It has been said that Mujahid did not hear directly from Abu Hurayrah. This is how it is reported in al-Tahdhib in tentative terms: “It has been said.” This is correct, for I found Mujahid’s explicit statement that he heard from Abu Hurayrah in Sunan al-Bayhaqi (7/270), through an authentic chain of transmission to him. Al-Bukhari also recorded it in al-Tarikh al-Kabir (4/2/408/3507), in the biography of Yunus ibn Ghiyath, from Abu Hurayrah. He mentioned it in this manner without a chain of transmission, then said: “Asbagh also narrated it from Ibn Wahb, who said: Sa'id ibn Abi Ayyub informed me, from Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman, from Yunus ibn Yahya.”
- “Indeed, this black seed is a cure for every illness except death.”
It was recorded by al-Tayalisi (no. 2460) and Ahmad (2/468 and 538) through Shu'bah, from Qatadah, who said: I heard Hilal al-Muzani—or al-Mazini—narrating from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said it. This is an authentic chain of transmission. Its narrators are all trustworthy and are among the narrators of the Six Books, apart from this Hilal, who was Hilal ibn Yazid, Abu Mus'ab al-Basri. Sa'id al-Jurayri and Yahya ibn Ya'mur also narrated from him. Ibn Hibban mentioned him among the trustworthy narrators and said: “The people of Basra narrated from him,” as cited in al-Ta'jil.
The hadith has other routes, some of which have preceded under no. 859. It also has a supporting report from the hadith of Aishah with this wording. It was recorded by al-Bukhari (10/117) and Ibn Majah (2/342–343), from Khalid ibn Sa'id, who said: We set out with Ghalib ibn Abjar, and he fell ill on the way. We arrived in Medina while he was still ill, and Ibn Abi Atiq visited him. He said to us: “Use this little black seed: take five or seven of them, grind them, then administer them as nasal drops with drops of oil, in this nostril and that nostril. For Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, told me that she heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say,” and then he quoted it.
- “These places of relief are attended by devils. So when one of you goes to relieve himself, let him say: ‘I seek refuge in Allah from the male and female devils.’”
It was recorded by Abu Dawud (1/3), Ibn Majah (1/127), and Ibn Hibban.