by the critics. Al-Dhahabi mentioned him in al-Mughni and said:

“Truthful. Abu Ahmad al-Hakim said: ‘He makes mistakes in the chain of transmission and the text of the hadith.’”

It may be that the original report was attributed to Ibn Masʿud as a Companion statement, but al-Bazzar or someone else erred and attributed it to the Prophet. Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Kabir (3/17/2) through ʿIsmah ibn Sulayman al-Khazzaz al-Kufi, who said: Muhammad ibn Talhah ibn Musarrif narrated to us, from his father, from Zayd ibn Wahb, who said: ʿAbdullah ibn Masʿud said—then he cited it in similar wording.

All its narrators are known and trustworthy, apart from ʿIsmah ibn Sulayman. Ibn Abi Hatim said (3/2/21):

“My father narrated from him, and I asked him about him. He said: ‘There was nothing wrong with him. Ahmad ibn Hanbal used to be in his shop.’”

Al-Haythami said:

“Al-Tabarani narrated it, and its narrators are those of the authentic collections, apart from ʿIsmah ibn Sulayman, who is trustworthy.”

Al-Mundhiri said:

“Al-Tabarani narrated it as a report attributed to the Companion, with a sound chain of transmission.”

I say: It is as he said, were it not for a break in its chain. In al-Taqrib, he said:

“Muhammad ibn Talhah ibn Musarrif was a Kufan narrator, truthful but prone to errors; and they rejected his having heard from his father because of his young age.”

It then became more probable to me that the narrator was Shuʿbah and that the hadith was attributed to the Prophet, for I found this in some other sources.

I also found a corroborating report for al-Bazzar: al-Hakim narrated it (1/21–22) through ʿAli ibn