“Worship Allah,” and he said: “Authentic according to Muslim’s criteria.”

Al-Dhahabi concurred with him, and they were correct. Ibn Hibban’s wording is: “Obey your Lord.”

868 — “Fear Allah with regard to the prayer and those whom your right hands possess.”

Al-Khatib narrated it in Tarikh Baghdad (10/169) through the route of ʿUmar ibn Hafs al-Sudusi: ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Mubarak al-Baghdadi—a client of al-ʿAbbas—narrated to us in the year 219; Hammam ibn Yahya narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Abu al-Khalil Salih, from Umm Salamah: “During his illness, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would say …” He then cited it, adding: “And he kept repeating it.”

He included it in the biography of this ʿAbd Allah, who is not the famous Imam Ibn al-Mubarak, but did not mention any criticism or accreditation concerning him. All its other transmitters are trustworthy narrators used by al-Bukhari and Muslim, apart from this al-Sudusi; and he too is trustworthy, as al-Khatib stated in his biography (11/216).

Al-Tahawi also narrated the hadith in Mushkil al-Athar (4/235–236), through the route of Abu ʿAwanah, from Qatadah, from Safinah, Umm Salamah’s freedman, from Umm Salamah, who said: “The principal part of the Messenger of Allah’s counsel, peace and blessings be upon him, was: ‘The prayer, the prayer, and those whom your right hands possess,’ until he was gurgling it in his chest, unable to bring it forth with his tongue.” Its chain of transmission is authentic, provided that Qatadah heard it from Safinah.

However, the hadith is authentic, for it has a supporting report from Anas, narrated by al-Tahawi and others, and authenticated by al-Hakim and al-Dhahabi; and another from ʿAli, narrated by al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad (158) and by Abu Dawud and others. It has been referenced in al-Irwa (2178).