English Translation of Seminal Islamic Texts

 - The speech of Our Lord is not like the speech of His creatures. The speech of Allāh is continuous. There are no pauses in His speech or any breaks as is characteristic of the speech of humans. Human speech involves pauses and breaks because they must breathe. It also involves dialogue (which requires that one party halts to listen to the other). They also suffer from tiredness. Allāh is, however, pure of all these blemishes and He is the Greatest and the Mighty. 207. (1) ᶜAlī b. al-Ḥusayn b. Ibrāhīm b. Al-Ḥurr → Abū Muᶜāwiyah → al-Aᶜmash → Muslim b. Ṣabīḥ → Masrūq → ᶜAbd Allāh → the Prophet: When Allāh speaks through revelation, the dwellers of the heaven hear a loud clatter like the one produced by a chain when pulled through the rocks. They fall unconscious. They remain in this state till Gabriel comes to them. When he comes to them, they are relieved. Then they say: “O Gabriel: What did our Lord say?” He tells them: “He says the truth ( al-ḥaqq ).” The Prophet said that ...

 - The Heavens dread His speech and those living in them become unconscious and prostrate before Allah. 206. (1) Zakariyyā b. Yaḥyā b. Abān al-Miṣrī → Naᶜīm b. Ḥammād → al-Walīd b. Muslim → ᶜAbd al-Raḥmān b. Yazīd b. Jābir → Ibn Abī Zakariyyā → Rajāᵓ b. Ḥayawah → al-Nuwās b. Samᶜān  → the Prophet: When Allāh wants to deliver a message, He speaks through revelation. (When He speaks) a tremor seizes the heaven (or perhaps he used the words raᶜdatan shadīdatan , great tremor) for the fear of Allāh. When the dwellers of the heaven hear this, they fall unconscious and lie prostrating before Allah. The first one to raise his head is Gabriel. Then Allāh speaks to him whatever He wants to reveal. Then Gabriel passes it to the other angels. Whoever among the angels he passes in every heaven they ask him: “What did our Lord say O Gabriel?” He tells them: “He told the truth, and He is the Greatest, the Mightiest.” The Prophet said: “Then they repeat what he says. Then Gabriel ta...

-  Allāh Almighty spoke to Moses from behind a drapery. There was no messenger between Allāh Almighty and Moses. Moses did not see his Lord during the dialogue. 205. (1) Aḥmad b. ᶜAbd al-Raḥmān b. Wahb → his uncle → Hishām b. Saᶜd → Zayd b. Aslam → his father → ᶜUmar b. Khaṭṭāb → the Prophet: Moses said: “O Lord! Show me Adam who got us and himself out of Paradise.” Allāh showed him Adam. He said: “O Adam! You are our father.” Adam said: “Yes.” He said: “You are the one in whom Allāh blew His spirit and whom He taught the names of everything? He ordered the angel to prostrate before you and they did?” He said: “Yes”. He said: “Then what made you get us and yourself out of Paradise?” Adam said: “Who are you?” He said: “I am Moses.” He said: “Are you the Prophet sent to the children of Israel, to whom Allāh spoke from behind the drapery, without a messenger from His creatures between you and Him?” He said: “Yes.” He said: “Have you not found in the Book of Allāh that it was o...

-  Scribes During the Reign of Sulaymān b. ʿAbd al-Malik Sālim b. N u ʿ ay m al-Ḥimyarī worked as the scribe of Sulaymān. A letter arrived from M a sl a mah reporting his entry into Byzantine lands, noting his advances beyond what anyone had accomplished. Sulaymān said to his scribe, "Inscribe  on it that this achievement belonged to God, not to M a sl a mah." Scribes attached to Sulaymān included al-Layth b. Abī R u q ay yah at the Bureau of Correspondence ( dīwān al-rasāʾil ) and N u ʿ ay m b. Salāmah at the bureau of the seal. A man from Palestine, known as Ibn Baṭrīq, served as his scribe . He advised Sulaymān to establish al-Ramla h . This was prompted by that Ibn Baṭrīq asked the residents of Ludd for a plain site in the church [jurisdiction] so that he could build a house . They refused. He threatened to destroy the church [ if his demand was denied ] . Sulaymān [decided to agree with him and argued for destruction of the Church by] saying, "The  Commander of t...

-  فصل: [مسلمؒ کے ہاں صحیح کی شرط] شیخ امام ابو عمرو ابن الصلاحؒ فرماتے ہیں کہ امام مسلمؒ نے اپنی صحیح میں [حدیث کی صحت کی لازمی] شرط یہ رکھی ہے کہ اس کی سند متصل ہو، [اس سند میں] ہر راوی معتبر ہو، اپنے جیسے معتبر راوی سے روایت کر رہا ہو، اور یہ سلسلہ ابتدا سے انتہا تک ایسے ہی راویوں کے ذریعے پہنچے۔ مزید یہ کہ سند کسی شذوذ یا علت سے پاک ہو۔ انہوں نے کہا: یہی صحیح حدیث کی درست تعریف ہے۔ لہٰذا جس حدیث میں یہ تمام شرائط موجود ہوں، وہ اہلِ حدیث کے ہاں بلا اختلاف صحیح مانی جاتی ہے۔ جہاں اہلِ علم نے کسی حدیث کی صحت میں اختلاف کیا ہے، اس کی مختلف وجوہات ہیں۔ ہو سکتا ہے کہ کسی حدیث میں ان شرائط میں سے کسی ایک شرط کا فقدان ہو، یا اہلِ حدیث اس امر میں مختلف ہوں کہ کون سی شرط ضروری ہے۔ مثال کے طور پر کسی روایت کی سند میں بعض راوی مستور ہوں، یا حدیث مرسل ہو۔ بعض اوقات اختلاف اس وجہ سے بھی ہوتا ہے کہ آیا کسی حدیث میں یہ تمام شرائط موجود ہیں یا ان میں سے بعض مفقود ہیں، اور اختلاف کا سب سے عام سبب یہی ہے۔ ایسا بھی ہوتا ہے کہ کسی حدیث کے تمام راوی ثقہ ہوں، مگر ان میں ابو الزبیر مکی، سہیل بن ...

On the Speech of Allah Allah Spoke to Moses It is an exclusive quality of Moses that he is the only Prophet with whom Allah spoke. The Qurᵓān mentions this fact in brief statements which have later been detailed in some other verses. Abū Bakr said: We start with a mention of the mujmal (brief) divine statements. Then we will present, with the help of Allah, the verses which explain and detail these mujmal verses. Proofs from the Book Allāh says: Those apostles We endowed with gifts, some above others: To one of them Allah spoke; others He raised to degrees (of honour); to Jesus the son of Mary, We gave clear (signs), and strengthened him with the holy spirit. If Allah had so willed, succeeding generations would not have fought among each other, after clear (signs) had come to them, but they (chose) to wrangle, some believing and others rejecting. If Allah had so willed, they would not have fought each other; but Allah fulfills His plan (Q 02:253). We see that in this ve...

--The scholars of Hejaz and Iraq have reported these narratives from the Prophet. These narratives state that the Almighty descends to the nearest heaven every night. We bear witness to what the Prophet said with his tongue, affirm what his heart believed in, and we have faith in what these narratives contain regarding the descent of Allah. We, however, do not determine the mode of His descent for the Prophet did not tell us the modality of His descent. The Almighty and His Messenger have not left anything unexplained for the believers that which they need to know regarding their religion. Therefore, we believe in and affirm what is reported about the descent of Allah. We do not take upon ourselves to unnaturally try to pronounce on the modality of the descent because the Prophet has not explained it. These ḥadīth reports contain clear and sound proofs that Allah is above the nearest heaven. For the Prophet has told us that Allah descends to the nearest heaven. It is not possible, ac...

 178. (1) Abū Hāshim, Ziyād b. Ayyūb → Mubashshir (Ibn Ismāᵓīl al-Ḥalbī → al-Awzāᶜī → Yaḥyā b. Ibn Abī Kathīr → Ḥilāl b. Abī Maymūnah → ᶜAṭāᵓ b. Yassār → Muᶜāwiyah b. al-Ḥakam al-Sulamī: I had a herd of sheep shepherded by a slave girl around ᶜU ̣ hd and its surroundings. A wolf attacked the herd and took a goat. I, being a human being, was upset and beat her (my slave girl). Then I came to the Prophet. I regretted what I had done, and I asked the Messenger of Allah whether I should free her? The Prophet said: “Yes, bring her here.” I took her to the Prophet who asked her: “Where is Allāh?” She replied: “On the heaven.” He asked again: “Who I am?” She replied: “You are the Messenger of Allah.” At this the Prophet said: “She is a believer. Free her.” 179. (2) Bundār and Abū Qadāmah → Yaḥyā (Ibn Saᶜīd) → Yaḥyā b. Abī Kathīr. Bunār said: Narrated to us ( ḥaddathanā ) al-Hajjāj from Yaḥyā b. Abī Kathīr. Abū Qudāmah, however, said:  Narrated to me Yaḥyā b. Abī Kathīr ...