Sunan Ibn Majah 4030

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

Ubayy ibn Ka‘b reported that on the night of the Night Journey, the Messenger of Allah noticed a pleasant fragrance and asked, ‘Jibril, what is this pleasant fragrance?’ He replied, ‘It is the fragrance from the grave of the hairdresser, her two sons, and her husband.’ He said: ‘The story began when al-Khadir, one of the nobles of the Children of Israel, used to pass by a monk in his cell. The monk would come out to him and teach him Islam. When al-Khadir came of age, his father married him to a woman. Al-Khadir taught her and made her promise not to teach anyone else. He did not approach women, so he divorced her. Then his father married him to another woman. He taught her and made her promise not to teach anyone else. One woman kept the secret, while the other disclosed it against him. So he fled until he came to an island in the sea. Two men came by gathering firewood and saw him. One kept it secret, but the other disclosed it, saying, “I have seen al-Khadir.” He was asked, “Who saw him with you?” He named so-and-so, who was questioned but kept silent. In their religion, a liar was to be killed. He married the woman who had kept the secret. While she was combing Pharaoh’s daughter’s hair, her comb fell, and she said, “May Pharaoh perish!” The daughter told her father. The woman had two sons and a husband. He sent for them and tried to make the woman and her husband renounce their religion, but they refused. He said, “I will kill you.” They replied, “It would be a kindness from you if, when you kill us, you put us all in one house.” So he did. When the Prophet was taken on the Night Journey, he noticed the pleasant fragrance and asked Jibril about it, and Jibril told him.’