A Critical Analysis of the Ḥadīth of Yaʿfūr the Donkey in the Light of Hadith
Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
❖ Question:
What is the authenticity of the following narration?
It is reported from Abū Manẓūr رضي الله عنه that when Allah granted the Prophet ﷺ the victory of Khaybar, part of his share included shoes, sandals, gold, silver, and a black donkey. The narration claims that the Prophet ﷺ conversed with the donkey, named him Yaʿfūr, and that the donkey would later commit suicide after the death of the Prophet ﷺ out of grief.
(al-Majrūḥīn by Ibn Ḥibbān 2/308–309)
❖ Answer:
This narration is fabricated and false.
- The chain contains Muḥammad ibn Mazīd Abū Jaʿfar, who is a liar and fabricator.
❖ Scholarly Statements on This Narration
◈ Imām Ibn Ḥibbān رحمه الله:
لا يجوز الاحتجاج بهذا الشيخ.
It is not permissible to use this shaykh (narrator) as evidence.
(al-Majrūḥīn 2/309)
He further said:
هذا حديث لا أصل له وإسناده ليس بشيء.
This ḥadīth has no basis and its chain is worthless.
◈ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله:
هذا حديث موضوع فلعن الله واضعه فإنه لم يقصد إلا القدح فى الإسلام، والاستهزاء به.
This is a fabricated narration. May Allah curse its fabricator, for he intended nothing but to disparage Islam and mock it.
(al-Mawḍūʿāt 1/294)
◈ Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī رحمه الله:
Declared the narration false and fabricated.
(Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl 4/34)
◈ Ḥāfiẓ Abū Mūsā al-Madīnī al-Aṣbahānī رحمه الله (d. 581H):
هذا حديث منكر جدا إسنادا ومتنا، لا أحل لأحد أن يرويه عني إلا مع كلامي عليه.
This is a very severely rejected narration in both chain and text. I do not permit anyone to narrate it from me except along with my refutation of it.
(Asad al-Ghābah 6/298)
Conclusion:The narration of the donkey Yaʿfūr is a fabricated ḥadīth with no basis in Islam. Scholars of hadith unanimously rejected it, labeling it a lie, falsehood, and mockery of Islam. It is not permissible to attribute this report to the Prophet ﷺ.
