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