In the hadith of Abū Sa'īd, when Abū Tālib was mentioned in the Prophet’s presence, he said:
“Perhaps my intercession will benefit him, so that he will be placed in a shallow part of the Fire that reaches his ankles and causes his brain to boil.”
Both al-Bukhārī and Muslim recorded it in their Sahih collections (1).
Moreover, Allah does not praise anyone merely on account of his lineage; rather, He praises him (2) for his faith and piety, as the Most High says:
“Indeed, the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is the most pious of you.”
[Surah al-Hujurāt: 13]
Even though:
“People are mines, like mines of gold and silver: the best of them in the Age of Ignorance are the best of them in Islam, provided they gain understanding of the religion,”
as is established in the authentic hadith (3), a mine is merely where the desired substance is expected to be found. If it is not found there, then an inferior mine that does yield it is better than the former.
[Moreover] (4), among their contradictions is that they exalt Aisha in this context as a means of disparaging
(1) The hadith narrated on the authority of Abū Saīd al-Khudrī—may Allah be pleased with him—is found in al-Bukhārī, 5/51 (Book of the Merits of the Ansar, chapter “The Story of Abū Tālib”); Muslim, 1/195 (Book of Faith, chapter “The Prophet’s—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—Intercession for Abū Tālib”); and the Musnad (al-Halabī ed.), 3/9, 50.
(2) B alone reads: “He praised him.”
(3) Part of this hadith, narrated on the authority of Abū Hurayra—may Allah be pleased with him—is found in al-Bukhārī, 4/140, 148 (Book of the Prophets, chapter on the words of the Exalted, “Allah took Abraham as a close friend,” and chapter “Or were you witnesses when death approached Jacob…?”), and 4/178 (Book of Merits, chapter on the words of Allah Most High, “O mankind, indeed We created you from a male and a female”). Its wording is: “The best of them in the pre-Islamic period are the best of them in Islam, provided they attain understanding.” Another wording reads: “The best of you.” The complete hadith, narrated on the authority of Abū Hurayra, is found in Muslim, 4/2031–2032 (Book of Virtue, Maintaining Ties, and Manners, chapter “Souls Are Conscripted Soldiers”); and the Musnad (al-Halabī ed.), 2/539.
(4) The words “and also” are absent from N and M.