`Abd al-Husayn’s Objections Regarding the Hadith: “Allah Created Adam According to His Form.”
`Abd al-Husayn Objects to the Phenomena of Viewing the Countenance of Allah on the Day of Qiyamah
December 8, 2015Answering the First Claim that Abu Hurayrah was a Staunch Follower of the Umayyads.
December 8, 2015BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents
The Ahadith which ‘Abdul Hussain Objected to and the Answers to His Objections
We will summarise our discussion by narrating the ahadith from different sources of both groups followed by the explanations of the scholars of each group.
‘Abdul Hussain’s objections regarding the Hadith, “Allah created Adam according to his form.”
‘Abdul Hussain reproduces the narration in which it is stated that Allah created Prophet Adam ‘alayh al Salam according to his form on page 59.
أخرج الشيخان البخاري ومسلم من طريق عبدالرزاق عن معمر عن همّام بن منبه قال: هذا ما حدّثنا به أبو هريرة عن رسول الله (ص) قال: خلق اللّٰه آدم على صورته طوله ستون ذراعا، وزاد أحمد من طريق سعيد بن المسيب عن أبي هريرة مرفوعاً : في سبعة أذرع عرضاً قال: فلما خلقه قال اذهب فسلّم على أولئك النفر من الملائكة جلوس فاستمع ما يحيونك فإنها تحيّتك وتحيّة ذريتك قال: السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ فقالوا السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ، فزادوه وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ فكل من يدخل الجنة على صورة آدم وطوله ستون ذراعاً ، فلم يزل الخلق ينقص بعد حتى الآن
Al Bukhari and Muslim narrate from ‘Abdur Razzaq — Ma’mar — Hammam ibn Munabbih —that Abu Hurairah reported to us that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
Allah created Adam according to his form. His height was sixty arm’s length and he was seven arm’s length wide.
Ahmed adds on from the narration of Sa’id ibn al Musayyab who reports from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
… He was seven arm’s length wide. After He created him, He said, “Go and greet that group of angels who are sitting and pay attention to their reply, for indeed that will be your greeting and the greeting of your offspring.”
He said, “Al Salam ‘alaykum.”
They replied, “Al Salam ‘alayka wa rahmat Allah.”
They added wa rahmat Allah. Whoever enters Jannat will have the form of Adam and his height will be sixty arm’s length. The size of the creation began decreasing from then and it continued to decrease until now.[1]
The author began raising doubts and suspicion by going in circles regarding this hadith. He says:
وهذا مما لا يجوز على رسول الله(ص) ولا على غيره من الأنبياء ولا على أوصيائهم (ع). ولعل أبا هريرة إنما أخذه عن اليهود بواسطة صديقه كعب الأحبار أو غيره ، فإن مضمون هذا الحديث إنما هو عين الفقرة السابعة والعشرين من الاصحاح الأول من اصحاحات التكوين من كتاب اليهود – العهد القديم – وإليك نصها بعين لفظه قال: فخلق الله الانسان على صورته، على صورة الله خلقه ذكرا وانثى خلقهم .
تقدس الله عن الصورة والكيفية والشبيه ، وتعالى الله عما يقول الظالمون علوا كبيرا … ومرة رواه بلفظ : إذا ضرب أحدكم فليجتنب الوجه ولا يقل : قبح الله وجهك ووجه من أشبه وجهك فإن الله خلق آدم على صورته
Statements of this nature cannot be attributed to Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, any of the other Prophets or their Awsiya’[2]. It is highly possible that Abu Hurairah learned this from the Jews[3] through the medium of his friend Ka’b al Ahbar and others. The message of this hadith is identical to the twenty seventh passage of the first chapter from the chapters of creation of the book of the Jews, the Old Testament. The exact words of the Old Testament are as follows:
Allah created the human in His form. Allah created the males and females according to the form of Allah.
Allah is beyond any form, condition, and resemblance. Allah is completely pure of all that which the oppressors attribute to Him… On another occasion he narrated this message using the following words, “When any of you slap someone, then avoid the face. One should not say, ‘May Allah disfigure your face and the face which resembles yours,’ for indeed Allah created Adam according to His form.”[4]
Our comment: We will keep our refutation of the lies of ‘Abdul Hussain brief. These narrations have been reported by your nation through their special chains of transmission from those who they believe are totally infallible. We are forced to expose his deception. He claims that he exerted himself in trying to find the ahadith of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu to the extent that dawn of truth appeared and the morning of conviction finally arrived. The result was that he could not find anything besides criticism and condemnation of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.
The authenticity of this hadith was verified by Khomeini in his book Zubdat al Arba’in Hadithan, under the thirty-eighth Hadith which is titled, “Allah created Adam according to His form.” He then narrates it from the Ahlul Bayt, the proofs of Allah against His creation, as believed by them. These are the exact words:
فعن محمد بن مسلم قال: سألت أبا جعفر(ع) عما يروون أن الله خلق آدم على صورته فقال: هي صورة محدثة مخلوقة ، اصطفاها الله واختارها على سائر الصور المختلفة فأضافها إلى نفسه كما أضاف الكعبة إلى نفسه والروح إلى نفسه فقال تعالى: { بيتي } وقال: { ونفخت فيه من روحي}
Muhammad ibn Muslim narrates:
I asked Abu Jafar regarding their narration that Allah created Adam according to His form.
He replied, “It is a new and created form. Allah selected it and preferred it over all the other forms. That is why He attributed it to Himself, just as He attributed the Ka’bah and the soul to Himself. He said, ‘My house’ and ‘I blew into him from My soul.’”[5]
Thereafter Khomeini comments:
وهذا الحديث من الأحاديث المشهورة بين السنة والشيعة، ويستشهد به دائماً، وقد أيّد الإمام الباقر(ع) صدروه وتولّى بيان المقصود منه
This hadith is amongst those which are famous between both the Ahlus Sunnah and the Shia. They continuously quote it as a proof. Imam al Baqir confirmed that it was actually said and he took it upon himself to explain the intended meaning.[6]
In the book Kanz al Fawa’id, under the chapter titled, “explanation of the narration,” their great scholar Muhammad al Karajaki comments:
إن سأل سائل ، فقال: ما معنى الخبر المروي عن النبي أنه قال: إن الله تعالى خلق آدم على صورته ، أوليس ظاهر هذا الخبر يقتضي التشبيه له تعالى بخلقه ، فإن لم يكن على ظاهره ، فما تأويله ؟ : الجواب: قلنا : أحد الأجوبة عن هذا أن تكون الهاء عائدة إلى الله تعالى ، والمعنى أنه خلق على الصورة التي أختارها ، وقد يضاف الشيئ إلى مختاره . ومنها أن تكون الهاء عائدة إلى آدم ، ويكون المراد أن الله تعالى خلقه على صورته التي شوهد عليها ، لم ينتقل إليها عن غيرها كتنقل أولاده الذي يكون أحدهم نطفة ثم علقة مضغة ،ويخلق خلقا من بعد خلق ، ويولد طفلا صغيرا ثم يصير غلاما ثم شابا كهلا ، ولم يكن آدم (ع) كذلك ، بل خلق على صورته التي مات عليها .
و منها ما رواه الزهري عن الحسن قال مرّ النبي برجل من الأنصار وهو يضرب وجه الغلام له ويقول : قبح الله وجهك ووجه من تشبهه ، فقال له النبي: بئسما قلت ، إن الله خلق آدم على صورته ، يعني صورة المضروب . وهذه أجوبة صحيحة والحمد لله
If someone poses the question: what is the meaning of the narration where it is narrated from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that he said, “Allah created Adam according to His form.?” Does not the apparent meaning demand that there should be a resemblance between Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala and His creation? If the apparent meaning is not intended, then what is the correct interpretation of the hadith? We will reply: one of the answers is that the word “His” refers to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala. The meaning will be that Allah created him according to the form that He chose. At times certain things are attributed to His choice.
Another answer is that “His” refers to Adam. In this case, it would mean that he was created in the exact same manner that he was seen. His form did not change like that of his offspring who are initially a drop of semen, thereafter a clot of blood, then a piece of flesh. He is created in stages. Thereafter he takes the form of a small child, which is followed by the stage of youth, and then he becomes a young man. Adam was not created in the same manner. Rather, he was created in the same form in which he passed away.
A third answer is that which al Zuhri reports from Hassan who said, “The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam passed by a man from the Ansar who was hitting the face of his slave and saying to him: ‘May Allah disfigure your face and the face which resembles yours.’ Thereupon the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said to him, ‘Your statement is undoubtedly evil. Allah created Adam according to his form (i.e. the form of the one who was hit).’”
These are correct answers. Praise be to Allah.[7]
Is ‘Abdul Hussain more learned than al Khomeini? Or is he more learned than al Karajaki? Is he trying to give al Khomeini, al Karajaki, and their likes a few lessons on the science of hadith? Their senior research scholar, Sayed Hashim al Hussaini, the commentator of Kitab al Tawhid comments whilst explaining this hadith, these are his exact words:
هذا الكلام وجوه محتملة : فان الضمير إما يرجع إلى الله تعالى فالمعنى ما ذكره الإمام (ع) هنا على أن يكون الاضافة تشريفية كما في نظائرها أو المعنى أنه تعالى خلق آدم على صفته في مرتبة الامكان وجملة قابلا للتخلق باخلاقه ومكرما بالخلافة الاليهة ، وإما يرجع إلى آدم (ع) فالمعنى أنه تعالى خلق جوهر ذات آدم على صورته من دون دخل الملك المصور للأجنة في الأرحام كما لا دخل لغيره في تجهيز ذاته و ذات غيره أو المعنى أنه تعالى خلق آدم على صورته هذه من ابتداء أمره ولم يكن لجوهر جسمه انتقال من صورة إلى صورة كالصورة المنوية إلى العلقة إلى غيرهما ، أو المعنى أنه تعالى خلق آدم على صورته التي قبض عليها ولم يتغير وجهه وجسمه من بدئه إلى آخر عمره ، وإما يرجع إلى رجل يسبه رجل آخر كما فسر به في الحديث العاشر والحادي عشر من الباب الثاني عشر فراجع
This statement could be interpreted in different ways. Either the word ‘his’ refers to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala. In this case the meaning will be as explained by the Imam, i.e. it is attributed to Allah to highlight its status just as other objects are attributed to Him. The second possibility is that Allah created Adam with the potential of adopting His qualities. This means that he will be able to adopt His lofty qualities and he will be the divine successor.
However, it could refer to Adam. This could be with reference to the fact that Adam’s entire being was created directly by Allah. There was no angel involved as is the case with foetuses in the wombs, just as there are no third parties involved in the designing of his body and the bodies of the rest of mankind. Secondly, it could mean that Allah created him in this form from the very beginning. His body did not go through different stages such as being semen, a clot of blood, and so on. Thirdly, it could mean that Allah created him in the exact form in which he passed away. His body or face did not undergo any changes during his entire life.
There is another possibility, i.e. it could be referring to a man who was being abused verbally by another man as explained in the tenth and eleventh hadith of the twelfth chapter. Refer to it there.[8]
Al Saduq quotes with his own chain:
عن أبي الورد بن ثمامة عن علي (ع) قال: سمع النبي رجلا يقول لرجل : قبح الله وجهك ووجه من يشبهك ، فقال: مه، لا تقل هذا ، فإن الله خلق آدم على صورته
Abu al Ward ibn Thumamah reports that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu said, “The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam heard one person saying to another person, ‘May Allah disfigure your face and the face which resembles you.’ The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam reprimanded him saying, ‘Hold your tongue! Do not say that, because Allah created Adam in his form.’”[9]
Al Saduq says whilst explaining this hadith:
تركت المشبهة من هذا الحديث أوّله و قالوا: إن الله خلق آدم على صورته ، فضلوا في معناه وأضلوا
The Mushabbihah (anthropomorphist’s) have left out the first part of this hadith and, thus, they have gone astray and led others astray as well.
Indeed, ‘Abdul Hussain is a pitiable individual. How often does he not employ dissimulation, lies, and fraud; yet to no avail. The following statement of his was nothing other than dissimulation:
أبا هريرة إنما أخذه عن اليهود بواسطة صديقه كعب الأحبار أو غيره ، فإن مضمون هذا الحديث إنما هو عين الفقرة السابعة والعشرين من الاصحاح الأول من اصحاحات التكوين من كتاب اليهود
It is highly possible that Abu Hurairah learned this from the Jews[10] through the medium of his friend Ka’b al Ahbar and others. The message of this hadith is identical to the twenty seventh passage of the first chapter from the chapters of creation of the book of the Jews, the Old Testament.
Did al Khomeini and the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt also learn these narrations from the Jews through the medium of Ka’b al Ahbar or others? We seek the protection of Allah from this sin and slander. The hadith was narrated by the four ‘luminaries’, yet ‘Abdul Hussain found nothing better to do than attacking Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. It is obvious that his motive was to supress the truth and promote falsehood. Does this Ayatollah of lies and deception have any shame? Obviously not! He continues with his deception saying:
على أن أبا هريرة قد تطور في هذا الحديث كما هي عادته فتارة رواه كما سمعت ، وتارة رواه بلفظ : إذا قاتل أحدكم أخاه فليجتنب الوجه فإن الله خلق آدم على صورته،ومرة رواه بلفظ: إذا ضرب أحدكم فليجتنب الوجه ولا يقل: قبح الله وجهك ووجه من أشبه وجهك فإن الله خلق آدم على صورته
Abu Hurairah kept on modifying this hadith as per his habit. At times he narrates it as you heard and at times, he narrates it using the following words, “When one of you fights with his brother, then he should avoid hitting on the face, for indeed Allah created Adam in the same form as him.” On another occasion, he narrated it in this way, “If one of you has to hit someone, then let him avoid the face and he should not say, ‘May Allah disfigure your face and the face that resembles yours,’ as Allah created Adam in the same form as him.”
Now pay careful attention to the following narration which is reported by al Saduq with his chain from Hussain ibn Khalid who says:
قلت للرضا(ع): يا ابن رسول الله إن الناس يروون أن رسول الله قال: إن الله خلق آدم على صورته ، فقال: قاتلهم الله ، لقد حذفوا أول الحديث ، إن رسول الله مرّ برجلين يتسابان ، فسمع أحدهما يقول لصاحبه ، قبح الله وجههك ووجه من يشبهك ، فقال: يا عبدالله لا تقل هذا لأخيك ، فإن الله خلق آدم على صورته
I said to al Rida, “O grandson of the Messenger, the people are narrating that the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘Allah created Adam according to His form.’”
He replied, “May Allah destroy them! They have left out the first part of this hadith. The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam passed by two men who were abusing one another. He heard one saying to the other, ‘May Allah disfigure your face and the face of that resembling yours.’ Thereupon the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘O slave of Allah, do not say this to your brother, for indeed Allah created Adam in the same form as him.’”[11]
O ‘Abdul Hussain, why did you not take your Imams to task for narrating the exact same ahadith? Why did you not take to task your narrators like Muhammad ibn Muslim, Hussain ibn Khalid, Abu al Ward ibn Thumamah, etc.? You claim that you exerted yourself doing research and trying to unearth all the narrations of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu so that the dawn of the truth and the morning of conviction could appear, yet you found nothing but criticism against him? Are you not lying and deceiving the Muslims by this statement?
O reader, the above has definitely revealed to you the extent of his lies, deception and false accusations. He is well aware of the sources of these ahadith as well as the explanations of the scholars regarding them. This has to be the case, as he is considered one of the senior mujtahids of the Shia. The requirement of qualifying as a mujtahid according to the Shia, is that a person should read all the books, viz. the books of ‘aqidah, hadith, tafsir, hadith narrators, Arabic grammar, etc.
If he did not read any of these books, he would not have been given the title Ayatollah by them. However, this Ayatollah has no other concern except attacking Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu and satisfying his deep-rooted hatred for him, even if that would open the doors of criticism against his infallible Imams and scholars. Unless he is under the delusion that everyone is as heedless as him. They do not read and do not wish to exhaust their energies in doing research.
‘Abdul Hussain states further:
أنه إذا كان طول آدم ستين ذراعاً يجب مع تناسب أعضائه أن يكون عرضه سبعة عشر ذراعاً وسبع الذراع ، وإذا كان عرضه سبعة أذرع يجب أن يكون طوله أربعة وعشرين ذراعاً ونصف الذراع لأن عرض الانسان مع استواء خلقه بقدر سبعي طوله فما بال أبي هريرة يقول طوله ستون ذراعاً في سبعة أذرع عرضاً ؟ فهل كان آدم غير متناسب في خلقته مشوهاً في تركيبه ؟ كلا!
بل قال الله تعالى وهو أصدق القائلين { لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإِنْسَانَ فِىْ أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ }
If Adam was sixty arms-length tall, then the demand of normal body structure is that his width should be seventeen and one seventh of an arms-length. On the other hand, if his width was seven arms-length, then his height should have been twenty-four and a half arms-length. This is because the width of a person whose body is correctly proportioned, is two sevenths of his height. So how could Abu Hurairah claim that his height was sixty arms-length and his width was seven arms-length? Was Adams body disproportionate and abnormal? Never! Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala, the most truthful says, “Undoubtedly, We created man in the best form.”
Our comment: This hadith as was reported by your trustworthy narrator-al Kulayni in his al Kafi (which you have described as the best and most precise of your four books) from your Imams, who you believe are infallible and hold a greater status than the Prophets! He states in Rawdat al Kafi, with his chain:
عن علي بن ابراهيم ، عن أبيه، عن الحسن بن محبوب ، عن مقاتل بن سليمان قال سألت أبا عبدالله (ع) كم كان طول آدم حين هبط به إلى الأرض وكم كان طول حواء ؟ قال وجدنا في كتاب علي بن أبي طالب (ع) إن الله لما أهبط آدم وزجته حواء عليها السلام إلى الأرض كانت رجلاه بثنية الصفا ورأسه دون أفق وإنه شكا إلى الله ما يصيبه من حر الشمس فأوحى الله إلى جبريل إن آدم قد شكا ما يصيبه من حر الشمس فأغمزه وصير طوله سبعين ذراعاً بذراعه وأغمز حواء غمزة فيصير طولها خمسة وثلاثين ذراعاً بذراعها
‘Ali ibn Ibrahim — his father — Hassan ibn Mahbub — from Muqatil ibn Sulaiman who says, “I asked Abu ‘Abdullah what was the height of Adam when he was lowered onto the earth? What was the height of Hawa’?”
He replied, ‘We read in the book of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib that when Allah lowered Adam and his wife Hawa’ onto the earth, his feet were at the valley of al Safa and his head was just below the skyline. Thus, he complained to Allah regarding the heat of the sun. Thereupon Allah revealed to Jibril, ‘Adam has complained regarding the heat of the sun, so remodel him until his height decreases to seventy arms-length according to his own arm, and remodel Hawa’ so that her height is decreased to thirty-five arms-length according to her arm.’”[12]
Here is the statement of your infallible imam. He says, “his feet were at the valley of al Safa and his head was just below the skyline.” In fact, he even adds on to that by saying, “Thus, he complained to Allah regarding the heat of the sun… remodel him until his height decreases to seventy arms-length.”
Thus, was Adam’s body disproportionate and abnormal? Your scholars have considered this hadith to be amongst the most difficult narrations. Ni’mat Allah al Jaza’iri comments in his Qisas al Ambiya’:
أقول هذا الحديث عده المتأخرون من مشكلات الأخبار من وجهين ….
This hadith has been considered by the latter-day scholars as one of the most difficult narrations due to two reasons…
He then goes on to explain the two reasons. Refer to his book for more details. Sayed ‘Abdullah Shibr also explains this hadith in ten different ways in his book, Masabih al Anwar fi Hal Mushkilat al Akhbar[13]. Refer to it if it interests you. Al Majlisi also explains this hadith in a few different ways in his Mir’at. He says:
إعلم إن هذا الخبر من المعضلات التي حيرت أفهام الناظرين والعويصات التي رجعت عنها بالخيبة أحلام الكاملين والقاصرين
Note: This narration belongs to that category which has perplexed the minds of the readers and the intellect of the common-folk as well as the geniuses have been left dumbfounded.[14]
[1] Sahih Al Bukhari, under the chapter of seeking permission; Sahih Muslim, under the chapter Jannat and a description of its bounties and dwellers.
[2] Awsiya and Wisayah are terms that cannot be traced back to Islam. These are terms which were coined by Ibn Saba’. He is the first person who claimed that Imamah is wasiyyah (bequest) from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and it is confined to the Awsiya’ (successor, referring to the Twelve Imams). If anyone besides the wasi is appointed as the Imam, it is necessary to distance oneself from him and regard him a disbeliever. We are not in need of this Jewish doctrine.
[3] He states in the footnotes of this page, “He depended upon the Jews for many of his ahadith. Do you not see that he says: ‘Sayhan, Jayhan, Euphrates and the Nile of Egypt are all from Jannat.’ This is taken from the Old Testament.”
[4] He says: “Al Bukhari reports this in al Adab al Mufrad and Ahmed recorded it with an authentic isnad to Abu Hurairah on page 434 of the second volume of his Musnad.”
[5] Zubdat al Arba’in Hadithan, pg. 264.
[6] Refer to Al Saduq: Kitab al Tawhid, 18/103; Masabih al Anwar, 1/206-207; ‘Ilm al Yaqin, 1/46; al ‘Awali, 1/53; Tafsir al Qur’an, 1/107, 187, 191, 235, 3/503, 524, 4/173, 383, 6/47; al Mahajjah, 7/43, 47, 8/26; Tafsir al Kanz, 5/244; al Kafi, 1/134, # 4; Tafsir al Mizan, chapter of the Ruh.
[7] Al Karajaki: Kanz al Fawa’id, 2/ 167-168.
[8] Al Tawhid, pg. 103.
[9] Al Tawhid, pg. 152, # 10.
[10] ‘Abdul Hussain states in the footnotes of this page, “He depended upon the Jews for many of his ahadith. Do you not see that he says, ‘Sayhan, Jayhan, Euphrates and the Nile of Egypt are all from Jannat.’ This is taken from the Old Testament.’”
[11] Al Tawhid, pg. 152-153, # 11; ‘Uyun Akhbar al Rida, 1/120; al Anwar al No’maniyyah, 1/234; al Ihtijaj, 2/192.
[12] Rawdat al Kafi, pg. 195, # 308.
[13] Masabih al Anwar fi Hal Mushkilat al Akhbar, 1/405.
[14] Mir’at, 26/171-177.
BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents
The Ahadith which ‘Abdul Hussain Objected to and the Answers to His Objections
We will summarise our discussion by narrating the ahadith from different sources of both groups followed by the explanations of the scholars of each group.
‘Abdul Hussain’s objections regarding the Hadith, “Allah created Adam according to his form.”
‘Abdul Hussain reproduces the narration in which it is stated that Allah created Prophet Adam ‘alayh al Salam according to his form on page 59.
أخرج الشيخان البخاري ومسلم من طريق عبدالرزاق عن معمر عن همّام بن منبه قال: هذا ما حدّثنا به أبو هريرة عن رسول الله (ص) قال: خلق اللّٰه آدم على صورته طوله ستون ذراعا، وزاد أحمد من طريق سعيد بن المسيب عن أبي هريرة مرفوعاً : في سبعة أذرع عرضاً قال: فلما خلقه قال اذهب فسلّم على أولئك النفر من الملائكة جلوس فاستمع ما يحيونك فإنها تحيّتك وتحيّة ذريتك قال: السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ فقالوا السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ، فزادوه وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ فكل من يدخل الجنة على صورة آدم وطوله ستون ذراعاً ، فلم يزل الخلق ينقص بعد حتى الآن
Al Bukhari and Muslim narrate from ‘Abdur Razzaq — Ma’mar — Hammam ibn Munabbih —that Abu Hurairah reported to us that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
Allah created Adam according to his form. His height was sixty arm’s length and he was seven arm’s length wide.
Ahmed adds on from the narration of Sa’id ibn al Musayyab who reports from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
… He was seven arm’s length wide. After He created him, He said, “Go and greet that group of angels who are sitting and pay attention to their reply, for indeed that will be your greeting and the greeting of your offspring.”
He said, “Al Salam ‘alaykum.”
They replied, “Al Salam ‘alayka wa rahmat Allah.”
They added wa rahmat Allah. Whoever enters Jannat will have the form of Adam and his height will be sixty arm’s length. The size of the creation began decreasing from then and it continued to decrease until now.[1]
The author began raising doubts and suspicion by going in circles regarding this hadith. He says:
وهذا مما لا يجوز على رسول الله(ص) ولا على غيره من الأنبياء ولا على أوصيائهم (ع). ولعل أبا هريرة إنما أخذه عن اليهود بواسطة صديقه كعب الأحبار أو غيره ، فإن مضمون هذا الحديث إنما هو عين الفقرة السابعة والعشرين من الاصحاح الأول من اصحاحات التكوين من كتاب اليهود – العهد القديم – وإليك نصها بعين لفظه قال: فخلق الله الانسان على صورته، على صورة الله خلقه ذكرا وانثى خلقهم .
تقدس الله عن الصورة والكيفية والشبيه ، وتعالى الله عما يقول الظالمون علوا كبيرا … ومرة رواه بلفظ : إذا ضرب أحدكم فليجتنب الوجه ولا يقل : قبح الله وجهك ووجه من أشبه وجهك فإن الله خلق آدم على صورته
Statements of this nature cannot be attributed to Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, any of the other Prophets or their Awsiya’[2]. It is highly possible that Abu Hurairah learned this from the Jews[3] through the medium of his friend Ka’b al Ahbar and others. The message of this hadith is identical to the twenty seventh passage of the first chapter from the chapters of creation of the book of the Jews, the Old Testament. The exact words of the Old Testament are as follows:
Allah created the human in His form. Allah created the males and females according to the form of Allah.
Allah is beyond any form, condition, and resemblance. Allah is completely pure of all that which the oppressors attribute to Him… On another occasion he narrated this message using the following words, “When any of you slap someone, then avoid the face. One should not say, ‘May Allah disfigure your face and the face which resembles yours,’ for indeed Allah created Adam according to His form.”[4]
Our comment: We will keep our refutation of the lies of ‘Abdul Hussain brief. These narrations have been reported by your nation through their special chains of transmission from those who they believe are totally infallible. We are forced to expose his deception. He claims that he exerted himself in trying to find the ahadith of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu to the extent that dawn of truth appeared and the morning of conviction finally arrived. The result was that he could not find anything besides criticism and condemnation of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.
The authenticity of this hadith was verified by Khomeini in his book Zubdat al Arba’in Hadithan, under the thirty-eighth Hadith which is titled, “Allah created Adam according to His form.” He then narrates it from the Ahlul Bayt, the proofs of Allah against His creation, as believed by them. These are the exact words:
فعن محمد بن مسلم قال: سألت أبا جعفر(ع) عما يروون أن الله خلق آدم على صورته فقال: هي صورة محدثة مخلوقة ، اصطفاها الله واختارها على سائر الصور المختلفة فأضافها إلى نفسه كما أضاف الكعبة إلى نفسه والروح إلى نفسه فقال تعالى: { بيتي } وقال: { ونفخت فيه من روحي}
Muhammad ibn Muslim narrates:
I asked Abu Jafar regarding their narration that Allah created Adam according to His form.
He replied, “It is a new and created form. Allah selected it and preferred it over all the other forms. That is why He attributed it to Himself, just as He attributed the Ka’bah and the soul to Himself. He said, ‘My house’ and ‘I blew into him from My soul.’”[5]
Thereafter Khomeini comments:
وهذا الحديث من الأحاديث المشهورة بين السنة والشيعة، ويستشهد به دائماً، وقد أيّد الإمام الباقر(ع) صدروه وتولّى بيان المقصود منه
This hadith is amongst those which are famous between both the Ahlus Sunnah and the Shia. They continuously quote it as a proof. Imam al Baqir confirmed that it was actually said and he took it upon himself to explain the intended meaning.[6]
In the book Kanz al Fawa’id, under the chapter titled, “explanation of the narration,” their great scholar Muhammad al Karajaki comments:
إن سأل سائل ، فقال: ما معنى الخبر المروي عن النبي أنه قال: إن الله تعالى خلق آدم على صورته ، أوليس ظاهر هذا الخبر يقتضي التشبيه له تعالى بخلقه ، فإن لم يكن على ظاهره ، فما تأويله ؟ : الجواب: قلنا : أحد الأجوبة عن هذا أن تكون الهاء عائدة إلى الله تعالى ، والمعنى أنه خلق على الصورة التي أختارها ، وقد يضاف الشيئ إلى مختاره . ومنها أن تكون الهاء عائدة إلى آدم ، ويكون المراد أن الله تعالى خلقه على صورته التي شوهد عليها ، لم ينتقل إليها عن غيرها كتنقل أولاده الذي يكون أحدهم نطفة ثم علقة مضغة ،ويخلق خلقا من بعد خلق ، ويولد طفلا صغيرا ثم يصير غلاما ثم شابا كهلا ، ولم يكن آدم (ع) كذلك ، بل خلق على صورته التي مات عليها .
و منها ما رواه الزهري عن الحسن قال مرّ النبي برجل من الأنصار وهو يضرب وجه الغلام له ويقول : قبح الله وجهك ووجه من تشبهه ، فقال له النبي: بئسما قلت ، إن الله خلق آدم على صورته ، يعني صورة المضروب . وهذه أجوبة صحيحة والحمد لله
If someone poses the question: what is the meaning of the narration where it is narrated from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that he said, “Allah created Adam according to His form.?” Does not the apparent meaning demand that there should be a resemblance between Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala and His creation? If the apparent meaning is not intended, then what is the correct interpretation of the hadith? We will reply: one of the answers is that the word “His” refers to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala. The meaning will be that Allah created him according to the form that He chose. At times certain things are attributed to His choice.
Another answer is that “His” refers to Adam. In this case, it would mean that he was created in the exact same manner that he was seen. His form did not change like that of his offspring who are initially a drop of semen, thereafter a clot of blood, then a piece of flesh. He is created in stages. Thereafter he takes the form of a small child, which is followed by the stage of youth, and then he becomes a young man. Adam was not created in the same manner. Rather, he was created in the same form in which he passed away.
A third answer is that which al Zuhri reports from Hassan who said, “The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam passed by a man from the Ansar who was hitting the face of his slave and saying to him: ‘May Allah disfigure your face and the face which resembles yours.’ Thereupon the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said to him, ‘Your statement is undoubtedly evil. Allah created Adam according to his form (i.e. the form of the one who was hit).’”
These are correct answers. Praise be to Allah.[7]
Is ‘Abdul Hussain more learned than al Khomeini? Or is he more learned than al Karajaki? Is he trying to give al Khomeini, al Karajaki, and their likes a few lessons on the science of hadith? Their senior research scholar, Sayed Hashim al Hussaini, the commentator of Kitab al Tawhid comments whilst explaining this hadith, these are his exact words:
هذا الكلام وجوه محتملة : فان الضمير إما يرجع إلى الله تعالى فالمعنى ما ذكره الإمام (ع) هنا على أن يكون الاضافة تشريفية كما في نظائرها أو المعنى أنه تعالى خلق آدم على صفته في مرتبة الامكان وجملة قابلا للتخلق باخلاقه ومكرما بالخلافة الاليهة ، وإما يرجع إلى آدم (ع) فالمعنى أنه تعالى خلق جوهر ذات آدم على صورته من دون دخل الملك المصور للأجنة في الأرحام كما لا دخل لغيره في تجهيز ذاته و ذات غيره أو المعنى أنه تعالى خلق آدم على صورته هذه من ابتداء أمره ولم يكن لجوهر جسمه انتقال من صورة إلى صورة كالصورة المنوية إلى العلقة إلى غيرهما ، أو المعنى أنه تعالى خلق آدم على صورته التي قبض عليها ولم يتغير وجهه وجسمه من بدئه إلى آخر عمره ، وإما يرجع إلى رجل يسبه رجل آخر كما فسر به في الحديث العاشر والحادي عشر من الباب الثاني عشر فراجع
This statement could be interpreted in different ways. Either the word ‘his’ refers to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala. In this case the meaning will be as explained by the Imam, i.e. it is attributed to Allah to highlight its status just as other objects are attributed to Him. The second possibility is that Allah created Adam with the potential of adopting His qualities. This means that he will be able to adopt His lofty qualities and he will be the divine successor.
However, it could refer to Adam. This could be with reference to the fact that Adam’s entire being was created directly by Allah. There was no angel involved as is the case with foetuses in the wombs, just as there are no third parties involved in the designing of his body and the bodies of the rest of mankind. Secondly, it could mean that Allah created him in this form from the very beginning. His body did not go through different stages such as being semen, a clot of blood, and so on. Thirdly, it could mean that Allah created him in the exact form in which he passed away. His body or face did not undergo any changes during his entire life.
There is another possibility, i.e. it could be referring to a man who was being abused verbally by another man as explained in the tenth and eleventh hadith of the twelfth chapter. Refer to it there.[8]
Al Saduq quotes with his own chain:
عن أبي الورد بن ثمامة عن علي (ع) قال: سمع النبي رجلا يقول لرجل : قبح الله وجهك ووجه من يشبهك ، فقال: مه، لا تقل هذا ، فإن الله خلق آدم على صورته
Abu al Ward ibn Thumamah reports that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu said, “The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam heard one person saying to another person, ‘May Allah disfigure your face and the face which resembles you.’ The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam reprimanded him saying, ‘Hold your tongue! Do not say that, because Allah created Adam in his form.’”[9]
Al Saduq says whilst explaining this hadith:
تركت المشبهة من هذا الحديث أوّله و قالوا: إن الله خلق آدم على صورته ، فضلوا في معناه وأضلوا
The Mushabbihah (anthropomorphist’s) have left out the first part of this hadith and, thus, they have gone astray and led others astray as well.
Indeed, ‘Abdul Hussain is a pitiable individual. How often does he not employ dissimulation, lies, and fraud; yet to no avail. The following statement of his was nothing other than dissimulation:
أبا هريرة إنما أخذه عن اليهود بواسطة صديقه كعب الأحبار أو غيره ، فإن مضمون هذا الحديث إنما هو عين الفقرة السابعة والعشرين من الاصحاح الأول من اصحاحات التكوين من كتاب اليهود
It is highly possible that Abu Hurairah learned this from the Jews[10] through the medium of his friend Ka’b al Ahbar and others. The message of this hadith is identical to the twenty seventh passage of the first chapter from the chapters of creation of the book of the Jews, the Old Testament.
Did al Khomeini and the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt also learn these narrations from the Jews through the medium of Ka’b al Ahbar or others? We seek the protection of Allah from this sin and slander. The hadith was narrated by the four ‘luminaries’, yet ‘Abdul Hussain found nothing better to do than attacking Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. It is obvious that his motive was to supress the truth and promote falsehood. Does this Ayatollah of lies and deception have any shame? Obviously not! He continues with his deception saying:
على أن أبا هريرة قد تطور في هذا الحديث كما هي عادته فتارة رواه كما سمعت ، وتارة رواه بلفظ : إذا قاتل أحدكم أخاه فليجتنب الوجه فإن الله خلق آدم على صورته،ومرة رواه بلفظ: إذا ضرب أحدكم فليجتنب الوجه ولا يقل: قبح الله وجهك ووجه من أشبه وجهك فإن الله خلق آدم على صورته
Abu Hurairah kept on modifying this hadith as per his habit. At times he narrates it as you heard and at times, he narrates it using the following words, “When one of you fights with his brother, then he should avoid hitting on the face, for indeed Allah created Adam in the same form as him.” On another occasion, he narrated it in this way, “If one of you has to hit someone, then let him avoid the face and he should not say, ‘May Allah disfigure your face and the face that resembles yours,’ as Allah created Adam in the same form as him.”
Now pay careful attention to the following narration which is reported by al Saduq with his chain from Hussain ibn Khalid who says:
قلت للرضا(ع): يا ابن رسول الله إن الناس يروون أن رسول الله قال: إن الله خلق آدم على صورته ، فقال: قاتلهم الله ، لقد حذفوا أول الحديث ، إن رسول الله مرّ برجلين يتسابان ، فسمع أحدهما يقول لصاحبه ، قبح الله وجههك ووجه من يشبهك ، فقال: يا عبدالله لا تقل هذا لأخيك ، فإن الله خلق آدم على صورته
I said to al Rida, “O grandson of the Messenger, the people are narrating that the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘Allah created Adam according to His form.’”
He replied, “May Allah destroy them! They have left out the first part of this hadith. The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam passed by two men who were abusing one another. He heard one saying to the other, ‘May Allah disfigure your face and the face of that resembling yours.’ Thereupon the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘O slave of Allah, do not say this to your brother, for indeed Allah created Adam in the same form as him.’”[11]
O ‘Abdul Hussain, why did you not take your Imams to task for narrating the exact same ahadith? Why did you not take to task your narrators like Muhammad ibn Muslim, Hussain ibn Khalid, Abu al Ward ibn Thumamah, etc.? You claim that you exerted yourself doing research and trying to unearth all the narrations of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu so that the dawn of the truth and the morning of conviction could appear, yet you found nothing but criticism against him? Are you not lying and deceiving the Muslims by this statement?
O reader, the above has definitely revealed to you the extent of his lies, deception and false accusations. He is well aware of the sources of these ahadith as well as the explanations of the scholars regarding them. This has to be the case, as he is considered one of the senior mujtahids of the Shia. The requirement of qualifying as a mujtahid according to the Shia, is that a person should read all the books, viz. the books of ‘aqidah, hadith, tafsir, hadith narrators, Arabic grammar, etc.
If he did not read any of these books, he would not have been given the title Ayatollah by them. However, this Ayatollah has no other concern except attacking Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu and satisfying his deep-rooted hatred for him, even if that would open the doors of criticism against his infallible Imams and scholars. Unless he is under the delusion that everyone is as heedless as him. They do not read and do not wish to exhaust their energies in doing research.
‘Abdul Hussain states further:
أنه إذا كان طول آدم ستين ذراعاً يجب مع تناسب أعضائه أن يكون عرضه سبعة عشر ذراعاً وسبع الذراع ، وإذا كان عرضه سبعة أذرع يجب أن يكون طوله أربعة وعشرين ذراعاً ونصف الذراع لأن عرض الانسان مع استواء خلقه بقدر سبعي طوله فما بال أبي هريرة يقول طوله ستون ذراعاً في سبعة أذرع عرضاً ؟ فهل كان آدم غير متناسب في خلقته مشوهاً في تركيبه ؟ كلا!
بل قال الله تعالى وهو أصدق القائلين { لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإِنْسَانَ فِىْ أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ }
If Adam was sixty arms-length tall, then the demand of normal body structure is that his width should be seventeen and one seventh of an arms-length. On the other hand, if his width was seven arms-length, then his height should have been twenty-four and a half arms-length. This is because the width of a person whose body is correctly proportioned, is two sevenths of his height. So how could Abu Hurairah claim that his height was sixty arms-length and his width was seven arms-length? Was Adams body disproportionate and abnormal? Never! Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala, the most truthful says, “Undoubtedly, We created man in the best form.”
Our comment: This hadith as was reported by your trustworthy narrator-al Kulayni in his al Kafi (which you have described as the best and most precise of your four books) from your Imams, who you believe are infallible and hold a greater status than the Prophets! He states in Rawdat al Kafi, with his chain:
عن علي بن ابراهيم ، عن أبيه، عن الحسن بن محبوب ، عن مقاتل بن سليمان قال سألت أبا عبدالله (ع) كم كان طول آدم حين هبط به إلى الأرض وكم كان طول حواء ؟ قال وجدنا في كتاب علي بن أبي طالب (ع) إن الله لما أهبط آدم وزجته حواء عليها السلام إلى الأرض كانت رجلاه بثنية الصفا ورأسه دون أفق وإنه شكا إلى الله ما يصيبه من حر الشمس فأوحى الله إلى جبريل إن آدم قد شكا ما يصيبه من حر الشمس فأغمزه وصير طوله سبعين ذراعاً بذراعه وأغمز حواء غمزة فيصير طولها خمسة وثلاثين ذراعاً بذراعها
‘Ali ibn Ibrahim — his father — Hassan ibn Mahbub — from Muqatil ibn Sulaiman who says, “I asked Abu ‘Abdullah what was the height of Adam when he was lowered onto the earth? What was the height of Hawa’?”
He replied, ‘We read in the book of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib that when Allah lowered Adam and his wife Hawa’ onto the earth, his feet were at the valley of al Safa and his head was just below the skyline. Thus, he complained to Allah regarding the heat of the sun. Thereupon Allah revealed to Jibril, ‘Adam has complained regarding the heat of the sun, so remodel him until his height decreases to seventy arms-length according to his own arm, and remodel Hawa’ so that her height is decreased to thirty-five arms-length according to her arm.’”[12]
Here is the statement of your infallible imam. He says, “his feet were at the valley of al Safa and his head was just below the skyline.” In fact, he even adds on to that by saying, “Thus, he complained to Allah regarding the heat of the sun… remodel him until his height decreases to seventy arms-length.”
Thus, was Adam’s body disproportionate and abnormal? Your scholars have considered this hadith to be amongst the most difficult narrations. Ni’mat Allah al Jaza’iri comments in his Qisas al Ambiya’:
أقول هذا الحديث عده المتأخرون من مشكلات الأخبار من وجهين ….
This hadith has been considered by the latter-day scholars as one of the most difficult narrations due to two reasons…
He then goes on to explain the two reasons. Refer to his book for more details. Sayed ‘Abdullah Shibr also explains this hadith in ten different ways in his book, Masabih al Anwar fi Hal Mushkilat al Akhbar[13]. Refer to it if it interests you. Al Majlisi also explains this hadith in a few different ways in his Mir’at. He says:
إعلم إن هذا الخبر من المعضلات التي حيرت أفهام الناظرين والعويصات التي رجعت عنها بالخيبة أحلام الكاملين والقاصرين
Note: This narration belongs to that category which has perplexed the minds of the readers and the intellect of the common-folk as well as the geniuses have been left dumbfounded.[14]
[1] Sahih Al Bukhari, under the chapter of seeking permission; Sahih Muslim, under the chapter Jannat and a description of its bounties and dwellers.
[2] Awsiya and Wisayah are terms that cannot be traced back to Islam. These are terms which were coined by Ibn Saba’. He is the first person who claimed that Imamah is wasiyyah (bequest) from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and it is confined to the Awsiya’ (successor, referring to the Twelve Imams). If anyone besides the wasi is appointed as the Imam, it is necessary to distance oneself from him and regard him a disbeliever. We are not in need of this Jewish doctrine.
[3] He states in the footnotes of this page, “He depended upon the Jews for many of his ahadith. Do you not see that he says: ‘Sayhan, Jayhan, Euphrates and the Nile of Egypt are all from Jannat.’ This is taken from the Old Testament.”
[4] He says: “Al Bukhari reports this in al Adab al Mufrad and Ahmed recorded it with an authentic isnad to Abu Hurairah on page 434 of the second volume of his Musnad.”
[5] Zubdat al Arba’in Hadithan, pg. 264.
[6] Refer to Al Saduq: Kitab al Tawhid, 18/103; Masabih al Anwar, 1/206-207; ‘Ilm al Yaqin, 1/46; al ‘Awali, 1/53; Tafsir al Qur’an, 1/107, 187, 191, 235, 3/503, 524, 4/173, 383, 6/47; al Mahajjah, 7/43, 47, 8/26; Tafsir al Kanz, 5/244; al Kafi, 1/134, # 4; Tafsir al Mizan, chapter of the Ruh.
[7] Al Karajaki: Kanz al Fawa’id, 2/ 167-168.
[8] Al Tawhid, pg. 103.
[9] Al Tawhid, pg. 152, # 10.
[10] ‘Abdul Hussain states in the footnotes of this page, “He depended upon the Jews for many of his ahadith. Do you not see that he says, ‘Sayhan, Jayhan, Euphrates and the Nile of Egypt are all from Jannat.’ This is taken from the Old Testament.’”
[11] Al Tawhid, pg. 152-153, # 11; ‘Uyun Akhbar al Rida, 1/120; al Anwar al No’maniyyah, 1/234; al Ihtijaj, 2/192.
[12] Rawdat al Kafi, pg. 195, # 308.
[13] Masabih al Anwar fi Hal Mushkilat al Akhbar, 1/405.
[14] Mir’at, 26/171-177.