Musʿab is a weak hadith narrator, as stated in al-Taqrib, which says: “He belongs to the fifth tier.” As for his father, Shaybah, he was Shaybah ibn Jubayr ibn Shaybah ibn ʿUthman al-Hajabi. No biographical notice has been given for him; rather, they gave one for his more remote grandfather, Shaybah ibn ʿUthman. Nevertheless, al-Hafiz stated in al-Isabah that this Musʿab narrated from him. This should be investigated. Perhaps the wording “from his father” is not preserved; this is why al-Bukhari, as will follow, did not mention him as his father. And Allah knows best. (See the addendum, no. 313/8.)

Al-Suyuti attributed the hadith to al-Baghawi, al-Tabarani, and al-Bayhaqi in al-Shuʿab. Al-Manawi quoted al-Haythami as saying: “Its chain of transmission is good.” If he meant this route, then it is not good—and this is most probably what he meant. Al-Bukhari recorded it in al-Tarikh (4/1/352), through ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿUmayr, from Ibn Shaybah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, with the wording:

“When one of you arrives and his brother makes room for him, let him sit, for this is an honour with which Allah has honoured him.”

He mentioned it in the biography of this Musʿab ibn Shaybah. Thus, there is another hidden defect in the hadith: namely, it is mursal. This defect escaped al-Manawi, following al-Suyuti, for he attributed this wording to al-Bukhari in al-Tarikh and al-Bayhaqi in al-Shuʿab, from Musʿab ibn Shaybah. As was his custom in comparable cases, he did not state that it was mursal, lest it give the impression that Musʿab was a Companion. Yet here he either erred or forgot. Al-Manawi then said: “He marked it as good, although its chain includes ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿUmayr, whom al-Dhahabi listed among the weak narrators and concerning whom he said: Ahmad said, ‘His hadith is unstable,’ and Ibn Maʿin said, ‘He became confused.’ However, it is supported by corroborating evidence; thus, he meant that it is good due to external corroboration.”

I say: I found a corroborating report from Ibn ʿUmar, attributed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, with the wording: “When one of you comes to a gathering and room is made for him, let him sit, for it is an honour from Allah with which his Muslim brother has honoured him. But if no room is made for him, let him look for the most spacious place and sit there.” It was narrated by Abu Bakr al-Shirazi in Seven Sessions from the Dictations (7/2), through al-Hakim Abu ʿAbd Allah Muhammad ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Hafiz, and by al-Khatib in al-Tarikh