That is exactly what he said! He then traced some of the routes mentioned above, while concealing the statements of the imams who strengthened the hadith and used it as evidence. Indeed, he gave readers the impression that al-Bukhari had declared it weak by citing it without a chain, and concealed from them that al-Bukhari had definitively attributed it to the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him. So, dear readers, what is the judgment upon one who does this?!

2916 — “For me to sit with people remembering Allah from the dawn prayer until the sun rises is dearer to me than freeing four descendants of Ishmael. And for me to sit with people remembering Allah from the afternoon prayer until the sun sets is dearer to me than freeing four.”

It was reported by Abu Dawud (3667), al-Tabarani in al-Du'a (3/1638/1878), and al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman (1/409/561 and 562), through Musa ibn Khalaf, from Qatadah, from Anas, who said: The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said this. I say:

This is a good chain of transmission, as al-Hafiz al-Iraqi stated in Takhrij al-Ihya' (1/32), and its narrators are trustworthy. There is some criticism concerning Musa ibn Khalaf; al-Hafiz said in al-Taqrib: “Truthful and devout, but prone to errors.” It is corroborated by the hadith of Ali ibn Zayd, from Abu Talib al-Dabi, from Abu Umamah, attributed to the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—to the same effect. It was reported by Ahmad (5/254), al-Tabarani in al-Du'a (1882) and al-Mu'jam al-Kabir (8/317/8028), and Abu Nu'aym in al-Hilyah (2/284). After citing Ahmad and al-Mu'jam as its sources, al-Haythami said (10/104): “Its chains are good!”