Arqam. It was recorded by al-Nasa’i in al-Sunan (2/172), Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf (8/29–30/3569), Ahmad (4/367), ‘Abd ibn Humayd in al-Muntakhab min al-Musnad (folio 40/1–2), and also by al-Tabarani (5/202/5013 and 5016).

I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission, as al-Hafiz al-‘Iraqi stated in Takhrij al-Ihya’ (2/336), and it meets Muslim’s conditions. Its narrators are all narrators of the two Shaykhs, apart from Yazid ibn Hibban, who is among Muslim’s narrators. Abu Mu‘awiyah was Muhammad ibn Khazim al-Darir. Al-Hafiz said in al-Taqrib: “Trustworthy; the most retentive of people regarding al-A‘mash’s hadith.”

I say: This prevents us from judging its chain of transmission anomalous merely because it differs from the three aforementioned trustworthy narrators. The apparent conclusion is that al-A‘mash had two shaykhs in this report from Zayd ibn Arqam. And Allah knows best.

Moreover, all the remaining additions are from Ibn Abi Shaybah and Ahmad, except for the addition concerning the recitation of a verse, which is from ‘Abd ibn Humayd. Likewise, the addition concerning Gabriel’s descent with al-Mu‘awwidhatayn (the two refuge-seeking surahs) is from him, and its chain is also authentic.

It also has a corroborating report in the hadith of ‘Amrah, from ‘A’ishah, who said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had a Jewish boy who served him, called Labid ibn al-A‘sam, and he was pleased with his service. The Jews continued to work upon him until he cast a spell upon the Prophet ﷺ. He ﷺ would waste away, without knowing what his illness was. Then, one night, while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asleep, two angels came to him. One sat by his head and the other by his feet. The one by his head said to the one by his feet, ‘What is his illness?’ He replied, ‘He has been bewitched.’ He asked, ‘Who bewitched him?’ He replied, ‘Labid ibn al-A‘sam.’ He asked, ‘With what did he bewitch him?’ He replied, ‘With a comb, hair left in the comb, and the spathe of a male date palm, at Dhu Arwa, beneath the stone covering the well.’”