ʿĀzib, Abdullah ibn Abbas, and Sahl ibn Hunayf.

1. As for the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, it has two routes. The first is through al-Ala ibn Abd al-Rahman, from his father, from him. He related it in similar wording: “Directing the one who asks, returning the greeting, lowering the gaze, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong.” Al-Bukhari narrated it in al-Adab al-Mufrad (1049). I say: Its chain of transmission is authentic according to Muslim’s criteria.

The other is through Abd al-Rahman ibn Ishaq, from Saʿid al-Maqburi, from him, with the wording: “Lowering the gaze, guiding the wayfarer, responding to one who sneezes when he praises Allah, and returning the salutation.” Al-Bukhari also narrated it (1014), as did Abu Dawud (4816) and Ibn Hibban (595). Its chain of transmission is good according to Muslim’s criteria.

2. As for the hadith of al-Bara, it is narrated by Shuʿbah and others, from Abu Ishaq, from him—though he did not hear it from him—in similar wording: “Return the greeting, aid the oppressed, and show the way.” Al-Tirmidhi narrated it (2727), as did al-Darimi (2/282), Ibn Hibban (596), al-Tahawi as well, and Ahmad (4/282, 291, 393, and 304). Al-Tirmidhi said: “A good hadith.” I say: Rather, it is authentic on account of the corroborating reports mentioned above. The phrase, “aid the oppressed,” also appears