“Al-Tabarani narrated it in al-Awsat, and its chain contains Ismaʿil ibn Muslim al-Makki, who is weak.”
- “When I narrate a hadith to you, do not add anything to it.” He also said: “There are four of the finest utterances, and they are from the Quran. It does not matter with which of them you begin: ‘Glory be to Allah; praise be to Allah; none has the right to be worshipped but Allah; and Allah is Most Great.’”
Then he said: “Do not name your boy Aflah, Najih, Rabah, or Yasar, for you may ask, ‘Is he there?’ and he may not be, whereupon it will be said, ‘No.’”
Ahmad (5/11) recorded it: Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us; Shuʿbah narrated to us, from Salamah ibn Kuhayl, from Hilal ibn Yasaf, from Samurah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.
Al-Tayalisi also recorded it in his Musnad (899, 900), through Shuʿbah, dividing it between two places. Sufyan—meaning al-Thawri—also followed him in narrating it from Salamah ibn Kuhayl, but without its first and last sections. Ahmad (5/20) and Ibn Majah (3811) recorded it.
Shuʿbah also had another shaykh for it. Al-Tayalisi (893) said: Shuʿbah narrated to us, from Mansur, who said: I heard Hilal ibn Yasaf narrate from al-Rabiʿ ibn ʿUmaylah, from Samurah, with the report restricted to the naming of a boy.