Story of Tha'labah Ibn Abdur-Rahmaan either weak or fabricated

7-6-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

Shaykh, please, can u tell me the authenticity of the below story and whether it is authentic or not? I cannot write the whole story here, so I will write its title only so that you may understand: Inspiring and Touching story of Sahaba Talaba Abdul Rahman - Protect your Gaze. It was written that he saw a woman showering but then lowered his gaze and went somewhere and repented and that he was found by Companions after he left that place and then died in the lap of Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and that there was not space at his funeral as the angels also came to attend it.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

This story was related in full by Abu Nu’aym Al-Asbahaani in Ma’rifat As-Sahaabah, it was also mentioned by As-Suyooti in Al-Laali’ Al-Masnoo’ah fee Al-Ahaadeeth Al-Mawdhoo’ah, and it was mentioned by Ibn 'Arraaq in Tanzeeh Ash-Sharee’ah Al-Marfoo’ ‘an Al-Ahaadeeth Ash-Shanee’ah Al-Mawdhoo’ah"; and he ruled the story to be weak.

Also, Ibn Hajar quoted it in Al-Isaabah fi Tamyeez As-Sahaabah; then he said, “Ibn Mandah said after he narrated it briefly, Mansoor was the only one who narrated it.' I say, 'He is weak, and his Shaykh is even weaker than him. The context indicates the weakness of this information because the revelation of the verse {Your Lord has not taken leave of you [O Muhammad] nor has He detested [you].} [Quran 93:3] was before the migration without any difference of opinion.'” 

So the story is either weak or fabricated.

Allaah knows best.