And I heard him recite in Surah Bara’ah: “They have taken their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah.” [So I said, “But we do not worship them!”] He said: ... and mentioned it.

The two additions are from al-Bukhari and others, while the wording is al-Tirmidhi’s. He said:

“This is a good, singular hadith. We know it only through the narration of ‘Abd al-Salam ibn Harb, and Ghutayf ibn A‘yan is not known as a hadith transmitter.”

I say: This is the hadith’s hidden defect—namely, Ghutayf ibn A‘yan’s unknown status. Ibn Hibban mentioned him in al-Thiqat (7/311), citing only this narration of ‘Abd al-Salam from him. Al-Bukhari and Ibn Abi Hatim likewise mentioned him, and al-Tahdhib records another transmitter from him, namely Ishaq ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Farwah; but he is abandoned.

As for al-Hafiz’s statement concerning him:

“I say: Al-Daraqutni declared him weak,”

I say: Al-Daraqutni assumed that he was Ruh ibn Ghutayf. Al-Dhahabi clarified this in al-Mizan, saying:

“Al-Daraqutni declared him weak and said: Al-Qasim ibn Malik al-Muzani narrated from him, calling him Ruh ibn Ghutayf.”

Al-Dhahabi then commented:

“I think this is someone else.”

I say: Al-Bukhari, Ibn Abi Hatim, and those who came after them followed this distinction. They gave the first man, Ghutayf ibn A‘yan, an entry based on ‘Abd al-Salam’s narration from him, as mentioned above; then they gave Ruh a separate entry. Al-Bukhari (2/1/308/1047) said: