And concerning the hadith, al-Haythami said in al-Majmaʿ (7/202): “It was narrated by al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani in al-Awsat. The narrators in one of al-Bazzar’s two chains are narrators of the Sahih, apart from Umar ibn Abi Khalifah, who is trustworthy.”

1125 — “Shall I not tell you of something which, if you do it, you will catch up with those before you and surpass those after you? Praise Allah, glorify Him, and magnify Him at the end of every prayer: thirty-three times, thirty-three times, and thirty-four times.”

Ibn Majah (927) and Ahmad (5/158) narrated it from Bishr ibn Asim, from his father, from Abu Dharr, who said: “It was said to the Prophet ﷺ—or, as Sufyan would sometimes say: ‘I said’—‘O Messenger of Allah, the people of wealth and abundant possessions have taken all the reward: they say as we say, yet they spend while we cannot spend.’ He said to me...” and then cited it.

This is Ibn Majah’s wording. Ahmad’s wording is: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, the people of wealth and abundant possessions have overtaken us by a clear margin. They pray and fast as we pray and fast, but they possess wealth with which they give charity, whereas we have no wealth.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Shall I not tell you...’” the hadith. At its end is: “After every prayer, say subhan Allah thirty-three times, al-hamdu lillah thirty-three times, and Allahu akbar thirty-four times.”

I say: Its chain of transmission is authentic. Al-Suyuti included the hadith in al-Jamiʿ al-Kabir (1/26/1) and Dhayl al-Jamiʿ al-Saghir (fol. 9/1), on the authority of Ahmad, Ibn Majah, Ibn Khuzaymah, and al-Diya’, from Abu Dharr, using Ahmad’s wording. However, he omitted from its beginning the particle of attention, “Lo,” and wrote, “and praise Him thirty-four times,” in place of, “and magnify Him thirty-four times.” This is an error. I do not know whether it was a slip of al-Suyuti’s pen or came from one of the hadith’s narrators in sources other than Ahmad and Ibn Majah; for in their versions it appears correctly, as you have seen. Al-Suyuti also cited it with Ibn Majah’s wording: “Lo, shall I not tell you...,” in the chapter entitled Alā (“Lo”).