Narrator: Anas ibn Malik (r.a.)
Numbering: Sunnah.com
حَدَّثَنَا عُقْبَةُ بْنُ مُكْرَمٍ الْعَمِّيُّ الْبَصْرِيُّ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ أَبِي فُدَيْكٍ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا سَلَمَةُ بْنُ وَرْدَانَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لِرَجُلٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ: «هَلْ تَزَوَّجْتَ يَا فُلَانُ؟» قَالَ: لَا وَاللَّهِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، وَلَا عِنْدِي مَا أَتَزَوَّجُ بِهِ. قَالَ: «أَلَيْسَ مَعَكَ {قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ}؟» قَالَ: بَلَى. قَالَ: «ثُلُثُ الْقُرْآنِ». قَالَ: «أَلَيْسَ مَعَكَ {إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ}؟» قَالَ: بَلَى. قَالَ: «رُبُعُ الْقُرْآنِ». قَالَ: «أَلَيْسَ مَعَكَ {قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ}؟» قَالَ: بَلَى. قَالَ: «رُبُعُ الْقُرْآنِ». قَالَ: «أَلَيْسَ مَعَكَ {إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ}؟» قَالَ: بَلَى. قَالَ: «رُبُعُ الْقُرْآنِ». قَالَ: «تَزَوَّجْ تَزَوَّجْ». قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى: هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked one of his companions: “Have you married, so-and-so?” He said: “No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah, and I have nothing to marry with.” He asked: “Do you not have {Qul huwa Allahu ahad}?” He said: “Yes.” He said: “That is a third of the Quran.” He asked: “Do you not have {Idha ja’a nasrullahi wa al-fath}?” He said: “Yes.” He said: “That is a quarter of the Quran.” … then he said: “Marry, marry.”
Grade
Al-Albani’s ruling in Sunan al-Tirmidhi (ed. Shakir)
Differing from al-Tirmidhi’s own assessment. Its chain contains Salama ibn Wardan, criticised by hadith scholars.
Cited as hasan per al-Tirmidhi
Sheikh Redwan Muhammad Redwan
Himpunan Risalah, footnote no. 92
Acting on a weak report in fada’il al-a‘mal
Imam al-Nawawi writes in al-Adhkar: “The scholars among the hadith specialists, the jurists and others have said: it is permitted and encouraged to act, in matters of merit and of encouragement and warning, upon a weak hadith — so long as it is not fabricated (mawdu‘).” As for rulings such as the lawful and unlawful, sale, marriage and divorce, these may rest only on a sahih or hasan report.
The conditions Ibn ‘Allan states in al-Futuhat al-Rabbaniyya (1/84): (1) the report is neither fabricated nor severely weak; (2) it falls under an established general principle; and (3) when acting on it one does not hold it to be established from the Prophet (peace be upon him), but acts out of precaution.
Al-Adhkar, al-Nawawi — section on acting upon a weak hadith
Notes
The grade is disputed: al-Tirmidhi rated it hasan, al-Albani rated it da‘if. This card shows both.
Compare Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi 2894 (Ibn Abbas): there al-Zalzalah is said to equal *half* the Quran, while here it is a *quarter*. The two reports differ on this point — one reason al-Albani was cautious about the merit of al-Zalzalah.
Footnote no. 91 in Himpunan Risalah explains the context of the conquest of Mecca rather than citing a hadith, so it remains a note only.