Aḥmad recorded it (3/490).

I say: Its chain of transmission is sound; all of its narrators are trustworthy. Although Ibn Lahīʿah had a poor memory, his hadiths as transmitted by the ʿAbādilah—the noted transmitters named ʿAbd Allāh—are authentic, as is well known among the scholars. This report is transmitted from him by one of them, namely the imam ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak. Yet this fact escaped al-Munāwī when he declared the hadith defective, saying: “It contains Ibn Lahīʿah!” He erred again, for he said this after al-Suyūṭī attributed the hadith to Ibn Mājah, thereby giving the impression that Ibn Mājah had transmitted it through Ibn Lahīʿah. In fact, this is not so: Ibn Lahīʿah does not occur in its chain of transmission, as you have seen.

The hadith has a third route, narrated by Khālid ibn Yazīd ibn Abī Mālik from his father, who related it to him from Wāthilah ibn al-Asqaʿ, one of the people of al-Suffah. It contains the hadith in full, in a more complete form, and includes the words, “In the name of Allah.” Al-Ḥākim recorded it (4/116–117) and said: “Its chain of transmission is authentic.” Al-Dhahabī rebutted him, saying: “I say: Khālid is trustworthy; some declared him trustworthy, but al-Nasāʾī said: ‘He is not trustworthy.’”

I say: Al-Taqrīb states: “He is weak, despite being a jurist, and Ibn Maʿīn accused him of lying.”

I say: Therefore, reliance is upon the preceding route. The hadith also has a supporting report narrated by ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās and attributed to the Prophet: “Blessing descends into the middle of the bowl, so eat from its sides and do not eat from its top.” Al-Ṭaḥāwī recorded it in Mushkil al-Āthār (1/55), as did others, with an authentic chain of transmission. It is also cited in al-Mishkāh (4211).