Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2955
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، وَابْنُ أَبِي عَدِيٍّ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، وَعَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ، قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا عَوْفُ بْنُ أَبِي جَمِيلَةَ الأَعْرَابِيِّ، عَنْ قَسَامَةَ بْنِ زُهَيْرٍ، عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الأَشْعَرِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى خَلَقَ آدَمَ مِنْ قَبْضَةٍ قَبَضَهَا مِنْ جَمِيعِ الأَرْضِ فَجَاءَ بَنُو آدَمَ عَلَى قَدْرِ الأَرْضِ فَجَاءَ مِنْهُمُ الأَحْمَرُ وَالأَبْيَضُ وَالأَسْوَدُ وَبَيْنَ ذَلِكَ وَالسَّهْلُ وَالْحَزْنُ وَالْخَبِيثُ وَالطَّيِّبُ " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari reported that the Messenger of Allah said, ‘Allah Most High created Adam from a handful He took from all the earth. The children of Adam therefore vary according to the earth: among them are red, white, black, and shades between; gentle and harsh, and good and bad.’ Abu ‘Isa graded this hadith hasan sahih.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic contrasts complexion and disposition: al-sahl wa-l-hazn means gentle/easygoing and rugged/difficult, while al-khabith wa-l-tayyib means wicked/bad and good. The English witness mistranslates these as ‘thin, thick, filthy, and clean.’