which he explicitly stated in the introduction to his al-Ḍuʿafāʾ (Weak Narrators) (p. 81): “Among them is the innovator who calls others to his innovation.”

This is an issue over which the scholars have long differed, as is set out in the science of hadith terminology. The conclusion I have reached—and found the foremost scholars to uphold—is that if an innovator’s uprightness, precision, and reliability are established, his hadith is accepted, so long as his innovation does not amount to disbelief and the hadith does not reinforce his innovation. This was also the view favoured by al-Ḥāfiẓ in Sharḥ al-Nukhbah, following the distinguished critical scholar Ibn Daqīq al-ʿĪd. He cited his words in the introduction to al-Fatḥ (p. 385); they are excellent and very important, so consult them.

Once this is understood, the hadith of ʿUqbah contains nothing that supports the innovation, nor does our hadith. It concerns the Prophet’s supplication for Muʿāwiyah—may Allah be pleased with him. This would apply even if Ḥarīz had been its sole narrator; so how much more so when he was corroborated by a number of others, as mentioned above?

It is therefore no surprise that the hadith masters previously mentioned regarded it as strengthened. We may add al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn ʿAsākir to them, for after presenting the preceding hadiths, along with others that cannot possibly be strengthened, and narrating through his authentic chain from Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh that he said, “Nothing concerning the virtue of Muʿāwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān is authentically reported from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,” he commented:

“The most authentic report concerning the virtue of Muʿāwiyah is the hadith of Abū Ḥamzah from Ibn ʿAbbās, that he was the Prophet’s scribe; Muslim transmitted it in his Ṣaḥīḥ. Next is the hadith of al-ʿIrbāḍ: ‘O Allah, teach him the Book …’; and then the hadith of Ibn Abī ʿUmayrah: ‘O Allah, make him a guide, rightly guided …’.” *