In my view, by this they indicated two matters: the manifest weakness of its chain of transmission, and the authenticity of its text. This is something apparent to everyone thoroughly versed in knowledge of the Prophetic sunnah, for the three statements occur separately in several hadiths:
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As for his statement, “Do not swear by your fathers,” it was recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim in their two Sahihs, on the authority of Ibn Umar. It is cited in al-Irwa’ (2560). It is also authentically reported from Abu Hurayrah and others, with an additional wording in its text, and is cited in al-Mishkat (3418, second recension).
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As for the prohibition against facing or turning one’s back to the qiblah, several hadiths address it. The most authentic of them is the hadith of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, with the wording:
“When you go to relieve yourselves, do not face the qiblah or turn your backs to it; rather, turn east or west.”
It was narrated by the two shaykhs and others, and is cited in al-Irwa’, no. 60.
- As for the final statement, it has a supporting report from Jabir ibn Abd Allah, who said:
“The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, prohibited us from wiping ourselves with a bone or dung.”
It was narrated by Muslim and Abu Awanah in their Sahih collections, and is cited in Sahih Abi Dawud, no. 29. It also has a supporting report from Ibn Masud, attributed directly to the Prophet, with the addition:
“For it is the provision of your brethren among the jinn.”
It was also narrated by Muslim and Abu Awanah, but its text contains many variations and inconsistencies. For that reason, I included it in al-Ahadith al-Daifah, no. 1038; consult it if you wish.
With this in mind, one of the reasons for documenting the hadith under discussion with the critical examination you have seen was: