The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Women and perfume have been made dear to me, and the delight of my eye has been placed in prayer."
قال رسول الله ﷺ حبب إلي النساء، والطيب، وجعل قرة عيني في الصلاة.
Nasai (3939), Ahmad (13057), and Bayhaqi (7/78) all narrated it from the hadith of Sallam Abu Mundhir, from Thabit, from Anas, and he mentioned it, the wording being Ahmad's. In one narration, "was made the delight of my eye." Its isnad is hasan because of Sallam Abu Mundhir, who is Sallam bin Sulayman Muzani, the reciter of Basra. Ibn Main said, "There is no harm in him," but there is another narration from him saying, "He is nothing." It is possible that he meant Sallam Tawil. Abu Hatim said, "Truthful, righteous." Ibn Hibban mentioned him in Thiqat. Ahmad said, "His hadith is hasan," as will come. Dhahabi said in Mizan (2/177), "Its isnad is strong." Ibn Hajar said in Talkhis (3/116), "Its isnad is hasan."I say, Jafar bin Sulayman corroborated him, narrating from Thabit, as Bayhaqi said. Nasai (3940) and Hakim (2/160) both narrated it from Sayar bin Hatim, who said, Jafar narrated to us, from Thabit, from Anas. Hakim said, "sahih according to the criterion of Muslim." I say, rather its isnad is daif, for Sayar bin Hatim Anazi, Abu Salama Basri, Abu Ahmad Hakim said of him, "There are some objectionable narrations in his hadith," and Aqeeli said, "His hadiths are objectionable," and Ibn Madini declared him daif, and Azdi said, "He has objectionable narrations." Moreover, he is not among the narrators of Muslim, so take note.Then Bayhaqi said, "A group of daif narrators reported this from Thabit." I say, among them is Sallam bin Abu Sahba, from Thabit, as Daraqutni mentioned it in Ilal (12/40), though I could not find its source, except that it is daif. Bukhari said, "His hadith is objectionable [munkar]." Taken together, these paths strengthen one another, and the hadith becomes hasan, as Ibn Hajar said.However, Hammad bin Zayd and Muhammad bin Uthman opposed them, narrating it from Thabit as mursal. Daraqutni said, "The mursal version is closer to being correct." This is what he said, but the principles of hadith scholarship require that the addition be accepted.As for Ibn Adi, he confused Sallam bin Sulayman with Sallam bin Abu Sahba, since each of them is given the kunya Abu Mundhir. He transmitted from Bukhari, concerning Sallam bin Abu Sahba Basri, who heard from Thabit, that "his hadith is objectionable [munkar]," and he transmitted from Imam Ahmad that he said, "Sallam Abu Mundhir, his hadith is hasan." Kamil (3/1151). So Bukhari's statement concerns Sallam bin Abu Sahba, while Imam Ahmad's statement concerns Sallam bin Sulayman Abu Mundhir, so the two are distinct.Then Ibn Adi said, "I hope that there is no harm in him." I say, if he meant Sallam bin Sulayman, then it is as he said, but if he meant Sallam bin Abu Sahba, then it is not "no harm in him," rather he is daif, and Bukhari and others have distinguished between the two.It has come in some narrations, "Three things have been made beloved to me from your worldly life," but his saying "from your worldly life" is an error, for prayer is not part of worldly life except by figurative interpretation. Nasai narrated it through two channels, in the hadith of Sallam Abu Mundhir, "worldly life" is mentioned, while in the hadith of Jafar, "worldly life" is not mentioned. As for "three things," it did not occur in the sahih narrations, and therefore Iraqi, Ibn Hajar, and others rejected it.