“Authentic according to Muslim’s criteria.”

Al-Dhahabi concurred with him. However, this is open to question, because Muslim only transmitted from Ibn Ishaq in supporting reports; moreover, he practised tadlis and narrates it with an ambiguous “from” formulation in all of their versions. Yet al-Tabarani (379) records another route through Amr ibn Abi Salamah, from his father, from Usamah ibn Zayd, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, with similar wording—that is, in an abridged form which does not mention Zayd ibn Harithah.

The hadith also has a corroborating report from Ali, through a chain whose narrators are trustworthy; I have documented it in al-Irwa’ (2191). There is another route from him in Mushkil al-Athar, containing an unknown narrator, as I have explained there. It includes his words to Jaʿfar: “You are of my own stock, from which I too spring.” In al-Tirmidhi (2/312), Umar is reported to have said to his son Abdullah: “Zayd was dearer to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, than your father was.”

He said: “A good, singular hadith.” In sum, the hadith is authentic through these routes and corroborating reports, except for its final phrase, “and he is the dearest of the people to me,” which is good. Allah knows best. As for al-Haythami’s statement (9/275), “Ahmad transmitted it, and its chain is good,” the flaw in this is evident.

1551 — “As for the inhabitants of the Fire who are truly its people—in another narration: those whom Allah, exalted and majestic is He, does not wish to bring forth—they shall neither die therein nor live. But there are people whom the Fire afflicted because of their sins—whom Allah, exalted and majestic is He, wishes to bring forth—so He causes them to die, until, when they have become charcoal, permission is granted for intercession. They are then brought in groups and scattered upon the rivers of