Q- Is the incident regarding Sayyiduna Tha’labah’s tawbah authentic? The gist of the story is as follows:Sayyiduna Tha’labah who use to serve Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) once gazed at a woman who was bathing. He then feared that wahy (revelation) will come to Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) so he escaped to the mountains for approximately forty days. Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) sent Sayyiduna ‘Umar and Sayyiduna Sayyiduna Salman Al Farisi (radiyallahu ‘anhuma) to look for him. He returned and passed away thereafter. കഥയുടെ സാരാംശം ഇപ്രകാരമാണ്: നബി (സ)യെ സേവിക്കുന്ന സയ്യിദുനാ ത്വലാബ ഒരിക്കൽ കുളിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരുന്ന ഒരു സ്ത്രീയെ നോക്കി. നബി(സ)ക്ക് വഹ്യ് വരുമെന്ന് അദ്ദേഹം ഭയപ്പെട്ടു, അതിനാൽ ഏകദേശം നാല്പത് ദിവസത്തേക്ക് അദ്ദേഹം മലകളിലേക്ക് രക്ഷപ്പെട്ടു. നബി (സ) ഉമറിനെയും സയ്യിദുനാ സൽമാൻ അൽ ഫാരിസിയെയും (റളിയല്ലാഹു അൻഹുമ) അന്വേഷിക്കാൻ അയച്ചു. ത്വലാബ തിരിച്ചെത്തി, അതിനുശേഷം മരിച്ചു.?
Hafiz Abu Nu’aym (rahimahullah) and others have recorded this incident.(Ma’rifatus Sahabah of Abu Nu’aym, vol. 1 pg. 498)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahumallah) has pointed out the weaknesses in the chain for this particular version. He has also (as well as Hafiz Ibnul Athir) pointed out a discrepancy regarding the date of revelation of the Quranic verse mentioned in the narration.
Although there does exist more than one chain for this, it still remains weak. (Refer: Usdul Ghabah, vol. 1 pg. 471 and Al Isabah, vol. 2 pg. 74. Also see Tanzihush Shari’ah, vol. 2 pgs. 283-285)
There is another lengthier version (Tambihul Ghafilin, pg. 487 ) of this incident, which is filled with other questionable statements, the like of which one will not usually encounter in the Hadith of Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). This should not be quoted.
And Allah Ta’ala Knows best
https://hadithanswers.com/sayyiduna-thalabah-ibn-abdir-rahman-al-ansaris-tawbah/
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/145797/the-story-of-thalabah-who-saw-a-woman-doing-ghusl-and-died-from-fear-of-allah