Example 4: Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī in the Longer Route

The Meeting Condition in Muʿanʿan Hadith: Muslim’s Rejoinder and Route Comparison

فَرَوَاهُ حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ عَنْ عَمْرٍو عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. وَهَذَا النَّحْوُ فِي الرِّوَايَاتِ كَثِيرٌ، يَكْثُرُ تَعْدَادُهُ، وَفِيمَا ذَكَرْنَا مِنْهَا كِفَايَةٌ لِذَوِي الْفَهْمِ.
Translation: Ḥammād ibn Zayd transmits this report through ʿAmr → Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī → Jābir → the Prophet. Muslim says that many analogous examples exist and those cited suffice for attentive readers.

Short route: ʿAmr → Jābir.
Long route: ʿAmr → Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī → Jābir.

The evidentiary status of each route and Muslim’s logical critique of a universal threshold are distinct analytical questions.