I came to Abu Darda during the illness in which he died, and he said to me, "Nephew, what brings you to this land, what has caused you to come?"I replied, "Nothing, except to maintain the bond of friendship that existed between you and my father, Abdullah bin Salam."Abu Darda said, "What a wretched moment for lying this would be. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'Whoever performs ablution and does it well, then stands and prays two or four units,'" Sahl was uncertain which, "'making the remembrance and humility in them excellent, then seeks forgiveness from Allah , will be forgiven.'"
أتيت أبا الدرداء في مرضه الذي قبض فيه فقال لي: يا ابن أخي ما أعمدك إلى هذا البلد أو ما جاء بك؟ قال: قلت لا إلا صلة ما كان بينك وبين والدي عبد الله بن سلام. فقال أبو الدرداء: بئس ساعة الكذب هذه، سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: من توضأ فأحسن وضوءه ثم قام فصلى ركعتين أو أربعا- شك سهل- يحسن فيهما الذكر والخشوع، ثم استغفر الله عز وجل غفر له.
Ahmad (27546) narrated it from Ahmad bin Abdul-Malik, who said, "Sadaqah bin Abu Sahl told me," who said, "Kathir Abu Fadl Tufawi told me," who said, "Yusuf bin Abdullah bin Salam told me," and he related it.Abdullah said, "Saeed bin Abu Rabi Samman also narrated it to us, who said, 'Sadaqah bin Abu Sahl Hinai narrated to us.'" Abdullah said, "Ahmad bin Abdul-Malik erred regarding the name of the sheikh, for he said, 'Sahl bin Abu Sadaqah,' when it is actually Sadaqah bin Abu Sahl Hinai."I say, others besides Samman likewise named him "Sadaqah bin Abu Sahl," as with Abu Asim in Ahad wal-Mathani (2040), and Tabarani in Awsat (5022) and Dua (1848).Its chain is hasan because of Kathir Tufawi, for his hadith is hasan, since a group of trustworthy narrators reported from him, among them Thawri and Hammad bin Zayd. Bukhari mentioned in Tarikh al-Kabir (7/214), from Abdullah bin Abu Aswad, who said, "Saeed bin Amir praised him well." Ibn Hibban also mentioned him in Thiqat. Munziri likewise graded it hasan in Targhib wal-Tarhib (230, 545), and so did Haythami in Majma al-Zawaid (2/279).As for Sadaqah bin Abu Sahl, he is Hinai, as stated in the aforementioned sourcing references, and Ibn Main affirmed his reliability, as in Jarh wa Tadil (4/431–432), and Hinai is the Basri. Ibn Hajar, however, holds that they are two different men, one being Hinai and the other Basri.