Azami 2725

Abu Awana narrated it in his Sahih (2239), and from his route Baghawi narrated it in Sharh al-Sunnah (4/18), through the route of Sulayman bin Hayan, from Hisham bin Hassan, from Muhammad bin Sirin, from Abu Hurairah, and he mentioned it. Ibn Abu Shayba likewise narrated it (2/273), and from his route Bayhaqi (3/6), from Abu Khalid Ahmar, from Hisham, with the same chain, similarly.There is disagreement concerning this hadith on the authority of Hisham bin Hassan, taking four different forms. This is the first of them.The second, from him, from Muhammad bin Sirin, from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said, "When one of you rises at night, let him begin his prayer with two light rakahs." Muslim narrated it in the chapter on prayer of the traveler (768), from Abu Bakr bin Abu Shayba, who said, Abu Usama narrated to us, from Hisham, from Muhammad, from Abu Hurairah, who said this. Tirmidhi likewise narrated it in Shamail (266), from Muhammad bin Ala, from Abu Usama, with the same chain, similarly. Abu Dawud likewise narrated it (1323), from Sulayman bin Hayan, from Hisham, with the same chain. Abu Awana likewise narrated it in his Sahih (2241), from Zaida, from Hisham.The third, from him, from Ibn Sirin, who said, Abu Hurairah said, "When one of you rises at night, let him begin with two light rakahs." Ibn Abu Shayba narrated it from Hushaym, who said, Hisham informed us, with the same chain. Hushaym is Ibn Bashir Wasiti, who was known to conceal his sources in transmission, but here he stated clearly that he had been informed directly.Abu Dawud likewise said (1324), "This hadith was narrated by Hammad bin Salama, Zuhayr bin Muawiya, and a group, from Hisham, from Muhammad, and they stopped it at Abu Hurairah. Ayub and Ibn Awn likewise narrated it, stopping it at Abu Hurairah. Ibn Awn narrated it from Muhammad, who said, 'There is latitude regarding both of them.'"The fourth form, from Hisham, from Ibn Sirin, who said, "I never saw him begin a voluntary prayer except with two light rakahs." Ibn Abu Shayba narrated it from Abu Usama, from Hisham, with the same chain.The closest to correctness among this disagreement is that this was an action of the Prophet ﷺ, and the earlier hadith of Ayesha supports this. It should not be considered defective merely because some narrated it as stopped at Abu Hurairah. Rather, it seems more likely that both the version raised to the Prophet and the version stopped at the companion are preserved. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.