Authentic Stories By The Prophet Muhammad (saw)

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE.......................................................................................9

TRANSLATOR’S FORWARD......................................................................10

PREFACE .........................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION............................................................................................15

SECTION ONE: STORIES OF THE PROPHETS AND MESSENGERS.........................21

Adam’s Denial and Forgetfulness....................................................................23

Death of Adam (�).........................................................................................28

��li�, the Prophet of Allah (�) ......................................................................31

Hagar and Ishmael ............................................................................................37

Abraham and Sarah’s Story With the Tyrant..................................................52

Lot, the Prophet of Allah (�) .........................................................................60

The Argument Between Adam and �Moses ....................................................65

Moses and al-Kha�ir.........................................................................................70

The Stone that Flew With Moses’ Clothes......................................................83

Moses and the Angel of Death .........................................................................88

The Old Woman of the Children of Israel.......................................................92

As-S�mir�, Craftsman of the Golden Calf .......................................................97

Seizing the Sun for Joshua..............................................................................100

Jonah (�) and the Whale..............................................................................108

The Death of David, the Prophet of Allah.....................................................126

Allah’s Prophet, Solomon (�) .....................................................................129

The Two Mothers and the Wolf.....................................................................134

Job (�), the Most Patient Prophet................................................................142

The Prophet Who Burned a Colony of Ants .................................................151

The Prophet Who Boasted About His People...............................................155

Jesus Doubted His Own Eyes and Believed a Thief.....................................159

SECTION TWO: STORIES DEPICTING THE WONDERS OF ALLAH’S MIRACLES ...............................................................................161

The Hungry Couple for Whom Allah Sent Provisions.................................163

The Ones for Whom Allah Revived Their Dead..........................................165

The Monkey Who Threw Half of His Master’s Earnings

Into the Sea ......................................................................................................168

The Cow That Spoke to Its Rider and the Wolf That

Spoke to the Shepherd ....................................................................................170

The Infant Who Spoke and Supplicated to Allah not to

Grow up to be Like the Tyrant .......................................................................175

SECTION THREE: STORIES OF THE VIRTOUS DEEDS ...................................................179

The Three Men Who Became Trapped in a Cave .......................................181

The Cloud That was Ordered to Water a Man’s Garden..............................191

The One Whom Allah Loved for the Love of His Brother ..........................194

The One Who Gave Water to a Thirsty Dog and was

Pardoned by Allah...........................................................................................196

The One Who Ordered His Sons to Cremate Him .......................................200

The One Who was Pardoned for His Leniency ............................................204

The One Who Entered Paradise by Removing a Thorny Branch

off the Muslims’ Path.....................................................................................207

The One Who Killed One Hundred Persons.................................................210

The One Who Lost His Camel in the Desert.................................................217

SECTION FOUR: STORIES OF NOBLE FAITHFUL MODELS ......................................221

The One Who Borrowed One Thousand Dinars...........................................223

The Charitable Person Who Donated to the Undeserved.............................228

The Jar of Gold................................................................................................232

Jurayj, the Worshipper....................................................................................235

Asia, the Queen of Egypt................................................................................242

The Scholar Who Used Deceit to Escape Death...........................................245

The Hairdresser of Pharaoh’s Daughter ........................................................249

The King Who Ran Away From His Throne................................................256

The People of the Ditch ..................................................................................262

The Leper, the Bald Man, and the Blind Man...............................................274

The Woman Who Advised a Scholar ............................................................279

SECTION FIVE: STORIES OF IMMORAL BEHAVIOR..................................................283

The One Who Boasted About His Disbelieving Fathers..............................285

The Arrogant Man Who Swore for Allah .....................................................290

The One Who Swore on Allah’s Behalf........................................................293

The Woman Who Went to Hell Because of a Cat........................................296

The One Who Sinned After Drinking Alcohol .............................................299

The Ones Who Entered a Village on Their Buttocks ...................................303

Gabriel Puts Mud in the Pharaoh’s Mouth....................................................306

The Woman Who Wore Long Legs ..............................................................309

‘�d’s Delegate.................................................................................................313

The Origin of Monasticism ............................................................................319

The First Qasama Before Islam.....................................................................325

DOCUMENTATION OF HADITHS...........................................................329

GLOSSRY.......................................................................................................347

SYMBOLS’ DIRECTORY ...........................................................................349

TRANSLITERATION CHART....................................................................350

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Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and may the Blessings and Peace of Allah be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad (�), his Family, and the Companions.

Allah (�) ordered His Prophet (�) to convey the stories he knew to the people. From these stories of ancient people, Muslims could learn valuable lessons. Thus, if they heard stories about corrupt models of disbelievers, they would try to steer clear of committing similar mistakes; and if the stories were exemplary, they would try to emulate their example. Allah said,

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�…So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.�(Qur’an 7: 176)

Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad (�), as its title suggests, is a collection of stories that have been proven and authenticated as originally narrated by Prophet Muhammad (�) or by his Companions.

These stories reveal many interesting facts about ancient nations and teach numerous lessons that could possibly encourage one to turn over a new leaf and strive for a life full of piousness and happiness.

May Allah reward the author for his efforts to educate and entertain Muslims, boys and girls, as well as men and women with this collection of authentic stories. May Allah cause this book to be a source of beneficial instruction to all readers and may He (�) guide us on His Straight Path.

General Manager

Al-Nafaes House for Publishing and Distribution,

Amman, Jordan

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Praise be to Allah, the Almighty and the Merciful. May His Peace and Blessings be upon our beloved Prophet, his Family, and Companions.

This book, a best seller in most Arab countries, was written by Professor ‘Umar al-Ashqar, a well-known scholar throughout the Arab and Islamic world who has written many publications about Islamic creed and hadiths. This book presents, in a simple style, stories narrated by Prophet Muhammad to his Companions. Each one is documented from hadiths, explained, and then analyzed. At the end of each section, lessons from each story are discussed.

Some might wonder if it is necessary or useful to translate stories narrated by Prophet Muhammad. These stories give insight into the Prophet’s personality and methodology. Despite attempts to distort his image here and there, objective scholars consider Prophet Muhammad (�) one of greatest personalities they have read about.

Bosworth Smith says:

“He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope’s pretensions, Caesar without the legions of Caesar: without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue; if ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Muhammad, for he had all the power without its instruments and without its supports.” [Bosworth Smith, Muhammad and Mohammedanism, London, 1874, p. 92] Qur’anic �yahs have been presented in Arabic followed by the English translation which was taken from the most authorized translation by Dr. Muhammad Mu�sin Kh�n and Dr. Muhammad Taqiyy ad-D�n al-�il�l�.

May Allah, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing reward the author for his work and bestow His Mercy on us all, guide us to all that pleases Him, and bless us by seeing His Prophet.

Waf�’ Ab� �at�b

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Praise be to Allah, the All-Knowing who controls every creature with His Strength and Wisdom, Who softens the hearts of His worshippers and enlightens their minds with His Book and His Prophet’ s Sunnah. Peace be upon Muhammad (�), the Seal of the Prophets, the one who directed people to their Lord and softened their hearts with the guidance he brought leading them to the right path. Peace be on his Companions and all his followers.

This book is a collection of stories narrated by the Prophet (�). These stories rank second after the Qur’ anic stories which are Allah’ s Words. Most Prophetic stories are revealed by Allah, so they originate from the same source and serve the same purpose. Both aim at equipping the Prophets and righteous people with the spiritual power that they carry and feed the souls of believers as well as their hearts and minds. Conveyed through their events and the morals they teach, both Qur’ anic and Prophetic stories recharge the human being with the best virtues and purest feelings. They guide the believer to the best path and prevent him from committing sins.

This book, as its title suggests, focuses only on the stories that were proven to be originally narrated by Prophet Muhammad (�).�Relating stories that were not narrated by the Prophet is deceiving to Allah and His Prophet, which is a serious crime. Likewise, there are only a few stories narrated by the Prophet’ s Companions who might have heard them from the Prophet (�) or learned them from others.

While we do believe in the unseen world, believing in what was not proven to be revealed to the Prophet is a deviation from the Right Path. Fabricated stories that were ascribed to the Prophet might involve false creed and unacceptable morals and values which penetrate the human being’ s mind easily. Such stories are vehicles for those who wish to easily mislead Muslims. Therefore, many scholars have warned against the fabricated stories as well as the narrator whose �adith was identified

as false. Many books have been written to warn people against those who made religion analogous to myths, thus, spoiling people’ s faith.

I attempted to cite the stories that were narrated in books of �adith for Al-Bukh�r� and Muslim. I, also, tried to refer to the most comprehensive stories and to refer to more than one version of the story if it had other points that were not discussed in a previous hadith. In addition, I relied on the established documentation of �adith and reliable authorities. I have excluded events that did not form stories such as the creation of heaven and earth, angels, jinn and human beings, because they did not fall within the scope of this book.

The reader will notice that I followed a unified methodology in all of the �adiths discussed. First, I started with an introduction for each story, and then, I presented the text of the �adith which was followed by the sources it was taken from. Next, I explained comprehensively any unique vocabulary within each �adith. Finally, I ended each chapter with lessons that can be learned from the �adith.

The reader will find that my thoughts did not exceed the text to imaginative situations, add scenes to a �adith to make it longer, or create a novel that has a climax and other effects.

The methodology followed by some contemporary writers is erroneous since Prophetic stories are mostly revelations from Allah, and so there is no room left for additions.

Furthermore, the Prophetic stories depict reality, narrating events as they actually happened without fabrications. Adding details to a Prophetic �adith falsifies it. A researcher is only able to infer from the text what can be concluded according to the methodology outlined by the scholars of �adith.

The reader could criticize the writer for ignoring many stories that happened with the Prophet and his Companions. These kinds of stories do not fall within the scope of my book. This book presents the stories that are taken from the Prophet’ s dialogue which also includes his stories about ancient nations. I might deal with other types of stories in further books.

Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad (� ) 12

The reader will find many stories about Prophets and Messengers. It is true that some stories were mentioned in the Qur’ an, but some were not like the story of Joshua or the Prophet who burned the colony of ants. Some stories that were mentioned in the Qur’ an were provided with further explanation and clarification through the �adith such as the story of Moses and al-Kha�ir.

Since some of the stories mentioned in �adith were also mentioned in the Torah, I have provided the Torah’ s versions of the stories. That was done, however, to correct falsifications of the Torah’ s versions rather than to make use of these stories since the Qur’ an and �adith are richer in lessons and morals. Anyone who follows my methodology in reading the Torah’ s stories will find that one of the objectives of �adith was to correct the falsifications of the Torah.

Those who referred to the Torah to learn from it made an immense mistake by confusing what they understood from it with what is in the Qur’ an and �adith. We do need to purify our books from Israeli influence. We do not need Israeli apocrypha and their effects. We do not need the ancient sciences of the Children of Israel since our religion is fully comprehensive and complete. We should depend solely upon what has come to us in the Qur’ an and �adith in order to correct what was fabricated in the books of the Jews and Christians.

The Qur’ an mentions this objective:

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�This Qur’ an narrates to the Children of Israel most of that in which they differ.� (Qur’an 27: 76)

I hope that this work will be useful for worshippers of Allah and enriching for the Islamic library so that falsified stories are not needed anymore. I ask Almighty Allah to accept my intentions as pure and to reward me with His Grace, Generosity, and Mercy. I supplicate to Him to inspire the readers of this book to pray for its writer. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of mankind and jinn.

Dr. ‘Umar Sulaym�n al-Ashqar.


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This introduction is meant to define the narrative and to pinpoint its features with special emphasis on the Qura’ nic and �adith narrative.

Definition of Narrative

Stories are referred to as qa�a� in Arabic which is the plural of qi��ah. This term is used to refer to narrated events or news. Qur’ an uses the term qa�a� to refer to what is narrated of the ancient times. Allah says:

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�Thus we relate to you [O’ Muhammad (�)] some information of what happened before… � (Qur’an 20: 99)

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�That is some of the news of [the population of] the towns which We relate onto you [Muhammad (�)] of them some are still standing and some have been reaped.� (Qur’an 11: 100)

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�And all that We relate to you [O’ Muhammad (�)] of the news of the messengers is in order to make you strong and firm your heart thereby… � (Qur’an 11: 120)

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�We relate to you [Muhammad (�)] the best of stories… � (Qur’an 12: 3)

Allah used the term qa�a� (stories) to refer to what Moses said to the father of the two girls whom he helped to carry water.

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�… So when he came to him and narrated his story… � (Qur’an 28: 25) Originally, Arabs used the word to refer to tracking someone, usually an expert who knows how to follow the tracks of the person being searched for until he finds him. Conveying news was thus called stories (qa��) since the narrator follows the events of the story as it actually happened attempting to maintain the original meaning and vocabulary. Therefore, the real storyteller is the one who narrates the story as it actually happened. The Qur’ an called tracing someone’ s tracks qa��.

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�… So they went back retracing their footsteps.� (Qur’an 18: 64)

This �yah refers to Moses and the boy who accompanied him after they passed by the place Allah had identified for them to meet the righteous worshipper (al-Khi�r). Thus, they went back trying to retrace their footsteps. Allah also says:

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�And she said to his sister [Moses’ sister] follow his track… � (Qur’an 28: 11)

The mother of Moses�� asked his sister to search for any trace of him after she had thrown the basket he was in into the river.

Killing the murderer is also called qa�� because the relatives of the murdered person track the murderer to take their revenge by murdering him.1

Although Arabs call narration of any news a story, one can find that stories form�a special genre of literature. Each story is considered news, although not each bit of news makes a story. Thus, what Allah told us about the creation of the skies, earth, angels,�and jinn are news but not stories. On the other hand, the news about Prophets and their people as

1 See for the linguistic meaning of qa�a�, Al-Mufrad�t f� ‘Ul�m al-Qur’an, p.

404, An-Nih�yah by al-Ath�r, 4\70 and Lis�n al-‘Arab 3\106.


well as the conflict between good and evil are stories and news.

A story is defined as the art of narrating the events and actions following a specific linguistic style that conveys a particular theme.

The story is an old literary genre that has been with nations since the early ages and has continued through to the peaks of civilization. It maintains an excellent status among other literary genres for its flexibility, comprehensiveness, beautiful diction, and for refreshing the souls. The Qur’ an has reached the peak of perfection in narration.1

Style of the Story

Researchers in the art of stories inferred the following stylistic features that distinguish the story from other genres:

The general characteristic of a novel is its length and sequence. Accordingly, the reader always feels that he is being driven towards a certain end which makes him curious to find out how the story is going to end.

Stories, on the other hand, are logically organized, briefly written, and do not have trivial details.

Stories have a major theme that is indirectly inferred from the context.

The language of stories is simple and clear, because it addresses a reader who is interested in the sequence of events.

Strength of linguistic expressions varies according to the story events and characters.

The style of stories varies. It may include narration, description, and dialogue.

Narrative style is sometimes characterized by exaggeration to stress significant issues, surprise, or symbolism that provokes imagination.

Stories might include love as a minor factor for its strength and its role as

1 Dr. Muhammad al-Ashqar, Mu‘jam ‘Ul�m al-Lughah al-‘Arabiyyah, p. 320.


a common emotion shared among human beings.1

Importance of Narratives

Unlike the other literary genres, narration is the most common among people since it is the closest to their souls and hearts as it appeals to their senses.

Since narration plays a significant role, it has various genres including the novel, the short story, the fiction and non-fiction, the symbolic stories, and the fables whose main characters are animals that think, speak, plot, and give wisdom.

Nowadays, story writing has become quite common with many stories being made into movies or plays that represent the story as it actually happened or as the writer imagined it. These enacted stories carry the mentality, morals, and values of the writer. Many countries use these novels that are either acted out or published in books and magazines to propagate their culture and values.

Significance of Qura’nic Stories and Stories Narrated by the Prophet

The best stories are the Qura’ nic ones revealed by Allah the Omniscient and All-Knowing.

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�We relate to you [Muhammad (�)] the best of stories through Our Revelation onto you… � (Qur’an 12: 3)

Many people have the habit of reading stories for the sake of entertainment and enjoyment. Since the stories are based on fiction, people know that the stories are unreal and impossible to happen. Most popular stories about ancient people, especially the Romans and the Persians, are of this kind. Therefore, they were called myths or legends such as Thousand and One Nights. Arabs have similar stories such as

1 Dr. Muhammad al-Ashqar, Mu‘jam ‘Ul�m al-Lughah al-‘Arabiyyah, p. 320.


�Antarah and Ab� Zayd al-Hil�l� which still maintain a strong readership nowadays. Writers have recently invented a new genre called science fiction in which the writer imagines what man can achieve in the future and portrays human beings in these imagined futuristic situations.

Stories in the Qur’ an and the true �adith are all �a�� (true) and correct since they accurately narrate historical events that occurred without any falsification or distortion.

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�We narrate onto you [O’ Muhammad (�)] their story with truth… � (Qur’an 18: 13)�

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�This is the true narrative… � (Qur’an 3:62)

Stories could not be accurate unless they were narrated as they actually happened. Allah, Glorified, does not tell lies so it is impossible that He relates stories that had never occurred. Allah is the All-Knowing, All-Seeing. Consequently, when Allah narrates a story to us, He narrates with the Knowledge of the One Who has been there seeing every detail.

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�And surely We shall narrate unto them [their whole story] with knowledge and indeed We have not been absent.� (Qur’an 7: 7)

By making use of the lessons of these stories, a worshipper’ s belief in the truth of Qur’ anic stories has a positive effect on one’ s self-discipline. Accordingly, Allah ordered His Prophet (�) to convey the stories he knew to the people. From these stories, they could take lessons from what they heard about ancient peoples. Thus, if they heard stories about tyrants, they would try to steer away from them, and if they were good, they would try to emulate their example.

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�… So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.� (Qur’an 7: 176)

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�Indeed, in their stories, there is a lesson for men of understanding. It [the Qur’ an] is not a forged statement… � (Qur’an 12: 111)�

Prophets have always taken lessons from stories of ancient people. Qur’ anic and �adith stories have always been a source of comfort for the soul, placing peace and tranquility into the hearts. �

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�And all that We relate to you [O’ Muhammad (�)] of the news of the Messengers is in order that We may make strong and firm your heart thereby… � (Qur’an 11: 120)

Human life on this earth has been similar in its straightforwardness and deviation. All human models of both are repeated models. Therefore, when we read about these models in the Qur’ an or �adith, we find examples of such models. Therefore, when stories tell us about this, we feel they are addressing us directly, telling us about the hardships we face, or the luxury we live in. We are given examples of the righteous leader and the oppressive tyrant who corrupts earth. They might also tell us about ordinary human models such as a good farmer or an honest business person.

Qur’ anic values are represented in stories from the Qur’ an and �adith which present authentic and practical scenes full of life. More people are affected through the practical reality than through abstract instruction. Consequently, a righteous person has a greater effect on people with his pious behavior than with his words.

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Introduction

Archeologists nowadays study the ruins of the ancient nations in an attempt to find out how they lived. Despite the knowledge they could attain, their discoveries remain inaccurate. Since it cannot delve deeper into ancient history, their science does not represent facts accurately. Allah’ s Revelation, on the other hand, is an invaluable treasure since it gives the pure truth. It is the knowledge revealed by the All-Knower Who knows everything that is in earth and heaven. Some of this knowledge can only be attained through Revelation. Such is the story narrated by the Prophet (�) in the �adith where he tells us about our father Adam (�) and some of the traits that we have inherited from him.

Text of the adith

At-Tirmidh� narrated from Ab Hurayrah that the Prophet (�) said:

“When Allah created Adam He wiped his back so each soul to be created from Adam’ s descendants until the Judgment Day would be conceived from his back (Adam’ s back). Allah created a glitter of light between the eyes of each human then He showed them to Adam who then asked: ‘O’ Lord! Who are these?’ Allah said, ‘These are your children.’ Then Adam saw a man and liked the glitter between his eyes so he asked, ‘O’ Lord, who is this?’ Allah said, ‘This is a man of the latest nations of your children called David (Dwd).’ Adam then asked, ‘Lord, how many years is he going to live?’ Allah said, ‘Sixty.’ Adam then said, ‘O’ Lord! Give him forty years of my age.’ When Adam’ s days were over, the angel of death came to him. At this, Adam said, ‘I do have forty years left, don’ t I?’ The angel said, ‘Didn’ t you give these forty years for your son David?’ Adam denied and so did his children. He forgot and so did his children. He made mistakes and so did his children.”

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Tirmidh� also narrated that Ab Hurayrah said that the Prophet (�) said, “When Allah created Adam and blew a soul into him, Adam sneezed so

he praised Allah. Allah then said, ‘Allah has mercy on you Adam. Go to the angels sitting there and say: ‘As-sal�mu ‘alaykum (peace be upon you).’ They said, ‘And Allah’ s Peace and Allah’ s Mercy be on you.’ Adam then came back to Allah Who told him that this was the greeting to be used by Adam and the angels.

Allah then closed both of His Hands and said, ‘Choose anyone you want.’ Adam said, ‘I choose the right hand though both hands of my God are blessed.’ Allah then opened His Hand where Adam saw himself and his children. Adam then asked, ‘Lord! Who are these?’ Allah said, ‘your children’ . Each one of them had his age written between his eyes. Among them, there was one whose face was glittering. Adam asked, ‘Lord! Who is this?’ Allah said, ‘This is your son David; he was destined to live for forty years.’ Adam then said, ‘My Lord, give him more years to live.’ Allah said, ‘He will get what he was destined for.’ Adam then said, ‘Lord! I give him sixty years of mine.’ Allah said, ‘You have what you asked for.’

Allah said, ‘Live in Heaven as long as Allah wants then go down from it.’ Adam had been counting his years so when the angel of death came, Adam said, ‘You came early since Allah said I would live one thousand years.’ The angel said: ‘Right, but you gave your son David sixty years.’ Adam forgot and denied giving sixty years to David and so did his children. Since then, Allah ordered for witnesses and documentation.”

Explanation of the Hadith

Allah created Adam as a perfect human, not as is claimed by ignorant people that man evolved from animals or plants. From the first moment, Allah created Adam to be rational with the ability to speak, to comprehend what is said to him, and to answer properly.

He sneezed after Allah had given him life and then praised Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted. Then Allah told him that He had mercy on him. After that, He asked Adam to go and greet a group of angels who


were sitting. They greeted him properly, and Allah then told him that this was the greeting to be used among his children. Adam could walk, hear, speak, sneeze, think and understand speech.

In this �adith, one can notice the great concern Allah has towards His worshipper Adam. When Adam sneezed and praised Him, Allah said He had mercy on him. As a result, anyone who has Allah’ s Mercy has His Care and Protection. For this reason, Allah accepted his repentance and forgave him for his negligence. He gave him the power of faith, support, and protection from his enemies.

Allah has decreed for Adam and his children when sneezing to praise Him and to have mercy on the one who sneezed by answering his supplication by anyone who is present at that time and supplicating Him. As-sal�m has also been legislated as the greeting between Adam and his offspring.

The Prophet (�) told us that Allah had wiped Adam’ s back and all the children to be created until the Day of Judgment would be conceived from Adam’ s back. Then, Allah took them all in His Right Hand. Adam was then asked to choose between either of Allah’ s Hands. Although he believed both Hands were blessed, he chose the Right. When Allah opened His Hand, it had Adam and his children inside. So Adam had seen his children who would be created after him. Allah had placed light between their eyes. Adam saw the age of death of each one of his children written between his eyes. He then saw a man with a distinguished light, so he asked about him. Allah told him that that man was his son David and that he would live for sixty years. The second �adith tells us he will live for forty years, although the first one is more accurate. Adam felt that David’ s life was too short and asked Allah to let him live longer. Allah told him that the age of David was predestined; therefore Adam gave David forty years from his own life span. This made the life span of David one hundred years.

This �adith shows that Allah had informed Adam of his destined age and that he was going to live for one thousand years. When Adam was 960 years, the angel of death came to take his soul. Adam protested and told the angel of death that he still had forty years left. It seems that Adam


was counting his days and years. The angel of death reminded him of his gift to his son David. Adam had forgotten this fact and denied giving David forty years. His children inherited their father’ s traits. Thus, they denied as he did and forgot as he forgot. Therefore, Allah had ordered that everything to be done by Adam and his children should be documented and witnessed as proof to those who deny or forget.

Lessons of the adith

1. Allah’ s creation of Adam was complete; not as ignorant people claim. They say his creation was partial, then evolved towards completion over long periods of history. Prophet Muhammad told us that Adam’ s height was 60 yards when he was in Heaven. The height of Adam’ s offspring continued to decrease until it is as we see today. On the Judgment Day, true believers will enter Heaven as tall as Adam was.

2. Bukh�r� and Muslim narrated in their books that the Prophet said, “Allah created Adam with a height of sixty yards then He said, ‘Go and greet the angels. Listen to the way they greet you since this will be the greeting for you and your offspring.’ Adam said, ‘As-sal�mu ‘alaykum (peace be upon you).’ The angels replied, ‘As-sal�mu ‘alaykum wara�amtullah (Allah’ s peace and mercy be upon you).”’ As a result, they added mercy to the greeting. Anyone who enters Heaven will have Adam’ s original height. All humans created since Adam have been decreasing in height.1

3. From the moment of his creation, Adam was created perfectly. This is proven in the �adith,“ Allah had created Adam as Adam looked.”Adam did not evolve from other creatures nor was he created from other creatures like his sons who were created in their mothers’ wombs as clots of congealed blood, and then flesh that has a soul.

4. Knowledge of some events that happened with our father Adam such as his sneezing, his praise of Allah, Allah’ s Saying to him: ‘Allah bless you,’ his greeting of the angels and their reply, and Allah wiping Adam’ s back.

1 See Al-Bukh�r�, 11, hadith no. 6277; and Muslim, 4\2183, hadith no. 2841.


5. Anyone who sneezes should praise Allah by saying: Al��amdulill�h (All praise be to Allah), and anyone close to him should say: Yar�amukall�h, (may Allah have mercy on you). The greeting, As-sal�mu ‘alykum, is an international greeting that applies to all nations since they all inherited it from their father Adam.

6. This �adith proves that fate is predestined by Allah who has known since the beginning of ancient times the life span of each of His creatures. This is written between the eyes of each human and this was revealed to Adam.

7. Allah has hands. He opens and closes them whenever and however He wants, but He doesn’ t resemble anything that humans can relate to. He is the All-Knower and the All-Seer.

8. The strong faith of David is proven by the strong light between his eyes.

9. Adam had the ability to count the years of his age. He knew how many years were left and argued with the angel of death when he came to take Adam’ s soul.

10. This �adith shows that Adam lived for one thousand years. This corrects what is stated in the Torah in the fifth Chapter of Genesis, which says that he lived for 930 years.

11. Denial and forgetfulness are a part of the nature of Adam and his offspring.

12. It is encouraged to document and witness transactions to offset humans’ forgetfulness and denial.


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Introduction

This story tells us about the last moments in Adam’ s life and what happened to him during the agony of death. It also shows how the angels took the responsibility of bathing and shrouding him. In addition, it illustrates how they dug his grave and prayed for him, and how they placed him in the grave and scattered dust over him. The angels did that to teach Adam’ s sons how to bury their dead in the future.

Text of the adith

‘�tayy1 said that he saw an old man in Medina speaking. He asked about him and was told that he was called Ubayy bin Ka�b who said:

“When Adam (�) was about to die, he said to his sons, ‘My sons, I do desire to eat from Heaven’ s fruits.’ As his sons were going to get him what he wanted, they were received by angels who were carrying axes and spades. The angels asked, ‘Sons of Adam, what do you want and where are you going?’ The sons of Adam said, ‘Our father is sick and desires the fruits of Heaven.’ The angels said, ‘Go back; your father had been fated to die.’ When Eve saw the angels, she recognized them so she tried to seek Adam’ s protection. Adam said, ‘Go away from me, it was you who weakened me; leave me with my Lord’ s angels.’ Angels then took his soul, bathed him, shrouded him, dug his grave, and prayed for him. Then, they entered his grave and placed him in it. They left the grave and scattered dust over him and said, ‘Sons of Adam, this is how you bury your dead.’ ”

1 He is Ab amrah as-Sa‘d�.


Explanation of the adith

This �adith tells us the story of our father Adam (�) when he was about to die. His desire for Heaven’ s fruits shows how much he loved Heaven

and how much he longed to go back. How could he not long for the Garden he lived in while enjoying its grace for a period of time!

He might have felt that his end was coming so he longed for Heaven. Some �adith show that he knew how many years he was going to live and that he used to count his years. It seems that he knew that his days were over and that he was about to die. No doubt, he knew that his sons could not fulfill his desire; they also knew that, but their love for their father motivated them to go and search for what he wanted.

No sooner had they left their father, than they were met by a group of angels in the shape of men carrying with them all that was needed for interment. They presented what Muslims do nowadays when someone dies. Angels were carrying shrouds, along with axes and spades needed to dig the grave. When Adam’ s sons told them about their destination, the angels asked them to go back to their father whose days in life were fated to end.

When the angels came, Eve recognized them so she took refuge with Adam. She might have been trying to persuade him to choose life over death since Prophets’ souls are not taken until they are given the choice to live or to die, as we were told by our Prophet (�). Adam did not listen to her and blamed her saying: “Go away from me, it was you who weakened me.” He was implying Eve’ s tempting him to eat the forbidden fruit.

The angels took Adam’ s (�) soul and prepared for his burial while his sons were watching. They bathed him, shrouded him, dug his grave and placed him in it. They put bricks over him, got out and scattered dust on him. Then they addressed his sons saying, “Sons of Adam, this is how you bury your dead.” This was prescribed by Allah. Consequently, this burial process applies to all prophets and all believers throughout history. Any process that is different is a violation of Allah’ s Guidance. Anyone familiar with the Muslims’ burial process will find it identical to how the angels buried Adam (�).

Authentic Stories 29

Many nations have buried their dead differently. For example, some cremate their dead while others build huge mausoleums such as the pyramids. Other nations, on the other hand, put their dead in sarcophagi or stone. They also bury their dead with many worldly possessions such as food, drink, and jewelry All these methods are expensive and a waste of efforts. Most importantly, such methods do not agree with Allah’ s Legislation.


1. The legislation of the process of preparing and burying the dead as mentioned in �adith.

2. This process applies to all the prophets sent to mankind.

3. Angels taught Adam’ s sons practically and theoretically.

4. Any burial process that differs from the one mentioned in the hadith is a violation of Allah’ s Guidance.

5. The �adith shows the high status of our father Adam whose burial was performed by the angels.

6. The ability of the angels to appear as human beings and to do any task humans can do.

7. Some tools such as axes, spades and shovels have existed since ancient times.

8. A believer must be wary of anyone who could tempt him to deviate from the Right Path.

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�… Among your spouse [both men and women] and children there are enemies for you, therefore beware from them… �

(Qur’an 64: 14)

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Introduction

Once Prophet Muhammad (�) passed by the place where Tham�d used to lived but were destroyed by Allah when they killed the she-camel. The Prophet (�) stopped by the well that the she-camel used to drink from and told his Companions the story while showing them all the places where the she-camel used to come from and go to. Then, he warned them not to ask for a miracle as ��li�’ s people did. Allah gave them the she-camel as a miraculous sign, but they did not believe it and killed her. As a result, Allah destroyed them as a punishment.

Text of the adith

Imam A�mad narrated in Al-Musnad that J�bir had said that when the Prophet (�) passed by al-�ijr (a place in the way to Tabk) he said:

“ Do not ask for miracles as ��li�’ s people did. They asked for a sign. Consequently, Allah sent them a she-camel and warned them against hurting it. It used to come from this way and go that way. ��li�’ s people disobeyed Allah and killed it. Thus Allah, as a punishment, overtook them all except one who was in the Great Mosque of Mecca. The Prophet’ s Companions asked, ‘Who was that man, Prophet of Allah?’ He (�) said, ‘Ab Righ�l, but when he exited the Great Mosque of Mecca, he faced the same fate as his people.’ ”

Explanation of the adith

Allah told us the story of His Prophet ��li� (�) and his people Tham�d in full details. This story is not mentioned in the Torah. People of the book do not know the stories of Tham�d, ��li� or ��d, although we are told in Qur’ an that Moses mentioned these two nations.

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�And Ms [Moses] said: �If you disbelieve you and all on earth together, then verily! Allah is Rich [Free of all wants], Owner of All Praise. Has not the news reached you, of those before you, the people of Nh [Noah], and ��d, and Thamd? And those after them? None knows them but Allah… �� (Qur’an 14: 8-9)

The man who believed among the people of the Pharaoh said to his people:

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��… O’ my people! I fear for you a fate like that Day of [disaster] of the Confederates; something like the fate of the people of Noah, ‘�d and Tham�d… �� (Qur’an 40: 30-31)

Books of Sunnah have told us that the Prophet (�) passed by the country of Tham�d, which was called al-�ijr, on his way to the battlefield of Tab�k. People accompanying the Prophet took rest in al-�ijr, drank from its wells, kneaded flour using its water, and put their pots on the fire. The Prophet (�) ordered them to pour out all that was in their pots. They did so feeding the dough to their camels. Then he took them to the well that people of Tham�d used to drink from. It was the well where the people of Tham�d disobeyed Allah by killing the she-camel. The Prophet (�) asked his Companions to cry whenever they passed by people who were tortured by Allah. He justified that by saying, “ I am afraid that you might have the same fate of these people.” 1

When people pass by a place that witnessed a great event in their time or in the past, they feel curious about that event. A thoughtful Muslim

1 See a��h Al-Bukh�r�, 6\378, hadiths no. 3378-3381.


should seize such an opportunity and remind people of what happened to those people in the past and warn against following their suit. That was what the Prophet (�) did. He informed his Companions about all that Allah had told him. He showed them the path followed by the she-camel

explaining that she used to share the drinking water with the people of Prophet ��li� on alternating days.

Allah says in the Holy Qur’ an:

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�… Here is a she-camel: It has a right to drink [water] and you have right to drink [water] [each] on a day known.� (Qur’an 26: 155)

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�And inform them that the water is to be shared between her and them, each one’ s right to drink being established [by turns]. �

(Qur’an 54: 28)

The Prophet (�) informed us about other wonders of that she-camel. The day the she-camel used to drink from the well,��li�’ s people would take as much as they wanted from her milk. They compensated their need for water by drinking her milk without exerting any effort. Despite the great benefits they had obtained from her, they despised her and killed her. The Qur’ an tells us that the killer of the she-camel was a wicked man:

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�When the most wicked man among them went forth to kill the she–camel, the Messenger of Allah [��li�] said to them: ‘Be cautious, [Fear the evil end].That is the she-camel of Allah! [Do not harm it] and prevent it not from having its drink.’ Then they denied him and killed it… � (Qur’an 91: 12-14)

The Prophet (�) described the killer to us in one of his hadith as red. He said to ‘Al� bin Ab� ��lib and ‘Amm�r, “ Would you like me to tell you


about the most wicked of men?” They answered, “ Sure.” The Prophet (�) then said, “ The red man of Tham�d who killed the she –camel and the one who will beat you on this ‘Al�, pointing at his head until this gets wet, pointing at his beard.1

In another �adith, he was described as a master among his people like Ab� Zam�ah.2 When the people of Tham�d killed the she-camel, �li� promised that they would incur Allah’ s Torture after three days saying:

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�… Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days; this is a promise, [i.e. a threat] that will not be belied.� (Qur’an 11: 65)

On the third day, a stunning punishment of thunder or lightening overtook them. Allah says:

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�But if they turn away, then say [O’ Muhammad (�)]: ‘I have warned you of a ��‘iqah [a destructive awful shriek, thunderbolt] like that which took ‘�d and the Tham�d.’� (Qur’an 41: 13)

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�… So a destructive awful shriek [thunderbolt], of a disgracing torment seized them because of what they used to earn.�

(Qur’an 41: 17)

Our Prophet (�) told us that the thunderbolt seized all members of that tribe including the ones who were away except one man. He was in the Ka‘ba which prevented him from torture. Even so, as soon as he left he fell to the same fate as his tribe. Our Prophet (�) told us that that man was called Ab Righ�l. The Prophet (�) also warned his Companions not to ask for signs as ��li�’ s people did so as not to incur the same fate.

1 A�mad narrated this in his Musnad, 4\263. 2 a�� Al-Bukh�r�, 6\378, hadith no. 3377. See also hadiths no. 4942, 5204,

6042; and Muslim, 4\2191, hadith no. 2855.



1. Warning against asking for signs or miracles. Ancient people continually asked their messengers for signs, but did not believe in them when they got them. Consequently, they were destroyed.

2. Warning against Allah’ s Revenge and Wrath on those who do not believe in His Messengers and Books.

3. The she-camel that Allah gave to His Prophet ��li� was a great sign with its unique creation and features.

4. The acceptability of staying at places that had witnessed great calamities so that a Muslim may learn lessons from it. This was done by the Prophet (�) when he stood by the well of Tham�d. Allah orders us in His Book to travel, ponder what happened to ancient people, and learn from their fate:

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�Say [O’ Muhammad] ‘Travel in the land and see the end of those who rejected truth.’� (Qur’an 6: 11)

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�Many were the ways of life that have passed away before you, so travel through the earth and see what was the end of those who rejected truth [disbelieved in the Oneness of Allah and disobeyed Him and His Messengers].� (Qur’an 3: 137)

The accuracy of the Prophet’ s information. He identified for his Companions the path followed by the she-camel and the well she used to drink from. This is not strange since he was taught by Allah, Who knows everything.

��aram (al-Masjid al-�ar�m), the Great Mosque of Mecca, protects anyone who seeks its refuge as happened with Ab Righl who remained intact as long as he was in ��aram.

��aram’s protection for Ab� Righ�l occurred before Abraham’ s time


since ��li� and his people were born before him. ��li� is an Arab who belonged to people of Noah. What proves the sanctity of Mecca is proven by what is said by Abraham (�):

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�O’ our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House… � (Qur’an 14: 37)


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Authentic Stories By The Prophet Muhammad (saw)

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