Azami 4111

This was narrated by Abu Dawud (1679), Nasai (3664), Ibn Majah (3684), Ibn Khuzayma (2496), Ibn Hibban (3348), and Hakim (1/414), all of them through various routes from Saeed bin Musayab, from Saad bin Ubada, who related it. The wording given is that of Ibn Khuzayma. Abu Dawud also narrated it (1680) from Saeed bin Musayab and Hasan, and Nasai (3666) and Ahmad (22459) narrated it from Hasan alone, from Saad bin Ubada, who related it.Hakim said, "Sahih according to the criteria of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim)." Dhahabi challenged this, saying, "No, for it is not connected." I say, he is correct in this, for Saeed bin Musayab never met Saad bin Ubada, since he was born during the caliphate of Umar, two years into it, that is, in the year 15 AH, while Saad bin Ubada died in the year 25 AH in Syria. So it is not possible that Saeed bin Musayab heard from him, and thus there is a break in the chain. However, it is known through extensive study that Saeed bin Musayab does not relate a hadith without a direct chain except from a trustworthy source, and for this reason Shafii said, "The unconnected narrations of Saeed bin Musayab are, in our view, hasan." Hasan Basri also followed him in relating it without a direct chain, and he too never met Saad bin Ubada.Tabarani narrated it in al-Kabir (26/6) from Muhammad bin Uthman bin Abu Shayba, who said, Darrar bin Sarad Abu Naeem al-Tahhan told us, who said, Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad told us, from Umara bin Ghaziya, from Humayd bin Abu Sabah, from Saad bin Ubada, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him, "O Saad, shall I not direct you to a form of charity that is light in its burden yet great in its reward?" He said, "Yes indeed." He said, "Provide water for people to drink." So Saad provided water for people to drink.Haythami said in al-Majma (3/132), "Tabarani narrated it, and it contains Darrar bin Sarad, who is daif." I say, Darrar bin Sarad al-Taymi al-Kufi was judged daif by the majority of scholars, but Abu Hatim said, "He is truthful, a man devoted to the Quran and to inheritance law, his hadith is recorded though not relied upon as proof." So he is among those whose hadith is recorded for corroboration and supporting evidence, and this is one such case.It has also been narrated from Abu Hurairah, who said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "There is no charity of greater reward than water." This was narrated by Bayhaqi in Shuab al-Iman (3106) from Abul-Husayn bin Fadl al-Qattan, who said, Abu Amr bin Sammak told us, who said, Muhammad bin Abul-Awwam told us, who said, my father told me, who said, Dawud bin Ataa told us, from Yazid bin Abdul-Malik bin Mughira al-Nawfali, from his father, from Yazid bin Khusayfa and from Yazid bin Ruman, from Saeed bin Abu Saeed, from Abu Hurairah, who related it.In this chain is Dawud bin Ataa al-Muzani, their freedman, Abu Sulayman al-Madani, who is judged daif by the majority of hadith scholars, and likewise his teacher Yazid bin Abdul-Malik bin Mughira al-Nawfali, though neither of them has been accused of fabrication. By combining these chains together, the hadith rises to the level of hasan.It is established in Sahih Bukhari (2756) that Saad bin Ubada gave two orchards, al-Mikhraf, in charity on behalf of his mother. Perhaps in this orchard there was a well from which people drank, as Hasan Basri said, and it has come in the narration of Ahmad (22459), "That was the watering place of the family of Saad in Madinah."