910 – A Companion of the Prophet ﷺ related: “When two people invite you, accept the invitation of the one whose door is nearer to yours; but if one of them extended his invitation first, then respond to the one who invited first.” Reported by Abū Dāwūd, and its chain of transmission is weak. ⦗1⦘
— Authenticity Assessment —
The ḥadith is classed as ḥasan (sound) in light of supporting reports.
It was transmitted by Aḥmad, by Abū Dāwūd, and by al-Bayhaqī through the route of Yazīd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Dalānī, from Abū al-ʿAlāʾ al-Awdi, from Ḥumayd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, from an unnamed Companion of the Prophet ﷺ.
This isnād is weak because of Yazīd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. Al-Ḥāfiẓ (Ibn Ḥajar) said of him: “Truthful, but he makes many mistakes and was given to tadlīs.” In al-Talkhīṣ (3/196), after citing the narration from Abū Dāwūd and Aḥmad, he declared the chain weak.
Al-Munẓirī wrote: “In its chain is Yazīd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Dalānī.” Abū Ḥātim deemed him reliable; Imām Aḥmad said: “There is no problem with him”; Ibn Maʿīn likewise stated, “He is acceptable”; and Ibn ʿAdī remarked: “His ḥadith is written down, though there is some leniency in him.”
Al-Ṣanʿānī noted regarding this report: “Its transmitters are deemed trustworthy, and it has corroboration in al-Bukhārī from the ḥadith of ʿĀʾishah: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I have two neighbours— to which of them should I give a gift?’ He replied, ‘To the one whose door is nearer to you.’”
— Points Derived from the ḥadith —
- It affirms the legitimacy of holding a wedding banquet (walīmah) and that doing so is part of the Prophetic sunnah.