1481 — “Joseph was given half of beauty.”

It was narrated by Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf (7/68/2), and by Ahmad (3/286): Affan narrated to us from Hammad ibn Salamah, from Thabit, from Anas, attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission according to Muslim’s criteria. Al-Wahidi also narrated it in his Exegesis (88/2), through Musa ibn Ismaʿil, from Hammad ibn Salamah, with the same chain. Ibn Jarir, in al-Tafsir (12/122–123), al-Hakim (2/570), Ibn ʿAdi (261/1), and Ibn ʿAsakir (19/218/1) also narrated it through other routes from Affan, adding: “and his mother.” The latter two further added: “meaning Sarah.”

Al-Hakim said: “Authentic according to Muslim’s criteria,” and al-Dhahabi concurred with him. Ibn ʿAdi said: “I know of no one who narrated it as a report attributed to the Prophet other than Affan; and Affan is too well known, too truthful, and too reliable for anything to be said of him on account of the weakness ascribed to him.”

Muslim (1/99) also narrated it through another route from Hammad ibn Salamah, in the hadith of the Night Journey, which includes: “Then there I was with Joseph (peace be upon him), who had been given half of beauty.”

As for what Ibn Jarir narrated in al-Tafsir (12/123), saying: Ibn Humayd narrated to us; Hakam narrated to us from Abu Muʿadh, from Yunus, from al-Hasan, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Joseph and his mother were given one third of the beauty of the people of this world, while the people were given two thirds”; or he said: “Joseph and his mother were given two thirds, while the people were given one third”—this wording is rejected and false, because it contradicts the authentic hadith and because its chain is extremely weak. In addition to being mursal, it contains Abu Muʿadh, whose name was Sulayman ibn Arqam and who was abandoned, while Ibn Humayd—Muhammad al-Razi—was weak.