Yusuf and Qabisah narrated to us: Sufyan narrated it to us with this chain, except that he attributed it to the Companion. I then found a strong corroborating report for the hadith. Al-Bukhari said in Al-Adab al-Mufrad (185): Muhammad ibn Bilal narrated to us; ʿImran narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Zurarah ibn Awfa, from Abu Hurayrah, tracing it back to the Prophet, with the wording: “Whoever strikes a blow, retaliation will be exacted from him on the Day of Resurrection.”
Al-Tabarani also transmitted it in Al-Awsat (no. 1445—my photographic copy thereof; and Majmaʿ al-Bahrayn, 366—Haram) through this route, with the wording: “Whoever unjustly strikes with a whip, retaliation will be exacted …” He said: “No one narrated it from Qatadah except ʿImran, and Muhammad ibn Bilal was alone in narrating it. ʿAbd Allah ibn Rajaʾ narrated it from ʿImran, from Qatadah, from ʿAbd Allah ibn Shaqiq al-ʿUqayli, from Abu Hurayrah.”
I say: This is a good chain of transmission, and its narrators are trustworthy. Although there is some critical discussion concerning ʿImran—namely Ibn Dawar al-Qattan—and Muhammad ibn Bilal—namely Abu ʿAbd Allah al-Basri—their hadiths do not fall below the rank of good. The former is truthful but makes mistakes, while the latter is truthful but narrates odd reports, as al-Hafiz said. Ibn Rajaʾ differed from him in its chain of transmission, as al-Tabarani cited it without a complete chain, substituting ʿAbd Allah ibn Shaqiq for Zurarah. Ibn ʿAdi gave its complete chain in Al-Kamil (folio 214/1).
- “Whoever washes a deceased person and conceals him, Allah will shield him from sins; and whoever shrouds a Muslim, Allah will clothe him in fine silk.”
Ibn Bishran narrated it in Al-Amali al-Fawaʾid (2/137/1): Abu al-Husayn ʿAbd al-Baqi ibn Qaniʿ informed us; Ahmad ibn Shihab ibn Ayyub al-Ahwazi narrated to us; ʿAbd al-Malik ibn