It was narrated by Abū Nuʿaym (3/324–325), though its chain of transmission contains a narrator accused of lying. Abū Nuʿaym said:
“This hadith is well-known through ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥamiq, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.”
- “Among your finest deeds is approaching what is lawful”—meaning women.
It was narrated by Aḥmad (4/231) and Abū Nuʿaym in al-Ḥilyah (2/20), through al-Ṭabarānī, from Muʿāwiyah ibn Ṣāliḥ, from Azhar ibn Saʿīd al-Ḥarāzī, who said: I heard Abū Kabshah al-Anmārī say:
“The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was sitting with his Companions. He then went inside and later came out, having performed ghusl. We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, has something happened?’ He replied, ‘Yes. So-and-so passed by me, and desire for women arose in my heart. So I went to one of my wives and had intercourse with her. Do likewise, for it is among the finest …’”
I say: Its chain of transmission is authentic; all its narrators are trustworthy.