“Abu al-Darda’ wrote to Salman: To proceed: O my brother, make the most of your health before your illness, and of your free time before an affliction descends which no one can repel. O my brother, avail yourself of the supplication of the afflicted believer. O my brother, let the mosque be your home, for I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say…” He then mentioned it.
I say: The narrators in this chain are trustworthy, so it is good, were it not for the interruption between al-Rabi‘ and Abu al-Darda’, for he did not hear from him or from any other Companion. However, when it is joined by the first, connected route, the hadith gains strength and rises to the rank of good, if Allah Most High wills.
Ibn al-Jawzi also recorded it in Safwat al-Safwah (1/198/1), through ‘Abd al-Razzaq, who said: Ma‘mar narrated to us from one of his shaykhs that Abu al-Darda’ wrote it to Salman. This too is interrupted.
- “Whenever he wore a turban, he would let its end hang between his shoulders.”
Al-Tirmidhi (1/323) and al-‘Uqayli in al-Du‘afa’ (p. 246) recorded it through Yahya ibn Muhammad al-Jari, from ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Muhammad, from ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Umar, from Ibn ‘Umar, attributed to the Prophet. Al-Tirmidhi said: “This is a good, singular hadith.”
I say: Its narrators are trustworthy and are among Muslim’s narrators, apart from al-Jari, who has been declared weak. Al-Bukhari said: “They speak critically of him.” Ibn Hibban mentioned him in al-Thiqat and said: “He reports singular narrations.” Ibn ‘Adi said: