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ember lobbed it onto the wooden structure of the church setting
it ablaze and reducing it to cinders. This incited Abrahah into a
fit of hysterical rage and he vowed that he would not take a
breather until he has reduced the K'abah to ruins. With this
malevolent intention, he set out to attack Makkah. En route to
Makkah, the tribes who put up resistance were subdued with
the might of the sword. Together with his formidable army of
men, he was also accompanied by a herd of elephants. The
livestock of the Makkans were grazing on the outskirts of
Makkhah. Abrahah's army seized all the grazing animals,
which also comprised of two hundred camels belonging to
Rasûlullah 's grandfather 'Abdul-Muttalib. At that time,
'Abdul-Muttalib was the appointed leader of the Quraysh and a
trustee of the K'abah. When he obtained intelligence of
Abrahah's wicked intention, he gathered the Quraysh asking
them to remain calm. "Don't fret," he advised, "evacuate
Makkah, nobody will be able to demolish the K'abah. This is
the sacred house of Allah Ta'ala and He will protect it."
Accompanied by a few leaders of Quraysh, 'Abdul-Muttalib set
out to meet Abrahah. Before he set out, 'Abdul-Muttalib
conveyed a message of his imminent arrival to Abrahah.
Abrahah welcomed 'Abdul-Muttalib
decorously
and
graciously. Allâh Ta'âlâ had blessed 'Abdul-Muttalib with
unparalleled handsomeness, remarkable eminence, imposing
awe, refined dignity and arresting majesty that left all who
came into contact with him utterly enthralled. Abrahah was also
left awestruck with the imposing personality of 'Abdul-
Muttalib leaving him no choice but to welcome his guest with
absolute respect and reverence. He found it inappropriate to
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seat anyone on or in line with his throne. So instead, he
descended from the throne in deference to 'Abdul-Muttalib.
During the course of their conversation, 'Abdul-Muttalib
requested Abrahah to release all his camels detained by
Abrahah's army. Astounded by this request, Abrahah
exclaimed: "It is quite startling to hear you requesting for your
camels but I see that you haven't mentioned a word about the
K'abah, which is a focal point of the Dîn of you and your
forefathers." 'Abdul-Muttalib calmly responded: "I am the
owner of the camels whilst the owner of the house (K'abah) is
someone else who will take care of it." In other words, I am the
owner of the camels. This is why I have asked for their release
whilst the custodian of the K'abah is Allâh Ta'ala and He will
defend it. Following a few moments of rapt silence, Abrahah
ordered the release of all the camels. Taking delivery of his
camels, 'Abdul-Muttalib returned to his people and asked them
to evacuate Makkah. He then pledged all two hundred camels
as an oblation to the K'abah. Next, accompanied by a few
people who would imploringly weep before Allâh Ta'âlâ, he
presented himself before the door of the K'abah. These were
his humble words of poetic Du'a:
"O Allâh! A man takes care of his house, You take care of
Your house.
And assist Your people against the people of the cross and its
worshippers.
Their cross and their schemes will never dominate Your
schemes.
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They dragged along all their forces and their elephants to
capture Your dependants.
Out of ignorance they have turned up to ruin Your house with
their evil plots,
But they failed to consider Your unrivalled greatness."
On completing his earnest Du'â, 'Abdul-Muttalib, together
with his companions, climbed the mountain leaving Makkah
vacant for Abrahah and his army. As he pressed ahead to
demolish the K'abah when miraculously all of sudden, huge
flocks of small birds appeared. Each one of them had pebbles in
their beaks and claws. Without forewarning, with the divine
power of Allâh Ta'âlâ, these pebbles swiftly rained down upon
this army like volleys of lethal bullets. A pebble would strike
the head and fatally emerge from the bottom. Whoever was
wretched enough to be struck by these pebbles would be no
more. In short, this is how Abrahah's army was completely
wiped out.
Abrahah's whole body erupted with pox-like lesions, which left
his body horribly festering with pus and blood. One after the
other, his limbs were severed and they tumbled to the ground.
At long last, his chest split open and his heart popped out
leaving him sickeningly dead. When all of them perished, Allâh
Ta'âlâ sent a deluge that washed all of them into the sea.
"So the root of the wrongdoers was cut off, and praise be to
Allâh, the Lord of the worlds. [Sûrah Al-An'âm verse 45]
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Irhâs28
This heavenly signal (destruction of the elephants) was a veiled
precursor and an enshrouded declaration of the imminent
arrival of the final messenger of Allâh Ta'âlâ. This unseen
assistance and protection was extended to the Quraysh simply
because the final messenger who is about to set foot in this
world will hail from this very tribe of the Quraysh and because
they are the custodians of the Qiblah of Allâh Ta'âlâ. This is
why Allâh Ta'âlâ assisted them in this extraordinarily strange
manner. In terms of religious belief, the emperors of Abyssinia
and Yemen were better than the Quraysh of Makkah because
the Quraysh were after all idolaters whilst the Yemenis and
Abyssinians were people of the book and Christians. It thus
appears that this divine assistance and this atypical defence of
the Baitullah was a glad tiding and blessing of the impending
birth of the blessed Prophet . A miraculous feat that occurs at
the hands of a Prophet after he claims prophethood is referred
to as a M'ujizah whilst an extraordinary event that transpires
close to the Prophet's birth is referred to as Irhas. The word
Irhâs literally refers to a foundation or basis. Since such
extraordinary phenomena are harbingers to the advent of
prophethood, hence the word Irhâs.
28 A miracle performed by a Nabî before he is appointed to the Prophetic
office.
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Abrahah's attack and his subsequent annihilation took place in
the month of Muharram Al-Haram when the blessed birth of
Rasûlullah was just about to come about. All such
paranormal actions are actually referred to as Irhâsât or grand
harbingers heralding the occurrence of something exceptional.
Rasûlullah % was born fifty or fifty five days after this incident
of the elephants.
Annotation
In his book A'alamun-Nubuwwah, Mawardi رحمة الله عليه says:
"O reader! Once you have ascertained the pristine lineage of
Rasûlullâh ¿ and you comprehend the untainted bloodline of
Rasûlullah ¿ you will realise that in the succession of all his
forbears not one of them was despicable or shameful. Each one
of them was a leader, a role model and a man of unassailable
dignity. A noble lineage and an untarnished ancestry are the
basic requirements of prophethood."
During their respective times, all the ancestors of Rasûlullah
were men of intellect and wisdom and leaders of great merit.
They were unique in their intellectual abilities, captivating
beauty, outstanding character, scrupulous morals, admirable
tolerance, unrivalled generosity and effusive hospitality. They
were bastions of honour and leadership. During our discussion
on the ancestors of Rasûlullah # we also determined, on the
basis of Marf û Ahadîth and the statements of the Sahabah, that
a number of them were adherents of the Millat (creed) of
Ibrâhîm OUlade. As for those who are not explicitly
mentioned in the Hadîth, their conditions explicitly indicates
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that they were men of sound disposition and untarnished
temperament.
The auspicious birth
The greatest of humans, the leader of the children of Adam
Muhammad Mustafa Ahmad Mujtaba % made his blessed
appearance into this world fifty or fifty five days29 after the
incident of the elephants at dawn on Monday the 8th of Rab'î
Al-Awwal 30 corresponding to April 570 A.D. in Makkah
Mukarramah in Abû Tâlib's house.31
29 It is normally accepted that Rasûlullah # was born fifty days after the
incident of the elephants. This opinion is preferred by 'Allâmah Suhailî. It
has been narrated from Muhammad bin 'Alî that Rasûlullah % was born
fifty-five days after this incident. [Zarqânî volume 1 page 130]
30 Most 'Ulamâ are of the opinion that Rasûlullah # was born in Rab'î Al-
Awwal. 'Allamah Ibn Jawzî dealda, confirms the unanimity of the
'Ulama on this issue. Then again, some are of the opinion that Rasûlullah
was born in Rab'î Al-Âkir and some say he was born in Safar and some in
Rajab whilst some say that he was born in Ramadan. However, all these
latter opinions are unreliably weak. [Zarqânî volume 1 page 130]
31 ،Abdullah bin 'As رضى الله عنه reports that Rasulullah was born on a
Monday at the crack of true dawn. [Zarqânî volume 1 page 133] As far as
the chain of narrators is concerned, this narration is weak but this narration
reconciles other narrations that offer conflicting reports. Some narrations
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Regarding the date of the blessed birth, the opinion favouring
the 12th of Rab'î Al-Awwal is the most famous. However,
according to most Muhadditîn and historians, the most
preferred view is that Rasûlullah was born on the 8th of Rab'î
Al-Awwal. This is also narrated from 'Abdullah bin 'Abbâs
and Jubair bin Mut'im and the same opinion is favoured by
'Allamah Qutbud-Din Qastalani رحمة الله عليه.[Zarqani volume 1
page 131]
say he was born during the day whilst others maintain he was born at night.
However, the narration that mentions he was born at dawn can be
interpreted as he was born at night and it can also be interpreted to mean he
was born on Monday morning. Hence, the narrations that mention that he
was born on Monday are correct and the narrations that mention he was
born on Monday night also authentic. The conflicting narrations could also
be reconciled by saying that although he was born at dawn, the signs of the
imminent birth were already visible from the preceding night. Ibn 'Asâkir
and Zubair bin Bakkâr narrate from M'arûf bin Kharbûz that Rasûlullah
was born on a Monday at the crack of dawn. [Khasaisu Al-Kubra volume 1
page 51] Ibn Hibbân declares M'arûf bin Kharbûz to be a reliable narrator.
Abû Hâtim says that Ibn Kharbûz's narrations may be written down.
[Khulâsah and Al-Tahzîb]
The crack of dawn was the most appropriate time for the rising of the sun of
'guidance and prophethood' whose zenith will only come to pass after forty
years.
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(رضي الله عنه The mother of 'Uthman bin Abul-As .1
Fâtimah bintu 'Abdullah says32: "During the blessed
32 It is said that amongst the narrators of this Hadîth is a narrator by the
name of Y'aqûb bin Muhammad Al-Zuhrî who is declared unreliable and
another narrator 'Abdul Aziz bin 'Abdur-Rahmân bin 'Awf who is declared
a blatant liar. In response I would like to say that as for Y'aqub bin
Muhammad Al-Zuhrî, although Ahmad and Abû Zur'ah have declared him
to be unreliable, Hajjaj bin Al-Shâ'ir Ibn S'ad and Abû Hatim have all
declared him to be a reliable narrator. Ibn Mâjah narrates from him and
Bukhârî also narrates from him in his T'alîq (annotations). This is
mentioned in Al-Khulâsah of Al-Hafiz Safiyyud-Dîn. As for the second
narrator 'Abdul Aziz bin 'Abdur-Rahmân bin 'Awf, more than one Imam of
Hadîth has explicitly mentioned him to be weak but I haven't come across a
single Imâm mentioning him to be a blatant liar. In spite of this, a Hadîth
narrated by him is recorded by Hâfiz 'Asqalânî in his book Al-Fath without
passing any judgement against him. He thereafter avers that the Hadîth
narrated by 'Irbad bin Sâriyah as extracted by Ahmad and authenticated by
Ibn Hibbân and Hâkim also bears testimony to this Hadîth narrated by
'Abdul Azîz bin 'Abdur-Rahman bin 'Awf. And if a weak Hadîth is
endorsed by an authentic Hadîth, the weak Hadîth ia also accepted and not
rejected. This is the standard principle of the Imams dealing in Jarh wa
T'adîl (critical analysis of the narrators). And the stance of Hâfiz 'Asqalânî
also corroborates what we claim.
The narrator of the aforementioned Hadîth Hadrat 'Uthmân bin Abul-Âs
Thaqafî dicales, appeared before Rasûlullah # with the Thaqif delegation
and accepted Islâm. Rasûlullah % appointed him the governor of Taif. He
-رضي الله عنه remained its governor right until the Caliphate of Hadrat Umar
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birth of Rasûlullah , I was with his mother Aminah. I
clearly noticed the whole house radiating with Nûr
(brilliance) and I also saw the stars stooping so low
down that I thought they would come crashing down
onto me." [Fathul-Barî volume 6 page 426]
2. 'Irbad bin Sariyah رضي الله عنه " relates that during the
blessed birth, Rasûlullah #'s mother observed a Nûr
(radiance) that illuminated the palaces of Syria. This
narration is mentioned in Ahmad and Mustadrak
Hâkim. Ibn Hibbân says that this narration is authentic.
And a report of similar meaning is narrated in Musnad
. رضي الله عنه Ahmad on the authority of Abu Umamah
In 15 A.H. Hadrat 'Umar رضي الله عنه appointed him the governor of 'Amman
and Bahrain. He was most instrumental in preventing the Thaqîf tribe from
renouncing Islâm. When he feared his people renouncing Islâm, he
addressed them saying: "O people of Thaqîf! You were the last people to
embrace Islâm. So do not turn out to be the first to renounce it." In his final
days, Hadrat 'Uthmân bin Abul-Âs settled down in Basrah and he passed
away there either in 50 or 55 A.H. during the Caliphate of Hadrat
- رضي الله عنه Mu awiyyah
33
'Irbad bin Sâriyah Licale, is a famous Sahabî from amongst the
Ashâbu Suffah. The verse: "Nor (is there blame) on those who come to you
so that you may provide them with conveyances, when you sais ..... " [Sûrah
Tawbah verse 92] was revealed in respect to this famous Sahâbî. He
embraced Islam in its very early stages just after the advent of prophethood.
All four Sunan Kitâbs narrate Ahadîth from him. He passed away in the
. رضي الله عنه Caliphate of Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Zubair
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[Majm'a Al-Zawaid volume 8 page 222] Fathul-Bârî
under the chapter of "The signs of prophethood in
Islâm" says: "Haythamî says that this narration is
narrated by Ahmad and its chain of narrators is
satisfactory. The narration is further supported by
similar reports." And Tabrânî also narrates the same
narration. [Tabqât Al-Kubrâ of Ibn S'ad]
3. According to another report, the palaces of Busrâ
(instead of Basrâ)34 were illuminated.
Annotation
The stooping down of the stars towards the earth (as mentioned
in the previous narration) is an indication that soon the darkness
of disbelief and polytheism will be eradicated from the earth to
be absolutely replaced by the illumination of spiritual guidance.
As Allâh Ta'âlâ says:
"Indeed there has come to you a light (Rasûlullah ) and a
plain book (the Quran) with which Allâh guides those who seek
His pleasure towards pathways of peace, and He extracts them
from darkness towards light by His will." [Sûrah Al-Mâidah
verses 15-16]
It is reported on the authority of Kab Ahbar35 رضي الله عنه that
the old scriptures portray the destiny of Rasûlullah % thus:
34 [Busrâ is in Syria whilst Basrâ is a city in Iraq.]
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"Muhammad, the Prophet of Allâh; his birthplace will be
Makkah and his migration will be towards Yathrib (Madînah)
and his rule will be over Sham." [Nawadir Al-Usul of Hakîm
Tirmizî page 69]
In other words, the land stretching from Makkah towards the
south right up to Syria in the east will be under the domination
of Islâm during his very lifetime. Accordingly, Shâm was
conquered during Rasûlullah 's lifetime. It wouldn't be
strange to say that this is why the palaces of Syria were
illuminated during the blessed birth of Rasûlullah . And the
palaces of Busrâ - a city in Syria - were specifically revealed
because from all the regions of Syria, Busrâ was the very first
city to be blessed with the radiance of prophethood and
spiritual guidance. This was also the very first Syrian city to be
conquered by the Muslims.
Furthermore, it wouldn't be strange to maintain that the palaces
of Shâm (the area incorporating Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and
Palestine) were clearly revealed because out of the forty Abdâl
(a group of saints), the Markaz (centre) of thirty of them who
were all strict adherents of the creed of Ibrahim Oulade, was
Shâm. This is why, in relation to other regions of the world,
Shâm is a mine and fountainhead of spiritual light and divine
35 K'ab Ahbar was an eminent scholar of the Banû Israîl. He encountered
the era of Rasûlullah % but was honoured with embracing Islam only during
the Caliphate of Hadrat Umar رضى الله عنه.He is by and large accepted as a
very reliable narrator. Abu Hurayrah, Ibn 'Abbas, Muawiyyah picalsi)
and other senior Tâb'în also narrate Ahadîth fromhim. [Tahzîb Al-Tahzîb]
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blessings. The exhibition of the palaces of Shâm during the
blessed birth was an indication that this particular country
would become a concentrated zone for the manifestation of the
Nur of prophethood. And this is also one of the reasons
Rasûlullah ¿ was taken on his night journey from Makkah to
Shâm first. In other words, he was taken to Musjidul-Aqsa first.
As Allâh Ta'âlâ reveals:
"Glory be to the being Who had taken His slave at night from
the Musjidul-Harâm to the furthest Musjid (Al-Aqsa) the area
around which We had blessed. [Sûrah Banî Israîl verse 1]
This verse indisputably reveals that Allâh Ta'âlâ has
distinctively blessed the environs of Shâm, which lies "around
the Musjidul-Aqsa". When Hadrat Ibrahim عليه السلام migrated
from Iraq, he migrated to no other place but Shâm. And prior to
the advent of Qiyamah (judgement day), the descent from the
heavens of Hadrat Isa عليه السلام will also take place upon the
eastern Minaret of the Jâm'î Musjid of Damascus.
Moreover, Rasûlullah % had encouraged migration to Shâm in
the days leading up to Qiyamah. [Hâkim and Ibn Hibbân]
4. With a satisfactory chain of narrators, Y'aqûb bin
رضي الله عنها Sufyan narrates that Hadrat 'Ayeshah
relates: "For purposes of business, a Jew was residing in
Makkah. On the night Rasûlullah % was born, he asked
the Quraysh if a baby boy was born that night. The
Quraysh dismissed him by indicating their ignorance
but he was adamant and insisted: "At least make some
basic enquiries because the Prophet of this Ummah was
born tonight. This child has a symbol (seal) of
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prophethood between his shoulder blades. He wouldn't
be able to drink any milk for two days because a jinni
has placed a finger over his mouth." Without further
delay the people got to their feet to investigate this
matter thoroughly. They discovered that a boy was born
to 'Abdullah bin 'Abdul-Muttalib. The Jew begged to
be taken along with them. When he caught sight of the
symbol (seal) of prophethood between the shoulder
blades, he fell down unconscious. As he regained
consciousness he assert: "Prophethood has vanished
from the Banî Israîl. O people of Quraysh! By Allâh!
This infant will launch such an attack36 upon you that
news of this attack will rapidly spread from east to
west."
Hâfiz 'Asqalânî says: "The chain of narrators37 of this Hadîth is
satisfactory. Furthermore, this report is corroborated by other
incidents of a similar nature, the commentary and details of
which are incredibly lengthy. [Fathul-Bârî volume 6 page 425]
36 This attack was a reference to the conquest of Makkah.
37 Y'aqub bin Sufyan Fârsî was from amongst the Huffaz of Hadîth. He was
upright and reliable. He was a man of good morals and piety. He acquired
knowledge from Q'anabî, Sulayman bin Harb and Abû Nu'aim. Imâm
Tirmizi and Imâm Nasaie were also students of Y'aqûb bin Sufyân Fârsî. He
passed away in 277 A.H.
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The collapse of the fourteen turrets of Chosroes' palace and
the sinking of lake Sâwah
On the same night an earth-tremor struck the palace of
Chosroes38 causing all fourteen turrets of the palace to crumple.
Furthermore, the fire that was perpetually blazing for over a
thousand years in the Persian fire-temple abruptly extinguished
itself. And Lake Sâwah also unexpectedly dried up. The
morning found Chosroes awfully distressed. His royal elegance
constrained him from revealing his utter despair. He eventually
convened court by assembling his ministers and other pillars of
state. During the course of this assembly, he was informed that
the "holy fire" has mysteriously gone out. This fuelled his
anguish even further. What further intensified his agony was
when one of the Zoroastrian priests stood up before him in
court and said: "I saw a dream last night in which powerfully
built camels are dragging along some Arabian horses. I then
witnessed them crossing over the Tigris River and fanning out
to each and every country in the world."
"So what is the interpretation of this dream, then?" asked the
emperor. The priest replied: "Perhaps a momentous incident is
about to occur from the direction of Arabia." In order to
investigate further and to put his mind to rest, the emperor
dispatched a royal edict to N'umân bin Munzir instructing him
38 Designation of the Persian emperors in general.
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to send him an eminent scholar who would be able to answer
all his questions adequately.
N'umân bin Munzir promptly despatched a celebrated scholar
by the name of 'Abdul-Masih Gassanî to the emperor. When
'Abdul-Masîh Gassânî appeared in court, the emperor asked:
"Do you have any knowledge of whatever I wish to ask of
you?" 'Abdul-Masîh respectfully replied: "You may disclose to
me whatever is distressing. If I have any knowledge I will
gladly assist you otherwise I will direct you to someone more
enlightened than I am." The emperor then brought him up to
date by describing in detail what was bothering him. 'Abdul-
Masîh advised him: "Perhaps my uncle, my mother's brother,
Satîh, who presently resides in Shâm would be able to assist
you. Perhaps he has some information on this matter."
"You go ahead to your uncle," commanded the emperor, "and
investigate this matter fully."
'Abdul-Masih set out for Sham but reached his uncle Satîh
whilst he was in the agony of death. He was still in his senses
though. 'Abdul-Masîh greeted him with Salam and recited a
few couplets to him. When Satîh heard him reciting these
couplets, he turned towards him and said: “Abdul-Masîh
comes dashing to Satîh when he is about to breathe his last.
Have you been sent by the Sassanidae39 emperor because of the
tremor that struck his palace and because the fire of the
Zoroastrians inexplicably went out and because the priest saw a
39 The Sassanidae, a dynasty of Persian kings (226-651 A.D.)
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dream wherein powerfully built camels are dragging Arabian
horses over the Tigris River and then fanning out across all
cities? Is this why you have come? O 'Abdul-Masîh! Bear in
mind that when the word of Allah is recited in abundance,
when the valley of Samawah is gushing forth and the lake of
Sâwah dries up and the Persian fire is extinguished, then Syria
will not remain Syria for Satih any more. A few men and
women from the Sassanidae dynasty will rule for a few years.
And the events that were ordained to happen, regard them as
already coming to pass." Saying this, Satîh breathed his last.
'Abdul-Masih returned to the emperor and fully apprised him
of what transpired. Upon hearing this, the emperor exclaimed:
"The elapse of fourteen kingdoms takes a period of time but
how long does it take for the passage of time? Time glides by
rather rapidly."
Ten out of the fourteen kingdoms ceased to exist in just four
years and the remaining four were reduced to oblivion by the
time Hadrat 'Uthman رضي الله عنه ascended the office of
Caliphate.
Hâfiz Ibn Sayyidun-Nâs relates this incident with an exhaustive
chain of narrators in his book 'Uyûn Al-Athar volume 1 page
29:
"I was informed by Al-Shaikh Abu Al-Hasan 'Alî bin
Muhammad Al-Dimashqî by me reciting (from a manuscript) to
him. I informed him that he was informed by Al-Shaikh Abû
'Abdullah Muhammad bin Nasr bin 'Abdur-Rahmân bin
Muhammad bin Mahfuz Al-Qurashî and Al-Shaikh Al-Amîr
Saifud-Dawlah Abû ‘Abdullah Muhammad bin Ghassân bin
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Ghâfil Najâd Al-Ansârî, the Hadîth being recited to both of
them, whilst you were present as the fourth person, the latter
two said, we were informed by Al-Faqîh Abû Al-Qasim 'Alî
bin Al-Hasan Al-Hâfiz by the Hadîth being recited before him
whilst we were listening. He in turn said, I was informed by Al-
Shaikh Abû Al-Hasan 'Alî bin Muslim bin Muhammad bin Al-
Fatah bin 'Alî Al-Faqîh and Al-Shaikh Abû Al-Farj Ghayth bin
'Alî bin 'Abd Al-Salam bin Muhammad bin J'afar Al-Armnâzî
Al-Sûrî Al-Khatib and Al-Shaikh Abû Muhammad 'Abdul-
Karîm bin Hamzah Al-Khidr bin Al-‘Abbâs who was a
commissioner in Damascus. They (the latter three Shaikhs)
informed me that they were informed by Abu Al-Hasan Ahmad
bin 'Abdul-Wahid bin Muhammad bin Ahmad bin 'Uthmân bin
Abû Al-Hadîd Al-Sulamî. He says that he was informed by his
grandfather, Abû Bakr Muhammad bin Ahmad who said that he
was informed by Abu Bakr Muhammad bin J'afar bin
Muhammad bin Sahl Al-Furâyatî. He said, we were informed
by 'Alî bin Harb who was in turn informed by Abû Ayyub
Y'alâ bin 'Imrân, one of the descendants of Jarîr bin 'Abdullah
Al-Bajalî (a prominent Sahâbî). He (Abû Ayyûb) says, I was
informed by Makhzûm bin Hânî Al-Makhzûmî who in turn
narrates from his father who reached the ripe old age of
hundred and fifty. He says: "On the night Rasûlullah % was
born, the palace of Chosroes juddered with tremors
"
This narration is also mentioned with the same chain of
narrators in Târîkh Ibn Jarîr Tabrî as follows: "We were
informed by 'Alî bin Harb Al-Musilî who was informed by
Abû Ayyûb Y'alâ bin 'Imrân Al-Bajalî who was informed by
Makhzûm bin Hânî Al-Makhzûmî who narrates from his father
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who reached the age of one hundred and fifty. He said: "On the
night Rasûlullah # was born, the palace of Chosroes was struck
with an earth tremor resulting in the collapse of fourteen of its
turrents.
." [Târîkh Tabrî volume 2 page 131]
Ibn Sakan narrates the same Hadîth with the identical chain of
narrators. Hâfiz 'Asqalânî writes in his book Isâbah:
"Ibn Sakan extracts (this Hadîth) from Y'alâ bin 'Imrân Al-
Bajalî who says he was informed by Makhzûm bin Hânî who in
turn narrates from his father who reached a hundred and fifty.
He says: "On the night Rasûlullah & was born, the palace of
Chosroes shuddered with tremors resulting in the collapse of
fourteen of its turrets and lake Sâwah sank.
.. "
There is some difference of opinion as far as the Sahabiyyat
(companionship) of Abû Makhzûm Hânî (the narrator of the
aforementioned Hadîth). Abû Al-Walîd Dabbâgh regards Abû
Makhzûm Hânî to be a Sahâbî. 40
The same Hadîth with the same chain of narrators is recorded
by Hâfiz Ibn Kathîr in his Al-Bidâyah Wa Al-Nihâyah41 under
the heading "Irtijasul-Aywan" on the authority of Abu Bakr
Kharâyatî. Also see Khasâisu Kubrâ by Suyûtî volume 1 page
51.
Furthermore, this narration is also related by another chain of
narrators, all of who are reliable:
40 Al-Isâbah page 597.
41 Volume 2 page 268.
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Sa'îd bin Muzâhim narrates from M'arûf bin Kharrabûz who
narrates from Bashir bin Taym رضى الله عنه who said: "On the
night Rasûlullâh % was born, the Zoroastrian priest saw a
dream wherein camels and horses are leaping over the Tigris
River
.up to the end of the lengthy Hadîth. [Narrated
by 'Abdân in Kitâbus-Sahâbah]
After transcribing this narrations, Hâfiz 'Asqalânî says that this
is a Mursal (incompletely transmitted tradition) narration.
However, Ibn Abû Shaybah regards the narrator Bashîr bin
Taym as a Sahâbî. [Tarjumah Bashîr bin Taym Al-Isâbah
volume 1 page 180]
The first narrator of this narration is Sa'îd bin Muzâhim. Abû
Dawud and Nasaie have accepted his narrations. The second
narrator is M'arûf bin Kharrabûz from whom Bukhârî, Muslim,
Abû Dâwûd and others have accepted narrations. In his Jâm'i
Sahîh, under Kitâbul-'Ilm under the chapter Man Khassa Bil-
،IImi Qawman page 24, Imam Bukhari رحمة الله عليه accepts the
narration of M'arûf bin Kharrabûz which he narrates from Abû
Al-Tufail 'Amir bin Wathilah رضى الله عنه.Abu Tufail was the
last Sahâbi to depart from this world in the year 100 A.H. in
Makkah Mukarramah. M'arûf bin Kharrabûz was an illustrious
Tâbi'î residing in Makkah Mukarramah. Sahîh Bukhârî narrates
just one Hadîth from M'aruf bin Kharrabûz. [Fathul-Bârî
volume 1 page 199]
Nonetheless, in short, even though the aforementioned
narration is Mursal narration, the chain of narrators is reliably
authentic. And a Mursal Hadîth may be employed as a source
of proof according to Imâm Abû Hanîfah, Imam Malik and also
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according to the established opinion of Imam Ahmad bin
Hambal dealda, as explicitly evident from the books of
Hadîth. Hafiz 'Asqalânî refers to this Hadîth as a Mursal
narration but in the commentary of Bukharî he maintains
silence as far as the nature of this Hadîth is concerned. This
silence is a cogent indication that according to Hâfiz, this
Hadîth is, at least, not a fabrication nor unfounded. Hâfiz
'Asqalânî's maintaining of silence on the nature of a Hadîth in
his commentary of Bukhârî is, according to the 'Ulamâ, an
evidence of its authenticity and reliability. This fact has also
been clearly described by Hâfiz 'Asqalânî himself in the
foreword of his Fathul-Bârî.
'Allâmah Shiblî writes in his Sîratun-Nabî volume 1 page 39:
"As the level of extensive research and critical analysis
increases, so would there be a proportionate decrease in
exaggerated or overly-embroidered narrations. For instance, the
narration citing the collapse of the fourteen turrets of the
Persian emperor's palace or the mystifying dousing of the
Persian fire or the drying up of Tabariyyah Lake etc. This
narration is quoted by Bayhaqî, Abû Nu'aim, Kharâyitî, Ibn
'Asâkir and Ibn Jarîr but it is not mentioned by Bukharî or
Muslim. In fact, none of the six most authentic books of Hadîth
make mention of this narration."
Subhânallâh! This is a somewhat baffling approach in proving
the fabrication of a Hadîth. How can the absence of a Hadîth in
Bukhârî, Muslim or the other six most authentic Hadîth books
ever be a verification of the Hadîth being a fabrication or a
weak Hadîth? Yes, Imam Bukharî dealda, and Imam
Muslim dealdas, have committed themselves to record only
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