`Abd al-Husayn Finds it Hard to Believe the Story of Abu Hurayrah’s Safeguarding the Wealth of Zakat al-Fitr and Shaytan’s Attempts on Three Nights to Steal it

‘Abdul Hussain Finds it Hard to Believe the Story of Abu Hurairah’s Safeguarding the Wealth of Zakat al Fitr and Shaitan’s Attempts on Three Nights to Steal it

On page 161, ‘Abdul Hussain reports a hadith under the title, “He was appointed to guard the wealth of Zakat al Fitr and Shaitan appeared on three nights to steal it”. Al Bukhari and Muslim report from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu who said:

وكلني رسول الله (ص) بحفظ زكاة رمضان فأتاني آت فجعل يحثو من الطعام فأخذته وقلت والله لأرفعنك إلى رسول الله قال: إني محتاج وعلي عيال ولي حاجة شديدة قال: فخليت عنه فأصبحت فقال النبي (ص) :يا أبا هريرة ما فعل أسيرك البارحة؟ فقلت: يا رسول الله شكا حاجة شديدة وعيالا فرحمته فخليت سبيله قال(ص): أما إنه قد كذبك وسيعود قال فرصدته فجاء يحثو من الطعام فأخذته فقلت لأرفعنك إلى رسول الله قال: دعني فإني محتاج وعلي عيال لا أعود فرحمته فخليت سبيله فأصبحت فقال لي رسول الله : يا أبا هريرة ما فعل أسيرك البارحة قلت: يا رسول الله شكا حاجة شديدة وعيالا فرحمته! فخليت سبيله! قال (ص):أما إنه قد كذبك وسيعود، قال: فرصدته الثالثة فجاء يحثو من الطعام فأخذته فقلت:لأرفعنك إلى رسول الله قال دعني أعلمك كلمات ينفعك الله بها إذا أويت إلى فراشك فاقرأ آية الكرسي فإنك لن يزال عليك من الله حافظ ولا يقربنك شيطان حتى تصبح! فخليت سبيله فلما أصبحت قال لي رسول الله: ما فعل أسيرك البارحة؟ فحكيت له القصة قال أتعلم من تخاطب منذ ثلاثة أيام يا أبا هريرة ؟ قلت لا قال(ص): ذاك شيطان

The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam appointed me to guard the zakat of Ramadan. A man came and began taking handfuls from it, so I grabbed his hand and said, “By the oath of Allah, I will report you to the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam!”

He replied, “I am in need, I have a family and I am in dire straits.” Thus, I left him.

The next morning, the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked me, “What did your captive do last night, O Abu Hurairah?”

I replied, “O Messenger, he complained of having a family and of being in dire straits, so I allowed him to go.”

The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Lo! He has most certainly lied, and he will return.”

Consequently, I waited for him. He came along, taking a few handfuls. I grabbed him and said, “I am definitely going to report you to the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam!”

He replied, “Please leave me. I am in dire straits and I have a family.” I took pity upon him and cleared his path.

The next morning the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked me, “What did your captive do last night, O Abu Hurairah?”

I replied, “O Messenger, he complained that he had a family and he was in dire straits, so I allowed him to go.”

The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Lo! He has most certainly lied, and he will return.”

Consequently, I waited for him for a third time. He came along, taking a few handfuls. I grabbed him and said, “I am definitely going to report you to the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam!”

He replied, “Leave me alone. I will teach you a few words by means of which Allah will grant you immense benefit. When you retire to bed, then recite Ayat al Kursi, as Allah will appoint a guard for you who will protect you, and the devil will not come close to you until the morning.” Thereupon, I let him go.

The next morning, the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked me, “What did your captive do last night, O Abu Hurairah?” I related the incident to him.

He said, “Do you know who you were speaking to for the past three days?”

I replied, “No.”

He said, “That was Shaitan.”

‘Abdul Hussain objects to the hadith saying:

هذه خرافة لا يصغي إلا من رك عقله، وطفئت شعلة دهنه …-إلى أن قال – وما أغرب ما يحدثنا به أبو هريرة عن شياطينه وكل ما انفرد به أبو هريرة غريب تارة يزعم انهم يسرقون الطعام لعيالهم وأخرى أن لهم ضراطاً ذا سمعوا الأذان …الى غير ذلك من القصص التي يربأ أولو العقول الوافرة والأذهان النيرة عن سماعها،نعوذ بالله من سبات العقل وضعف التمييز

This is nonsense. It is not palatable, except for the feeble minded, and those whose intelligence have been dimmed… How strange are the tales that Abu Hurairah narrates to us regarding his devils. All those narrations in which he is the sole narrator are totally weird. At times he narrates that they steal food to support their families and at times he narrates that they pass wind upon hearing the adhan. These are some of the many narrations he narrates, which will definitely be rejected by those who have perfect intelligence and enlightened minds, when they hear it. We seek Allah’s protection from dormant brains and weakness in differentiating (between truth and falsehood).

If the reality is as you falsely and deceptively claim, then have a look at that which your Imams and scholars have narrated from their devils. The pride of your scholars, al Majlisi, in his book Bihar al Anwar, under Kitab al Sama’ wa l-’Alam, titled a chapter, “mention of Iblis and his stories”.[1] Under this chapter, he reports this hadith of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, which you have rejected, from Sahih al Bukhari. ‘Abdul Hussain’s ignorance and hatred towards this illustrious Sahabi is quite evident. He rejects a hadith which is established by the pride of his scholars. What is the motive behind all of this dissimulation and misguidance? Soon I will present the summary of the hadith quoted by al Majlisi. Similarly, al Majlisi has narrated in his Bihar al Anwar many narrations of this nature.[2]

Ayub al Ansari radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates:

كانت لي سهوة فيها تمر فكانت تجيئ الغول كهيئة النور فتأخذ منه ، فشكونا ذلك إلى النبي فقال: اذهب فإذا رأيتها فقل: بسم الله أجيبي رسول الله؟ فأخذتها فحلفت أن لاتعود، فأرسلها ثم جاء إلى رسول الله فقالت : إني ذاكرة لك شيئا : آية الكرسي اقرأها في بيتك فلا يقربك شيطان ولا غيره ، فجاء إلى رسول الله فقال:ما فعل أسيرك ؟ فأخبره بما قال، قال: صدقك وهو كذوب

I had an alcove in which I would store dates. A demon would come in the form of light and steal from it. We complained about this to the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, so he said, “Go (there), and when you see it then say, ‘In the name of Allah, respond to the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam!’ I grabbed it but it promised that it will not return, so I let go of it. “Go to the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and say to him that I taught you something; if you recite Ayat al Kursi in your house, nothing will come close to you, neither a demon, nor anything else.”

The next day, he went to the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam who asked, “What did your captive do?” He reported what the captive had done.

The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “He told you the truth, even though he is a great liar.”

As for his comment:

وما أغرب ما يحدثنا به أبو هريرة عن شياطينه وكل ما انفرد به أبو هريرة غريب تارة يزعم أنهم يسرقون الطعام لعيالهم وأخرى أن لهم ضراطاً ذا سمعوا الأذان…

How strange are the tales that Abu Hurairah narrates to us regarding his devils. All those narrations in which he is the sole narrator are totally weird. At times he narrates that they steal food to support their families and at times he narrates that they pass wind upon hearing the adhan.

Our comment: None who believe in the Qur’an and Sunnah will object to this hadith. This hadith, which you have rejected on account of your desires and temperament, has been reported by the pride of your scholars, al Majlisi. He titled a chapter in his book Bihar al Anwar, “The chapter of the mention of Iblis and his stories”. Al Majlisi stated:

روى مسلم عن سهل بن أبي صالح أنه قال: أرسلني أبي إلى بني حارثة ومعي غلام لنا، أوصاحب لنا ، فناداه مناد من حائط باسمه فأشرف الذي معي على الحائط فلم ير شيئاً فذكرت ذلك لأبي فقال: لو شعرت أنك تلقى هذا لم أرسلك، ولكن إذا سمعت صوتاً فناد بالصلاة فإني سمعت أبا هريرة يحدث عن رسول الله أنه قال: إن الشيطان إذا نودي بالصلاة أدبر

وفي رواية :عن أبي هريرة أن النبي قال: إذا تغوّلت لكم الغيلان فنادوا بالأذان فإن الشيطان إذا سمع النداء أدبر وله حصاص أي ضراط

Imam Muslim reports from Sahl ibn Salih who says, “My father sent me to Banu Harithah. I had one of our slaves or one of our companions with me. Suddenly, someone called him by his name from a wall, so he went to have a look by the wall, but he did not see anything. I mentioned that to my father who said, “If I knew that you were going to experience this, I would not have sent you. However, if you ever hear a voice, then call out the adhan, for I heard Abu Hurairah relating from the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that he said, “Shaitan withdraws when the call to salah is sounded.’’

Another tradition narrated by Abu Hurairah from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is, “When the demon snatches anything from you then call out the adhan, for indeed when shaitan hears the adhan, he withdraws, and passes wind in the process.”

Similarly, al Muhaqqiq al Ahsa’i has also narrated it in his book al ‘Awali. He says:

روي في الخبر عنه أنه:” إذا أذن المؤذن ، أدبر الشيطان وله ضراط” .

It has been reported from him in a narration, “When the muazdhin calls out the adhan, then shaitan withdraws whilst letting out wind.”[3]

Al Nuri also quotes it in his book Mustadrak al Wasa’il under the chapters of adhan and iqamah.[4]

Would it be correct for us to say: ‘Abdul Hussain is totally ignorant regarding his beliefs?

NEXT⇒ ‘Abdul Hussain Does Not Accept That the Mother of Abu Hurairah Accepted Islam on Account of the Supplication of Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and His supplication That They Should be Made Beloved to All Believers and All Believers Should be Made Beloved to Them

[1] Bihar al Anwar, 63/297.

[2] Refer to 63/316-317, chapter on the mention of Iblis and his stories, 63/112-113, book of the universe, the chapter concerning the reality of the Jinn and their conditions.

[3] Al ‘Awali, 1/409.

[4] Mustadrak al Wasa’il, 4/73.

BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents