1508 — “The best women of Paradise are Khadijah daughter of Khuwaylid, Fatimah daughter of Muhammad, Mary daughter of Imran, and Asiyah bint Muzahim, Pharaoh’s wife.”

It was narrated by Ahmad (1/293), al-Tahawi in al-Mushkil (1/50), al-Hakim (2/594; 3/160 and 185), al-Diya in al-Mukhtarah (65/67/1), and al-Tabarani (no. 11928), through Dawud ibn al-Furat al-Kindi, from Ulba ibn Ahmad al-Yashkuri, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, drew four lines on the ground, then said: “Do you know what this is?” They replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, then mentioned it.

Al-Hakim said, “Its chain of transmission is authentic,” and al-Dhahabi concurred.

I say: Its narrators are trustworthy and are narrators of al-Bukhari, apart from Ulba ibn Ahmad, who is among the narrators of Muslim. It also has a corroborating report from the hadith of Anas, attributed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, with the wording: “It is enough for you, among the women of the worlds…” Then he mentioned them. Ahmad narrated it (3/135), and Ibn Hibban declared it authentic (2223).

I later found another chain for the hadith in al-Tabarani (12179), through his chain from Kurayb, from Ibn Abbas, attributed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, with the wording: “The leading women of Paradise, after Mary daughter of Imran, are Fatimah, Khadijah, and Asiyah, Pharaoh’s wife.”

I say: Its chain of transmission is authentic. Al-Haythami mentioned it (9/223) with a similar but different wording, and said: