preacher – is sound. He got up at 4.20 a.m. to getready to pray Fajr
(early morning prayer). He went and did wudoo (ablution) and got
dressed, and got ready to go out and go to the mosque. He was
accustomed to doing that since he was a child.He was used to offering
all his prayers in congregation in the mosque, even Fajr prayer. He
left his house and made his way to themosque. Whilst he was on his
way, he stumbled and fell, and tore part of his garment.
He went back home to change his garment and put on another one. He did
not get angry or swear or curse, he just went back home and simply
changed his clothes. Then he set out again for the mosque, and again
he stumbled and fell, and part of this garment got ripped as well. He
went back homeand changed his garment. Both garments had got torn but
that didnot deter him from his keenness to offer the prayer in
congregation in the mosque. He set out again for the mosque, and he
stumbled for the third time, but suddenly he felt that he was not
falling, and there was someone holding him and preventing him from
falling to the ground. The man was surprised and looked around, but he
did not see anyone. He stood confused for a moment, then he carried on
towards the mosque. Then he heard a voice saying: "Do you know who I
am?" The man said: "No." The voice replied: "I am the one who
prevented you fromfalling." The man said: "Who are you?" He replied:
"I am the shaytan." The man askedhim: "If you are the shaytan, why did
you prevent me from falling?" The shaytan answered: "The first time
when you stumbledand went home to change your clothes, Allah forgave
you all your sins. The second time when you stumbledand went home to
change your clothes, Allah forgave your family. The third time when
you stumbled, I was afraid that if you went back home and changed your
clothes, Allah would forgive all the people of your neighbourhood, so
I supported you and prevented you from falling."
What is confusing me about this story is: is it possible for the
shaytan to speak to a person andhold his hand and prevent him from
falling as is described in this story?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
There is no basis for this story in the books of Sunnah (prophetic
teachings), hadeeth (prophetic narrations) and history. It is
contraryto Islam for several reasons:
1 – The conversation between the man and the shaytan. It is
possiblefor the shaytan to whisper to a person (waswasah) when he is
in his real form, but speaking to him is not possible, unless the
shaytan appears to him in human form.
2 – The shaytan says thathe supported the man when he stumbled. This
is something that is unbelievable, and the shaytan is unable to do
such a thing. Allah has made the angels protectors and guardians of
man, to protect them from the harm of the jinn, because they can see
us but we cannot see them.Allah says (interpretationof the meaning):
"For him (each person), there are angels in succession, before and
behind him. They guard him by the Command of Allah" [13:11]
In this made-up story it clearly states that the shaytan is able to
protect a person against that which may harm him, or that the shaytan
is able to prevent something that has beendecreed by Allah.
3 – The most serious thing in this story is where the shaytan says
that the first time Allah forgave the man all his sins, then the
second time he says that Allah has forgiven his family, and he says
that if he had fallen a third time, Allah would have forgiven the
people of his neighbourhood! All of this is lies against Allah and
claiming to have knowledge of the unseen. Even if a mujahid (warrior)
is wounded in battle against the kuffar (disbelievers) it does
notbring such virtues, so how can it be ascribed to the one who is
going to the mosque? It is not ascribed to one who stumbled when
calling people to Allah or going to uphold ties of kinship or other
acts of worship,so how can these virtuesbe ascribed to one who falls
when he is going to the mosque?
There is nothing about falling or stumbling that brings such virtues.
Many of the Sahaabah (companions) fell, stumbled or were injured at
the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
but there is nothing in the Sunnah which ascribes such virtues to them
or even some of those virtues. Allah does not forgive a family or the
people of aneighbourhood or city because of the deeds or acts of
worship of one ofthe righteous, let alone the fact that stumbling does
not bring a person closer to Allah and it is not an act of worship in
itself. If anyone were to benefit from the actions of another, then
the father of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) would have benefited from
the prophethood of his son, and the son of Nuh would have benefited
from the prophethood of his father, and Abu Talib would have benefited
from the prophethood of his nephew Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him).
Moreover, how did the shaytan know of all that so that he could tell
this man about it? Does the shaytan have the power to prevent mercy
reaching one of the slaves of Allah upon whom He wishes to bestow it?
No. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Whatever of mercy (i.e. of good), Allah may grant to mankind, none
can withhold it; and whatever He may withhold, none can grant it
thereafter. And He is the All‑Mighty, the All‑Wise" [35:2]
Secondly:
Undoubtedly these false stories are things that become widespread
among those who do not understand their religion properly and who do
not know the Oneness of their Lord (Tawheed). They are propagated by
liars and storytellers who fabricate lies against thelaws of Allah.
Allah has issued a stern warning against these liars. Allah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad): (But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden
are Al‑Fawaahish (great evil sins and every kind of unlawful sexual
intercourse) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all
kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with
Allah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about
Allah of which you have no knowledge" [7:33]
What khateebs (orators) and preachers must do isbe above being mere
storytellers who tell the common folk stories thatgo against sharee'ah
(Islamic teachings). The salaf (pious predecessors) of this ummah
(nation) issued astern warning against these storytellers, because of
the bad effects that their stories have on the common folk and because
they contain things that go against the laws of Allah.
In a hadeeth that was classed as hasan (sound) by Shaykh al-Albani in
al-Silsilah al-Saheehah it was narrated that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When the Children of Israel
were doomed they started to tell stories."
Shaykh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It says in al-Nihayah: "when they were doomed they started to tell
stories" which meansthey relied on words and forsook deeds, and that
was the reason for their doom, or vice versa: when they were doomed it
was because they stopped doing good deeds and turned to stories.
Al-Albani said, commenting on this:
It may be said that the reason they were doomed was that they paid too
much attention to stories at the expense of fiqh (jurisprudence) and
beneficial knowledge which teach the people about their religion, and
motivate them to do righteous deeds. Because they did that, they were
doomed.Al-Silsilah al-Saheehah.
This is the case with the storytellers; they pay toomuch attention to
stories and myths, whichthey narrate to the common folk, without any
understanding or knowledge, and the common man hears a lotbut does not
understandany ruling or gain any knowledge.
Ibn al-Jawzi said in Talbees Iblees:
The storytellers are not condemned just for being storytellers,
because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"We relate unto you (Muhammad) the best of stories" [12:3]
"So relate the stories" [7:176]
Rather the storytellers are condemned because they tell many stories
without mentioning any beneficial knowledge, and usually they mix
sound and unsound material in what they narrate and rely on things
that are mostly impossible. End quote.
It was narrated that Abu Qilabah 'Abd-Allah ibn Zayd said: Nothing
kills knowledge but stories. Aman may sit with another man for a year
and not learn anything from him, and he may sitwith a knowledgeable
man and not get up untilhe has learned something. Hilyat al-Awliya.
How often do these storytellers narrate from bad reports to the
masses, and tell them these fables, which reach such a status among
the masses that they believe everything that they hear and even give
them precedence over the scholars and seekers of knowledge.
Al-Hafiz al-'Iraqi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
One of the problems with them is that they speak to so many peopleand
tell them things thatthey are unable to comprehend, and that leads
them to confusion and makes them developmisconceptions. This applies
if what they tell them is sound, so how about if it is false?
Tahdheer al-Khawaas by al-Suyooti,quoting from al-Baa'ith 'ala
al-Khalaas by al-'Iraaqi.
Ibn al-Jawzi said:
The storyteller narrates weird reports to the masses, and tells them
that even if he had even the slightest whiff of knowledge he would not
have told them. So the masses leave with a lot of false notions in
their minds, which they discuss amongst themselves. If a scholar
denounces them, they say: we heard this, he narrated it to us. How
many storytellers have misled others by means of the fabricated
reportsthey narrate to them; how many people have turned yellow with
hunger (because of what they heard encouraging asceticism); how many
people left their families, homes and cities to wander likemonks; how
many have refrained from doing that which is permitted; how many have
refrained from learning and teaching knowledge, believing that he is
going against his own whims and desires; how many have made their
children orphans because of theirasceticism whilst still alive; how
many have turned away from their wives and not given them their
rights, so thatshe is neither single nor truly married. End
quote.Al-Mawdoo'aa
This is why the storytellers are criticized by many of the salaf.
Maymoon ibn Mahran (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The storyteller may expect punishment from Allah, and the one who
listens to him may expect mercy.
Al-Albani (may Allah havemercy on him) said, following hadeeth no.
4070 in al-Silsilah al-Da'eefah:
This was narrated by Ibnal-Mubarak in his book al-Zuhd with a saheeh
isnaad (authentic chain).
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The greatest liars amongthe people are the storytellers. The people
need truthful storytellerswho will remind them ofdeath and the
punishment of the grave. It was said to him:Didn't you attend their
gatherings? He said: No. Al-Adaab al-Shar'iyyah by Ibn Muflih
al-Hanbali.
We ask Allah to set straight the affairs of theimams (leaders) and
khateebs (orators), and to guide them to that which is best for them
and others.
And Allah knows best. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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