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]. A woman of rank and beauty who has been bereft of her husband and devotes herself to her fatherless children till they [grow up and are able to live on their own] or pass 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: Moulana Suhail Motala
Approved by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar
Checked by: Moulana Haroon Abasoomar