Second Misconception: the ḥadith of the blind man

Now that we have concluded our critical study of ʿUmar’s tawassul through al-ʿAbbās—showing that the report offers no support to the dissenters but rather turns against them—we begin a careful examination of the ḥadith of the blind man to determine whether it functions as proof for them or, again, against them. We say:

Imām Aḥmad and others have transmitted with an authentic chain from ʿUthmān ibn Ḥunayf that a man