`Abd al-Husayn’s Surprise and Denial of the Hadith: “Two Infants Speak of Unseen Matters”

‘Abdul Hussain’s Surprise and Denial of the Hadith: “Two Infants Speak of Unseen Matters.”

On page 159, he quotes a hadith under the heading, “Two infants speak of unseen matters”. Al Bukhari and Muslim report on the authority of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu that the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

وكان في بني إسرائيل رجل يقال له جريج كان يصلي فجاءته أمه فدعته فقال أجيبها أو أصلي؟ فقالت أمه اللهم لا تمته حتى تريه وجوه المومسات قال وكان جريج في صومعته فتعرضت له امرأة فأبى فأتت راعيا فأمكنته من نفسها فولدت غلاما فقالت من جريج فأتوه فكسروا صومعته وأنزلوه وسبوه فتوضأ وصلى ثم أتى الغلام فقال من أبوك يا غلام؟ فقال الغلام إن أبي لهو الراعي! قالوا نبني صومعتك من ذهب قال لا إلا من طين (قال أبو هريرة )وكانت امرأة ترضع ابنا لها من بني إسرائيل فمر بها رجل راكب ذو شارة فقالت اللهم اجعل ابني مثله فترك ثديها وأقبل على الراكب فقال: اللهم لا تجعلني مثله! ثم أقبل على ثديها يمصه ( قال أبو هريرة ) كأني أنظر إلى النبي (ص) يمص إصبعه! ثم مرت أم الغلام فقالت اللهم لا تجعل ابني مثل هذه فترك الغلام ثدي أمه فقال اللهم اجعلني مثلها! فقالت لم ذاك ؟ فقال لها الراكب جبار من الجبابرة وهذه الأمة يقولون سرقت زنيت ولم تفعل

There was a man by the name of Jurayj among the Banu Isra’il. On one occasion, whilst he was occupied with salah, his mother called him. He thought to himself, ‘Should I reply (to her) or continue with salah?’

His mother (upon feeling ignored) supplicated, “O Allah, do not let him die until you show him the faces of immoral women.”

Later, whilst Jurayj was in his prayer room, a woman offered herself to him. He declined the offer, so she granted a shepherd access to herself, due to which she gave birth to a boy.

She then claimed, “(He is) from Jurayj.”

They came to him, razed his room to the ground, brought him down and began reviling him. He performed wudu and salah and thereafter approached the boy saying, “Who is your father, O young boy?”

The boy replied, “My father is most certainly the shepherd.”

Thereupon they asked him, “Shall we rebuild your room with gold?”

He replied, “No. Use nothing but soil.”

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates further:

A woman from Banu Isra’il was breast-feeding her son when an influential man rode pass her. She supplicated, “O Allah, make my son just like him.”

Immediately, the boy left her breast, turned towards the rider and supplicated; “O Allah, do not make me like him.” Thereafter, he returned to her breast and continued to suckle.

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu says:

I can still picture the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam sucking onto his finger. Thereafter, the mother of a slave passed.

The boy’s mother supplicated, “O Allah, do not make my son like this person.”

The boy left his mother’s breast and supplicated, “O Allah, make me like her!”

She asked, “Why (did you ask for) that?”

He replied, “The rider was an oppressor whilst this slave-girl is accused of being a thief and a fornicator, but she is innocent.”^[1]

Then he tries to find flaws in the hadith:

قلت: لم يكن جريج من الأنبياء وكذلك هذان الطفلان ، فلا يمكن أن تصدر على أيديهم خوارق العادات ، فإن الخوارق إنما تكون من النبيين في مقام تعجيز البشر اثباتا لنبوتهم كما هو مقرر في محله وكلام هذين المولودين وأخبارهما بالمغيبات مما تأباه فطرة الله التي فطر الناس عليها ..

Neither was Jurayj, nor any of these kids among the Prophets. Thus, it is impossible that these miracles could have taken place at their hands. Miracles are only manifested by the Prophets, as a means of challenging other humans and to establish their Nubuwwah. This has been explained in its appropriate place. The speech of these two infants and their utterance of that which was unknown is against the system of Allah, which he made the nature of humans.

Our comment: You have claimed the same, if not more amazing incidents in support of your Imams, under the pretext that they were the miracles of the Imams. You have reported that they would speak regarding unseen matters in their infancy. In fact, they would recite the Qur’an as well as the other scriptures whilst they were still in their cradles. The great scholar of the Shia, Hashim al Bahrani, has collected these incidents in his book, Madinat al Ma’ajiz. Explaining the position and miracles of the Imams (as understood by the Shia) would require many voluminous books. To summarise them, we present a few chapter titles of the above-mentioned books. They are:

Concerning the miracles of Imam Amir al Mu’minin, the first one being his miracles at birth. (1/45-48, chapter: 1 # 1)
A six-month-old child talks upon the instruction of Amir al Mu’minin, and another child speaks. (1/414 # 274)
A child says that he is a friend of Allah (3/135 # 794)
The miracles of Imam Hussain, a suckling child speaks (3/500 # 1015)
The miracles of Imam al Kazim, he whispers to his father from the cradle (6/224 # 1965)

The Children of the Imams Speak from the Cradle, Their Mothers Stomachs and Even Recite from Previous Scriptures

Here are some narrations of the Ahlul Bayt in which it is reported that the Imams would speak eloquently and recite from previous scriptures among other feats at birth. The narrations have been summarised. Ayatollah Hussain al Shirazi states in his book al Fiqh, whilst discussing the details of the birth of the Imams:

وكذلك دلّ العقل على ذلك ، إذا ما لاحظ حالاتهم من أول الولادة ، بل قبل الولادة ، فقد كانت فاطمة (ع) تكلم أمها وهي في الرحم

Similarly, the intellect also points out towards it, if one studies their conditions at the time of birth and before birth. Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha would speak to her mother whilst she was still in the womb.[2]

Al Mahajjah reports from Ahmed ibn Ishaq ibn Sa’d al Ash’ari (in a lengthy narration) who says: “I visited Abu Muhammad Hassan al ‘Askari and asked him, ‘Is there any sign (that you are al Mahdi) which will bring satisfaction to my heart?’

فنطق الغلام !!بلسان عربي فصيح!! فقال: أنا بقية الله في أرضه والمنتقم من أعدائه!

The infant replied in eloquent Arabic. He said, “I am the (last) representative of Allah upon His earth, and I am the one who will take revenge from His enemies.”^[3]

Yaqub ibn Siraj reports:

دخلت على أبي عبدالله(ع) وهو واقف على رأس موسى (ع) وهو في المهد فجعل يساره طويلا فجلست حتى فرغ فقمت إليه فقال لي أُدن من مولاك فسلّم فدنوت فسلّمت عليه فردّ عليّ السّلام بلسان فصيح… !!

I visited Imam Jafar rahimahu Llah while he was standing by the head of Musa (al Kazim), who was in his cradle. He lengthened his left side, so I sat down until he completed (what he was doing). Then I stepped forward towards him, upon which he instructed, “Go close to your master and greet!”

Thus, I went close and greeted him. He replied to my greetings in a very clear manner.^[4]

Your Imams were blessed with such miracles that were not even afforded to the Ambiyaʼ. However, they are mere claims. How is it that you still claim that miracles are only manifested at the hands of the Prophets?^[5]

Al Mahajjah reports from Zakariyya ibn Adam who says that he heard al Rida saying:

كان أبي (ع) ممـّن تكلّم في المهد

My father was among those who spoke from their cradles.[6]

Al Qazwini reports a narration in his book, ‘Ali Min al Mahdi ila al Lahd, under the title, “‘Ali recites qur’an before it is revealed”. A summary of the narration is presented below:

استقبل سيدنا أبو طالب السيدة فاطمة بنت أسد مهنئاً وأخذ أبو طالب وليده الحبيب وضمّه إلى صدره ثم ردّه إلى أمه، وأقبل رسول الله وذلك قبل أن يبعث فلمّا رآه علي جعل يهش ويضحك كأنه ابن سنة!!، … فأخذه النبي(ص) وقبّله حمد الله على ظهور هذا المولود الذي كان يعلم أنه سيكون له أحسن وزير وخير أخ وأول مؤمن به، … فسلّم علي على رسول الله ثم قرأ هذه الآيات :

{ بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ الَّذِيْنَ هُمْ فِىْ صَلاَتِهِمْ خَاشِعُوْنَ }

Our master, Abu Talib congratulated and received the honourable Fatimah bint Asad. He took his beloved son, drew him close to his chest and then returned him to his mother. The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam also arrived. This was before he was made a Prophet. When ‘Ali saw him, he became cheerful and began laughing as if he was a one-year-old… The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam held him and kissed him. He thanked Allah upon the arrival of this new-born, whom he knew was going to be a wonderful vizier to him as well as a great brother. He will also be the first to believe in him. ‘Ali greeted the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and then recited these verses, “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Certainly, will the believers have succeeded, they, who are during their salah, humbly submissive.” (Surah al Mu’minun, 1-2)[7]

The Imams have also narrated this hadith, which ‘Abdul Hussain denies! Qisas al Rawandi reports with a chain to Imam al Baqir rahimahu Llah:

كان في بني اسرائيل عابد يقال له جريج وكان يتعبد في صومعته ، فجائته أمه وهو يصلّي فدعته فلم يجيبها فانصرفت ، ثم أتته ودعته فلم يجيبها ولم يكلمها ، فانصرفت وهي تقول اسأل له بني اسرئيل أن يخذلك ، فلما كان من الغد جاءت فاجرة وقعدت عند صومعته فأخذها الطلق فاعدت أن الولد من جريح ففشا في بني اسرئيل ان من كان يلوم الناس على الزنا ، فقد زنا ، وأمر الملك بصلبه ، فأقبلت أمه اليه تلطم وجهها ، فقال لها : اسكني ،إنما هذا لدعوتك ، فقال الناس لما سمعوا بذلك منه : وكيف لنا بذلك ؟ قال: هاتوا الصبي فجاؤا به فأخذه ، فقال من أبوك ؟ فقال فلان الراعي لبين فلان

There was a worshipper among the Banu Isra’il whose name was Jurayj. He would do acts of worship in a room set aside for worship. Once, his mother came to him whilst he was praying. She called him, but he did not respond so she turned away. After a while, she came back and called him. He neither answered to her call nor did he say anything to her.

She went away saying, “I will ask Him that Banu Isra’il should disgrace you!”

The next day, an immoral woman came to sit by his room. Suddenly, she was overtaken by the pains of childbirth. She then claimed that the child is from Jurayj. The word spread among Banu Isra’il that the one who would rebuke others for committing adultery has committed it himself. The king ordered that he should be executed. His mother came to him, slapping her face.

He said to her, “Calm down. This is only a result of your curse.”

When the people heard this, they asked, “How are we supposed to believe that?”

He replied, “Bring the child.”

They brought him. Jurayj held him and asked, “Who is your father?”

The boy replied, “A certain shepherd from a specific tribe.”^[8]

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

^[1] Sahih al Bukhari, al Ambiya, al Mazalim, al Ghadab; Sahih Muslim, al Birr wa l-Silah, al Adab.

[2] Al Fiqh, 13/99.

^[3] Al Mahajjah, 4/399; al Fada’il, 57-59.

^[4] Al Qatrah, 4/339; al Thaqib fi l-Manaqib, pg. 200; al Ikmal, 1/194; al Anwar al No’maniyyah, 2/18; Ilzam al Nasib, 2/328-329; al Khara’ij, 2/524-525; Rawdat al Wa’izin, 1/143; al Hilyah, 2/226-228, 391, 524, 529, 533, 536; Hayat al Imam al ‘Askari, pg. 318.

^[5] They claim that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu as well as all the other Imams produced miracles according to their claims. This is a clear error as mentioning a miracle to prove the establishment of Imamah is completely incorrect. How can it be accepted? Miracles take place in order to prove Nubuwwah, not Imamah and other legal positions such as being a judge, an academic authority, a sultan, the general of the army, the vizier, etc. The basis of this is that since the Nabi is appointed directly by Allah, his appointment has to be verified by Allah Himself by means of displaying a miracle at his hands when he is challenged. This is unlike the other positions which are established by means of the statement of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam or the Ummah. Also, the miracles of the Ambiya’ are confined to proving their cases. Thus, no one after them can prove his own case based on their miracles. Since Imamah is either decided by the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam or the people of authority in the Ummah, it is impossible that a miracle is produced to prove it. This is besides the fact that the narrations of the Shia have been belied due to the claim of those who believe that the Amir declared Imamah during the Caliphate of the first three Khulafa’… As for the manifestation of miracles at the hands of the Amir (‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu) under normal circumstances, as opposed to ‘whilst claiming Imamah’), this is totally acceptable, as he was embodiment of all those qualities which are required for a person to be blessed with (the) miracles (which are granted to pious non-Ambiya’). However, the authenticity of the narrations has to be affirmed before they can be accepted. Refer to Tuhfah Ithna ‘Ashariyyah, pg. 185-186.

[6] Al Mahajjah, 4/278.

[7] ‘Ali Min al Mahdi ila al Lahd, pg. 23.

^[8] Al Jaza’iri: Qisas al Ambiya’, pg. 517; al Jadid fi al Tafsir, 4/309.

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‘Abdul Hussain’s Surprise and Denial of the Hadith: “Two Infants Speak of Unseen Matters.”

On page 159, he quotes a hadith under the heading, “Two infants speak of unseen matters”. Al Bukhari and Muslim report on the authority of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu that the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

وكان في بني إسرائيل رجل يقال له جريج كان يصلي فجاءته أمه فدعته فقال أجيبها أو أصلي؟ فقالت أمه اللهم لا تمته حتى تريه وجوه المومسات قال وكان جريج في صومعته فتعرضت له امرأة فأبى فأتت راعيا فأمكنته من نفسها فولدت غلاما فقالت من جريج فأتوه فكسروا صومعته وأنزلوه وسبوه فتوضأ وصلى ثم أتى الغلام فقال من أبوك يا غلام؟ فقال الغلام إن أبي لهو الراعي! قالوا نبني صومعتك من ذهب قال لا إلا من طين (قال أبو هريرة )وكانت امرأة ترضع ابنا لها من بني إسرائيل فمر بها رجل راكب ذو شارة فقالت اللهم اجعل ابني مثله فترك ثديها وأقبل على الراكب فقال: اللهم لا تجعلني مثله! ثم أقبل على ثديها يمصه ( قال أبو هريرة ) كأني أنظر إلى النبي (ص) يمص إصبعه! ثم مرت أم الغلام فقالت اللهم لا تجعل ابني مثل هذه فترك الغلام ثدي أمه فقال اللهم اجعلني مثلها! فقالت لم ذاك ؟ فقال لها الراكب جبار من الجبابرة وهذه الأمة يقولون سرقت زنيت ولم تفعل

There was a man by the name of Jurayj among the Banu Isra’il. On one occasion, whilst he was occupied with salah, his mother called him. He thought to himself, ‘Should I reply (to her) or continue with salah?’

His mother (upon feeling ignored) supplicated, “O Allah, do not let him die until you show him the faces of immoral women.”

Later, whilst Jurayj was in his prayer room, a woman offered herself to him. He declined the offer, so she granted a shepherd access to herself, due to which she gave birth to a boy.

She then claimed, “(He is) from Jurayj.”

They came to him, razed his room to the ground, brought him down and began reviling him. He performed wudu and salah and thereafter approached the boy saying, “Who is your father, O young boy?”

The boy replied, “My father is most certainly the shepherd.”

Thereupon they asked him, “Shall we rebuild your room with gold?”

He replied, “No. Use nothing but soil.”

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates further:

A woman from Banu Isra’il was breast-feeding her son when an influential man rode pass her. She supplicated, “O Allah, make my son just like him.”

Immediately, the boy left her breast, turned towards the rider and supplicated; “O Allah, do not make me like him.” Thereafter, he returned to her breast and continued to suckle.

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu says:

I can still picture the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam sucking onto his finger. Thereafter, the mother of a slave passed.

The boy’s mother supplicated, “O Allah, do not make my son like this person.”

The boy left his mother’s breast and supplicated, “O Allah, make me like her!”

She asked, “Why (did you ask for) that?”

He replied, “The rider was an oppressor whilst this slave-girl is accused of being a thief and a fornicator, but she is innocent.”^[1]

Then he tries to find flaws in the hadith:

قلت: لم يكن جريج من الأنبياء وكذلك هذان الطفلان ، فلا يمكن أن تصدر على أيديهم خوارق العادات ، فإن الخوارق إنما تكون من النبيين في مقام تعجيز البشر اثباتا لنبوتهم كما هو مقرر في محله وكلام هذين المولودين وأخبارهما بالمغيبات مما تأباه فطرة الله التي فطر الناس عليها ..

Neither was Jurayj, nor any of these kids among the Prophets. Thus, it is impossible that these miracles could have taken place at their hands. Miracles are only manifested by the Prophets, as a means of challenging other humans and to establish their Nubuwwah. This has been explained in its appropriate place. The speech of these two infants and their utterance of that which was unknown is against the system of Allah, which he made the nature of humans.

Our comment: You have claimed the same, if not more amazing incidents in support of your Imams, under the pretext that they were the miracles of the Imams. You have reported that they would speak regarding unseen matters in their infancy. In fact, they would recite the Qur’an as well as the other scriptures whilst they were still in their cradles. The great scholar of the Shia, Hashim al Bahrani, has collected these incidents in his book, Madinat al Ma’ajiz. Explaining the position and miracles of the Imams (as understood by the Shia) would require many voluminous books. To summarise them, we present a few chapter titles of the above-mentioned books. They are:

Concerning the miracles of Imam Amir al Mu’minin, the first one being his miracles at birth. (1/45-48, chapter: 1 # 1)
A six-month-old child talks upon the instruction of Amir al Mu’minin, and another child speaks. (1/414 # 274)
A child says that he is a friend of Allah (3/135 # 794)
The miracles of Imam Hussain, a suckling child speaks (3/500 # 1015)
The miracles of Imam al Kazim, he whispers to his father from the cradle (6/224 # 1965)