and al-Bayhaqi added: “The authentic version is that transmitted by Dawud ibn Qays and by everyone who concurs with him.” I note: Those who corroborate his uninterrupted chain—apart from the names already cited—include: • Ishaq ibn Abd Allah ibn Abi Talhah: recorded by Abu Dawud, al-Bukhari, al-Nasa’i (171), al-Darimi (1/305), al-Hakim (1/241), and, through al-Hakim, by al-Bayhaqi (2/102; 345) as well as by Ibn Hazm in al-Muhalla (3/256). Al-Hakim judged it “sahih according to the criteria of the Two Shaykhs.” I remark, however, that neither Ali ibn Yahya ibn Khallad nor his father is found in Muslim’s collection, so the isnad is only on al-Bukhari’s standard. • Yahya ibn Ali ibn Khallad: related by Abu Dawud; al-Tirmidhi (2/100–102), who graded it hasan; al-Nasa’i (1/108); al-Tahawi; al-Hakim; and al-Tayalisi (196). • Muhammad ibn Ishaq: transmitted by Abu Dawud and, from him, by al-Bayhaqi (2/133) and al-Hakim (1/243). All of the above narrate it from Ali ibn Yahya, from his father, from his uncle Rifa’ah, yet none of these three last versions mention facing the qiblah either. Al-Shafi‘i likewise reports it in al-Umm from Ibrahim ibn Muhammad, from Ali, without that clause. This omission does not weaken the additional wording, for it comes through trustworthy transmitters and must therefore be accepted—especially since the wording of this hadith varies considerably: some narrators add portions while others abbreviate them. According to the established principles of hadith criticism, the reliable addition is to be adopted. Ibn Hajar has gathered almost every variant wording in Fath al-Bari; anyone seeking full detail should consult it. Several of those wordings will appear below at their appropriate points, such as the takbir (saying “Allahu akbar”) in two places, the opening supplication (istiftah), the recitation of Umm al-Quran (Surah al-Fatihah), and other passages.