at all; nor did any of the Six canonical compilers narrate from him. Nevertheless, he was a trustworthy and learned man, as al-Khatib stated in his biographical notice (6/25). Accordingly, the hadith is authentic, but it does not meet the criteria of the two Shaykhs, as al-Hakim claimed; nor is it weak, as is suggested by the preceding remarks of al-Hafiz al-Ishbili. It was for this reason that I wrote this. Success is from Allah Most High.

320 — “The believer is not one who habitually attacks others, curses them, speaks obscenely, or uses foul language.”

It was recorded by Imam Ahmad (1/404–405) and Ibn Abi Shaybah in Kitab al-Iman (no. 80, edited by me). They said: Muhammad ibn Sabiq narrated to us; Isra'il narrated to us from al-A'mash, from Ibrahim, from Alqamah, from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said it.

Through Ibn Abi Shaybah’s route, it was recorded by al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad (332). It was also narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1/357), al-Hakim (1/12), Abu Nu'aym in al-Hilyah (4/235, 5/58), and al-Khatib (5/339), through two other chains from Ibn Sabiq, with the same report.

Al-Tirmidhi said: “This is a good, singular hadith, and it has been narrated from Abdullah through another route.”

Al-Hakim said: “Authentic according to the criteria of the two Shaykhs,” and al-Dhahabi agreed with him.

I say: It is as they said, but it has been challenged on the grounds of a defect. After citing al-Tirmidhi’s grading of it as good, al-Manawi said in Fayd al-Qadir: “He did not explain what precluded its being authentic.”

Ibn al-Qattan said: “It should not be declared authentic, for it contains Muhammad ibn Sabiq al-Baghdadi, who is weak, although well known; and some scholars may have declared him trustworthy.”

And