It was also narrated by Ibn Hibban, Ibn Majah (2/356), and Ahmad (3/487), through al-Zuhri from Abu Umamah, with similar wording, except that it does not contain the statement: “The evil eye is real.” It describes how Amir washed himself, while Ahmad’s version describes how the water was poured over Sahl. It is also authentic. Ibn Hibban also related the invocation of blessing as part of the Prophet’s practice; see: “When he feared…” The final statement of the hadith was reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, and it has many corroborating reports, some of which have preceded under nos. 1248–1251. See also the following hadith (2576).

Al-Tabarani also narrated the hadith in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir (6/94–101) through several routes from Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, with this chain. He also has two further routes from Abu Umamah, one of them through Maslamah, mentioned above by Abu Ya‘la.

2573 — “Walk briskly around the House, so that the polytheists may see your strength.”

Ahmad (1/373) narrated: Ruh narrated to us; Hammad—that is, Ibn Salamah—narrated to us, from Ayyub ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas: Quraysh said, “Muhammad and his Companions have been weakened by the fever of Yathrib.” So when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, arrived in the year in which he performed the minor pilgrimage, he said to his Companions—then he mentioned it. When they walked briskly, Quraysh said, “It has not weakened them.”

This chain is authentic according to Muslim’s criteria. Al-Bukhari also cited it without a complete chain in his Sahih (5/86), from Hammad ibn Salamah, with similar wording. Hammad ibn Zayd corroborated him from Ayyub with similar wording. Its wording is: “The Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, commanded them to walk briskly for three circuits and to walk normally between the two corners, so that he might show the polytheists their vigor.” The polytheists then said, “Are these the ones of whom you claimed that the fever had weakened them? They are sturdier than such-and-such!”