Question
It was mentioned in the old books:
“I am the first one who holds onto heaven. There is a woman who wants to get into heaven before me. I asked, “O Jibril, who is this woman?” He said, “This is a woman whose husband died and left her children, and she refused to marry to take care of them.”
What is the authenticity of this Hadith?
Answer
The wording in your question appears to be a composite of established Hadiths of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), which may be quoted.
1) Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (radiyallahu ‘anhu) reported that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:
“I am the first who will open the gates of Jannah. A woman will try to enter together with me or shortly after me. I will ask her, ‘What do you want and who are you?’ She will say, ‘I am a woman who took care of my orphans.'”
(Musnad Abi Ya’la, Hadith: 6651. See here)
2) Sayyiduna ‘Awf ibn Malik (radiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:
“I and a woman whose face has darkened [due to the hardships she endured while taking care of her children alone and she found no need to adorn herself since she did not remarry] shall on the Day of Qiyamah [some narrations have the words in Jannah] be like these two – joining between the index and middle fingers-. She was a woman of rank and beauty who lost her husband and devoted herself to her fatherless children till they [grew up and were able to live on their own] or passed away.”
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith: 5106. See here)
Also see here.
And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.
Answered by: Mawlana Suhail Motala
Approved by: Mawlana Muhammad Abasoomar
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التخريج من المصادر العربية:
مسند أبي يعلى الموصلي: (٧/١٢)
(٦٦٥١) – حدثنا سليمان بن عبد الجبار أبو أيوب، حدثنا يعقوب بن إسحاق الحضرمي، عن عبد السلام بن عجلان الهجيمي، حدثنا أبو عثمان النهدي، عن أبي هريرة قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: « أنا أول من يفتح له باب الجنة، إلا أنه تأتي امرأة تبادرني فأقول لها: ما لك؟ وما أنت؟ فتقول: أنا امرأة قعدت على أيتام لي».
سنن أبي داود:
(٥١٠٦) – حدثنا مسدد، حدثنا يزيد بن زريع، حدثنا النهاس بن قهم، حدثني شداد: أبو عمار عن عوف بن مالك الأشجعى، قال: قال رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم-: «أنا وامرأة سفعاء الخدين كهاتين يوم القيامة» وأومأ يزيد بالوسطى والسبابة: «امرأة آمت من زوجها ذات منصب وجمال، حبست نفسها على يتاماها حتى بانوا أو ماتوا».