❖ Authored by: Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Anwar Zāhid ḥafiẓahullāh
❖ The Story
Sayyidunā Mūsá (عليه السلام) once asked his Lord:
“O Allah, show me my companion in Paradise.”
Allah ﷻ replied:
“O Mūsá, go to such-and-such city, where you will find a butcher. He shall be your companion in Paradise.”
Sayyidunā Mūsá (عليه السلام) travelled to the mentioned city and inquired about the butcher’s home. He came to the butcher, who was seated in his shop, with a leather bag (zanbīl) hanging nearby.
The butcher requested to host Mūsá (عليه السلام) at his home, to which he agreed. The butcher took him home and presented food. As they began to eat, the butcher would eat one morsel and place two into the leather bag.
In the meantime, someone knocked at the door, and the butcher got up, leaving the bag behind. Sayyidunā Mūsá (عليه السلام) looked into the bag and saw an extremely elderly man and woman inside. Upon seeing Mūsá (عليه السلام), they smiled and testified to his prophethood — and then both passed away.
When the butcher returned and saw what had happened, he kissed Mūsá’s (عليه السلام) hand and said:
“Are you the Prophet of Allah, Mūsá (عليه السلام)?”
Mūsá (عليه السلام) asked:
“How did you recognize me?”
The butcher replied:
“These two people were my parents. They were extremely old, and I had kept them in this bag to care for them. I never ate or drank before serving them. They would often pray, ‘O Allah, take our souls only after we are honored with the vision of Prophet Mūsá (عليه السلام).’”
“When I saw them deceased, I knew you must be Mūsá (عليه السلام).”
Sayyidunā Mūsá (عليه السلام) then said:
“When I looked at your mother, I saw her lips moving. What was she saying?”
The butcher answered:
“It was my mother’s habit to supplicate: ‘O Allah, make my son the companion of Mūsá (عليه السلام) in Paradise.’”
Mūsá (عليه السلام) then said:
“O Butcher, glad tidings to you! I shall be your companion in Paradise.”
❖ Ḥadīth Verification
⟹ This story is fabricated and baseless.
It is falsely attributed and often referenced from the book Nuzhat al-Majālis, a compilation known for containing unreliable and fabricated reports.
Although this story is widely circulated among public speakers and accepted by the masses, it is fabricated (موضوع) and devoid of authenticity.
Conclusion:
Despite its popularity, this story holds no basis in authentic Islamic sources and should not be used as evidence or shared as fact.
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
