The hadith also has another route from Umm Salama: Layth narrated it from Alqamah ibn Marthad, from al-Maʿrur ibn Suwayd, from Umm Salama, the Prophet’s wife, who said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him...” He then mentioned it in a similar form. Ahmad recorded it (6/304). Layth—who is Ibn Abi Sulaym—is weak, though he may be cited in corroboration. And Allah knows best.

1373 — “When you commit a bad deed, follow it with a good deed, which will erase it.”

Ahmad recorded it (5/169): Abu Muʿawiyah narrated to us; al-Aʿmash narrated to us, from Shamir ibn ʿAtiyyah, from his shaykhs, from Abu Dharr, who said: “I said: ‘Messenger of Allah, advise me.’ He said...” He then mentioned it. He added: “I said: ‘Messenger of Allah, is there among good deeds the declaration that none is worthy of worship but Allah?’ He said: ‘It is the best of good deeds.’” Ahmad also recorded it with this chain of transmission in al-Zuhd (p. 27).

I say: This is a good chain of transmission. Its narrators are trustworthy, apart from Shamir’s shaykhs, whose names are not given; yet they are a group, and their weakness is compensated for by their number, as al-Sakhawi said concerning another hadith. Abu Nuʿaym followed him, narrating from al-Aʿmash with the same report, except that he said: “from a shaykh of Taym.” Abu Nuʿaym recorded it in al-Hilyah (4/217) through two routes from him. He said: “Abu Nuʿaym narrated it from al-Aʿmash, while Yunus ibn Bukayr transmitted it soundly from him.” He then related it through the route of ʿUqbah ibn Makram: Yunus ibn Bukayr narrated to us, from al-Aʿmash, from Ibrahim al-Taymi, from his father, from Abu Dharr, in a similar form. This is a sound chain of transmission; all its narrators are trustworthy narrators of Muslim. Ibrahim’s father was named Yazid ibn Sharik al-Taymi.

The hadith also has a supporting report from the narration of Maymun ibn Abi Shabib, from Abu Dharr, attributed to the Prophet, with the wording: