By Bilal Ali
Question:
There is a ḥadīth that divides Ramadan into three periods. Is this ḥadīth authentic?
Reply:
After a detailed analysis of all the corroboratory chains of the ḥadīth in question, it can be concluded that it is of a weak (ḍaʿīf) nature. The weakness of the narration, however, is not of such severity as to render it baseless. Narrations of this type can be used for the purpose of encouragement and relation of virtue according to the opinion of the vast majority of ḥadīth scholars.
The report in question has been narrated in a number of primary authoritative ḥadīth collections, namely Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah (ḥadīth 1887) with one chain, Bayhaqī’s Shuʿab al-Īmān (ḥadīth 3608) with numerous chains, and in brief in al-Thawāb of Abu ’l-Shaykh Ibn Ḥayyān. In secondary ḥadīth sources, this narration has been mentioned in full in al-Mundhirī’s al-Targhīb wa ’l-Tarhīb (ḥadīth 1462).
The full text of the ḥadīth is as follows: