what I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say in this house of mine: ...” And she then mentioned it.

It was recorded by Muslim (6/7) and Abu ʿAwanah (4/412)—the wording being that of both of them; by al-Nasa’i in al-Kubra (5/275/8873), which contains the second half of it; by Ibn Hibban (1/382/554, al-Ihsan edition); by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan (9/43 and 10/136); by Ahmad (6/93, 257, and 258); by al-Tabarani in al-Muʿjam al-Awsat (10/205/9445); and by al-Baghawi in Sharh al-Sunnah (10/64–65/2471), through Muslim’s route. He then said: “This hadith is authentic.”

In one narration, Abu ʿAwanah added:

Harmalah said: “I heard ʿAyyash ibn ʿAbbas say: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said...” Then he cited it with the wording: “Whoever assumes any responsibility in the affairs of my Ummah and treats them gently, may Allah treat him gently; and whoever assumes any responsibility over them and makes things difficult for them, then may Allah’s bahlah be upon him.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what is Allah’s bahlah?” He replied, “Allah’s curse.”

I say: This is rejected. Besides having a double break in its chain—because this ʿAyyash was among the Followers’ successors—Abu ʿAwanah’s shaykh in it, ʿIsa ibn Ahmad al-ʿAsqalani, narrates from Ibn Wahb, from Harmalah. Regarding this ʿIsa, al-Hafiz said: “Trustworthy, but he narrates unusual reports.”

I say: This is one of his unusual and solitary reports, for a group narrated it from Ibn Wahb in this form, without this addition and wording. Likewise, corroborating narrators of Ibn Wahb narrated it from Harmalah in the aforementioned sources.