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Prophet Muhammad's revelations, bells and Satan ?! Muslim 2114 (24, 5279) - Bukhari, (1, 1, Num. 2) & (4, 54, 438) Muslim 2333 b (30, 5765)

Question: 

How do Muslims understand these hadiths ?

1.    "The bell is one of the musical instruments of Satan."

2.    Al-Harith bin Hisham asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! How is the Divine Inspiration revealed to you?" Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) replied, "Sometimes it is (revealed) like the ringing of a bell, this form of Inspiration is the hardest of all and then this state passes off after I have grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I grasp whatever he says." 'Aisha added: Verily I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) being inspired divinely on a very cold day and noticed the sweat dropping from his forehead (as the Inspiration was over).

Answer :

Praise be to Allah,

The first Hadith:

‏"الجرس مزامير الشيطان‏"‏‏

"The bell is the 'Mazameer' of the Satan."

As for the hadith “The bell is the flutes/Psalms of the Satan”, it is reported by Imam Muslim in the Chapter of “the disapproval of setting out on a journey along with a dog and bells”. There is another narration of the same hadith that reads, “Angels (of mercy) don’t accompany people who set out on a journey along with a dog or bell”.

The hadith is clearly a metaphor. Bells are neither flutes nor Psalms.

In his book, an-Nihayyah, Ibn al-Athir says, 

"الجُلْجُل الَّذِي يُعلَّق عَلَى الدَّوابّ، قِيلَ إِنَّمَا كَرِهَه لِأَنَّهُ يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَصْحَابِهِ بِصَوْته. وَكَانَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ يحبُّ أَنْ لَا يَعْلم الْعَدُوُّ بِهِ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَهُمْ فَجْأَةً"

“Bells were hanged on camels and other riding animals. Bells were then disliked (by the Prophet) as they make voices through which enemies would know about the coming of the Muslim army."

In his explanation of the above hadith, the great Imam an-Nawawi says, 

"أما فقه الحديث ففيه كراهة استصحاب الكلب والجرس في الأسفار ، وأن الملائكة لا تصحب رفقة فيها أحدهما ، والمراد بالملائكة ملائكة الرحمة والاستغفار ، لا الحفظة ... وأما الجرس فقيل : سبب منافرة الملائكة له أنه شبيه بالنواقيس ، أو لأنه من المعاليق المنهي عنها ، وقيل : سببه كراهة صوتها ، وتؤيده رواية ( مزامير الشيطان)"

“The hadith indicates the abhorrence of setting out on a journey along with a dog or bell. Angels don’t accompany people who have a dog or bell; “Angels” here refers to angels of mercy and seeking Allah’s forgiveness (for people). It is said that angels dislike bells for they are similar to the bells of Christians or they are hanged out of belief in their own protection against evils, which is forbidden, such as amulets or the dislike of their sound and this's supported by the other narration "the flutes/Psalms of the Satan”." 

From the above, we can conclude that the hadith is a reference to the early Arab practice of using the bell as a sign of good luck when tied on camel (Pagan superstition but later caused problem for early Muslims; so described here as Satan's handiwork) or to the physical musical instruments; by which Satan can lead people's hearts astray from the remembrance of God either by immersion in the melody or by promoting polytheism (Christians' bells). Moreover, the music, especially nowadays, takes us away from reality and paves the way to debauchery. We may repeat meaningless and shameless lyrics without thinking twice.

The second Hadith:

Revelation:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) replied, "Sometimes it is (revealed) like the ringing of a bell, this form of Inspiration is the hardest of all and then this state passes off after I have grasped what is inspired."

Here, a bell is not meant literally. No one is actually ringing a physical bell. It's a figure of speech. 

The concept is that the revelation was very powerful and hard upon him and it has. 

Narrated 'Aisha: (the mother of the faithful believers) Al-Harith bin Hisham asked Allah's Messenger "O Allah's Messenger! How is the Divine Inspiration revealed to you?" Allah's Messenger replied, "Sometimes it is (revealed) like the ringing of a bell, this form of Inspiration is the hardest of all and then this state passes off after I have grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I grasp whatever he says." 

  قَالَتْ عائشة رضي الله عنها: فَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُهُ يَنْزِلُ عَلَيْهِ الْوَحْيُ فِي الْيَوْمِ الشَّدِيدِ الْبَرْدِ فَيَفْصِمُ عَنْهُ، وَإِنَّ جبينه صلى الله عليه وسلم ليتفصد عرقاً"

'Aisha added: Verily I saw the Prophet being inspired divinely on a very cold day and noticed the sweat dropping from his forehead (as the Inspiration was over). (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

Even the weight of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would increase during the revelation. His camel would sink down. Once the leg of Prophet,peace and blessings be upon him, was on the leg of another Sahabi" Zaid bin Thabit"; He says that when the revelation came, he felt that his leg would be broken under effect of the increased weight of the Prophet Muhammad SAW.

How can this hadith be understood in the light of the first hadith ?

Ibn Hajar said in his explanation of the Hadith, in Fath Al Bari:

فكيف يشبه ما فعله الملك بأمر تنفر منه الملائكة والجواب أنه لا يلزم في التشبيه تساوي المشبه بالمشبه به في الصفات كلها بل ولا في أخص وصف له بل يكفي اشتراكهما في صفة ما و المقصود هنا بيان الحس فذكر ما ألف السامعون سماعه تقريبا لأفهامهم والحاصل أن الصوت له جهتان جهة قوة وجهة طنين فمن حيث القوة وقع التشبيه به ومن حيث الطرب وقع التنفير عنه

"It is not required for a "simile" (Analogy/figure of speech) that the compared items should be exactly similar in all aspects, not even in the most specific characteristic. Rather, it's enough to share one common quality.  Here, he mentioned a sound known to the audience to help them to understand his feelings;

The ringing sound has two qualities: the strength, and the tinkling. The  comparison was drawn regarding the strength and the prohibition (in the other reports) was meant for the musical quality."

Here, he refers by "the strength" to the fact that the sound of the angel and the bell's ringing deafens the listener to everything else.

That's why it was described in the other hadith as "the buzz of the bees".

قال عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، رضى الله عنه : كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا نَزَلَ عَلَيْهِ الْوَحْىُ سُمِعَ عِنْدَ وَجْهِهِ كَدَوِيِّ النَّحْلِ.

"When revelation came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), one could hear what sounds like the buzz of bees before his face." (Tirmidhi Vol. 5, Book 44, Hadith 3173)

So, the revelation would take over all the Prophet's, peace and blessings be upon him, senses. Interestingly, the "tinnitus" has been described as "ringing" or "buzzing", but no one understand that there are actual bells or bees inside the ears of the patients !

Allah knows best !

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How can women, donkeys and dogs interrupt Salah/Prayers ? Bukhari 489, Muslim 512

Question: Can you explain this hadith ?

Aisha reported: That which invalidates prayer was mentioned in her presence and they said, “Prayer is invalidated by a dog, a donkey, and a woman.” Aisha said, “You have turned us into dogs! I have seen the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, praying while I was between him and the direction of prayer, lying on the bed. If I needed something, I would not like to face him directly while he prayed, so I would slip away quietly.”
In another narration, Aisha said, “When the Prophet wanted to prostrate, he would nudge me my legs and I would pull them back.”

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 489, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 512

Answer:

Praise be to God,

Imam An-Nawawi said:

قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَأَبُو حَنِيفَةَ وَالشَّافِعِيُّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَجُمْهُورُ الْعُلَمَاءِ مِنَ السَّلَفِ وَالْخَلَفِ لَا تَبْطُلُ الصَّلَاةُ بِمُرُورِ شَيْءٍ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ وَلَا مِنْ غَيْرِهِمْ وَتَأَوَّلَ هَؤُلَاءِ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ عَلَى أَنَّ الْمُرَادَ بِالْقَطْعِ نَقْصُ الصَّلَاةِ لِشُغْلِ الْقَلْبِ بِهَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءِ وَلَيْسَ الْمُرَادُ إِبْطَالُهَا

" Malik, Abu Hanifa and Al-Shafi‘i , may Allah be pleased with them and the vast majority of the Scholars from Salaf and Khalaf (early and late) said that the Salah/prayers is not invalidated by the passage of any of them or any others. They concluded that the meaning is that they "will make the prayer imperfect" due to the distraction they cause in people's hearts (occupation of heart by these things).” (Sharah Al-Nawawi 2/266).

All these things mentioned here can disrupt one’s attention. A dog or an ass can become a source of distraction because of their course and loud voice and bad smell And a woman could distract because of her beauty while prayers need full time attention. This is enough to prove that it’s only about being a cause of distraction that women are mentioned with all these things.

Imam Badr al-Din al-'Ayni said:

 

لأن المرأة تغير الفكر فيها والحمار ينهق والكلب يهوش

"..because the woman can distract the mind to think about her, the donkey brays and the dog goes to and fro [barking/agitated].." ( Umdat Al-Qari)

 Allah knows best.

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Re: "I have fabricated things against God.." (Al-Tabari, vol. 6, p. 111)

Did Prophet Muhammad said:

افتريت على الله، وقلت ما لم يقل

"I have fabricated things against God and have imputed to Him words which He has not spoken." ? (Al-Tabari, vol. 6, p. 111)

Response:

About this story, Abu Hayyan al-Andulasi (d. 745 A.H.) mentions; Imam Muhammad bin Ishaq, the compiler of sirah, was asked, he said:

هذا من وضع الزنادقة

‘This is from the fabrication of the heretics.’

And he wrote a book on the issue.”(al-Bahr al-Muhit fil Tafsir, Dar al-Fekr, Beirut, 1420 A.H. vol.7 p.526) 

Where do Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (d. 310/923) claim to be the source of that alleged report?

It is precisely the opposite.

He has only transmitted the story as it was transmitted to him. Al-Tabari mentions the so-called 'Satanic verses' story in his Tarikh as well as an important set of statements in the introduction of his book, which states:

Let him who examines this book of mine know that I have relied, as regards everything I mention therein which I stipulate to be described by me, solely upon what has been transmitted to me by way of reports which I cite therein and traditions which I ascribe to their narrators, to the exclusion of what may be apprehended by rational argument or deduced by the human mind, except in very few cases. This is because knowledge of the reports of men of the past and of contemporaneous views of men of the present do not reach the one who has not witnessed them nor lived in their times except through the accounts of reporters and the transmission of transmitters, to the exclusion of rational deduction and mental inference. Hence, if I mention in this book a report about some men of the past, which the reader of listener finds objectionable or worthy of censure because he can see no aspect of truth nor any factual substance therein, let him know that this is not to be attributed to us but to those who transmitted it to us and we have merely passed this on as it has been passed on to us.(Abu Ja`far Muhammad bin Jarir al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Tabari: Tarikh al-Umam wal-Muluk, 1997, Volume I, Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah, Beirut (Lebanon), p. 13.

Orientalists like John Burton, concluded with an original argument:

There existed therefore a compelling theoretical motive for the invention of these infamous hadiths. If it be felt that this has now been demonstrated, there should be no further difficulty in suggesting that those hadiths have no historical basis.(Source)

Ibn Kathir said; ‘All the links of this Tradition are unauthentic and I have found no correct version of this with continuous links.’ (Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir 5/441-442)

Shaukani says, ‘There is nothing true in it and none of its links is proved.’ (Fath al-Qadeer 5/128)

Ibn Jawzi says: ‘This is not correct.’ (Zaad al-Muyassar 4/391)

When Ibn Khuzaimah was asked about it, he said, "This story has been invented by heretics". (Tafsir al-Raazi 11/134)

Baihaqi said; "This story has not been proved to be correct by the rules of reporting". (Tafsir a-Raazi 11/135)

Qazi `Ayad says, "The very fact that this tradition is neither contained in any of the authentic collections of Hadith nor has it been related in an authentic way by authentic reporters shows its weakness". (Al-Shifa 2/125)

Besides them, Imam Razi (in his Tafsir 11/135), Qazi Abu Bakr Ibn al-`Arabi (Al-Shifa 2/126), Alusi (in his Tafsir 13/99) etc. have rejected it altogether.

Source

Allah knows best.