Sunan Ibn Majah

Sunan Ibn Majah 2102

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Sunan Ibn Majah 2102
Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ كَاسِبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَاتِمُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرِ بْنِ يَحْيَى بْنِ النَّضْرِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ ‏ "‏ رَأَى عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ رَجُلاً يَسْرِقُ فَقَالَ أَسَرَقْتَ قَالَ لاَ وَالَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ عِيسَى آمَنْتُ بِاللَّهِ وَكَذَّبْتُ بَصَرِي ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Translation

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Yaʿqub ibn Humayd ibn Kasib narrated to us; Hatim ibn Ismaʿil narrated to us, from Abu Bakr ibn Yahya ibn al-Nadr, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: ‘Jesus, son of Mary, saw a man stealing and said, “Did you steal?” He replied, “No, by the One besides whom there is no god.” Jesus said, “I believe in Allah and disbelieve my own eyes.”’

Notes and open questions — unreviewed
  • ‏ فَقَالَ عِيسَى آمَنْتُ بِاللَّهِ وَكَذَّبْتُ بَصَرِي ‏"‏ ‏.

    وكذبت بصري literally means ‘I called my sight false/disbelieved my eyesight’; ‘disbelieve my own eyes’ preserves the striking contrast with the man’s oath.

    Does ‘disbelieve my own eyes’ retain the concise rhetorical force of the Arabic?