Ahmad 7199

Its chain of transmission is sahih. Ajlan is the man from Madinah, the freed slave of Mishmal, with the mim vowelled with damma, the shin (a dotted letter) vowelled with sukun, the ayn (an undotted letter) vowelled with kasra, and the lam doubled. This Ajlan is trustworthy. Bukhari mentioned him in al-Kabir 1/4/61 without noting any criticism of him, and likewise Ibn Abu Hatim in al-Jarh wal-Tadil 2/3/18. Ibn Hibban mentioned him among the trustworthy narrators, and Nasai said, "There is no harm in him." In al-Tahdhib 7:162, it is said that he is also called Ajlan the freed slave of Hakeem, and also the freed slave of Hammas, but in my view this is an error on the part of whoever said it. Bukhari and Ibn Abu Hatim confined themselves to saying that he was the freed slave of Mishmal, and this was also explicitly stated by Ibn Abu Dhib, who narrated from him. In another hadith he narrated from him, which will come at 8696, it says, "Ibn Abu Dhib, from Ajlan the freed slave of Mishmal." And in a third hadith which will also come at 9528, it says, "Ibn Abu Dhib said, Ajlan the freed slave of Mishmal narrated to me."This Ajlan resembles another, earlier Follower of the same name, who narrated from Abu Hurairah and others, namely Ajlan the freed slave of Fatimah bint Utba bin Rabia of Madinah, who was the father of Muhammad bin Ajlan. This is especially so given that Muhammad bin Ajlan narrated from his father, from Abu Hurairah, something similar to this hadith, as will appear in the source citation, Allah willing. Ibn Abu Dhib himself explicitly stated that this man is not that one. In al-Kabir by Bukhari, it says, Yahya Qattan said, "I asked Ibn Abu Dhib, Is he Abu Muhammad?" He said, "No." Adam bin Abu Iyas said, on the authority of Ibn Abu Dhib, "Ajlan Abu Muhammad narrated to us," as Bukhari related from him. This is a mistake on the part of Adam, as Ibn Abu Hatim said, quoting his father, "Yahya bin Saeed Qattan said, I asked Ibn Abu Dhib, Is he Abu Muhammad bin Ajlan? He said, No." Adam bin Abu Iyas said, "Ibn Abu Dhib narrated to us, saying, Ajlan Abu Muhammad bin Ajlan narrated to us." Adam made a mistake in this. Hafiz said in al-Tahdhib, meaning that Ibn Abu Dhib never met Ajlan, the father of Muhammad.This hadith will also come by the route of Hashim bin Qasim, from Ibn Abu Dhib, at 8438, and by the route of Yazid bin Harun, from Ibn Abu Dhib, at 10572, with this same chain of transmission. None of the authors of the Six Books narrated it by this route, nor with this wording, as I have confirmed after tracing and researching, and as is indicated by the text of al-Tahdhib in the biography of Ajlan the freed slave of Mishmal, which states that he has only one hadith, on the prohibition of racing a fasting person, found only in Nasai. Haythami mentioned it in Majma al-Zawaid 2:89 and said, "Bazzar narrated it, and its narrators are trustworthy," which falls quite short, since he did not attribute it to the Musnad, where it in fact appears with three chains of transmission, as we have mentioned.Ahmad also narrated something similar at 8914, from Qutayba, from Layth bin Saad, from Ibn Ajlan (that is, Muhammad bin Ajlan), from his father, from Abu Hurairah, that the Prophet ﷺ said to the people, "Perform your prayer well, for I see you from behind me just as I see you in front of me." This chain of transmission is also sahih.Hafiz Haythami fell short once again, since in mentioning the narration of Bazzar he did not point out, as is his usual practice, that the essence of the hadith is found in the Sahihayn. In Muwatta, page 167, it says, Malik, from Abu Zinad, from Araj, from Abu Hurairah, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Do you think my facing the qiblah here means anything? By Allah, your humility and your bowing are not hidden from me. Indeed, I see you from behind my back." This hadith will come in the Musnad at 8011 and 8894, by the route of Malik. Bukhari narrated it at 1:430 and 2:187, and Muslim at 1:126, both by the route of Malik as well. Part of it will also come, in brief, at 8756, by the narration of Sufyan bin Uyayna, from Abu Zinad, from Araj. It will also come, at greater length than here, within a story at 9795, by the narration of Muhammad bin Ishaq, from Saeed Maqburi, from Abu Hurairah. Muslim narrated something similar to it at 1:126, by the narration of Walid bin Kathir, from Saeed Maqburi, from his father, from Abu Hurairah.As for his saying, "Indeed I look at what is behind me," and so on, Hafiz said in al-Fath 1:430, "The correct and preferred view is that it should be taken according to its apparent meaning, and that this perception was a real and particular faculty specific to him, for which the ordinary rule was suspended in his case... This perception may have come through the sight of his own eye, the ordinary rule being suspended there as well, so that he saw through it without facing anything directly, since the correct position held by the people of the Sunnah is that vision does not require, as a matter of reason, any specific organ, nor facing something directly, nor proximity. These are merely customary conditions, and it is rationally possible for perception to occur without them. For this reason they have ruled that seeing Allah, exalted is He, in the hereafter is possible, contrary to the people of innovation, who cling to what is customary. This is the truth, about which there is no doubt."