the slight criticism. If that was so, there would be no justification for it, as noted above, since it does not lower him beneath the level at which his reports may be cited as evidence, even if only to the rank of good, as al-Ḥāfiẓ stated above—especially since the hadith has corroborating reports from Abu Hurayrah, Tamīm al-Dārī, and others. These have been cited in Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd (810–812).

Then something occurred to me concerning the aforementioned rejection: Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr cited the hadith with the wording:

“Whoever performs a prayer in which he does not complete its bowing, prostration, and reverent humility, it will be supplemented from his voluntary prayers until it is complete.”

The addition of bowing, prostration, and reverent humility does not occur in the corroborating reports mentioned above. Perhaps this was why he rejected it. And Allah knows best.

Yet, after the aforementioned rejection, he said:

“Even if it is authentic, its meaning is that he finished his prayer—considering it complete himself, although it is not complete in legal judgment. And Allah knows best. Moreover, he was required to learn; if he is punished, he will be punished for failing to learn; and if he is pardoned, then Allah is worthy of pardon and worthy of forgiveness.”

Before this, Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr had mentioned a valuable juridical observation which I considered too beneficial not to convey to the readers in full. He said, may Allah have mercy on him:

“As for completing an obligatory prayer through voluntary prayers, this applies—Allah knows best—to one who overlooked an obligatory prayer and did not perform it, or who did not perform its bowing properly and was unaware of the extent of his shortcoming. But whoever deliberately abandons it, or forgets it and then remembers it, yet deliberately does not perform it and occupies himself with voluntary prayer rather than fulfilling his obligation while remembering it—then that obligatory prayer will not be completed from his voluntary prayers. And Allah knows best.” *

3187—(“I was reproached tonight concerning horses.”)

Malik recorded it in al-Muwaṭṭaʾ (2/23), from Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd: that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him—