Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Sunan Abu Dawud, which contains 5,276 hadiths across 43 books. It is hadith number 2342 in the Book of Fasting (Kitab Al-Siyam).

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#2341

#2342

Sunan Abu Dawud

#2343

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Sunan Abu Dawud #2342

Q: What is Sunan Abu Dawud 2342 about?

This hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud (Book of Fasting (Kitab Al-Siyam)), narrated by Narrated Ikrimah:, states: "Once the people doubted the appearance of the moon of Ramadan, and intended neither to offer the tarawih prayer nor to keep fast. A bedouin came from al-Harrah and testified that he had sighted the mo…"

Fasting (Kitab Al-Siyam)

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

حَدَّثَنِي مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، عَنْ سِمَاكِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، أَنَّهُمْ شَكُّوا فِي هِلاَلِ رَمَضَانَ مَرَّةً فَأَرَادُوا أَنْ لاَ يَقُومُوا وَلاَ يَصُومُوا فَجَاءَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ مِنَ الْحَرَّةِ فَشَهِدَ أَنَّهُ رَأَى الْهِلاَلَ فَأُتِيَ بِهِ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ أَتَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ نَعَمْ ‏.‏ وَشَهِدَ أَنَّهُ رَأَى الْهِلاَلَ فَأَمَرَ بِلاَلاً فَنَادَى فِي النَّاسِ أَنْ يَقُومُوا وَأَنْ يَصُومُوا ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ رَوَاهُ جَمَاعَةٌ عَنْ سِمَاكٍ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ مُرْسَلاً وَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ الْقِيَامَ أَحَدٌ إِلاَّ حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ ‏.‏

Once the people doubted the appearance of the moon of Ramadan, and intended neither to offer the tarawih prayer nor to keep fast. A bedouin came from al-Harrah and testified that he had sighted the moon. He was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ). He asked: Do you testify that there is no god but Allah, and that I am the Messenger of Allah? He said: Yes; and he testified that he had sighted the moon. He commanded Bilal who announced to the people to offer the tarawih prayer and to keep fast.

Narrated by Narrated Ikrimah:

Context

This hadith recounts an incident where the people were uncertain about the sighting of the Ramadan moon. A bedouin testified that he had seen the moon, which prompted the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to confirm his testimony and instruct the community to begin their fast. This emphasizes the importance of community and the role of testimony in Islamic practices.

Modern Application

In modern times, this hadith illustrates the significance of community verification in religious observances. It encourages individuals to seek reliable sources and confirmations when participating in communal religious activities, such as Ramadan.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Fasting because it directly relates to the observance of Ramadan and the communal aspect of determining the start of fasting.

Fasting