Ibn Abi Shaybah transmitted it (1/186): “Yahya ibn Abi Bukayr narrated to us: Shu'bah narrated to us, from Abu Bakr ibn Hafs, who said: I heard Urwah ibn al-Zubayr narrate from Aishah, who said …” and then cited it.

This is an authentic chain of transmission; all its narrators are reliable and meet the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Immediately before it, he also transmitted: “Ibn Idris narrated to us, from Fitr, who said: I said to Ata, ‘Ikrimah says that Ibn Abbas said: “Has the Book superseded the ruling on leather socks?”’ Ata replied, ‘Ikrimah is mistaken! I myself saw Ibn Abbas wipe over them.’”

Al-Bayhaqi also transmitted it (1/273) through another route from Fitr ibn Khalifah, with the same report, except that he said: “Ikrimah is mistaken! Ibn Abbas used to say: ‘Wipe over the leather socks, even if you have just come out of the privy.’” Al-Bayhaqi said:

“It is possible that Ibn Abbas said what Ikrimah narrated from him, but then, when the established report reached him from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he had wiped over them after the revelation of Surat al-Ma'idah, he said what Ata reported.”

I say: This indicates that he regarded what Ikrimah narrated from Ibn Abbas as established; otherwise, he would not have interpreted it in this way. This is, in my view, correct, for Ibn Abi Shaybah’s chain of transmission to Ata and Ikrimah is sound according to al-Bukhari’s criteria. Ata’s statement, “Ikrimah is mistaken,” means that he erred, analogous to the Prophet’s statement, peace and blessings be upon him: “Abu al-Sanabil was mistaken.”

This is further corroborated by what Ibn Abi Shaybah also transmitted through Said ibn Jubayr, who said that Ibn Abbas said:

“I do not care whether I wipe over leather socks or wipe over this Bactrian camel of mine.”