Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 11186

Urwah bin al-Zubayr names those who went to the land of Abyssinia the first time, before Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions went. They are: Sayyiduna Uthman bin Maz'un (may Allah be pleased with him); Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), with his wife Sayyidah Ruqayyah (may Allah be pleased with her), the daughter of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him); Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him); Sayyiduna Abu Hudhayfah bin Utbah bin Rabi'ah (may Allah be pleased with him), with his wife Sayyidah Sahlah bint Suhayl bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with her), who gave birth to his son Sayyiduna Muhammad bin Abi Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) in the land of Abyssinia; Sayyiduna al-Zubayr bin al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him); Sayyiduna Mus'ab bin Umayr (may Allah be pleased with him), of Banu Abd al-Dar; Sayyiduna Amir bin Rabi'ah (may Allah be pleased with him); Sayyiduna Abu Salamah bin Abd al-Asad (may Allah be pleased with him) and his wife Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her); Sayyiduna Abu Sabrah bin Abi Ruhm (may Allah be pleased with him), with whom was Sayyidah Umm Kulthum bint Suhayl bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with her); and Sayyiduna Suhayl bin Bayda' (may Allah be pleased with him). Urwah bin al-Zubayr said: These people, who had gone the first time before Sayyiduna Ja'far bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions, came back when Allah Almighty revealed the surah in which is mentioned: "By the star when it descends." The polytheists had said: "If this man spoke well of our gods, we would let him and his companions be, for he does not speak of any of those who oppose his religion among the Jews and the Christians the way he speaks of our gods, with abuse and evil." When Allah Almighty revealed the surah in which is mentioned "By the star," and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited in it this verse: "Have you considered al-Lat and al-Uzza, and Manat, the third, the other?", at that point Satan cast into it a mention of the idols and said: 'Wa innahum min al-gharaniq al-'ula wa inna shafa'atahum la-turtaja' (And they are among the exalted cranes, and their intercession is surely hoped for). These words were Satan's invention and his trial (fitnah). These two phrases settled in the heart of every polytheist and ran upon their tongues; they rejoiced at them and said: "Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has returned to his former religion and the religion of his people." When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reached the place at the end of the surah where prostration is mentioned, he prostrated, and every Muslim and every polytheist present with him prostrated, except al-Walid bin al-Mughirah, who was an aged man; he raised a handful of dust and prostrated on it. Both groups were amazed at both groups prostrating together with the prostration of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Muslims were amazed that the polytheists had prostrated without faith or certainty, for the Muslims had not heard what Satan had cast onto the tongues of the polytheists; and the polytheists were at ease with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in this regard, and Satan had told them that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had recited it in the prostration, so they prostrated to honour their gods. These words spread among the people, and Satan publicised them until the news reached Abyssinia, and Sayyiduna Uthman bin Maz'un (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and their companions from the people of Makkah heard that the people had become Muslim and had joined the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). They also learned that al-Walid bin al-Mughirah had prostrated on the dust held in his palm, so they hurried back to Makkah. This weighed heavily on the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When evening came and Sayyiduna Jibril (peace be upon him) came to him, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) complained to him about this. At the request of Sayyiduna Jibril (peace be upon him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited the surah to him. When he reached that place, Sayyiduna Jibril (peace be upon him) disowned those words and said: "I seek refuge in Allah from these two phrases! My Lord did not reveal them, nor did your Lord command me with them." When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw this, it weighed heavily on him, and he said: "I obeyed Satan and spoke his words, and he has become my partner in the matter of Allah." So Allah Almighty abolished what Satan had cast and revealed to him this verse: "And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet except that when he recited, Satan cast something into his recitation; then Allah Almighty abolishes what Satan casts, then Allah Almighty makes His verses firm, and Allah Almighty is All-Knowing, All-Wise. That He may make what Satan casts a trial for those in whose hearts is a disease and whose hearts are hardened; and indeed, the wrongdoers are in extreme dissension." When Allah Almighty had freed His Messenger from Satan's invented words and his trial, the polytheists turned back to their misguidance and their enmity. After this the narrator mentioned the complete hadith.
This narration has already appeared earlier in the chapter on the emigration to Abyssinia.
Tabarani recorded it as mursal; its chain contains Ibn Lahi'ah, and this cannot be accepted from Ibn Lahi'ah.