Al-Bayhaqī also transmitted it through one of Abū Yaʿlā’s routes, saying: “A trustworthy scholar informed us: Abū ʿAmr ibn Ḥamdān informed us: Abū Yaʿlā al-Mawṣilī informed us …”

I say: This is a good chain of transmission. All of its narrators are trustworthy, except for this al-Azraq. Al-Ḥāfiẓ said in al-Taqrīb: “Truthful, but he occasionally narrates uncommon reports.” Yet he was not alone in transmitting it. Abū Nuʿaym also transmitted it in Akhbār Iṣbahān (2/83), through ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ibrāhīm ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Abī Bukayr, who said: Yaḥyā ibn Abī Bukayr narrated to us, with the same chain. He cited it in the biography of this Ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ, without mentioning either criticism or commendation concerning him.

As for ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Abī Bukayr, al-Khaṭīb gave his biography (10/8) and said: “He heard from his grandfather, Yaḥyā ibn Abī Bukayr, the judge of Kirmān … and he was trustworthy.” This is therefore strong corroboration for al-Azraq, showing that his transmission was accurate and not isolated. Perhaps it was for this reason that al-Manāwī said in Fayḍ al-Qadīr, after citing Abū Yaʿlā as its original source: “It is an authentic hadith.” Yet he did not explain why; but we have spared you that task. Praise be to Allah, who has guided us to this; had Allah not guided us, we would not have been guided.