1599 — “A man may have a rank with Allah which he does not attain through any deed; so Allah continues to test him with what he dislikes until He brings him to it.”

It was narrated by Abu Yaʿla in his Musnad (4/1447), and from him by Ibn Hibban (693) and al-Hakim (1/344), through Yunus ibn Bukayr: Yahya ibn Ayyub—namely, al-Bajali—narrated to us from Abu Zurʿah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said it.

I say: This is a good chain of transmission. All its narrators are trustworthy and are narrators used by Muslim, apart from this al-Bajali; and he is as al-Hafiz said: “There is nothing objectionable about him.”

1600 — “Never did I enter a morning without seeking Allah’s forgiveness one hundred times in it.”

It was narrated by al-ʿUqayli in al-Duʿafaʾ (p. 411), and Abu Nuʿaym in Akhbar Asbahan (1/60), through al-Tabarani, with an authentic chain of transmission, from al-Mughirah ibn Abi al-Hurr al-Kindi, from Saʿid ibn Abi Burdah, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to us while we were sitting and said it.

Al-ʿUqayli said: “Thabit and ʿAmr ibn Murrah narrated it from Abu Burdah, from al-Agharr al-Muzani, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with similar wording; and this is preferable.” He then related from al-Bukhari that he said concerning this al-Mughirah: “A Kufan who differs from the Kufans in his hadith.” Al-ʿUqayli said: “This hadith was narrated to us...” Then he cited this chain.

I say: In my view, deeming the hadith defective on account of the discrepancy mentioned is open to question on several grounds:

First: This al-Mughirah is trustworthy. No one other than al-Bukhari declared him weak. Ibn Maʿin declared him trustworthy, Abu Hatim said, “There is nothing objectionable about him,” and Ibn Hibban listed him in al-Thiqat.