Messenger of Allah, your uncle Abu Talib used to protect you and stand by you. Does this benefit him?He replied, "He is in a shallow pool of fire. Were it not for me, he would be in the lowest depths of the Fire."
حدثنا وكيع حدثنا سفيان عن عبد الملك بن عمير عن عبد الله بن الحارث
يا رسول الله عمك أبو طالب كان يحوطك وينفعك قال إنه في ضحضاح من النار ولولا أنا كان في الدرك الأسفل من النار
Its chain of transmission is sahih, and it was narrated by Bukhari and Muslim as noted in Dhakhair al-Mawarith 2553.Yahutuka, it is said, hatahu yahutuhu, meaning he protected him, preserved him, defended him, and looked after his interests.Ibn Athir said, "Dahdah, in its original sense, refers to shallow water on the surface of the ground reaching up to the ankles, and it was used metaphorically here for the fire.""The lowest depth of the fire" (ad-darak, with the ra either voweled or unvoweled) refers to its deepest bottom, its plurals being adrak and darakat, and these are the levels of the people of the fire. The fire has darakat (descending levels) while paradise has darajat (ascending levels).The phrase "of the fire" is an addition found in K but not mentioned in H.See also 1768, 1774, 1789.