It is related that 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar reported that 'Umar went with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with a group to visit Ibn Sayyad. They found him playing with some children in the hills of Banu Maghala. Ibn Sayyad, who was approaching puberty, did not notice them until the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, patted him with his hand and then said to him, 'Do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?' Ibn Sayyad looked at him and said, 'I testify that you are the Messenger of the unlettered.' Ibn Sayyad said to the Prophet, 'Do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?' He refuted it and said, 'I have believed in Allah and His Messengers.' Then he said to him, 'What dreams do you have?' Ibn Sayyad replied, 'Both truthful people and liars come to me.' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'You are in a state of confusion.' Then the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him, 'I am concealing something from you.' Ibn Sayyad said, 'It is just smoke.' He said, 'Shame on you! You will not go too far.' 'Umar said, 'Messenger of Allah, let me cut his head off?' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'If it is him (i.e. the Dajjal), you will not be able to get the better of him. If it is not him, there is no point in killing him.'"
Hadith Text
It is related that 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar reported that 'Umar went with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with a group to visit Ibn Sayyad. They found him playing with some children in the hills of Banu Maghala. Ibn Sayyad, who was approaching puberty, did not notice them until the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, patted him with his hand and then said to him, 'Do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?' Ibn Sayyad looked at him and said, 'I testify that you are the Messenger of the unlettered.' Ibn Sayyad said to the Prophet, 'Do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?' He refuted it and said, 'I have believed in Allah and His Messengers.' Then he said to him, 'What dreams do you have?' Ibn Sayyad replied, 'Both truthful people and liars come to me.' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'You are in a state of confusion.' Then the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him, 'I am concealing something from you.' Ibn Sayyad said, 'It is just smoke.' He said, 'Shame on you! You will not go too far.' 'Umar said, 'Messenger of Allah, let me cut his head off?' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'If it is him (i.e. the Dajjal), you will not be able to get the better of him. If it is not him, there is no point in killing him.'"
Commentary on the Encounter
This narration from Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 958 presents a profound encounter between the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Ibn Sayyad, a figure whose identity scholars have debated - whether he was the Dajjal (Antichrist) or merely a soothsayer. The Prophet's approach demonstrates divine wisdom in dealing with ambiguous matters.
The Prophet's physical gesture of patting Ibn Sayyad establishes direct contact while testing his spiritual state. When Ibn Sayyad acknowledges the Prophet as "Messenger of the unlettered," he demonstrates knowledge but with subtle disrespect by not using the complete testimony of faith. His counter-question about being a messenger himself reveals his spiritual confusion and pretension.
Scholarly Analysis
The exchange about dreams reveals Ibn Sayyad's ambiguous nature - he receives information but cannot distinguish between truth and falsehood, unlike prophets who receive clear revelation. The Prophet's statement "You are in a state of confusion" accurately diagnoses his spiritual condition.
The hidden matter being "smoke" (dukhān) indicates Ibn Sayyad had some supernatural knowledge but imperfect understanding. The Prophet's final wisdom regarding not killing him teaches us that definitive knowledge must precede severe actions. If he were the Dajjal, his time had not come; if not, killing him would be unjust. This exemplifies Islamic principles of justice and divine timing.