Seerah of Prophet Muhammed 16 - The Incident of the Satanic Verses - Yasir Qadhi | November 2011
Seerah of Prophet Muhammed 16 - The Incident of the Satanic Verses - Yasir Qadhi | November 2011
Shortly after the emigration to Abyssinia, the Muslims came back to Makkah. So much so it's narrated that they came back in the month of Shawwal. They emigrated in Rajab but came back just 3 months later. There were about 15 people who emigrated, and they all came back. What happened to cause them to change their mind and come back to the very land of torture?
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Introduction
This incident was the famous incident some called the 'satanic verses'. They returned back because of one rumor. And that was that the Quraysh had accepted Islam. Indeed, for anyone, the most difficult time of moving is the first few months, when you don't have a house, you don't have friends, you are not settled down, etc. It's so different from what you're used to - acclimatization, different language, different culture, etc. It's very difficult. And so some rumor spread that they just pounced on, and they embraced. And that rumor was that the Quraysh had accepted Islam. No matter how wild it sounded, their hearts were yearning to go back to Makkah so they decided to pack their bags and go all the way back, as they had no way to verify the rumor. On the way there, they discover this to be not true. The basis of the rumor was what some call the 'satanic verses'.
Before we begin, the controversy comes over whether the incident of the 'satanic verses' is authentic or not. And IF it is authentic, how do we understand the incident. So we'll discuss the different versions of the story that exist. We'll discuss 3 versions.
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Version 1
This is the version reported in Sahih Bukhari, thus the most authentic. And it says in this hadith, that in the month of Ramadan (the month is not mentioned in Bukhari, but we learn this from Ibn Ishaq), in the 5th year of the dawah, the Prophet PBUH recited Surah al-Najm in its entirety. It's a very powerful and eloquent surah. The momentum and the excitement builds up especially towards the end. The power of the Quran affected the entire congregation, Muslim and non-Muslim, such that when the Prophet PBUH recited the last verse, "Prostrate to Allah and worship Him," the Muslims fell into sajdah, and the Quraysh were so emotional that they too fell into sajdah. For the first time, Muslim and non-Muslim ALL united behind the Prophet PBUH. Except for al-Walid ibn al-Mughira (or in another version Umayyah ibn Khalaf) who put sand to his head and said, "This is good enough for me." By the time this news reached the 15 sahaba in Abyssinia, the rumor had been exaggerated.
This is the version narrated in Bukhari. A simple story.
Surah al-Najm is such a powerful and eloquent surah. There's an element of excitement being built up verse by verse that even the Quraysh were overwhelmed by the power of the surah and they too prostrated. In the last few ayahs, Allah says:
أَمْ لَمْ يُنَبَّأْ بِمَا فِي صُحُفِ مُوسَىٰ
وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ الَّذِي وَفَّىٰ
أَلَّا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ
وَأَن لَّيْسَ لِلْإِنسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ
وَأَنَّ سَعْيَهُ سَوْفَ يُرَىٰ
ثُمَّ يُجْزَاهُ الْجَزَاءَ الْأَوْفَىٰ
وَأَنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ الْمُنتَهَىٰ
وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَضْحَكَ وَأَبْكَىٰ
وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَمَاتَ وَأَحْيَا
وَأَنَّهُ خَلَقَ الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنثَىٰ
مِن نُّطْفَةٍ إِذَا تُمْنَىٰ
وَأَنَّ عَلَيْهِ النَّشْأَةَ الْأُخْرَىٰ
وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَغْنَىٰ وَأَقْنَىٰ
وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ رَبُّ الشِّعْرَىٰ
وَأَنَّهُ أَهْلَكَ عَادًا الْأُولَىٰ
وَثَمُودَ فَمَا أَبْقَىٰ
وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ مِّن قَبْلُ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا هُمْ أَظْلَمَ وَأَطْغَىٰ
وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ أَهْوَىٰ
فَغَشَّاهَا مَا غَشَّىٰ
فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكَ تَتَمَارَىٰ
هَٰذَا نَذِيرٌ مِّنَ النُّذُرِ الْأُولَىٰ
أَزِفَتِ الْآزِفَةُ
لَيْسَ لَهَا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ كَاشِفَةٌ
أَفَمِنْ هَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ تَعْجَبُونَ
وَتَضْحَكُونَ وَلَا تَبْكُونَ
وَأَنتُمْ سَامِدُونَ
فَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ وَاعْبُدُوا
"Or has he not been informed of what was in the scriptures of Moses
And [of] Abraham, who fulfilled [his obligations]
That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another
And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives
And that his effort is going to be seen
Then he will be recompensed for it with the fullest recompense
And that to your Lord is the finality
And that it is He who makes [one] laugh and weep
And that it is He who causes death and gives life
And that He creates the two mates - the male and female
From a sperm-drop when it is emitted
And that [incumbent] upon Him is the next creation
And that it is He who enriches and suffices
And that it is He who is the Lord of Sirius
And that He destroyed the first [people of] 'Ad
And Thamud - and He did not spare [them]
And the people of Noah before. Indeed, it was they who were [even] more unjust and oppressing.
And the overturned towns He hurled down
And covered them by that which He covered.
Then which of the favors of your Lord do you doubt?
This [Prophet] is a warner like the former warners.
The Approaching Day has approached.
Of it, [from those] besides Allah, there is no remover.
Then at this statement do you wonder?
And you laugh and do not weep
While you are proudly sporting?
So prostrate to Allah and worship [Him]."
[53:36-62]
Imagine the Prophet PBUH reciting this so powerfully. And it's truly a powerful surah with constant rhetorical questions - so when the Prophet PBUH reaches the end and falls down in sajdah, the Muslims fall down, and even the Quraysh fall down. And so version 1, the Bukhari version is the authentic version. There is no need for a far fetched tale to explain it. It was narrated by Ibn Abbas, "The Prophet PBUH recited Surah al-Najm, and he prostrated, and all of the Muslims and the mushriks, and even the jinn, prostrated with him - except for al-Walid ibn al-Mughira (or in another version Umayyah ibn Khalaf), he took sand and he put it on his head and said, 'This is sufficient for me.'"
There is no mention of shaytan.
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Disputed Versions (2 and 3)
Version 2 & 3 revolve around reports that are not found in the famous books of hadith. Nor in the 6 Books or Musnad Imam Ahmad. Not even in Ibn Ishaq or Ibn Hisham. They are found usually in the more obscure works - books that collect everything, tertiary works. Such as al-Tabari's tafsirs and al-Wahidi's Asbab al-Nuzul. Note, al-Tabari didn't write a tafsir for the masses. Rather he wanted to write an encyclopedia for the scholars. He mentioned in the beginning of his famous book, "I will report absolutely everything I hear, authentic or not." Al-Tabari is not Bukhari - Bukhari was a critical collector. And so the following reports that mention a story that involve Iblis, shaytan, is found in these such books. And because it involves Iblis, a western researcher (orientalist) by the name of Sir William Muir (d. 1905) said we'll call it the 'satanic verses'. So this term was coined by this person who specialized in Islam, and became a professor who wrote a big book about the seerah in English. And so he labelled the chapter the 'satanic verses'. The Islamic sources call it the 'story of the gharaniq (قصة الغرانيق)' Gharaniq is the name of a beautiful bird with long neck - modern Arab linguists differ whether it's pelican, heron, or crane.
In essence versions 2 and 3 are the same but with one critical difference:
Version 2
This version adds details not found in Bukhari or any well known sources of seerah. Recorded by al-Tabari in his Tafsir:
It goes back to Urwah ibn Zubayr. Recall he wasn't a sahabi so there is a missing link in the chain of narration - it does not go back to the Prophet PBUH. He was a famous tabi' but not a sahabi. Urwah was not narrating from the Prophet PBUH. In verse 19-22 of Surah al-Najm, Allah says, "Have you not seen al-Lat and al-Uzza? (19) And the third of them Manat? (20) Are you going to get the males and you will give Him the females? (21) What an unfair sharing. (22)" Now the story is this: Urwah said, "After verse 20, shaytan cried out, and he added two verses that were not in the Qur'an, and these verses were heard by the nonbelievers but NOT the believers. Shaytan cried out in his own voice, and he added two verses. After "Have you not seen al-Lat and al-Uzza and the third of them Manat?" he added, "These idols are the mighty cranes, and their requests (intercessions) will be granted." This is the first time the idols were being 'praised' apparently. That these idols are beautiful birds and that you should worship them as their intercession will be accepted. And so, when the mushriks heard these verses they thought, "Finally he (the Prophet PBUH) has come to the middle ground. He is willing to accept our gods finally." Recall their problem was that the Prophet PBUH rejected al-Lat and al-Uzza, and they had no problem with Allah. So they said, "The Prophet PBUH has agreed to accept our gods," and so when the Prophet PBUH finished, they all prostrated with him.
Version 3
This version is found in al-Wahidi and other Islamic sources - so to be clear, the story of the 'satanic verses' were not concocted by non-Muslims. They are found in Muslim sources. This is why non-Muslims jump on this. They say the Qur'an can be changed by shaytan. So to non-Muslims, this story clearly proves the Prophet PBUH invented the Qur'an - he changes his theology one day to the next, singing the tune of the people. And again the story is not fabricated by non-Muslims - it's found in our sources. Version 3 is even worse. In version 2, shaytan recited out and the mushrikun hear. In version 3, the Prophet PBUH hears shaytan's recitation and thinks it is Jibril AS reciting to him, so then with his own tongue the Prophet PBUH recited those 'satanic verses.' This is of course even worse - because those who believe this story are now saying that the Prophet PBUH couldn't tell the difference between shaytan and Jibril AS. This is the premise for the non-Muslims' argument (and Salman Rushdie's book, as a side note).
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Recap
So we have three versions.
1. Version 1 is in the most authentic version found in the most authentic sources such as Sahih al-Bukhari, Musnad Imam Ahmad, etc.
Then it gets lower and lower in authenticity.
2. In version 2, the details say shaytan screamed out and the Muslims didn't hear but the non-Muslims somehow did.
3. In the 3rd version, shaytan pretends to be Jibril AS. And when Jibril recites the Qur'an, shaytan throws in two verses, and so the Prophet PBUH recites these two verses. And so when the Quraysh prostrated, according to version 3, Jibril AS came back and asked the Prophet PBUH, "What did you recite?" He PBUH recited again with the two 'satanic verses,' and Jibril AS then says, "I never told you to say this." And so the Prophet PBUH got very depressed and hurt thinking he invented this. And then Allah revealed Surah al-Hajj verse 52:
"And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet except that when he spoke [or recited], satan threw into it [adds some misunderstanding]. But Allah abolishes that which satan throws in; then Allah makes precise His verses. And Allah is Knowing and Wise." [22:52]
So the thing that shaytan said will become a fitna for those that have a weak and hard heart. So according to version 3, shaytan succeeds in deceiving the Prophet PBUH, and so the Prophet PBUH recites these verses, but Allah then corrects these verses, and the proper recitation is revealed, and initially the Quraysh say they want to join hands but then they say no.
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Camps of Scholars on Each Version
There is no question that the first report is authentic - it is in Bukhari.
The problem is that versions 2 and 3 do NOT contradict version 1.
Sadly, the scholars don't all agree.
We have a good group of scholars who say version 1 is all we need, and reject versions 2 and 3, such as:
1. Ibn Kathir - the most famous scholar of tafsir.
2. Al-Qadi Ayyad - a specialist in seerah.
3. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi
4. Al-Albani (d. 1999 CE) - who was the greatest scholar of hadith in our times, who wrote an entire book on just this story, and he went over every single report and shows every report is weak.
5. Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Khuzaymah (d. 311 AH) - one of the four people to write a sahih book. (Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Hibban, and Ibn Khuzaymah.) And when he was asked about this story, he said, "This is a fabrication the enemies of Islam did to try and destroy Islam." This was going back in 311 Hijrah.
How we wish we can restrict ourselves to them.
Unfortunately there are other scholars who say version 2 and 3 actually are true. An interesting point: In 1966, there was a world wide conference on this one story in Cairo, Egypt. A lot of the major scholars who were there all presented papers and references and proofs, and the outcome of the conference was that versions 2 and 3 are fabricated. So we can say the bulk of the scholars cross out version 2 and 3. And in any modern book of seerah, this story isn't mentioned or it's mentioned as a fabrication. However, that's not the only position within Sunni Islam. Some scholars have accepted version 2, and some even version 3. Had they been small names we could have rejected them, but they were all big names.
Version 2 which says Iblis said out loud and the Prophet PBUH had no idea - this is easy to swallow because there's no interference with the process of wahy per se. And this version is accepted by a lot of scholars, most importantly, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, who was one of the specialist of Sahih al-Bukhari. His point is that, it's true every individual version of the story is from a weak chain - but when you put all these chains and stories together, it's acceptable. This leads us to a small tangent in the Sciences of Hadith: It's a true principle that if you have many hadiths about the same story and even if they all have weak chains, if you put them together, you can say it's acceptable and true. And so Ibn Hajar applied this principle to this incident. He says, "All the reports are certainly weak, but when you put them together we can accept it as truth." Shaykh al-Albani says what Ibn Hajar says is true that weak reports put together become authentic, BUT not every single time - there is a science behind it. This rule has exceptions, and Shaykh al-Albani shows we cannot apply this principle here.
Version 3, had it been supported by anyone else we could leave it, but it's supported by one of the greatest scholars of Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah. And he writes about this in a number of his books and tafsirs, and he says that not only do all the reports add up and make it authentic, but the verse of Surah al-Hajj makes it crystal clear, that, "O Prophet PBUH, it's not only you, many prophets faced this." Now this word 'tamanna' originally means 'to recite' (Ibn Abbas himself said it means to recite). But later on it picked up another meaning which is 'to wish.' So this ayah can be interpreted in two ways:
"And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet except that when he spoke [or recited], satan threw into it [adds some misunderstanding]. But Allah abolishes that which satan throws in; then Allah makes precise His verses. And Allah is Knowing and Wise. That He may make what is thrown in by satan a trial for those in whose hearts is a disease (of hypocrisy and disbelief) and whose hearts are hardened." [22:52-53]
Meaning this 'satanic verses' become a test for those with weak Iman - opinion of Ibn Taymiyyah.
The other interpretation is that this verse has nothing to do with Surah al-Najm. Nothing to do with the 'satanic verses.' It's a general verse, and take it at face value:
"And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet except that when he wishes, satan threw into it [tampers with his intentions]. But Allah abolishes that which satan throws in; then Allah makes precise His verses. And Allah is Knowing and Wise. [22:52]
But Ibn Taymiyyah says: If you were to take this verse at face value, how then do you understand the next verse [22:53]? "That He (Allah) may make what is thrown in by satan a trial for those in whose hearts is a disease (of hypocrisy and disbelief) and whose hearts are hardened…" - So according to Ibn Taymiyyah, this means they have heard something.
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Scholars' Arguments
The other dimension is theological.
The majority of those who say version 2 or 3 cannot happen say: How is it possible that the Prophet PBUH could not tell the difference between Jibril AS and shaytan? It implies that the revelation itself has the possibility to be corrupted. The integrity of the wahy becomes compromised. So a famous scholar said, "I don't care if the isnads are like the sun, I will not accept this story." Al-Qadi Ayyad is one of the scholars who say this - one of the best writers of the books of seerah. He says, "How can anyone believe in this story?" And he says, "How can anyone accept that the Prophet PBUH takes shaytan's recitation?" Nabi are ma'sum (cannot commit mistakes) - so we cannot accept that this incident occurred.
Ibn Hajar says version 2 does not compromise the Prophet's PBUH honor and integrity. So we'll reject version 3 and accept version 2 - version 2 is not a big deal according to him.
But Ibn Taymiyyah, who of course also believes that the Prophet PBUH is ma'sum (no Sunni Muslim says otherwise), said, his definition of 'isma' (عصم) is different to that of other Muslims. Can the prophets commit mistakes? According to Ibn Taymiyyah, the prophets cannot commit major mistakes, vulgar sins, or lie. BUT they can make judgmental errors (and he quotes many examples e.g. prisoners of the Battle of Badr when Allah revealed in the Quran, "It is not for a prophet to have captives [of war] until..." [8:67]). Then Ibn Taymiyyah says that the prophet can commit minor sins - but they do not persist and they repent immediately. And of course the main example is of Adam AS. So Ibn Taymiyyah said the Prophet PBUH is the best human, but he is a human. And so he can commit sins, but he repents immediately and in this repentance is the perfection of the prophets. He quotes second example in Surah al-Fath verse 2, "That Allah may forgive you your sins of the past and the future, and complete His Favor on you, and guide you on the Straight Path." [48:2] He says that their humanity is as perfect as possible. Indeed the prophets can't just be angels as there would be no point. So Ibn Taymiyyah says this does not show at all that the wahy has been corrupted, but rather it shows the wahy has been protected and the Prophet PBUH is the most truthful of all those who speak the truth because of the fact that he came clean with the story.
(As a footnote: There are two stories in the seerah that are highly sensitive, emotional, and controversial. The first of these is this (the incident of the 'satanic verses'); and the second is the story of Zaynab. And that is a very difficult story - even though relatively easier compared to this. Nonetheless it has its own 'issues.' Allah revealed in the Qur'an verses about Zayd ibn Harithah and Zaynab bint Jahsh [33:37]. Zayd and Zaynab were married. One day, Zayd came to the Prophet PBUH wanting to divorce Zaynab, but the Prophet PBUH advised him to keep his wife. At this, Allah revealed the verse, "And [remember, O Muhammad], when you said to the one on whom Allah bestowed favor and you bestowed favor, "Keep your wife and fear Allah," while you concealed within yourself that which Allah is to disclose. And you feared the people, while Allah has more right that you fear Him. So when Zayd had no longer any need for her, We married her to you in order that there not be upon the believers any discomfort concerning the wives of their adopted sons when they no longer have need of them. And ever is the command of Allah accomplished." [33:37] This is a whole different tangent. But we should never be afraid of these verses, especially if we live in a non-Muslim land and the people are going to come and say, "Look, this is what your Book says." Some Muslims, when they are told of this story the way it is found in the non-Muslim books, they go, "A'udhubiLlah, how is this possible?" - they have no clue. Ignorance is not bliss [in this case]. Knowledge is power. So we need to embrace these stories, say them, and then critique them academically. Aisha RA says, "If the Prophet PBUH wanted to hide something from the Qur'an, he would have hidden this verse. But he still recited it to the people, and to this day it is in the Qur'an." - He didn't have to tell us this verse, yet he recited it all, and they are in Surah al-Ahzab. Allah does the nikah himself in the Qur'an.)
(For now) the point is Aisha RA says: If the Prophet PBUH wanted to hide something, he would have hidden this verse. Ibn Taymiyyah says: Why can't we apply the same to this story? He says Allah allowed the shaytan to get in two verses, but then Allah abrogated what the shaytan said, and the Prophet PBUH came clean and said everything.
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Sh. Yasir Qadhi's Opinion
Allah AWJ knows the truth; but as a minor student of knowledge, Sheikh Yasir Qadhi's opinion is as follows: Version 1 is the truth. We can cross out version 2 and 3 for the following seven reasons:
1. Claiming that Iblis can inspire the Prophet PBUH seems to indicate that the process of wahy can be interfered. And this seems to go against Allah's guarantee about the purity of revelation, e.g. [41:42], [15:9], [26:192-193]. (Of course to this Ibn Taymiyyah would say: Even according to his interpretation the revelation is still pure, as Allah abrogated what the shaytan said. But still.)
2. There is no authentic version of the satanic incident. Every single narration is weak and none of them has an unbroken chain back to the Prophet PBUH.
3. Even if we forget the isnad analysis, look at the story itself: There are so many versions of it. In yet another version we find they say the Prophet PBUH was sleepy and so he messed up. In another version he was in salah at the Ka'bah. In another version he was sitting in the gathering, reciting.
4. No authentic book of hadith mentions this incident - forget books of hadith it's not found even in Ibn Hisham and Ibn Ishaq (the authentic books of seerah). They are found in the tertiary sources.
5. [This point is the biggest for Sh. YQ] Contextual analysis of the verses. Verses 19-20 show that what will follow will be criticism because of the istifham qari (derogatory questioning). Even in English, you do not speak like this when speaking of something to be honored. Then comes the verse after ("unjust division"). If the 'satanic verses' are inserted, the story makes no sense. From criticism to praise to criticism, it doesn't work linguistically or contextually!
6. (Pointed out by Muhammad Abduh - mufti of Egypt d. 1905 CE) Even linguistically it makes no sense because the word gharaniq has never been used in pre-Islamic poetry to refer to the idols. This would be the only time it is found - in this story. If shaytan really wanted to fool the pagans, he would choose a word that they recognized.
7. We have the authentic story of Bukhari with a good enough explanation as to why the mushrikun prostrated - simply the power of the Qur'an; and everything makes sense. Why would we resort to the 'satanic verses'? Ibn Abbas RA said the power of the surah was so much that the Muslims, mushriks, jinn, and ins all prostrated except one man raising dirt to his forehead (al-Walid ibn al-Mughira or Umayyah ibn Khalaf).
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Modern researchers wonder as to where this story came from. But even legends have a basis. There is a modern historian who theorizes that when the Quraysh prostrated, they felt embarrassed they had become so emotional, so as a result, they said the reason they did this was because the Prophet PBUH had agreed to praise their idols. Sadly, we cannot find any classical reasoning to verify this. It is a reality that the tabi'un narrated it, but none of the companions mentioned it. In the end, all verses have been accounted for; those two verses are not in the Qur'an anyway. And so as Allah says, He has made His verses crystal clear.