International Shia News Agency

Hadith of Satan’s Defaming All Sons of Adam Except Jesus and Mother

SHAFAQNA-

Among the Masihiyyat traditions, it can be referred to the hadith reported by al-Bukhari on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said: “The Satan verily stabs every human being in the waist in time of birth, except Jesus the son of Mary, whom he tried to stab but he (Satan) stabbed the cover.” In another narration he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: No son of Adam shall be born unless that he should be afflicted (touched) by the Satan at the hour of birth, when he initiates his life crying out of the Satan’s touch, except Maryam and her son.”

Yet in another narration: The Satan afflicts every son of Adam at the time of birth, except Jesus, son of Mary and his mother. Allah made a veil to prevent the stab, which hit the veil and missed them!

Muslim reported it thus: “…except the prick of the Satan”, and …”unless that he should initiate his life (crying) because of the prick of the Satan.” What we get of this hadith, which this honourable Companion heard from the Messenger, being that, the Satan stabs or pricks every son of Adam except Isa ibn Maryam and his mother. So none of all sons of Adam shall escape stab of the Satan other than them, even the apostles: Noah, Abraham and Moses and others, with their Seal Muhammad, upon whom and all Prophets be God’s benedictions. How wonderful is this hadith!347

Unsatisfied with all this, they narrated also that even the Prophet (S) could never escape the Satan’s prick, only after the stab’s penetrating his heart. And that was through a surgical operation undertaken by the angels, using surgical instruments made of gold! According to these narrations, the chest of the Prophet (S) was rip open and the black leech was taken out! But unfortunately, the first operation might have failed, so his chest was rip again, and again for five times, four of which were unanimously accepted — as is said at the age of three, and ten, and at the time of his mission (mab’ath), and isra’, and for a fifth time about which there is dispute.348 It is said that the purpose behind reiterating the act of ripping is only to show more veneration for the Prophet!

This surgical operation resembles — in some aspects — the process of crucifying Jesus Christ (upon whom be peace), who never perpetrated any sin deserving such crucifixion. But they mentioned that so that God may forgive the guilt of Adam which is shouldered by him and his offspring till the Day of Resurrection, being a burden upon all of them. The Christian creed stipulates that this forgiveness can never be attained but only by that who has faith in the belief of crucifixion.

When the Muslims ask their brethren the Christians. Why doesn’t Allah forgive Adam’s sin through other than this harsh means, in which an innocent pure soul, of Jesus, was put to death, without any sin? It will be said to them. Why didn’t Allah create the heart of His Messenger whom He chose, like the hearts of other delegated prophets — while God knows better where to give His message — pure from the black leech and devil’s luck without such an operation which tore his chest and heart recurringly.

By God, I can’t imagine where they to go from what the Almighty Allah said in His holy Book, in Surat al-Hijr: “He said: “My Lord! because Thou hast left me to stray, certainly will I adorn unto them the path of error, and certainly will I cause them all to go astray. Save Thy (devoted) servants, of them the freed ones.” Said He. “This is a right way unto Me. Verily, (as regards) My (devoted) servants, there is not for thee over them any authority except the one who followeth thee, of the deviators.” (15-39-42). How can they repel the Book by the Sunnah, or object the mutawatir (hadith) that indicating certainty with ahad (unsuccessively narrated) traditions which never indicating but surmise?! That is in case of these traditions being correct.

But this hadith of the Satan’s goading was refuted by al-Zamakhshari in his book al-Kashshaf, and also about it Fakhr al-Din al-Razi in his Tafsir349 said: “Al-Qadi confuted this report saying: it is khabar wahid that was cited opposite to the proof, so its refutation became inevitable. We said that it was opposite to the proof for several reasons. First: The Satan verily invites to evil that who discerns the good and evil, while any lad never does so!

Second: Had such prick been in the capacity of the Satan, he would have done worse than this. Such as destroying the upright people and corrupting their conditions.

Third: Why the exception singled out Mary and Jesus other than the other prophets (A)?

Fourth: Had this goading been reality there, its effect would have remained obvious, and had it so the screaming and weeping would have never stopped. On seeing non-existence of this we realized its futility.

Al-Ustadh Muhammad Abduh (May God be pleased with him) said:350

“What is certain for us is that the Satan has no warrant over devoted servants of Allah, the best of whom being the prophets and messengers. Regarding the hadith on Mary and Jesus that they were never touched by the Satan, hadith on Islam of the devil of the Prophet(S), and hadith of removing the devilish luck out of his (S) heart, are all surmise-based reports as they are akhbar al-ahad (singly narrated traditions). And since their theme being the Knower of the Invisible, and due to the fact that iman is among aqa’id (beliefs), in whose case surmise is not adopted according to Allah’s words: “Assuredly conjecture can by no means take the place of truth,” we will never be obliged to believe in the content of these traditions in respect of our beliefs.

Notes:

347. The Christians depended on this hadith to prove two of their doctrines, the first of which: All the human beings have fallen into trap of wrong and perpetrating of sins, except Jesus, the son of Mary, who had a higher rank than ordinary people. The second belief: Descension of Jesus the son of Mary from the heaven to the earth to judge among people and chastise them.

The Saint Ibrahim Louqa, in his book al-Masihiyyah fi al-Islam, after reffering to superiority of Jesus over all other mankind and his being competent to be infallible and immune against all sins, said: “In Surat Maryam it is said: “And (there is) ont one of you but shall go down unto it (hell); This is of thy Lord a decided (unavoidable) decree”. This verse determines decisively that all human beings should enter the hell, we seek God’s protection from it, and it is known that punishment can never afflich anyone but for a sin (he perpetrated), and otherwise it will be injusticef, and your Lord is not (in the least) unjust to (the) servants … so this verse indicates that all human being are liable to be captivated by bestial passions and guilts. After this verse we can read another verse from Surat Al Imran: “… and lo! I commend her to Thy protection and also her offspring (i.e. the Messiah) from Satan the castway (accused)”. Hence we come to know that Allah has safeguarded the Virgin Mary and the Christ against the seduction of the accursed Satan.

After citing this hadith, which contained these two realities – i.e. corruption of all human beings, and infallibility of Jesus alone – I cite here another hadith reported by al-Bukhari: “Every son of Adam when born is thrusted by Satan with his two fingers on the waist, except Jesus son of Mary, who when he (Satan) intended to thrust he thrusted the cover.”

So acknowledgement of Islam that all the human beings have deviated and corrupted, and been devoid of ‘ismah, liable to committing the sins and guilts, besides admitting ‘ismah to be owned by Jesus Christ alone and his being immune against touch of Satan, it also elevates him to a rank superior to all people, admitting thus his glorified divinity. There are other narrations for this hadith, which can be seen in Fath al-Bari, vol.VI. In page 135 of this book he said that this hadith was reported by Abu Hurayrah.

What is surprising even more, Abu Hurayrah’s declaring that he heard the two hadiths of al-Bukhari on Satan’s thrusting and descending of Jesus from the Prophet, as he declared to have heard the hadith of God’s creating the ground on Saturday, while the researchers proved that he reported it from Ka’b al-Ahbar. Thus our prolific narrator disseminates those traditions among people which constitute problems in our religion, and proof for our opponents with which they support their beliefs!!

In regard of the hadith on thrusting of Satan reported by al-Bukhari Ibn Hajar said in his Sharh: “The author of al-Kashhaf suspected the meaning of this hadith and refuted its veracity, beside al-Razi who vilified it saying: “This hadith is khabar al-wahid and cited in contravention to the established evidence.

348. See Sirat Ibn Hisham,Vol.I, pp.154-156.

349. See Vol.II, p.459.

350. Tafsir al-Qur’an al-Karim, vol.III, pp.291, 292.

Adapted from: “Lights on the Muhammadan Sunnah” by: “Mahmud Ali Riyyah”

Leave a Comment