Hadith 4817

حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنِي مَنْصُورٌ ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ ، عَنْ أَبِي مَعْمَرٍ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بِنَحْوِهِ .
Narrated `Abdullah bin Mas`ud: (As above, Hadith No. 341).
حَدَّثَنَا الْحُمَيْدِيُّ ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ ، حَدَّثَنَا مَنْصُورٌ ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ ، عَنْ أَبِي مَعْمَرٍ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ ، قَالَ : " اجْتَمَعَ عِنْدَ الْبَيْتِ قُرَشِيَّانِ وَثَقَفِيٌّ أَوْ ثَقَفِيَّانِ وَقُرَشِيٌّ كَثِيرَةٌ شَحْمُ بُطُونِهِمْ قَلِيلَةٌ فِقْهُ قُلُوبِهِمْ ، فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ : أَتُرَوْنَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْمَعُ مَا نَقُولُ ، قَالَ الْآخَرُ : يَسْمَعُ إِنْ جَهَرْنَا ، وَلَا يَسْمَعُ إِنْ أَخْفَيْنَا ، وَقَالَ الْآخَرُ : إِنْ كَانَ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا جَهَرْنَا ، فَإِنَّهُ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا أَخْفَيْنَا ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلا أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلا جُلُودُكُمْ سورة فصلت آية 22 الْآيَةَ " ، وَكَانَ سُفْيَانُ يُحَدِّثُنَا بِهَذَا ، فَيَقُولُ : حَدَّثَنَا مَنْصُورٌ ، أَوْ ابْنُ أَبِي نَجِيحٍ ، أَوْ حُمَيْدٌ أَحَدُهُمْ ، أَوِ اثْنَانِ مِنْهُمْ ، ثُمَّ ثَبَتَ عَلَى مَنْصُورٍ ، وَتَرَكَ ذَلِكَ مِرَارًا غَيْرَ مَرَّةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ ،
Narrated `Abdullah: There gathered near the House (i.e. the Ka`ba) two Quraishi persons and a person from Thaqif (or two persons from Thaqif and one from Quraish), and all of them with very fat bellies but very little intelligence. One of them said, "Do you think that Allah hears what we say?" Another said, "He hears us when we talk in a loud voice, but He doesn't hear us when we talk in a low tone." The third said, "If He can hear when we talk in a loud tone, then He can also hear when we speak in a low tone." Then Allah, the Honorable, the Majestic revealed: 'And you have not been screening against yourself lest your ears, and eyes and your skins should testify against you....' (41.22-23)
Hadith Reference صحيح البخاري / كتاب تفسير القرآن / 4817
Hadith Grading محدثین: أحاديث صحيح البخاريّ كلّها صحيحة
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:

These three who gathered in the Sacred Mosque of the Ka‘bah were all lacking in intelligence, but the third among them demonstrated some wisdom and said that if He can hear a loud voice, then He can also hear a soft-spoken word.


With Allah, all that is heard is equal; to differentiate between a loud and a soft voice is obstinacy. The statement of Allah, the Exalted, is:
“Whether you conceal your speech or make it public, He surely knows what is (hidden) within the breasts.” ( al-Mulk: 13)


It is also understood from this hadith that obesity is an enemy of intelligence.
Imam Shafi‘i rahimahullah said: I have not found any intelligent obese person except Muhammad ibn al-Hasan.
( Fath al-Bari: 8/715)
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 4817