❖ The Incident of Thalabah bin Hatib and Tafsir of Surah al-Tawbah: Reality or Weak Narration?
Source: Ahkam wa Masail, Tafsir ka Bayan, Vol. 1, Page: 482
❀ The Question
Regarding the verse:
﴿وَمِنۡهُم مَّنۡ عَٰهَدَ ٱللَّهَ لَئِنۡ ءَاتَىٰنَا مِن فَضۡلِهِۦ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَلَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ﴾
(al-Tawbah: 75)
Translation:
“And among them are those who made a covenant with Allah, (saying): ‘If He gives us out of His bounty, we will surely spend in charity and surely be among the righteous.’”
In tafsir of this verse, the incident of Thalabah bin Hatib (رضي الله عنه) is often mentioned—that he asked the Prophet ﷺ to supplicate for his wealth.
The question is: Is this incident authentic?
❀ The Answer
Alhamdulillah, was-salatu was-salamu ‘ala Rasoolillah, amma ba‘d!
The narration attributed to Thalabah bin Hatib (رضي الله عنه)—that he requested the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for wealth and promised that if Allah gave him riches, he would give charity and perform good deeds—
Although this story is very famous, its chain of transmission is not strong.
In other words:
Despite its widespread mention, it does not reach the level of reliable and authentic evidence.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
(This is what I hold, and Allah knows best what is correct.)
