❖ Question:
Is it true that Umm Ḥabībah (رضي الله عنها) removed the bedding of the Prophet ﷺ from underneath her father Abū Sufyān (رضي الله عنه)?
❖ Answer:
This incident is not authentically established. It is found in sources such as:
① The primary narrator, Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar al-Wāqidī, is matrūk (abandoned) and kadhdhāb (a known liar).
Therefore, the narration is false and not reliable.
② The narration is mursal from Imām az-Zuhrī (رحمه الله), and a mursal narration is not valid proof in matters of creed or rulings.
❖ A Fabricated Incident Involving a Curse:
A narration claims that:
"The Prophet ﷺ saw Abū Sufyān passing by on a camel with Muʿāwiyah and his brother (Yazīd) — one leading the camel and the other driving it — and the Prophet ﷺ said: 'May Allah curse the rider, the mount, the leader, and the driver.'"
— Ansaab al-Ashrāf by al-Balādhurī (5/129, ḥadīth 372)
Comment:
This book is unsourced (lacks isnād) and unreliable. Such narrations are not acceptable for deriving Islamic rulings or forming beliefs.
❖ Context from Authentic Sources:
An authentic report from Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (Hadith 2504) mentions that Abū Sufyān, before accepting Islam, passed by Salman, Suhayb, and Bilāl (رضي الله عنهم), who remarked:
"By Allah! The swords of Allah did not strike the neck of Allah’s enemy as they ought to."
Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه) responded:
"Do you say this to the elder and leader of Quraysh?"
He later informed the Prophet ﷺ, who replied:
"O Abū Bakr, perhaps you have angered them. If you have angered them, you have angered your Lord."
Abū Bakr then sought forgiveness from them, and they replied:
"May Allah forgive you, O our brother."
Comment:
This event occurred before the acceptance of Islam by Abū Sufyān (رضي الله عنه) — he accepted Islam at the time of the Conquest of Makkah. Scholars agree that the event took place after the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah and before the Conquest of Makkah.
Conclusion:
The claim that Umm Ḥabībah (رضي الله عنها) removed the Prophet ﷺ’s bedding from underneath her father Abū Sufyān (رضي الله عنه) is not authentic and is based on fabricated or unreliable narrations. The correct Islamic approach is to rely on authentic, verified reports, especially regarding the Companions (رضي الله عنهم) and their interactions with the Prophet ﷺ.
Is it true that Umm Ḥabībah (رضي الله عنها) removed the bedding of the Prophet ﷺ from underneath her father Abū Sufyān (رضي الله عنه)?
❖ Answer:
This incident is not authentically established. It is found in sources such as:
- Ṭabaqāt Ibn Saʿd (8/99)
- al-Maghāzī by al-Wāqidī (2/792)
- Sīrah Ibn Hishām (2/392)
- Tārīkh Ibn ʿAsākir (59/150)
① The primary narrator, Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar al-Wāqidī, is matrūk (abandoned) and kadhdhāb (a known liar).
Therefore, the narration is false and not reliable.
② The narration is mursal from Imām az-Zuhrī (رحمه الله), and a mursal narration is not valid proof in matters of creed or rulings.
❖ A Fabricated Incident Involving a Curse:
A narration claims that:
"The Prophet ﷺ saw Abū Sufyān passing by on a camel with Muʿāwiyah and his brother (Yazīd) — one leading the camel and the other driving it — and the Prophet ﷺ said: 'May Allah curse the rider, the mount, the leader, and the driver.'"
— Ansaab al-Ashrāf by al-Balādhurī (5/129, ḥadīth 372)
Comment:
This book is unsourced (lacks isnād) and unreliable. Such narrations are not acceptable for deriving Islamic rulings or forming beliefs.
❖ Context from Authentic Sources:
An authentic report from Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (Hadith 2504) mentions that Abū Sufyān, before accepting Islam, passed by Salman, Suhayb, and Bilāl (رضي الله عنهم), who remarked:
"By Allah! The swords of Allah did not strike the neck of Allah’s enemy as they ought to."
Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه) responded:
"Do you say this to the elder and leader of Quraysh?"
He later informed the Prophet ﷺ, who replied:
"O Abū Bakr, perhaps you have angered them. If you have angered them, you have angered your Lord."
Abū Bakr then sought forgiveness from them, and they replied:
"May Allah forgive you, O our brother."
Comment:
This event occurred before the acceptance of Islam by Abū Sufyān (رضي الله عنه) — he accepted Islam at the time of the Conquest of Makkah. Scholars agree that the event took place after the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah and before the Conquest of Makkah.
Conclusion:
The claim that Umm Ḥabībah (رضي الله عنها) removed the Prophet ﷺ’s bedding from underneath her father Abū Sufyān (رضي الله عنه) is not authentic and is based on fabricated or unreliable narrations. The correct Islamic approach is to rely on authentic, verified reports, especially regarding the Companions (رضي الله عنهم) and their interactions with the Prophet ﷺ.
