Sahih al-Bukhari, 2128
sahihNarrated Al-Miqdam bin Ma'diyakrib:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Measure your foodstuff and you will be blessed."
حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُوسَى، حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ، عَنْ ثَوْرٍ، عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ مَعْدَانَ، عَنِ الْمِقْدَامِ بْنِ مَعْدِيكَرِبَ، رضى الله عنه عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ
كِيلُوا طَعَامَكُمْ يُبَارَكْ لَكُمْ
.
Isnad
4 transmittersReferences2 variants
- In-Book Reference
- Book 34, Hadith 80
- USC-MSA web (English) reference
- Vol. 3, Book 34, Hadith 338 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
The divine blessing is one of the bounties bestowed by Allah, Exalted is He, to increase what is little, preserve it, and prevent its loss. The Prophet ﷺ guided us to a number of means to receive the blessing of Allah, Exalted is He. In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ underlined one of such means, namely, the use of measures for foodstuff, including: wheat, barley, dates, raisins, and others, when buying or selling, or when paying their due Zakaah. The Prophet ﷺ said: “…you will be blessed,” meaning that Allah, Exalted is He, will enable you to better avail yourselves of its blessing, good, and great benefits, and both the sellers and buyers get to taste such benefits. It is also possible that the hadeeth refers to what a person spends on his dependents, and thus it would mean, “When you allocate foodstuff for your family and dependents, use measures to estimatethe exact amount that would suffice you for a specified period of time.” They did not use measures and therefore would eat to excess. It is noteworthy that this hadeeth does not contradict the one narrated on the authority of the Mother of the Believers, ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and recorded in Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim reading: “…I hada small quantity of barley I had on a shelf and from which I kept eating for a long time. Then when I measured what was left of it, it soon finished.” To reconcile between the two hadeeths, scholars underlined that it is recommended to use measures when conducting sales transactions because it preserves the rights of the contracting parties. However, it is disliked to use measures for foodstuff given in charity, because it is motivated by miserliness. .