Excellence of Dinner and Undesirability of Ignoring it

2. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Hisham ibn al-Hakam who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah عليه السلام, has said, ’The origin of the ruination of body is in ignoring dinner.’”

3. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Jamil ibn Salih who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah عليه السلام, has said, ’Neglecting dinner is senility, thus it is necessary for an aged man to go to sleep when his stomach is full of food.’”

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Sa‘id ibn Junah who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’ عليه السلام, has said, ‘When a man becomes old he must not neglect eating something during the night; it brings peaceful sleep and nicer breath.’”

5. Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Bandar has narrated from Ahmad ibn abu ‘Abd Allah from his father from Sulayman ibn Ja‘far al-Ja‘fariy who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan عليه السلام, would not neglect dinner even if it was one cookie; and he (the Imam) would say, ‘Neglecting dinner is ruination of the body.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I am not certain perhaps he (the Imam) said that it is helpful in going to bed with one’s wife.’”

6. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn abu Nasr from Hammad ibn ‘Uthaman from al-Walid ibn Sabih who has said the following: “I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah عليه السلام, saying, ‘It is not good for one of old age to spend the night very light, instead it is better for him to pass the night with full stomach.’”

7. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Sinan from Ziyad ibn abu al-Hallal who has said the following: “I once took dinner with abu ‘Abd Allah عليه السلام, and he said, ‘Dinner after ‘ Isha ’ al- Akhirah (time of late evening Salat (prayer)) is like the dinner of the prophets, ‘Alayhim al-Salam.”’

8. Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Bandar has narrated from Ahmad ibn abu ‘Abd Allah, from abu Sulayman, from Ahmad ibn al-Hassan al- Jabaliy (al-Halabiy), from his father, from Jamil ibn Darraj who has said the following: “I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah عليه السلام, saying, ‘If one does not take dinner one Saturday and Sunday nights consecutively, his strength will go away and will not come back until forty days later.’”

9. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from certain persons of his people from Dharih who has said the following: “Abu ‘ Abd Allah عليه السلام, has said, ‘An old man must not neglect dinner even if it is one morsel.”’

10. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Bakr ibn Salih from ibn Faddal from ‘Abd Allah ibn Ibrahim from Ah ibn abu Ah al-Lahbiy who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah عليه السلام, once asked me, ‘What do your physicians say about dinner?’ I replied, ‘They prohibit taking dinner.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘I however, command you to take dinner.’”

11. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from al-Hajj al from Tha’labah from a man whom he has mentioned who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah عليه السلام, has said, ‘Food during the night is more useful than food during the day.’”

12. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from certain persons of Ahwaz who has said the following: “Al-Rida’ عليه السلام, has said, ‘In the body there is a vein called ‘Isha’. If one does not take dinner, it continues praying against him until morning; and it says, ‘May Allah make you hungry just as you kept me hungry, and may Allah make you thirsty just as you kept me thirsty.’ No one of you must neglect taking dinner, even if it is one morsel of bread or a sip of water.’”