What is Sunan Ibn Majah 4161 about?

This hadith from Sunan Ibn Majah (Book of The Book of the Sunnah), narrated by It was narrated that 'Aishah the Mother of the Believers said:, states: ""The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was called to the funeral of a child from among the Ansar. I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, glad tidings for him! He is one of the little birds of Paradise, who never did evi…"

Is this hadith authentic?

This hadith is graded Sahih. Sahih hadiths are considered the most authentic grade in hadith classification.

Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Sunan Ibn Majah, which contains 4,345 hadiths across 38 books. It is hadith number 4161 in the Book of The Book of the Sunnah.

I searched for a different number — is this the right hadith?

Hadith numbering varies across editions and translations (USC-MSA, Dar as-Salam, Fath al-Bari, and others). If you followed a link citing a different number but landed here, you may have been redirected to the canonical version in our library. If you were looking for a different hadith entirely, use the search bar to find it by text.

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#4160

#4161

Sunan Ibn Majah

#4162

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Sunan Ibn Majah #4161

The Book of the Sunnah

Sahih

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، حَدَّثَنَا طَلْحَةُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ طَلْحَةَ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ عَمَّتِهِ، عَائِشَةَ بِنْتِ طَلْحَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، قَالَتْ دُعِيَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ إِلَى جِنَازَةِ غُلاَمٍ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ طُوبَى لِهَذَا عُصْفُورٌ مِنْ عَصَافِيرِ الْجَنَّةِ لَمْ يَعْمَلِ السُّوءَ وَلَمْ يُدْرِكْهُ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏ "‏ أَوَ غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ يَا عَائِشَةُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ لِلْجَنَّةِ أَهْلاً خَلَقَهُمْ لَهَا وَهُمْ فِي أَصْلاَبِ آبَائِهِمْ وَخَلَقَ لِلنَّارِ أَهْلاً خَلَقَهُمْ لَهَا وَهُمْ فِي أَصْلاَبِ آبَائِهِمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was called to the funeral of a child from among the Ansar. I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, glad tidings for him! He is one of the little birds of Paradise, who never did evil or reached the age of doing evil (i.e, the age of accountability).' He said: 'It may not be so, O 'Aishah! For Allah created people for Paradise, He created them for it when they were still in their father's loins, And He has created people for Hell, He created them for it when they were still in their fathers' loins.'"

Narrated by It was narrated that 'Aishah the Mother of the Believers said:

Context

In this narration, 'Aishah, the Mother of the Believers, shares a moment when the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was called to a child's funeral. She expresses joy for the child's innocence, but the Prophet ﷺ reminds her of Allah's divine wisdom in creation, indicating that both the righteous and the wicked are created for their respective fates. This underscores the complexity of divine decree.

Modern Application

This hadith encourages reflection on the nature of life and death, reminding Muslims to trust in Allah's wisdom regarding fate. It promotes a balanced understanding of divine justice and mercy.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Paradise and Funeral Rites because it addresses the concepts of divine decree and the afterlife, particularly in the context of a child's passing.

Paradise Funeral Rites