The stories and news that were reported by Ibn Ishaq and were further detailed in the book of Ibn Hisham are subjected to the principles of hadith, they can either be authentic or weak, just as the case with every book of narration. So, it’s not surprising to find therein false narrations, actually they contain false narrations.
The biography of Ibn Hisham as narrated by Imam Al-Dhahabi in his book The History of Islam:
He died in the year 11H, and his name is Abdul-Malik bn Hisham bn Ayyub. Abu Muhammad Al-Dhuhaly also reffered to as Al-Himyari (a native of Himyar, Yemen), Al-Ma’afiri, Al-Basri, the grammarian.
He migrated to Egypt and learned the “Biography of the Prophet” from Ziyad bn Abdullah, the companion of Ibn Ishaq. He edited it and combed out a number of its poems. He sometimes added his narrations from Abdul- Waarith Al Mantuury and others.
It was related from him by Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Abd al-Rahim bin al-Barqi and his brother Abd al-Rahim and Muhammad bin al-Hasan al-Qattan and a trusted authority; Abu Saeed bin Yunus and many others.
Abu Zayd al-Suhaili said about him: He is a native of Himyar who authored a book on the lineages of donkeys and their kings
It is more accurate to refer to him as Dhuhaly as Ibn Yunus mentioned, and he said: He died in Egypt on the thirteenth of Rabi` al-Akhir in the year 218. So, Al-Suhaili’s narration that he died at the year 213 is weak.
Ibn Hisham was an Arabic grammarian, writer, specialist in narrations and noble scholar, may Allah be pleased with him.
Al-Daraqutni related .. on the authority of Zakaria bin Yahya bin Hayyah: I heard al-Muzni says: Al-Shafi’i came to us at a time Abdul-Malik bin Hisham was in Egypt, then said: “Ibn Hisham is the most knowledgeable person among the Egyptians in the filed of the science of Prophet’s battles and Arabic language”.
Ibn Hisham was advised to go to Shafi’i, but he hesitated at first, then he went to him and said: “I don’t think that Allah created a man like Shafi’i”.
