and this isnād is weak. However, it is strengthened by the fact that Aḥmad recorded it (3/29) through the route of Ibn Lahīʿah, who narrated from Darāj, from Abū al-Haytham, from him, similarly. It was also recorded by Muslim (8/154), al-Tirmidhī (4/341), al-Ḥākim (4/595), Ibn Ḥibbān (2616), and Aḥmad (2/328, 334, 537) through various routes from Abū Hurayrah, in a concise form. And by Aḥmad (2/26) from the narration of Abū Yaḥyá al-Ṭawīl, from Abū Yaḥyá al-Qaṭṭāt, from Mujāhid, from Ibn ʿUmar, in a concise form. I said: al-Ṭawīl and al-Qaṭṭāt are weak, but they are acceptable in supporting narrations.

"Indeed, the womb is a branch clinging to the Throne of the Most Merciful; it maintains ties with those who maintain ties with it and severs ties with those who sever ties with it." It was recorded by Aḥmad (1/321) and Ibn Abī ʿĀṣim in "al-Sunnah" (no. 538 - in my verification) from Ibn Jurayj, who said: Ziyād informed me that Ṣāliḥ, the freed slave of al-Tawʾamah, informed him that he heard Ibn ʿAbbās narrating from the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) and mentioned it. I said: This isnād is ḥasan, all its narrators are trustworthy, the narrators of the two Shaykhs, except for Ṣāliḥ, the freed slave of al-Tawʾamah, about whom there is some discussion. What is clear from this is the view of Imām Aḥmad and others that whoever heard from him in the past, his narration is accepted; otherwise, it is not. Ibn ʿAdī said: "There is no harm in him if the early scholars like Ibn Abī Dhīb, Ibn Jurayj, and Ziyād ibn Saʿd narrated from him. Whoever heard from him later, he is mixed up (meaning he is weak). I do not know of any rejected ḥadīth narrated by him if a trustworthy person narrated from him and he narrated before the mixing." I said: This ḥadīth is from the narration of Ziyād ibn Saʿd from him, as you see, so the ḥadīth is good, if Allāh wills