`Abd al-Husayn Rejects the Hadith: “Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam Overslept at the Time of Fajr.”

‘Abdul Hussain Rejects the Hadith: “Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam Overslept at the Time of Fajr.”

He starts off by quoting the hadith under the heading, “The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam slept through the morning salah.” Imam al Bukhari and Imam Muslim report on the authority of Abu Hurairah, but the wording of this narration is taken from Muslim:

عرسنا مع نبي الله فلم نستيقظ حتى طلعت الشمس، فقال النبي(ص) ليأخذ كل رجل برأس راحلته فإن هذا منزل حضره الشيطان، قال: أبو هريرة: ففعلنا ثم دعا بالماء فتوضأ ثم سجد سجدتين ثم أقيمت الصلاة فصلى الغداة

We took a nap with the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and none woke up until the sun had risen.

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam then instructed, “Everyone should take hold of the head of his conveyance as this is a place where shaitan is present.”

Abu Hurairah said, “We all done that and then he asked for water and performed ablution. Thereafter, he performed two sajdahs and then the salah began. Thus, the morning salah was performed.”^[1]

Thereafter, ‘Abdul Hussain tries to deceive the readers and find some fault in the hadith saying:

وهذا مما يبرأ منه هدى رسول الله(ص) …أتراه(ص) يحض الناس على الصلاة هذا الحض ، ويهتم بصلاة الفجر هذا الاهتمام ويهدد بالتحريق !! على من لا يخرج إليها ثم ينام عنها ؟ حاشا لله ومعاذ الله أن يكون كذلك …..وأن النبي(ص) كان يومئذ في جيش مؤلف من ألف وستمائة رجل ..فالعادة تأبى أن يناموا بأجمعهم ..ولعل هذا من خوارق أبي هريرة !…. كلمة تقضّ مضاجع المؤمنين وتقلقهم فلا ينامون بعدها عن نافلة الليل لو أنصفوا أنفسهم …. وما كان وهو سيد الحكماء ليندد بمن نام عن صلاة الليل هذا التنديد ثم ينام هو بمنظر من أصحابه عن صلاة الصبح، سبحانك هذا بهتان عظيم…وقد عقد البخاري في صحيحه باباً لتهجده في الليل وباباً لطول سجوده في صلاة الليل…. هذا دأبه في قيام الليل، فما ظنك به في أقامة الفرائض الخمس وهي أحد الأركان التي بني الإسلام عليها أيجوز عليه أن ينام عليها ؟! معاذ الله وحاشا لله…

This is rejected by the guidance of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Do you think that it is possible that he greatly encouraged people regarding salah, took great care regarding Salat al Fajr, and even threatened to burn those who did not come out to perform it, and thereafter he himself slept through it? Allah forbid and the protection of Allah is sought from that ever happening! On that day, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was amidst an army of one thousand six hundred people… Experience proves that it is impossible that all of them did not wake up. Maybe this is one of the miracles of Abu Hurairah… A statement which separated the mu’minin from their beds and caused them great anxiety, to the extent that if they were honest to themselves, they would not miss the optional prayer of the night… It is impossible that despite him being the leader of the wise, that he would issue a stern warning to all those who sleep through the night prayer and then he sleeps through the morning prayer in front of all his Companions. Glory be to You! Indeed, this is a great slander! Al Bukhari dedicated a chapter in his Sahih to his Tahajjud Salah during the night and another chapter to his lengthy sujud during the night prayer… This was his habit with regards to the prayer of the night. What do you think his attitude would be as far as establishing the five mandatory prayers, which are one of the pillars of Islam? Do you think that he would have slept through it? Allah forbid and protect!

He states in the footnote on page 119:

وهذا الحديث ممّا انفرد به أبو هريرة فلم يثبت عن غيره،ولكن الجمهور أخذوا به اعتمادا على أبي هريرة كما هي طريقتهم …

This hadith is among those which are narrated only by Abu Hurairah. It cannot be traced to anyone else. However, the majority have accepted it, relying upon Abu Hurairah, as is their habit.

Glory be to Allah! How far has his hatred taken him! Does he not believe that his Imams are the proofs of Allah on the earth? Then why did he not ask them this question? We cannot help but reproduce the answers of these people, whom he considers infallible. This will highlight the degree of his ignorance, deception and his enthusiasm to create doubts and criticise the great narrator of Islam, Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, as well as his narrations.

Here are the narrations of the Ahlul Bayt—who are considered the proofs of Allah upon the creation. They will be a means of embarrassment for ‘Abdul Hussain, and a lesson for his followers up until the Day of Qiyamah. They will learn not to transgress against Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu by lying, creating doubts regarding him and vilifying him. Sama’ah ibn Mahran said:

سألته عن رجل نسي أن يصلّي الصبح حتى طلعت الشمس، قال:يصليها حين يذكرها ، فإن رسول الله رقد عن صلاة الفجر حتى طلعت الشمس ثم صلاها حين استيقظ ولكنه تنحى عن مكانه ذلك ثم صلّى

I asked him about a man who forgot to perform the morning salah until the sun had risen. He said, “He will perform it when he remembers it. The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam slept through Salat al Fajr until the sun had risen. Then, he performed it when he awoke. However, he moved away from that place and then he performed it.”^[2]

Hamzah ibn al Tayyar reports from Imam Jafar rahimahu Llah:

إن الله أمر بالصلاة والصوم فنام رسول الله عن الصلاة فقال أنا أنيمك وأنا أوقظك فإذا قمت فصل ليعلموا إذا أصابهم ذلك كيف يصنعون ليس كما يقولون : إذا نام عنها هلك…

Allah commanded (the establishment) of salah and fasting. Thereafter, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam slept through salah, so he said: “I am the one who made you sleep and the one who woke you up. Now that you have woken up, perform salah.”

This is so that they may know what to do if they experience this condition. It is not as they say, “If he sleeps through it, he is destroyed.”^[3]

Al Faqih reports from Sa’id al A’raj:

سمعت أبا عبدالله(ع) يقول: إن الله تبارك وتعالى أنام رسول الله عن صلاة الفجر حتى طلعت الشمس ، ثم قام فبدأ فصلّى الركعتين اللتين قبل الفجر، ثم صلّى الفجر وأسهاه في صلاته ، فسلّم في الركعتين ، ثم وصف ما قاله ذو الشمالين ، وإنما فعل ذلك به رحمة لهذه الأمة لئلا يعير الرجل المسلم إذا هو نام عن صلاته أو سها فيها فقال: قد أصاب ذلك رسول الله

I heard Abu ‘Abdullah (Imam Jafar) saying, “Allah, the Most Exalted and Blessed, caused the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to sleep through Salat al Fajr until the sun had risen. Then, he woke up, performed two raka’at and then performed Salat al Fajr. He also made him forget in his salah, due to which, he performed salam after two raka’at.” Then he explained the statement of Dhu al Shimalayn, “He only done this to him out of mercy towards this Ummah, so that a Muslim man will not lose hope when he sleeps through salah or forgets in it. He will say, ‘This happened to the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.’”^[4]

Why did you not belie and express surprise at these narrations of al Kulayni, al Qummi, al Tusi and others who proved, from the Imams, that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam slept through salah? Why did you ignore these narrations, O master of deception? Why did you overlook them in your academic research and professional study? Did you forget your claim, “I have researched extensively and done a thorough investigation”? I ask you in the name of Allah, since when was misguidance part of academic research? Since when was it part of professionalism to hide the truth? From this, O honourable reader, you will be able to distinguish between the scholars and the followers of desires and innovation!

Al Kafi reports from Sa’id al A’raj who narrates from Imam Jafar rahimahu Llah:

نام رسول الله عن الصبح والله أنامه حتى طلعت الشمس عليه، وكان ذلك رحمة من ربك للناس ، ألا ترى لو أن رجلا نام حتى طلعت الشمس لعيره الناس وقالوا: لا تتورع لصلاتك ، فصارت أسوة وسنة فإن قال رجل لرجل : نمت عن الصلاة ، قال: قد نام رسول فصارت أسوة ورحمة ، رحم الله سبحانه بها هذه الأمة

The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam slept through the morning salah, as Allah had made him sleep until the sun had risen. That was a mercy from your Rabb to the people. Do you not see that if a man had to sleep until the sun rises, people would have scoffed him saying, “You are not mindful regarding your salah!” Thus, it became an example and a Sunnah. Now, if a man says to another, “You have slept through salah!” He will simply reply, “The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam also slept through it.” In this way, it was made an example and a mercy. Allah used it as a mercy for this Ummah.^[5]

The pride of your scholars, al Majlisi established this narration in his Bihar from al Kazruni under the events of the seventh year:

وفيها نام رسول الله عن صلاة الصبح حتى طلعت الشمس بالإسناد عن أبي هريرة أن رسول الله حتى قفل من غزوة خيبر صار حتى إذا أدركه الكرى عرس وقال لبلال: أكلأ لنا الليل ، فصلّى بلال ما قدر له ونام رسول الله فلما تقارب لفجر استند بلال إلى راحلته مواجه الفجر فغلبت بلالا عينه وهو مستند إلى راحتله ، فلم يستقيظ رسول الله أولهم استيقاظا ففزع رسول الله فقال: أي بلال ، فقال: بلال : أخذ بنفسي الذي أخذ بنفسك ، بأبي أنت يا رسول الله قال: اقتادوا ، فاقتادوا رواحلهم شيئا ثم توضأ رسول الله وأمر بلالا فأقام الصلاة وصلّى بهم الصبح فلما قضى الصلاة قال: من نسي صلاة فليصلها إذا ذكرها فإن الله قال : {أقم الصلاة لذكرى }

In this year, the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam slept through the morning salah until the sun had risen. This is narrated with a chain to Abu Hurairah. When the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was returning from the Khaybar expedition, he continued until he was overtaken by slumber, after which he went to sleep.

He said to Bilal, “Keep watch over the night for us.”

Bilal performed whatever amount of raka’at he was meant to and the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam went to sleep. As the time drew close to Salat al Fajr, Bilal’s eyes were overpowered and he was leaning against his conveyance, facing the horizon. The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not wake up (at that time, but) he was the first to wake up from all of them.

The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was alarmed and he said, “O Bilal!”

Bilal replied, “My soul was held by that which held your soul. May my father be sacrificed for you, O Messenger!”

He instructed, “Move ahead!”

They took their conveyances ahead for a short distance and then the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam performed wudu. He ordered Bilal (to call towards salah) and then he led them in the Salat al Fajr. After completing the salah, he said, “Whoever forgets a salah, should perform it when he remembers, as Allah said, ‘Establish salah for my remembrance.’”

Thereafter, al Majlisi says: “The explanation of this has passed under the chapter of his forgetting.”^[6]

Al Majlisi quotes from al Shahid in al Dhikra with his chain from Zurarah who narrates from Imam al Baqir that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

إذا دخل وقت صلاة مكتوبة فلا صلاة نافلة حتى يبدأ بالمكتوبة قال: فقدمت الكوفة فأخبرت الحكم بن عتيبة وأصحابه فقبلوا ذلك مني فلما كان في القابل لقيت أبا جعفر (ع) فحدثني أن رسول الله عرس في بعض أسفاره فقال: من يكلؤنا ؟ فقال بلال: أنا، فنام بلال وناموا حتى طلعت الشمس فقال: يا بلال ما أرقدك ؟ فقال : يا رسول الله أخذ بنفس الذي أخذ بأنفاسكم فقال رسول الله أذن فأذن فصلّى النبيركعتي الفجر وأمر أصحابه فصلوا ركعتي الفجر ثم قام فصلّى بهم الصبح ثم قال: من نسي شيئا من الصلاة فليصلها إذا ذكرها ، فإن اللهيقول : { وأقم الصلاة لذكرى } قال زرارة: فحملت الحديث إلى الحكم وأصحابه فقال: نقضت حديثك الأول . فقدمت على أبي جعفر(ع) فأخبرته بما قال القوم ، فقال: يا زرارة ألا أخبرتهم أنه قد فات الوقتان جميعاً ، وأن ذلك كان قضاء من رسول الله

When the time of an obligatory salah enters, then do not perform optional prayers until the obligatory one is completed.

Zurarah continues:

I went to Kufah, and when I told al Hakam ibn ‘Uyaynah and his companions about it, they accepted it from me. The next year, when I met Abu Jafar, he narrated to me that the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam slept during one of his journeys.

He asked, “Who will keep watch for us?”

Bilal replied, “Me.”

Thereafter, Bilal as well as the others slept until sunrise.

Thus, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked, “O Bilal, what made you sleep?”

He replied, “O Messenger, my soul was held by that which held the souls of all of you.”

The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam then said, “Call out the adhan.”

He called out the adhan, performed two raka’at before Fajr, commanded his Companions to also perform it, to which they complied, and then he led them in the Salat al Fajr. Thereafter he said, “Whoever forgets a salah, should perform it when he remembers, as Allah said, “Establish salah for my remembrance.”

I narrated the hadith to Hakam and his companions who retorted, “You have opposed your first hadith.” I went back to Abu Jafar and informed him of the comments of the people.

He replied, “O Zurarah, why did you not tell them that the time for both of them had lapsed and that was a judgement of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.”^[7]

Al Majlisi states whilst commenting on this narration:

Al Shahid has mentioned that there are many lessons in this narration, amongst them is that it is commendable for people to appoint one who will wake them up when they go to sleep. Another lesson is that Allah put his Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to sleep in order to teach his Ummah, and so that some people are not ridiculed due to it. I have not found anyone who rejected this narration, even though it raises doubts concerning infallibility.^[8]

Al Majlisi mentions from Abu Juhayfah:

كان رسول الله في سفره الذي ناموا فيه حتى طلعت الشمس ، ثم قال: إنكم كنتم أمواتا فرد الله إليكم أرواحكم

The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said during his journey in which everyone slept until sunrise, “All of you were dead and then Allah returned your souls to you.”^[9]

Why did you not pose these questions to your Imams? Did the guards also sleep just as Bilal radiya Llahu ‘anhu slept? Why did you not ask them: “On that day, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was amidst an army of one thousand six hundred people… Experience proves that it is impossible that all of them did not wake up?” Why did you not ask them all of these baseless questions? Is this hadith from the miracles of your infallible Imam as well?

It is indeed astonishing that the auliya’ (plural of wali) of ‘Abdul Hussain say that the sun was returned so that Amir al Mu’minin ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu could perform Salat al ‘Asr which he missed when the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam slept in his lap. We ask Allah to protect our intellect and allow us to be distanced from fanaticism and deviation.

NEXT⇒ ‘Abdul Hussain Rejects that a Cow and Wolf Spoke in Clear Arabic

^[1] Sahih Muslim, al Masajid.

^[2] Wasa’il al Shia, 5/348; Bihar al Anwar, 17/103-104; Dar al Salam, 4/397.

^[3] Al Burhan, 2/151; Wasa’il al Shia, 5/349; al Usul, 1164; al Jawahir al Saniyyah, pg. 100.

^[4] Bihar al Anwar, 17/106-107; Tafsir al Kanz, 8/133.

^[5] Bihar al Anwar, 17/104, 24/87; al Furu’, 3/294, # 9.

^[6] Bihar al Anwar, 21/42.

^[7] Bihar al Anwar, 88/290-291.

^[8] Bihar al Anwar, 25/87.

^[9] Bihar al Anwar, 63/61, Kitab al Sama’ wa l-’Alam, Bab Haqiqat al Nafs wa l-Ruh wa Ahwalihima.

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