Abu Dawud recorded it (2/536–537, al-Halabi edition), as did Ibn Khuzaymah in al-Tawhid (pp. 95–96) and al-Bayhaqi in al-Asma’ wa al-Sifat (p. 200), through Abu Mu‘awiyah, from al-A‘mash, from Muslim ibn Subayh, from Masruq, from Abd Allah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said—and he then cited it.
I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim. Ibn Khuzaymah then recorded it through another route from Abu Mu‘awiyah, and through yet another route from al-A‘mash, as a report attributed to the Companion. Shubah likewise narrated it from Muslim as a report attributed to the Companion. Mansur also corroborated him in narrating it from Muslim as a report attributed to the Companion, with the wording: “Masruq said: Abd Allah was asked about this: ‘until terror is removed from their hearts’ ... He said”—and he then cited it as a report attributed to the Companion, with similar wording.
I say: Although the report attributed to the Companion is sounder than the report attributed to the Prophet—and for this reason al-Bukhari cited it without its complete chain in his Sahih (9/113, al-Fajalah Press)—this does not impair the report attributed to the Prophet, since this is plainly not a matter that can be based on personal opinion. This is especially so because it has a supporting narration from Abu Hurayrah, attributed to the Prophet, with similar wording. It was recorded by al-Bukhari, al-Tirmidhi (4/170, Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi), Ibn Majah (1/84), Ibn Khuzaymah (97), Abu Ja‘far Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-‘Arsh (folio 117/2), and al-Bayhaqi—some of them at length and others in abridged form. Al-Tirmidhi said: “A good, authentic hadith.”
- “When one of you performs ablution for prayer, let him not interlace his fingers.”
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Awsat (1/folios 4–5), through the route of Atiq ibn Ya‘qub al-Zuhri: Abd al-Aziz al-Darawardi narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ajlan, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said—and he then cited it. He said: “No one narrated it with this chain except al-Darawardi. The people narrated it from Ibn Ajlan, from Sa‘id al-Maqburi, from Ka‘b ibn Ujrah.”
Al-Haythami objected to this in his al-Zawa’id, saying: “The hadith of Ka‘b ibn Ujrah has different wording and a different meaning.”