`Abd al-Husayn Objects to the Hadith, ‘Locusts of Gold Rained Down upon the Nabi of Allah, Ayyub’

`Abd al-Husayn Rejects the Hadith of Nabi Musa `alayh al-Salam Being Reprimanded for Burning an Army of Ants after One of them Pinched Him.
December 4, 2015
`Abd al-Husayn Finds Fault with the Hadith, ‘Intercession will be Sought from the Ambiya’ on the Day of Qiyamah’
December 4, 2015

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‘Abdul Hussain Objects to the Hadith, ‘Locusts of Gold Rained Down upon the Prophet of Allah, Ayub’

 

On page 90, ‘Abdul Hussain quotes the hadith, “locusts of gold rained down upon Ayub whilst he was having a bath and Allah’s rebuking of him for that which he gathered in his clothes.” Al Bukhari and Muslim report through different chains from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu who narrates that the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

 

قال: بينما أيوب يغتسل عريانا خر عليه جراد من ذهب فجعل يحثي في ثوبه فناداه ربه ألم أكن أغنيتك عما ترى؟ قال بلى يا رب ولكن لا غنى لي عن بركتك

Whilst Ayub was taking a bath, completely uncovered, locusts of gold fell down upon him so he began putting them in his clothes. Thereupon, his Rabb called out to him saying, “Have I not made you independent from that which you see?”

He replied, “Indeed O my Rabb! However, I can never be satisfied regarding Your blessings.”[1]

 

‘Abdul Hussain then tries to cast his doubts by saying:

 

لا يركن إلى هذا الحديث إلاّ أعشى البصيرة، مظلم الحس فإن خلق الجراد من ذهب آية من الآيات ، وخوارق العادات وسنة الله في خلقه أن لا يخلق مثلها إلاّ عند الضرورة كما لو توقف ثبوت النبوة عليها فتأتي حينئذ برهان على النبوة ودليلا على الرسالة…

None will be inclined towards this hadith except those who have impaired vision and weakened senses. Creating grasshoppers from gold is indeed a great sign and totally against the norm. The system of Allah regarding His creation is that He does not create the like of it unless there is a need, such as establishing that someone is a Prophet. On such occasions, it is displayed as a clear proof of Nubuwwah and a sign of apostleship.

 

Our comment: If we wish to expound on the status of your Imams (whom you consider infallible and higher ranking than the Prophets and Messengers) and the baseless miracles that you claim regarding them; we will need huge volumes of books. However, we will suffice upon mentioning the titles of a few chapters from your seminal books. Mahajjat al Bayda’ contains a lengthy narration from al Sadiq in which he said:

 

نحن ورثة الأنبياء ليس فينا ساحر ولا كاهن ، ندعو الله فيجيب وإن أحببت أن أدعو الله فيمسخك كلباً تهتدي إلى منزلك فتدخل عليهم وتبصبص لأهلك فعلت ، فقال: الأعرابي بجهله : نعم، فدعا الله فصار كلباً في الوقت ومضى على وجهه ، فقال لي الصادق(ع) اتبعه ، فأتبعته حتى صار إلى حيّه فدخل إلى منزله وجعل يبصبص لأهله وولده فأخذوا له العصا حتى أخرجوه فانصرفت إلى الصادق فأخبرته بما كان فبينا نحن في هذا الحديث إذ أقبل حتى وقف بين يدي الصادق وجعلت دموعه تسيل وأقبل يمترّغ في التراب ويعوي، فرحمه فدعا له فعاد أعرابياً فقال له الصادق(ع): هل آمنت يا أعرابي ؟ قال: نعم ألفاً وألفا

“There are no sorcerers or fortune-tellers amongst us, i.e. the heirs of the Prophets. We supplicate to Allah and he responds to us. If I wish, I can ask Allah to turn you into a dog. You will find your way home, enter your house, and wag your tail for your family.”

A villager ignorantly responded, “Yes!” Thus, he supplicated to Allah. As a result, the man was immediately turned into a dog and he continued in his direction.

Thereupon, al Sadiq instructed me to follow him; I followed him until he entered his locality. He entered his house and began wagging his tail for his family and children. They responded by grabbing a stick to chase him out. I returned to al Sadiq to report to him that which had transpired. As we were speaking about this incident, he suddenly appeared and stood before al Sadiq, with his tears streaming down his cheeks. He began howling and rolling in the sand. As a result, al Sadiq took pity upon him and supplicated for him. Consequently, he returned to being a villager.

Thereafter, al Sadiq asked, “Do you believe O villager?”

He replied, “Yes, a thousand, a thousand.”[2]

 

Al Qatrah reports:

 

قال عسكر مولى أبي جعفر(ع) :دخلت عليه فقلت في نفسي يا سبحان الله ما أشد سمرة مولاي وأضوى جسده قال فوالله ما استتمت الكلام في نفسي حتى تطاول وعرض جسده !! وامتلأ به الأيوان إلى سقفه مع جوانب حيطانه ثم رأيت لونه وقد أظلم حتى صار كالليل المظلم !! ثم أبيض حتى كأبيض ما يكون من الثلج !! ثم أحمر حتى صار كالعلق المحمر !! ثم أخضر حتى صار كأخضر ما يكون!! من الأغصان المورقة الخضرة !! ثم تناقص جسمه حتى صار في صورته الأولى!! وعاد لونه الأول وسقطت لوجهي مما رأيت

‘Askar, the freed slave of Abu Jafar, said, “I entered his presence and said to myself, ‘Subhan Allah! How beautiful is the colour of my master and how radiant is his body!’ By the oath of Allah, I did not reach the end of my sentence (in my mind) and he already stretched his body and displayed it. The entire chamber, including the roof and the walls were covered by him. Then I saw his colour darkening until it was the colour of a dark night. This was followed by whiteness that was whiter than snow. Next, it changed to blood red. Lastly, it changed to the greenness of a branch filled with exceptionally green leaves. Thereafter, his body began to contract until he returned to his normal size and colour. I fell on my face as a result of what I saw.”[3]

 

These are your Imams. They were blessed with extraordinary feats which were not even granted to the Prophets of Allah. Hence, what was the basis expressing disbelief regarding the incident of Prophet Ayub ‘alayh al Salam? Moreover, this hadith is narrated by the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt, whom you believe to be infallible and even greater than the Prophet of Allah, Ayub ‘alayh al Salam. Abu Basir relates from Imam Jafar rahimahu Llah:

 

{ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ أَهْلَهُ وَمِثْلَهُم مَّعَهُمْ رَحْمَةً مّنَّا وَذِكْرٰى لِأُوْلىِ الْأَلْبٰبٍ } قال: فرد الله عليه أهله الذين ماتوا قبل البلية ورد عليه أهله الذين ماتوا بعدما أصابهم البلاء كلهم أحياهم الله تعالى له فعاشوا معه . وسئل أيوب بعدما عافاه الله : أي شيئ كان أشد عليك مما مر عليك ؟ قال: شماتة الأعداء قال فامطر الله عليه في داره فراش من الذهب وكان يجمعه فاذا ذهب الريح منه بشيئ عدا خلفه فرده ، فقال له جبرئيل: ما تشبع يا أيوب ؟ قال: ومن يشبع من رزق ربه

“We gifted him with his family and as many of them in addition, as mercy from us and a reminder for people of intelligence.” Abu ‘Abdullah explained, “Allah returned to him his family who passed away before the calamity as well as those who passed away after they were afflicted with the calamity. All of them were revived for him by Allah and, thus, they lived with him.

Ayub was asked after he was cured by Allah, ‘What was the most difficult aspect of your trial?’

He replied, ‘The delight of the enemy (upon my suffering).’

Thereupon Allah sent down upon him in a house, grasshoppers of gold. He began gathering them and he would even chase after and retrieve those which were blown away by the wind. Jibril said to him, ‘Do you not get satiated, O Ayub?’

He replied, ‘Who gets satiated from the sustenance of his Rabb?’”[4]

 

Hisham ibn Salim narrates from Imam Jafar rahimahu Llah:

 

أمطر الله على أيوب من السماء فراشاً من ذهب، فجعل أيوب يأخذ ما كان خارجا من داره فيدخله داره، فقال جبرئيل(ع): أما تشبع يا أيوب؟ قال: ومن يشبع من فضل ربه

Allah sent down golden grasshoppers from the sky upon Ayub. Ayub then began collecting those which fell outside his house and put them inside his house. Thus, Jibril said to him, “Do you not get satiated O Ayub?”

He replied, “Who gets satiated from the bounty of his Rabb?”[5]

 

Mufaddal ibn ‘Umar reports a lengthy narration from al Sadiq concerning the signs of the appearance of the Hujjah (al Mahdi). In this narration, it is stated:

 

ثم يعود المهدي إلى الكوفة وتمطر السماء بها جرادا من ذهب كما أمطره الله في بني اسرائيل على أيوب ..

Thereafter the Mahdi will return to Kufah, where golden grasshoppers will rain down, just as Allah sent them down amidst the Banu Isra’il, upon Ayub…[6]

 

We leave the judgement regarding this hadith to ‘Abdul Hussain. He should inform us if it is an extraordinary incident or is it from the normal system of Allah which He applies to His creation. Was Nubuwwah dependent upon it? Did it take place as a proof of Nubuwwah and evidence regarding apostleship? We beg Allah to protect our intellect and save us from blind fanaticism.

 

NEXT⇒ ‘Abdul Hussain Rejects the Hadith of Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam Being Reprimanded for Burning an Army of Ants after One of them Pinched Him.


[1]Sahih al Bukhari, Kitab al Tawhid.

[2] Mahajjat al Bayda’, 4/265.

[3] Al Qatrah, 1/252.

[4] Bihar al Anwar, 12/344, Kitab al Nubuwwah, the chapter regarding the incidents of Ayub.

[5]Bihar al Anwar, 12/352, Kitab al Nubuwwah, the chapter regarding the incidents of Ayub.

[6]Ilzam al Nasib, 2/252-279.

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‘Abdul Hussain Objects to the Hadith, ‘Locusts of Gold Rained Down upon the Prophet of Allah, Ayub’

 

On page 90, ‘Abdul Hussain quotes the hadith, “locusts of gold rained down upon Ayub whilst he was having a bath and Allah’s rebuking of him for that which he gathered in his clothes.” Al Bukhari and Muslim report through different chains from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu who narrates that the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

 

قال: بينما أيوب يغتسل عريانا خر عليه جراد من ذهب فجعل يحثي في ثوبه فناداه ربه ألم أكن أغنيتك عما ترى؟ قال بلى يا رب ولكن لا غنى لي عن بركتك

Whilst Ayub was taking a bath, completely uncovered, locusts of gold fell down upon him so he began putting them in his clothes. Thereupon, his Rabb called out to him saying, “Have I not made you independent from that which you see?”

He replied, “Indeed O my Rabb! However, I can never be satisfied regarding Your blessings.”[1]

 

‘Abdul Hussain then tries to cast his doubts by saying:

 

لا يركن إلى هذا الحديث إلاّ أعشى البصيرة، مظلم الحس فإن خلق الجراد من ذهب آية من الآيات ، وخوارق العادات وسنة الله في خلقه أن لا يخلق مثلها إلاّ عند الضرورة كما لو توقف ثبوت النبوة عليها فتأتي حينئذ برهان على النبوة ودليلا على الرسالة…

None will be inclined towards this hadith except those who have impaired vision and weakened senses. Creating grasshoppers from gold is indeed a great sign and totally against the norm. The system of Allah regarding His creation is that He does not create the like of it unless there is a need, such as establishing that someone is a Prophet. On such occasions, it is displayed as a clear proof of Nubuwwah and a sign of apostleship.

 

Our comment: If we wish to expound on the status of your Imams (whom you consider infallible and higher ranking than the Prophets and Messengers) and the baseless miracles that you claim regarding them; we will need huge volumes of books. However, we will suffice upon mentioning the titles of a few chapters from your seminal books. Mahajjat al Bayda’ contains a lengthy narration from al Sadiq in which he said:

 

نحن ورثة الأنبياء ليس فينا ساحر ولا كاهن ، ندعو الله فيجيب وإن أحببت أن أدعو الله فيمسخك كلباً تهتدي إلى منزلك فتدخل عليهم وتبصبص لأهلك فعلت ، فقال: الأعرابي بجهله : نعم، فدعا الله فصار كلباً في الوقت ومضى على وجهه ، فقال لي الصادق(ع) اتبعه ، فأتبعته حتى صار إلى حيّه فدخل إلى منزله وجعل يبصبص لأهله وولده فأخذوا له العصا حتى أخرجوه فانصرفت إلى الصادق فأخبرته بما كان فبينا نحن في هذا الحديث إذ أقبل حتى وقف بين يدي الصادق وجعلت دموعه تسيل وأقبل يمترّغ في التراب ويعوي، فرحمه فدعا له فعاد أعرابياً فقال له الصادق(ع): هل آمنت يا أعرابي ؟ قال: نعم ألفاً وألفا

“There are no sorcerers or fortune-tellers amongst us, i.e. the heirs of the Prophets. We supplicate to Allah and he responds to us. If I wish, I can ask Allah to turn you into a dog. You will find your way home, enter your house, and wag your tail for your family.”

A villager ignorantly responded, “Yes!” Thus, he supplicated to Allah. As a result, the man was immediately turned into a dog and he continued in his direction.

Thereupon, al Sadiq instructed me to follow him; I followed him until he entered his locality. He entered his house and began wagging his tail for his family and children. They responded by grabbing a stick to chase him out. I returned to al Sadiq to report to him that which had transpired. As we were speaking about this incident, he suddenly appeared and stood before al Sadiq, with his tears streaming down his cheeks. He began howling and rolling in the sand. As a result, al Sadiq took pity upon him and supplicated for him. Consequently, he returned to being a villager.

Thereafter, al Sadiq asked, “Do you believe O villager?”

He replied, “Yes, a thousand, a thousand.”[2]

 

Al Qatrah reports:

 

قال عسكر مولى أبي جعفر(ع) :دخلت عليه فقلت في نفسي يا سبحان الله ما أشد سمرة مولاي وأضوى جسده قال فوالله ما استتمت الكلام في نفسي حتى تطاول وعرض جسده !! وامتلأ به الأيوان إلى سقفه مع جوانب حيطانه ثم رأيت لونه وقد أظلم حتى صار كالليل المظلم !! ثم أبيض حتى كأبيض ما يكون من الثلج !! ثم أحمر حتى صار كالعلق المحمر !! ثم أخضر حتى صار كأخضر ما يكون!! من الأغصان المورقة الخضرة !! ثم تناقص جسمه حتى صار في صورته الأولى!! وعاد لونه الأول وسقطت لوجهي مما رأيت

‘Askar, the freed slave of Abu Jafar, said, “I entered his presence and said to myself, ‘Subhan Allah! How beautiful is the colour of my master and how radiant is his body!’ By the oath of Allah, I did not reach the end of my sentence (in my mind) and he already stretched his body and displayed it. The entire chamber, including the roof and the walls were covered by him. Then I saw his colour darkening until it was the colour of a dark night. This was followed by whiteness that was whiter than snow. Next, it changed to blood red. Lastly, it changed to the greenness of a branch filled with exceptionally green leaves. Thereafter, his body began to contract until he returned to his normal size and colour. I fell on my face as a result of what I saw.”[3]

 

These are your Imams. They were blessed with extraordinary feats which were not even granted to the Prophets of Allah. Hence, what was the basis expressing disbelief regarding the incident of Prophet Ayub ‘alayh al Salam? Moreover, this hadith is narrated by the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt, whom you believe to be infallible and even greater than the Prophet of Allah, Ayub ‘alayh al Salam. Abu Basir relates from Imam Jafar rahimahu Llah:

 

{ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ أَهْلَهُ وَمِثْلَهُم مَّعَهُمْ رَحْمَةً مّنَّا وَذِكْرٰى لِأُوْلىِ الْأَلْبٰبٍ } قال: فرد الله عليه أهله الذين ماتوا قبل البلية ورد عليه أهله الذين ماتوا بعدما أصابهم البلاء كلهم أحياهم الله تعالى له فعاشوا معه . وسئل أيوب بعدما عافاه الله : أي شيئ كان أشد عليك مما مر عليك ؟ قال: شماتة الأعداء قال فامطر الله عليه في داره فراش من الذهب وكان يجمعه فاذا ذهب الريح منه بشيئ عدا خلفه فرده ، فقال له جبرئيل: ما تشبع يا أيوب ؟ قال: ومن يشبع من رزق ربه

“We gifted him with his family and as many of them in addition, as mercy from us and a reminder for people of intelligence.” Abu ‘Abdullah explained, “Allah returned to him his family who passed away before the calamity as well as those who passed away after they were afflicted with the calamity. All of them were revived for him by Allah and, thus, they lived with him.

Ayub was asked after he was cured by Allah, ‘What was the most difficult aspect of your trial?’

He replied, ‘The delight of the enemy (upon my suffering).’

Thereupon Allah sent down upon him in a house, grasshoppers of gold. He began gathering them and he would even chase after and retrieve those which were blown away by the wind. Jibril said to him, ‘Do you not get satiated, O Ayub?’

He replied, ‘Who gets satiated from the sustenance of his Rabb?’”[4]

 

Hisham ibn Salim narrates from Imam Jafar rahimahu Llah:

 

أمطر الله على أيوب من السماء فراشاً من ذهب، فجعل أيوب يأخذ ما كان خارجا من داره فيدخله داره، فقال جبرئيل(ع): أما تشبع يا أيوب؟ قال: ومن يشبع من فضل ربه

Allah sent down golden grasshoppers from the sky upon Ayub. Ayub then began collecting those which fell outside his house and put them inside his house. Thus, Jibril said to him, “Do you not get satiated O Ayub?”

He replied, “Who gets satiated from the bounty of his Rabb?”[5]

 

Mufaddal ibn ‘Umar reports a lengthy narration from al Sadiq concerning the signs of the appearance of the Hujjah (al Mahdi). In this narration, it is stated:

 

ثم يعود المهدي إلى الكوفة وتمطر السماء بها جرادا من ذهب كما أمطره الله في بني اسرائيل على أيوب ..

Thereafter the Mahdi will return to Kufah, where golden grasshoppers will rain down, just as Allah sent them down amidst the Banu Isra’il, upon Ayub…[6]

 

We leave the judgement regarding this hadith to ‘Abdul Hussain. He should inform us if it is an extraordinary incident or is it from the normal system of Allah which He applies to His creation. Was Nubuwwah dependent upon it? Did it take place as a proof of Nubuwwah and evidence regarding apostleship? We beg Allah to protect our intellect and save us from blind fanaticism.

 

NEXT⇒ ‘Abdul Hussain Rejects the Hadith of Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam Being Reprimanded for Burning an Army of Ants after One of them Pinched Him.


[1]Sahih al Bukhari, Kitab al Tawhid.

[2] Mahajjat al Bayda’, 4/265.

[3] Al Qatrah, 1/252.

[4] Bihar al Anwar, 12/344, Kitab al Nubuwwah, the chapter regarding the incidents of Ayub.

[5]Bihar al Anwar, 12/352, Kitab al Nubuwwah, the chapter regarding the incidents of Ayub.

[6]Ilzam al Nasib, 2/252-279.