“Wakīʿ’s hearing from al-Masʿūdī in Kūfah was early, as was that of Abū Nuʿaym. Al-Masʿūdī only became confused in Baghdad; thus, the hearing of those who heard from him in Basra and Kūfah is sound.”

He mentioned something similar elsewhere (2/130–131), adding:

“As for Yazīd ibn Hārūn, Ḥajjāj, and those who heard from him in Baghdad, their hearing was after his memory had become impaired.”

Accordingly, the chain of transmission is sound, since al-Ṭayālisī was from Basra, as mentioned above.

This is the first point.

The other point is that Ibn Maʿīn authenticated al-Masʿūdī’s hadiths narrated from al-Qāsim and from ʿAwn, as stated in al-Tahdhīb. This hadith is among his narrations from ʿAwn, as you can see; thus the hadith is authentic, praise be to Allah.

In the hadith of Asad al-Sunnah, it reads:

“A black slave-girl who did not speak clearly.”

In the hadith of al-Ṭayālisī, it reads:

“A non-Arabic-speaking slave-girl who did not speak clearly.”

Both of them have: “Who is your Lord?”

However, ʿAwn was contradicted in the chain of transmission of the hadith by al-Zuhrī, who narrated from ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUtbah, from a man among the Anṣār, that he came with a black slave-girl and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I am required to emancipate a believing slave. If you consider this one a believer, should I set her free?” He asked:

“Do you testify that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah?”

She said, “Yes.” He said,