Furthermore, it has been narrated as a report attributed to the Prophet in the hadith of al-Tanukhi, Heraclius’s envoy to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. It includes his statement: “Glory be to Allah! Where is the night when the day comes?” Ahmad (4/441–442) and Ibn Jarir narrated it with a weak chain of transmission. Shaykh Ahmad Shakir, may Allah have mercy on him, discussed it at length—and did so excellently—in his commentary on Tafsir Ibn Jarir (7/209–210). May Allah reward him well.

One aspect of understanding the hadith is reflected in Ibn Hibban’s heading: “Mention of the report indicating that a scholar may answer a questioner with answers based on analogy and comparison, without deciding the matter in question.”

2893 — “Perform two rakʿahs (units of prayer), and do not do this again.” That is, do not delay in coming to the Friday prayer.

Ibn Hibban narrated it in his Sahih (4/92/2495), and al-Daraqutni in his Sunan (2/16/11), through Ibn Ishaq, who said: Aban ibn Salih narrated to me, from Mujahid, from Jabir ibn Abdullah, who said: Sulayk al-Ghatafani entered the mosque on Friday while the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was delivering the sermon to the people. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to him the above words. He said: So he performed the two rakʿahs and then sat down.

I say: This is a good chain of transmission, because Ibn Ishaq explicitly used a direct transmission formula, thereby safeguarding us against his concealment in transmission. All its other narrators are trustworthy. Perhaps it was for this reason that al-Hafiz indicated the hadith’s strength when he said in al-Fath (2/408), “Ibn Hibban narrated it,” and made no further comment.