(7) The first version is reported by al-Hakim and others with an authentic chain; the second is in Ahmad with a sound chain that meets Muslim’s criteria. I have analyzed both in Takhrij Sifat Salat al-Nabi, and see also note 2 under “Etiquette and Social Customs.” Shaykh al-Islam (p. 31) comments: “This hadith forbids sitting in that posture, explaining that it is the posture of those undergoing torment—an emphatic call to avoid their ways. Al-Bukhari likewise narrated from Masruq, from Aisha, that she disliked a person’s placing his hand on his waist, saying, ‘The Jews do that.’ He also transmitted a report from Abu Hurayra stating that tukhassur (placing the hands on the hips) during prayer is forbidden; Muslim records it with the wording: ‘The Messenger of Allah forbade it.’ Alert: Abu Dawud transmitted this hadith of Ibn Umar with the wording, ‘He forbade a man to lean on his hand when rising in the prayer,’ but that wording is unreliable. It is uniquely transmitted by Abu Dawud’s shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik al-Ghazali, who had a poor memory, and Ahmad and others disagreed with him over the wording. I have discussed the issue in detail in Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Daifa, no. 967. (1) Reported by al-Tahawi in Mushkil al-Athar, by Ahmad, and by others such as Ibn Saad (2/2/72). It also has a supporting narration from Ibn Abbas. I have examined its chains and their points of weakness in Naqd Kitab al-Taj, no. 299. Shaykh al-Islam (p. 33) notes: “The report comes through several slightly weak chains that mutually reinforce one another; it also points to our duty to differ from the People of the Book even in placing the deceased at the bottom of the grave.”