“Trustworthy” is, in my view, not quite appropriate; likewise, al-Hafiz’s description, “acceptable.” Rather, they should have said, “truthful,” as they did of narrators less well known than he and with fewer narrations.

Some weak narrators differed from him in the text. Musa ibn Ubaydah said: “Yusuf ibn Tahman informed me, from Abu Umamah ibn Sahl, from his father, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

‘Whoever performs minor ablution and performs it well, then enters the Mosque of Quba and prays four rakʿahs therein, that will be equivalent to freeing a slave.’”

Al-Tabarani recorded it (5560), as did al-Uqayli (4/450), in abridged form, with the wording:

“Whoever performs minor ablution in his home, then comes to the Mosque of Quba and prays four rakʿahs therein, that will be equivalent to an umrah.”

He cited it in the biographical entry for Yusuf ibn Tahman through al-Bukhari’s route and said: “No one corroborates him in it.”

He then cited it through al-Bukhari’s route. Al-Dhahabi said in his biographical entry in al-Mizan and al-Mughni: “Very weak.” Al-Mundhiri had preceded him in this judgment, as will follow.

Al-Uqayli then said: “It has also been narrated by another route, with a chain of transmission sounder than this one, but with wording contrary to this.”

I say: He is referring to the hadith cited in the chapter heading. And Allah knows best.

Musa ibn Ubaydah is al-Rabadhi; he is weak.