Muslim 8

Muslim also reported it from Abu Bakr, from Ali bin Hafs, from Shubah, from Khubayb, from Hafs bin Asim, from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, "It is enough falsehood for a man to relate everything he hears." But the correct view is that it is a mursal narration, as stated by Muaz, Ghundar, Abdul-Rahman bin Mahdi, and others.

I say, Abu Dawud, in volume 2, page 594, commented after mentioning the hadith both connected and as a mursal, saying, "Only this shaykh," meaning Ali bin Hafs Madaini, "narrated it as connected." He, may Allah have mercy on him, is thereby pointing to the strength of the mursal version, given how many narrated it that way. Muaz bin Muaz Anbari and Abdul-Rahman bin Mahdi narrated it as mursal, as found in Muslim, as did Hafs bin Umar, as found in Abu Dawud, volume 2, page 594, as did Adam bin Abu Iyas and Sulayman bin Harb, as found in Hakim, volume 1, page 112, and as did Ghundar, as Daraqutni, may Allah have mercy on him, indicated in his book al-Tatabbu.The excuse for Muslim is clear, which is that he presented the mursal hadith first and then mentioned the connected hadith, and he also mentioned it in the introduction but did not mention it in the body of the book, as Hakim stated in volume 1, page 112. And Allah knows best.