He heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, "One of the prophets went out with the people to pray to Allah for rain, when suddenly they came upon an ant raising some of its legs. The prophet said, 'Return, for your prayer has been answered on account of this ant.'"
أنه سمع رسول الله ﷺ يقول: خرج نبي من الأنبياء بالناس يستسقون الله عز وجل فإذا هم بنملة رافعة بعض قوائمها فقال النبي: ارجعوا فقد استجيب لكم من أجل هذه النملة.
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Tahawi related it in Sharh Mushkil (875), and Khatib in his Tarikh (12/65), both via the route of Muhammad bin Aziz, who said, Salama bin Rawh told us, from Aqeel, from Ibn Shihab, Abu Salama informed me, from Abu Hurairah, and he mentioned it. Among its narrators is Tahawi's teacher, Muhammad bin Aziz Ayli, whom more than one scholar deemed trustworthy, though some criticized him. The more evident view is that he was truthful, as Dhahabi said in Mizan and Mughni. Also among them is Salama bin Rawh, whom Ibn Hibban deemed trustworthy, saying, "His hadith is sound," and Maslama bin Qasim said, "There is no harm in him," while Abu Zura and Abu Hatim Razi both deemed him daif. It was said that he did not hear from his uncle Aqeel bin Khalid, but rather narrated from his books, and that these books transmitted from Aqeel are sahih. See Tahzib Kamal. The rest of his narrators are trustworthy.It was also narrated through another route, from Zuhri, from Abu Salama, from Abu Hurairah, with similar wording. Daraqutni related it in his Sunan (2/66), and Hakim in Mustadrak (1/325), both via the route of Abdul-Aziz bin Abu Salama Umari, who said, Muhammad bin Awn, freedman of Umm Yahya bint Hakam, told us, from his father, who said, Muhammad bin Muslim bin Shihab Zuhri said to me, Abu Salama informed me, that Abu Hurairah said, and he mentioned it. Hakim said, This is a hadith sahih in its isnad, though the two of them (Bukhari and Muslim) did not narrate it. I say, it strengthens the previous narration, even though its isnad contains someone whom no one but Ibn Hibban deemed trustworthy.As for what was narrated from Jabir bin Abdullah, who said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The mother of Sulayman bin Dawud said to Sulayman, 'My son, do not sleep too much at night, for excessive sleep at night leaves a man poor on the Day of Resurrection'," this is daif. Ibn Majah related it (1332) from Zuhayr bin Muhammad, Hasan bin Muhammad bin Sabbah, Abbas bin Jafar, and Muhammad bin Amr Hadathani, who all said, Sunayd bin Dawud told us, who said, Yusuf bin Muhammad bin Munkadir told us, from his father, from Jabir bin Abdullah, and he mentioned it. Sunayd bin Dawud and Yusuf bin Muhammad bin Munkadir are both daif.