3953—“Do not swear by your fathers”—and in another narration: “by anything other than Allah.” “When you relieve yourselves, do not face the Qiblah or turn your backs to it, and do not cleanse yourselves with a bone or dung.”

Al-Hakim recorded it in al-Mustadrak (3/412)—the wording is his—and Ahmad (3/487)—the other narration is his—both through Ibn Jurayj, who said: “ʿAbd al-Karim ibn Abi al-Mukhariq informed me, from al-Walid ibn Malik—a man of ʿAbd al-Qays—from Muhammad ibn Qays, the client of Sahl ibn Hunayf, from Sahl ibn Hunayf, who related that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to him:

‘You are my messenger to Mecca. Convey to them my greetings, and tell them: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, commands you to do three things: ...’” He then mentioned the hadith.

Al-Darimi narrated it in abbreviated form (1/172), mentioning of the three only the final clause.

I say: This is a weak chain of transmission, beset by flaws throughout:

The first: ʿAbd al-Karim ibn Abi al-Mukhariq, for he is weak, as al-Hafiz stated in al-Taqrib.

The second: al-Walid ibn Malik—who was Ibn ʿAbbad ibn Hunayf al-Ansari. No one other than ʿAbd al-Karim ibn Abi al-Mukhariq is known to have narrated from him. Al-Husayni therefore said of him:

“Unknown, not well known.”

Al-Hafiz concurred with him in Taʿjil al-Manfaʿah (432/1155). Strangely, Ibn Hibban listed him among the reliable narrators in al-Thiqat (7/552), on the basis of this very ʿAbd al-Karim’s narration from him, although he said in his biographical notice of ʿAbd al-Karim among those he deemed weak: