✦ The Chain of Transmission and Authenticity of the Hadith on Ism al-Aʿẓam in Sunan Ibn Mājah ✦
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil fī Ḍawʾ al-Qurʾān wa al-Ḥadīth, Volume 01, Page 489
❖ The Question
This narration is mentioned in Sunan Ibn Mājah, in the chapter concerning the Names of Allah ﷻ. Please clarify its chain of transmission and authenticity:
{عَنْ عَائِشَۃَ قَالَتْ سَمِعْتُ رَسُوْلَ اﷲِ صلی الله علیہ وسلم یَقُوْلُ اَللّٰہُمَّ اِنِّیْ أَسْأَلُکَ بِاِسْمِکَ الطَّاہِرِ الطَّیِّبِ الْمُبَارَکِ الْاَحَبِّ اِلَیْکَ الَّذِیْ اِذَا دُعِیْتَ بِہِ اَجَبْتَ وَاِذَا سُئِلْتَ بِہٖ اَعْطَیْتَ وَاِذَا اسْتُرْحِمْتَ بِہٖ رَحِمْتَ وَاِذَا اسْتُفْرِجْتَ بِہٖ فَرَّجْتَ قَالَتْ وَقَالَ ذَاتَ یَوْمٍ یَا عَائِشَۃُ ہَلْ عَلِمْتِ اَنَّ اﷲَ قَدْ دَلَّنِیْ عَلَی الْاِسْمِ الَّذِیْ اِذَا دُعِیَ بِہٖ اَجَابَ قَالَتْ فَقُلْتُ یَا رَسُوْلَ اﷲِ بِاَبِیْ اَنْتَ وَاُمِّیْ فَعَلِّمْنِیْہِ قَالَ اِنَّہٗ لاَ یَنْبَغِیْ لَکِ یَا عَائِشَۃُ قَالَتْ فَتَنحَّیْتُ وَجَلَسْتُ سَاعَۃً ثُمَّ قُمْتُ فَقَبَّلْتُ رَاْسَہٗ ثُمَّ قُلْتُ یَا رَسُوْلَ اﷲِ عَلِّمْنِیْہِ قَالَ اِنَّہٗ لاَ یَنْبَغِیْ لَکِ یَا عَائِشَۃُ اَنْ اُعَلِّمَکِ اِنَّہٗ لاَ یَنْبَغِیْ لَکِ اَنْ تَسْاَلِیْنَ بِہٖ شَیْئًا مِنَ الدُّنْیَا قَالَتْ فَقُمْتُ فَتَوَضَّأتُ ثُمَّ صَلَّیْتُ رَکْعَتَیْنِ ثُمَّ قُلْتُ (اَللّٰہُمَّ اِنِّیْ اَدْعُوْکَ اﷲَ وَاَدْعُوْکَ الرَّحْمٰنَ وَاَدْعُوْکَ الْبَرَّ الرَّحِیْمَ وَاَدْعُوْکَ بِاَسْمَآئِکَ الْحُسْنٰی کُلِّہَا مَا عَلِمْتُ مِنْہَا وَمَا لَمْ اَعْلَمْ اَنْ تَغْفِرَ لِیْ وَتَرْحَمَنِیْ) قَالَتْ فَاسْتَضْحَکَ رَسُوْلُ اﷲِ صلی الله علیہ وسلم ثُمَّ قَالَ اِنَّہٗ لَفِیْ الْاَسْمَآئِ الَّتِیْ دَعَوْتِ بِہَا}
❖ The Translation of the Narration
ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها reported:
I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying:
اللّٰہُمَّ اِنِّیْ أَسْأَلُکَ بِاِسْمِکَ الطَّاہِرِ الطَّیِّبِ الْمُبَارَکِ الْاَحَبِّ اِلَیْکَ الَّذِیْ اِذَا دُعِیْتَ بِہِ اَجَبْتَ، وَاِذَا سُئِلْتَ بِہٖ اَعْطَیْتَ، وَاِذَا اسْتُرْحِمْتَ بِہٖ رَحِمْتَ، وَاِذَا اسْتُفْرِجْتَ بِہٖ فَرَّجْتَ۔
One day the Prophet ﷺ said:
“O ʿĀʾishah! Do you know that Allah has informed me of His Greatest Name (Ism al-Aʿẓam), which, when invoked, He answers the supplication?”
I said: “O Messenger of Allah! May my parents be sacrificed for you, teach me that Name.”
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
“O ʿĀʾishah! It is not appropriate for you (that I should teach you),” – meaning that it was not suitable to disclose Ism al-Aʿẓam to her, lest she use it to ask for worldly matters.
ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها said:
I withdrew and sat quietly for a while, then I rose, kissed the Prophet’s blessed head, and again requested:
“O Messenger of Allah! Please teach me that Name.”
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
“O ʿĀʾishah! It is not appropriate that I should teach you. It is not befitting for you to ask with it anything from this world.”
ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها continued:
So I got up, performed ablution, offered two units of prayer, and supplicated:
اللّٰہُمَّ اِنِّیْ اَدْعُوْکَ اﷲَ، وَاَدْعُوْکَ الرَّحْمٰنَ، وَاَدْعُوْکَ الْبَرَّ الرَّحِیْمَ، وَاَدْعُوْکَ بِاَسْمَائِکَ الْحُسْنٰی کُلِّہَا مَا عَلِمْتُ مِنْہَا وَمَا لَمْ اَعْلَمْ، أَنْ تَغْفِرَ لِیْ وَتَرْحَمَنِیْ۔
Upon hearing this, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ smiled and said:
“Indeed, Ism al-Aʿẓam is among the Names by which you supplicated.”
— Narrated by Muḥammad Yaʿqūb Aḥmad
❖ The Answer Regarding Its Authenticity
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
The explanation concerning the chain of this narration is as follows:
The hadith you quoted from Sunan Ibn Mājah contains a narrator named Abū Shaybah. This narrator is muhmal (i.e., not clearly identified). According to the principles of ḥadīth sciences, a muhmal narrator is regarded as majhūl (unknown) unless his identity is established and affirmed by trustworthy narrators.
Furthermore, Shaykh al-Albānī (ḥafiẓahullāh) has also included this narration in his work Ḍaʿīf Ibn Mājah, thereby grading it weak (ḍaʿīf).
❖ Conclusion
Hence, this hadith concerning Ism al-Aʿẓam as recorded in Sunan Ibn Mājah is weak in its chain of transmission due to the presence of an unknown narrator.
✿ ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب ✿
