I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission, despite the well-known disagreement over whether Sa'id heard directly from Umar. It is therefore a strong corroborating report for the addition uniquely transmitted by Ibn Uyaynah. Al-Hafiz then cited other corroborating reports for it, whose source documentation will be given shortly, if Allah wills.
- As for the hadith of Zayd ibn Thabit, it is narrated by Shu'bah, from Qatadah, from Yunus ibn Jubayr, from Kathir ibn al-Salt, who said: Ibn al-As and Zayd ibn Thabit were writing Qur'anic codices when they came across this verse. Zayd said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah say: ‘The elderly man and the elderly woman ...’” — the hadith. Umar then said, “When this was revealed, I came to the Messenger of Allah and said, ‘Write it down for me.’” Shu'bah said: It was as though he disliked that. Umar said, “Do you not see that if an elderly man has not been previously married, he is flogged, whereas if a young man commits unlawful intercourse after having been married, he is stoned?”
Ahmad recorded it (5/183), as did al-Nasa'i in al-Sunan al-Kubra (4/270/7145) and al-Darimi (2/179), as regards the portion attributed to the Prophet; al-Hakim (4/360) and al-Bayhaqi (8/211) also recorded it. Al-Hakim said, “Its chain of transmission is authentic.” Al-Dhahabi agreed with him, and it is as they said.
In another version recorded by al-Nasa'i, no. (7148), through a different route from Ibn Awn, from Muhammad—that is, Ibn Sirin—who said: “I was informed by the nephew of Kathir ibn al-Salt that we were with Marwan, and Zayd ibn Thabit was among us. Zayd said, ‘We used to recite: “The elderly man and the elderly woman ...”’ Marwan said, ‘Why do we not include it in the Qur'anic codex?’ He replied, ‘No. Do you not see that two young people who have previously been married are stoned?’” He further said: