55/0. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 2972b — Variant Report on Dates and Water
The Book of Zuhd and Softening of Hearts
Hadith About Dates and Water with a Variant Wording
Sahih Muslim : 2972b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 2972b
وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَأَبُو كُرَيْبٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، وَابْنُ، نُمَيْرٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ إِنْ كُنَّا لَنَمْكُثُ . وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ آلَ مُحَمَّدٍ . وَزَادَ أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ فِي حَدِيثِهِ عَنِ ابْنِ نُمَيْرٍ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَأْتِيَنَا اللُّحَيْمُ .
This hadith has been narrated on the authority of 'Urwa with the same chain of transmitters (and the words are): " We used to spend-" And he did not make a mention of the family of Muhammad (ﷺ), and Abu Kuraib made this addition to his hadith which was transmitted on the authority of Ibn Numair (and the words are):" But this that there was brought to us some meat."
Reference : Sahih Muslim 2972bIn-book reference : Book 55, Hadith 34USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 42, Hadith 7090
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 2972b
This report is a hadith variant about dates and water in the Prophet’s household. It says the same narration came through the same chain, but with wording that says, “We used to spend,” without mentioning the family of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم in that wording. It also notes an added phrase in one route: that sometimes a little meat would be brought to them. This is useful because it shows how a narration may carry the same main meaning while preserving small wording details. The core message remains simple: the household often lived without cooked food, while the added phrase shows that occasional meat was also mentioned in one transmitted wording.
What we learn from this hadith
- Different routes of a narration may preserve small wording differences.
- The main report remains about simple living and limited cooked food.
- One wording mentions that a little meat sometimes came to them.
- Careful reading helps avoid mixing wording details from different routes.
