Subject Matter of the Narrative:
According to Abu Dawood’s narrative no. 2488 it is reported:
روي أنه جاءت امرأة إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يقال لها أم خلاد وهي منتقبة تسأل عن ابنها وهو مقتول فقال لها بعض أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: جئت تسألين عن ابنك وأنت منتقبة؟ فقالت: إن أرزأ ابني فلن أرزأ حيائي. فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ابنك له أجر شهيدين. قالت: ولم ذاك يا رسول الله؟ قال: لأنه قتله أهل الكتاب.
It is narrated that once a woman called Umm Khallad came to the Prophet (pbuh), wearing a veil and looking for her martyred son. One of the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) said to her: ‘You ask about your son, while you are in a veil[1]?’ She replied: If I have lost my son that does not mean that I have lost my modesty’. The Prophet (pbuh) said to her: ‘Your son would have the reward of two martyrs [in the hereafter].’ She inquired: ‘Prophet of God, why would that be so?’ He replied: ‘[It would be so] because he was killed by the People of the Book.’
Similar incident has also been reported in Bayhaqiy's narrative no. 18372 and Abu Ya`laa’s narrative no. 1591.
Comment on the Narrative
All the three narrations of the incident are reported through the same set of narrators in the first four steps. Among these four narrators there are two who are not considered to be very reliable by the experts of the field. These two narrators are Abd al-Khabeer (عبد الخبير) and FarjibnFudalah[2] (فرج بن فضالة).
Conclusion
In view of the fact that the narration has not been reported by a chain that can safely be termed as reliable, we do not consider it prudent to accept the incident as correctly reported.
(This write-up is prepared by the Hadith Cell of Javed Ahmad Ghamidi)
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[1] Probably implying by this statement that if we do not recognize you, as you are in a veil, how then will we know who your son is.
[2] Information on Abd al-Khabeer can be seen at: Al-Du`afaa al-Kabeer Vol. 3, Pg. 115, Al-Jarahwa al-ta`deel Vol. 6, Pg. 38, Al-Kaamil fi al-Du`afaa Vol. 5, Pg. 347, Al-Majruheen, Vol. 2, Pg. 141, Tehzeeb al-Kamaal, Vol. 16, Pg. 467 – 468,Tehzeeb al-Tehzeeb, Vol. 6, Pg. 113, Du`afaa al-Bukhariy, Vol. 1, 79, Taqreeb al-Tehzeeb, Vol. 1, Pg. 334 and Al-Tareekh al-Kabeer, Vol. 6, Pg. 137. While information on FarjibnFudalah can be seen at: Al-Du`afaa al-Kabeer, Vol. 3, Pg. 462, Al-Jarahwa al-Ta`deel, Vol. 7, Pg. 85, Al-Majruheen, Vol. 2, Pg. 206 – 207, Du`afaa al-Bukhariy, Vol. 1, Pg. 95, Kitaab al-Du`afaa (Nasaiy’s), Vol. 1, Pg. 87, Taqreeb al-Tehzeeb, Vol. 1, Pg. 444, Al-Tareekh al-Kabeer, Vol. 7, Pg. 134, Tareekh Baghdad, Vol. 12, Pg. 393 – 396, Al-Kaashif, Vol. 2, Pg. 120, Tehzeeb al-Tehzeeb, Vol. 8, Pg. 234 – 235, Al-Kashf al-Hathith, Vol. 1, Pg. 208, Al-Kaamil fi al-Du`afaa Vol. 6, Pg. 28 – 29,