Al-Darimi recorded it (2/447): Abu Nuʿaym narrated to us; Shuʿbah narrated to us, from Salamah. Al-Hakim also recorded it through this route (2/260) and said: “Its chain of transmission is authentic!” At the first location, he said: “Authentic according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim.” Al-Dhahabi concurred with him.

I say: It is as they said. It is more sound than the version attributed to the Prophet, yet it carries the ruling of a report attributed to the Prophet, since such a statement cannot be made on the basis of personal opinion. And Allah knows best. Then I found the hadith in al-Tabarani’s al-Muʿjam al-Kabir (8642–8645), through several routes, including two routes from Shuʿbah and ʿAsim, from Abu al-Ahwas, attributing it to the Companion. This indicates that whoever attributed it to the Prophet through ʿAsim was mistaken. In any case, however, it carries the ruling of a report attributed to the Prophet, as stated above. And Allah knows best.

1522 — “This Quran was revealed in seven modes; whichever of them you recite, you have done well”—and in another narration: “you have been correct”—“but do not dispute concerning it, for disputing concerning it is disbelief.”

Ahmad recorded it (4/204–205) through the route of ʿAbd Allah ibn Jaʿfar ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn al-Miswar ibn Makhramah, who said: Yazid ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Usamah ibn al-Had informed me, from Busr ibn Saʿid, from Abu Qays, the freedman of ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAs, who said: “ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAs heard a man reciting a verse from the Quran and asked him, ‘Who taught it to you?’ He replied, ‘The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.’ He said, ‘Yet the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, taught it to me differently from this!’ So the two went to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. One of them said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, such-and-such a verse,’ and then recited it. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘Thus it was revealed.’ The other said, ‘O Messenger of Allah,’ and recited it to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. He said, ‘Is it not thus, O Messenger of Allah?’ He replied, ‘Thus it was revealed.’ Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, cited it.”

I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission; its narrators are trustworthy and meet Muslim’s criteria.