Did the Prophet Desire a Weaned Girl
The Suspicion That the Messenger ﷺ Desired a Weaned Girl
The Suspicion
Based on the following hadith:
Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 25636
Yaqub narrated to us, he said: My father narrated to us, on the authority of Ibn Ishaq, he said: Husayn ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas narrated to me, on the authority of ‘Ikrimah, the freed slave of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, on the authority of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, on the authority of Umm al-Fadl bint al-Harith, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw Umm Habibah bint Abbas while she was still weaned. He said: “If this daughter of Abbas reaches puberty while I am alive, I will marry her.”
The Response — With Allah’s Help
Apart from the authenticity of the hadith or its invalidity, we see the infidel who presented the doubt deceiving even in the title — saying that the Prophet ﷺ desired a weaned girl — although it is written in the hadith: “over the weaned.”
But we will not differ as to whether she was weaned or over the weaned. Let us see whether this hadith is authentic or not.
The Full Narration
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw Umm Habibah bint Abbas while she was still weaned. He said: “If this daughter of Abbas reaches puberty while I am still alive, I will marry her.”
He died before she reached puberty. Al-Aswad ibn Abdullah married her, and she gave birth to Rizq ibn al-Aswad and Lubabah bint al-Aswad, and named her after her name Umm al-Fadl.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Narrator | Al-Haythami |
| Source | Majma’ al-Zawa’id |
| Page / Number | 4/279 |
| Summary of Degree | In its chain of transmission is Al-Husayn ibn Abdullah ibn Abbas — and he is rejected. |
Assessment of the Narrator: Al-Husayn Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abbas
Full Name: Al-Husayn ibn Abdullah ibn Ubayd Allah ibn Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib Al-Qurashi Al-Hashemi, Abu Abdullah Al-Madani.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Generation | 5th — of the younger Tabi’in |
| Death | 140 or 141 AH |
| Status according to Ibn Hajar | Weak |
| Status according to Al-Dhahabi | Declared weak |
Scholarly Verdicts on This Narrator
Al-Mizzi said in Tahdhib Al-Kamal:
- Ahmad ibn Hanbal (via Abu Bakr Al-Athram): He has some strange things.
- Yahya ibn Ma’in (via Abu Bakr ibn Abi Khaithama): Weak.
- Yahya ibn Ma’in (via Ahmad ibn Sa’d ibn Abi Maryam): He is not bad; his hadith should be written.
- Al-Bukhari: Ali said: I left his hadith, and Ahmad also left him.
- Abu Zur’ah: He is not strong.
- Abu Hatim: He is weak. I prefer him to Husayn ibn Qays; his hadith should be written, but he should not be used as evidence.
- Ibrahim ibn Ya’qub al-Jawzjani: His hadith should not be used.
- Al-Nasa’i: He is abandoned. And in another place: He is not trustworthy.
- Abu Ja’far al-‘Uqayli: He has hadiths that are not followed.
- Abu Ahmad ibn ‘Adi: His hadiths are similar to each other, and he is one of those whose hadith should be written — for I did not find in his hadiths a single objectionable hadith that exceeded the amount.
- Muhammad ibn Sa’d: He died in the year 140 or 141 AH, and he narrated many hadiths — but I did not see them cite his hadiths as evidence.
Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah narrated from him. — End of Al-Mizzi’s quote.
Additional Notes from Al-Hafiz in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib (2/342)
- Al-Hasan bin Ali bin Muhammad al-Nawfali said: Al-Husayn bin Abdullah was a friend of Abdullah bin Muawiyah bin Abdullah bin Jaafar, and they were both accused of heresy. People said they only reconciled because of that. Then they became estranged, and poems were exchanged between them reproaching each other.
- Al-Bukhari said: It is said that he was accused of heresy.
- Abu Dawud (via Al-Ajurri): Asim bin Ubaydullah is above him.
- Al-Hakim Abu Ahmad: He is not strong in their view.
- Ibn Hibban: He changes the chains of transmission and raises the mursal hadiths.
Conclusion: The hadith is rejected due to a weak and discredited narrator in its chain of transmission