This is a chain of transmission whose narrators are trustworthy and are among the narrators of the two Shaykhs, except Miqsam, who is among al-Bukhari’s narrators. However, he did not hear directly from Umm Salamah, as he himself and other leading scholars stated. Nevertheless, its purport is confirmed by a report from Aishah through another route—from Hisham ibn Urwah, from his father, from her—which is more complete than this one, though it does not contain the words, “or seven.” Muslim also narrated it in abbreviated form (2/166). See Tarawih Prayer (p. 104).

Note: The editor of al-Ihsan, al-Risalah edition (6/193), commented on the name “Sa‘id” in the chain of this hadith: “This is how it appears in the original, but I have not been able to identify him. I strongly suspect that it is a corruption of ‘Shu‘bah.’ I have not found the hadith with this chain in any source other than the author.” I say: We have indeed located it for you—and all praise is due to Allah alone—and this further supports, in my view, the correctness of the suspicion he mentioned. Allah is the Granter of success.

2962 — “He would perform Witr with one rak‘ah, and he would speak between the two rak‘ahs and the one rak‘ah.”

Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded it (2/291): Shababah ibn Sawwar narrated to us; he said: Ibn Abi Dhi’b narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Urwah, from Aishah, attributed to the Prophet. I say: This is an authentic chain, transmitted through at least two channels, meeting the criteria of the two Shaykhs. Its basis is found in Sahih Muslim (2/165) through another route from al-Zuhri, with the same wording and more fully, but without the words, “and he would speak...” Ibn Hibban (4/69/2422) and others likewise narrated it, and it has been referenced in