Al-Hafiz said in al-Taqrib: “Truthful, though prone to error.” This is closer to the sum of the earlier scholars’ assessments of him; thus, his hadith is good, Allah willing. Ibn Abi Hatim mentioned it in al-Ilal (2/124) through his route, and reported from his father: “This is a mistake. Rather, it is Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir [reporting] that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him...” That is, it is mursal. He did not explain the reason; but even if this is accepted, it remains a good supporting narration, whether transmitted with a continuous chain or as a mursal report.

There is another supporting narration, related by Muhammad ibn Waddah: Abd al-Malik ibn Habib al-Misisi informed us; Ibn al-Mubarak informed us from Thawr ibn Yazid, from Khalid ibn Madan, from Abu Said al-Khudri, attributed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, with the wording: “...except what it contains of the remembrance of Allah, or what is devoted to the remembrance of Allah. The scholar and the learner share in the reward, while all other people are worthless rabble, devoid of good.” Ibn Abd al-Barr recorded it in Jami Bayan al-Ilm wa-Fadlihi (1/27) and found fault with it on the grounds that it is attributed only to a Companion. He said: “This is how Abd al-Malik ibn Habib al-Misisi narrated it from Ibn al-Mubarak, with a continuous chain to the Prophet; whereas Abdullah ibn Uthman narrated it from Ibn al-Mubarak, from Thawr, from Khalid ibn Madan, as a statement of Abu al-Darda.” He then cited it through his chain to Abdullah ibn Uthman in that form, attributed to a Companion.

Abd al-Razzaq corroborated him in al-Bayhaqi’s al-Shuab (7/342). I say: Abdullah ibn Uthman is the trustworthy hadith master known as Abdan, and al-Husayn al-Marwazi also corroborated him, narrating it in al-Zuhd (191/543): “Ibn al-Mubarak informed us of it.” This is sounder than the preceding version, for al-Misisi, besides contradicting Abdan and al-Husayn al-Marwazi, was