4791 - Musaddad narrated to us, Sufyan narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, from 'Urwah--------------------------------------------
= Bishr ibn Rafi' — and he is weak — but Hajjaj ibn Farafisa followed him [in narrating it], and by that the hadith is strengthened.
Abu Ahmad: he is Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, and Sufyan: he is al-Thawri.
Al-Tahawi also cited it in "Sharh Mushkil al-Athar" (3128) via the route of Abu Shihab, and (3129) via the route of 'Isa ibn Yunus, both from Sufyan al-Thawri, from al-Hajjaj ibn Farafisa, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from Abu Salama, from Abu Hurayra.
Al-Tahawi also cited it (3127) via the route of Qabisa ibn 'Uqba, from Sufyan, from al-Hajjaj, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir or someone else — with doubt — from Abu Salama, from Abu Hurayra.
Al-Tirmidhi cited it (2079) from Muhammad ibn Rafi', from 'Abd al-Razzaq, from Bishr ibn Rafi', from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from Abu Salama, from Abu Hurayra.
It is also in "Musnad Ahmad" (9118) via the route of al-Hajjaj ibn Farafisa, from a man, from Abu Salama, from Abu Hurayra.
Imam al-Tahawi said in his commentary on this hadith: So we examined this hadith to determine what is meant by it, God willing, and we found that al-ghirr in the speech of the Arabs is: the one who has no hidden malice and no inner self that contradicts his outward appearance. Whoever is of this description, the Muslims are safe from his tongue and his hand, and this is the quality of the believers. And we found the wicked one (al-fajir) to be one whose outward appearance contradicts his inner self; for his inner self is what is disliked, while his outward appearance contradicts that, like the hypocrite who displays something not disliked from him — namely Islam, for which its people praise him — and conceals its opposite — namely disbelief, for which the Muslims condemn him. Thus his likeness is that of the deceitful one (al-khibb) who displays the meaning that is praiseworthy from him, so that the Muslims praise him for it, while concealing its opposite of what the Muslims condemn him for — and he is the wicked one whom the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, described with what he described him in this hadith, and he distinguished between him and the believer whom he described with what he described him in this hadith. And from God, the Mighty and Majestic, we ask for success.
Al-Khattabi said: The meaning of this statement is that the praiseworthy believer is the one whose nature and character are guilelessness (al-ghirara), and little discernment of evil, and refraining from seeking it out — and that this is not from ignorance on his part, but rather from generosity and good character. And the wicked one is the one whose habit is deceit (al-khibb) and cunning and delving into knowledge of evil — and that is not from intelligence on his part, but rather from deceit and baseness.