Abu Dawud

1717. Commentary: Two individuals narrate from Abu al-Zubayr al-Makki. One is Mughira ibn Ziyad, from whom Imam Abu Dawud has mentioned this very text. The other is Mughira ibn Muslim; in the narration reported by Abu Muslimah, this same matter is attributed to a Companion instead of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). (Awn al-Ma‘bud) This narration is weak in its chain of transmission, but Imam al-Bukhari (rahimahullah) has established a chapter: "Chapter: If someone finds a piece of wood in the sea, or a whip, or something similar," meaning, when a person finds a piece of wood floating in the sea, or a whip, or something of extremely little value, and it comes into his possession. And below, he has brought the hadith from which the permissibility of taking a piece of wood floating in the sea for use as fuel is established. Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah) states that Imam al-Bukhari (rahimahullah), by deriving a ruling from this hadith, has included the whip as well. (Fath al-Bari, Book of Lost Property, the mentioned chapter) From this, it is established that although the hadith reported by Imam Abu Dawud (rahimahullah) is weak in its chain, the ruling stated in it is correct due to other evidences.