What is the status of the following narration?
Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (radiyallahu ‘anhuma) reports that Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) informed them:
“Once a certain slave of Allah said ‘Ya Rabbi, Lakal hamdu kama yambaghi li jalali wajhika wa li ‘azimi sultanika’. (O Allah, All praise belongs to you, as befits the Glory of Your Countenance and the greatness of Your Might.)
The Angels were uncertain and did not know how to write down [the reward of this]. They ascended to the sky and said, ‘ O our Rabb, Your slave has uttered such a statement we are unsure how to write down [the reward]. Allah then said – and He knows best what His slave said -, ‘What did my slave say’?
The Angels reply, ‘He said ‘Ya Rabbi, Lakal hamdu kama yambaghi li jalali wajhika wa li ‘azimi sultanika’.
Allah Ta’ala then said, ‘Write it down just as my servant has uttered it until he meets Me and I shall reward him for it.’”
Answer
Imam Ibn Majah (rahimahullah), Imam Tabarani (rahimahullah) and Imam Bayhaqi (rahimahullah) have recorded this narration.
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith: 3801, Al Mu’jamul Kabir, Hadith: 13297 and Shu’abul Iman, Hadith: 4077 with slight variation in the wording)
Some Muhaddithun have not declared the Hadith as reliable, as they were unsure regarding the status of a narrator. However Imam Ibn Makula (rahimahullah) has declared this narrator as reliable (thiqah). ‘Allamah Dimyati (rahimahullah) has declared the Hadith as sound (hasan).
(Refer: Targhib, vol. 2 pg. 440, Zawaid Ibn Majah of ‘Allamah Busiri, pg. 489, Al Matjarur Rabih, Hadith: 1262 and Al Kashif of ‘Allamah Dhahabi with the footnotes of Hafiz Burhanud Din Sibt Ibnul ‘Ajami and Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwamah, vol. 3 pg. 20, number: 2381)
And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.
Answered by: Moulana Suhail Motala
Approved by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar
Checked by: Moulana Haroon Abasoomar