“Al-Shafi‘i said, in Harmalah’s narration: ‘We adopted the stipulated time limit on the basis of al-Muhajir’s hadith, whose chain of transmission was authentic; and the hadith of Safwan ibn Assal further reinforces the ruling concerning a traveller’s wiping.’”

Al-Hafiz said in al-Talkhis (1/157):

“Al-Khattabi likewise declared it authentic.”

It is further strengthened by the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, attributed to the Prophet, with the wording:

“If any of you puts his feet into his leather socks while they are in a state of purity, let him wipe over them ...” The rest of the hadith is similar.

Ibn Abi Shaybah transmitted it from him with an authentic chain of transmission. It is cited in al-Sahihah (1201), beneath which I mentioned another route for Safwan’s hadith with an authentic chain of transmission from him.

On this occasion, I say:

As for what Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated (1/186) through Isma‘il ibn Sumayyi, who said: Abu Razin narrated to me that Abu Hurayrah said:

“It makes no difference to me whether I wipe over the upper side of my leather sock or over the back of a donkey!”

—it is very rejected, even though the narrators in its chain are trustworthy and are among Muslim’s narrators. For Ibn Sumayyi’s report from Abu Razin—“He said: Abu Hurayrah said”—has the appearance of a suspended report, so there is reason to fear that it is a mursal report with a break in its chain.

Ibn Sumayyi was criticized on account of his doctrine, for he belonged to the Sufri sect of the Khawarij. Al-‘Uqayli related (1/79), through a sound chain, from Abu Nu‘aym al-Fadl ibn Dukayn that he had lived next to the mosque for forty years, yet was never seen at a Friday prayer or a congregational prayer.