there to a number of scholars, including the two Shaykhs. This is acceptable in the case of Muslim, because he narrated it through Ibn Abi Shaybah—as noted above—and that version contains the addition, even though he did not give its wording. Rather, he referred it back to the wording of Yunus’s earlier narration from Ibn Shihab, which does not contain the statement mentioned: “And I recited it ...”

As for al-Bukhari, he narrated it through his teacher Ali ibn al-Madini. In al-Fath (12/143), al-Hafiz stated that al-Isma‘ili recorded it—meaning, in his Mustakhraj on al-Bukhari—through Ja‘far al-Firyabi, from Ali ibn al-Madini, and it contains the statement in question. Al-Hafiz then said: “Perhaps al-Bukhari deliberately omitted it.”

He then cited in support of this the statement of al-Nasa’i following the hadith: “I do not know of anyone other than Sufyan who mentioned in this hadith, ‘The elderly man and the elderly woman ...’; and it appears that he erred in doing so.” Al-Hafiz said: “The leading hadith scholars have recorded this hadith through the narrations of Malik, Yunus, Ma‘mar, Salih ibn Kaysan, Uqayl, and other reliable preservers of hadith, from al-Zuhri, yet they did not mention it. This addition has, however, occurred in this hadith through the narration of al-Muwatta’, from Yahya ibn Sa‘id, from Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib, who said: When Umar returned from the pilgrimage and arrived in Madinah, he addressed the people, saying: ...” He then mentioned the sermon, which includes the addition. It is found in the chapter on legal punishments in al-Muwatta’ (3/42–43).

Ibn Sa‘d also recorded it in al-Tabaqat (3/334) through Yazid ibn Harun: Yahya ibn Sa‘id informed us of it. Through this same chain of transmission, Ahmad narrated part of it (1/43). He also narrated it (1/36) through another route from Yahya.