The first part of it has another corroborating report: from Sufyan, from Asim, from Abu al-Aliyah, from Anas, attributed to the Prophet, with similar wording: “Kohl should be applied an odd number of times.” Tamam narrated it in al-Fawa'id (folio 57/1): Abu al-Hasan Khaythamah ibn Sulayman informed us—read to him—Muhammad ibn Awf, Abu Jafar al-Himsi, related to us; al-Firyabi related to us; Sufyan related to us, from Asim, from Abu al-Aliyah, from Anas, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said it.
I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission, its narrators being trustworthy, if this Asim is Asim ibn Sulayman al-Ahwal, for he was a Basran like Abu al-Aliyah, whose name was Rafi ibn Mihran al-Riyahi. It is also possible that he was Asim ibn Bahdalah al-Kufi; if so, the chain is good. It may likewise be Asim ibn Kulayb al-Kufi, who is trustworthy; or Asim ibn Ubayd Allah ibn Asim ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab, the Medinan, who is weak but suitable for corroboration. Yet the first possibility is stronger, since he narrated from Abu al-Aliyah, as recorded by al-Daraqutni (p. 63). (See the addendum no. 259/14.) The second part of the hadith has a corroborating report in Muslim, from Jabir, attributed to the Prophet. Thus, the hadith is authentic, and all praise is due to Allah.
1261 — “When the two circumcised parts meet, ritual bathing becomes obligatory.”
This wording has been reported in hadiths from Aishah, Abd Allah ibn Amr ibn al-As, Abu Hurayrah, and others.
- As for the hadith of Aishah, it is narrated from her by Abd al-Aziz ibn al-Numan. Ahmad narrated it (6/239) through Ubayd Allah ibn Rabah, from him. Its narrators are trustworthy narrators of Muslim, apart from Abd al-Aziz ibn al-Numan, who is unknown. Al-Bukhari said: “His hearing from Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, is not known.” Ibn Hibban, however, deemed him trustworthy. In another version recorded by Ahmad (6/123 and 227), Abd al-Aziz ibn al-Numan narrated from her that she said: “Whenever the two circumcised parts met, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, performed ritual bathing.”