However, concerning this Abd al-Mu’min, al-‘Uqayli said (3/93): “No one corroborates his hadith.” Yet it has a supporting report, narrated by Shu‘bah from Abd al-Malik ibn Maysarah, who said:

“I heard Kardus say: ‘I heard a man among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), one of the people of Badr, say that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: “That I should sit in this gathering is dearer to me than freeing four slaves.”’” He said: “I asked, ‘Which gathering do you mean?’ He replied, ‘A gathering of remembrance.’”

It was reported by al-Darimi (2/319) and al-Bayhaqi in al-Shu‘ab (564)—whose wording is cited here—as well as in al-Sunan (10/88–89), and by Ahmad (3/474). In Hashim’s narration from Shu‘bah, it reads: “Shu‘bah said: ‘I asked, “Which gathering do you mean?” He replied, “He was a public preacher.”’” In the chain of transmission, it states: “I heard Kardus ibn Qays, who was the public preacher in Kufah.”

Through this route, it is also found in al-Sunan, but in its two instances it appears as: “the public judge” and “he was a judge.” It was even included in Kitab Adab al-Qadi, the Book of Judicial Conduct! I consider this to be a textual corruption, as shown by the explicit wording of his report that he meant “a gathering of remembrance”; Ahmad’s narration is similar.

Likewise, it appears in al-Bukhari’s Tarikh (4/1/243): Ibn ‘Awn said: “I saw Kardus al-Taghlibi, and he was the preacher of the congregation.” And Abu Wa’il narrated concerning “Kardus ibn ‘Amr, who used to read from the scriptures.” The same occurs in Ibn Hibban’s al-Thiqat (5/342), where he added: