“Thus this legal cause ceased, while brisk walking remained obligatory upon the Ummah of the Chosen One, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, until the Day of Resurrection.”

2574 — “Seek help through walking briskly, for it shortens the distance for you and makes you feel lighter.”

Ibn Khuzaymah narrated it in his Sahih (1/255/1): Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us; Abd al-Wahhab ibn Abd al-Majid narrated to us; Ja‘far ibn Muhammad narrated to us, from his father, from Jabir: “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, set out in the year of the Conquest. Then those of his Companions who were travelling on foot gathered before him and stood in rows, seeking the supplications of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. They said, ‘The journey has become arduous for us, and the distance has grown long.’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said to them the words quoted above. So we did that, felt lighter because of it, and what we had been suffering went away.”

I say: This is an authentic chain according to Muslim’s criteria. Abu Ya‘la also narrated it in his Musnad (3/400/1880) through another route from Abd al-Wahhab, with the same chain.

He then narrated it through Ibn Jurayj: Ja‘far ibn Muhammad informed me of something similar, its wording being: “You should walk briskly.” He said: “So we walked briskly and found it easier for us.”

It too is authentic, and it has previously been cited through another route (465).

I have also found a supporting narration from Abd Allah ibn Amr, with a chain acceptable for corroborative purposes, in abbreviated form: “Press on vigorously.”