Ahmad 7395

Its chain is sahih. Muslim also related it, 2:37, with several chains, including one through the route of Sufyan bin Uyayna, from Ayub bin Musa, in the same manner and with similar wording. He related it just before that through the route of Layth bin Saad, from Saeed Maqburi, from his father, from Abu Hurairah. Bukhari also related it, 12:146-147, through the route of Layth. He then said, "Ismail bin Umaya followed him, from Saeed, from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet." He also related it before that, 4:310, through the route of Layth. Hafiz said in Fath al-Bari, regarding Bukhari's statement "Ismail bin Umaya followed him" and so on, "He means in the wording of the text, not in the chain, because he omitted from it the phrase 'from his father.'" As for the narration of Ismail, Nasai connected it through the route of Bishr bin Mufaddal, from Ismail bin Umaya.Muhammad bin Ishaq agreed with Layth in adding the phrase "from his father," and this was related by Muslim, Abu Dawud, and Nasai. Ubaydullah bin Umar Umari agreed with Ismail in omitting it, as found in their books. Ayub bin Musa also agreed with omitting it, as found in Muslim and Nasai, and also in Ahmad here. Likewise Muhammad bin Ajlan and Abdul-Rahman bin Ishaq, as found in Nasai. In the narration of the aforementioned Abdul-Rahman, from Saeed, it reads, "I heard Abu Hurairah." So both routes are, therefore, sahih and preserved.Abu Dawud related it, 4470, 4471 [4:274-275 of Awn al-Mabud], through both routes. See also Tirmidhi 2:328, and Ibn Majah 2565. See also what came earlier in the Musnad of Ali bin Abu Talib, 1340.As for his saying, "and do not disgrace her (wa la tuthrib)," this is from tathrib, which means reproach and rebuke. Khattabi said, 4:306 of Tahzib Sunan, "He means, do not confine yourself to rebuking her for her act or cursing her, while neglecting the prescribed punishment due upon her." But this involves forced interpretation and is far from the plainly understood meaning.Better and more correct than this is what Ibn Battal said, as quoted by Hafiz in Fath al-Bari, "It is understood from this that anyone upon whom the prescribed punishment has been carried out should not be reprimanded with rebuke and blame. Rather, that is fitting only for one whose act has come to light before it is referred to the ruler, as a warning and deterrent. But once it has been referred and the prescribed punishment carried out upon him, that suffices."Hafiz said, "It was mentioned shortly before that he forbade cursing the one upon whom the punishment for wine-drinking had been carried out, and he said, 'Do not be helpers of Satan against your brother.'" This, then, is the lofty meaning, the complete refinement, and the noble character.As for "the braid" (al-dafir), with the dotted dal, it is the twisted rope made of hair.