✍ Compiled by: Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Anwar Zāhid (ḥafiẓahullāh)
It is reported that:
“Abū ʿAlī al-Rāzī said: I accompanied Faḍīl ibn ʿIyāḍ for 30 years. During that entire period, I never saw him laugh or even smile, except on one day—when his son passed away. On that occasion, he smiled slightly and said: Indeed, Allah loves the one whom He tests. And whom Allah loves, I too love.”
This report is cited through the following chain:
Judgment: Weak Chain (Isnād Ḍaʿīf)
This narration cannot be authenticated due to multiple issues in its chain:
These works preserve historical and spiritual narratives, but the narration does not meet the standard of ṣaḥīḥ or ḥasan due to the weakness in the chain.
Even from a dirāyah (content-based) standpoint, this story raises concerns:
✔ The story about Faḍīl ibn ʿIyāḍ smiling upon the death of his son is not authentically established due to a weak chain and the presence of a majhūl narrator.
✔ It also raises concerns from a content and reasoning perspective, and hence cannot be used as a sound historical or moral proof.
As such, while Faḍīl ibn ʿIyāḍ remains a highly respected figure among the ascetics and pious, this specific incident should not be cited as authentic.
◉ The Narrative
It is reported that:
“Abū ʿAlī al-Rāzī said: I accompanied Faḍīl ibn ʿIyāḍ for 30 years. During that entire period, I never saw him laugh or even smile, except on one day—when his son passed away. On that occasion, he smiled slightly and said: Indeed, Allah loves the one whom He tests. And whom Allah loves, I too love.”
This report is cited through the following chain:
- Abū Nuʿaym, from his father ʿAbdullāh,
- From Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Abān,
- From Abū Bakr ibn ʿUbayd,
- From Qāsim ibn Hāshim,
- From Isḥāq ibn ʿAbbād ibn Mūsā,
- Who narrates from Abū ʿAlī al-Rāzī.
◉ Hadith Authentication (Taḥqīq al-Ḥadīth)
Judgment: Weak Chain (Isnād Ḍaʿīf)
This narration cannot be authenticated due to multiple issues in its chain:
❖ Presence of an Unknown Narrator (Majhūl)
- The narrator Isḥāq ibn ʿAbbād ibn Mūsā is unknown; his biographical details are not found in the reliable books of rijāl.
- No tawthīq (attestation of reliability) or tarjama (biography) has been recorded for him in major references.
❖ Sources That Mention This Report
- Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ by Abū Nuʿaym (8/100)
- Al-Riḍā ʿan Allāh bi-Qaḍāʾih by Ibn Abī al-Dunyā (p. 18, report no. 90)
- Tārīkh Baghdād by al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī (6/373–374)
These works preserve historical and spiritual narratives, but the narration does not meet the standard of ṣaḥīḥ or ḥasan due to the weakness in the chain.
◉ Analysis from a Rational Perspective (Dirāyah)
Even from a dirāyah (content-based) standpoint, this story raises concerns:
- The emotional response to a child’s death typically includes grief, not visible joy or smiling.
- While patience and ridāʾ (contentment with Divine decree) are commendable, the specific action of smiling upon a son's death appears incongruent with natural human behavior.
- The phrase “Allah loves the one He tests, and I love whom Allah loves” is theologically sound, but its usage here lacks contextual verification.
◉ Conclusion
✔ The story about Faḍīl ibn ʿIyāḍ smiling upon the death of his son is not authentically established due to a weak chain and the presence of a majhūl narrator.
✔ It also raises concerns from a content and reasoning perspective, and hence cannot be used as a sound historical or moral proof.
As such, while Faḍīl ibn ʿIyāḍ remains a highly respected figure among the ascetics and pious, this specific incident should not be cited as authentic.
