Ahmad 7397

Its chain of transmission is sahih, though there is an omission that occurred in the chain due to the copyists. This is because the hadith has already appeared as no. 7293 from Abdullah bin Dinar, from Sulayman bin Yasar, from Arak, from Abu Hurairah, and Sulayman bin Yasar and Arak bin Malik belong to the same generation, both having heard from Abu Hurairah, and Sulayman's narration from Arak is a narration between peers. However, I have not found this particular hadith narrated by Sulayman directly from Abu Hurairah, for in all his narrations Arak bin Malik appears between them.In fact this very route, the narration of Sufyan bin Uyayna from Ayub bin Musa, from Makhul, from Sulayman bin Yasar, contains the addition of Arak between Sulayman and Abu Hurairah. Shafii narrated it in al-Umm 2:22, from Sufyan bin Uyayna, from Ayub bin Musa, from Makhul, from Sulayman bin Yasar, from Arak bin Malik, from Abu Hurairah. It is likewise found in Musnad Shafii, arranged by Shaykh Abid Sindi, 1:227. Bayhaqi also narrated it in Sunan al-Kubra 4:117, both through Shafii from Sufyan, and through Muhammad bin Yahya bin Abu Umar from Sufyan.Muslim likewise narrated it, 1:268, from Amr Naqid and Zuhayr bin Harb. Nasai narrated it, 1:342, from Muhammad bin Mansur. Ibn Jarud narrated it in al-Muntaqa, 183, from Abdul-Rahman bin Bishr, all of them narrating from Sufyan bin Uyayna, with this same chain, and they mentioned in it Arak bin Malik between Sulayman bin Yasar and Abu Hurairah.After all this, I have no doubt that the mention of Arak bin Malik in the chain of the Musnad here was simply dropped by the early copyists through inadvertence, and that it is firmly established in the original chain. Yet I did not permit myself to add it on my own initiative, even though I am certain of it, because the three manuscript copies I have all agree in omitting it. And Allah alone knows best.