QUALITY OF HIS TRADITIONS
The good tact does not accept many of Abu Hurayra's styles of traditions and the scientific and mental criteria do not assent to them. Here are forty of his traditions in front of you. Let you ponder on them with our annotations prudently and impartially, and then you can show your point of view.
1. Allah created Adam like His own image
The two sheikhs; al-Bukhari and Muslim 1 mentioned a tradition narrated by Abdur-Razak from Ma'mar from Humam bin Munabbih that Abu Hurayra had said: "The Prophet (s) said: "Allah had created Adam like His own image in sixty cubits long." Ahmad added from another way by Sa'eed bin al-Musayyab that Abu Hurayra had said: "..and seven cubits wide. When Allah had finished creating him, He said to him: Go and greet those sitting angels and listen to what they will greet you with. It will be your and your progeny's greeting. Adam went and said to them: As-salamu alaykum (peace be upon you). They said: As-salamu alayk wa rahmatullah. They added (wa rahmatullah-and the mercy of Allah). Every one entered Paradise was like Adam in sixty cubits long. The human beings began to grow less gradually until nowadays."
This could never be ascribed to Prophet Muhammad (s) or any of the other prophets nor to their guardians. Perhaps Abu Hurayra learnt that from the Jews by his friend Ka'bul Ahbar or some one else. The content of this tradition is exactly the same as the twenty-seventh paragraph of the first chapter of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament). Here is the text as it is: (Allah had created man like
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1. Refer to al-Bukhari`s sahih, vol.4, p.p.57, Muslim`s sahih, vol.2, p.p.481 and Ahmed`s Musnad, vol. 2, p.p. 315.
2. Irshad as-sari, vol.7,p.p.90.
3. He quoted many things from them, like his saying:Sayhan, jayhan, the Euphrates and the Nile of Egypt all are parts of paradise. It was mentioned by al-Khateeb in his book History of Baghdad, vol.2, p.p. 235. It was quoted from from the Old Testament.
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His own image. Like the image of Allah He had created him. Male and female He had created them).
Glorified is Allah than to describe Him with imaging, limitation and likeness. Be He exalted and they lost who ascribed that to Him. They might interpret the tradition by ascribing the pronoun (his image) to Adam himself not to Allah. Then the meaning would be that Allah had created Adam in Paradise in an image same to that when he descended to the earth. That Allah had completed him in one time and made him sixty cubits long and seven cubits wide, the same image, which his offspring on the earth saw, and he did not advance from a state to another. Adam was not a seed then became a clot then a lump of flesh then bones clothed with flesh then a fetus then a suckling infant then a weaned child then a teenager then a man with the normal length and width.
This what they, who glorify Allah and deny embodying Him, can say to interpret this tradition. But it was narrated by Abu Hurayra in these words: "Adam had been created corresponding to the image of the Beneficent (Allah)." 1 Abu Hurayra had another tradition saying: "Prophet Moses (s) beat the rock with his stick for the Israelites and water gushed out. He said to them: "Drink water, donkeys." Then Allah revealed to him: "You intended to compare the human beings, whom I had created according to My image, to donkeys." 2
This embarrassed those who defended Abu Hurayra and made them give in to this (pronoun) looking for another interpretation.
They interpreted Abu Hurayra's sayings: (Allah had created Adam according to His image) and (Adam had been created according to the image of the Beneficent) and in his tradition about
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1. Al-Qastalani mentioned this tradition in his book Irshad as sari, vol. 10, p.p. 491 and said that the pronoun(his) in Abu Hurayra`s tradition (Allah had created Adam according to his image..), referred to Allah and not to Adam.
2. Ibn Qutayba mentioned this tradition in his book (Interpretation of different traditions) .p.p.280, and made it as evidence that the pronoun(his)in Abu Hurayra`s saying: (Allah had created Adam according to His image)referred to Allah and not Adam.
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Moses (I had created them according to my image) that Allah had created Adam and his progenies according to the attributes of Allah. Allah is alive, hearer, seer, talker, aware, willing and disliker. So He had given these attributes to Adam and his progeny.
They fell into what they fled from, because the attribute of Allah is far above comparison. This is agreed upon unanimously among those who believe in transcendence of Allah. Especially when we say that His attribute is He Himself and that He is the Truth as it is fixed in our principles of jurisprudence.
Abu Hurayra advanced in this tradition. Sometime he narrated it as above and sometime he said: "If someone of you quarrels with another, let him avoid the face because Allah had created Adam according to His image." 1 Sometime he said: "If someone of you hits another, let avoid the face and not say: May Allah uglify your face and the face of whoever looks like you, because Allah had created Adam according to His image." 2
It was clear that he closed the way before his defenders to recede to any of the two interpretations. The pronoun his in (according to his image) could not refer to Adam in either of the two traditions but it must refer to Allah in order to correct the meaning of the traditions. One might justify forbidding to hit or uglify the face. 3 Creating Adam as a living, hearing, seeing, talking, perceiving, willing and unwilling creature does not make it necessary to preserve the face rather than the other organs. To interpret the two traditions according to either of these interpretations was invalid. In fact these two traditions had no
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1. Muslim`s Sahih, vol.2, p.p. 397.
2. Mentioned by al.Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad and by Ahmed in his Musnad,vol,2,p.p.434.
3. Iwish Abu Hurayra would justify forbidding to hit the face for its niceness and beauty and that it has the important organs, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, lips, teeth, eyebrows, front and others, because most of perceiving is by them. Hitting the face may harm them and leave them idle or disfigure the face and that will be ugly because the face is apparent and can`t be coverd.But Abu-Hurayrapreferred to distort the facts whether his partisans knew or not. We don`t have save Allah to resort to!
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meaning, unless they meant the face of man for it looked like the face of Allah. Glory be to Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty!
Hence the Sunni researchers who believed in transcendence of Allah became confused about the meaning of these traditions and resorted to Allah, the most Aware. 1
NOTES
First: If Adam was sixty cubits long, so he must be, according to the conformity of his organs, seventeen and one seventh cubits wide. If his width was seven cubits, his length must be twenty-four and a half cubits, because the width of the normal man equals two sevenths of his length. Why did Abu Hurayra say that Adam was sixty cubits long and seven cubits width? Did Adam have an unconformable structure and a disfigured form? Certainly not! Allah said: (Certainly we created man in the best make) 95:4.
Second: The greeting of Islam was legislated when Islam came. Prophet Muhammad said: "The Jews didn't envy you a thing as much as they envied you your greeting (salaam)." 2 If salaam did not concern this umma only, the Jews would not envy it. How did Abu Hurayra say: "When Allah had created Adam, he said to him: Go to greet those angels and listen to what they will greet you with because it is your and your progenies' greeting." What would the prudent researchers say about this tradition? And what would they say about his saying that people began to grow less (in size) since then until now?
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1. Imam an-Nawawi said:some of the jurisprudents refrained from interpreting all these traditions and said:We beleive thet they were true and their literal meaning was not intended.They might have suitable meanings.He said :This was the thougt of the sunni predecessors,which was more precautionary and safer...Refer to Sharh Sahih Muslim, which was printed in the margins of Sharh Sahih Muslim,which was printed in the margins of Sharh al-Bukhari,vol.12, p.p. 18. Al-Qastalani mentioned something like that in his book Irshad as-sari, vol.10, p.p.491, then he said: and this is safer. This shows that they beleived that these traditions were true.Allah forbid!(..and most surely the frailest of the houses is the spider`s house-did they but know)29:41.
2. Refer to al-Qastalani in his book irshad as-sari,vol.10,p.p.492.
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2. Seeing Allah in the Day of Resurrection in different images
The two sheikhs 1 mentioned that Abu Hurayra had said: "Some people asked: "O messenger of Allah, can we see our god in the Day of Resurrection?" He said: "Would you be unable to see the sun when there were no clouds?" They said: "No, messenger of Allah." He said: "Would you be unable to see the full moon when there were no clouds?" They said: "No, messenger of Allah." He said: "You will see Allah like that in the Day of Resurrection. Allah gathers people and says: "Whoever worshipped a thing, let him follow it." Then whoever worshipped the sun, would follow the sun, whoever worshipped the moon, would follow the moon and whoever worshipped the tyrants would follow the tyrants. This umma will stay with its hypocrites. Allah comes to them in a shape different from what they know and says: "I am your god." They say: "Allah forbid! We will not leave until our god comes to us. If he comes, we will know Him." Then Allah comes to them in the shape that they know and says: "I am your god." They say: "Yes, You are our god." They follow Him. Then He creates the bridge of Hell. I am the first to cross it. The prophets pray: "O Allah, save us, save us!" The bridge has hooks like the thorns of sa'dan.2 Have you seen the sa'dan?" They said: "Yes, we have." The hooks are like the thorns of sa'dan, but no one knows how great they are save Allah. They snatch people according their deeds. Some will be perished and some will be felled then saved. When Allah finishes off the judgment among His people and wants to save from Hell whomever He wants of those, who witnessed that there was no god but Allah, He orders the angels to get them out of Hell. They will be known by the vestige of prostration (in prayers). Allah forbids Hell (fire) to burn the vestiges of prostration of man. The angels take them out of Hell. They are burnt. Water, called water of life, is poured upon them and they grow like the seed in the fertile ground. There is a man facing the fire and saying: "O my Lord, the wind of fire hurt me and its flame burnt me. Turn my face away from fire." He still
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1. Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
2 .Akind of thistle found in the Arabia.
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prays Allah until Allah says: "If I do that, you may ask me something else." H said: "I swear by Your glory that I won't ask You anything else." Allah turns the man's face away from fire. Then he says: "O my Lord, approach me to Paradise." Allah says: "Didn't you say not to ask me anything else? Woe to you, man! What perfidious you are!" He still prays Allah, until Allah says: "If I do that, you may ask Me something else." He says: "I swear by Your glory that I won't ask You anything else." He promises Allah with many covenants not to ask Him else than that. Allah approaches him to the gate of Paradise. When he sees what is there in Paradise, he becomes quiet for a period of time then he says: "O my Lord, let me enter into Paradise." Allah says: "Didn't you promise not to ask Me else than that? Woe to you, man! What perfidious you are!" He says: "O my Lord, don't make me the most miserable of Your people." He still prays Allah, until Allah (laughs)!! When Allah laughs at him, He permits him to enter into Paradise. When he enters into Paradise, he is asked to wish what he likes. He wishes. Then he is asked to wish. He wishes until he does not find anything to wish. Allah says to him: "All this is for you and else as much as it."
Muslim mentioned the tradition from another way 1 that Abu Hurayra said: "Allah comes to this umma that has pious and lewd people in the Day of Resurrection in a shape different from His shape that they saw before, saying to them: "I am your Lord." They say: "Allah forbid!" He says: "Is there a special sign between you and Him by which you know Him?" They say: "Yes, There is." Then He bares a leg. Whoever prostrated faithfully (in the worldly life) for the sake of Allah, Allah permits him to prostrate and whoever prostrated in hypocrisy and dissimulation, Allah makes his back as one layer that whenever he wants to prostrate, he falls on his back. Then they raise their heads and see that Allah has turned into His shape that they saw at the first time. He says: "I am your Lord." They say: "Yes, You are." Allah creates a bridge on Hell…etc." It was a long tradition but al-Bukhari summarized it
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1. Sahih of Muslim, vol. 1, p.p.88.
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when he interpreted sura of Noon in his Sahih. 1 The text of the tradition is as the following: "I (Abu Hurayra) heard the Prophet (s) saying: "Our Lord bares his leg and every believer, men and women, will prostrate in front of Him, while he, who prostrated in hypocrisy and dissimulation in the worldly life, goes to prostrate but he cant for that his back becomes as one layer."
It is a terrible tradition. I want to ask the learned and educated people if it is acceptable for them that Allah may have different shapes, which people denies some and know the others! Does Allah have a leg to be a distinctive mark leading to know Him? Why is it the leg and no any other organ? Is it possible to ascribe to Allah laughing or coming and going in movement? Is this speech rational? Is it like the Prophet's speech? Certainly not! I swear by Who had sent him with the rightness (..An Apostle from among themselves, reciting to them His communications and purifying them, and teaching them the Book and the wisdom, although before that they were surely in manifest error) 3:164.
A WORD ABOUT SEEING ALLAH
The Sunnis agreed unanimously that seeing Allah with the eyes was possible in the worldly life and in the afterlife and they agreed too that it would happen certainly in the afterlife. The believers would see Allah in the Day of Resurrection with their eyes but the unbelievers would never see Him at all. Most of them thought that seeing Allah would not happen in the worldly life. Some of them might say that it would be. Those, who believed in embodiment (of Allah), said that they would see Allah in the Day of Resurrection by the connection of the rays between their eyes and His (body!) to look at Him as they looked at each other. They would have no doubt about that as they had no doubt about the sun and the full moon when there were no clouds according to the tradition of Abu Hurayra. They, who believed in embodiment, contradicted the mental and traditional principles and broke the unanimity of the umma and they reneged their religion and the Islamic necessities. So we have no word with them.
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1. Vol.2, p.p. 138.
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As for the others of the Ash'arites, who believed in transcendence of Allah, they said that seeing Allah was an ability, which Allah would grant to the believers in particular to make them see Him not by the connection of the rays between the seer and Him, nor by facing Him, nor by limiting Him nor.. nor.. It would not be like the normal sight of people. It would be a special sight falling from the believers upon Allah. It would have no limitation, no modification, nor any of the six directions.
This is impossible and cannot be imagined, unless Allah gives the believers in the afterlife another sight with aspects different from these of the sight in this worldly life, in a way that the sight of the eyes will be like the sight of the heart (perception of the mind). This is far away from the cause of the disagreement between us. Perhaps the disagreement between us is because of the usage of the words.
3. Hell won't be full until Allah puts His leg in it
The two sheikhs mentioned a tradition narrated by Abdur Razak from Ma'mar from Humam that Abu Hurayra had said: "The Paradise and the Hell disputed about what each had. The Hell said: "I am favored by having the haughty people and the tyrants. The Paradise said: "What about me that I have but the poor and miserable people." Allah said to Paradise: "You are My mercy, which I grant to whomever I will." He said to Hell: "You are My torture, which I punish with whomever I will." Each of them must be filled. But Hell will not be filled until Allah puts His leg into it and it says: "Enough, enough." Then it becomes full and some of its parts join the others." 1
Whatever Abu Hurayra became wealthier, he became more stupid. 2 He saw that Hell is larger than to be filled with the disobedient people and Allah said that He would fill it:(He said: The truth then is and the truth do I speak that I will certainly fill Hell) 38:84-85. So Abu Hurayra stopped, in front of these two
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1. Al-Bukhari`s Sahih, vol.3, p.p. 127. muslim`s Sahih, vol. 2. p.p. 482.Ahmed`s Musnad, vol.2, p.p. 314.
2. Proverb.
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matters, confused pondering how to reconcile between them, until he found a solution for this problem that Allah would put His leg into Hell, because, according to Abu Hurayra's opinion, the leg of Allah must be greater than Hell whatever Hell was great and wide. And since Abu Hurayra was so clever and brilliant so no wonder to gather between the contradictories. But if he pondered about the saying of Allah: (He said: The truth then is and the truth do I speak that I will certainly fill Hell with you and with those among them who follow you, all) 38:84-85, his tongue would be tied and he would go away stumbling with his dirty garment, because the verse declared that Hell would be filled with him and his likes, the devils and who followed them of people.
However, this tradition is impossible according to reason and the Sharia. Does any Muslim glorifying Allah believe that Allah has a leg? Does any sane man believe that Allah puts His leg in Hell in order to be filled? What is the maxim of that? Does this speech have any importance? With which language do Paradise and Hell dispute? With what senses do they perceive and know those, who enter into them? What favor do the arrogant and tyrants have that Hell prides of while they are suffering torture? And does Paradise think that those who entered into it are pauper and miserable people while they are those, whom Allah prefers? They are the prophets, the veracious people, the martyrs, and the righteous people. I do not think that Paradise and Hell are so ignorant, stupid and dotard.
4. Allah descends to the lower heaven every night
The two sheikhs mentioned a tradition narrated by Ibn Shihab from Abu Abdullah al-Agharr and Abu Salama bin Abdur-Rahman that Abu Hurayra had said: "Our god descends to the lower heaven at the last third of every night and says: Let any one ask me to grant him what he asks for." 1
Was He exalted and far above ascending and descending, coming and going, moving about and any other happening. This tradition and the three before were the source of embodiment in
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1. Sahih of al-Bukhari,vol. 4, p.p.68 and vol. 1, p.p. 136. Sahih of Muslim, vol. 1, p.p. 283.Musnad of Ahmed bin Hanbal, vol.2,p.p.258.
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Islam as it appeared in the time of the intellectual complication. Many heresies and aberrations came out by the Hanbalis, especially Ibn Taymiya, who ascended the minbar of the Umayyad mosque in Damascus on one Friday preaching. He said through his heresies: "Allah descends to the lower heaven every night like my descending now." He descended one step of the minbar to show them how Allah descends in a real motion from up to down. A Maliki jurisprudent called Ibn az-Zahra' contradicted him and denied what he had said. The people in the mosque rushed to the Maliki jurisprudent and beat him with hands and shoes severely until his turban fell down on the ground. They carried him to the judge of Hanbalis in Damascus, who was called Izzuddeen bin Muslim. He ordered to put him in prison and he punished him after that…etc. 1
5. Solomon breaks his father David's verdict
The two2 sheikhs mentioned a tradition narrated by Abu Hurayra that the Prophet had said: " There were two women with their two babies. A wolf came and snatched one of the babies. The women disputed that each pretended the baby was eaten by the wolf was of the other. They went to Prophet David to judge between them. He judged that the remained live baby was the elder woman's baby. They went to Prophet Solomon, the son of Prophet David, and told him their story. He said: "Bring me a knife 3 to cut the baby into two halves to give each one a half." The younger woman cried: "Please, don't do that, Allah may have mercy upon you. It is of that woman." Then Prophet Solomon judged that the baby was of the younger woman." Abu Hurayra said: "I swear by Allah that I haven't heard of sikkeen (knife) before that. We called it midya (knife)."
We have some notes about this tradition:
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1. The explorer Ibn Battouta atternded thi incident and mentioned what he had seen in his book Rihla(travel), vol.1, p.p.57.
2. Sahih of al-Bukhari. vol. 2, p.p.166. Sahih of Muslim, vol. 2, p.p.57.Musnad of Ahmed bin Hanbal, vol.2, p.p. 322.
3. In Arabic it is called sikkeen.
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First: David (s) was a prophet, whom Allah had delegated to guide His people and entrusted to rule on the earth with justice. Allah said: (O Dawood! surely We have made you a ruler in the land; so judge between men with justice) 38:26. Allah had praised him in the holy Qur'an by saying: (..and remember Our servant Dawood, the possessor of power; surely he was frequent in returning (to Allah). Surely We made the mountains to sing the glory (of Allah) in unison with him at the evening and the sunrise, And the birds gathered together; all joined in singing with him. And We strengthened his kingdom and We gave him wisdom and a clear judgement) 38:17-20, and: (And most surely he had a nearness to Us and an excellent resort) 38:40, and: (and certainly We have made some of the prophets to excel others, and to Dawood We gave a scripture) 17:55. Allah had favoured Prophet David with the Book of Psalms. He was infallible, especially in judgement and rule according to what Allah had said in the Qur'an: (and whoever did not judge by what Allah revealed, those are they that are the unjust) 5:45. The son Solomon was the inheritor of his father David's knowledge, wisdom and rule. He also was an infallible prophet. Hence, how could he break his father's judgement though he knew very well that his father was an infallible prophet? If, nowadays, a mufti having all the legal conditions of judgement judges between two persons, then it will be compulsory for all the other muftis to regard the validity of his verdict unless they know certainly that it is wrong. But among the prophets wrong was impossible because they all were infallible. So it was not possible for Solomon, who was a prophet, to break the verdict of his father, whom Allah had made prophet and ruler. His breaking the verdict of his father meant denying the will of Allah and impoliteness and impiety towards his father.
Second: The contradiction between the verdicts of these two prophets was clear, according to this tradition. It means that one of them was wrong. This was impossible for the prophets especially when they judged according to the laws of Allah. Allah said: (..and whoever did not judge by what Allah revealed, those are they that are the transgressors) 5:47.
Third: The tradition showed that David (s) had judged that the baby was the elder woman's baby without any evidence just because
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she was the elder. Judgements like these didn't come except from an ignorant man, who didn't know anything about the legal criteria and the laws of trials. Glory be to Allah and His prophets.
Fourth: Solomon judged that the baby was the younger woman's baby just because she feared for the baby to be cut by the knife. This was not an enough evidence for Solomon to judge according to it, especially after that the younger woman had confessed that it was the other woman's baby and after his father's judgement.
Fifth: I wonder, by Allah, at those who believed Abu Hurayra when he said: "I swear by Allah that I haven't heard of sikkeen before that. We didn't call it but midya." Sikkeen was more common among the Arabs, and I don't think that there was one who didn't know its meaning. In fact, many of the common people didn't know the midya. Did Abu Hurayra not read or hear Allah saying in sura of Yousuf 1: (...and gave each of them a (sikkeen) knife) 12:31.
Didn't he, himself, narrate that the Prophet (s) had said: "He, who was made a judge for people, as if he was slaughtered without a (sikkeen) knife." 2
NOTE
Abu Hurayra thought that David and Solomon (when they gave judgement concerning the field..) 21:78, were contradictable in their judgements so it became easy for him to fabricate that imaginary story where he didn't know that they both were right and the judgement and knowledge of each of them were from Allah.
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1.Sura of yousuf was reveealed to prophet Muhammad(s)in Mecca except four verses which were revealed in Medina,the first three verses and the fourth:(certainly in Yusuf and his brothers there are sighns for the inquirers)12:7.Abu Hurayra became a Muslim seven years after the revealation of this inquires) 12:7. Abu Hurayra became a Muslim seven years after the revelation of this sure, which it had been recited by the Muslims day and night and he heard them read it in their prayers many times.
2. Mentioned by imam Ahmed bin Hanbal in his book Musnad, vol. 2, p.p. 230, that it was narrated by Muhammed bin Ja'far from Shu'ba from al-Ala' from his father from Abu Hurayra.
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The case was that some sheep had entered into a vineyard, which its grapevines' clusters had come out, and ate it in the night. The vineyard keeper and the sheep keeper went to Prophet David (s) to judge between them. He found, according to the Sharia revealed to him by Allah, that he had to judge that the vineyard keeper would take the sheep because the value of the sheep was equal to the value of the damage in the vineyard. When he wanted to give his judgement, Allah abrogated it by revealing to Solomon, who was a partner with his father in prophecy, that the judgement in this case was to give the sheep to the vineyard keeper to make use of their milk and wool and to give the vineyard to the sheep keeper to restore it as it was before then each of them would take his property.
Allah made by this judgement a use for the vineyard by the sheep in return for his loss without possessing the sheep and made the sheep keeper work in the vineyard to restore it as before.
When Allah instructed Solomon with that, he offered it to his father. His father asked him insistently to do what Allah had revealed to him.
This is the summery of what happened between them. There was no contradiction or disagreement like any two divine laws, which one abrogated the other.
Here is the saying of Allah, the most exalted, which explains this fact: (And Dawood and Sulaiman when they gave judgement concerning the field when the people's sheep pastured therein by night, and We were bearers of witness to their judgement. So We made Sulaiman to understand it ; and to each one We gave wisdom and knowledge; and We made the mountains, and the birds to celebrate Our praise with Dawood; and We were the doers) 21:78-79. Look at the saying of Allah (and to each one We gave wisdom and knowledge), you will find that both of them were right, because the knowledge and judgement of each of them were from Allah.
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1. As it was narrated from Imam Abu Ja'far al-Baqir and Imam Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (s)
2. i.e We instructed Solomon this judgement and it was to abrogate the judgement, which We had instructed David before.
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But Abu Hurayra thought it easy to condemn the prophets that they might misjudge like the other muftis.
(And they do not assign to Allah the attributes due to Him) 6:91, when they permitted themselves to give fatwas according to their own thinking against the prophets, who were the means between Allah and His people. They thought that the prophets might misjudge even in the legal judgements and laws, which were, no doubt, revealed to them from Allah (and whoever did not judge by what Allah revealed, those are they that are the unbelievers) 5:44.
If discernment returned to their minds, they would know that the prophets didn't give decisions and judgements according to their thought because they would know that by revelation. This was possible for the mujtahids of umma because it was the best of what they can do. But it was impossible for the prophets because it often led to one's own thought.
If the prophets judged according to their thought, it would be possible for the other mujtahids to contradict them. Then the dignity of prophecy and the prophets would be lost. Could any faithful mujtahid dare to contradict Prophet Muhammad (s) and break his verdict? Certainly not! It is blasphemy unanimously!
The holy Qur'an declares clearly that Prophet Muhammad (s) acted according to the revelation (..nor does he speak out of desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed) 53:3-4. So did all the prophets and apostles (peace be upon them all).
6. Solomon goes to bed with a hundred women in one night
The two sheikhs mentioned a tradition that Abu Hurayra had said: "Prophet Muhammad said: Sulayman ibn Dawood (Solomon, the son of David) said: I will go to bed with a hundred of women tonight. Each woman will give birth to a boy, who will fight for the sake of Allah. The angel said to him: Say inshallah. He did not say and went to bed with them. No one of them did bear except one, who gave birth to half a human being. If he said inshallah, he wouldn't break his oath and his desire would be realized."
We also have some notes about this tradition:
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First: The human power is unable to go to bed with one hundred women in one night, however strong the man is. This is against the rules of nature and cannot be happened at all.
Second: It was not possible for the prophet Solomon (s) to turn his back on the will of Allah, especially after the precaution of the angel to him. What prevented him to say inshallah? Was he not the prophet, whom Allah had delegated to guide people in the way of Allah? It was the ignorant that turned their backs on the will of Allah and ignored that all their affairs were in His hand! The prophets were far above the inattention of the ignorant. They were far above what the dotards thought.
Third: Abu Hurayra was confused about the number of Solomon's wives. Sometimes he said they were one hundred, 1 and sometimes he said they were ninety, 2 seventy3, and sixty 4. All these traditions were mentioned in al-Bukhari, Muslim, and Ahmed's books. I do not know what they would say, those who defended this man! Would they say that Solomon had done this thing several times with his wives? So they were a hundred at the first time and ninety at the second time and seventy or sixty at the other times. And every time the angel precautioned him but he did not say inshallah. I do not think they would say that. It would be better for them to say: The tear became wider for the patcher to repair.5 A liar has no good memory.6
7. Moses slaps the angel of death
The two sheikhs mentioned a tradition that Abu Hurayra had said: "The prophet Muhammad (s) said: The angel of death came to
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1. Sahih of al-Bukhari, vol. 3, p.p. 176. Musnad of Ahmed, vol. 2, p.p. 229 and p.p. 270.
2. ibid, vol. 4, p.p. 107.
3. ibid, vol. 2, p.p. 165.
4. Sahih of Muslim, vol. 2, p.p. 23. In the same chapter Muslim mentioned a tradition narrated by Abu Hurayra from another way that they were seventy and another narrated by him from a third way that they were ninety.
5. A proverb.
6. A proverb.
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Moses and said to him: Respond to the order of your god! Moses slapped the angel of death on his eye and gouged it. The angel of death returned to Allah and said to Him: You sent me to one of Your slaves, who did not want to die. He gouged my eye. Allah restored to him his eye and said to him: Go back to My slave and say to him: If you want to live, you are to put your hand on a bull's back and see how many hairs stick in your hand. You will live for every hair a year." 1
Ahmed bin Hanbal mentioned this tradition in his Musnad 2 that Abu Hurayra had said: "The Prophet (s) said: The angel of death used to come to people visibly. He came to Moses. Moses slapped him and gouged his eye…" Ibn Jareer at-Tabari in his book Tareekh al-Umam wel- Mulook (the history of the nations and the kings) vol. 1, mentioned that Abu Hurayra had said: "The angel of death used to come to people visibly until he came to Moses. Moses slapped him and gouged his eye…" and at the last of the tradition that "the angel of death began to come to people invisibly after the death of Moses."3
You note clearly that this tradition has many things, which can never be ascribed to Allah, His prophets, and His angels. Is it suitable for Allah to choose among His people one, who assaults like the tyrants even upon the angels of Allah just because of anger and acts like the mutinous arrogant or to hate death so much like the ignorant? Was that possible for Moses, whom Allah had chosen for His mission and entrusted with His revelation? Was that possible for Moses, whom Allah had favored with His talking to and made one of the best prophets? How did he hate death while he desired to meet Allah and to be near Him? What was the guilt of the angel of death, who was but a messenger from Allah to him to be slapped
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1. Sahih of Musli, vol. 2, p.p. 309. Sahih of al-Bukhari, vol. 2, p.p. 163 and vol. 1, p.p. 158.
2. vol. 2, p.p. 315.
3. If the angle of death came to people visible, that would be widespread among the all, like the rays of the sun in the midday. Why did the narrators and the historians of the other nations miss this news if it had had any reality? Why didn't the imagination of the fictionists and fablers hover about this excitements? Did they leave the honor of that for Abu Hurayra ?
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and his eye be gouged? Was it suitable for the arch-prophets to insult and beat the angels, who were sent by Allah to inform them of the missions and orders of Allah? Allah and His prophets and angels be far above that! Why did we disavow the dwellers of ar-Rass, the Pharaoh, Abu Jahl and the likes and curse them day and night? Was that not because they offended the prophets when they came to them with the missions and orders of Allah? How do we, then, ascribe the same to the prophets? Allah forbid! What a great slander it is!
It is well-known that the power of the human beings altogether, or in fact, the power of all the creatures since the beginning of creation until the Day of Resurrection, cannot stand against the power of the angel of death. How was it easy for Moses to beat him? Did the angel not defend himself although he was able to put Moses to death especially that he was ordered by Allah to do that? And when did the angel have an eye to be gouged? And do not forget that the angel lost his right for the slap and the gouged eye. He wasn't ordered by Allah to avenge himself upon Moses, in whose Torah Allah had said: (that life is for life, and eye for eye, and nose for nose, and ear for ear, and tooth for tooth, and (that there is) reprisal in wounds),1 nor Allah blamed Moses, but He revered him by giving him the option to choose between dying or living for many other years as much as the hairs of the bull stuck in his hand.
I swear by the dignity of rightness and the honour of truthfulness and by their being above nullness and falsehood, that this man had burdened his defenders with what they couldn't bear and overtaxed them with his traditions, which their minds couldn't put up with, especially his saying: (the angel of death used to come to people visibly before the death of Moses but he came to them invisibly after the death of Moses). May Allah save us from torpor of
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1. Sura of al-Ma'ida, Verse: 45. We found that the twenty-third paragraph of the twenty-first chapter of the Exodus of the Torah, which is among the Jews and Christians nowadays have the following meaning: (If a harm happened, a soul would be given for a soul, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a leg for a leg, a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound and a bruise for a bruise).
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mind and nonsense of saying and doing. There is no power save in Allah, the most Exalted, the Almighty.
8. A rock runs away with Moses' cloths
The two sheikhs mentioned that Abu Hurayra had said: "The prophet Muhammad (s) said: "The Israelites bathed nakedly. They looked at each other's private parts. Moses bathed alone. They said: "By Allah, nothing prevented Moses to bathe with us, unless he had a hernia." Once Moses went to bathe, He put his cloths on a rock. The rock ran away with Moses' cloths. Moses followed the rock crying: "O rock, my cloths! O rock, my cloths!" The Israelites looked at Moses private parts and said that Moses was all right. After that the rock stopped. Moses took his cloths and began to beat the rock. I swear by Allah that the rock had six or seven scars." 1
Al-Bukhari and Muslim mentioned in their Sahihs that Abu Hurayra had said that it was this event, which Allah had referred to in His saying: (O you who believe! be not like those who spoke evil things of Musa, but Allah cleared him of what they said, and he was worthy of regard with Allah) 33:69.
You see what impossibility there was in this tradition. It was not possible to defame the prophet Moses, who had the honour of talking with Allah, by unveiling his private parts in front of his people, because that would disgrace him and diminish his dignity, especially when they saw him running after a rock, which didn't see or hear, and crying: "O rock, my cloths! O rock, my cloths!" Then to stop at the rock in front of people nakedly and beat it while the people were looking at his private parts as if he was mad!
If that thing were true, Allah would have done it. Then why would Moses be angry to punish the rock, which was obliged to do so because it had no mind or option? What was the use of beating a rock, which had no any feeling?
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1. We mentioned the tradition according to Muslim in his book Sahih, vol. 2, p.p. 308. Al-Bukhari mentioned it in his Sahih, vol. 1, p.p. 42, and vol. 2, p.p. 162. It was mentioned by Ahmed in his Musnad in many ways from Abu Hurayra, vol. 2, p.p. 315.
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The running away of the rock with Moses cloths wouldn't give him any excuse to disgrace himself by unveiling his private parts in front of people. He could stay in his place until someone brought him his cloths or any thing else to veil himself like any sane man would do if something like that happened to him.
The running away of the rock was a miracle and an extraordinary thing. It would not happen unless there was a cause for challenge or to prove a very great thing like the moving of the tree for the prophet Muhammad (s) in Mecca, when the polytheists suggested to the Prophet (s) to make it move. Allah made the tree move from its place to another to prove Muhammad's prophecy and to certify his mission. It was clear that the case of Moses bathing in the sea didn't required miracles or any challenge, especially when it would cause a scandal for the prophet in front of his people in a way that any one saw or heard about it would scorn him and make fun of him. As to prove that he had no hernia was not so important that it required disgracing the prophet or diminishing his dignity nor it was one of the necessities, which required miracles. It could be known easily by his wives, who might, then, tell the truth.
Let suppose that he had a hernia, what was the wrong of that? The prophet Shu'ayb (Jethro) became blind and the prophet Ayyoub (Job) was sick for forty years. All of the prophets became sick and died. It was not a defect that they had some sicknesses, especially when they were unknown by people like hernia. It was not possible for them to have something affecting their minds or their generosity or something that would lead people to keep away from them or make fun of them. Certainly the hernia was not of that kind.
It was not narrated by anyone that the Israelites thought Moses had a hernia except by Abu Hurayra!
But the event that Allah referred to in the holy Qur'an by saying: (O you who believe! be not like those who spoke evil things of Musa, but Allah cleared him of what they said) 33:69, was, as narrated by Imam Ali and Ibn Abbas, about the case that the Israelites accused him of killing Aaron. It was also said that it was about the case of the prostitute, whom Qaroun (Croesus) had seduced to accuse Moses of having a corrupted relationship with her but Allah acquitted him from this accusation where she, herself, said the truth.
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And it was said that they hurt him by ascribing to him magic, lying and madness after they saw the miracles.
I wonder at al-Bukhari and Muslim that they added these traditions to the virtues of Moses! Was beating the angel and gouging his eye a virtue? Was running in front of people nakedly honour? What was the meaning of this nonsense? The prophet Moses was far above that. It was enough for him what the holy Qur'an had declared about his virtues and honourable position.
9. People resort to the prophets hoping their intercession
The two sheikhs mentioned a long tradition of Abu Hurayra's saying that: "The Prophet (s) said: In the Day of Resurrection Allah gathers all peoples, the first and the last of them, in one place. The caller can see them all and they all can hear him. The sun comes nearer. People cannot tolerate the grief and worry. They say to each other: "Don't you see what grief you are in? Don't you find someone to intercede for you with your god?" They go to Adam (s) and say to him: "You are the father of the human beings. Allah created you with His hands and blew in you some of His mercy. He ordered the angels to prostrate in front of you and they did. Please intercede for us with your god. Don't you see what we are in?" Adam says: "My god became so angry today to a degree that He hadn't become so angry before nor He will be so angry after that. He forbade me to eat from the tree but I disobeyed Him. Myself, myself, myself! Go to another than me. Go to Noah." They go to Noah and say to him: "O Noah, you were the first prophet to the people of the earth. Allah called you a grateful slave. Please intercede for us with your god. Don't you see what we are in?" Noah says: "My god became so angry today that He hadn't become so angry like that before, nor He will be so angry like that after today because I had, once, cursed my people. I shall keep to myself, myself, myself! Go to another than me. Go to Abraham." They go to Abraham (s) and say to him: "O Abraham, you are the prophet of Allah and His true friend among all the people of the earth, please intercede for us with your god. Don't you say what we are in?" He says: "My god became so angry today that He hadn't become so angry like that before, nor he will be so angry like that after today. I
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had told lies three times. I will keep to myself, myself, myself! Go to another than me. Go to Moses." They go to Moses and say to him: "O Moses, you are the prophet of Allah. He preferred you with His mission and talked with you alone among all the people; please intercede for us with your god. Don't you see what we are in?" He says: "My god became so angry today that He hadn't become so angry like that before nor He will be so angry like that after today. I had killed someone, whom I was not ordered to kill. I will keep to myself, myself! Myself! Go to another than me. Go to Jesus." They go to Jesus (s) and say to him: "O Jesus, you are the prophet of Allah and His word, which He communicated to Miriam (the Virgin Mary) and a spirit from Him. You spoke to people when you were in the cradle; please intercede to us with your god. Don't you see what we are in?" Jesus (s) says: "My god became so angry today that He hadn't become so angry like that before, nor He will be so angry like that after today. (Abu Hurayra did not mention guilt) I will keep to myself, myself! Myself! Go to Muhammad." They go to Muhammad (s) and say to him: "O Muhammad, you are the prophet of Allah and the last of the prophets. Allah forgave you all your guilts. Please intercede for us with your god. Don't you see what we are in?" Then I (Muhammad) go to be under the Empyrean and prostrate in front of my god. Allah grants me to praise and thank Him in a way that no one was granted with before me. Then it is said: "O Muhammad, raise your head and ask whatever you like, you will be granted that and intercede, your intercession will be accepted." I say: "O my god, my umma! O my god, my umma!" It is said: "O Muhammad, enter among your umma those, who won't be punished, from the right gate and they will participate the other gates with people." 1
Abu Hurayra, in this tradition, did dare audaciously to defame and disgrace the prophets, whom Allah had chosen to spread His missions among His people, in a way that the divine Sharia and Sunna denied it completely. The Sunna had a way of glorifying the
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1. This text is according to al-Bukhari in his Sahih, vol. 3, p.p. 100. It was mentioned by Muslim in his Sahih, vol.1, p.p. 97 and Ahmed in his Musnad, vol. 2.
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prophets that made the hearts full of sacred regard and respect and the fronts submit to them. It was the Sunna of the prophet Muhammad (s) and his holy Qur'an that spread the glories of these prophets (s) allover the universe, on the land, in the sea and filled the ears of the age with praising them. All what the nations knew about these prophets of glory, which made the eyes submit in front of, and greatness, which made the ambitions cringe and lower their wings meanly before, was by virtue of the Qur'an and Muhammad's Sunna. Without the infallible Sunna of the prophet Muhammad (s) and the holy Qur'an, no one of the later generations would know any thing about these prophets (s) where there was no certain evidence or a true news or a reasonable narration about them. So the prophet Muhammad (s) preserved the history of the prophets and the nations and completed, by the Sunna and the Qur'an, the noble characters and the best of morals and manners. He spread the divine laws and the wise systems that were revealed to him from Allah, which would insure the happiness of the worldly life and the afterlife. They both, the Qur'an and the Sunna, included science, wisdom, politics, the dignity of the life and the hereafter and preserved the Arabic language until the Day of Resurrection.
This tradition of Abu Hurayra, with its prattle and nonsense, was strange and different from the speech of the prophet Muhammad (s) and too far contrary to the Sunna. It was too far from our Prophet to ascribe what this tasteless trivial tradition included. Adam was far above disobedience by committing a fault made Allah be so angry with him. Allah forbade him to go near the tree to exalt and guide him. Glory be to Noah. He would not curse any people except the enemies of Allah in order to be nearer to his god. Abraham was too much honest than to lie! He never did a thing made Allah be so angry with him. Moses did not kill anyone, whom Allah would be so angry for, but he killed someone that had no sanctity or value. Allah, the most exalted, would not treat His prophets but with benevolence as He said: (Is the reward of goodness but goodness) 55:60. The prophets were greater than to think of their god that He became so angry with them that He would never be angry like that neither before nor after. Also the prophet Muhammad would never tell about them but praise and glorification.
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How can people deliberate and intercommunicate in the Day of Resurrection? They are as Allah says: (every woman giving suck shall quit in confusion what she suckled, and every pregnant woman shall lay down her burden, and you shall see men intoxicated, and they shall not be intoxicated but the chastisement of Allah will be severe) 22:2, and (The day on which a man shall fly from his brother, And his mother and his father and his spouse and his son. Every man of them shall on that day have an affair, which will occupy him) 80:34-37.
How can they, in that difficult situation, go to the prophets, who are, then, on the A'araf (the partition between Paradise and Hell)? What prevents them to go to the prophet Muhammad from the first time? Is he not of the glorious status, the high rank and the acceptable intercession? No one, then, ignore him.
Why doesn't Adam or Noah or Abraham or Moses advise them to go to Muhammad directly? Can't any one of the prophets comfort those poor people at the first they ask for intercession? Do the prophets not know the glorious status of the prophet Muhammad at that day or do they prefer to increase the suffering of those poor believers asking for help?
We may ask Abu Hurayra about those poor people: are they from the nation of Muhammad or from another nation? If they are from the nation of Muhammad, what will prevent them to go to him from the first time they ask for intercession? And if they are from another nation, of course he won't abort their efforts and disappoint them with all his mercy that Allah has granted him and has made him the means to intercede between Him and His people. Certainly he will not disappoint them since he is the hope for the desirous and the peace for the scared. He answers the needy with his liberality and sates the thirsty asker before his echo comes back.