Al-Harith ibn Suwayd came and accepted Islam with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Then al-Harith disbelieved and returned to his people, so Allah revealed in the Quran concerning him: “How shall Allah guide a people who disbelieved after having believed ...” up to, “Except for those who repent ...”—the verse. He said: A man from his people carried it to him and read it to him. Al-Harith said:

“By Allah, as far as I have known, you are truthful; the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, is more truthful than you; and Allah is the most truthful of the three.”

He said: Al-Harith then returned, accepted Islam, and his Islam was sound.

I say: The narrators in its chain of transmission are reliable, so it is an authentic mursal report. Thus, it is a strong corroborating report for the hadith of Ali ibn Asim.

Ibn Jarir also transmitted another corroborating report for it, through his chain from al-Suddi, as a brief mursal report.

Furthermore, al-Hakim ibn Jami, mentioned above, was included by al-Bukhari and Ibn Abi Hatim in their respective books, through the narration of Abu Kurayb from him, but neither mentioned any narrator criticism or accreditation concerning him. Ibn Hibban likewise mentioned him in al-Thiqat (8/212) and said:

“He narrates reports with interrupted chains.”

I say: It appears, then, that he had not come across this connected-chain narration of his. For completeness, the four verses must be cited in full. They are in Al Imran (86–89):

“How shall Allah guide a people who disbelieved after having believed, and testified that the Messenger is true, after clear proofs had come to them? And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people. Those—their recompense is that upon them rests the curse of Allah, the angels, and all people, abiding therein forever. The punishment will not be lightened for them, nor will they be granted respite—except for those who repent thereafter and reform themselves. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”