any narration from him. Perhaps because of the difficulty I have mentioned, Shaykh al-Jilani, in his commentary on al-Adab, concluded that the correct name of the author’s shaykh is “Ibn Numayr.” He then said (2/89): “Perhaps the chain has been reversed. The correct reading is: Abu al-Yaman narrated to us; Ibn Numayr narrated to us—that is, Abdullah ibn Numayr. The printed edition reads: Abu Numayr narrated to us.”

I say: This is a strong possibility, for they mention that Ibn Numayr narrated from Isma'il ibn Abi Khalid. I also found Isma'il’s explicit statement that he narrated to him in Sunan Ibn Majah (no. 817), in the hadith concerning recitation in the Fajr prayer. However, he inserted between Isma'il and Amr ibn Hurayth Asbagh, the freedman of Amr ibn Hurayth. If this possibility is correct, then the chain is authentic, because Isma'il explicitly stated in it that he heard it from Amr ibn Hurayth.

What further confirms this is that I found Isma'il’s explicit statement of hearing in this very hadith through another route from him. Abu Ya'la said in his Musnad (3/41/1456): “Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Numayr narrated to us: Yahya ibn al-Yaman narrated to us; Isma'il narrated to us, saying: I heard Amr ibn Hurayth relate it.” I say: This chain is acceptable for corroborative reports and supporting evidence. Its narrators are trustworthy and are narrators of the two Sahihs, apart from this Yahya, who was truthful but made many errors and suffered deterioration, as stated in al-Taqrib.

As for the commentator on Musnad Abu Ya'la stating, “Muslim authenticated his hadith in al-Zuhd, no. 2972,” this is a misleading presentation, perhaps unintended. Muslim did not rely upon him as proof; rather, he cited him alongside Abdah ibn Sulayman al-Kilabi, who was trustworthy and firm. Thus, Muslim’s authentication applies to his hadith, not to Yahya’s hadith.