Azami 684

Abu Yaala narrated it (3425) from Abu Jahm Azraq bin Ali, who said, Yahya bin Abu Bukayr narrated to us, who said, Mustalim bin Saeed narrated to us, from Hajjaj, from Thabit, from Anas, and he related it.Bayhaqi also related it through Abu Yaala's route in Hayat al-Anbiya (p. 72). Azraq, that is, Abu Jahm Hanafi Azraq bin Ali, was described by Hafiz in Taqrib as "truthful, but he narrates uncommon reports."I say, but he was not the only one to narrate it, for Hasan bin Arafah also narrated it, saying, Hasan bin Qutayba Madaini narrated to me, who said, Mustalim bin Saeed narrated to us, with his chain, in the same manner.Bayhaqi related it through this route in Hayat al-Anbiya (p. 70) and said, "This is counted among the unique reports of Hasan bin Qutayba Madaini." He said this, even though he himself had already related it through the route of Abu Jahm Azraq bin Ali, as mentioned above, and through other routes as well, though some of these contain narrators who are suspect.The hadith has another route, which Abu Naeem related in Akhbar Isbahan (2/83), through the route of Abdullah bin Ibrahim bin Sabbah, from Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Yahya bin Abu Bukayr, who said, Yahya bin Abu Bukayr narrated to us, with the same chain, in the same manner.It has become clear from these corroborating narrations that Azraq bin Ali was not alone in narrating this uncommon report, and likewise that Hasan bin Qutayba Madaini was not the sole narrator of it.This life referred to here is a life of the barzakh, and has nothing whatsoever to do with the life of this world, so it is not permissible to compare their life to the life of this world.