Grading: (2) Its chain is "sahih". Abu al-Muthanna (in the chain) is Mu'adh bin al-Muthanna al-'Anbari, and Musaddad is Ibn Musarhad.

Corroborating chains and supporting reports: Musaddad (bin Musarhad) is corroborated in this narration of his, which is with the author (al-Hakim), by Abu al-Ash'ath Ahmad bin al-Miqdam al-'Ijli, in Abu Nu'aym's "Ma'rifat al-Sahabah": (4340) and in his "Mustakhraj 'ala al-Bukhari" [as cited in "Fath al-Bari": 4/ 719]; he narrated it from Bishr bin al-Mufaddal > Abu Maslamah > Abu Nadrah > Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him).

Corroborating chains and supporting reports: Likewise it was narrated by Shu'bah bin al-Hajjaj [with Ibn al-Sakan, as cited in "Fath al-Bari": 4/ 723; in Abu Bakr al-Isma'ili's "Mu'jam Shuyukhih": (399); and in Ibn 'Abd al-Barr's "al-Tamhid": 13/ 142], and by Ghassan bin Mudar [in Abu Khaythamah's "al-Tarikh al-Kabir": (2668); Abu Nu'aym's "Ma'rifat al-Sahabah": (4346); al-Bayhaqi's "al-Kubra": 6/ 286; and Ibn 'Abd al-Barr: 13/ 141]; both of them (Shu'bah and Ghassan) narrated it from Abu Maslamah Sa'id bin Yazid > Abu Nadrah > Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him). They are also corroborated by Abu Hilal al-Rasibi, as has passed with the author just before this.
Reference / Source: Al-Bukhari (1351) recorded it from Musaddad > Bishr bin al-Mufaddal > Husayn al-Mu'allim > 'Ata' bin Abi Rabah > Jabir bin 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), with wording like that of Abu Nadrah's narration from Jabir.

Important point / Research: Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in "Fath al-Bari": 4/ 720, after mentioning the narration of Abu al-Ash'ath al-'Ijli together with the author's narration: "It then becomes most likely that there is an error in this route (meaning al-Bukhari's route), but it has not become clear to me from whom it came, and I have not seen anyone draw attention to it. It seems that al-Bukhari sensed something of this, so after this route he placed the abridged narration of Ibn Abi Najih > 'Ata' > Jabir under number (1352) (which mentions Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) taking out his father after six months and his not having changed), to make clear that it has a basis through the route of 'Ata' from Jabir".

Important point / Research: Al-Hafiz said this without referring to the narrations of Shu'bah, Ghassan bin Mudar and Abu Hilal al-Rasibi, although he was aware of these narrations, since he drew attention to them later while explaining the hadith (at 4/ 722 and 723). What all these narrations require is that the narration of Bishr bin al-Mufaddal from Abu Maslamah be given definite preference (jazman), and Allah the Exalted knows best.

Reference / Source: Abu Dawud (3232) recorded from it the story of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) burying his father together with another man and then taking him out after six months, through the route of Hammad bin Zayd > Abu Maslamah Sa'id bin Yazid > Abu Nadrah > Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him). However, he said at its end: "I found no change in him except a few hairs of his beard which were next to the ground".

Reference / Source: Al-Bukhari (1352) and al-Nasa'i (2159) also recorded it abridged to this extent, from Sa'id bin 'Amir > Shu'bah > Ibn Abi Najih > 'Ata' > Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), but he did not mention in his narration what had changed in him.

Important point / Research: This is also a narration of Shu'bah bin al-Hajjaj, just like al-Bukhari's lengthy narration through Bishr bin al-Mufaddal from Husayn al-Mu'allim from 'Ata' from Jabir. So since Shu'bah narrated the report through both routes, it is possible that Bishr bin al-Mufaddal also had two chains for this report up to Jabir, both of them being preserved, as al-Hafiz initially considered possible in his commentary before he later inclined to the likelihood of an error in al-Bukhari's narration. This (explanation) is better than declaring al-Bukhari's narration an error, and Allah knows best.