the permissibility of citing such a mursal as legal evidence.” I add: this is especially convincing because the report has additional chains that corroborate one another, as al-Zaylaʿi observes in Nasb al-Rayah (2/7): 1. First route: Jabir al-Juʿfi → Abu al-Zubayr → Jabir. Ibn Majah (1/280), al-Tahawi, and al-Daraqutni (no. 126) record it through two isnads on the authority of al-Hasan b. Salih from Jabir al-Juʿfi. Jabir al-Juʿfi is weak, yet he is followed by Layth b. Abi Sulaym, who, though somewhat stronger, is also weak because of poor memory. Al-Tahawi, al-Daraqutni, and al-Bayhaqi (2/160) transmit the hadith via Yahya b. Abi Bukayr and Ishaq b. Mansur al-Salluli, who said: “Al-Hasan b. Salih b. Hay narrated to us—from Jabir and Layth b. Abi Sulaym—from Abu al-Zubayr.” Al-Daraqutni remarked: “Jabir and Layth are both weak.” I further note that the hadith is also found with both Jabir and Layth omitted between al-Hasan b. Salih and Abu al-Zubayr. Ibn al-Turkmani states: “In the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah we read: Malik b. Ismaʿil narrated to us—from al-Hasan b. Salih—from Abu al-Zubayr—from Jabir, raised to the Prophet. This chain is sound. Abu Nuʿaym likewise recorded it from al-Hasan b. Salih from Abu al-Zubayr without mentioning al-Juʿfi, as noted in Atraf al-Mizzi.” Abu al-Zubayr died in 128 AH, according to al-Tirmidhi and ʿAmr b. ʿAli. Al-Hasan b. Salih was born in 100 AH and died in 167 AH; hence it was chronologically possible for him to have heard from Abu al-Zubayr. The majority of hadith scholars maintain that whenever such a meeting is possible and a transmitter relates from his senior, the narration is presumed to be connected.