I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission; its narrators are reliable men whose reports appear in the two Sahihs.

Ibn Hibban then recorded it (3983 and 3986) through two routes from Abu al-Ahwas, from Sammak, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas, who said … and then mentioned a similar report, except that he said:

“My father is an elderly man and is unable to perform Hajj. Should I perform Hajj on his behalf?” He said, “Yes; perform Hajj on his behalf.”

Its narrators are reliable, but Sammak’s reports from Ikrimah are inconsistent, so they may be used only in corroborating routes and supporting reports. He is, however, corroborated in the first route, except for the phrase, “is unable to perform Hajj.” This has come through another route: Muhammad ibn Kurayb narrated from his father, from Ibn Abbas, who said: Husayn ibn Awf told me:

I said, “O Messenger of Allah, Hajj became obligatory upon my father, but he is unable to perform it …” the hadith.

It was recorded by Ibn Majah (2908), Ibn Abi Asim in al-Ahad (4/468/2521), and al-Tabarani in al-Mujam al-Kabir (4/31/3548 and 3549).

Muhammad ibn Kurayb is weak.

Al-Tabarani also has another route from Husayn (3550), and its chain is likewise weak.

However, it has an authentic supporting report in the hadith of Abu Razin; see al-Mishkat (2528).

In place of that weak report, the hadith of Ibn Abbas concerning his brother al-Fadl—reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim—suffices. Although it states that the questioner was the Khathami woman, the matter is of little consequence, particularly since some narrations state that the questioner was a man. Al-Hafiz reconciled the two in the manner you may find in al-Fath (4/68).