Sunan Abi Dawud

Sunan Abi Dawud 1379

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَفْصِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ السُّلَمِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ طَهْمَانَ، عَنْ عَبَّادِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ ضَمْرَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أُنَيْسٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ كُنْتُ فِي مَجْلِسِ بَنِي سَلِمَةَ وَأَنَا أَصْغَرُهُمْ، فَقَالُوا مَنْ يَسْأَلُ لَنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ وَذَلِكَ صَبِيحَةَ إِحْدَى وَعِشْرِينَ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ ‏.‏ فَخَرَجْتُ فَوَافَيْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم صَلاَةَ الْمَغْرِبِ ثُمَّ قُمْتُ بِبَابِ بَيْتِهِ فَمَرَّ بِي فَقَالَ ‏"‏ ادْخُلْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَدَخَلْتُ فَأُتِيَ بِعَشَائِهِ فَرَآنِي أَكُفُّ عَنْهُ مِنْ قِلَّتِهِ فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ قَالَ ‏"‏ نَاوِلْنِي نَعْلِي ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَامَ وَقُمْتُ مَعَهُ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ كَأَنَّ لَكَ حَاجَةً ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قُلْتُ أَجَلْ أَرْسَلَنِي إِلَيْكَ رَهْطٌ مِنْ بَنِي سَلِمَةَ يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنْ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ كَمِ اللَّيْلَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقُلْتُ اثْنَتَانِ وَعِشْرُونَ قَالَ ‏"‏ هِيَ اللَّيْلَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ أَوِ الْقَابِلَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ يُرِيدُ لَيْلَةَ ثَلاَثٍ وَعِشْرِينَ ‏.‏

Translation

Ahmad ibn Hafs ibn Abd Allah al-Sulami narrated to us: My father narrated to us: Ibrahim ibn Tahman narrated to us, from Abbad ibn Ishaq, from Muhammad ibn Muslim al-Zuhri, from Damrah ibn Abd Allah ibn Unays, from his father, who said: I was at a gathering of Banu Salimah, and I was the youngest of them. They said: Who will ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for us about Laylat al-Qadr? This was on the morning of the twenty-first of Ramadan. I went out and joined the Messenger of Allah for the sunset prayer. Then I stood by the door of his house, and he passed by me and said: Come in. I went in, and his supper was brought. He saw me holding back from it because there was so little. When he had finished, he said: Hand me my sandals. He stood up, and I stood with him. He said: It seems you have a need. I said: Yes. A group of Banu Salimah sent me to ask you about Laylat al-Qadr. He said: What night is it? I said: The twenty-second. He said: It is tonight. Then he went back and said: Or the following night—meaning the twenty-third night.