Translating the classical Arabic of this entry, Ibn Sa‘d writes:
"He narrated from: ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas, and ‘A’ishah bint Abi Bakr (the Prophet's wife). Those who narrated from him: Qatadah ibn Di‘amah, Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani, and Sulayman al-Taymi. He was reliable (thiqah) in hadith, but he transmitted only a few traditions. He died in the year 120 AH during the plague of ‘Adhri’at. His death occurred in the month of Rajab."
This dry, factual summary is typical of Ibn Sa‘d. However, the hadith numbered 3714 on this page is not just a biography—it is the first hadith report attributed to this narrator in the Tabaqat. tabaqat al kubra. vol. 3 pg. 269 h. 3714
Ibn Sa‘d records via his chain (isnad):
"Muhammad ibn ‘Umar (al-Waqidi) informed us, saying: ‘Abdullah ibn Ja‘far informed us, on the authority of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utbah ibn Mas‘ud, who said: 'I entered upon ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and asked her about the quality of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) prayer at night. She replied: “He used to sleep at the beginning of the night, rise at its last third, pray eleven rak‘ahs, then lie down on his right side until the muezzin called the dawn prayer.”'" Translating the classical Arabic of this entry, Ibn
Grading of this specific report (h. 3714):
To understand the weight of page 269, we must first appreciate the author. Muhammad ibn Sa‘d was a Katib (scribe) and student of the legendary traditionist al-Waqidi (d. 207 AH). Born in Basra, Ibn Sa‘d later settled in Baghdad, the epicenter of the Islamic Golden Age. His Tabaqat is not merely a hadith collection; it is a comprehensive prosopography—a biographical dictionary that classifies over 4,000 early Muslim figures into hierarchical generations (tabaqat). "He narrated from: ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, Sa‘d
| Source | Chain Quality | Contains ‘Umar-Ibn ‘Abbas dialogue? | Verdict | |--------|---------------|--------------------------------------|---------| | Sahih al-Bukhari | Sahih | No | Accepted | | Sahih Muslim | Sahih | No | Accepted | | Sunan al-Tirmidhi | Hasan | No | Accepted | | Tabaqat (3714) | Da‘if jiddan | Yes | Rejected as extra detail |
Thus, Ibn Sa‘d’s version is an anomaly (shadhdh) – it contains an addition that contradicts the authentic versions by adding a dialogue not present in sounder chains.
If you want, I can:
