"Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAyyāsh is one of the leading scholars of the people of al-Shām, and the only criticism against him is his poor memory." I said: the accurate investigation shows that the mentioned criticism is only regarding his narration from non-Shāmīs, whereas his narration from them is authentic, as confirmed by a number of scholars like al-Bukhārī and others. Therefore, this isnād is authentic, because his teacher, Baḥīr ibn Saʿīd, is a Shāmī. As for what is in the margin of Ibn Mājah, quoting from "al-Zawāʾid": "In its isnād is Ismāʿīl, and his narration from the Ḥijāzīs is weak as here." I said: this is an error, and I do not know from whom it is, for our photographed copy of "al-Zawāʾid" does not contain (p. 244/2) this statement, but rather attributes the ḥadīth to the Musnad and al-Bayhaqī, so perhaps this occurred in some copies of it. Furthermore, it is an error in itself, so perhaps the speaker confused the name "Baḥīr" with "Yaḥyá," and Yaḥyá ibn Saʿīd is a Madanī. And Allāh knows best.

"The one killed in the path of Allāh is a martyr, the one who is stabbed in the path of Allāh is a martyr, the one who drowns in the path of Allāh is a martyr, the one who falls off his mount in the path of Allāh is a martyr, and the one who dies of pleurisy in the path of Allāh is a martyr." Muḥammad (meaning Ibn Isḥāq) said: "The one who dies of pleurisy: the one with pleurisy." It was recorded by Aḥmad (2/441-442) through the route of Muḥammad, meaning Ibn Isḥāq, from Abū Mālik ibn Thaʿlabah ibn Abī Mālik al-Qurazī, from ʿUmar ibn al-Ḥakam ibn Thawbān, from Abū Hurayrah, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) say: "What do you consider a martyr?" They said: "The one who fights in the path of Allāh until he is killed." He said: "Then the martyrs in my nation would be few indeed. The one killed in the path of Allāh is a martyr..." [and so on]. I said: Its isnād is good, all its men are trustworthy, except that Ibn Isḥāq is known for tadlīs, and he has..