Food must be covered at night as a sickness comes at night - Is this Hadith authentic?

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

The Hadeeth you are referring to is as follows:

عن جابر بن عبد الله قال سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول غطوا الإناء وأوكوا السقاء فإن في السنة ليلة ينزل فيها وباء لا يمر بإناء ليس عليه غطاء أو سقاء ليس عليه وكاء إلا نزل فيه من ذلك الوباء _{( صحيح مسلم ج3 ص1596(}

Translation:Jabir (Radiallahu Anhu) relates that Nabi (Sallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) is reported to have said: “Cover the utensils used for eating and drinking, because there will be a night during the year during which an epidemic will fall. Whenever such epidemic will pass by an uncovered eating or drinking utensil, it shall infect it.”(Sahih-Muslim 1596)

In another narration the following appears:

عن جابر عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال غطوا الإناء وأوكوا السقاء وأغلقوا الباب وأطفؤا السراج فإن الشيطان لا يحل سقاء ولا يفتح بابا ولا يكشف إناء  _{( صحيح مسلم ج3 ص1594)}

Translation:Jabir (Radiallahu Anhu) relates that Nabi (Sallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) is reported to have said: [When night falls,] cover your eating utensils, seal your water skins, close your doors and turn off your lamps. For Satan does not open the seal of your water skins, nor does he open doors nor does he uncover the eating utensils”. (Sahih-Muslim 1594)

Both of the above Ahadith are authentic. 

Imam Nawawi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) has stated the following benefits of covering a utensil: “Safeguard and protection against shaytan, waba [a harmful sickness that descends on one particular night of the year], dirt and impurities, and harmful insects and creatures. It may happen that something falls into a utensil and a person drinks it unmindfully, or at nighttime, someone uses that utensil and is harmed by its contents.

Whilst it is permissible to eat from a utensil that was left open at night, extra precaution should be observed in doing so.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Ahmad Patel

Student Darul Iftaa

South  Africa

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

(2020-07-01)

_{( صحيح مسلم ج3 ص1596(}

  _{( صحيح مسلم ج3 ص1594)}