Hadith 150: Once while we were in the courtyard of the Ka’bah, the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was speaking to us when suddenly, something enormous emerged from al Rukn al Yamani (i.e. the Yemeni Corner of the Ka’bah) and appeared before us. ….
Hadith 149: Abu Bakr al Siddiq entered the presence of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and sat near him….
February 4, 2019Hadith 151: ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib killed ‘Amr ibn Wudd and entered the presence of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. When the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saw him, he and the Muslims made takbir (Allahu Akbar)….
February 4, 2019BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents
Hadith 150
بينا نحن بفناء الكعبة، ورسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يحدثنا، إذ خرج علينا مما يلي الركن اليماني شيء عظيم، كأعظم ما يكون من الفيلة، قال: فتفل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، وقال: لعنت، أو قال: خزيت. شك إسحاق، قال: فقال علي بن أبي طالب: ما هذا يا رسول الله؟ قال: أو ما تعرفه يا علي؟ قال: الله ورسوله أعلم. قال: هذا إبليس. فوثب إليه، فقبض على ناصيته وجذبه، فأزاله عن موضعه. وقال: يا رسول الله أقتله؟ قال: أوما علمت أنه قد أجل إلى الوقت المعلوم. قال: فتركه من يده، فوقف ناحية، ثم قال: مالي ولك يا ابن أبي طالب، والله ما أبغضك أحد إلا وقد شاركت أباه فيه، اقرأ ما قاله الله تعالى: وَشَارِكْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْوٰلِ وَالْأَوْلٰدِ [الإسراء: 64.] قال ابن عباس: ثم حدثنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال: لقد عرض لي في الصلاة، فأخذت بحلقة فخنقته، فإني لأجد برد لسانه على ظهر كفي، ولولا دعوة أخي سليمان، لأريتكموه مربوطا بالسارية تنظرون إليه.
Once while we were in the courtyard of the Ka’bah, the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was speaking to us when suddenly, something enormous emerged from al Rukn al Yamani (i.e. the Yemeni Corner of the Ka’bah) and appeared before us. It was as big as an elephant. The Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam spat and said, “You are cursed—or disgraced.” Ishaq was unsure. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib said, “What is this, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Do you not recognize it, O ‘Ali?” He said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “This is Iblis.” ‘Ali immediately pounced on it, grabbed it by its forelock and pulled it. He removed him from his place and said, “O Messenger of Allah, should I kill him?” He said, “Do you not know that he has been granted respite until the Day of the time well-known (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)?” He released him from his hand and stood to one side. Iblis than said, “What is with me and you, O Ibn Abi Talib? By Allah, nobody hates you except that shared with his father in his conception. Read what Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says, ‘…and become a partner in their wealth and their children…’”[1] Ibn ‘Abbas said, “Then the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam narrated to us and said, ‘He appeared before me in salah; I took hold of him by the throat and choked him. Verily I felt the coldness of his tongue on the back of my palm. Had it not been for the supplication of my brother Sulaiman ‘alayh al Salam, I would show him to you tied to the pillar, looking at him.’”
This hadith is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas and ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhuma.
The Hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas
Al Khatib narrates (and Ibn ‘Asakir and Ibn al Jawzi in a similar manner) this version of the hadith — ‘Ubaidullah ibn Ahmed ibn ‘Uthman al Sayrafi and Ahmed ibn ‘Umar ibn Rawh al Nahrawani informed me — al Mu’afa ibn Zakariyya narrated to us — Muhammad ibn Mazid ibn Abi al Azhar al Busanji narrated to us — Ishaq ibn Abi Israʾil narrated to us — Hajjaj ibn Muhammad narrated to us — from Ibn Jurayj — from Mujahid — from Ibn ‘Abbas…[2]
Ibn Abi al Azhar’s name is Muhammad ibn Mazid ibn Mahmud Abu Bakr al Khuza’i. Al Khatib said, “He is not a thiqah (reliable). He fabricates hadith from reliable narrators.”[3]
The Hadith of ‘Ali
Al Khatib narrates this version of the hadith from Ishaq ibn Muhammad al Nakha’i al Ahmar.[4] He is a zindiq (unbeliever) and a kadhdhab (liar).[5]
Al Suyuti, Ibn ‘Iraq, and al Shawkani all followed Ibn al Jawzi in ruling the hadith a fabrication.[6]
Ibn al Maghazili narrates a shahid (supporting witness narration) for this hadith; however, its chain of transmission is saqit (wholly unreliable).[7] It contains the following defects:
- As mentioned previously, Ibn al Maghazili is da’if (weak).
- No one has regarded his teacher as reliable.
- Muhammad ibn Abi al Sheikh and al Hussain ibn ‘Ubaidullah could not be traced.
- Ahmed ibn Kamil says that al Hussain ibn ‘Ubaidullah is Ibn al Khasib al Abzari al Baghdadi was a kadhdhab (liar).[8]
- Al Maʾmun, al Rashid, al Mahdi, and al Mansur are not dependable in narrating hadith.
In short, the entire incident of ‘Ali and Iblis is a lie and completely made up.
[1] Surah Israʾ: 64.
[2] Al Khatib: Tarikh Baghdad, 3/289.
[3] Ibid., 3/288.
[4] Al Khatib: Tarikh Baghdad, 3/290.
[5] Ibn Hajar: Lisan al Mizan, 1/370.
[6] Al Suyuti: al Laʾali al Masnu’ah, 1/336; Ibn ‘Iraq: Tanzih al Shari’ah, 1/360; al Shawkani: al Fawaʾid al Majmu’ah, hadith no. 325.
[7] Ibn al Maghazili: Manaqib ‘Ali, hadith no. 344.
[8] Al Dhahabi: Mizan al I’tidal, 1/541.