I say: Perhaps the original read bi-ʿasāʾ, but the copyist did not read it correctly; then the annotator corrected it on the basis of some hadith sources. For Ahmad narrated the hadith (2/242) through al-Humaydi’s chain, saying: “Sufyan narrated to us, with his chain of transmission,” but with the wording: “Except for a man who lends his she-camel to a household: it goes out in the morning with an ʿass and returns in the evening with an ʿass. Indeed, its reward is immense.”

Muslim also recorded it (3/88) through Zuhayr ibn Harb: “Sufyan ibn ʿUyaynah narrated to us,” with the same wording. Al-Bukhari recorded it (2629 and 5608), through al-Aʿraj from Abu Hurayrah, with the wording: “What an excellent charity is a choice milch-camel lent out, or a choice sheep lent out: it goes out in the morning with one vessel and returns in the evening with another.” Ahmad also narrated something similar (2/358 and 483) through another route, adding: “Lending out a she-camel is like freeing a red slave, and lending out a sheep is like freeing a black slave.” This is a rejected addition, containing a narrator whose status is unknown. See the biography of Abdullah ibn Subayh in Taysir Intifaʿ al-Khillan (“Facilitating the Benefit of Friends”); may Allah make it easy for me to complete it.

A laqūḥ is a milk-bearing she-camel that has recently given birth. A ṣafiyy is one that is prized and abundant in milk.

2588 — “Two prayers together?!” He said this to a man who was praying while the muezzin was making the iqamah.

Abu Yaʿla recorded it in his Musnad (283/1), through Muhammad ibn ʿAmr, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: