through the isnad of Jaʿfar ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Hakam, from Tamim ibn Mahmud, from him. Al-Hakim ruled the chain sahih (sound), and al-Dhahabi agreed. Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibban likewise included it in their Sahih collections, as noted in al-Targhib (1/181). Yet the soundness of this isnad is questionable, for Tamim ibn Mahmud was described by al-Bukhari with the remark, “fi-hi nazar” (“he requires further scrutiny”). He is listed among the weak narrators by al-Aqili, al-Dulabi, and Ibn al-Jarud. Only Ibn Hibban declared him reliable, which reflects his well-known leniency. Al-Taqrib adds: “fi-hi layn” (“he is weak”). Nevertheless, the hadith has a supporting report. Ahmad (5/446–447) narrated: Ismaʿil told us, ʿUthman al-Batti told us, from ʿAbd al-Hamid ibn Salamah, from his father, that the Messenger of Allah forbade pecking like a crow… and he mentioned the rest of the text. This report is mursal (the Companion is missing), and ʿAbd al-Hamid is unknown, as al-Daraqutni stated and Ibn Hajar followed him in al-Taqrib. (1) This manner of prostration is mass-transmitted from the Prophet; a number of Companions reported it: 1 – ʿAbd Allah ibn Malik ibn Buhaynah: “When the Prophet prayed he would separate his arms until the whiteness of his armpits became visible.” Reported by al-Bukhari (2/234); Muslim (2/53); al-Nasai (1/166); al-Tahawi (1/136); al-Bayhaqi (2/114); and Ahmad (5/345). In another version—recorded by both him and Muslim—the wording is: “When he prostrated he would spread out his arms in sujud.” Al-Tahawi’s wording is: “He separated between his forearms and his sides.”