Second: His aforementioned statement does no more than describe the actual state of those chains of transmission, indicating which are stronger and which are weaker.

Third: His statement, “It is predominantly authentic,” is a random, off-the-cuff remark, unsupported by even a trace of knowledge; nor is it terminology used by the scholars.

Fourth: He did not mention Abu Hazim’s strong corroboration of Abu Umamah’s narration from Sahl ibn Sa‘d. It was on that basis that we gave preference to this narration of Abu Umamah, and through it the hadith is authentic, as we have mentioned. All of this indicates that the man speaks about what he does not know. Allah is the One whose help is sought. Imam Ahmad cited this hadith as evidence, as Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned in al-Ighathah.

2987 — “No old woman will enter Paradise.”

Al-Tirmidhi recorded it in al-Shama’il (2/39, with its commentary); from him, al-Baghawi in al-Tafsir (8/14); Abu al-Shaykh in Akhlaq al-Nabi (78/182, according to my numbering) (1); al-Bayhaqi in al-Ba‘th (2/68/1); and al-Baghawi in al-Anwar (1/258/220), through the route of Mubarak ibn Fudalah, from al-Hasan, who said:

An old woman came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, supplicate to Allah that He admit me into Paradise.”

He said, “O mother of so-and-so, no old woman will enter Paradise.”

She turned away weeping, whereupon he said: