Al-Haythami also cited this hadith in al-Majmaʿ (2/234), saying:

“Ahmad and Abu Yaʿla narrated it, and the narrators in Ahmad’s chain are narrators of the Sahih collections.”

I say: There is no reason to single out Ahmad’s chain in this respect, for Abu Yaʿla’s chain likewise consists of narrators of the Sahih collections. Muhammad ibn Bashshar—Abu Bakr Bandar—was also trustworthy and among the narrators used by both al-Bukhari and Muslim, while his shaykh Muhammad was Ibn Jaʿfar, known as Ghundar.

Abu Dawud (1/611/1007), al-Hakim (1/270), al-Bayhaqi (2/190), and al-Tabarani in al-Muʿjam al-Kabir (22/284/728) also narrated it through Ashʿath ibn Shuʿbah, from al-Minhal ibn Khalifah, from al-Azraq ibn Qays, who said:

An imam known as Abu Rimthah led us in prayer and said, “I prayed this prayer—or one like it—with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).” Abu Bakr and Umar stood in the foremost row, to his right. A man who had been present for the opening takbir of the prayer was also there. The Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) then prayed and gave the salutation to his right and to his left, until we could see the whiteness of his cheek. Then he moved away, just as Abu Rimthah himself did. The man who had caught the opening takbir with him then rose to add another prayer to it, whereupon Umar sprang toward him, seized him by the shoulder, and shook him, saying, “Sit down ...” He then cited the hadith, except that he said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his eyes and said, “May Allah guide you to what is right, Ibn al-Khattab!”

Al-Hakim said:

“Authentic according to Muslim’s criteria!”

Al-Dhahabi rebutted him, saying:

“I say: Ibn Maʿin declared al-Minhal weak, Ashʿath has some weakness, and the hadith is rejected.”