840 – On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): whenever the Prophet ﷺ offered wedding congratulations he would say, “May Allah bless you, shower His blessings upon you, and unite you both in goodness.” Narrated by Ahmad and the Four, and declared authentic by al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Khuzaymah, and Ibn Hibban. (1)
Grade of the ḥadith
The ḥadith is ḥasan. Al-Tirmidhi said: “A ḥadith that is ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.” It is reported by Ahmad, Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Mājah, al-Dārimī, and al-Bayhaqī, and its transmitters are reliable. It comes through two routes:
- From al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, from ʿAqīl b. Abī Ṭālib, with the connecting term ʿan but no explicit statement of hearing, leaving the chain technically mursal.
- From ʿAqīl through another path narrated by Imām Ahmad.
When these two chains are combined the report is strengthened. It was authenticated by al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Hibban, and al-Ḥākim, with al-Dhahabī and Ibn Daqīq al-ʿĪd concurring.
Vocabulary of the ḥadith
• raffaʾa a person: with an open rāʾ and a doubled fāʾ, and the hamzah may be pronounced or omitted. al-rifāʾ denotes harmony and cordial companionship; it is derived from rafaʾa a garment, meaning “to mend it.” Thus the expression conveys a supplication for accord, pleasant companionship, and felicitation on the marriage.