I say: This chain of transmission appears to be authentic, for all its narrators are trustworthy narrators of the two Shaykhs. It has been recorded that al-Hasan ibn Muhammad—son of ʿAli ibn Abi Talib—narrated from a number of the Companions, including Aishah. Yet it appears that there is an intermediary between them. Al-Hakim recorded it (4/523) through ʿAbd Allah: “Sufyan informed us, from Jamiʿ ibn Abi Rashid, from Abu Yaʿla al-Mundhir al-Thawri, from al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn ʿAli, from a female client of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, entered upon Aishah—or upon one of the wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him—while I was with him, and he said ...’” He then mentioned it.

Sufyan here is Ibn ʿUyaynah. Ahmad also narrated it from him (6/41), but it appears there as: “from Hasan ibn Muhammad, from his wife.” Perhaps this is a textual corruption of “from a woman.” Al-Hakim and al-Dhahabi made no comment on it, which is not satisfactory; for although the female client is unnamed, she was a female Companion and a client of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and all the Companions are upright. Thus, the chain is authentic, whether she narrated it directly from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, or from Aishah or someone else, as will be related from him, peace and blessings be upon him.

It has also come through another route in which the female client is named. Abu Nuʿaym recorded it in al-Hilyah (10/218), through al-Tabarani: Ahmad ibn Zuhayr ibn Mansur al-Tusi narrated to us; Hashim ibn al-Qasim narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Talhah narrated to us, from Zubayd, who said: Jamiʿ ibn Abi Rashid told me—his tears streaming down—“from Umm Bishr, from Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that she heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say ...” He then mentioned it.

I say: If Ahmad ibn Zuhayr is al-Nasa’i, the hadith master, then he is trustworthy; but if he is someone else—as seems apparent—then I do not know him. All those above him are trustworthy, but I do not know whether the narration is actually as stated, or whether two narrators have been omitted between Jamiʿ and Umm Bishr, as al-Hakim’s version indicates. And Allah knows best.

Ahmad also recorded it (6/294) through Sharik ibn ʿAbd Allah, from Jamiʿ, with the aforementioned chain from al-Hasan ibn Muhammad, who said: “A woman from among the Ansar told me—she is alive today; if you wish, I can take you in to see her. I said, ‘No.’ She told me: ‘I entered upon Umm Salama, and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, entered upon her ...’” The hadith follows. Sharik had poor retention; thus, only those of his reports that agree with the trustworthy narrators are accepted.