Dear Scholar. Assalam-o-Aliekom! I have read somewhere a report narrated by Ibn Hibbaan from Sulaymaan ibn Moosa, who was asked about a man looking at his wife’s private parts. He said, I asked ‘Ataa’ and he said: I asked ‘Aa’ishah and she mentioned the hadeeth of bathing with the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). I wanted to know the authenticity of this report by Ibn Hibbaan and also about its narrators especially Sulaymaan ibn Moosa, whom I read somewhere that he was weak. Kindly shed some light on this report and its narrators. Thank you very much.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.

This Hadeeth is reported by Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh on the authority of Sulaymaan ibn Moosa. Shaykh Al-Arnaa’oot classified its chain of narrators as Hasan (good).

Al-Haafith Ibn Hajar reported it in Fat-h Al-Baari but he did not comment on its degree of authenticity. For more information on this issue, please refer to Fatwa 83392.

Ibn Rajab mentioned in his book Fat-h Al-Baari that there is a difference of opinion among scholars about the reliability of Sulaymaan ibn Moosa. However, Ibn Hajar mentioned in Tahtheeb At-Tahtheeb that some scholars, among whom is Yahya ibn Ma’een, and Ibn ‘Adiyy, mentioned that he is a trustworthy narrator.

Among those who discredited him is Al-Bukhari as he said: “He relates Munkar (denounced) Ahaadeeth.”

An-Nasaa’i said: “He is one of those who are well-versed in Fiqh, but he is not strong in Hadeeth science.”

Allaah Knows best.