= Through this very line of transmission from Ibn Kunasa, the report is found in al-Nasai, 2:278; Abu Nuaym, 2:180; and al-Khatib, 5:404-405. I add: this isnad is sound. Abu Nuaym said: “It is gharib (unique) among the narrations of Urwa; only Ibn Kunasa relates it, and the leading authorities—Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shayba, Ibn Numayr, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Abu Khaythama—transmitted it from him.” By this he implies that the chain is reliable; nevertheless, Ibn Main and al-Daraqutni judged it mursal, as al-Khatib reports. Al-Daraqutni said: “The reliable disciples of Hisham transmit it from Hisham, from Urwa, as a mursal report.” Al-Nasai and al-Khatib then recorded it (4:77) through the route of Ahmad ibn Janab al-Haddathi: “Isa ibn Yunus told us, from Hisham ibn Urwa, from his father, from Ibn Umar,” as a marfu (prophetic) hadith. This isnad is sound by Muslim’s standard, yet it too was criticised: after citing it and the previous route, al-Nasai said, “Both are not preserved,” and al-Khatib remarked, “Ahmad ibn Janab is alone in transmitting it from Isa.” I reply: both narrators are trustworthy, so their singular transmission does not weaken the chain. All these routes from Hisham are reliable; he possessed several isnads for this hadith, and this is one of them. Another route is given by al-Khatib (5:405; 9:378) through Abd Allah ibn Ahmad al-Ahwazi al-Jawaliqi: “Zayd ibn al-Harish related to us; Ibn Raja related to us, from Sufyan, from Hisham ibn Urwa, from his father, from Aisha,” as a marfu report. This isnad is fair for corroboration: all its transmitters are recognised and reliable, except Zayd ibn al-Harish; Ibn Hajar notes in al-Lisan: