Did Ibn Ṣayyād Claim Prophethood?
Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
❖ Question:
Did Ibn Ṣayyād ever claim to be a prophet?
❖ Answer:
Yes. In his childhood, Ibn Ṣayyād once claimed that he was a messenger of Allah. He was a liar and a deceiver, associated with the traits of the Dajjāl. As for what became of him in adulthood, no reliable and authentic report confirms his final state.
❖ Evidence from Ḥadīth
Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه narrated:
We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when we passed by some children among whom was Ibn Ṣayyād. The children ran away but Ibn Ṣayyād remained seated. It appeared that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ disliked this. The Prophet ﷺ said to him: “May your hands be dusted! Do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?”
He replied: “No. Rather, do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?”
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه said: “O Messenger of Allah, allow me to kill him!”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “If he is indeed the one (the Dajjāl) you think he is, you will not be able to overpower him.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2924)
Conclusion:Ibn Ṣayyād did falsely claim prophethood in his youth. The Prophet ﷺ exposed his deceit and identified his dangerous nature. However, there is no authentic report regarding his ultimate fate in later life.
