I then found another route of transmission for the hadith under discussion, from Abdullah ibn Amr, reported by Ibn Abd al-Barr in al-Isti'ab through his authentic chain: Abd al-Wahid ibn Ziyad narrated to us; Uthman ibn Hakim narrated to us; Shu'ayb ibn Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As narrated to us, from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said ... and he mentioned it.

I say: This too is an authentic chain of transmission, for all its narrators are trustworthy. Abd al-Wahid ibn Ziyad is trustworthy and relied upon in both Sahihs. They criticized him only in his narrations from al-A'mash specifically, and this is not one of them, as you can see. Thus, Uthman ibn Hakim has two authentic chains for this hadith, which further strengthens it. Allah knows best.

This route is like the first: al-Dhahabi made no comment on it in al-Tarikh!

Furthermore, I am exceedingly astonished at the concurrence of certain hadith masters who wrote al-Hakam's biography in failing to cite some of these hadiths and establish their authenticity in his entry. Was it reverence for his status as a Companion, and for his being the uncle of Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him—even though they are known not to fear the reproach of any reproacher in Allah's cause? Or were there governmental or popular circumstances that prevented them from openly declaring the truth they wished to state? For instance, Ibn al-Athir says in Usd al-Ghabah:

“Many hadiths have been narrated concerning his cursing and banishment, and there is no need to mention them. Yet what is certain is that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him—despite his forbearance and his overlooking what displeased him—would not have done that to him except for a grave matter.”

Even more astonishing is what al-Hafiz did in al-Isabah. Despite the length at which he discussed his biography, he introduced it by saying:

“Ibn al-Sakan said: It is said that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, invoked against him, but this has not been established.”