Will a Martyr Intercede for Seventy Relatives? – Ḥadīth Authentication
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah (Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 205
In Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Jihād (Ḥadīth: 2522), it is narrated from Abū al-Dardāʾ رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
«يَشْفَعُ الشَّهِيدُ فِي سَبْعِينَ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ»
“A martyr will intercede for seventy members of his household.”
Is this ḥadīth authentic in terms of chain?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Narrated by:
Aḥmad ibn Ṣāliḥ → Yaḥyā ibn Ḥassān → al-Walīd ibn Rabāḥ al-Dhimārī → from his uncle Numrān ibn ʿUtbah al-Dhimārī → “We entered upon Umm al-Dardāʾ while we were orphans…”
Also narrated by Ibn Ḥibbān (al-Iḥsān: 4641 or 4660; al-Mawārid: 1613), al-Bayhaqī (al-Sunan al-Kubrā, 9/164), and Ibn ʿAsākir (Tārīkh Dimashq, 65/168) through Yaḥyā ibn Ḥassān.
Statements on Numrān ibn ʿUtbah:
This narration is weak due to Numrān ibn ʿUtbah being majhūl al-ḥāl.
A ḥasan li-dhātih supporting narration exists:
From al-Miqdām ibn Maʿdīkarib رضي الله عنه, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“A martyr will intercede for seventy of his relatives.”
(Sunan Ibn Mājah: 2799)
Thus, the ḥadīth about a martyr interceding for seventy relatives is authentic in meaning.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah (Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 205
Question:
In Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Jihād (Ḥadīth: 2522), it is narrated from Abū al-Dardāʾ رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
«يَشْفَعُ الشَّهِيدُ فِي سَبْعِينَ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ»
“A martyr will intercede for seventy members of his household.”
Is this ḥadīth authentic in terms of chain?
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Chain in Sunan Abī Dāwūd:
Narrated by:
Aḥmad ibn Ṣāliḥ → Yaḥyā ibn Ḥassān → al-Walīd ibn Rabāḥ al-Dhimārī → from his uncle Numrān ibn ʿUtbah al-Dhimārī → “We entered upon Umm al-Dardāʾ while we were orphans…”
Also narrated by Ibn Ḥibbān (al-Iḥsān: 4641 or 4660; al-Mawārid: 1613), al-Bayhaqī (al-Sunan al-Kubrā, 9/164), and Ibn ʿAsākir (Tārīkh Dimashq, 65/168) through Yaḥyā ibn Ḥassān.
Narrator Analysis:
- Yaḥyā ibn Ḥassān al-Tanīsī Abū Zakariyyā al-Baṣrī – Trustworthy (thiqa). (Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb: 7529)
- al-Walīd ibn Rabāḥ (real name: Rabāḥ ibn al-Walīd ibn Yazīd ibn Numrān al-Dhimārī) – Ṣadūq (truthful). (Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb: 1876)
- Numrān ibn ʿUtbah – Only narrated from by al-Walīd (or Rabāḥ ibn al-Walīd). Ibn Ḥibbān listed him in al-Thiqāt claiming Ḥarīz ibn ʿUthmān narrated from him, but no such narration is known.
Statements on Numrān ibn ʿUtbah:
- Al-Dhahabī: lā yudrā man huwa – “It is not known who he is.” (Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl, 4/273)
- Ibn Ḥajar: maqbūl – Majhūl al-ḥāl (unknown). (Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb: 7188)
Conclusion on Abū Dāwūd’s Chain:
This narration is weak due to Numrān ibn ʿUtbah being majhūl al-ḥāl.
Supporting Evidence:
A ḥasan li-dhātih supporting narration exists:
From al-Miqdām ibn Maʿdīkarib رضي الله عنه, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“A martyr will intercede for seventy of his relatives.”
(Sunan Ibn Mājah: 2799)
- The chain is ḥasan.
- Imām al-Tirmidhī declared it ṣaḥīḥ (Tirmidhī: 1663).
Overall Ruling:
- The Ibn Mājah narration is ḥasan li-dhātih.
- Combining it with the Abū Dāwūd narration raises the latter to ḥasan li-ghayrih.
Thus, the ḥadīth about a martyr interceding for seventy relatives is authentic in meaning.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
