❖ The Report of a People of the Book Scholar Possessing the Image of the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه
Authored by: Hafiz Muhammad Anwar Zahid حفظه الله
✿ The Narration:
Imam al-Bayhaqi narrates:Shaykh Abu al-Fatḥ رحمه الله informed us from his original manuscript. He stated that he was narrated to by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abū Sharīḥ al-Harawī, who was narrated to by Yaḥyā ibn Muḥammad ibn Ṣāʿid, who was narrated to by ʿAbdullah ibn Shabīb, who was narrated to by Abū Saʿīd al-Rubʿī, who was narrated to by Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar ibn Saʿīd ibn Muḥammad ibn Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim.
He said: I was narrated to by Umm ʿUthmān bint Saʿīd ibn Muḥammad ibn Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim, who narrated from her father Saʿīd, who narrated from his father, who narrated from his father Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim, who said:
"When Allah sent His Prophet ﷺ and his matter became known in Makkah, I traveled toward al-Shām.
Upon reaching Busra, a group from the Ansar approached me and asked:
'Have you come from the Sacred Land?'
I replied: 'Yes.'
They said: 'Do you recognize the man who has claimed prophethood among you?'
I replied: 'Yes.'
They then took my hand and led me into their place of worship, where there were idols or images.
They asked me to look around and see if I could identify the likeness of the Prophet who was sent among us. I looked but did not see the likeness of the Prophet ﷺ.
Then they led me into another larger sanctuary, which contained many more depictions. They again asked me to look.
I looked around and saw an image that matched the Prophet ﷺ in appearance and qualities, and beside it was the image of Abu Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رضي الله عنه, holding on to the heel of the Prophet ﷺ.
They asked: 'Do you recognize this Prophet by his characteristics?'
I said: 'Yes, by Allah!'
They asked: 'Is this him?' — pointing to the image.
I said: 'Yes, I testify that this is him.'
They then asked: 'And do you recognize the one holding onto his heel?'
I said: 'Yes.'
They said: *'We all bear witness that this is your Prophet, and the one holding his heel is his successor.'"
Imam al-Bukhārī has also narrated this in his Tārīkh al-Kabīr through a chain from Muḥammad, who is unidentified, and from Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar, using the same chain.
❖ Authentication of the Narration:
Status of the Chain: Its chain is munkar (rejected).- Referenced in:
- Muʿjam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī (Hadith no. 1537)
- Muʿjam al-Awsaṭ (Hadith no. 8227)
- Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid (8/233–234)
"There is a majhūl (unknown) narrator in the chain."
Also cited in:
- Tārīkh al-Kabīr by al-Bukhārī (1/179)
- Dalā’il al-Nubuwwah by al-Bayhaqī
✿ Conclusion:
While the story is narrated in historical sources and holds emotional and symbolic value about the Prophet ﷺ being recognized in previous scriptures, the chain of narration is flawed. It contains an unknown narrator, and scholars of hadith such as al-Haythamī have labeled its chain as munkar (rejected).Therefore, this report cannot be considered authentic, and it should not be relied upon in religious discussions without clearly noting its weak and unreliable status.
