Is the hadith that says parents are the middle gates of Paradise authentic, and does it permit divorcing a righteous wife based on the mother's command?

The aforementioned hadith is authentic, narrated by Imam Ahmad, Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah, from Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him), that a man came to him and said: "I have a wife, and my mother commands me to divorce her." Abu Darda said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: 'The parent is the middle of the gates of Paradise, so if you wish, squander that gate, or preserve it.'"