Mughirah was asked, "Did anyone from this community other than Abu Bakr lead the Prophet ﷺ in prayer?"He replied, "Yes. We were with the Prophet ﷺ on a journey, and at the time before dawn he tapped the neck of my mount. Thinking he had some need, I turned aside with him, and we went on until we were out of sight of the people. He dismounted from his camel, then walked off and disappeared from my view, staying away for a long while.When he returned, he said, 'Do you have any need, Mughirah?'I said, 'I have no need.'He asked, 'Do you have any water with you?'I said, 'Yes.' I went to a water-skin, or perhaps a flask, hanging at the back of the saddle, and brought him water and poured it for him. He washed his hands thoroughly. The narrator said, I am uncertain whether he said he rubbed them with earth or not. Then he washed his face. Then he went to push back his sleeves, but he was wearing a Syrian cloak with narrow sleeves, so they were too tight. He pulled his arms out from underneath the cloak and washed his face and his arms. The narrator said, In the report there is mention of washing the face twice. He said, I do not know whether it was so or not. Then he wiped his forelock, wiped over his turban, and wiped over his leather socks.We rode on and caught up with the people, who had already begun the prayer. Abdur-Rahman bin Awf had stepped forward to lead them and had completed one rakah with them, and they were in the second. I went to inform him of the Prophet's ﷺ arrival, but he forbade me. So we prayed the rakah we caught up with, and made up the rakah we had missed."
أنه سئل: هل أم النبي ﷺ أحد من هذه الامة غير أبي بكر رضي الله عنه؟ فقال: نعم كنا مع النبي ﷺ في سفر، فلما كان من السحر، ضرب عنق راحلتي، فظننت أن له حاجة فعدلت معه، فانطلقنا حتى برزنا عن الناس، فنزل عن راحلته، ثم انطلق فتغيب عني حتى ما أراه، فمكث طويلا، ثم جاء فقال: حاجتك يا مغيرة؟ قلت: مالي حاجة. فقال: هل معك ماء؟ فقلت: نعم، فقمت إلى قربة أو إلى سطيحة معلقة في آخرة الرحل، فأتيته بماء، فصببت عليه، فغسل يديه، فأحسن غسلهما- قال: وأشك أقال: دلكهما بتراب أم لا- ثم غسل وجهه، ثم ذهب يحسر عن يديه وعليه جبة شامية ضيقة الكمين، فضاقت فأخرج يديه من تحتها إخراجا، فغسل وجهه ويديه- قال فيجيء في الحديث غسل الوجه مرتين؟ قال: لا أدري أهكذا كان أم لا- ثم مسح بناصيته، ومسح على العمامة، ومسح على الخفين، وركبنا فأدركنا الناس وقد أقيمت الصلاة، فتقدمهم عبد الرحمن بن عوف، وقد صلى بهم ركعة، وهم في الثانية، فذهبت أوذنه، فنهاني، فصلينا الركعة التي أدركنا، وقضينا الركعة التي سبقنا.
Imam Ahmad narrated it (18134), saying, Ismail told us, Ayub informed us, from Muhammad, from Amr bin Wahb Thaqafi, who said, "We were with Mughira bin Shuba when he was asked," and he related the hadith. Its chain of transmission is sahih. Ismail is Ibn Ulaya. Ayub is Sakhtiyani (Ayub bin Abu Tamima). And Muhammad is Ibn Sirin.Tabarani also narrated it in al-Kabir (20, number 1039) through the route of Hammad bin Zayd, from Ayub, from Muhammad bin Sirin, from a man known by the kunya Abu Abdullah, from Amr bin Wahb Thaqafi, and he related the hadith. So he placed a man between Muhammad bin Sirin and Amr bin Wahb. Ibn Main also confirmed this, as the Hafiz mentioned it in Tahdhib, in the biographical entry on Ibn Sirin. However, Bukhari established in Tarikh al-Kabir (6/377) that he had heard directly from him.Ahmad also narrated it (18164) through the route of Ayub, from Muhammad bin Sirin, who said, "I entered the congregational masjid, and there was Amr bin Wahb Thaqafi, who had entered from the other side. We met near the middle of the masjid, and he began speaking to me about the hadith, and he was pleased with the good he conveyed to me," and he related the hadith.Daraqutni confirmed in his Ilal (7/109) that the correct view is the view of those who did not mention the unnamed man, such as Ayub and Qatada and those who followed them. So perhaps Muhammad bin Sirin heard it by two routes, first hearing it from a man, from Amr bin Wahb, then later meeting him and hearing it directly from him, so the hadith is sound by two routes.See the rest of the hadith in the chapter on wiping over leather socks. This hadith also shows the permissibility of wiping over the turban. See the details in the chapter on what has been reported concerning wiping over leather socks, the turban, and the forelock.