I subsequently found a strong corroborating report for it—one which I ought to have noticed earlier. But such was decreed. Al-Diya’ mentioned it immediately after al-Tabarani’s narration, though in fine handwriting in the margin. He transmitted it through his chain from Abu Ya‘la al-Mawsili: Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ar‘arah narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi narrated to us through the same chain.

This Ibrahim ibn ‘Ar‘arah is trustworthy, as stated in al-Taqrib; thus, the hadith is established through this corroboration, praise be to Allah.

In al-Matalib al-‘Aliyah (4/248/4363), al-Hafiz attributed it to Abu Ya‘la; likewise did al-Busiri in Ithaf al-Sadah al-Maharah (2/99/1), yet both made no comment on it. Shaykh al-A‘zami, the annotator of al-Matalib, was content with this and likewise made no comment, following their silence. I then saw it in al-Matalib al-‘Aliyah al-Musnadah (2/86/1), where he said: Abu Ya‘la said: Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ar‘arah narrated to us ... and so forth.

(A point of benefit): Al-Hafiz mentioned in al-Tahdhib that Ibn Hibban had related in al-Thiqat, on the authority of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, that this Ja‘far ibn Abi al-Mughirah was declared trustworthy. This appears in Thiqat Ibn Hibban (6/134), but that declaration does not appear there.

Rather, it is found in al-‘Ilal wa-Ma‘rifat al-Rijal by ‘Abd Allah ibn Ahmad. He said (2/159/1057): “I heard my father say: Ja‘far ibn Abi al-Mughirah al-Qummi—who is Ja‘far al-Musawwir—is trustworthy; he is Ja‘far ibn Dinar.” This is a rare benefit absent from the major source-books. Praise be to Allah, by Whose favor righteous deeds are brought to completion.

The discussion concerning him, and concerning Ya‘qub ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Qummi, who narrated from him, has preceded under hadith (580). *