It was transmitted by al-Hasan ibn Rashīq in al-Muntaqa min al-Amali (folio 44/2), and by al-Wahidi (4/92/1), from Ruh ibn Janah, from al-Zuhri, from Saʿid ibn al-Musayyib, from Abu Hurayrah.

Ibn Kathir, in his Exegesis (8/76, al-Manar edition), attributed it to Ibn Abi Hatim through this route, adding: “directly above the Kaʿbah.” He said:

“This is a very singular hadith, narrated solely by this Ruh ibn Janah—the Qurashi Umayyad client, Abu Saʿid al-Dimashqi. A number of hadith masters, including al-Juzajani, al-ʿUqayli, al-Hakim, and others, criticized him on account of this hadith. Al-Hakim said: ‘It has no basis as a report from Abu Hurayrah, Saʿid, or al-Zuhri.’”

I say: Ibn Abi Hatim’s version reads: “the seventh heaven.” I do not know whether this is indeed how he narrated it, or whether it is an alteration by the copyist or printer.

It has another route from Abu Hurayrah. Ibn al-Aʿrabi said in al-Muʿjam (10/2): Ibn al-Junayd informed us; ʿAmr ibn ʿAsim informed us; Hammam informed us; Qatadah informed us; al-Hasan informed us from him, attributed to the Prophet, with the same wording but without mention of the heaven.

Al-Hasan is al-Basri, and he practised tadlis, though the narrators in its chain are trustworthy.

It has another corroborating report, from Ibn ʿAbbas, with similar wording, including: “It is like the Sacred House, directly above it; were it to fall, it would fall upon it.”

Al-Tabarani transmitted it in al-Muʿjam al-Kabir (3/150/2) through Ishaq ibn Bishr Abu Hudhayfah, and al-Wahidi in his Exegesis (4/92/1) through Saʿid ibn Salim; both from Ibn Jurayj, from Safwan ibn Sulaym, from Kurayb, from Ibn ʿAbbas, attributed to the Prophet.

I say: This chain is weak because Ibn Jurayj uses an ambiguous transmission formula, and because of the weakness of Saʿid ibn Salim. As for Ishaq ibn Bishr, he is a liar; thus, no corroboration whatsoever may be sought through him.

In al-Durr al-Manthur (6/117):