Khālid ibn Nizār, who said: “My father narrated to me: Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah narrated to us, from Abū Najīḥ, from his father, from him.”

Al-Haythamī said in al-Majmaʿ (8/73):

“Al-Ṭabarānī recorded it, and its narrators are narrators of the Ṣaḥīḥ, apart from Ṭāhir ibn Khālid ibn Nizār, who is trustworthy, though there is some weakness in him!”

That is what he said! He overlooked the fact that his father, Khālid ibn Nizār, is not among the narrators of the Ṣaḥīḥ; moreover, he is truthful but makes mistakes, as stated in al-Taqrīb.

Nevertheless, this hadith is undoubtedly authentic, for its first half is attested by what precedes it, while its latter half is attested by the hadith of Ibn ʿAmr in the two Ṣaḥīḥs, with similar wording; Muslim’s wording (1/64–65) is closer to it.

In the first half, however, Isḥāq ibn Ismāʿīl al-Ṭālaqānī differed from him, both in its chain of transmission and its text. He said: “Sufyān narrated to us, from Ibn Abū Najīḥ, from his father, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,” and then cited it as a mursal report, with the wording:

“The most egregious form of ribā is for a person to go to excess in abusing his brother.”

Ibn Abī al-Dunyā recorded it in al-Ṣamt (174) through him.

Its chain of transmission is authentic, were it not mursal.

The third is from ʿĀʾishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to his Companions:

“Tell me: what is the most egregious form of ribā?” They replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said:

“Indeed, the most egregious form of ribā in the sight of Allah, Exalted is He, is treating a Muslim’s honour as lawful to violate.” He then recited:

“Those who harm believing men and believing women without their having done anything to deserve it bear the burden of slander and manifest sin.”