Critique of Paradise is at the Feet of your Mother

“Then stay with her, for Paradise is beneath her feet“

 

From Sunan an-Nasai with full Isnaad:

 

أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَكَمِ الْوَرَّاقُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ طَلْحَةَ، – وَهُوَ ابْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ – عَنْ أَبِيهِ، طَلْحَةَ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ جَاهِمَةَ السُّلَمِيِّ، أَنَّ جَاهِمَةَ، جَاءَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَغْزُوَ وَقَدْ جِئْتُ أَسْتَشِيرُكَ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ هَلْ لَكَ مِنْ أُمٍّ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ نَعَمْ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ فَالْزَمْهَا فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ تَحْتَ رِجْلَيْهَا ‏”

 

It was narrated from Mu’awiyah bin Jahimah As-Sulami, that Jahimah came to the Prophet and said:

“O Messenger of Allah! I want to go out and fight and I have come to ask your advice.” He said: “Do you have a mother?” He said: “Yes.” He said: “Then stay with her, for Paradise is beneath her feet.”

 

There are two problems wthin the isnaad of this particular hadith: 1) Ambiguity in transmission, and 2) lack of trustiness of one of the narrators.

 

1) The ambiguous transmission from حَجَّاجٌ “An”  ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ and from مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ طَلْحَةَ “An” أَبِيهِ، طَلْحَةَ  “An”  مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ جَاهِمَةَ السَّلَمِيّ.  Neither of these narrators clearly stated whether they heard, or were told, this hadith from their source.  Whether some of them were reliabel or not is irrelevant, since the actual state of receiving is in question.

 

2) طلحة is also an issue.  His full name was طلحة بن عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن بن عبد الله بن عثمان and he did not report many narrations.  His acceptability is not established by anyone who interacted with him.  No major imam mentioned him to be upright and reliable.

 

 

“Paradise is at the feet of mothers“

 

These words are supposedly reported by two companions – Anas b. Malik and Abdullah b. Abbas.

 

From al-Jami of al-Khatib with full Isnaad:

 

 أَنَا الْحَسيَنُ بْنُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، أَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ الْقَطَّانُ، نَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْوَاسِطِيُّ، نَا مَنْصُورُ بْنُ الْمُهَاجِرِ الْبُزُورِيُّ، نَا أَبُو النَّضْرِ الأَبَّارُ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ : “ الْجَنَّةُ تَحْتَ أَقْدَامِ الأُمَّهَاتِ “

 

From Anas b. Malik, Allah’s Messenger said : “Paradise is at the feet of mothers.”

 

There are two narrators who are a major problem: مَنْصُورُ بْنُ الْمُهَاجِرِ الْبُزُورِيُّ  and أَبُو النَّضْرِ الأَبَّارُ, both of these men are unknown. (ref. al-Ajluni)

 

 

From al-Kaamil of Ibn Adiy with full Isnaad:

 

ثنا عُمَرُ بْنُ سِنَانٍ، ثنا عَبَّاسُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ الْخَلالُ، ثنا مُوسَى بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَطَاءٍ، ثنا أَبُو الْمُلَيْحِ، عَنْ مَيْمُونَ بْنِ مَهْرَانَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ K: ” الْجَنَّةُ تَحْتَ أَقْدَامِ الأُمَّهَاتِ مَنْ شِئْنَ أَدْخَلْنَ وَمَنْ شِئْنَ أَخْرَجْنَ 

 

From Ibn Abbas who said, Allah’s Messenger said: “Paradise is at the feet of mothers, from there we are admitted and saved.”

 

Ibn Adiy comments: “وهذا حديث منكر أيضا This hadith is munkar” and al-Khatib also collected this hadith and said it was “weak.”

 

Once again, there are two problems wthin the isnaad of this particular hadith: 1) Ambiguity in transmission, and 2) abandonment of one of the narrators.

 

1) The ambiguity of narrating this hadith by أَبُو الْمُلَيْحِ “An” مَيْمُونَ بْنِ مَهْرَانَ “An” ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ

 

2) The narrator  مُوسَى بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَطَاءٍ was declared as “Matruk” by ad-Daraqutni and accused of lying (ref. Abu Hatim ar-Razi).