538 — “There is no human being whose head is not held by a bridle in an angel’s hand. When he humbles himself, the angel is told, ‘Raise his bridle’; and when he behaves arrogantly, the angel is told, ‘Lower his bridle.’”

Al-Tabarani related it in al-Muʿjam al-Kabir (3/182/1) through Salam Abu al-Mundhir, from Ali ibn Zayd, from Yusuf ibn Mihran, from Ibn Abbas, from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, who said it.

I say: This is a chain of transmission whose narrators are trustworthy, apart from Ali ibn Zayd—namely, Ibn Judʿan—who is somewhat weak on account of his retention. Some scholars, however, judge his hadith to be sound, or good. Al-Hakim recorded another hadith through this chain (2/591) without commenting on it, and al-Dhahabi said: “Its chain of transmission is sound!” Al-Haythami said in al-Majmaʿ (8/82), after mentioning it from Ibn Abbas: “Al-Tabarani narrated it, and its chain of transmission is good.”

Al-Mundhiri said in al-Targhib (4/16): “Al-Tabarani and al-Bazzar narrated something similar from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, and both of their chains of transmission are good!” That is what he said, but it is open to criticism, some of which is apparent from the foregoing. The hadith of Ibn Abbas has a better chain of transmission than that of Abu Hurayrah, for both of them revolve around Ibn Judʿan. However, the former is narrated from him by Salam Abu al-Mundhir, whereas the latter was narrated from him by al-Minhal ibn Khalifah, from Saʿid ibn al-Musayyib, from Abu Hurayrah, attributed to the Prophet with this wording. Al-ʿUqayli recorded it in al-Duʿafaʾ (427), as did Ibn ʿAdi in al-Kamil (322/2), and al-Diya in al-Muntaqa from His Auditions in Marw (folio 142/1). Al-ʿUqayli said: