Ma‘dan, from Sulaym ibn ‘Amir, from Abu Umamah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said—and he then cited it. The wording is al-Hakim’s, and he said, “Its chain of transmission is authentic!” Al-Dhahabi rebutted him, saying, “I say: ‘Ufair is very weak.”

I say: He is as al-Dhahabi said, may Allah have mercy on him. Al-Hafiz likewise said, “He is weak,” and al-Haythami said the same in al-Majma‘ (2/291).

I say: However, it has a corroborating report narrated by Isma‘il ibn ‘Ayyash, from Rashid ibn Dawud al-San‘ani, from Abu al-Ash‘ath al-San‘ani, who set out early for the Mosque of Damascus and encountered Shaddad ibn Aws, with al-Sunabuhi accompanying him. I said, “Where are you two headed, may Allah have mercy on you?” They replied, “We are going here to visit an ill brother of ours.” So I went with them until they entered upon that man and asked him, “How are you this morning?” He replied, “I am in a state of blessing.” Shaddad then said to him, “Receive glad tidings of the expiation of evil deeds and the erasure of sins. For I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: ‘Allah, Most High, says: If I afflict a believing servant of Mine and he praises Me for the affliction with which I have tested him, he will rise from that bed of his as free of sins as on the day his mother gave birth to him. And the Lord, Most High, says: I have confined My servant and afflicted him, so record for him what you used to record for him while he was healthy.’” It was recorded by Ahmad (4/123) and al-Tabarani in al-Kabir (7136).

I say: This is a good chain of transmission. Its narrators are trustworthy, and there is only slight criticism concerning Rashid ibn Dawud al-San‘ani, which does not lower his hadith beneath the rank of good. Al-Hafiz indicated this when he said of him: “Truthful, though prone to errors.”