What Is the Authenticity of the Hadith Where Fatima Said the Best Women Are Those Not Seen by Men?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

What is the authenticity and meaning of the narration where Fatima (Allah be pleased with her) said the best state for women is not seeing men nor being seen by them, and the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) praised her response?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Hasan al-Basri narrates on the authority of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (Allah be pleased with him), saying, “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) asked us one day, ‘What is the best thing for a woman?’ We did not know the answer, so I went back to Fatima and said, ‘O daughter of Muhammad, indeed the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) asked us a question for which we did not know the answer.’

She said, ‘What did he ask?’ I said, ‘He asked, “What is the best thing for a woman?”’ She said, ‘You didn’t know the answer?’ I said, ‘No.’ She said, ‘Nothing is better for a woman than for her to not see any man, nor for any man to see her.’ When nighttime came, we sat with the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), and I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, indeed you asked us a question for which we did not answer. (The answer is that) There is nothing better for a woman than for her not to see any man, nor for any man to see her.’ He asked, ‘Who said that?’ I said, ‘Fatima.’ He said, ‘She has told the truth; indeed, she is a part of me.’” [Bazzar; Daraqutni]

Grading of This Narration

Imam Nur al-Din al-Haytami (Allah have mercy on him) said regarding the above narration, the following:

“Bazzar transmits this narration. There are narrators in the chain of this narration who are unknown. This is also narrated on the authority of Yazid.” [Majma‘ al-Zawa’id]

Imam Dhahabi (Allah have mercy on him) said regarding the above narration, the following:

The narrator Qays bin al-Rabi‘ is poor in memorization. His narrations are unacceptable (matruk) and weak (da‘if).” [Mizan al-I‘tidal]

Summary

Based on the above two gradings of the aforementioned narration, as well as others of a similar vein, this narration appears to be weakly authenticated (da‘if).

However, the weakness of the above narration does not preclude the possibility of other chains of transmission or other narrations that support the meaning of the narration in question, thus elevating it to the level of hasan li-ghayrihi (extrinsically good). Nor does it preclude the soundness of the emphasis this narration purports of the Islamic principle of modesty.

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he went on to study at Darul Uloom Seminary in New York and completed his studies at Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen.

There, he completed the memorization of the Quran and his study of Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study, he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, Shaykh ‘Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others.

Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.