1499 — Abū Ahmad Hārūn ibn Yūsuf narrated to us: Ibn Abī ʿUmar al-ʿAdanī narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad narrated to us: Ibn Abī al-Rijāl reported it to me, ⦗2032⦘ from his father, from his grandfather, from Anas ibn Mālik, who said: I was with the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—in his house when a bird was presented to him as a gift. He said, “O Allah, bring me a man whom You love, so that he may eat some of this bird with me.” I said, “O Allah, let him be a man of the Ansār.” There was a knock at the door, so I went over and asked, “Who is it?” He replied, “It is ʿAlī.” I said, “The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—has only just gone inside.” Then I returned to my place.

The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—repeated the supplication, saying, “O Allah, bring me a man whom You love, so that he may eat some of this bird with me.” There was another knock at the door, so I went over and asked, “Who is it?” He replied, “It is ʿAlī.” I said, “Wait a little,” and then returned to my place. The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—repeated the supplication once more, and there was another knock at the door. The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, “Open the door, Anas.” I opened it, and there stood ʿAlī—may Allah be pleased with him. The two of them then ate from the bird.

Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar said: I also heard from trustworthy people that he said, “O Allah, love him as well.”