visit him? Did you not know that, had you visited him, you would have found Me with him?’” ... The hadith in its entirety.

Muslim transmitted it (8/13), as did al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad (no. 517), and others, all on the authority of Abu Hurayrah as well.

I then found that al-Hakim transmitted the hadith through the first chain elsewhere (2/491), with the addition:

Abu Hurayrah then recited the words of Allah, Exalted is He: “If you lend Allah a goodly loan, He will multiply it for you.”

Al-Hakim and al-Dhahabi both declared it authentic, as mentioned above.*

3478—(“There are three whom Allah, Exalted is He, loves, laughs at, and delights in: one whose troop is routed, yet who fights behind them, risking his life for Allah’s sake. He is either killed, or Allah grants him victory and protects him. Allah says: ‘Look at My servant, and how he has steadfastly offered himself for My sake!’

“And one who has a beautiful wife and a soft, fine bed, yet rises at night. He says: ‘He abandons his desire, remembers Me, and converses privately with Me; had he wished, he could have slept!’

“And one who is travelling with a caravan: they stay awake and become weary, then sleep; yet he rises at dawn, whether in ease or hardship.”)

Al-Hakim transmitted it (1/25), as did al-Bayhaqi in al-Asma wa al-Sifat (pp. 471–472)—whose wording is cited here—through Fudayl ibn Sulayman, who said: Musa ibn Uqbah told us: Ubayd Allah ibn Salman told me, from his father, from Abu al-Darda, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: ... and he cited it.

Al-Hakim said:

“A hadith that is authentic; both have relied on all of its narrators!”

That is what he said! Al-Dhahabi made no comment on it.

Ubayd Allah ibn Salman—who is al-Agharr—was not transmitted from by Muslim at all.

As for Fudayl ibn Sulayman—al-Numayri—al-Bukhari only transmitted from him in corroboration, as al-Hafiz established in the introduction to Fath al-Bari (435). Much has been said in criticism of him, which al-Hafiz summarized in al-Taqrib, stating:

“Truthful, but makes many errors.”

Thus, hadiths narrated by someone like him may be graded good, but not authentic. Al-Mundhiri said in al-Targhib (1/219/32):

“Al-Tabarani transmitted it in al-Kabir with a good chain of transmission.”

Al-Haythami said (2/255):

“I say: Abu Dawud transmitted only the portion, ‘the one who was in a military detachment.’ Al-Tabarani transmitted it, and its narrators are those of the Sahih collections!”

I say: His attribution to Abu Dawud gives the impression that Abu Dawud reports it on the authority of Abu al-Darda, whereas it is in fact on the authority of Ibn Masud, may Allah be pleased with him. Others have narrated it in a more complete form, through Hammad ibn Salamah, from Ata ibn al-Saib, from Murrah al-Hamadani, from Abdullah ibn Masud, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“Our Lord marvels at two men: a man who rises from his bed and blanket, leaving behind his beloved and his family for his prayer; Allah, Majestic and Exalted, says: ‘Look at My servant: he rose from his bed and resting-place, from the midst of”