As for the hadith, al-Suyuti cited in al-Jamiʿ al-Kabir (2/527/2—library photocopy) al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir as saying: “Its chain of transmission is sound.”

536 — “Whoever remains silent is saved.”

It was narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2/82), al-Darimi (2/299), Ahmad (2/159, 177), and al-Qudaʿi in Musnad al-Shihab (fol. 26/2), through several routes from Ibn Lahiʿah, from Yazid ibn ʿAmr al-Maʿafiri, from Abu ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Hubuli, from ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAmr, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said... Al-Tirmidhi said: “It is a singular hadith; we know it only through the narration of Ibn Lahiʿah.”

I say: This means that the hadith is weak because of Ibn Lahiʿah’s poor retention, for which he was known. However, some of the narrators named ʿAbdullah transmitted it from him, and hadith scholars who have carefully investigated the matter consider their narrations from him authentic. Among them was ʿAbdullah ibn al-Mubarak, who said in Kitab al-Zuhd (fol. 172/1; al-Kawakib, 575, nos. 5 and 38—the Indian edition): “ʿAbdullah ibn Lahiʿah informed us of it.” Another was ʿAbdullah ibn Wahb, who narrated it from him in al-Jamiʿ (49). Ibn Shahin also narrated it in al-Targhib (fol. 107/1) through Ibn Wahb, from him, with the same chain; but he joined ʿAmr ibn al-Harith to him, and he is trustworthy. Perhaps al-Tabarani narrated it through this route, for al-Mundhiri said (4/9): “Al-Tirmidhi narrated it and said: ‘A singular hadith’; and al-Tabarani narrated it, and its narrators are trustworthy.” Al-Manawi cited Zayn al-Din al-ʿIraqi as saying: “Al-Tirmidhi’s chain is weak, whereas al-Tabarani has it with a sound chain.”