It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about performing ablution with sea water, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Its water is purifying and its dead (animals) are lawful." Imam al-Hakim says: Among the corroborations (mutaba'at) of Imam Malik bin Anas in the routes of this hadith, I have narrated from three narrators who do not meet the condition of this book: Abd al-Rahman bin Ishaq, Ishaq bin Ibrahim al-Muzani and Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Qudami. What prompted me to do so is that the scholar should know that these corroborations and supporting reports belong to this foundational hadith with which Imam Malik opened his book "al-Muwatta", and which the jurists of Islam have circulated from his time to ours; and that a hadith like this is not to be declared defective on account of Sa'id bin Salamah and al-Mughirah bin Abi Burdah being unknown, since through these corroborations the label of being unknown has been removed from them both. This hadith has also been narrated from Ali bin Abi Talib, Ibn Abbas, Jabir bin Abdullah, Abdullah bin Amr and Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with them).