I then found another corroborating chain for it, recorded by Ibn Asakir in Tarikh Dimashq (5/120/2) through several routes from Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Qasim: Abu Zur'ah informed us; Abu al-Nadr informed us; al-Hakam ibn Hisham informed us; Hisham ibn Urwah narrated it to me with the same wording.
I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission. All of its narrators are trustworthy and are included in al-Tahdhib, apart from Ahmad ibn al-Qasim, who is al-Tamimi. Ibn Asakir gave his biography (2/42/2) and narrated from Abd al-Aziz al-Kinani that he said of him: “He was trustworthy and reliable.” There are some remarks concerning al-Hakam ibn Hisham and Abu al-Nadr—whose name was Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Yazid al-Dimashqi—but they are not detrimental. Al-Hafiz described each of them as “truthful,” adding concerning the latter, “He was declared weak without any substantiation.” Thus, in view of all these corroborating reports and routes, together with the hadith of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, the hadith is undoubtedly authentic.
However, it must be understood that compatibility is only in religion and character.
- “Standing for an hour in the path of Allah is better than spending Laylat al-Qadr in prayer at the Black Stone.”
Abbas al-Turaqufi recorded it in his Hadith Collection (41/2): Abu Abd al-Rahman—that is, Abdullah ibn Yazid al-Muqri—narrated to us; Sa'id—that is, Ibn Abi Ayyub—narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman Abu al-Aswad informed us, from Mujahid, from Abu Hurayrah, who was stationed at a frontier post when an alarm was raised. They went out to the coast, but then it was announced: “There is no danger.” The people departed, while Abu Hurayrah remained standing. A man passed by him and asked, “What keeps you standing, Abu Hurayrah?” He replied, “I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say,” and then mentioned it.
Ibn Hibban (1583) and al-Hafiz Ibn Asakir, in Forty Hadiths on Jihad (hadith 18), also recorded it through al-Turaqufi’s route.
I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission; all of its narrators are trustworthy and well known. However, it has been said: