Al-Ḥākim cited it as a corroborating report, but neither he nor al-Dhahabī declared it authentic. As for al-Ḥāfiẓ al-ʿIrāqī, he said in his takhrīj of al-Iḥyāʾ (2/4): “Its chain of transmission is good.”

I say: It is not good. Regarding Waḥshī ibn Ḥarb ibn Waḥshī, Ṣāliḥ Jazrah said: “Neither he nor his father merits consideration,” as stated in al-Mīzān. In the biographical entry on his father, Ḥarb, he said: “No one narrated from him except his son Waḥshī al-Ḥimṣī.” Hence, al-Ḥāfiẓ said in al-Taqrīb that he was “of unknown standing,” and said of his father that he was “acceptable.”

In Fayḍ al-Qadīr, it states: “Concerning this Waḥshī, al-Muzanī and al-Dhahabī said: ‘There is some weakness in him.’ The most that can be said of the hadith is what al-Ḥāfiẓ al-ʿIrāqī said: its chain of transmission is good. Ibn Ḥajar said: ‘There is some question regarding its authenticity, for the elder Waḥshī was the killer of Ḥamzah. It is established that when he embraced Islam, the Chosen One said to him: “Keep your face out of my sight.” Thus, it is unlikely that he heard from him thereafter, unless he transmitted it in mursal form. Ibn ʿAsākir’s statement that the Companion in this hadith was someone other than the killer of Ḥamzah is refuted by the explicit statement, in several routes reported by al-Ṭabarānī and others, that he was his killer.’”

I say: In sum, the chain of transmission is weak for the reasons we have mentioned. As for the reservation raised by Ibn Ḥajar, it carries no weight, since at most it means that Waḥshī transmitted it in mursal form; and a Companion’s mursal report is authoritative, as has been established in hadith terminology. Moreover, in my view, there is no necessary connection between his saying, “Keep your face out of my sight,” and Waḥshī’s not having heard from the Prophet. And Allah knows best.

Nevertheless, the hadith is good due to external corroboration, for it has supporting reports conveying the same meaning. See: