahīh (163/6) through Maʿqil, from Abū al-Zubayr, with similar wording. Yet he also narrated it through Ibn Jurayj, who said: “Abū al-Zubayr informed me that he heard Jābir ibn Abd Allāh,” and then related it with the wording: “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade striking the face and branding the face.” Abū al-Zubayr thus explicitly affirmed direct transmission, so the hadith is sound. Praise be to Allah. Ibn Hibbān (2003) also narrated it through another route from Abū al-Zubayr, in which he stated that he heard Jābir ibn Abd Allāh, with similar wording.
480—(The hadith stating that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, cursed anyone who used a living creature as a target.) p. 334.
Sound. It has already appeared under (382).
481—(Abd Allāh ibn Abbās said: “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade pitting animals against one another.” Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī.) p. 334.
Weak. It has already appeared under (383).
482—(Ibn Abbās also narrated that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, emphatically forbade castrating animals. Al-Bazzār transmitted it with a sound chain.) p. 335.
That is what the compiler—may Allah preserve him—said, but I know of no earlier authority for this claim, except perhaps the statement of al-Haythamī—may Allah have mercy on him—in al-Majmaʿ (365/6): “Al-Bazzār narrated it, and its narrators are among those used in the Sahīh.” The compiler paraphrased this as, “…with a sound chain,” believing it synonymous with the statement, “…its narrators are among those used in the Sahīh.” That is incorrect. The latter description may accurately apply to a chain even when it contains a defect, such as a break in the chain, concealment in transmission, or the like, whereas one cannot say of such a chain, “Its chain is sound,” since freedom from defects is a condition of soundness, as established in hadith terminology. A defect may be apparent or hidden, and on account of—