“Authentic according to Muslim’s criteria.” Al-Dhahabi concurred with him, and al-Mundhiri (3/290) endorsed it as well.

That is what they said! Yet Muslim cited Ibn Ishaq only in corroboration; moreover, he practised tadlis (concealing a defect in the chain), and in all of their versions he transmitted it with an ambiguous “from” formula.

However, Ibrahim ibn Tahman corroborated him. Al-ʿAla ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman transmitted it from him in his Mashyakhah (158/105); the other version and its additional wording are also his.

Ibrahim ibn Tahman was trustworthy and was among the narrators relied upon by both al-Bukhari and Muslim; through him, the hadith is authentic. Al-Dhahabi said in al-Kashif:

“Among the leading imams of Islam. He held Murji’ite views, but Ahmad and Abu Hatim deemed him trustworthy.”

Ibn Abi Hazim also corroborated him from al-ʿAla, in an abridged version.

Ibn Abi ʿAsim transmitted it in al-Sunnah (1/265/598).

This hadith has also been reported in the two Sahihs and elsewhere through other chains from Abu Hurayrah, with similar but differing wordings. I have cited some of them previously under nos. 153 and 532.

I say: This hadith follows the pattern of another sacred hadith:

“Allah says on the Day of Resurrection: ‘O son of Adam! I fell ill, yet you did not visit Me.’ He will say, ‘My Lord, how could I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds?’ He will say, ‘Did you not know that My servant So-and-so fell ill, yet you did not...’