All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Stories attributed to the Prophet ﷺ, his companions, and the followers often circulate in discussion forums and mailing lists. However, when subjected to the scrutiny of Hadith criticism, they turn out to be baseless. One such well-known story—though fame does not mean a story is authentic—is the story of Alqamah (Radi Allahu Anhu) with his mother, which is used as an evidence for the punishment of disobedience to parents. What is the authenticity of this story?
I will summarize the analysis of this story from the book “Qisas La Tathbut” (Volume 3, pp. 19–39) in the following points:
First:
This story, in its current form and with such detailed narration, is widely known among people. It is frequently mentioned in discussions about “parental disobedience” or “a good ending.” However, in this specific wording, it has no origin in the Hadith collections. There is a brief mention of it, but those who are keen on their religion should not be pleased with its chains of transmission (because of their extreme weakness).
Second:
One of the books that narrated this story in the form you mentioned in your article is “Al-Kabair” by Adh-Dhahabi, in the edition published by Shaikh Muhammad Abdur Razzaq Hamza (may Allah have mercy on him). However, after examining the manuscript version, it was found to be absent from it. Such a fabrication would not deceive a scholar like Imam Adh-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him).
The story is also mentioned in the book “Tanbih Al-Ghafilin” by As-Samarqandi, about whom Imam Adh-Dhahabi said in “Siyar A’lam al-Nubala” (16/323): “Fabricated Hadiths were circulated through him.” He also stated in “Tareekh Al-Islam” (incidents of 351–380 AH, p. 583): “The book Tanbih al-Ghafilin contains many fabricated reports.” Abu Al-Fadl Al-Ghumari also remarked in “Al-Hawi” (3/4): “The book Tanbih Al-Ghafilin includes weak and fabricated Hadiths. It should not be read by the general public, as they cannot differentiate between authentic and fabricated narrations.”
Third:
Abdullah ibn Imam Ahmad narrated in “Al-Musnad” (4/382): “In my father’s book, I found: ‘Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us, saying: Fa’id ibn Abdul Rahman informed us, saying: I heard Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa say: A man came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, there is a young man here who has fallen unconscious. He is told to say ‘La ilaha illa Allah’, but he cannot say it.’ The Prophet ﷺ asked, ‘Did he use to say it during his lifetime?’ The man replied, ‘Yes.’ The Prophet ﷺ then asked, ‘What is preventing him from saying it at the time of his death?’”… (Then the Hadith continues.)
However, my father did not narrate these two Hadiths to us and had struck them out from his book, as he was not satisfied with the narration of Fa’id ibn Abdur Rahman or (perhaps he) considered him an abandoned narrator.
Fourth:
Al-Bayhaqi included this story in “Shu’ab Al-Iman” (6/197–198, no. 7892) and “Dala’il An-Nubuwwa” (6/205–206). Al-Qazwini mentioned it in “At-Tadwin fi Tarikh Qazwin” (2/369–370). Al-‘Uqayli recorded it in “Ad-Du‘afa’ al-Kabir” (3/461), from whom Ibn Al-Jawzi quoted it in “Al-Mawdu‘at” (3/87). It was also narrated by Al-Khara’iti in “Masawi’ Al-Akhlaq wa Madhmumuha” (no. 251).
Fifth:
The story revolves around Abul-Warqa’ Fa’id ibn Abdur Rahman Al-Attar. Al-Bayhaqi explicitly mentioned this in “Shu’ab Al-Iman” (6/198): “Fa’id Abul-Warqa’ is the sole narrator of this report, and he is not strong. And Allah knows best.”
Fa’id is an abandoned narrator, accused of fabrication. His narrations should not be relied upon, especially in this story which he attributes to Ibn Abi Awfa.
Sixth:
Several Hadith scholars and critics have declared the story weak, including:
1. Imam Ahmad – as mentioned by his son Abdullah in the third point above.
2. Al-Uqaili in “Ad-Du‘afa’ Al-Kabir”(3/461), stating: “Only someone of similar weakness would follow him in narration.”
3. Al-Bayhaqi in “Shu’ab Al-Iman” (6/198), saying: *”Fa’id Abul-Warqa’ is the sole narrator, and he is not strong.”
4. Ibn al-Jawzi in “Al-Mawdu‘at” (3/87), stating: “This narration is not authentic from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. In its chain is Fa’id, whom Ahmad ibn Hanbal called an abandoned narrator, Yahya ibn Ma’in said, ‘He is nothing,’ Ibn Hibban said, ‘He should not be relied upon,’ and Al-Uqaili said, ‘Only someone of similar weakness would follow him in narration.’ Furthermore, in the chain is Dawud ibn Ibrahim, whom Abu Hatim Ar-Razi accused of lying.”
5. Al-Mundhiri in “At-Targhib wat-Tarhib” (3/222), introducing it with the phrase “It is narrated” (indicating weakness).
6. Al-Dhahabi in “Tartib Al-Mawdu‘at”(no. 874).
7. Al-Haythami in “Majma‘ Az-Zawa’id”(8/148), after attributing it to Ahmad and At-Tabarani, stating: “In its chain is Fa’id Abul-Warqa’, who is abandoned.”
8. Ibn ‘Iraq in “Tanzih Ash-Shari‘ah” (2/296–297, no. 51).
9. Ash-Shawkani in “Al-Fawa’id Al-Majmu‘a” (p. 231), stating: “In its chain are an abandoned narrator and a liar. It also has other chains.” -The verifier, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Mu‘allimi, commented: “All its chains revolve around the abandoned narrator Fa’id ibn Abdul Rahman Abul-Warqa’ Al-Attar.”
Seventh:
None of the reported chains—despite their weakness—mention the young man’s name as Alqamah, nor do they state that he prioritized his wife over his mother. The commonly recounted details found in popular storytelling do not exist in any of the hadith sources.
Eighth (Conclusion):
This story is not authentic and has no valid chain of transmission. It is impermissible to narrate, spread, or include it in sermons, books, or messages. Anyone who does so contributes to the dissemination of weak and fabricated hadiths. The authentic hadiths in the Sunnah provide sufficient guidance on this topic.
End of the analysis with slight modifications.
Source: Summarized from “Qisas La Tathbut” (Vol. 3, pp. 21–30), authored by Abu Ubaida Mashhoor bin Hasan Aal-Salman.
-End of the article by Abdullah bin Muhammad Zuqail from saaid.org.
Source
(Translated into English by Mohammed bin Thajammul Hussain Manna.)
Saheehus-Seerah 