I say: This is a good chain of transmission. Sinan is Ibn Rabiʿah al-Bahili, concerning whom there is some disagreement; nevertheless, his hadith does not fall below the rank of good. Al-Dhahabi said in al-Kashif:

“He was truthful. Ibn Maʿin said: ‘He was not strong,’ and al-Bukhari cited him alongside another narrator.”

Al-Hafiz said in al-Taqrib:

“Truthful, though somewhat weak; al-Bukhari narrated from him in conjunction with another narrator.”

The hadith has another route, narrated by al-Fadl ibn Musa, from al-Aʿmash, from Anas, with the same meaning. It was recorded by al-Tirmidhi (3527), Abu Nuʿaym in al-Hilyah (5/55), and Abu al-Qasim al-Isfahani in al-Targhib (1/317/721). Al-Tirmidhi said:

“A singular hadith. We know of no hearing by al-Aʿmash from Anas, although he did see him.”

I say: Al-Aʿmash practised tadlis, so we do not know from whom he received it. Yet this does not weaken Sinan’s narration, if it does not strengthen it.

Note: The wording, “it shed its leaves,” appears thus, verbatim, in all the aforementioned sources of the first narration, and in meaning in the other; this is what the comparison mentioned at the end of the hadith evidently requires. The sole exception is the version in al-Adab, where it appears as, “it did not shed its leaves,” as in the first and second instances. It is plainly a copyist’s error. It is therefore strange that this escaped its commentator, al-Jilani, who did not draw attention to it in his commentary! *

3169—“I saw my Lord in the most beautiful form, and He said: ‘What are the Highest Assembly disputing about?’ I said: ‘I do not know.’ So He placed His hand between my shoulders until I felt the coolness of His fingertips. Then He said: ‘What are the Highest Assembly disputing about?’ I said: ‘About expiations and degrees.’ He said: ‘And what are the expiations?’ I said: ‘Performing minor ablution thoroughly in severe cold,’