Grading: (2) The hadith is sahih, and this chain is hasan because of Salih bin Abi 'Arib.

Reference / Source: Ahmad (36/22127) and Abu Dawud (3116) narrated it via the route of Abu 'Asim al-Nabil (al-Dahhak bin Makhlad) with this same chain.

Reference / Source: Ahmad (22034) narrated it from Muhammad bin Bakr from 'Abd al-Hamid bin Ja'far.

Reference / Source: Ahmad (21998), Ibn Majah (3796) and al-Nasa'i in "al-Kubra" (10909-10911) narrated something similar via the route of Hissan bin al-Kahil from 'Abd al-Rahman bin Samurah from Mu'adh bin Jabal, from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: "No soul dies while bearing witness that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah, with that coming from a heart of certainty, except that Allah forgives it." Its chain is hasan.

Reference / Source: Ahmad (22003) and al-Nasa'i (10907) also narrated it with this wording via the route of Qatadah from Anas bin Malik from Mu'adh bin Jabal.

Reference / Source: Al-Bukhari (128) and (129), Muslim (32) and al-Nasa'i (10905), (10906) and (10908) narrated via routes from Anas bin Malik that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Mu'adh bin Jabal: "Whoever meets Allah without associating anything with Him will enter Paradise."

Repetition: It will come once more at number (1863) via the route of Abu 'Asim.

Reference / Source: See its full takhrij and its supporting reports in (our notes on) "Sunan Abi Dawud".

(Clarification): (1) The story of the death of Abu Zur'ah al-Razi was narrated by the author (al-Hakim) in "Ma'rifat 'Ulum al-Hadith" (p. 76), and from him by al-Bayhaqi in "Shu'ab al-Iman" (8800), with his chain to Abu Ja'far bin 'Ali al-Sawi, the scribe of Abu Zur'ah al-Razi, who said: I was present with Abu Zur'ah while he was in the throes of death, and with him were Abu Hatim, Muhammad bin Muslim, al-Mundhir bin Shadhan and a group of scholars. They mentioned the hadith of talqin (prompting the dying), but felt too shy before Abu Zur'ah to prompt him with the declaration of tawhid, so they said: come, let us recall the hadith. Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad bin Muslim said: al-Dahhak bin Makhlad Abu 'Asim narrated to us from 'Abd al-Hamid bin Ja'far from Salih, and he began saying "Ibn, Ibn" and went no further. Abu Hatim said: Bundar narrated to us, saying: Abu 'Asim narrated to us from 'Abd al-Hamid bin Ja'far, and he fell silent and went no further, and the rest were silent. Then Abu Zur'ah, while in the throes of death, said: Bundar narrated to us, Abu 'Asim narrated to us, 'Abd al-Hamid bin Ja'far narrated to us, from Ibn Abi 'Arib, from Kathir bin Murrah al-Hadrami, from Mu'adh bin Jabal, who said: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever's last words are 'La ilaha illa Allah' will enter Paradise." And Abu Zur'ah (may Allah have mercy on him) passed away.