Al-Walīd differed from them, saying: Muʿāwiyah ibn Salām informed us from Abū Salām al-Aswad—then cited the same report. He did not mention Zayd ibn Salām between them. Ibn ʿAsākir also recorded it. There is no harm in this discrepancy, for al-Walīd—namely, Ibn Muslim—was known for concealment in transmission by leveling the chain; thus, it is possible that his omission of him from between the two was due to this concealment. It is also possible that he did not retain it, and one who has retained something is authoritative over one who has not, especially since those who differ from him are three trustworthy narrators.

Muʿāwiyah ibn Salām was also corroborated. Al-Ṭayālisī said in his Musnad (263/1952 and 357/2735): Hishām narrated to us from Yaḥyā ibn Abī Kathīr, that Abū Salām related that al-Ḥakam ibn Mīnāʾ related that ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar and ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās related that they heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say while upon the steps of his pulpit—then he cited it.

Through this route, it was recorded by Ibn Abī Shaybah in al-Muṣannaf (2/154), Aḥmad (1/239 and 335; 2/84), Ibn ʿAsākir (5/230), and likewise Abū Yaʿlā (10/110–111), from whom Ibn Ḥibbān recorded it (4/197–198). The narrators of this chain are trustworthy and are narrators of Muslim; however, its apparent form indicates a break between Yaḥyā ibn Abī Kathīr and Abū Salām, whose name was Mamtūr.

Some inserted Zayd ibn Salām between them. Thus, Aḥmad (1/254) said: ʿAffān narrated to us; Abān al-ʿAṭṭār narrated to us; Yaḥyā ibn Abī Kathīr narrated to us from Zayd, from Abū Salām, from al-Ḥakam ibn Mīnāʾ—then cited the same report. This chain apparently is continuous. However, Ibn ʿAsākir recorded it through Aḥmad with the aforementioned chain, but he said: “...from Zayd ibn Salām, from al-Ḥakam...” Thus, the chain is broken between Zayd and al-Ḥakam!