Bukh?r? and Muslim] put for the authentic had?th and on which Ath- Thahab? agreed!

In my opinion, this had?th is not authentic though ‘Ash’ath Ibn Abdil Malik is a reliable narrator; for Shaikh Muslim did not related any of his narrations and Shaikh Al-Bukh?r? related them through Mu’allaq [disconnected] chains of narration in his “Sah?h”. Accordingly, the had?th’s chain of narrators is incompatible with the conditions set by the two Shaikhs for authentic had?ths. All?h ( - عز وجل -) knows best.

At-Tirmith? ( - رضي الله عنه -) said: ‘The had?th’s chain of narrators is Hasan [good] and Gar?b [i.e. narrated by a single narrator in one of the layers of its chain of narrators]’. In other copies, it is jugded to be Sah?h [authentic].

I believe that even if the had?th’s chain of narrators appears to be authentic, the narration regarding reciting Tashahhud before Tasl?m is an odd one for Al-’Ash’ath Ibn Abdil Malik was the only one to mention it.

The authentic narration of the had?th does not state reciting Tashahhud before saying Tasl?m; ‘Imr?n Ibn Husain said that once the prophet ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) performed three Rak’?t for ‘Asr Sal?t, then recited Tasl?m. He ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) was told that he performed only three Rak’?t. He ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) then performed one Rak’ah then recited Tasl?m followed by two Suj?ds and finally recited another Tasl?m’. This had?th was narrated by Muslim (no. 574), Ab? ‘Uw?nah (vol. 2/ pp. 198 - 9), Ab? D?w?d (no. 1018), An-Nas?’? (vol. 3/ p. 26), Ibn M?jah (no. 1215), Ahmad (vol. 4/ no. 427, 441), At - Tay?lis? (no. 847), Ibn Khuzaimah (vol. 2/ p. 130), Ibn Hibb?n (vol. 4/ no. 2663), Ibn Al-J?r?d (no. 245), At - Tah?w? in “Sharh Ma’?n? Al-’?th?r” (vol. 1/ no. 442, 443), Al-Baihaq? (vol. 2/ no. 335, 354. 355 amd 359) through many ways traced back to Kh?lid Al-Hathth?’, from Ab? Qil?bah from Abil Muhallab from ‘Imr?n Ibn Husain that the prophet ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) said: ‘[the had?th]’.

The had?th was related -traced back to Kh?lid Al-Hathth?’- by a group of narrators such as: Shu’bah, Waheeb, Ibn ‘Uyaynah, Ath-