; Sufyan related to us from Humayd, from Anas, with the same wording. Al-Diyaʾ said: “Ibn Abi Hatim mentioned al-Fadl, but did not record any criticism of him.”

I say: Ibn Abi Hatim included his biography, reporting from a number of trustworthy narrators who narrated from him, and said (3/2/65): “I asked my father about him, and he said: ‘He is a shaykh, and his hadith may be recorded.’” Ibn Hibban mentioned him in al-Thiqat (7/318 and 9/5). I say: The rest of the narrators in the chain are trustworthy and are among those narrated from by al-Bukhari and Muslim, apart from Bishr ibn Musa—namely, Bishr ibn Salih, Abu ʿAli al-Asadi—who was trustworthy, reliable, intelligent, and dignified, as al-Khatib said in his biography (7/86). Al-Khatib likewise included a biography of Abu ʿAli Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Sawwaf (1/289), and related from Muhammad ibn Abi al-Fawaris that he said: “He was trustworthy and reliable, among those marked by scrupulous caution. I never saw anyone like him in such caution.”

I say: Thus, in my view, the chain is good, especially when combined with the first route. And Allah knows best. It has a third route, but one that gives no cause for satisfaction. Ibn Bishran also transmitted it (139/2) through Bishr ibn al-Husayn, who said: Al-Zubayr ibn ʿAdi related to us from Anas, with the same wording. I say: This Bishr is abandoned. It also has a supporting report from Umar ibn al-Khattab. Al-Dinawari transmitted it in al-Muntaqa min al-Mujalasah (296/2), through al-Mughirah ibn Muslim, from Hisham, from Abdullah, from him. Abu Jaʿfar said: “I do not know who this Hisham is.”