on the Musnad (6/274) that its chain of transmission is authentic. This is an instance of his leniency, which I have pointed out repeatedly! The report is authentic only by virtue of the preceding route. Al-Hafiz passed over it without comment in al-Fath (10/84).

Moreover, the matter is not as Abu Hatim—may Allah have mercy on him—stated, for Mishma‘al ibn Iyas also narrated from Yazid, as mentioned in his biographical notice in the two Tahdhib works. Thus, he is unknown in status, not unknown in identity.

The hadith also has a corroborating report attributed to a Companion, narrated by al-Hasan ibn al-Hakam from al-Hurr ibn al-Sayyah, who said:

A man asked Ibn ‘Umar, “What is your view of drinking while standing?” Ibn ‘Umar replied, “I drink while standing, and I eat while walking.”

Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded it (4167).

I say: Its chain of transmission is good.

Among the injustices of the man called Hassan ‘Abd al-Mannan, and his bias against the Sunnah, is his categorical assertion that Hafs ibn Ghiyath erred in the chain of transmission of this hadith. In his Da‘ifah (Collection of Weak Hadiths), which he appended to the end of his edition of al-Nawawi’s Riyad al-Salihin (524/41), he said:

“As Ibn Ma‘in, Ibn al-Madini, Ahmad, and others stated, it is in fact the hadith of Abu al-Bazri (!) as found in the Musnad of Ahmad (2/12) and elsewhere, and he is unknown.”

I say: His attribution of the categorical assertion of error to the three imams is one of his many misrepresentations. Only Ibn al-Madini stated it categorically. Ibn Ma‘in said:

“He alone narrated it, and I think that he erred in it.”

Ahmad said:

“I do not know what that is!”—as though rejecting it.