Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah (Tawdīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 436
The statement often quoted as:
«حبب إلي من دنياكم ثلاث: الطيب، والنساء، وجعلت قرة عيني في الصلاة»
“Three things were made beloved to me from your world: perfume, women, and the coolness of my eyes was placed in prayer.”
In some versions, alleged additions are made involving the responses of Abu Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, ʿAlī (رضي الله عنهم) and Jibrīl (عليه السلام)—ultimately ending with an attribution to Allah’s preferences.
This extended version is found in a book titled “al-Munabbihāt li Ibn Ḥajar”.
The long version of this narration is not found with a chain of transmission (isnād) in any reliable Hadith collection. In the book attributed to Ibn Ḥajar, al-Munabbihāt, the narration is mentioned without any isnād.
Reference: al-Munabbihāt, pp. 21–22 (1282 AH edition)
See: Kutub Ḥadhdhara Minhā al-ʿUlamāʾ, Vol. 2, p. 326
The book’s full name is “al-Munabbihāt ʿalā al-Istiʿdād li-Yawm al-Miʿād”, which is not authored by Ibn Ḥajar, but rather Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Ḥajjī—a virtually unknown figure.
Kashf al-Ẓunūn, Vol. 2, p. 1848
Kashf al-Khafāʾ, Vol. 1, p. 340, Ḥadīth No. 1089
There is an authentic Hadith in simpler form:
«حُبِّبَ إِلَيَّ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا النِّسَاءُ وَالطِّيبُ، وَجُعِلَتْ قُرَّةُ عَيْنِي فِي الصَّلَاةِ»
“Women and perfume were made beloved to me from this world, and the coolness of my eyes was placed in prayer.”
Sunan al-Nasāʾī: 3391, 3392 — Isnāds Hasan
Musnad Aḥmad 3/285
Al-Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr 3/116
Mustadrak al-Ḥākim 2/160 — Ṣaḥīḥ ʿalā Sharṭ Muslim
Note: This authentic Hadith does not mention any responses from the Companions or Jibrīl (عليه السلام), nor does it mention Allah's alleged preferences.
The short version of the Hadith is authentic and reported through trustworthy chains.
The long version involving additions by Companions, Jibrīl (عليه السلام), and Allah ﷻ is:
Such narrations are not acceptable in Islamic discourse, and spreading them falls under the serious sin of attributing falsehood to the Prophet ﷺ.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«مَن كَذَبَ عَلَيَّ مُتَعَمِّدًا، فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ»
“Whoever intentionally lies about me, let him take his seat in the Hellfire.”
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ḥadīth 109
❖ The Claimed Hadith:
The statement often quoted as:
«حبب إلي من دنياكم ثلاث: الطيب، والنساء، وجعلت قرة عيني في الصلاة»
“Three things were made beloved to me from your world: perfume, women, and the coolness of my eyes was placed in prayer.”
In some versions, alleged additions are made involving the responses of Abu Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, ʿAlī (رضي الله عنهم) and Jibrīl (عليه السلام)—ultimately ending with an attribution to Allah’s preferences.
This extended version is found in a book titled “al-Munabbihāt li Ibn Ḥajar”.
❖ Critical Evaluation of the Extended Narration
The long version of this narration is not found with a chain of transmission (isnād) in any reliable Hadith collection. In the book attributed to Ibn Ḥajar, al-Munabbihāt, the narration is mentioned without any isnād.
Reference: al-Munabbihāt, pp. 21–22 (1282 AH edition)- Leading biographers such as Imām al-Sakhāwī, Imām al-Shawkānī, Ismāʿīl Bāshā al-Baghdādī, and Khayr al-Dīn al-Ziriklī did not mention al-Munabbihāt among Ibn Ḥajar's works.
- Researchers like Shaykh Abū ʿUbaydah Mashhūr ibn Ḥasan Āl Salmān have declared the attribution false.
See: Kutub Ḥadhdhara Minhā al-ʿUlamāʾ, Vol. 2, p. 326The book’s full name is “al-Munabbihāt ʿalā al-Istiʿdād li-Yawm al-Miʿād”, which is not authored by Ibn Ḥajar, but rather Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Ḥajjī—a virtually unknown figure.
Kashf al-Ẓunūn, Vol. 2, p. 1848- Ibn Ḥajar himself considered the “three things” extension to be unsourced and baseless.
Al-Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr, Vol. 3, p. 116, Ḥadīth No. 1435 - Al-ʿAjlūnī cited the narration from al-Mawāhib without a proper chain, claiming al-Ṭabarī attributed it to al-Jundī—an unknown identity.
Kashf al-Khafāʾ, Vol. 1, p. 340, Ḥadīth No. 1089❖ Authentic Hadiths on the Topic
There is an authentic Hadith in simpler form:
«حُبِّبَ إِلَيَّ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا النِّسَاءُ وَالطِّيبُ، وَجُعِلَتْ قُرَّةُ عَيْنِي فِي الصَّلَاةِ»
“Women and perfume were made beloved to me from this world, and the coolness of my eyes was placed in prayer.”
Sunan al-Nasāʾī: 3391, 3392 — Isnāds Hasan Musnad Aḥmad 3/285 Al-Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr 3/116 Mustadrak al-Ḥākim 2/160 — Ṣaḥīḥ ʿalā Sharṭ Muslim Note: This authentic Hadith does not mention any responses from the Companions or Jibrīl (عليه السلام), nor does it mention Allah's alleged preferences.❖ Conclusion of Research
The short version of the Hadith is authentic and reported through trustworthy chains. The long version involving additions by Companions, Jibrīl (عليه السلام), and Allah ﷻ is:- Fabricated (mawḍūʿ)
- Lacks isnād
- Falsely attributed to Ibn Ḥajar
- Rejected by Hadith scholars
Such narrations are not acceptable in Islamic discourse, and spreading them falls under the serious sin of attributing falsehood to the Prophet ﷺ.The Prophet ﷺ said:
«مَن كَذَبَ عَلَيَّ مُتَعَمِّدًا، فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ»
“Whoever intentionally lies about me, let him take his seat in the Hellfire.”
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ḥadīth 109