`Abd al-Husayn Rejects “The Walking of `Ala al-Hadrami with His Battalions upon the Sea”

`Abd al-Husayn Rejects the Hadith: “The Prohibition of Walking in One Sock”
December 3, 2015
`Abd al-Husayn Rejects the Hadith: “Musa and Adam’s Debate”
December 3, 2015

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‘Abdul Hussain Rejects “The Walking of ‘Ala al Hadrami with His Battalions upon the Sea”

 

On page 178, ‘Abdul Hussain says:

 

وما أكثر حديثه  في خوارق النواميس الطبيعية، وحسبك منها( مضافاً إلى ما سمعته آنفاً) حديثان نجعلها خاتمة هذا الفصل).

أحدهما: حديثه إذ كان – فيما زعم- مع العلا بن الحضرمي لما بعث في أربعة آلاف إلى البحرين فانطلقوا حتى أتوا على خليج من البحر ما خاضه قبلهم أحد ولا يخوضه بعدهم أحد !) .

قال أبو هريرة: أخد العلا بعنان فرسه فسار على وجه الماء  وسار الجيش وراءه قال: فوالله ما ابتل لنا قدم ولا خف ولا حافر ؟؟ الحديث

So many of his narrations contradict the laws of nature. Sufficient for you, along with the rest that you have heard right now, are two narrations with which we will conclude this chapter. The first one is his narration in which he claims that he was with ‘Ala ibn al Hadrami, who was sent with four thousand men to Bahrain. They went out until they came to a gulf of the sea. None before them have traversed it and no one after them will do so. Abu Hurairah says, “‘Ala grabbed the reigns of his horse and walked upon the surface of the water and the army walked behind him. By the oath of Allah, none of our feet, socks or hoofs (of the animals) got wet.”

 

Our comment: This narration has been classified as a fabrication by all the scholars. The masters of hadith do not consider it worthy of being used as a proof. ‘Abdul Hussain simply wishes to vent his feelings upon the narrations of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, irrespective of whether they are authentic, unreliable, or even fabricated. Furthermore, if you really wish to see narrations which go against the laws of nature, then the claims of the Shia as far as their Imams (who are considered by them to be of a greater status than the Prophets and the angels) are concerned are the best avenue to fulfil this desire. We will present some of that which your Imams have narrated in this regard. Hashim al Bahrani compiled an entire book in which he recorded the miracles of the Twelve Imams. He named this book Madinat al Ma’ajiz.

In this book, he mentions that a Jew walked across the water with his horse, while taking the name of Amir al Mu’minin and he glanced at the water due to which it became firm. Al Bursi says, the author of ‘Uyun Akhbar al Rida says:

 

إن أمير المؤمنين(ع) مرّ في طريق فسايره خيبريُّ فمرّ بوادٍ قد سال، فركب الخيبري مربطة، وعبر على الماء!!، ثم نادى أمير المؤمنين(ع): يا هذا لو عرفت ما عرفت لجزت كما جزت، فقال له أمير المؤمنين (ع) مكانك، ثم أومأ بيده إلى الماء فجمد!! ومرّ عليه فلما رأي الخيبري ذلك أكب على قدميه وقال له: يا فتى ما قلت حتى حوّلت الماء حجراً ؟!! فقال له أمير المؤمنين (ع) : فما قلت أنت حتى عبرت على الماء ؟!!  فقال الخيبري: أنا دعوت الله باسم  العظيم ….

Amir al Mu’minin was walking upon a path, when a person from Khaybar joined him. He came across a valley which had a stream flowing through it. The person from Khaybar mounted his horse and crossed the water. Then he called out to Amir al Mu’minin, “O you! If you knew what I knew, you would have crossed it the way I crossed it.”

Amir al mu’minin replied, “Stay at your place!” then he indicated to the water, which became firm. Thereafter, he went across. When the man from Khaybar saw this, he went down on his feet and asked him, “What did you say by means of which you turned the water into stone?”

Amir al Mu’minin responded, “What did you say when you walked across the water?”

The man from Khaybar replied, “I called Allah, using His Glorious name.”[1]

 

Another narration claims the Imam ascended into the air:

 

البرسي: قال: روى صاحب المنتخب أن علياً(ع) مرّ إلى حصن ذات السلاسل، فدعا بسيفه ودرقته، وترك الترس تحت قدميه والسيف تحت ركبته، ثم ارتفع في الهواء! ثم نزل على الحائط وضرب السلاسل ضربة ..

Al Bursi, the author of al Muntakhab narrates that ‘Ali passed by a fort during the Battle of the Chains. He called for his sword and his shield. He placed his shield below his feet and his sword below his knees. Then he ascended into the air. He began coming down towards the wall whereupon he struck the chains with great force.[2]

 

He narrates that he followed the bird which snatched his shoes. Abu Jamilah narrates from Imam al Baqir rahimahu Llah:

 

نزع علي(ع) خفّه بليلٍ ليتوضأ، فبعث الله طائراً فأخذ أحد الخفّين فجعل علي (ع) يتبع الطير وهو يطير!! حتى أضاء له الصبح ثم ألقى الخفّ …

‘Ali removed his shoes one night to perform wudu. Allah sent a bird who snatched one of them. Thereupon ‘Ali began chasing after it whilst flying. This continued until the morning became apparent, then it dropped the shoes.[3]

 

In another narration, he moulded an elephant out of clay and then flew with it to Makkah. Shadhan ibn ‘Umar-Murrah ibn Qabisah ibn ‘Abdul Hamid — Jabir ibn Yazid al Ju’fi:

 

رأيت مولاي الباقر(ع) وقد صنع  فيلاً من طين فركبه وطار في الهواء حتى ذهب إلى مكة ورجع عليه، فلم أصدق ذلك منه حتى رأيت الباقر(ع) فقلت له : أخبرني جابر عنك بكذا وكذا ؟ فصنع فركب وحملني معه إلى مكة وردّني

I saw my master al Baqir who had moulded an elephant out of clay and flew with it in the air until he reached Makkah and thereafter returned with it. I did not believe that until I saw al Baqir and asked him, “Jabir narrated to me such and such things about you.” Thereupon, he moulded one, mounted it and took me with him to Makkah. Thereafter, he brought me back.[4]

 

Another narration mentions drawing out two horsemen from the bed of sea under the earth. Abu Basir says:

 

كنت عند أبي عبد الله(ع) وعنده رجل من أهل خراسان، وهو يكلّمه بكلام لم أفهمه، ثم رجعا إلى شيئ فهمته، فسمعت أبا عبد الله(ع) يقول، وركض أبو عبد الله(ع) رجله الأرض، فإذا بحر تحت الأرض، على حافته فارسان قد وضعا أذقانها على قرابيس سروجها . فقال أبو عبد الله(ع) هؤلاء من أنصار القائم

I was with Imam Jafar, who had a man with him from Khurasan. He spoke to him about something which I did not understand. Thereafter, they began speaking about something which I could understand. I heard Imam Jafar saying whilst he scraped the earth with his foot… all of a sudden, a sea below the earth became visible, at the bed of which there were two horsemen who placed their chins upon the saddlebows. Imam Jafar said, “These are among the helpers of al Qa’im.”[5]

 

In the narration of the sea splitting, Dawood al Raqqi says:

 

جاء إلى أبي عبد الله(ع) فقال له: ما بلغ من علمكم؟ قال: ما بلغ من سؤالكم – إلى أن قال- فأخذ بيد الرجل ، ثم انطلق حتى أتى شاطئ البحر، فقال: أيها العبد المطيع لربّه أظهر ما فيك فانفلق البحرعن آخر ما فيه وظهر ماء أشدّ بياضاً من اللبن، وأحلى من العسل،وأطيب رائحة من المسك …قال: ثم رفع رأسه فرأى في الهواء خيلاً مسرّجة ملجمة ولها أجنحة، فقلت: يا با عبد الله، ما هذه الخيل ؟ فقال: هذه خيل القائم !!

A man came to Imam Jafar and asked, “How much knowledge do you possess?”

He replied, “Proportionate to the amount of questions you have.” …

Then he took the hand of the man and walked with him until they arrived at the shore of the ocean.

He commanded, “O obedient servant of Allah, show me all that you have.”

The sea exhibited all that it possessed. Among that was water that was whiter than milk, sweeter than honey and more fragrant than musk… thereafter he lifted his head, whereupon he saw a saddled and bridled horse with wings in the air.

I asked, “What kind of horse is this?”

He replied, “This is the horse of al Qa’im.’’[6]

 

He ascends to the sky and descends using a spear: Ibrahim ibn al Aswad:

 

رأيت موسى بن جعفر(ع) صعد إلى السماء ونزل ومعه حربة من نور …

I saw Musa ibn Jafar ascending to the sky and descending therefrom with a spear of illumination.[7]

 

His ascension to the sky and disappearance into the sky: Jabir says:

 

رأيت الحسن بن علي وقد علا في الهواء وغاب في السماء فأقام بها ثلاثاً ثم نزل بعد الثلاث وعليه السكينة والوقار …

I saw Hassan ibn ‘Ali who ascended into the air and disappeared into the sky. He stayed there for three days after which he descended in a most tranquil and suitable state.[8]

 

In another narration:

 

أنه (ع) اُعطي ما اُعطي النبيّون من إحياء الموتى وإبراء الأكمة والأبرص والمشي على الماء

He was granted that which was granted to the Prophets, i.e. reviving of the dead, curing those who were born lepers as well as the bald, and walking upon water.[9]

 

The Imam Ascends to the Sky and Fills the Horizon

In the book, Hayat al Imam al ‘Askari:

 

قال الراوي- حدّث نفسه أن يرى برهاناً من الإمام العسكري، فإذا الإمام إرتفع نحو السماء حتى سدّ الأفق

The narrator says that he said to himself that he will see a clear sign from Imam al ‘Askari. Suddenly, the Imam ascended towards the sky and filled the horizon.[10]

 

The above-mentioned meaningless miracles are sufficient at this juncture. Indeed, the ahadith regarding the Imams really defy the laws of nature. Why then did this author not criticise their narrations in the manner that he criticised the narrations of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu?

 

NEXT⇒ ‘Abdul Hussain Rejects the Hadith: “The Prohibition of Walking in One Sock”


[1] Madinat al Ma’ajiz, 1/430 # 290, chapter: 71.

[2] Ibid., 2/11 # 356.

[3] Ibid., pg. 11-12 # 357.

[4] Ibid., 5/10, # 1422.

[5] Ibid., 6/158 # 1916.

[6] Ibid., 159-160, # 1917.

[7] Ibid., pg. 201, # 1945.

[8] Ibid., 3/232, # 851.

[9] Ibid., 5/513 # 1029.

[10] Hayat al Imam al ‘Askari, pg. 361.

BACK Return to Table of contents

 

‘Abdul Hussain Rejects “The Walking of ‘Ala al Hadrami with His Battalions upon the Sea”

 

On page 178, ‘Abdul Hussain says:

 

وما أكثر حديثه  في خوارق النواميس الطبيعية، وحسبك منها( مضافاً إلى ما سمعته آنفاً) حديثان نجعلها خاتمة هذا الفصل).

أحدهما: حديثه إذ كان – فيما زعم- مع العلا بن الحضرمي لما بعث في أربعة آلاف إلى البحرين فانطلقوا حتى أتوا على خليج من البحر ما خاضه قبلهم أحد ولا يخوضه بعدهم أحد !) .

قال أبو هريرة: أخد العلا بعنان فرسه فسار على وجه الماء  وسار الجيش وراءه قال: فوالله ما ابتل لنا قدم ولا خف ولا حافر ؟؟ الحديث

So many of his narrations contradict the laws of nature. Sufficient for you, along with the rest that you have heard right now, are two narrations with which we will conclude this chapter. The first one is his narration in which he claims that he was with ‘Ala ibn al Hadrami, who was sent with four thousand men to Bahrain. They went out until they came to a gulf of the sea. None before them have traversed it and no one after them will do so. Abu Hurairah says, “‘Ala grabbed the reigns of his horse and walked upon the surface of the water and the army walked behind him. By the oath of Allah, none of our feet, socks or hoofs (of the animals) got wet.”

 

Our comment: This narration has been classified as a fabrication by all the scholars. The masters of hadith do not consider it worthy of being used as a proof. ‘Abdul Hussain simply wishes to vent his feelings upon the narrations of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, irrespective of whether they are authentic, unreliable, or even fabricated. Furthermore, if you really wish to see narrations which go against the laws of nature, then the claims of the Shia as far as their Imams (who are considered by them to be of a greater status than the Prophets and the angels) are concerned are the best avenue to fulfil this desire. We will present some of that which your Imams have narrated in this regard. Hashim al Bahrani compiled an entire book in which he recorded the miracles of the Twelve Imams. He named this book Madinat al Ma’ajiz.

In this book, he mentions that a Jew walked across the water with his horse, while taking the name of Amir al Mu’minin and he glanced at the water due to which it became firm. Al Bursi says, the author of ‘Uyun Akhbar al Rida says:

 

إن أمير المؤمنين(ع) مرّ في طريق فسايره خيبريُّ فمرّ بوادٍ قد سال، فركب الخيبري مربطة، وعبر على الماء!!، ثم نادى أمير المؤمنين(ع): يا هذا لو عرفت ما عرفت لجزت كما جزت، فقال له أمير المؤمنين (ع) مكانك، ثم أومأ بيده إلى الماء فجمد!! ومرّ عليه فلما رأي الخيبري ذلك أكب على قدميه وقال له: يا فتى ما قلت حتى حوّلت الماء حجراً ؟!! فقال له أمير المؤمنين (ع) : فما قلت أنت حتى عبرت على الماء ؟!!  فقال الخيبري: أنا دعوت الله باسم  العظيم ….

Amir al Mu’minin was walking upon a path, when a person from Khaybar joined him. He came across a valley which had a stream flowing through it. The person from Khaybar mounted his horse and crossed the water. Then he called out to Amir al Mu’minin, “O you! If you knew what I knew, you would have crossed it the way I crossed it.”

Amir al mu’minin replied, “Stay at your place!” then he indicated to the water, which became firm. Thereafter, he went across. When the man from Khaybar saw this, he went down on his feet and asked him, “What did you say by means of which you turned the water into stone?”

Amir al Mu’minin responded, “What did you say when you walked across the water?”

The man from Khaybar replied, “I called Allah, using His Glorious name.”[1]

 

Another narration claims the Imam ascended into the air:

 

البرسي: قال: روى صاحب المنتخب أن علياً(ع) مرّ إلى حصن ذات السلاسل، فدعا بسيفه ودرقته، وترك الترس تحت قدميه والسيف تحت ركبته، ثم ارتفع في الهواء! ثم نزل على الحائط وضرب السلاسل ضربة ..

Al Bursi, the author of al Muntakhab narrates that ‘Ali passed by a fort during the Battle of the Chains. He called for his sword and his shield. He placed his shield below his feet and his sword below his knees. Then he ascended into the air. He began coming down towards the wall whereupon he struck the chains with great force.[2]

 

He narrates that he followed the bird which snatched his shoes. Abu Jamilah narrates from Imam al Baqir rahimahu Llah:

 

نزع علي(ع) خفّه بليلٍ ليتوضأ، فبعث الله طائراً فأخذ أحد الخفّين فجعل علي (ع) يتبع الطير وهو يطير!! حتى أضاء له الصبح ثم ألقى الخفّ …

‘Ali removed his shoes one night to perform wudu. Allah sent a bird who snatched one of them. Thereupon ‘Ali began chasing after it whilst flying. This continued until the morning became apparent, then it dropped the shoes.[3]

 

In another narration, he moulded an elephant out of clay and then flew with it to Makkah. Shadhan ibn ‘Umar-Murrah ibn Qabisah ibn ‘Abdul Hamid — Jabir ibn Yazid al Ju’fi:

 

رأيت مولاي الباقر(ع) وقد صنع  فيلاً من طين فركبه وطار في الهواء حتى ذهب إلى مكة ورجع عليه، فلم أصدق ذلك منه حتى رأيت الباقر(ع) فقلت له : أخبرني جابر عنك بكذا وكذا ؟ فصنع فركب وحملني معه إلى مكة وردّني

I saw my master al Baqir who had moulded an elephant out of clay and flew with it in the air until he reached Makkah and thereafter returned with it. I did not believe that until I saw al Baqir and asked him, “Jabir narrated to me such and such things about you.” Thereupon, he moulded one, mounted it and took me with him to Makkah. Thereafter, he brought me back.[4]

 

Another narration mentions drawing out two horsemen from the bed of sea under the earth. Abu Basir says:

 

كنت عند أبي عبد الله(ع) وعنده رجل من أهل خراسان، وهو يكلّمه بكلام لم أفهمه، ثم رجعا إلى شيئ فهمته، فسمعت أبا عبد الله(ع) يقول، وركض أبو عبد الله(ع) رجله الأرض، فإذا بحر تحت الأرض، على حافته فارسان قد وضعا أذقانها على قرابيس سروجها . فقال أبو عبد الله(ع) هؤلاء من أنصار القائم

I was with Imam Jafar, who had a man with him from Khurasan. He spoke to him about something which I did not understand. Thereafter, they began speaking about something which I could understand. I heard Imam Jafar saying whilst he scraped the earth with his foot… all of a sudden, a sea below the earth became visible, at the bed of which there were two horsemen who placed their chins upon the saddlebows. Imam Jafar said, “These are among the helpers of al Qa’im.”[5]

 

In the narration of the sea splitting, Dawood al Raqqi says:

 

جاء إلى أبي عبد الله(ع) فقال له: ما بلغ من علمكم؟ قال: ما بلغ من سؤالكم – إلى أن قال- فأخذ بيد الرجل ، ثم انطلق حتى أتى شاطئ البحر، فقال: أيها العبد المطيع لربّه أظهر ما فيك فانفلق البحرعن آخر ما فيه وظهر ماء أشدّ بياضاً من اللبن، وأحلى من العسل،وأطيب رائحة من المسك …قال: ثم رفع رأسه فرأى في الهواء خيلاً مسرّجة ملجمة ولها أجنحة، فقلت: يا با عبد الله، ما هذه الخيل ؟ فقال: هذه خيل القائم !!

A man came to Imam Jafar and asked, “How much knowledge do you possess?”

He replied, “Proportionate to the amount of questions you have.” …

Then he took the hand of the man and walked with him until they arrived at the shore of the ocean.

He commanded, “O obedient servant of Allah, show me all that you have.”

The sea exhibited all that it possessed. Among that was water that was whiter than milk, sweeter than honey and more fragrant than musk… thereafter he lifted his head, whereupon he saw a saddled and bridled horse with wings in the air.

I asked, “What kind of horse is this?”

He replied, “This is the horse of al Qa’im.’’[6]

 

He ascends to the sky and descends using a spear: Ibrahim ibn al Aswad:

 

رأيت موسى بن جعفر(ع) صعد إلى السماء ونزل ومعه حربة من نور …

I saw Musa ibn Jafar ascending to the sky and descending therefrom with a spear of illumination.[7]

 

His ascension to the sky and disappearance into the sky: Jabir says:

 

رأيت الحسن بن علي وقد علا في الهواء وغاب في السماء فأقام بها ثلاثاً ثم نزل بعد الثلاث وعليه السكينة والوقار …

I saw Hassan ibn ‘Ali who ascended into the air and disappeared into the sky. He stayed there for three days after which he descended in a most tranquil and suitable state.[8]

 

In another narration:

 

أنه (ع) اُعطي ما اُعطي النبيّون من إحياء الموتى وإبراء الأكمة والأبرص والمشي على الماء

He was granted that which was granted to the Prophets, i.e. reviving of the dead, curing those who were born lepers as well as the bald, and walking upon water.[9]

 

The Imam Ascends to the Sky and Fills the Horizon

In the book, Hayat al Imam al ‘Askari:

 

قال الراوي- حدّث نفسه أن يرى برهاناً من الإمام العسكري، فإذا الإمام إرتفع نحو السماء حتى سدّ الأفق

The narrator says that he said to himself that he will see a clear sign from Imam al ‘Askari. Suddenly, the Imam ascended towards the sky and filled the horizon.[10]

 

The above-mentioned meaningless miracles are sufficient at this juncture. Indeed, the ahadith regarding the Imams really defy the laws of nature. Why then did this author not criticise their narrations in the manner that he criticised the narrations of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu?

 

NEXT⇒ ‘Abdul Hussain Rejects the Hadith: “The Prohibition of Walking in One Sock”


[1] Madinat al Ma’ajiz, 1/430 # 290, chapter: 71.

[2] Ibid., 2/11 # 356.

[3] Ibid., pg. 11-12 # 357.

[4] Ibid., 5/10, # 1422.

[5] Ibid., 6/158 # 1916.

[6] Ibid., 159-160, # 1917.

[7] Ibid., pg. 201, # 1945.

[8] Ibid., 3/232, # 851.

[9] Ibid., 5/513 # 1029.

[10] Hayat al Imam al ‘Askari, pg. 361.