The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.
حَدَّثَنَا بِشْرُ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ يَقُولُ اشْتَكَى ابْنٌ لأَبِي طَلْحَةَ ـ قَالَ ـ فَمَاتَ وَأَبُو طَلْحَةَ خَارِجٌ، فَلَمَّا رَأَتِ امْرَأَتُهُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ مَاتَ هَيَّأَتْ شَيْئًا وَنَحَّتْهُ فِي جَانِبِ الْبَيْتِ، فَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَبُو طَلْحَةَ قَالَ كَيْفَ الْغُلاَمُ قَالَتْ قَدْ هَدَأَتْ نَفْسُهُ، وَأَرْجُو أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدِ اسْتَرَاحَ. وَظَنَّ أَبُو طَلْحَةَ أَنَّهَا صَادِقَةٌ، قَالَ فَبَاتَ، فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ اغْتَسَلَ، فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ، أَعْلَمَتْهُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ مَاتَ، فَصَلَّى مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثُمَّ أَخْبَرَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِمَا كَانَ مِنْهُمَا، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم
" لَعَلَّ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُبَارِكَ لَكُمَا فِي لَيْلَتِكُمَا ". قَالَ سُفْيَانُ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ فَرَأَيْتُ لَهُمَا تِسْعَةَ أَوْلاَدٍ كُلُّهُمْ قَدْ قَرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ.
One of the sons of Abu Talha became sick and died and Abu Talha at that time was not at home.
When his wife saw that he was dead, she prepared him (washed and shrouded him) and placed him
somewhere in the house. When Abu Talha came, he asked, "How is the boy?" She said, "The child is
quiet and I hope he is in peace." Abu Talha thought that she had spoken the truth. Abu Talha passed
the night and in the morning took a bath and when he intended to go out, she told him that his son had
died, Abu Talha offered the (morning) prayer with the Prophet (ﷺ) and informed the Prophet (ﷺ) of what
happened to them. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "May Allah bless you concerning your night. (That is, may
Allah bless you with good offspring)." Sufyan said, "One of the Ansar said, 'They (i.e. Abu Talha and
his wife) had nine sons and all of them became reciters of the Qur'an (by heart).' "
Narrated by Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Context
Abu Talha's son fell ill and passed away while he was away from home. His wife, wanting to protect him from grief, concealed the child's death until the morning. After informing Abu Talha, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) prayed for them, leading to the blessing of numerous children who would become scholars of the Quran. This story emphasizes the importance of faith and resilience in the face of loss.
Modern Application
This hadith serves as a reminder of the importance of patience and hope during times of grief. In contemporary life, individuals can find solace in their faith and community support when dealing with loss, and they can also strive to honor the memory of loved ones by nurturing future generations.
Topics
This hadith is tagged with Funeral Rites and Treatment of the Dead because it addresses the handling of a deceased child and highlights the significance of prayer and blessings following a loss.
It is He who created you from one soul and created from it its mate that he might dwell in security with her. And when he covers her, she carries a light burden and continues therein. And when it becomes heavy, they both invoke Allah, their Lord, "If You should give us a good [child], we will surely be among the grateful."
So We responded to him and removed what afflicted him of adversity. And We gave him [back] his family and the like thereof with them as mercy from Us and a reminder for the worshippers [of Allah].
