Al-Tahawi declared the report defective because of a break in the chain, arguing that Ibn Abi Mulayka never heard it from Umm Salama and adducing the version narrated by al-Layth as proof. He wrote: “What he regarded as a defect is in fact no defect, for al-Tirmidhi transmitted it through Ibn Abi Mulayka directly from Umm Salama, declared it sound, and preferred it to the isnad that contains Ya‘la ibn Mamlak.” I say: The hafiz erred in two respects: 1. His statement “declared it sound”: al-Tirmidhi only authenticated al-Layth’s narration—the one that includes Ya‘la. 2. His statement “and he preferred it …”: al-Tirmidhi actually preferred this narration of al-Layth to the version of Ibn Jurayj, as his own words—quoted earlier—make clear. Take note. Ibn Jurayj, moreover, has an additional wording of the hadith in the Musnad of Ahmad (6/323): ‘Affan related to us; he said: Hammad related to us; he said: Ibn Jurayj related to us— that the Prophet’s ﷺ recitation was, as she described, “Bism Allah al-Rahman al-Rahim” (In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful) word by word, in a slow recitation. ‘Affan then stopped his recital. Al-Bayhaqi also recorded it (2/53) through this route, adding: “and he lengthened his voice on each letter.” He likewise reported it (2/44) by another chain from Hammad with a similar wording. (1) This is supported by the narrator’s remark: “He would break up his recitation verse by verse.” The statement is unrestricted; it is not confined to Surat al-Fatiha. She cited that surah only as an example, not as a limitation. See Zad (1/125).