2015 — “Gabriel said to me: ‘Had you seen me taking mud from the sea and cramming it into Pharaoh’s mouth, for fear that mercy might reach him.’”

Al-Tayalisi recorded it in his Musnad (2618): Shuʿbah narrated to us, from ʿAdi ibn Thabit and ʿAtaʾ ibn al-Saʾib, from Saʿid ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ʿAbbas, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said it. It was also recorded by al-Tirmidhi (3107), al-Hakim (2/340, 4/249), Ahmad (1/240, 340), and Ibn Jarir (17859), through other routes from Shuʿbah, with similar wording. Al-Tirmidhi said: “A good, singular, authentic hadith.” Al-Hakim said: “It is authentic according to the criteria of the two Shaykhs, except that most of Shuʿbah’s students related it as attributed to Ibn ʿAbbas.” Al-Dhahabi agreed with him.

I say: This does not impair it, for a number of trustworthy narrators attributed it to the Prophet on his authority, including al-Tayalisi, as you have seen; Khalid ibn al-Harith, in al-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim; al-Nadr ibn Shumayl, also in al-Hakim; and Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar—Ghundar—in Ahmad. It is well known that an addition from a trustworthy narrator is accepted. This is especially so since I have found another chain for it, as well as a supporting report. As for the chain, Hammad ibn Salamah narrates it from ʿAli ibn Zayd, from Yusuf ibn Mihran, from Ibn ʿAbbas, that the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said: “When Allah drowned Pharaoh, he said: ‘I believe that there is no deity except the One in whom the Children of Israel believe.’” (1)