Authored by: Muhammad Arshad Kamal
Respected Shaykh, I seek your guidance regarding the authenticity of the following two narrations:
➊ "Do not waste water even if you are by the side of a flowing river."
➋ "Whoever knows himself, has surely known his Lord."
Are these authentic?
— Your brother, Muhammad Shafiq, Gojra
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by Sa‘d (رضي الله عنه) while he was performing Wudu. The Prophet ﷺ said:
"What is this extravagance?"
Sa‘d replied: "Is there extravagance in Wudu?"
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
"Yes, even if you are by a flowing river."
Sources:
Status of the Hadith: Weak (Da‘if)
Due to the presence of Ibn Lahi‘ah, a narrator known for tadlis (concealing the source of a narration) and ikhtilat (confusion in memory), the hadith is not reliable.
Analysis by Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai (رحمه الله):
He stated that a narration by Ibn Lahi‘ah can be considered Hasan (sound) only if two conditions are met:
➊ The narration is from before his confusion (ikhtilat)
➋ He explicitly states he heard (sama‘a) it from his source
In this case, both conditions are absent:
Conclusion:
This narration is weak.
Scholars like Ibn Hajar, al-Busayri, and others have also declared it Da‘if.
(See: al-Talkhis al-Habir 1/387, Misbah az-Zujajah 1/62)
This statement is fabricated (Mawdu‘) and not a Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ.
Sources identifying it as fabricated:
It is not found in any authentic Hadith collection.
Statements of Scholars:
Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله):
"Some people attribute it to the Prophet ﷺ, but it is not from his words, nor is it found in any Hadith book, and it has no known chain of transmission."
(Majmu‘ al-Fatawa: 16/349)
Shaykh al-Albani (رحمه الله):
"It has no basis."
(Silsilat al-Ahadith ad-Da‘ifah: 1/165)
[July 25, 2018]
✔ Question
Questioner:Respected Shaykh, I seek your guidance regarding the authenticity of the following two narrations:
➊ "Do not waste water even if you are by the side of a flowing river."
➋ "Whoever knows himself, has surely known his Lord."
Are these authentic?
— Your brother, Muhammad Shafiq, Gojra
✔ Answer
➊ "Do not waste water even if you are by a river"
There is no authentic narration with the exact wording you mentioned. However, a similar narration is reported by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه), who said:The Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by Sa‘d (رضي الله عنه) while he was performing Wudu. The Prophet ﷺ said:
"What is this extravagance?"
Sa‘d replied: "Is there extravagance in Wudu?"
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
"Yes, even if you are by a flowing river."
Sources:
- Sunan Ibn Majah: 425
- Musnad Ahmad: 2/221
- Shu‘ab al-Iman by al-Bayhaqi: 2533
Status of the Hadith: Weak (Da‘if)
Due to the presence of Ibn Lahi‘ah, a narrator known for tadlis (concealing the source of a narration) and ikhtilat (confusion in memory), the hadith is not reliable.
Analysis by Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai (رحمه الله):
He stated that a narration by Ibn Lahi‘ah can be considered Hasan (sound) only if two conditions are met:
➊ The narration is from before his confusion (ikhtilat)
➋ He explicitly states he heard (sama‘a) it from his source
In this case, both conditions are absent:
- Qutaybah ibn Sa‘id, a narrator in the chain, heard from Ibn Lahi‘ah after his confusion. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said:
"He (Qutaybah) was among those who heard from Ibn Lahi‘ah in his final days."
(Su’alat Abi Bakr al-Athram, p. 169)
- There is no explicit mention of hearing (sama‘) from Ibn Lahi‘ah
Conclusion:
This narration is weak.
Scholars like Ibn Hajar, al-Busayri, and others have also declared it Da‘if.
(See: al-Talkhis al-Habir 1/387, Misbah az-Zujajah 1/62)
➋ "Whoever knows himself has known his Lord"
((مَنْ عَرَفَ نَفْسَهُ فَقَدْ عَرَفَ رَبَّهُ))This statement is fabricated (Mawdu‘) and not a Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ.
Sources identifying it as fabricated:
- al-Maqasid al-Hasanah by al-Sakhawi (Hadith 1149)
- Tadhkirat al-Mawdu‘at by al-Muhaddith al-Hindi (p. 11)
- al-Mawdu‘at by al-San‘ani (Hadith 27)
- Tanzih ash-Shari‘ah by Ibn al-Kanani (2/492)
- Tadhkirah by al-Zarkashi (1/129)
- Kashf al-Khafa by al-‘Ajluni (Hadith 2532)
- al-Mawdu‘at al-Kubra by Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari (Hadith 937)
It is not found in any authentic Hadith collection.
Statements of Scholars:
Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله):
"Some people attribute it to the Prophet ﷺ, but it is not from his words, nor is it found in any Hadith book, and it has no known chain of transmission."
(Majmu‘ al-Fatawa: 16/349)
Shaykh al-Albani (رحمه الله):
"It has no basis."
(Silsilat al-Ahadith ad-Da‘ifah: 1/165)
[July 25, 2018]