and said: “This neither benefits the deceased nor harms him; rather, Allah…”—to the end of the hadith. This is how al-Manawi cited it in al-Fayd, through al-Bayhaqi.

He then said: “Al-Dhahabi included Qutbah ibn al-Ala in al-Du'afa and stated: al-Nasa'i declared him weak, and Abu Hatim said that he cannot be used as evidence. Al-Dhahabi—that is, al-Dhahabi himself—said: His father, al-Ala, is unknown; and regarding Asim ibn Kulayb, Ibn al-Madini said that one cannot rely on reports which he alone transmits.” End quote. Ibn Abd al-Barr mentioned Kulayb among the Companions and said: “He and his father Shihab had companionship with the Prophet.” However, al-Taqrib says: “Those who counted him among the Companions were mistaken; rather, he belongs to the third generation.” Accordingly, the hadith is mursal.

Al-Tabarani also narrated it in al-Kabir, as cited in al-Majma (4/98), and said: “It contains Qutbah ibn al-Ala, who is weak. Ibn Adi said: I hope there is no harm in him; and there are a number of narrators whom I do not know.”

It has a supporting report, recorded by Ibn Sad in al-Tabaqat (8/155): “Muhammad ibn Umar informed us: Usamah ibn Zayd narrated to us from al-Mundhir ibn Ubayd, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Hassan ibn Thabit, from his mother—who was Maryah’s sister, named Sirin. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave her to Hassan, and she bore him Abd al-Rahman. She said: ‘I saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when Ibrahim was at the point of death, while my sister and I were weeping aloud, and he did not prohibit us. But when he died, he prohibited us from wailing. Al-Fadl ibn al-Abbas washed him, while the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was seated. I then saw him at the edge of the grave, with al-Abbas beside him; al-Fadl and Usamah ibn Zayd descended into his grave. The sun eclipsed that day, and the people said, “Because of Ibrahim’s death.” Thereupon the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “It does not eclipse for anyone’s death or life.” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saw a gap between the bricks and ordered that it be closed. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked about this, and he said: “It neither harms nor benefits, but it comforts the living. Indeed, when a servant performs a deed, Allah loves that he does it well.”’”

Its chain consists of narrators declared reliable, apart from Muhammad ibn Umar—al-Waqidi—for he is very weak.

1114 — “If Allah intends good for a servant, He sweetens him.” It was asked, “What does sweetening him mean?” He replied: “He opens for him the way to a righteous deed before his death, until those around him are pleased with him.”

It was narrated by al-Tahawi in Mushkil al-Athar (3/261), Ibn Hibban (1822), Ahmad (5/224), Ibn Qutaybah in Gharib al-Hadith (1/52/1), and al-Bayhaqi