“It was narrated by Sufyan al-Thawri, Zuhayr, and Isra’il from Abu Ishaq in similar wording.”

I say: Al-Bukhari transmitted it from them, and from Shu‘bah as well (240, 520, 2934, 3185, 3854, and 2960), in similar wording, both at length and in abridged form. Muslim likewise transmitted it from them, except Isra’il. Al-Nasa’i also transmitted it (1/58) in al-Sunan al-Kubra (8668 and 8669), as did Ibn Hibban (6536), Ahmad (1/393 and 417), al-Bazzar (2398 and 2399), al-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat (762—Dar al-Haramayn), and al-Bayhaqi likewise in al-Sunan al-Kubra (9/7–8). Some of them narrated it through the aforementioned routes, while others narrated it through other routes.

In Sufyan’s version, recorded by Muslim and others, it states:

He would repeat it three times, saying: “O Allah, deal with Quraysh! O Allah ...” *

3473 — (Whenever he spoke a word, he repeated it three times so that it would be understood from him; and whenever he came to a people and greeted them, he greeted them three times.)

Al-Bukhari transmitted it (94, 95, and 6244), as did al-Tirmidhi (2723 and 3640), al-Shama’il (120/192—Mukhtasar al-Shama’il), Abu al-Shaykh in Akhlaq al-Nabi (The Prophet’s Character) (83), and Ahmad (3/213 and 221), through the route of Abdullah ibn al-Muthanna, who said: Thumamah ibn Abdullah narrated to us, from Anas, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he would ...

The wording is al-Bukhari’s, and al-Baghawi narrated it from him in Sharh al-Sunnah (1/304/141), saying:

“This is an authentic hadith. Greeting three times applies when seeking permission to enter: if permission is not granted after one or two times, he gives the greeting three times and then leaves, as stated in the hadith: ‘Permission to enter is sought three times.’”

I say: This was reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim, as will follow immediately after it. Al-Tirmidhi said regarding the hadith under discussion: