Then I found the hadith in Ahmad’s Fada’il al-Sahabah (150), from al-Hasan ... in mursal form.
- (Blessing is in the forelocks of horses.)
It was narrated by al-Bukhari (2851 and 3645), Muslim (6/32), al-Nasa’i (6/221), Ibn Hibban (4670), Ibn Abi Shaybah (12/481), Ahmad (3/114, 127, and 171), Sa‘id ibn Mansur in his Sunan (2427), al-Bayhaqi (6/329), al-Baghawi (2643), and al-Quda‘i (222), through Shu‘bah, from Abu al-Tayyah, from Anas, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: ... and he cited it.
Benefit: Ibn Hibban gave the hadith the following chapter heading in his Sahih (10/526, al-Ihsan):
“Mention of the affirmation of blessing in keeping horses tethered for jihad in the way of Allah.”
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath (6/55), commenting on the wording of the hadith:
“This is how it appears. Yet there must be an omitted word to which the genitive is connected; the most appropriate wording to supply is that established in another narration. Al-Isma‘ili transmitted it through ‘Asim ibn ‘Ali, from (1) Shu‘bah, with the wording: ‘Blessing descends upon the forelocks of horses’ ...”
I say: ‘Asim was truthful, though he may at times have erred, as al-Hafiz himself stated in al-Taqrib.
Al-‘Ayni said in ‘Umdat al-Qari (14/145):