I say: Yet it is supported by the hadith mentioned immediately before it, narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn Makhmar—spelled with a khāʾ; the original has Mujmir, with a jīm, which is a scribal error—one of the people of Yemen. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman narrated it, stating that he heard him relate that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to ‘A’ishah:

“Protect yourself from the Fire, even if only with half a date.”

Al-Tabarani also narrated it. Al-Haythami said: “Its chain contains Sa‘id ibn Abi Maryam, who is weak because his memory became impaired.”

I say: I do not know of any narrator named Sa‘id ibn Abi Maryam. There is, however, Sa‘id ibn al-Hakam ibn Muhammad ibn Salim ibn Abi Maryam al-Misri, but he was not described as having suffered impaired memory; rather, he was trustworthy and firmly precise. Allah knows best.

Moreover, al-Hafiz included this hadith in the biographical entry of this ‘Abdullah ibn Makhmar, through Yahya ibn Ayyub al-Ghafiqi, from ‘Abdullah ibn Qurt—or, it was said, Qurayt—who heard ‘Abdullah ibn Makhmar narrate it. Ibn Abi Hatim included it in al-Wuhdan, as did Ibn Mandah, Abu Nu‘aym, and others.

Thus, as you see, the narrator according to them is ‘Abdullah ibn Qurt, whereas according to al-Tabarani he is ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman. Is this a discrepancy concerning the narrator, or one arising from a copyist? Allah knows best.

In any case, the hadith of ‘A’ishah has other chains. Kathir ibn Zayd narrated from al-Muttalib ibn ‘Abdullah, from her, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to her:

“O ‘A’ishah, protect yourself from the Fire, even if only with half a date, for it serves the hungry as it serves the well-fed.”