The Incident of a Jewish Man Giving Glad Tidings at the Prophet’s Birth and Analysis of Its Chains of Transmission
Authored by: Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Anwar Zāhid ḥafiẓahullāh
It is narrated that on the night the Prophet ﷺ was born, several noble leaders of the Quraysh were gathered together. A Jewish man, who used to trade in Makkah, came to them and asked:
"Has a child been born in any of your homes today?"
They expressed ignorance. He then said:
"Allāhu Akbar! If you do not know, then listen carefully. Tonight, the Prophet of the last nation has been born. He bears a mark between his shoulders, with hair arranged like the mane of a horse. He will not drink milk for two days because a jinn placed a finger in his mouth, preventing him from suckling."
After the gathering dispersed and people returned to their homes, they learned that a child had indeed been born in the house of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib. People brought the Jewish man to the house of Āminah (may Allah be pleased with her). Upon seeing the birthmark on the Prophet’s back, the man fell unconscious.
When he regained consciousness, they asked him what had happened. He replied:
"By Allah! Prophethood has departed from the house of Israel. O Quraysh, you may rejoice at his birth, but beware! By Allah, he will one day strike such a blow upon you that its echo will be heard across the lands."
This narration appears in the following sources:
◈ al-Mustadrak by al-Ḥākim (2/602, Ḥadīth No. 4177)
◈ al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah (1/101)
◈ Mukhtaṣar al-Mustadrak (2/1055)
Al-Ḥākim has declared the narration to be authentic (ṣaḥīḥ).
However, scholars of ḥadīth have long known that al-Ḥākim’s grading often requires critical reassessment.
Imām al-Dhahabī has explicitly rejected al-Ḥākim’s ruling in his Talkhīṣ al-Mustadrak (2/602), casting doubt upon the narration.
The chain is as follows:
Yaʿqūb ibn Sufyān al-Fasawī → Abū Ghasān Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā al-Kinānī → his father Yaḥyā ibn ʿAlī al-Kattānī → Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq (the author of al-Sīrah)
Let us examine the chain:
① Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq – While he is a well-known historian, his narrations are accepted only with proper chains and are rejected if unsupported. Notably, he did not include this narration in his own Sīrah, raising questions.
② Abū Ghasān Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā al-Kinānī – Though al-Bukhārī regarded him as trustworthy (thiqqah), al-Salmānī called him munkar al-ḥadīth, one who reports strange or unverified narrations. Ibn Ḥazm even labeled him unknown (majhūl).
③ Yaḥyā ibn ʿAlī al-Kattānī (his father) – There is no known biographical information on him. Neither his reliability nor his era is confirmed, making him a majhūl (unknown) narrator.
Additionally, a similar narration exists through another route involving a Christian monk. This version is reported by:
◈ Abū Jaʿfar ibn Abī Shaybah, and mentioned by:
– Abū Nuʿaym in Dalā’il al-Nubuwwah
– Ibn ʿAsākir in Tārīkh Dimashq
However, Zarqānī has written that Abū Jaʿfar ibn Abī Shaybah is not reliable, further weakening the credibility of such reports.
The story of a Jewish man announcing the birth of the Prophet ﷺ and describing miraculous signs:
✖ Is narrated in al-Ḥākim’s al-Mustadrak, but its chain is weak.
✖ Involves narrators who are unknown (majhūl) or labeled as munkar al-ḥadīth.
✖ Even al-Dhahabī, who reviewed al-Ḥākim’s work, rejected its authenticity.
✖ The incident is absent from earlier and more reliable Sīrah sources, such as Ibn Isḥāq’s own writings.
Conclusion: This narration cannot be considered authentic and should be regarded with caution.
Authored by: Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Anwar Zāhid ḥafiẓahullāh
❖ A Jewish Man’s Glad Tidings
It is narrated that on the night the Prophet ﷺ was born, several noble leaders of the Quraysh were gathered together. A Jewish man, who used to trade in Makkah, came to them and asked:
"Has a child been born in any of your homes today?"
They expressed ignorance. He then said:
"Allāhu Akbar! If you do not know, then listen carefully. Tonight, the Prophet of the last nation has been born. He bears a mark between his shoulders, with hair arranged like the mane of a horse. He will not drink milk for two days because a jinn placed a finger in his mouth, preventing him from suckling."
After the gathering dispersed and people returned to their homes, they learned that a child had indeed been born in the house of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib. People brought the Jewish man to the house of Āminah (may Allah be pleased with her). Upon seeing the birthmark on the Prophet’s back, the man fell unconscious.
When he regained consciousness, they asked him what had happened. He replied:
"By Allah! Prophethood has departed from the house of Israel. O Quraysh, you may rejoice at his birth, but beware! By Allah, he will one day strike such a blow upon you that its echo will be heard across the lands."
❖ Verification of the Narration (Taḥqīq al-Ḥadīth):
This narration appears in the following sources:
◈ al-Mustadrak by al-Ḥākim (2/602, Ḥadīth No. 4177)
◈ al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah (1/101)
◈ Mukhtaṣar al-Mustadrak (2/1055)
Al-Ḥākim has declared the narration to be authentic (ṣaḥīḥ).
However, scholars of ḥadīth have long known that al-Ḥākim’s grading often requires critical reassessment.
Imām al-Dhahabī has explicitly rejected al-Ḥākim’s ruling in his Talkhīṣ al-Mustadrak (2/602), casting doubt upon the narration.
◈ Chain of Narrators:
The chain is as follows:
Yaʿqūb ibn Sufyān al-Fasawī → Abū Ghasān Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā al-Kinānī → his father Yaḥyā ibn ʿAlī al-Kattānī → Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq (the author of al-Sīrah)
Let us examine the chain:
① Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq – While he is a well-known historian, his narrations are accepted only with proper chains and are rejected if unsupported. Notably, he did not include this narration in his own Sīrah, raising questions.
② Abū Ghasān Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā al-Kinānī – Though al-Bukhārī regarded him as trustworthy (thiqqah), al-Salmānī called him munkar al-ḥadīth, one who reports strange or unverified narrations. Ibn Ḥazm even labeled him unknown (majhūl).
③ Yaḥyā ibn ʿAlī al-Kattānī (his father) – There is no known biographical information on him. Neither his reliability nor his era is confirmed, making him a majhūl (unknown) narrator.
Additionally, a similar narration exists through another route involving a Christian monk. This version is reported by:
◈ Abū Jaʿfar ibn Abī Shaybah, and mentioned by:
– Abū Nuʿaym in Dalā’il al-Nubuwwah
– Ibn ʿAsākir in Tārīkh Dimashq
However, Zarqānī has written that Abū Jaʿfar ibn Abī Shaybah is not reliable, further weakening the credibility of such reports.
✔ Summary:
The story of a Jewish man announcing the birth of the Prophet ﷺ and describing miraculous signs:
✖ Is narrated in al-Ḥākim’s al-Mustadrak, but its chain is weak.
✖ Involves narrators who are unknown (majhūl) or labeled as munkar al-ḥadīth.
✖ Even al-Dhahabī, who reviewed al-Ḥākim’s work, rejected its authenticity.
✖ The incident is absent from earlier and more reliable Sīrah sources, such as Ibn Isḥāq’s own writings.
Conclusion: This narration cannot be considered authentic and should be regarded with caution.
