Complete Analysis of the Ḥadīth «مَنْ تَعَلَّقَ شَيْئًا وُكِلَ إِلَيْهِ»
(Excerpt: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah – Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām, Vol. 2, p. 467)
«مَنْ تَعَلَّقَ شَيْئًا وُكِلَ إِلَيْهِ»
"Whoever hangs something (like an amulet, pot, or string), will be left to it."
Narrated by: Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā → from his brother ʿĪsā ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā → from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUkaym
Status of Muḥammad ibn Abī Laylā:
Due to his weakness, this chain is weak.
Chain: ʿAbbād ibn Maysarah al-Munqarī → from al-Ḥasan → from Abū Hurayrah
Weakness:
Chain: Mubārak ibn Faḍālah → from al-Ḥasan → from ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn
«مَنْ تَعَلَّقَ تَمِيمَةً فَلَا أَتَمَّ اللهُ لَهُ، وَمَنْ تَعَلَّقَ وَدَعَةً فَلَا وَدَعَ اللهُ لَهُ»
"Whoever wears a talisman, may Allah not fulfill (his need); and whoever wears a seashell charm, may Allah not grant him peace."
Abū Majlaz (Lāḥiq ibn Ḥumayd) said:
"مَنْ تَعَلَّقَ عَلَاقَةً وُكِلَ إِلَيْهَا"
"Whoever hangs an amulet will be left to it."
Ruling: The concept is sound in Islamic teaching — hanging superstitious or shirk-based objects is prohibited and indicates reliance on them instead of Allah.
Allah knows best.
(Excerpt: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah – Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām, Vol. 2, p. 467)
Text of the Ḥadīth:
«مَنْ تَعَلَّقَ شَيْئًا وُكِلَ إِلَيْهِ»
"Whoever hangs something (like an amulet, pot, or string), will be left to it."
Primary Chains of Transmission:
Main Chain:
Narrated by: Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā → from his brother ʿĪsā ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā → from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUkaym
- Reported by:
- al-Ḥākim (4/216, ḥadīth 7503)
- Ibn Abī Shaybah (7/371, ḥadīth 23447)
- al-Bayhaqī (9/351)
Status of Muḥammad ibn Abī Laylā:
- Declared ḍaʿīf by the majority of muḥaddithīn.
- Al-Būṣayrī: “Ḍaʿʿafahu al-jumhūr” – “The majority weakened him.” (Miṣbāḥ al-Zujājah, p. 854)
Due to his weakness, this chain is weak.
Ṭabarānī’s Version:
- al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr (22/385, ḥadīth 960) with chain: Muḥammad ibn Abī Laylā → ʿĪsā → Abū Maʿbad al-Juhanī
- Abū Maʿbad is actually ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUkaym, so the chain has the same weakness due to Muḥammad ibn Abī Laylā.
Supporting (Shāhid) Narrations:
(1) From Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه:
Chain: ʿAbbād ibn Maysarah al-Munqarī → from al-Ḥasan → from Abū Hurayrah
- Sources:
- al-Sunan al-Mujtabā (7/112, ḥadīth 4084)
- al-Sunan al-Kubrā (3542)
- al-Kāmil by Ibn ʿAdī (4/1648)
Weakness:
- No clear statement of hearing between al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī and Abū Hurayrah (al-Ḥasan was a mudallis).
- ʿAbbād ibn Maysarah is ḍaʿīf (Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, no. 3149).
(2) From ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn رضي الله عنه:
Chain: Mubārak ibn Faḍālah → from al-Ḥasan → from ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn
- Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān (6053 / 6085)
- Issue: Mubārak ibn Faḍālah is a mudallis and does not state hearing here; also, al-Ḥasan’s hearing from ʿImrān is not clearly established.
(3) From ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir رضي الله عنه:
«مَنْ تَعَلَّقَ تَمِيمَةً فَلَا أَتَمَّ اللهُ لَهُ، وَمَنْ تَعَلَّقَ وَدَعَةً فَلَا وَدَعَ اللهُ لَهُ»
"Whoever wears a talisman, may Allah not fulfill (his need); and whoever wears a seashell charm, may Allah not grant him peace."
- Sources: Musnad Aḥmad (4/154, ḥadīth 17404), Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān (6054 / 6086), al-Mustadrak (4/216) – al-Ḥākim graded it ṣaḥīḥ, al-Dhahabī agreed.
- This chain is ḥasan; Khālid ibn ʿUbayd is considered ṣaḥīḥ al-ḥadīth by Ibn Ḥibbān, al-Ḥākim, and al-Dhahabī.
Report from a Tābiʿī:
Abū Majlaz (Lāḥiq ibn Ḥumayd) said:
"مَنْ تَعَلَّقَ عَلَاقَةً وُكِلَ إِلَيْهَا"
"Whoever hangs an amulet will be left to it."
- Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (7/374, ḥadīth 23456) – authentic chain.
Conclusion:
- The exact wording «مَنْ تَعَلَّقَ شَيْئًا وُكِلَ إِلَيْهِ» is weak in chain because of Muḥammad ibn Abī Laylā.
- However, the meaning is supported by authentic and ḥasan narrations such as:
- The ḥadīth on wearing tamīmah or wadaʿah.
- Authentic statements of the Tābiʿīn.
Ruling: The concept is sound in Islamic teaching — hanging superstitious or shirk-based objects is prohibited and indicates reliance on them instead of Allah.Allah knows best.
