it is reported there as attributed to him—that is, to the Companion—rather than attributed to the Prophet. It nevertheless carries the ruling of a report attributed to the Prophet, since such a matter cannot be stated on the basis of mere opinion, though it remains possible that it derives from the Israelite traditions. I say: Its chain of transmission is authentic according to Muslim’s criteria. Al-Suyuti also cited it in al-Durr al-Manthur (6/245) as attributed to the Companion, saying: “Abu Ya‘la and al-Bayhaqi transmitted it from Abu Hurayrah through an authentic chain.” He then attributed to ‘Abd ibn Humayd, from Abu Hurayrah, a similar report likewise attributed to the Companion.

Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in al-Matalib al-‘Aliyah (3/390): “Authentic as a report attributed to the Companion.” Al-Haythami said (9/218): “Its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.”

It has a supporting report from the hadith of Salman, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: Pharaoh’s wife was tortured beneath the sun; whenever they left her, the angels shaded her with their wings, and she could see her house in Paradise. Al-Tabari transmitted it in his Tafsir (28/110), as did al-Hakim (2/496), who said: “Authentic according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim.” Al-Dhahabi agreed with him, and it is as they said. Al-Suyuti also attributed it to Ibn Abi Shaybah, ‘Abd ibn Humayd, Ibn al-Mundhir, and al-Bayhaqi in Shu‘ab al-Iman (Branches of Faith). I say: This work, Shu‘ab al-Iman, was subsequently published, and I found that he had transmitted it (2/244/1637) through two routes from Yazid ibn Harun: Sulayman al-Taymi informed us, from Abu ‘Uthman, from Salman, with the same wording, likewise as a report attributed to the Companion.