Azami 4355

Imam Ahmad (11086) narrated it from Ismail (that is, Ibn Ulaya), from Hisham Dastawai, who said, Yahya bin Abu Kathir narrated to us, from Abu Rifa, from Abu Saeed Khudri, and he related it.This Abu Rifa is also called Abu Muti, and his name is Rifa bin Awf. Bukhari mentioned him in Kunya (31/9), and Ibn Abu Hatim in Jarh wa Tadil (371/9), and neither of them mentioned any criticism or endorsement of him. Ibn Hibban did not mention him in his "Thiqat" even though he meets his criteria. Hafiz said in "Taqrib," "Acceptable," and this is correct, because he was corroborated. He was followed by Ata bin Yasar, from Abu Saeed Khudri, who related the same thing.Imam Ahmad (11396) narrated it from Ishaq bin Isa, Abdul-Rahman bin Zayd narrated to us, from his father, from Ata bin Yasar, with his chain of transmission. Abdul-Rahman bin Zayd is daif, but he was also corroborated in the first chain.There is a third chain as well. Imam Ahmad (11281) also narrated it from Mutallib, Ibn Abu Layla narrated to us, from Atiya, from Abu Saeed Khudri, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Eat the pre-dawn meal, for there is a blessing in the pre-dawn meal." This chain contains Ibn Abu Layla, and his teacher Atiya, both of whom are daif. But taking all these chains together, this hadith becomes hasan.On this subject there is also what has been narrated from Anas bin Malik, that the Prophet ﷺ said, "Eat the pre-dawn meal, even if only with a mouthful of water." Abu Yaala (3340) and Aqeeli (3/50) both narrated it from the hadith of Muhammad bin Abu Bakr Muqaddami, Abdul-Wahid bin Thabit Bahili narrated to us, who said, Thabit narrated to us, from Anas, and he related it.This Abdul-Wahid bin Thabit Bahili, Bukhari said of him, "His hadith is objectionable." See "Mizan" (2/671). Aqeeli said, "He is not corroborated in his hadith." He mentioned another hadith of his, which is his statement, "The Prophet ﷺ used to break his fast with a few dates, or something not touched by fire." He said, "A group of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ narrated from him through sound chains that he said, 'Eat the pre-dawn meal, for there is a blessing in the pre-dawn meal,' and regarding the pre-dawn meal there are established chains. But as for the two phrases that this shaykh brought, 'even if only with a mouthful of water' and 'or something not touched by fire,' no trustworthy narrator corroborates him on them." This is the end of Aqeeli's statement. This is what he said, even though the first phrase has come through hasan chains as mentioned before.On this subject there is also a report from Jabir, who said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Whoever intends to fast should eat something for the pre-dawn meal." Ahmad (14950) and Abu Yaala (1930) both narrated it from the hadith of Abu Ahmad Zubayri, Sharik narrated to us, from Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Aqeel, from Jabir, and he related it. Sharik is Ibn Abdullah Nakhai, about whom there is disagreement. If he is corroborated the hadith becomes hasan, otherwise not, because his memory changed after he took up the judgeship in Kufa.As for what has been narrated from Abu Hurairah, who said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed for blessing upon three things, tharid, the pre-dawn meal, and measuring by volume, this is gharib. Ibn Hibban narrated it in Thiqat (1378) in the biographical entry of Assad bin Musa, saying, Makhul narrated to us in Beirut, Abu Thawban Mizdad bin Jameel narrated to us, Assad bin Isa narrated to us, raising it (and they had no doubt that he was among the Abdal), Artaah bin Mundhir narrated to us, from Dawud bin Abu Hind, from Saeed bin Musayab, from Abu Hurairah, who said, and he related it.Ibn Hibban said, "The people of his own land, meaning the people of Syria, narrated from him, and he produces unusual reports." I say, this hadith is among his unusual reports. He was among the devout worshippers of the people of Syria, but he neglected the memorization and study of hadith, and for this reason no one declared him trustworthy, and he was also inconsistent in the wording of the hadith text. The scholars have warned against gharib hadiths.Something similar has been narrated from Salman Farsi, except that he said, "Blessing lies in three things, in the congregation, in tharid, and in the pre-dawn meal." Bayhaqi narrated it in Shuab (7114), and its chain contains Abu Abdullah Basri, or Nasri, who is unknown, and Zayn Iraqi likewise said this, as Munawi mentioned in Fayd Qadir (219/3).His saying, "There is a blessing in the pre-dawn meal," means that partaking of the pre-dawn meal is intended as pure worship, namely fasting, and fasting in its entirety is a blessing, and the pre-dawn meal is the preliminary to this blessing, just as the pre-dawn meal has other benefits as well, among them strengthening the body to carry out the fast, so the blessing of the fast is linked to the blessing of the pre-dawn meal.