Answered by: Maulana Mujahid Hussain

Question

Hazrat, can you confirm if these narrations are authentic, and why ‘Umar forbidden the women to do what they were doing? And, allowed someone to enter ‘Aisha’s abode?

The quotation of Bukhari says that Umar brought out the sister of Abi Bakr when she mourned) It has been narrated by Ibn Sa’d through a 'Saheeh' (Authentic) chain from Al-Zuhri from Zahri from Sa‘eed Ibn Mosayyib who said: WHEN ABOO BAKR DIED, A'ISHA HELD A GATHERING IN WHICH EULOGIES HAD BEEN READ FOR HIM. UMAR WAS INFORMED OF IT, SO HE FORBID THEM FROM DOING SO AND ORDERED HISHAM IBN AL-WALID: "BRING UMME FARWA OUT FOR ME!" THEN HE LASHED HER WHEN THE NEWS REACHED THE MOURNERS THEY ESCAPED. And Ishaq Ibn Rahwaih quoted this in his Musnad in another form
from Al-Zahri and it is reported in it, "He brought out the women one by
one and beat them with his whip."

SOURCE: FATHUL BARI SHARH SAHIH AL-BUKHARI. VOL. 6, PG. # 225.

MUHAMMAD IBN SA’D:
 

Narrated Uthman Ibn Umar from Yoonus Ibn Yazid from Al-Zahri from Sa’eed Ibn Mosayyib who said: WHEN ABOO BAKR DIED, A'ISHA HELD A MOURNING GATHERING IN WHICH EULOGIES HAD BEEN READ FOR HIM, UMAR WAS INFORMED OF IT, SO HE forbids THEM [THE MOURNERS] FROM DOING SO. THEY REFUSED, SO HE SAID TO HISHAM IBN AL-WALID: "BRING OUT FOR ME THE DAUGHTER OF ABI QOHAFA (SISTER OF ABI BAKR)!" THEN HE LASHED HER, and when the mourners heard this they escaped, and he said: "Do they want to punish Aboo Bakr by their weeping?" The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "The dead man suffers when his family weeps for him."

SOURCE: AL-TABAQAT AL-KABIR. VOL. 3, PG. # 191.

AL-TABARI:
Narrated Younis from Ibn Wahab from Younis Ibn Yazid from Al-Zahri from
Sa’eed Ibn Mosayyib who said: 'WHEN ABOO BAKR DIED, A'ISHA HELD A
MOURNING GATHERING FOR HIM IN WHICH EULOGIES HAD BEEN READ, UMAR WAS INFORMED OF IT, SO HE CAME TO HER DOOR AND FORBADE THEM FROM MOURNING ON ABOO BAKR. THEY (THE WOMEN) REFUSED, SO HE (UMAR) SAID TO HISHAM IBN AL-WALID: "ENTER AND BRING OUT FOR ME THE DAUGHTER OF ABI QOHAFA SISTER OF ABI BAKR," WHEN A'ISHA HEARD THIS SHE SAID TO HISHAM: "I FORBID YOU FROM ENTERING INTO MY HOUSE!" UMAR SAID TO HISHAM: "ENTER, I ALLOW YOU TO DO THAT!" SO HISHAM ENTERED AND BROUGHT OUT UMME FARWA SISTER OF ABI BAKR TO UMAR, WHEREUPON UMAR STARTED BEATING HER WITH HIS WHIP FOR A WHILE, WHEN THE MOURNERS HEARD THIS THEY ESCAPED.

SOURCE: TARIKH AL-TABARI. VOL. 3, PG. # 423.

In the name of Allah the most Beneficent, the most Merciful

Answer

As for the first narration, Ibn Saad mentions it in his tabaqat-al-Kubra volume 3 page 208. (Darul Saadi print). Here are the wording as he mentions them

قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عُمَرَ قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا يُونُسُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيِّبِ قَالَ: لَمَّا تُوُفِّيَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَقَامَتْ عَلَيْهِ عَائِشَةُ النَّوْحَ فَبَلَغَ عُمَرَ فَجَاءَ فَنَهَاهُنَّ عَنِ النَّوْحِ عَلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ، فَأَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَنْتَهِينَ، فَقَالَ لِهِشَامِ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ: أَخْرِجْ إِلَيَّ ابْنَةَ أَبِي قُحَافَةَ، فَعَلَاهَا بِالدِّرَّةِ ضَرَبَاتٍ

The chain is indeed reliable and authentic and all the narrators are famous narrators of is this hadith authentic about Prophet (SAW) eating harisah to increase his strength. Also as you can tell Ibn Hajar also classified the chain as Saheeh.

As for the wording and chain of Musnad Ishaaq :

وَقَالَ إِسْحَاق بن رَاهَوَيْه فِي مُسْنده أخبرنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ أَنا مَعْمَرٌ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيِّبِ قَالَ لَمَّا مَاتَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ بَكَى عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ عُمَرَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ إِنَّ الْمَيِّت يعذب ببكاء الْحَيّ فَأَبُو إِلا أَنْ يَبْكُوا فَقَالَ عُمَرُ لِهِشَامِ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ قُمْ فَأَخْرِجِ النِّسَاءَ فَقَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ أُحَرِّجُ عَلَيْكَ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ ادْخُلْ فَقَدْ أَذِنْتُ لَك فَدخل فَقَالَ عَائِشَةُ أَمُخْرِجِيَّ أَنْتَ يَا بُنَيَّ فَقَالَ أَمَا لَكِ فَقَدْ أُذِنْتُ فَجَعَلَ يُخْرِجُهُنَّ امْرَأَةً امْرَأَةً وَهُوَ يَضْرِبُهُنَّ بِالدِّرَّةِ حَتَّى خَرَجَتْ أُمُّ فَرْوَةَ يَعْنِي بِنْتَ أَبِي قُحَافَةَ[1]

Again as you can tell the chains also are very authentic and all the narrators were great scholars of hadith.

.

As for the narration of Tabari :

حَدَّثَنِي يُونُسُ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا يُونُسُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيِّبِ، قَالَ: لَمَّا تُوُفِّيَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَقَامَتْ عَلَيْهِ عَائِشَةُ النَّوْحَ، فَأَقْبَلَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ حَتَّى قَامَ بِبَابِهَا، فَنَهَاهُنَّ عَنِ الْبُكَاءِ عَلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ، فَأَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَنْتَهِينَ، فَقَالَ عُمَرُ لِهِشَامِ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ: ادْخُلْ فَأَخْرِجْ إِلَيَّ ابْنَةَ أَبِي قُحَافَةَ، أُخْتَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، فَقَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ لِهِشَامٍ حِينَ سَمِعَتْ ذَلِكَ مِنْ عُمَرَ: إِنِّي أُحَرِّجُ عَلَيْكَ بَيْتِي فَقَالَ عُمَرُ لِهِشَامٍ: ادْخُلْ فَقَدْ أَذِنْتُ لَكَ، فَدَخَلَ هِشَامٌ فَأَخْرَجَ أُمَّ فَرْوَةَ أُخْتَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ إِلَى عُمَرَ، فَعَلاهَا بِالدِّرَّةِ، فَضَرَبَهَا ضَرَبَاتٍ، فَتَفَرَّقَ النَّوْحُ حِينَ سَمِعُوا ذَلِكَ.

All the narrators of this chain are reliable and great scholars of hadith also except Yunus. Imam Tabari does not specify which Yunus he is talking about. From my research it seems most likely he is talking about Yunus bin Abdul-Aala. The reason for this is because he is a famous teacher of Tabari hence Tabari did not list his full name. Also Yunus bin Abdul-Aala also narrator from ibn wahab as is the case with this narration which also seems to confirm that this indeed is the same, Yunus. If that is the case then the chain would also be authentic as Yunus bin abdul-Aala was also one of the great scholars of Islam.

As for reason behind Umar  ( رضي الله عنه ) doing what he did, that is mentioned in the narration it self.

After the death of Abu Bakr  ( رضي الله عنه )Some women gathered in the house of Aisha  ( رضي الله عنها )and started wailing ( the translation of eulogies is incorrect ) As you know such wailing is prohibited in Islam. Umar ( رضي الله عنه )   told them to stop. When they refused Umar( رضي الله عنه ) was left with no choice but to send Hishaam bin waleed to expel them from the house to prevent a Haram act from occurring.

It is, for this reason, Imam Bukhari gives the following chapter heading to the chapter in which he hints at the incident under hadith number 2288 in his saheeh

باب إخراج أهل المعاصي والخصوم من البيوت بعد المعرفة وقد أخرج عمر أخت أبي بكر حين ناحت 

“The chapter of expelling the people of sin and dispute after passing a correct judgment against them. And Umar R.A. expelled the sister of Abu Bakr R.A. when she wailed.”

Of course, Aisha ( رضي الله عنها ) was not expelled at all, nor was she lashed. The narration of Ishaaq bin Rahweeh ( رحمه  الله ) clarifies that it was not only umm farwah  ( رضي الله عنها ) that was lashed, the other women who wailed were also lashed. Likewise, the other narration mentions some women left before the punishment was dished out.

Another  reason for Umar R.A doing this is the narration Umar R.A. quotes from the prophet "The dead man suffers when his family weeps for him."

Only Allah Knows best.

Written by Maulana Mujahid Hussain

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah 

Darul Ifta Birmingham