- “Wear sandals frequently, for a man remains as though riding so long as he is wearing sandals.”
Muslim (6/153), Abu Dawud (4133), Ahmad (3/337, 360), and al-Khatib in Tarikh Baghdad (3/425) recorded it through the route of Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, who said: I heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say during a campaign in which we took part—then he mentioned it.
I say: Abu al-Zubayr practised tadlis and narrated it with an ambiguous “from” formulation. However, the hadith has supporting reports that strengthen it.
One of them is the report of Imran ibn Husayn, attributed to the Prophet, with the same wording. Al-Uqayli (230) and al-Khatib (9/404–405) recorded it through the route of Mujāʿah ibn al-Zubayr al-Asadi, who said: Al-Hasan narrated to us from him.
I say: Its narrators are trustworthy apart from this Mujāʿah, whose hadith is good. Ahmad said: “There was no harm in him.” Al-Daraqutni, however, declared him weak.
Al-Hasan was al-Basri; he too practised tadlis and narrated it with an ambiguous “from” formulation.
Al-Haythami said in al-Majmaʿ (5/138):
“Al-Tabarani narrated it, and its chain includes Mujāʿah ibn al-Zubayr, who is unobjectionable in himself. Ibn ʿAdi said: He is among those whose hadith may be tolerated and recorded. Al-Daraqutni declared him weak, while the rest of its narrators are trustworthy.”
Another is the report of ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr, attributed to the Prophet, with the same wording. Al-Haythami said: