“I saw Abu Rafi‘, the freedman of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, see al-Hasan praying with his hair tied up. He loosened it—or forbade him from doing so—and said: ...” He then cited it. I say: Its narrators are trustworthy and are narrators of the two Sahih collections, apart from Abu Sa‘d al-Madani. Al-Hafiz said: “It has been said that he was Sharahbil ibn Sa‘d.” I say: This is not far-fetched, for he narrated from Abu Rafi‘, while Makhul ibn Rashid narrated from him; he was known by the kunyah Abu Sa‘d. He was truthful, though he became confused in his later years.

The hadith has another chain, narrated by ‘Imran ibn Musa from Sa‘id ibn Abi Sa‘id al-Maqburi, from his father, who saw Abu Rafi‘ ... The hadith is similar, and states that he heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: “That is the Devil’s seat—that is, the place where he inserts his braid.” It is recorded in Sahih Abi Dawud (653).

The hadith is also supported by the hadith of Umm Salamah: “The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade a man to pray with his hair tied up.” Al-Haythami (2/86) said: “Al-Tabarani narrated it in al-Kabir, and its narrators are those of the Sahih.” I say: It is as he said, except for al-Tabarani’s shaykh (23/252), ‘Ali ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, who was a trustworthy memorizer; thus, the chain is authentic.

Ahmad (1/146) also narrated, through Abu Ishaq, from al-Harith, from ‘Ali, in a hadith attributed to the Prophet: “Do not pray while your hair is tied up, for it is the Devil’s seat.” Al-Harith is weak, but what has preceded is sufficient. His statement, “with the hair tied up,” means that some of it is gathered together, as when it is braided; and this