It was recorded by Ibn Mājah, al-Ḥākim, al-Ṭayālisī, and Aḥmad through several chains, all of them from Abū Dh’īb, from Saʿīd al-Maqburī, from Saʿīd ibn Yasār, from Abū Hurayrah, traced back to the Prophet ﷺ. The additional wording appears in the versions of al-Ḥākim and Aḥmad, while al-Ṭayālisī transmits the same meaning in paraphrase.

Al-Ḥākim then remarked: “Authentic according to the criteria of the Two Shaykhs. Layth ibn Saʿd, however, differed with Ibn Abī Dh’īb and reported it from al-Maqburī, from Abū ʿUbaydah, from Saʿīd ibn Yasār, who heard Abū Hurayrah relate it with a similar wording, traced back to the Prophet.”

I say: al-Dhahabī concurred with him. The first route is indeed upon their standards, just as they declared; as for the second, this Abū ʿUbaydah is unknown to me.

Imām Aḥmad also brought the report through this latter path from Layth, and Ibn Khuzaymah included it in his Ṣaḥīḥ—as cited in al-Targhīb—where, in the supplementary notes, he states: “Its chain is sound; its transmitters are trustworthy.”

The word tabashbash originally signifies a friend’s delight at the arrival of another friend, marked by gentle discourse and a warm welcome. Here it conveys Allah’s gracious reception of the worshipper, His drawing him near, and His honoring him.

There are further reports on waiting for one prayer after another and on frequenting the mosques, yet what we have cited is sufficient and adequate. Whoever wishes more may consult al-Targhīb. Despite their differing wording and nuances, all these narrations urge the believer to remain in anticipation of the (next) prayer.