its chain of transmission. I have undertaken to clarify this in al-Da'ifah, no. 1099, in the third volume; whoever wishes to ascertain the truth should consult it.

Know that, despite this hadith having been authenticated there by the previously mentioned leading imams and hadith authorities—namely Imam Muslim, Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Hibban, al-Hakim, and al-Dhahabi—as well as by those who endorsed their authentication, such as al-Bayhaqi in his Sunans, al-Nawawi in his Riyad, and al-Asqalani in his Fath (4/2330) and his Talkhis (4/215), along with many others who cited it as evidence that the Ragha'ib prayer is an innovation, as will follow—the so-called Hassan Abd al-Mannan, following his usual practice, nonetheless disagreed with them. He included it in his Da'ifah, concerning which discussion has already preceded, along with an exposition of some of the gross absurdities and errors it contains, under Addendum (13). He clung to Abu Hatim and Abu Zur'ah's declaring it defective, on the claim that Husayn al-Ju'fi erred in mentioning Abu Hurayrah in his narration from Hisham ibn Hassan, from Ibn Sirin, from him; whereas it is a mursal report from Ibn Sirin, without Abu Hurayrah. Ayyub, Hisham, and others narrated it in this manner as a mursal report.

This is how it appears in Ibn Abi Hatim's Ilal: “and Hisham.” I believe this to be an error, for Hisham's report from Abu Hurayrah has a continuous chain to the Prophet in Muslim and in the works of others who recorded his hadith, as stated above. Al-Mizzi likewise mentioned it, as you have learned.

In any case, there is no basis for accusing Husayn of error in his chain from Abu Hurayrah, for he was not alone in this. Asim ibn Sulayman al-Ahwal also transmitted it with a connected chain from Ibn Sirin, though he said: “from Abu al-Darda.” This is a merely formal difference and causes no harm, for it is a shift from one Companion to another, and all the Companions are upright. It is also possible that Ibn Sirin received it from both of them, narrating it at times from one and at other times from the other. Such a thing is not unlikely in the case of one such as Ibn Sirin, a trustworthy narrator of proven precision.

Ahmad recorded it (6/444), saying: “Al-Aswad ibn Amir narrated to us: Isra'il narrated to us from Asim, through this chain.”

Al-Nasa'i also recorded it, through the route of al-Aswad, in al-Sunan al-Kubra (2/141–142).

This is an authentic chain of transmission meeting the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim.