record any declaration of reliability for the latter, unlike Ibn Hibban, who mentioned only the former in his al-Thiqat (4/291). Both of them were narrated from by Abu Ishaq al-Sabi‘i. And Allah knows best. Moreover, al-Sabi‘i practised tadlīs and narrated it here using an ambiguous “from” formula. Sufyan is al-Thawri, but Shu‘bah differed from him in its chain of transmission, saying: from Abu Ishaq, from Zayd ibn Wahb, from ‘Abd Allah, who said: “It is sufficient sin for a man that, when he is told, ‘Fear Allah,’ he becomes angry!” Al-Tabarani recorded it (8588). Al-Haythami said of each of the two narrations (7/271): “Its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.”

Thus, as you see, Shu‘bah said “Zayd ibn Wahb” in place of “Sa‘id ibn Wahb,” and I do not know which of the two is more sound.

Note: This hadith has preceded under no. 2598, through the narration of Ibn Mandah and al-Asbahani in al-Targhib. It appears here with a substantial addition in its source-documentation and critical verification, so I have retained it. And Allah is the Granter of success.

2940 — “There is no harm in that”—that is, wiping over leather socks.

Ibn Hibban recorded it in his Sahih (172—Mawarid) through Fudayl ibn Sulayman: Musa ibn ‘Uqbah narrated to us, from Abu Hazim, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was asked. It was said: “O Messenger of Allah, what do you say about a man who incurs ritual impurity, performs ablution, and wipes over his leather socks? May he pray?” He replied with the above words.