It was recorded by Abdullah ibn Ahmad in Zawa'id al-Musnad (Supplementary Material to al-Musnad) (1/138). Its narrators have been declared trustworthy, except for the Ansari, who is unnamed.

The phrase khirafat al-jannah means picking its fruits. The verb is used of a date palm in the sense of picking its fruit.

1368 — “When you cook meat, increase the broth—or the water—for that is more ample, or more beneficial, for the neighbours.”

Ahmad recorded it (3/377): Yahya ibn Sa'id al-Umawi narrated to us; al-A'mash narrated to us, saying: “It reached me from Jabir ibn Abdullah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said...” He then mentioned it.

I say: This chain of transmission consists of trustworthy narrators, all of whom are narrators of the two Shaykhs, except that it is interrupted between al-A'mash and Jabir.

Sufyan al-Thawri, however, narrated it differently: from al-A'mash, from Ibrahim, from his father, from Abu Dharr, attributed to the Prophet, with similar wording. Al-Khatib recorded it in Tarikh Baghdad (3/252), through Abdullah ibn Ibrahim al-Sawwaq, who said: Mu'afa ibn Imran narrated to me from Bishr ibn al-Harith, from him. He cited al-Daraqutni as saying: “It is singular among al-Thawri’s narrations from al-A'mash, also through Ibrahim al-Taymi. This shaykh alone narrated it from Bishr ibn al-Harith, known as al-Hafi.”

He said: “Abu Bakr al-Mufid also narrated it from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, a pupil of Bishr ibn al-Harith, from Bishr. This pupil is unknown, and al-Mufid—Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu'man—is not reliable.”

I say: Its attribution to Abu Dharr is reliably established. Abdullah ibn al-Samit narrated it from him, attributed to the Prophet, with the wording: “When you cook broth, increase its water; then look to a household among your neighbours and give them some of it graciously.”