their two opponents: namely, that they were among the narrators of the Ṣaḥīḥ, whereas the other two were not; and that their narration contains an additional element—namely, a continuous chain. An addition narrated by a trustworthy narrator is accepted; how much more so when it comes from two trustworthy narrators?

If it is said: Why, then, did you not give preference by this same method to Ibrāhīm ibn Bashshār’s narration, in which he related it with a continuous chain from Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim? I reply: I would have done so had the one who corroborated him—Muḥammad ibn Yūnus al-Jammāl—been trustworthy. But since he is weak, as stated in al-Taqrīb, his narration remains outweighed, because it lacks a strong corroborating narrator. Nevertheless, his narration may be considered an additional factor favouring the narrations of al-Juʿfī and al-Ḥasan ibn Manṣūr over those that differ from them, since they share the feature of relating the hadith with a continuous chain, in contrast to those who narrated it in mursal form. The only difference is that, in his narration, the Companion transmitting the hadith is Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim, whereas in their narration it is Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh. Their narration is therefore preferable to his on account of their greater number and trustworthiness. And Allah knows best.

Al-Mundhirī cited the hadith in al-Targhīb (3/240) through the narration of Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim and said: “Al-Bazzār narrated it with a good chain of transmission!”

Yet you have already seen that the more preponderant version is the report from Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh.

522 — “The Muslim who is guided aright attains the rank of those who fast frequently and stand in prayer reciting Allah’s verses, by virtue of his noble disposition and good character.”

Imam Aḥmad recorded it (2/220): ʿAlī ibn Isḥāq narrated to us; ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us; Ibn Lahīʿah informed us; al-Ḥārith ibn Yazīd informed me, from Ibn Ḥujayrah al-Akbar, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say this.

He then recorded it (2/177) through two other authentic routes from Ibn Lahīʿah, with the same wording.

I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission. All its narrators are trustworthy. Ibn Lahīʿah—whose name was ʿAbd Allāh—although his memory deteriorated, ʿAbd Allāh here, namely Ibn al-Mubārak, narrated authentic reports from him because