81 - Chapter on the Dislike of Traveling at the Beginning of the Night

2604 - Ahmad ibn Abi Shu'ayb al-Harrani narrated to us, Zuhayr narrated to us, Abu al-Zubayr narrated to us, from Jabir who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Do not send out your livestock when the sun has set until the darkness of the night has passed, for the devils are active when the sun sets until the darkness of the night has passed."

Abu Dawud said: "Al-Fawashi (livestock) refers to whatever spreads out and roams freely of every kind [of animal]."

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It was also recorded by al-Nasa'i in "Al-Kubra" (7813) via the route of Abu al-Mughirah 'Abd al-Quddus ibn al-Hajjaj al-Khawlani, and (10322) via the route of Baqiyyah ibn al-Walid, both from Safwan ibn 'Amr, with this chain of transmission. Al-Nasa'i said following his second narration: "Al-Zubayr ibn al-Walid is Syrian; I do not know of any other hadith from him besides this one."

It is also in "Musnad Ahmad" (6161).

Regarding his statement: "the dwellers of the land" — al-Khattabi said: He means by it the jinn, who are the inhabitants of the earth. And "the land" (al-balad) of the earth refers to whatever serves as a dwelling place for living creatures, even if there are no buildings or settlements therein.

He said: It is also possible that by "the parent" he meant Iblis, and by "what he begot" the devils.

(1) Its chain of transmission is sound. Abu al-Zubayr — who is Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Tadrus al-Makki — explicitly stated that he heard it directly, as recorded by al-Humaydi (1273), thus removing any suspicion of tadlis (concealment of transmission). Moreover, he has a corroborating narrator. Zuhayr: he is Ibn Mu'awiyah.

It was also recorded by Muslim (2013) via the route of Zuhayr ibn Mu'awiyah, with the same chain.

It is also in "Musnad Ahmad" (14342) and "Sahih Ibn Hibban" (1275).

It was also recorded by al-Bukhari (3280) and Muslim (2012) via the route of 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah, and al-Bukhari (3304) and Muslim following (2012) via the route of 'Amr ibn Dinar, both from Jabir ibn 'Abdullah, with the wording: "When the night falls — or when the night approaches — restrain your children, for the devils spread out at that time, and when an hour of the night has passed, then let them go." The wording of 'Ata' is the one recorded by al-Bukhari.

It will also come later from the author via the route of 'Ata', from Jabir, with the wording: "And restrain your children at the time of 'isha' — or at evening time — for the jinn have a spreading out and a snatching away." See the completion of its citation there.