Authored by: Hafiz Muhammad Anwar Zahid (Hafizahullah)
It is narrated that Āminah (the mother of the Prophet ﷺ) said:
“I did not experience any of the usual signs of pregnancy. Nor did I go through the heaviness and discomfort that women generally feel during this period — except that there was a slight change in my routine.”
Sayyid Sulaiman Nadwi writes:
✔ The status of al-Wāqidī is well-known among the Hadith scholars — he is unreliable and weak.
✔ Neither of the two chains is marfūʿ (i.e., directly attributed to the Prophet ﷺ).
This narration has:
No authentic chain,
Is traced back to a severely weak narrator, and
Relies on hearsay and indirect reports.
Thus, it cannot be accepted as credible evidence in matters related to the biography of the Prophet ﷺ.
◈ The Claim
It is narrated that Āminah (the mother of the Prophet ﷺ) said:
“I did not experience any of the usual signs of pregnancy. Nor did I go through the heaviness and discomfort that women generally feel during this period — except that there was a slight change in my routine.”
◈ Ḥadīth Verification
Sayyid Sulaiman Nadwi writes:
- Qastallani in Mawāhib al-Ladunniyyah has narrated this account with reference to Muhammad ibn Isḥāq and Abu Nuʿaym.
- However, the book of Ibn Isḥāq, which is widely known and published today as the Sīrah of Ibn Hishām, does not contain any such report.
- Similarly, in the printed edition of Dalā’il al-Nubuwwah by Abu Nuʿaym, no such incident is found.
- Following Qastallani, other less meticulous later scholars, such as the authors of Sīrah Ḥalabiyyah and Muṣannaf Khumays, have also wrongly attributed this narration to Ibn Isḥāq and Abu Nuʿaym.
◈ The Actual Source
- Ibn Sayyid al-Nās, in ʿUyūn al-Athar, has correctly pointed out that this narration comes from al-Wāqidī.
- In reality, the story has been reported by Ibn Saʿd, who has documented it with two separate chains of narration, but both chains originate with al-Wāqidī.
◈ Evaluation of the Chains
✔ The status of al-Wāqidī is well-known among the Hadith scholars — he is unreliable and weak.
✔ Neither of the two chains is marfūʿ (i.e., directly attributed to the Prophet ﷺ).
- The first chain ends with ʿAbdullāh ibn Wahb, who narrates from his maternal aunt, and she says: “We used to hear...”
- The second chain ends with al-Zuhrī, as quoted by al-Wāqidī himself.
❀ Conclusion
This narration has:
No authentic chain, Is traced back to a severely weak narrator, and Relies on hearsay and indirect reports.Thus, it cannot be accepted as credible evidence in matters related to the biography of the Prophet ﷺ.
