Jami' at-Tirmidhi

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3068

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنِيعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ الأَزْرَقُ، حَدَّثَنَا دَاوُدُ بْنُ أَبِي هِنْدٍ، عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ مُتَّكِئًا عِنْدَ عَائِشَةَ فَقَالَتْ يَا أَبَا عَائِشَةَ ثَلاَثٌ مَنْ تَكَلَّمَ بِوَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ فَقَدْ أَعْظَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْفِرْيَةَ مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَأَى رَبَّهُ فَقَدْ أَعْظَمَ الْفِرْيَةَ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ يَقُولُ ‏:‏ ‏‏(‏ لَا تُدْرِكُهُ الأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الأَبْصَارَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ ‏)‏ ، ‏‏(‏ مَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَنْ يُكَلِّمَهُ اللَّهُ إِلاَّ وَحْيًا أَوْ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ ‏)‏ وَكُنْتُ مُتَّكِئًا فَجَلَسْتُ فَقُلْتُ يَا أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنْظِرِينِي وَلاَ تُعْجِلِينِي أَلَيْسَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ ‏:‏ ‏‏(‏ وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَى ‏)‏، ‏‏(‏ وَلََقَدْ رَآهُ بِالأُفُقِ الْمُبِينِ ‏)‏ قَالَتْ أَنَا وَاللَّهِ أَوَّلُ مَنْ سَأَلَ عَنْ هَذَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّمَا ذَاكَ جِبْرِيلُ مَا رَأَيْتُهُ فِي الصُّورَةِ الَّتِي خُلِقَ فِيهَا غَيْرَ هَاتَيْنِ الْمَرَّتَيْنِ رَأَيْتُهُ مُنْهَبِطًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ سَادًّا عِظَمُ خَلْقِهِ مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَمَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا كَتَمَ شَيْئًا مِمَّا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ فَقَدْ أَعْظَمَ الْفِرْيَةَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ ‏:‏ ‏‏(‏ يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ ‏)‏ وَمَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي غَدٍ فَقَدْ أَعْظَمَ الْفِرْيَةَ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ يَقُولُ ‏:‏ ‏‏(‏قُلْ لاَ يَعْلَمُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ الْغَيْبَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ ‏)‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ وَمَسْرُوقُ بْنُ الأَجْدَعِ يُكْنَى أَبَا عَائِشَةَ وَهُوَ مَسْرُوقُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَهَكَذَا كَانَ اسْمُهُ فِي الدِّيوَانِ ‏.‏

Translation

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

Masruq reported: ‘I was reclining beside ‘A’ishah when she said, “Abu ‘A’ishah, whoever says any of three things has uttered a grave lie against Allah. Whoever claims that Muhammad saw his Lord has uttered a grave lie against Allah. Allah says, ‘Vision cannot encompass Him, while He encompasses all vision; He is the Subtle, the All-Aware’ (Qur’an 6:103), and, ‘It is not for a human being that Allah should speak to him except by revelation or from behind a veil’ (Qur’an 42:51).”

I sat up and said, “Mother of the Believers, give me time and do not rush me. Does Allah not say, ‘He saw him another time’ (Qur’an 53:13) and, ‘He saw him on the clear horizon’ (Qur’an 81:23)?” She said, “By Allah, I was the first to ask the Messenger of Allah about this. He said, ‘That was only Gabriel. I saw him in the form in which he was created only on these two occasions. I saw him descending from heaven, and his immense form filled the space between heaven and earth.’”

She continued: “Whoever claims that Muhammad concealed anything Allah revealed to him has uttered a grave lie against Allah. Allah says, ‘Messenger, proclaim what has been sent down to you from your Lord’ (Qur’an 5:67). Whoever claims that he knows what will happen tomorrow has uttered a grave lie against Allah. Allah says, ‘Say: None in the heavens or earth knows the unseen except Allah’ (Qur’an 27:65).” Abu ‘Isa graded this hadith hasan sahih and identified Masruq ibn al-Ajda‘, whose kunya was Abu ‘A’ishah, as Masruq ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman, the name recorded in the official register.

Notes and open questions — unreviewed
  • ‘A’ishah interprets the two Qur’anic references to seeing as the Prophet seeing Gabriel, not Allah. She also rejects claims that the Prophet concealed revelation or knew the unseen independently.

  • The report’s three claims are translated in sequence with their cited Qur’anic verses.