“I mentioned this to her mother, who slapped her in the face and said: …” to the end of the hadith.

I say: The version in al-Sirah is the preserved one, since it accords with the hadith cited under the heading. This is one of the noteworthy points that al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar overlooked in al-Isabah, as did al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir before him in al-Sirah (3/373–374).

2794 — “Allah has prescribed five prayers for His servants”—he said this three times. The man then swore by Allah that he would neither add anything to them nor omit anything from them. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “If he is truthful, he shall surely enter Paradise.”

Al-Nasa’i transmitted it (1/228–229—al-Qalam), as did Ibn Hibban (251), whose version contains the second addition, and Ahmad (3/267), whose version contains the first addition. All of them transmitted it through Nuh ibn Qays, from Khalid ibn Qays, from Qatadah, from Anas, who said:

A man asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, “O Messenger of Allah, how many prayers has Allah, Mighty and Majestic, prescribed for His servants?” He replied with the above wording. The man then asked, “O Messenger of Allah, is there anything required before or after them?” He replied with the above wording, including the first addition; so the man swore.

I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission meeting Muslim’s conditions. The hadith also has a more complete corroborating report from Talhah ibn Ubayd Allah. It was transmitted by al-Bukhari, Muslim, and others, and is documented in Sahih Abi Dawud (414).

Note: In a version recorded by Muslim and al-Nasa’i, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “He shall prosper, by his father, if he is truthful.” It adds the words “by his father,” but this addition is anomalous, as I have established in al-Da‘ifah (4992).