Dawud al-Tayalisi and several others narrated it from Qatadah, from him, from Abu Umamah. Abu Amir al-‘Aqadi, however, said: “From Hammam, from Qatadah, from Ayman, from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him.” And Allah knows best. Ibn Hibban deemed both routes authentic in his Sahih.”

I say: The route through Abu Hurayrah is found in al-Mawarid (2303). The first route is more likely correct in my view, since three narrators agreed upon it, whereas al-‘Aqadi alone transmitted the other. In any case, the chain is weak because Ayman is unknown; Ibn Hibban’s declaring him trustworthy is not dependable, as is well known, although al-Haythami relied upon it. In his citation of the hadith (10/67), he said: “Ahmad and al-Tabarani transmitted it through chains whose narrators are those of the Sahih, apart from Ayman ibn Malik al-Ash‘ari, who is trustworthy.”

Yet the hadith has a supporting report, from Thabit, from Anas, attributed to the Prophet: “Blessedness to the one who believes in me and sees me once; and blessedness—repeated seven times—to the one who believes in me without seeing me.” Ahmad recorded it (3/155): Hashim ibn al-Qasim narrated to us; Jisr narrated to us from Thabit.

I say: The narrators in this chain are trustworthy and are narrators found in the two Sahihs, apart from Jisr—namely, Ibn Farqad—who is weak on account of his poor retention. However, he was not alone in transmitting it. Abu Ya‘la recorded it in his Musnad (857): Al-Fadl ibn al-Sabah narrated to us; Abu ‘Ubaydah informed us, from Muhtasib, from Thabit, with the same wording.

I say: The narrators of this chain are trustworthy apart from this Muhtasib, who is Ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-A‘ma. Ibn Abi Hatim gave him an entry (4/1/439), but mentioned no criticism or accreditation of him. Ibn ‘Adi said in al-Kamil (fol. 402/2, its abridgment): “He relates from Thabit hadiths that are not preserved.” Al-Dhahabi said in al-Mizan: “He is weak.” In al-Majma‘ (10/67):