Question:
Assalamualaikum. What is the status of the following hadith: “I like three things, they are women, perfume and making it the coolness of my eyes in prayer,”? Thank you.
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam wrt wbt,
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Answering the question presented, the hadith is narrated through various routes of narrations. Among them is recorded by Imam Ahmad. He said:
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ عَنْ سَلَّامٍ أَبِي الْمُنْذِرِ عَنْ ثَابِتٍ عَنْ أَنَسٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ حُبِّبَ إِلَيَّ النِّسَاءُ وَالطِّيبُ وَجُعِلَ قُرَّةُ عَيْنِي فِي الصَّلَاةِ
“It has been narrated to us, Abdul Wahid Abu Ubaidah from Sallam Abu Munzir from Thabit from Anas, indeed, the Prophet PBUH said the things that I love is women and perfume which are the coolness of my eyes in prayer.”
Narrated by Imam Ahmad (12293) in Musnad
Al-Hafiz Ibnu Hajar al-Asqalani (w. 852 H) said that the sanad of this hadith is hasan.
Refer Talkhis al-Habir Fi Takhrij Ahadis al-Rafi’ie al-Kabir (3/249)
Syeikh Shuaib al-Arnaut state that the sanad is hasan because of one of the narrators is Sallam Abi Munzir. Imam Ahmad said that he is a hasan narrator.
Refer Musnad Ahmad (19/305-306), Mizan al-‘Itidal (2/370)
This hadith is also recorded by al-Nasaie with two of the following narrations:
أَخْبَرَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ عِيسَى الْقُوْمَسِيُّ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا سَلاَّمٌ أَبُو الْمُنْذِرِ ، عَنْ ثَابِتٍ ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ
“al-Husain bin Isa al-Qumasi told us. He said: Affan bin Muslim narrates to us. He said: Sallam Abi Munzir told us from Thabit from Anas.”
أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ الطُّوسِيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سَيَّارٌ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا جَعْفَرٌ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ثَابِتٌ عَنْ أَنَسٍ
“Ali bin Muslim al-Tusi told us. He said: Sayyar narrates to us. Jaafar told us. He said: Thabit told us from Anas.”
Sunan al-Nasaie (2940)
Al-Daraqutni (w. 385 H) stated that the narration from Thabit resembles accuracy.
Al-Baihaqi also recorded this hadith with some additions. He said:
أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ : عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ : مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ الْقَطَّانُ حَدَّثَنَا عَلِىُّ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ أَبِى عِيسَى الْهِلاَلِىُّ حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ ح وَأَخْبَرَنَا الإِمَامُ أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ : إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ حَدَّثَنَا مُطَيَّنٌ حَدَّثَنَا عَلِىُّ بْنُ الْجَعْدِ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا سَلاَّمٌ أَبُو الْمُنْذِرِ عَنْ ثَابِتٍ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِىَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- قَالَ : إِنَّمَا حُبِّبَ إِلَىَّ مِنْ دُنْيَاكُمُ النِّسَاءُ وَالطِّيبُ وَجُعِلَتْ قُرَّةُ عَيْنِىَ فِى الصَّلاَةِ
“Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Yusuf told us. Abu Bakar Muhammad bin al-Husain bin al-Hasan al-Qattan told us. Ali bin al-Hasan bin Abi Isa al-Hilali told us. Musa bin Ismail told us (H) Imam Abu Ishak Ibrahim bin Muhammad bin Ibrahim told us. Ahmad bin Ibrahim bin Ismail told us. Mutayyan told us. Ali bin al-Ja’d told us. Both said (Musa bin Ismail and Ali bin al-Ja’d): Sallam bin al-Munzir told us. From Thabit from Anas bin Malik RA. Indeed, the Prophet PBUH said: Things that I love from this world are women, perfume and it is the coolness of my eyes in prayer.”
Narrated by al-Baihaqi (8836) in Sunan al-Kubra
A renowned scholar al-Hafiz al-Iraqi (w. 806 H) who is the teacher of Ibnu Hajar al-Asqalani said that this sanad is jayyid.
Refer al-Mughni ‘an Hamli al-Asfar fi al-Asfar (pg. 378)
Regarding the addition of the word ثلاث which means three is an addition of no origin. We did not find it in any narration route or renowned hadith books. This is also stated by Ibnu Hajar al-Asqalani in Talkhis al-Habir. He said:
“We did not find the word ‘three’ in any routes of narration with a sanad.” Refer Talkhis al-Habir Fi Takhrij Ahadis al-Rafi’ie al-Kabir (3/249)
We concluded that the hadith stated is a hasan hadith where it is stated by al-Hafiz al-Iraqi, al-Hafiz Ibnu Hajar al-Asqalani and al-Daraqutni. As for the word ثلاث means three is a word of no origin.
Wallahua’lam.