Abu Usamah Hammad ibn Usamah also corroborated ‘Abd al-Hamid in al-Nasa’i’s ‘Amal al-Yawm wa’l-Laylah (305/388). Ibn Lahi‘ah likewise corroborated him in al-Nasa’i, Ahmad, and al-Tabarani.

I say: These corroborating reports from ‘Abd al-Hamid confirm the anomalous nature of Ibn Ishaq’s attribution of the hadith to Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Juhani, particularly since Ibn Ishaq himself agreed with them in al-Bukhari’s narration and in those mentioned before it. They likewise confirm that the mention of “Christians” in this hadith is anomalous. Although this wording also occurs in Ibn ‘Umar’s hadith in al-Nasa’i (379), it too is anomalous, since it contradicts the other narration recorded by him (380), which is also found, without this addition, in the two Sahihs and in Ibn Hibban (502—al-Ihsan).

Regarding this hadith, al-Haythami said (8/41): “Ahmad and al-Tabarani narrated it in al-Kabir, adding: ‘When we came to them, they greeted us, and we said: “And upon you.”’ One of Ahmad’s two chains, as well as al-Tabarani’s, consists of narrators of the Sahih collections.”

I have two observations concerning this:

First: al-Tabarani’s addition is also found in Ahmad.

Second: He ought to have included Ibn Ishaq’s narration from Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Juhani, for it meets his own criterion, since Ahmad narrated it, as stated above, as did al-Tabarani (22/390/743). He should also have explained its anomalous nature and that it is not strengthened by the corroborating narration of Ishaq ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Farwah, also reported by al-Tabarani (744), because Ishaq, that is, was abandoned, as al-Hafiz stated in al-Taqrib.

I had previously documented the hadith in Irwa al-Ghalil (5/112–113), more briefly but along the same lines as here. It contains benefits not mentioned here; whoever seeks them should refer to it. Know that the lack of authentication for the wording “Christians” does not mean that it is permissible to initiate greetings to them, for the prohibition of this has been authentically established in more than one authentic hadith, some of which contain the wording mentioned above, as has also been authentically established from him