I say: Al-Daraqutni’s statement contains errors that will be apparent to anyone who considers our preceding documentation of the hadith’s chains. Here is a summary of them:
First: he mentioned Ibn Lahi‘ah together with al-Mufaddal among those who said, “You have acted in accordance with the sunnah,” whereas Ibn Lahi‘ah was among those who said only, “You have done right,” as stated above.
Second: he mentioned Yahya ibn Ayyub together with ‘Amr and al-Layth, who said, “You have done right,” as Ibn Lahi‘ah did. The correct arrangement would have been to mention Yahya in place of Ibn Lahi‘ah there, and Ibn Lahi‘ah in place of Yahya here.
Third: his statement, “This is the preserved wording.” The correct position is the opposite, as established above. Perhaps this third error arose from the first two, which in turn arose from his abridging the reports of those who differed. It is noteworthy that, by placing Ibn Lahi‘ah with al-Mufaddal alone and Yahya ibn Ayyub with ‘Amr and al-Layth, he weakened the former side and strengthened the latter. Moreover, he forgot to include Haywah with al-Mufaddal, thereby making that side still weaker; and he likewise overlooked joining Musa ibn ‘Ali to them. Had he not done so, the correct position would have become clear to him, if Allah so willed.
In summary, those who said, “You have acted in accordance with the sunnah,” are four:
- Musa ibn ‘Ali ibn Rabah.
- Al-Mufaddal ibn Fadalah.
- Haywah ibn Shurayh.
- Yahya ibn Ayyub.
(All of them are trustworthy narrators relied upon by the two Shaykhs, except Musa ibn ‘Ali, who is among Muslim’s narrators alone.)
Those who said only, “You have done right,” are three:
- ‘Abd Allah ibn Lahi‘ah.
- ‘Amr ibn al-Harith.
- Al-Layth ibn Sa‘d.
(They are all among the narrators relied upon by the two Shaykhs, except Ibn Lahi‘ah, as stated above.)