What is the authenticity of the hadith: “When Sha'ban reaches its midpoint, do not fast”?

Question:
The hadith: ?

Answer:
It is authentic, and there is no harm in it. It was narrated by the five... to block the means to increasing [fasting] in Ramadan. If one does not fast before the midpoint, he does not fast after the midpoint.
Q: Is the prohibition for dislike or for prohibition?
A: Its apparent meaning is for prohibition; this is the default ruling.
Q: What about someone who does not have a habit, such as fasting one day and breaking the fast the next?
A: For one who has a habit, there is no harm, just as mentioned earlier: . If one has a habit, such as fasting Mondays and Thursdays, for example, if a Monday or Thursday falls on the last day of the month, he fasts it. Or if he fasts one day and breaks the fast the next, and his fasting day falls on the thirtieth day, there is no harm.
Q: How do you reconcile this with the hadith: ?
A: The hadith: is a word spoken, and the explicit wording takes precedence over the implied meaning. The implied meaning of Abu Hurayrah’s hadith is that there is no harm in advancing [the fast] by more than two days, but this implied meaning is not intended, as evidenced by his saying: , with regard to what is after the midpoint.