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PUBLISHER’S NOTE....................................................................................... 9
TRANSLATOR’S FORWARD......................................................................10
PREFACE .........................................................................................................11
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................15

SECTION ONE:
STORIES OF THE PROPHETS AND MESSENGERS.........................21
Adam’s Denial and Forgetfulness....................................................................23
Death of Adam ( ).........................................................................................28
li , the Prophet of Allah ( ) ......................................................................31
Hagar and Ishmael ............................................................................................37
Abraham and Sarah’s Story With the Tyrant..................................................52
Lot, the Prophet of Allah ( ).........................................................................60
The Argument Between Adam and Moses ....................................................65
Moses and al-Kha ir.........................................................................................70
The Stone that Flew With Moses’ Clothes......................................................83
Moses and the Angel of Death .........................................................................88
The Old Woman of the Children of Israel.......................................................92
As-S mir , Craftsman of the Golden Calf .......................................................97
Seizing the Sun for Joshua..............................................................................100
Jonah ( ) and the Whale..............................................................................108
The Death of David, the Prophet of Allah.....................................................126
Allah’s Prophet, Solomon ( ) .....................................................................129
The Two Mothers and the Wolf.....................................................................134
Job ( ), the Most Patient Prophet................................................................142
The Prophet Who Burned a Colony of Ants .................................................151
The Prophet Who Boasted About His People...............................................155
Jesus Doubted His Own Eyes and Believed a Thief.....................................159

SECTION TWO:
STORIES DEPICTING THE WONDERS OF
ALLAH’S MIRACLES ...............................................................................161
The Hungry Couple for Whom Allah Sent Provisions.................................163
The Ones for Whom Allah Revived Their Dead ..........................................165
The Monkey Who Threw Half of His Master’s Earnings
Into the Sea ......................................................................................................168
The Cow That Spoke to Its Rider and the Wolf That
Spoke to the Shepherd ....................................................................................170
The Infant Who Spoke and Supplicated to Allah not to
Grow up to be Like the Tyrant.......................................................................175

SECTION THREE:
STORIES OF THE VIRTOUS DEEDS ...................................................179
The Three Men Who Became Trapped in a Cave .......................................181
The Cloud That was Ordered to Water a Man’s Garden..............................191
The One Whom Allah Loved for the Love of His Brother..........................194
The One Who Gave Water to a Thirsty Dog and was
Pardoned by Allah...........................................................................................196
The One Who Ordered His Sons to Cremate Him .......................................200
The One Who was Pardoned for His Leniency ............................................204
The One Who Entered Paradise by Removing a Thorny Branch
off the Muslims’ Path.....................................................................................207
The One Who Killed One Hundred Persons.................................................210
The One Who Lost His Camel in the Desert.................................................217

SECTION FOUR:
STORIES OF NOBLE FAITHFUL MODELS ......................................221
The One Who Borrowed One Thousand Dinars...........................................223
The Charitable Person Who Donated to the Undeserved.............................228
The Jar of Gold................................................................................................232
Jurayj, the Worshipper....................................................................................235
Asia, the Queen of Egypt................................................................................242
The Scholar Who Used Deceit to Escape Death...........................................245
The Hairdresser of Pharaoh’s Daughter ........................................................249
The King Who Ran Away From His Throne................................................256
The People of the Ditch ..................................................................................262
The Leper, the Bald Man, and the Blind Man...............................................274
The Woman Who Advised a Scholar ............................................................279

SECTION FIVE:
STORIES OF IMMORAL BEHAVIOR..................................................283
The One Who Boasted About His Disbelieving Fathers..............................285
The Arrogant Man Who Swore for Allah .....................................................290
The One Who Swore on Allah’s Behalf........................................................293
The Woman Who Went to Hell Because of a Cat........................................296
The One Who Sinned After Drinking Alcohol .............................................299
The Ones Who Entered a Village on Their Buttocks ...................................303
Gabriel Puts Mud in the Pharaoh’s Mouth....................................................306
The Woman Who Wore Long Legs ..............................................................309
‘ d’s Delegate.................................................................................................313
The Origin of Monasticism ............................................................................319
The First Qasama Before Islam.....................................................................325

DOCUMENTATION OF HADITHS...........................................................329
GLOSSRY.......................................................................................................347
SYMBOLS’ DIRECTORY ...........................................................................349
TRANSLITERATION CHART....................................................................350
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and may the Blessings and Peace
of Allah be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad ( ), his Family, and
the Companions.
Allah ( ) ordered His Prophet ( ) to convey the stories he knew to the
people. From these stories of ancient people, Muslims could learn
valuable lessons. Thus, if they heard stories about corrupt models of
disbelievers, they would try to steer clear of committing similar mistakes;
and if the stories were exemplary, they would try to emulate their
example. Allah said,

…
…So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect. (Qur’an 7: 176)
Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ), as its title suggests, is a
collection of stories that have been proven and authenticated as originally
narrated by Prophet Muhammad ( ) or by his Companions.
These stories reveal many interesting facts about ancient nations and
teach numerous lessons that could possibly encourage one to turn over a
new leaf and strive for a life full of piousness and happiness.
May Allah reward the author for his efforts to educate and entertain
Muslims, boys and girls, as well as men and women with this collection
of authentic stories. May Allah cause this book to be a source of
beneficial instruction to all readers and may He ( ) guide us on His
Straight Path.
General Manager
Al-Nafaes House for Publishing and Distribution,
Amman, Jordan
Praise be to Allah, the Almighty and the Merciful. May His Peace and
Blessings be upon our beloved Prophet, his Family, and Companions.
This book, a best seller in most Arab countries, was written by Professor
‘Umar al-Ashqar, a well-known scholar throughout the Arab and Islamic
world who has written many publications about Islamic creed and
hadiths. This book presents, in a simple style, stories narrated by Prophet
Muhammad to his Companions. Each one is documented from hadiths,
explained, and then analyzed. At the end of each section, lessons from
each story are discussed.
Some might wonder if it is necessary or useful to translate stories
narrated by Prophet Muhammad. These stories give insight into the
Prophet’s personality and methodology. Despite attempts to distort his
image here and there, objective scholars consider Prophet Muhammad
( ) one of greatest personalities they have read about.
Bosworth Smith says:
“He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope’s
pretensions, Caesar without the legions of Caesar: without a standing
army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue; if
ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was
Muhammad, for he had all the power without its instruments and without
its supports.” [Bosworth Smith, Muhammad and Mohammedanism,
London, 1874, p. 92]
Qur’anic yahs have been presented in Arabic followed by the English
translation which was taken from the most authorized translation by Dr.
Muhammad Mu sin Kh n and Dr. Muhammad Taqiyy ad-D n al- il l .
May Allah, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing reward the author for his
work and bestow His Mercy on us all, guide us to all that pleases Him,
and bless us by seeing His Prophet.
Waf ’ Ab at b
Praise be to Allah, the All-Knowing who controls every creature with His
Strength and Wisdom, Who softens the hearts of His worshippers and
enlightens their minds with His Book and His Prophet’ s Sunnah. Peace
be upon Muhammad ( ), the Seal of the Prophets, the one who directed
people to their Lord and softened their hearts with the guidance he
brought leading them to the right path. Peace be on his Companions and
all his followers.
This book is a collection of stories narrated by the Prophet ( ). These
stories rank second after the Qur’ anic stories which are Allah’ s Words.
Most Prophetic stories are revealed by Allah, so they originate from the
same source and serve the same purpose. Both aim at equipping the
Prophets and righteous people with the spiritual power that they carry and
feed the souls of believers as well as their hearts and minds. Conveyed
through their events and the morals they teach, both Qur’ anic and
Prophetic stories recharge the human being with the best virtues and
purest feelings. They guide the believer to the best path and prevent him
from committing sins.
This book, as its title suggests, focuses only on the stories that were
proven to be originally narrated by Prophet Muhammad ( ). Relating
stories that were not narrated by the Prophet is deceiving to Allah and His
Prophet, which is a serious crime. Likewise, there are only a few stories
narrated by the Prophet’ s Companions who might have heard them from
the Prophet ( ) or learned them from others.
While we do believe in the unseen world, believing in what was not
proven to be revealed to the Prophet is a deviation from the Right Path.
Fabricated stories that were ascribed to the Prophet might involve false
creed and unacceptable morals and values which penetrate the human
being’ s mind easily. Such stories are vehicles for those who wish to
easily mislead Muslims. Therefore, many scholars have warned against
the fabricated stories as well as the narrator whose adith was identified
as false. Many books have been written to warn people against those who
made religion analogous to myths, thus, spoiling people’ s faith.
I attempted to cite the stories that were narrated in books of adith for Al-
Bukh r and Muslim. I, also, tried to refer to the most comprehensive
stories and to refer to more than one version of the story if it had other
points that were not discussed in a previous hadith. In addition, I relied on
the established documentation of adith and reliable authorities. I have
excluded events that did not form stories such as the creation of heaven
and earth, angels, jinn and human beings, because they did not fall within
the scope of this book.
The reader will notice that I followed a unified methodology in all of the
adiths discussed. First, I started with an introduction for each story, and
then, I presented the text of the adith which was followed by the sources
it was taken from. Next, I explained comprehensively any unique
vocabulary within each adith. Finally, I ended each chapter with lessons
that can be learned from the adith.
The reader will find that my thoughts did not exceed the text to
imaginative situations, add scenes to a adith to make it longer, or create
a novel that has a climax and other effects.
The methodology followed by some contemporary writers is erroneous
since Prophetic stories are mostly revelations from Allah, and so there is
no room left for additions.
Furthermore, the Prophetic stories depict reality, narrating events as they
actually happened without fabrications. Adding details to a Prophetic
adith falsifies it. A researcher is only able to infer from the text what can
be concluded according to the methodology outlined by the scholars of
adith.
The reader could criticize the writer for ignoring many stories that
happened with the Prophet and his Companions. These kinds of stories do
not fall within the scope of my book. This book presents the stories that
are taken from the Prophet’ s dialogue which also includes his stories
about ancient nations. I might deal with other types of stories in further
books.
 Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 12

The reader will find many stories about Prophets and Messengers. It is
true that some stories were mentioned in the Qur’ an, but some were not
like the story of Joshua or the Prophet who burned the colony of ants.
Some stories that were mentioned in the Qur’ an were provided with
further explanation and clarification through the adith such as the story
of Moses and al-Kha ir.
Since some of the stories mentioned in adith were also mentioned in the
Torah, I have provided the Torah’ s versions of the stories. That was done,
however, to correct falsifications of the Torah’ s versions rather than to
make use of these stories since the Qur’ an and adith are richer in lessons
and morals. Anyone who follows my methodology in reading the Torah’ s
stories will find that one of the objectives of adith was to correct the
falsifications of the Torah.
Those who referred to the Torah to learn from it made an immense
mistake by confusing what they understood from it with what is in the
Qur’ an and adith. We do need to purify our books from Israeli
influence. We do not need Israeli apocrypha and their effects. We do not
need the ancient sciences of the Children of Israel since our religion is
fully comprehensive and complete. We should depend solely upon what
has come to us in the Qur’ an and adith in order to correct what was
fabricated in the books of the Jews and Christians.
The Qur’ an mentions this objective:

This Qur’ an narrates to the Children of Israel most of that in

which they differ. (Qur’an 27: 76)
I hope that this work will be useful for worshippers of Allah and
enriching for the Islamic library so that falsified stories are not needed
anymore. I ask Almighty Allah to accept my intentions as pure and to
reward me with His Grace, Generosity, and Mercy. I supplicate to Him to
inspire the readers of this book to pray for its writer. Praise be to Allah,
the Lord of mankind and jinn.
Dr. ‘Umar Sulaym n al-Ashqar.
Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 13
This introduction is meant to define the narrative and to pinpoint its
features with special emphasis on the Qura’ nic and adith narrative.

Definition of Narrative
Stories are referred to as qa a in Arabic which is the plural of qi ah.
This term is used to refer to narrated events or news. Qur’ an uses the term
qa a to refer to what is narrated of the ancient times. Allah says:

…
Thus we relate to you [O’ Muhammad ( )] some information of
what happened before… (Qur’an 20: 99)

That is some of the news of [the population of] the towns which
We relate onto you [Muhammad ( )] of them some are still
standing and some have been reaped. (Qur’an 11: 100)

…
And all that We relate to you [O’ Muhammad ( )] of the news of
the messengers is in order to make you strong and firm your heart
thereby… (Qur’an 11: 120)

…
We relate to you [Muhammad ( )] the best of stories…
(Qur’an 12: 3)
Allah used the term qa a (stories) to refer to what Moses said to the
father of the two girls whom he helped to carry water.

… …
 … So when he came to him and narrated his story… (Qur’an 28: 25)
Originally, Arabs used the word to refer to tracking someone, usually an
expert who knows how to follow the tracks of the person being searched
for until he finds him. Conveying news was thus called stories (qa )
since the narrator follows the events of the story as it actually happened
attempting to maintain the original meaning and vocabulary. Therefore,
the real storyteller is the one who narrates the story as it actually
happened. The Qur’ an called tracing someone’ s tracks qa .

…
… So they went back retracing their footsteps. (Qur’ an 18: 64)
This yah refers to Moses and the boy who accompanied him after they
passed by the place Allah had identified for them to meet the righteous
worshipper (al-Khi r). Thus, they went back trying to retrace their
footsteps. Allah also says:

…
And she said to his sister [Moses’ sister] follow his track…
(Qur’ an 28: 11)
The mother of Moses asked his sister to search for any trace of him
after she had thrown the basket he was in into the river.
Killing the murderer is also called qa because the relatives of the
murdered person track the murderer to take their revenge by murdering
him.1
Although Arabs call narration of any news a story, one can find that
stories form a special genre of literature. Each story is considered news,
although not each bit of news makes a story. Thus, what Allah told us
about the creation of the skies, earth, angels, and jinn are news but not
stories. On the other hand, the news about Prophets and their people as

1
See for the linguistic meaning of qa a , Al-Mufrad t f ‘Ul m al-Qur’ an, p.
404, An-Nih yah by al-Ath r, 4\70 and Lis n al-‘Arab 3\106.
 Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 16

well as the conflict between good and evil are stories and news.
A story is defined as the art of narrating the events and actions following
a specific linguistic style that conveys a particular theme.
The story is an old literary genre that has been with nations since the
early ages and has continued through to the peaks of civilization. It
maintains an excellent status among other literary genres for its
flexibility, comprehensiveness, beautiful diction, and for refreshing the
souls. The Qur’ an has reached the peak of perfection in narration.1

Style of the Story

Researchers in the art of stories inferred the following stylistic features
that distinguish the story from other genres:
The general characteristic of a novel is its length and sequence.
Accordingly, the reader always feels that he is being driven towards a
certain end which makes him curious to find out how the story is going to
end.
Stories, on the other hand, are logically organized, briefly written, and do
not have trivial details.
Stories have a major theme that is indirectly inferred from the context.
The language of stories is simple and clear, because it addresses a reader
who is interested in the sequence of events.
Strength of linguistic expressions varies according to the story events and
characters.
The style of stories varies. It may include narration, description, and
dialogue.
Narrative style is sometimes characterized by exaggeration to stress
significant issues, surprise, or symbolism that provokes imagination.
Stories might include love as a minor factor for its strength and its role as

1
Dr. Muhammad al-Ashqar, Mu‘jam ‘Ul m al-Lughah al-‘Arabiyyah, p. 320.
 Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 17

a common emotion shared among human beings.1

Importance of Narratives
Unlike the other literary genres, narration is the most common among
people since it is the closest to their souls and hearts as it appeals to their
senses.
Since narration plays a significant role, it has various genres including the
novel, the short story, the fiction and non-fiction, the symbolic stories,
and the fables whose main characters are animals that think, speak, plot,
and give wisdom.
Nowadays, story writing has become quite common with many stories
being made into movies or plays that represent the story as it actually
happened or as the writer imagined it. These enacted stories carry the
mentality, morals, and values of the writer. Many countries use these
novels that are either acted out or published in books and magazines to
propagate their culture and values.

Significance of Qura’nic Stories and Stories Narrated by the

Prophet
The best stories are the Qura’ nic ones revealed by Allah the Omniscient
and All-Knowing.

…
We relate to you [Muhammad ( )] the best of stories through
Our Revelation onto you… (Qur’ an 12: 3)
Many people have the habit of reading stories for the sake of
entertainment and enjoyment. Since the stories are based on fiction,
people know that the stories are unreal and impossible to happen. Most
popular stories about ancient people, especially the Romans and the
Persians, are of this kind. Therefore, they were called myths or legends
such as Thousand and One Nights. Arabs have similar stories such as

1
Dr. Muhammad al-Ashqar, Mu‘jam ‘Ul m al-Lughah al-‘Arabiyyah, p. 320.
 Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 18

Antarah and Ab Zayd al-Hil l which still maintain a strong readership

nowadays. Writers have recently invented a new genre called science
fiction in which the writer imagines what man can achieve in the future
and portrays human beings in these imagined futuristic situations.
Stories in the Qur’ an and the true adith are all a (true) and correct
since they accurately narrate historical events that occurred without any
falsification or distortion.

…
We narrate onto you [O’ Muhammad ( )] their story with
truth… (Qur’ an 18: 13)

…
This is the true narrative… (Qur’ an 3:62)
Stories could not be accurate unless they were narrated as they actually
happened. Allah, Glorified, does not tell lies so it is impossible that He
relates stories that had never occurred. Allah is the All-Knowing, All-
Seeing. Consequently, when Allah narrates a story to us, He narrates with
the Knowledge of the One Who has been there seeing every detail.

And surely We shall narrate unto them [their whole story] with
knowledge and indeed We have not been absent. (Qur’ an 7: 7)
By making use of the lessons of these stories, a worshipper’ s belief in the
truth of Qur’ anic stories has a positive effect on one’ s self-discipline.
Accordingly, Allah ordered His Prophet ( ) to convey the stories he
knew to the people. From these stories, they could take lessons from what
they heard about ancient peoples. Thus, if they heard stories about
tyrants, they would try to steer away from them, and if they were good,
they would try to emulate their example.

…
 Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 19

… So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.

(Qur’ an 7: 176)

…
Indeed, in their stories, there is a lesson for men of understanding.
It [the Qur’ an] is not a forged statement… (Qur’ an 12: 111)
Prophets have always taken lessons from stories of ancient people.
Qur’ anic and adith stories have always been a source of comfort for the
soul, placing peace and tranquility into the hearts.

…
And all that We relate to you [O’ Muhammad ( )] of the news of
the Messengers is in order that We may make strong and firm your
heart thereby… (Qur’ an 11: 120)
Human life on this earth has been similar in its straightforwardness and
deviation. All human models of both are repeated models. Therefore,
when we read about these models in the Qur’ an or adith, we find
examples of such models. Therefore, when stories tell us about this, we
feel they are addressing us directly, telling us about the hardships we
face, or the luxury we live in. We are given examples of the righteous
leader and the oppressive tyrant who corrupts earth. They might also tell
us about ordinary human models such as a good farmer or an honest
business person.
Qur’ anic values are represented in stories from the Qur’ an and adith
which present authentic and practical scenes full of life. More people are
affected through the practical reality than through abstract instruction.
Consequently, a righteous person has a greater effect on people with his
pious behavior than with his words.
 22

!"

Introduction
Archeologists nowadays study the ruins of the ancient nations in an
attempt to find out how they lived. Despite the knowledge they could
attain, their discoveries remain inaccurate. Since it cannot delve deeper
into ancient history, their science does not represent facts accurately.
Allah’ s Revelation, on the other hand, is an invaluable treasure since it
gives the pure truth. It is the knowledge revealed by the All-Knower Who
knows everything that is in earth and heaven. Some of this knowledge
can only be attained through Revelation. Such is the story narrated by the
Prophet ( ) in the adith where he tells us about our father Adam ( )
and some of the traits that we have inherited from him.

Text of the adith

At-Tirmidh narrated from Ab Hurayrah that the Prophet ( ) said:
“When Allah created Adam He wiped his back so each soul to be created
from Adam’ s descendants until the Judgment Day would be conceived
from his back (Adam’ s back). Allah created a glitter of light between the
eyes of each human then He showed them to Adam who then asked: ‘O’
Lord! Who are these?’ Allah said, ‘These are your children.’ Then Adam
saw a man and liked the glitter between his eyes so he asked, ‘O’ Lord,
who is this?’ Allah said, ‘This is a man of the latest nations of your
children called David (D w d).’ Adam then asked, ‘Lord, how many
years is he going to live?’ Allah said, ‘Sixty.’ Adam then said, ‘O’ Lord!
Give him forty years of my age.’ When Adam’ s days were over, the angel
of death came to him. At this, Adam said, ‘I do have forty years left,
don’ t I?’ The angel said, ‘Didn’ t you give these forty years for your son
David?’ Adam denied and so did his children. He forgot and so did his
children. He made mistakes and so did his children.”
 23

Tirmidh also narrated that Ab Hurayrah said that the Prophet ( ) said,
“When Allah created Adam and blew a soul into him, Adam sneezed so
he praised Allah. Allah then said, ‘Allah has mercy on you Adam. Go to
the angels sitting there and say: ‘As-sal mu ‘alaykum (peace be upon
you).’ They said, ‘And Allah’ s Peace and Allah’ s Mercy be on you.’
Adam then came back to Allah Who told him that this was the greeting to
be used by Adam and the angels.
Allah then closed both of His Hands and said, ‘Choose anyone you want.’
Adam said, ‘I choose the right hand though both hands of my God are
blessed.’ Allah then opened His Hand where Adam saw himself and his
children. Adam then asked, ‘Lord! Who are these?’ Allah said, ‘your
children’ . Each one of them had his age written between his eyes. Among
them, there was one whose face was glittering. Adam asked, ‘Lord! Who
is this?’ Allah said, ‘This is your son David; he was destined to live for
forty years.’ Adam then said, ‘My Lord, give him more years to live.’
Allah said, ‘He will get what he was destined for.’ Adam then said,
‘Lord! I give him sixty years of mine.’ Allah said, ‘You have what you
asked for.’
Allah said, ‘Live in Heaven as long as Allah wants then go down from it.’
Adam had been counting his years so when the angel of death came,
Adam said, ‘You came early since Allah said I would live one thousand
years.’ The angel said: ‘Right, but you gave your son David sixty years.’
Adam forgot and denied giving sixty years to David and so did his
children. Since then, Allah ordered for witnesses and documentation.”

Explanation of the Hadith

Allah created Adam as a perfect human, not as is claimed by ignorant
people that man evolved from animals or plants. From the first moment,
Allah created Adam to be rational with the ability to speak, to
comprehend what is said to him, and to answer properly.
He sneezed after Allah had given him life and then praised Allah, the
Glorified and the Exalted. Then Allah told him that He had mercy on
him. After that, He asked Adam to go and greet a group of angels who
 Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 24

were sitting. They greeted him properly, and Allah then told him that this
was the greeting to be used among his children. Adam could walk, hear,
speak, sneeze, think and understand speech.
In this adith, one can notice the great concern Allah has towards His
worshipper Adam. When Adam sneezed and praised Him, Allah said He
had mercy on him. As a result, anyone who has Allah’ s Mercy has His
Care and Protection. For this reason, Allah accepted his repentance and
forgave him for his negligence. He gave him the power of faith, support,
and protection from his enemies.
Allah has decreed for Adam and his children when sneezing to praise
Him and to have mercy on the one who sneezed by answering his
supplication by anyone who is present at that time and supplicating Him.
As-sal m has also been legislated as the greeting between Adam and his
offspring.
The Prophet ( ) told us that Allah had wiped Adam’ s back and all the
children to be created until the Day of Judgment would be conceived
from Adam’ s back. Then, Allah took them all in His Right Hand. Adam
was then asked to choose between either of Allah’ s Hands. Although he
believed both Hands were blessed, he chose the Right. When Allah
opened His Hand, it had Adam and his children inside. So Adam had seen
his children who would be created after him. Allah had placed light
between their eyes. Adam saw the age of death of each one of his
children written between his eyes. He then saw a man with a
distinguished light, so he asked about him. Allah told him that that man
was his son David and that he would live for sixty years. The second
adith tells us he will live for forty years, although the first one is more
accurate. Adam felt that David’ s life was too short and asked Allah to let
him live longer. Allah told him that the age of David was predestined;
therefore Adam gave David forty years from his own life span. This made
the life span of David one hundred years.
This adith shows that Allah had informed Adam of his destined age and
that he was going to live for one thousand years. When Adam was 960
years, the angel of death came to take his soul. Adam protested and told
the angel of death that he still had forty years left. It seems that Adam
 Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 25

was counting his days and years. The angel of death reminded him of his
gift to his son David. Adam had forgotten this fact and denied giving
David forty years. His children inherited their father’ s traits. Thus, they
denied as he did and forgot as he forgot. Therefore, Allah had ordered
that everything to be done by Adam and his children should be
documented and witnessed as proof to those who deny or forget.

Lessons of the adith

1. Allah’ s creation of Adam was complete; not as ignorant people claim.
They say his creation was partial, then evolved towards completion
over long periods of history. Prophet Muhammad told us that Adam’ s
height was 60 yards when he was in Heaven. The height of Adam’ s
offspring continued to decrease until it is as we see today. On the
Judgment Day, true believers will enter Heaven as tall as Adam was.
2. Bukh r and Muslim narrated in their books that the Prophet said,
“Allah created Adam with a height of sixty yards then He said, ‘Go
and greet the angels. Listen to the way they greet you since this will be
the greeting for you and your offspring.’ Adam said, ‘As-sal mu
‘alaykum (peace be upon you).’ The angels replied, ‘As-sal mu
‘alaykum wara amtullah (Allah’ s peace and mercy be upon you).”’ As
a result, they added mercy to the greeting. Anyone who enters Heaven
will have Adam’ s original height. All humans created since Adam
have been decreasing in height.1
3. From the moment of his creation, Adam was created perfectly. This is
proven in the adith,“ Allah had created Adam as Adam looked.”Adam
did not evolve from other creatures nor was he created from other
creatures like his sons who were created in their mothers’ wombs as
clots of congealed blood, and then flesh that has a soul.
4. Knowledge of some events that happened with our father Adam such
as his sneezing, his praise of Allah, Allah’ s Saying to him: ‘Allah bless
you,’ his greeting of the angels and their reply, and Allah wiping
Adam’ s back.

1
See Al-Bukh r , 11, hadith no. 6277; and Muslim, 4\2183, hadith no. 2841.
 Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 26

5. Anyone who sneezes should praise Allah by saying: Al amdulill h

(All praise be to Allah), and anyone close to him should say:
Yar amukall h, (may Allah have mercy on you). The greeting, As-
sal mu ‘alykum, is an international greeting that applies to all nations
since they all inherited it from their father Adam.
6. This adith proves that fate is predestined by Allah who has known
since the beginning of ancient times the life span of each of His
creatures. This is written between the eyes of each human and this was
revealed to Adam.
7. Allah has hands. He opens and closes them whenever and however He
wants, but He doesn’ t resemble anything that humans can relate to. He
is the All-Knower and the All-Seer.
8. The strong faith of David is proven by the strong light between his
eyes.
9. Adam had the ability to count the years of his age. He knew how many
years were left and argued with the angel of death when he came to
take Adam’ s soul.
10. This adith shows that Adam lived for one thousand years. This corrects
what is stated in the Torah in the fifth Chapter of Genesis, which says
that he lived for 930 years.
11. Denial and forgetfulness are a part of the nature of Adam and his
offspring.
12. It is encouraged to document and witness transactions to offset humans’
forgetfulness and denial.
 Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 27

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Introduction
This story tells us about the last moments in Adam’ s life and what
happened to him during the agony of death. It also shows how the angels
took the responsibility of bathing and shrouding him. In addition, it
illustrates how they dug his grave and prayed for him, and how they
placed him in the grave and scattered dust over him. The angels did that
to teach Adam’ s sons how to bury their dead in the future.

Text of the adith

‘ tayy1 said that he saw an old man in Medina speaking. He asked about
him and was told that he was called Ubayy bin Ka b who said:
“When Adam ( ) was about to die, he said to his sons, ‘My sons, I do
desire to eat from Heaven’ s fruits.’ As his sons were going to get him
what he wanted, they were received by angels who were carrying axes
and spades. The angels asked, ‘Sons of Adam, what do you want and
where are you going?’ The sons of Adam said, ‘Our father is sick and
desires the fruits of Heaven.’ The angels said, ‘Go back; your father had
been fated to die.’ When Eve saw the angels, she recognized them so she
tried to seek Adam’ s protection. Adam said, ‘Go away from me, it was
you who weakened me; leave me with my Lord’ s angels.’ Angels then
took his soul, bathed him, shrouded him, dug his grave, and prayed for
him. Then, they entered his grave and placed him in it. They left the
grave and scattered dust over him and said, ‘Sons of Adam, this is how
you bury your dead.’ ”

1
He is Ab amrah as-Sa‘d .
 Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 28

Explanation of the adith

This adith tells us the story of our father Adam ( ) when he was about
to die. His desire for Heaven’ s fruits shows how much he loved Heaven
and how much he longed to go back. How could he not long for the
Garden he lived in while enjoying its grace for a period of time!
He might have felt that his end was coming so he longed for Heaven.
Some adith show that he knew how many years he was going to live and
that he used to count his years. It seems that he knew that his days were
over and that he was about to die. No doubt, he knew that his sons could
not fulfill his desire; they also knew that, but their love for their father
motivated them to go and search for what he wanted.
No sooner had they left their father, than they were met by a group of
angels in the shape of men carrying with them all that was needed for
interment. They presented what Muslims do nowadays when someone dies.
Angels were carrying shrouds, along with axes and spades needed to dig
the grave. When Adam’ s sons told them about their destination, the angels
asked them to go back to their father whose days in life were fated to end.
When the angels came, Eve recognized them so she took refuge with
Adam. She might have been trying to persuade him to choose life over
death since Prophets’ souls are not taken until they are given the choice to
live or to die, as we were told by our Prophet ( ). Adam did not listen to
her and blamed her saying: “Go away from me, it was you who weakened
me.” He was implying Eve’ s tempting him to eat the forbidden fruit.
The angels took Adam’ s ( ) soul and prepared for his burial while his
sons were watching. They bathed him, shrouded him, dug his grave and
placed him in it. They put bricks over him, got out and scattered dust on
him. Then they addressed his sons saying, “Sons of Adam, this is how
you bury your dead.” This was prescribed by Allah. Consequently, this
burial process applies to all prophets and all believers throughout history.
Any process that is different is a violation of Allah’ s Guidance. Anyone
familiar with the Muslims’ burial process will find it identical to how the
angels buried Adam ( ).
 Authentic Stories 29

Many nations have buried their dead differently. For example, some
cremate their dead while others build huge mausoleums such as the
pyramids. Other nations, on the other hand, put their dead in sarcophagi
or stone. They also bury their dead with many worldly possessions such
as food, drink, and jewelry All these methods are expensive and a waste
of efforts. Most importantly, such methods do not agree with Allah’ s
Legislation.

Lessons of the adith

1. The legislation of the process of preparing and burying the dead as
mentioned in adith.
2. This process applies to all the prophets sent to mankind.
3. Angels taught Adam’ s sons practically and theoretically.
4. Any burial process that differs from the one mentioned in the hadith is
a violation of Allah’ s Guidance.
5. The adith shows the high status of our father Adam whose burial was
performed by the angels.
6. The ability of the angels to appear as human beings and to do any task
humans can do.
7. Some tools such as axes, spades and shovels have existed since ancient
times.
8. A believer must be wary of anyone who could tempt him to deviate
from the Right Path.

… …
… Among your spouse [both men and women] and children there
are enemies for you, therefore beware from them…
(Qur’ an 64: 14)
 30

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Introduction
Once Prophet Muhammad ( ) passed by the place where Tham d used to
lived but were destroyed by Allah when they killed the she-camel. The
Prophet ( ) stopped by the well that the she-camel used to drink from
and told his Companions the story while showing them all the places
where the she-camel used to come from and go to. Then, he warned them
not to ask for a miracle as li ’ s people did. Allah gave them the she-
camel as a miraculous sign, but they did not believe it and killed her. As a
result, Allah destroyed them as a punishment.

Text of the adith

Imam A mad narrated in Al-Musnad that J bir had said that when the
Prophet ( ) passed by al- ijr (a place in the way to Tab k) he said:
“ Do not ask for miracles as li ’ s people did. They asked for a sign.
Consequently, Allah sent them a she-camel and warned them against
hurting it. It used to come from this way and go that way. li ’ s people
disobeyed Allah and killed it. Thus Allah, as a punishment, overtook
them all except one who was in the Great Mosque of Mecca. The
Prophet’ s Companions asked, ‘Who was that man, Prophet of Allah?’ He
( ) said, ‘Ab Righ l, but when he exited the Great Mosque of Mecca,
he faced the same fate as his people.’ ”

Explanation of the adith

Allah told us the story of His Prophet li ( ) and his people Tham d
in full details. This story is not mentioned in the Torah. People of the
book do not know the stories of Tham d, li or d, although we are
told in Qur’ an that Moses mentioned these two nations.
 31

… !" #
And M s [Moses] said: If you disbelieve you and all on earth
together, then verily! Allah is Rich [Free of all wants], Owner of
All Praise. Has not the news reached you, of those before you, the
people of N h [Noah], and d, and Tham d? And those after
them? None knows them but Allah… (Qur’ an 14: 8-9)
The man who believed among the people of the Pharaoh said to his
people:

… …
… O’ my people! I fear for you a fate like that Day of [disaster]
of the Confederates; something like the fate of the people of Noah,
‘ d and Tham d… (Qur’ an 40: 30-31)
Books of Sunnah have told us that the Prophet ( ) passed by the country
of Tham d, which was called al- ijr, on his way to the battlefield of
Tab k. People accompanying the Prophet took rest in al- ijr, drank from
its wells, kneaded flour using its water, and put their pots on the fire. The
Prophet ( ) ordered them to pour out all that was in their pots. They did
so feeding the dough to their camels. Then he took them to the well that
people of Tham d used to drink from. It was the well where the people of
Tham d disobeyed Allah by killing the she-camel. The Prophet ( ) asked
his Companions to cry whenever they passed by people who were
tortured by Allah. He justified that by saying, “ I am afraid that you might
have the same fate of these people.” 1
When people pass by a place that witnessed a great event in their time or
in the past, they feel curious about that event. A thoughtful Muslim

1
See a h Al-Bukh r , 6\378, hadiths no. 3378-3381.
 Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 32

should seize such an opportunity and remind people of what happened to

those people in the past and warn against following their suit. That was
what the Prophet ( ) did. He informed his Companions about all that
Allah had told him. He showed them the path followed by the she-camel
explaining that she used to share the drinking water with the people of
Prophet li on alternating days.
Allah says in the Holy Qur’ an:
…
… Here is a she-camel: It has a right to drink [water] and you have
right to drink [water] [each] on a day known. (Qur’ an 26: 155)

And inform them that the water is to be shared between her and
them, each one’ s right to drink being established [by turns].
(Qur’ an 54: 28)
The Prophet ( ) informed us about other wonders of that she-camel. The
day the she-camel used to drink from the well, li ’ s people would take
as much as they wanted from her milk. They compensated their need for
water by drinking her milk without exerting any effort. Despite the great
benefits they had obtained from her, they despised her and killed her. The
Qur’ an tells us that the killer of the she-camel was a wicked man:

…
When the most wicked man among them went forth to kill the
she–camel, the Messenger of Allah [ li ] said to them: ‘Be
cautious, [Fear the evil end].That is the she-camel of Allah! [Do
not harm it] and prevent it not from having its drink.’ Then they
denied him and killed it… (Qur’ an 91: 12-14)
The Prophet ( ) described the killer to us in one of his hadith as red. He
said to ‘Al bin Ab lib and ‘Amm r, “ Would you like me to tell you
 Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 33

about the most wicked of men?” They answered, “ Sure.” The Prophet ( )
then said, “ The red man of Tham d who killed the she –camel and the
one who will beat you on this ‘Al , pointing at his head until this gets wet,
pointing at his beard.1
In another adith, he was described as a master among his people like
Ab Zam ah.2 When the people of Tham d killed the she-camel, li
promised that they would incur Allah’ s Torture after three days saying:

…
… Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days; this is a
promise, [i.e. a threat] that will not be belied. (Qur’ an 11: 65)
On the third day, a stunning punishment of thunder or lightening
overtook them. Allah says:

But if they turn away, then say [O’ Muhammad ( )]: ‘I have
warned you of a ‘iqah [a destructive awful shriek, thunderbolt]
like that which took ‘ d and the Tham d.’ (Qur’ an 41: 13)

…
… So a destructive awful shriek [thunderbolt], of a disgracing
torment seized them because of what they used to earn.
(Qur’ an 41: 17)
Our Prophet ( ) told us that the thunderbolt seized all members of that
tribe including the ones who were away except one man. He was in the
Ka‘ba which prevented him from torture. Even so, as soon as he left he
fell to the same fate as his tribe. Our Prophet ( ) told us that that man
was called Ab Righ l. The Prophet ( ) also warned his Companions not
to ask for signs as li ’ s people did so as not to incur the same fate.

1
A mad narrated this in his Musnad, 4\263.
2
a Al-Bukh r , 6\378, hadith no. 3377. See also hadiths no. 4942, 5204,
6042; and Muslim, 4\2191, hadith no. 2855.
 Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 34

Lessons of the adith

1. Warning against asking for signs or miracles. Ancient people continually
asked their messengers for signs, but did not believe in them when they
got them. Consequently, they were destroyed.
2. Warning against Allah’ s Revenge and Wrath on those who do not
believe in His Messengers and Books.
3. The she-camel that Allah gave to His Prophet li was a great sign
with its unique creation and features.
4. The acceptability of staying at places that had witnessed great calamities
so that a Muslim may learn lessons from it. This was done by the
Prophet ( ) when he stood by the well of Tham d. Allah orders us in
His Book to travel, ponder what happened to ancient people, and learn
from their fate:

Say [O’ Muhammad] ‘Travel in the land and see the end of those
who rejected truth.’ (Qur’ an 6: 11)

Many were the ways of life that have passed away before you, so
travel through the earth and see what was the end of those who
rejected truth [disbelieved in the Oneness of Allah and disobeyed
Him and His Messengers]. (Qur’ an 3: 137)
The accuracy of the Prophet’ s information. He identified for his
Companions the path followed by the she-camel and the well she used to
drink from. This is not strange since he was taught by Allah, Who knows
everything.
aram (al-Masjid al- ar m), the Great Mosque of Mecca, protects
anyone who seeks its refuge as happened with Ab Righ l who remained
intact as long as he was in aram.
aram’ s protection for Ab Righ l occurred before Abraham’ s time
 Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 35

since li and his people were born before him. li is an Arab who
belonged to people of Noah. What proves the sanctity of Mecca is proven
by what is said by Abraham ( ):

…
O’ our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an
uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House… (Qur’ an 14: 37)
Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad ( ) 36