The second is that it has been narrated as attributed to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in several separate hadiths, which constitute strong supporting evidence for it. Indeed, it has been narrated in its entirety as attributed to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Ibn Abi Hatim said in Hidden Defects (1/36–37):
“I asked my father about a hadith narrated by Ahmad ibn Thabit (Furakhwayh), from ‘Abd al-Razzaq, from Ma‘mar, from Simak ibn al-Fadl, from Abu Rushdayn al-Jundi, from Suraqah ibn Malik, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: ‘When one of you goes to relieve himself, let him not face the qiblah. Avoid places that bring people’s curses: shade, water, and the middle of the road. Position yourselves with regard to the wind, steady yourselves on your legs, and have arrows ready.’ My father said: ‘What they narrate is attributed to the Companion; ‘Abd al-Razzaq traced it back to the Prophet only later on.’”
I say: He seems to be referring to the hadith under discussion, and you have already learned that it has the status of a report attributed to the Prophet. He then found fault with it on account of ‘Abd al-Razzaq, who attributed it to the Prophet late in his life—that is, after his memory had deteriorated. Moreover, the narrator from him, Furakhwayh, is accused [of dishonesty]. Ibn Abi Hatim said (1/1/44): “I heard Abu al-‘Abbas ibn Abi ‘Abdullah al-Tahirani say: ‘They had no doubt that Furakhwayh was a liar.’”
I say: Perhaps Abu Hatim did not find fault with it on his account because another narrator corroborated him, narrating it from ‘Abd al-Razzaq as attributed to the Prophet just as Furakhwayh did. That is why he attached the defect to ‘Abd al-Razzaq. Accordingly, this is a strong corroboration from ‘Abd al-Razzaq for the trustworthy Ribah ibn Zayd. And Allah knows best.
Here are some of the supporting reports mentioned above:
- Salman said: “The polytheists said to us, ‘I see that your companion even teaches you how to defecate!’ He replied, ‘Indeed. He forbade any of us to cleanse himself with his right hand or to face the qiblah …’”
Muslim and Abu ‘Awanah narrated it in their respective Sahih collections. Its documentation appears in al-Irwa’ (1/81–82) and Sahih Abu Dawud (5). It is strong supporting evidence for the reason Suraqah narrated the hadith under discussion.