Further confirmation of Ibn Hazm’s error in this understanding is the previously cited authentic report from Ibn Umar: when he prayed by himself in Mecca and Mina, he shortened the prayer; but when he prayed behind an imam, he prayed four rak'ahs. Had Dawud’s question concerned the prayer of a traveller behind a resident imam, Ibn Umar would have given him the ruling of completing the prayer in that circumstance—the practice he had adopted for himself—for it is inconceivable that his legal ruling should contradict his practice.

This is further supported by the authentic report that he gave this ruling to others. Abd al-Razzaq narrated (2/542/4381), with an authentic chain, from Abu Mijlaz, who said: “I said to Ibn Umar, ‘If I catch one rak'ah of the residents’ prayer while I am travelling?’ He replied, ‘Pray their prayer.’” He cited it under the chapter, “The Traveller Who Joins the Prayer of Residents.” He also mentioned other reports from some of the Successors conveying the same meaning, although some of them made a distinction. One of them said concerning a traveller who catches one rak'ah of the residents’ Zuhr prayer: “He adds three more to it; but if he finds them seated, he prays two rak'ahs.” Yet he did not report from any of them that one should restrict oneself to two rak'ahs in all circumstances, as Ibn Hazm maintains.

As for what he cited through the route of Shu'bah, from al-Mughirah ibn Miqsam, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Tamim ibn Hudhalam, who said: “When my father, while travelling, caught one rak'ah of a resident’s prayer, he prayed one more along with it; and when he caught two rak'ahs, he deemed them sufficient,” Ibn Hazm said: “Tamim ibn Hudhalam was among the senior companions of Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him.”

I say: Yes, but apart from its anomalous divergence from all the reports to which I have referred in this chapter—some of which we have cited—his son Abd al-Rahman is not well known as a transmitter. Al-Bukhari mentioned him in al-Tarikh (3/1/265), as did Ibn Abi Hatim (2/2/218), without either of them offering any narrator criticism or accreditation concerning him. Ibn Abi Hatim also mentioned that Abu Ishaq al-Hamdani narrated from him, and Ibn Hibban included him in al-Thiqat (7/68), on the basis of al-Mughirah’s narration. Concerning him, al-Hafiz stated in al-Taqrib: