and the first contains Saʿid ibn Ziyad, who is unknown.

Saʿid ibn Abi Hilal was trustworthy, but became confused in his later years.

The second is a mursal report from ʿUmar ibn ʿAli ibn Husayn, according to al-Bukhari’s narration; he was truthful and virtuous. Or it is a mursal report from ʿAli ibn ʿUmar ibn Husayn, according to Abu Dawud’s narration; he is obscure, as stated in al-Taqrib. The former is perhaps more correct, since Ahmad recorded it (3/355) in the same manner as al-Bukhari’s narration.

The third contains Shurahbil—namely, Shurahbil ibn Saʿd al-Madani, a client of the Ansar. Al-Hafiz said: “Truthful, but became confused in his later years.” Ahmad also recorded it through this route (3/355).

It has a fourth route, narrated by Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, from ʿAtaʾ ibn Yasar, from Jabir ibn ʿAbdullah, attributed to the Prophet, with similar wording. Ahmad recorded it (3/306), as did al-Bukhari in al-Adab (1234), Ibn Khuzaymah in his Sahih (1/256/2), Ibn Hibban (1996), and al-Hakim (1/445 and 4/283–284), who said: “Authentic according to Muslim’s criterion.” Al-Dhahabi concurred with him.

I say: Muslim only cited Ibn Ishaq as a corroborating narrator; moreover, he practised tadlis and narrated it using an ambiguous “from” formula.

In sum, all four routes of the hadith contain defects. Yet, taken together, the hadith is strong and rises to the rank of authentic. And Allah knows best.

1519 — “O Abu Fatimah, prostrate often, for no Muslim prostrates once to Allah, Most High, except that Allah thereby raises him one rank—in Paradise—and thereby removes a sin from him.”

Ahmad (3/428) and Ibn Saʿd (7/508) recorded it through Ibn Lahiʿah, who narrated to us