who said: Al-Layth narrated to us from Jaʿfar ibn Rabīʿah, from al-Aʿraj, from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: … and then cited it. Al-Tirmidhi said:

“The hadith is good and authentic.”

I say: Saʿid ibn Abi Maryam also corroborated Qutaybah, as recorded by al-Baghawi in Sharh al-Sunnah (5/126/1334), where he said:

“A hadith whose authenticity is agreed upon; both of them transmitted it through Qutaybah, from al-Layth.”

Other trustworthy narrators also corroborated him, adding those important points which you see in brackets. Here are the details:

First: Shuʿayb ibn Harb al-Madaʾini, who was trustworthy and accepted as an authority by al-Bukhari. Ahmad said (2/364): “Shuʿayb ibn Harb Abu Salih narrated to us in Mecca. He said: Al-Layth ibn Saʿd narrated to us through that chain,” adding the first and third additions.

Second: Hashim ibn al-Qasim Abu al-Nadr al-Baghdadi, who was trustworthy and highly reliable, and was accepted as an authority by both al-Bukhari and Muslim. Ahmad also said (2/306): “Hashim narrated to us: Al-Layth narrated to us through that chain,” and he included the first addition.

Third: Abdullah ibn Salih Abu Salih, al-Layth’s scribe. His hadith is sound in the reports transmitted from him by al-Bukhari and comparable leading hadith masters, and al-Bukhari narrated from him in the Sahih. He said in al-Adab al-Mufrad (no. 1236): “Abdullah ibn Salih narrated to us: Al-Layth narrated to me through that chain,” adding the first addition.

I say: The agreement of these three trustworthy narrators upon the first addition gives one confidence in its authenticity, even if it were assumed that Hashim alone had transmitted it, for he is trustworthy and highly reliable, as stated above,