was keen to perform the prayers at each of their five appointed times, and in the mosques with the congregation. Allah, Most High, knows best.

2838 — “You have done right and done well. O Allah, grant him success.” He said this to Abdullah ibn al-Arqam.

Al-Hakim recorded it in al-Mustadrak (3/335), saying: Muhammad ibn Salih ibn Haniʾ narrated to us; al-Fadl ibn Muhammad al-Bayhaqi narrated to us; Abdullah ibn Salih narrated to us; Abd al-Aziz ibn Abi Salamah al-Majishun narrated to us, from Abd al-Wahid ibn Abi Awn, from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad, from Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said: A letter from a man was brought to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and he said to Abdullah ibn al-Arqam, “Reply on my behalf.” So he wrote the reply, then read it to him, and he said: (then he mentioned the hadith). When Umar assumed office, he would consult him.

Al-Hakim said, “Its chain of transmission is authentic,” and al-Dhahabi agreed with him. I say: This requires examination, for al-Fadl ibn Muhammad al-Bayhaqi—who was known as al-Shiʿrani—was included by al-Dhahabi in al-Mughni, where he said: “[Ibn] (1) Abi Hatim said: ‘They criticized him.’” Al-Dhahabi also gave him a substantial biographical notice in his Siyar (13/317–319), in which he cited the aforementioned statement of Ibn Abi Hatim, then followed it with Ibn al-Akhram’s assessment of him: “Truthful, but excessive in his Shiʿi leanings.” He also cited al-Hakim’s statement: “I have not seen any disagreement among the leading scholars who heard from him regarding his trustworthiness and truthfulness—may Allah be pleased with him. He was a man of letters, a jurist, a scholar, and a devoted worshipper...”