Question

Is this narration authentic?

“I and a widow whose face has darkened, and she is patient with her child will be as close as these two fingers in Jannah”

Answer

The full narration in question is as follows:

Sayyiduna ‘Awf ibn Malik (radiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:

“I and a woman whose face has darkened [due to the hardships she endured while taking care of her children alone and she found no need to adorn herself since she did not remarry] shall on the Day of Qiyamah [some narrations have the words in Jannah] be like these two [joining between the index and middle fingers]. [She was] a woman of rank and beauty who had been bereft of her husband and devoted herself to her fatherless children till they [grew up and were able to live on their own] or passed away”

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith: 5106 and Musnad Ahmad, vol. 6, pg. 29. Also see Ma’alimus Sunan and ‘Awnul Ma’bud)

The Hadith in question is suitable to quote and is further supported by a similar authentic narration recorded in Musannaf ‘Abdur Razzaq (mursalan).

(Musannaf ‘Abdur Razzaq, Hadith: 20591)

Also see here

And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.

Answered by: Mawlana Suhail Motala

Approved by: Mawlana Muhammad Abasoomar

Checked by: Mawlana Haroon Abasoomar