“acceptable.” This is unacceptable. The correct assessment of narrators like him is that given by al-Dhahabi: “truthful.” I often find al-Hafiz in agreement with him. Allah is the Guide.

As for al-Mas‘udi, although he became confused in his later years, his hadith are sound when he narrated before that confusion. The way to determine this is to examine those who narrated from him: if the narrator was from Basra or Kufa, his narration is sound, for they narrated from him before his confusion. Among them was Khalid ibn al-Harith, as recorded in Ibn al-Kayyal’s book. Moreover, this Khalid was trustworthy and precise, and he was a Basran.

This hadith has many corroborating reports. The closest to it is the hadith of Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he would supplicate with this invocation: “O Allah, forgive me my sin and my ignorance…” The hadith continues at length and includes this wording; at its end, it adds: “And You are capable of all things.” It was recorded by al-Bukhari (6398 and 6399), Muslim (8/81), and also by al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad (177/688). The addition appears in al-Mustadrak (1/511), through another chain from him, with similar wording. Al-Hakim declared it authentic according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim, and al-Dhahabi concurred.

Another corroborating report is the lengthy hadith of Ali concerning the opening supplication, at the end of which it states: “Then the last thing he would say between the tashahhud and the taslim would be…” He then mentioned it in full. It is cited in Sahih Abi Dawud (738), in Muslim’s version and others.