as will be discussed below. The compiler merely copied the aforementioned grading as authentic, together with its source documentation, from Imam al-Nawawī’s Kitāb al-Adhkār (pp. 38–39). Al-Hāfiz Ibn Hajar challenged this in Natāʾij al-Afkār, saying (fol. 56/2):

“As for the shaykh’s ruling that the chain is authentic, it is open to question. According to Ibn al-Madīnī, Abū Mijlaz did not meet Samura ibn Jundub or Imrān ibn Husayn, even though both of them lived longer than Abū Mūsā. It is therefore doubtful that he heard from Abū Mūsā, and he was known to transmit disconnected reports from people whom he had met.”

Al-Suyūtī endorsed this in Tuhfat al-Abrār bi-Nukat al-Adhkār (p. 17).

Moreover, al-Nawawī cited the wording of the hadith exactly as I have cited it. When this is compared with the wording in the book, it becomes clear that the author altered it in a way that changed its meaning. At the beginning, he stated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) “would frequently make these supplications,” although the hadith explicitly states that he made them only once, after performing ablution!

Al-Nawawī then said:

“Ibn al-Sunnī gave this hadith the chapter heading, ‘What One Says While Performing Ablution,’ whereas al-Nasā’ī included it under the chapter, ‘What One Says After Completing Ablution.’ Both interpretations are possible.”

Al-Hāfiz challenged this, saying:

“Al-Tabarānī narrated it in al-Kabīr through Musaddad, Ārim, and al-Muqaddamī, all of them from Mutamir. Their versions state: ‘He performed ablution, then prayed, then said…’ This rules out Ibn al-Sunnī’s chapter heading, since it explicitly states that he said it after the prayer; it also rules out the possibility that he said it between ablution and prayer.”

I say: Al-Hāfiz overlooked the fact that Imam Ahmad narrated it in al-Musnad (4/339), as did his son in the Zawāʾid, through Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Abī Shayba, who said: Mutamir ibn Sulaymān narrated to us, with the wording: “He performed ablution, prayed, and said…”