The hadith has also been transmitted through other routes, some of which were authenticated by al-Bukhari and al-Tirmidhi, and they state that this was a dream vision. This further confirms the anomalous nature of that addition, so take note. See some of these routes in Zilal al-Jannah, 3881 and 465–471.

Ibn al-Jawzi made an astonishing confusion between these authentic hadiths concerning the dispute of the Exalted Assembly—some of which, as you have seen, state that it was a dream vision—and certain fabricated hadiths claiming that he saw his Lord on the ground at Mina, upon a grey camel, and similar fabrications. I have traced some of them in al-Daʿifah (6330). In this, he was followed by the hardened, obstinate adherent of Jahmism named Hasan al-Saqqaf, in his annotations to Dafʿ Shubah al-Tashbih, a work which al-Dhahabi refuted and concerning whose author he wished that he had never composed it, because of the interpretations it contains that negate the divine attributes. It even states that Allah is neither within the world nor outside it. Exalted is Allah, who rose over the Throne in a manner befitting His majesty and greatness.

I then found that al-Tabarani recorded the hadith in abridged form in al-Muʿjam al-Kabir (8/386/8207) and al-Awsat (2/36/1/5626): Muhammad ibn ʿUthman ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Farwah ibn Abi al-Mughra narrated to us: al-Qasim ibn Malik narrated to us from Saʿid ibn al-Marzuban, Abu Saʿd, from Qays ibn Muslim, from Tariq ibn Shihab, who said:

“The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was asked: ‘Concerning what does the Exalted Assembly dispute?’ …” The hadith continues until the words: “prayer after prayer.”

Al-Haythami identified a defect in it, saying (1/238):

“It contains Abu Saʿd al-Baqqal, who practised tadlis, though Wakiʿ deemed him trustworthy.”

I say: This Ibn Abi Shaybah is weak, so I fear that he did not accurately retain its chain of transmission. And Allah knows best.