✒ Sourced from: Monthly Al-Hadith, Hazro
"When my father's death approached, he instructed: ‘Do not shroud me in a sewn garment.’ Upon his passing and the completion of his ritual washing (ghusl), they sent for me to send a shroud. I complied and sent it. They asked, ‘Where is the shirt?’ I replied: ‘My father had prohibited shrouding him in a sewn shirt.’
However, his shirt was with the launderer, so I sent someone to retrieve it. It was brought and put on him, and they proceeded with the burial. I locked my door and followed them. Upon returning, the shirt was back in the house. I sent someone to the washers and asked, ‘Did you shroud him in the shirt?’ They replied, ‘Yes.’ I asked, ‘Was it this same one?’ They said, ‘Yes.’"
➊ Imam Tabarani said:
ثَنَا أَبُو مُسلِم الْكَشِيُّ ثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ الْمُسْلِمُ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ عَنْ غُدَيْسَةَ بِنْتِ أَهْبَانَ قَالَتْ …. إلخ
(Al-Mu‘jam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī, Vol. 1, Page 293, Ḥadīth 862)
This account is also found in several other classical sources:
Verdict:
The incident is unproven and cannot be relied upon in matters of creed or practice.
وَمَا عَلَيْنَا إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ
"Our duty is only to convey the message."
❀ The Incident Narrated by ‘Adīsa bint Ahban
‘Adīsa bint Ahban recounts:"When my father's death approached, he instructed: ‘Do not shroud me in a sewn garment.’ Upon his passing and the completion of his ritual washing (ghusl), they sent for me to send a shroud. I complied and sent it. They asked, ‘Where is the shirt?’ I replied: ‘My father had prohibited shrouding him in a sewn shirt.’
However, his shirt was with the launderer, so I sent someone to retrieve it. It was brought and put on him, and they proceeded with the burial. I locked my door and followed them. Upon returning, the shirt was back in the house. I sent someone to the washers and asked, ‘Did you shroud him in the shirt?’ They replied, ‘Yes.’ I asked, ‘Was it this same one?’ They said, ‘Yes.’"
❀ The Chain of Transmission (Isnad)
This incident is primarily reported with the following chain:➊ Imam Tabarani said:
ثَنَا أَبُو مُسلِم الْكَشِيُّ ثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ الْمُسْلِمُ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ عَنْ غُدَيْسَةَ بِنْتِ أَهْبَانَ قَالَتْ …. إلخ
(Al-Mu‘jam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī, Vol. 1, Page 293, Ḥadīth 862)
This account is also found in several other classical sources:
- Mu‘jam Ibn al-A‘rābī (Vol. 3, p. 26)
- Al-Awsat by Ibn al-Mundhir (Vol. 9, p. 117)
- Sharḥ Uṣūl I‘tiqād Ahl al-Sunnah (Vol. 7, p. 17)
- Maṭālib al-‘Āliyah by Ibn Ḥajar (Vol. 5, p. 267)
- Ittiḥāf al-Khiyara al-Mahra (Vol. 3, pp. 228-229)
❀ Analysis of the Narrator
The primary narrator of this story is ‘Adīsa bint Ahban, who is classified as Majhūlah (unknown). Her reliability is questionable due to the following reasons:- Imam Tirmidhi regarded her as thiqah (trustworthy), however:
- Imam Tirmidhi is considered lenient in narrator authentication, especially when he is the sole authority in affirming a narrator's reliability.
- Hafiz Ibn Hajar stated:
عدیستہ بنت اہبان مقبولتہ — She is Maḥjūlah al-Ḥāl
(Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb: Entry 8640)
❀ Conclusion of Research (خلاصة التحقيق)
Given the status of the narrator as unknown (majhūlah) and the lack of corroborating strong isnād (chains of transmission), this story is not authentic. Verdict:The incident is unproven and cannot be relied upon in matters of creed or practice.
وَمَا عَلَيْنَا إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ
"Our duty is only to convey the message."
