keep her. I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say this.” He then said: “So preserve that gate, or lose it.” (He said: “So he returned, having separated from her.”)

Al-Tahawi transmitted it in Mushkil al-Athar (2/158), and this is his wording; Ahmad (6/445) also transmitted it, and the additional wording is his. Ibn ‘Uyaynah corroborated him, saying: “‘Ata’ ibn al-Sa’ib narrated it to us with this chain,” though with an abbreviated version of the story. Al-Humaydi transmitted it in his Musnad (395): “Sufyan narrated it to us with this chain.” Al-Hakim transmitted it through al-Humaydi’s route (4/152). Al-Tirmidhi (1/347) and Ibn Majah as well (3663) transmitted it through other routes from Sufyan with this chain. Al-Tirmidhi said: “A good, authentic hadith.”

Ibn Hibban (2023), al-Hakim also (2/197), Ahmad (5/198), and Ibn ‘Asakir (19/153/1–2) transmitted it through other routes from ‘Ata’ with this chain. Al-Hakim said: “Its chain of transmission is authentic.” Al-Dhahabi agreed with him.

Note: His words, “So preserve that gate, or lose it,” apparently belong to Abu al-Darda’ and are not attributed to the Prophet. This is supported by the narration of ‘Abd al-Razzaq: “Sufyan informed us from ‘Ata’ with this chain,” in which he mentioned only the wording cited in the heading. Ahmad transmitted it (6/447–448). Yet, in the aforementioned narration of al-Tahawi, after the words, “or lose it,” there appears: “or as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said”—the uncertainty being from Ibn Marzuq.

I say: Even aside from this stated uncertainty, Abu Hudhayfah Musa ibn Mas‘ud stands between Ibn Marzuq and Sufyan al-Thawri, and he had poor retention, as stated in al-Taqrib. And Allah knows best.