That is what he said, but it is open to question, since Ahmad and others narrated it through another route, as will follow.

Amr ibn Thabit was Ibn Hurmuz al-Kufi; Thabit was known by the kunyah Abu al-Miqdam.

Amr is weak, while his father, Thabit ibn Hurmuz, was truthful but prone to error. Abu Fakhitah was named Sa'id ibn Alaqah, and he was trustworthy.

I say: He was corroborated by Abd al-Rahman al-Azraq—namely, Ibn Bishr ibn Mas'ud al-Ansari, Abu Bishr al-Madani, a trustworthy narrator whose reports were included by Muslim. Qays ibn al-Rabi' narrated it from Abu al-Miqdam, from him, from Ali, who said: … and he mentioned a similar report. It includes that he milked a ewe, and its milk flowed freely.

Ahmad transmitted it in al-Musnad (1/101) and al-Fada'il (2/692/1183), as did Ibn Abi Asim in al-Sunnah (2/598/1322), and Ibn Asakir as well.

I say: Qays ibn al-Rabi' was truthful but of poor memory. Abu al-Miqdam was Thabit ibn Hurmuz, who was truthful but prone to error, as mentioned above; thus, the chain may be used as corroboration.

Regarding the hadith, al-Haythami said in al-Majma' (9/170):

“Ahmad, al-Bazzar, and al-Tabarani narrated it, while Abu Ya'la narrated it in abridged form. Ahmad’s chain contains Qays ibn al-Rabi', concerning whom there is disagreement; the rest of Ahmad’s narrators are trustworthy.”

I say: Some differed concerning its chain of transmission. Thus, al-Tabarani said in his al-Mu'jam (22/405/1016): Muhammad ibn Hubban al-Mazini narrated to us: Kathir ibn Yahya narrated to us: Sa'id ibn Abd al-Karim ibn Sulayt and Abu Awanah narrated to us from Dawud ibn Abi Awf, Abu al-Jahhaf, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Ziyad, who heard Abd Allah ibn al-Harith ibn Nawfal say: Abu Sa'id al-Khudri narrated to us: