Did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ Have a Shadow?
Authored by: Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer AmnpuriExplanation of Beliefs
Certainly, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did have a shadow. Some people present the narration mentioned in Hafiz Suyuti's book "Khasais al-Kubra" to negate the shadow of the Prophet ﷺ. However, none of the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah held this belief. The "Sahih" Hadiths affirm the existence of the shadow of the Prophet ﷺ:Narration from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was on a journey. Sayyidah Hafsa's (may Allah be pleased with her) camel fell ill. Sayyidah Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her) had an extra camel among her camels. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ suggested to her, "It would be better if you give one of your camels to Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) as her camel is sick." Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her) replied, "Should I give a camel to a Jewess?" (Safiyyah, may Allah be pleased with her, was the daughter of a Jewish chief, Huyayy ibn Akhtab). The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not visit Sayyidah Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her) for two or three months. She said, "I was disappointed and removed my bed from there." She narrated:
"One day at noon, I suddenly saw the blessed shadow of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ approaching."
[Musnad Ahmad: 132/6, 261; Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d: 126-127/8, with an authentic chain]
About the narrator Shumaysa bint Aziz, Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in said she is "trustworthy" [Tarikh al-Darimi from Ibn Ma'in: 418; al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil by Ibn Abi Hatim: 391/4]. Additionally, Imam Shu'ba narrated from her, and he is famous for narrating only from trustworthy narrators. There is no criticism against her, thus she is undoubtedly "trustworthy."
This same narration is also reported from Sayyidah Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) [Musnad Ahmad: 338/6]. This Hadith explicitly proves the existence of the blessed shadow of the Prophet ﷺ.
Narration from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him):
He narrated that they performed the Fajr prayer with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. During this, the Prophet ﷺ stretched out his blessed hand and then withdrew it. When the prayer ended, they asked, "O Messenger of Allah, you did something in this prayer that you have never done before." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, "I saw Paradise, and it was presented to me. I saw a vine with bunches of grapes that were close together, and its berries were like the size of pumpkins. I intended to take some, but it was indicated to me to retreat, so I retreated. Then Hell was presented to me, and it was so close that I saw my shadow and your shadows. I signaled to you to retreat, but it was revealed to me that they should remain in their places. Indeed, you have accepted Islam, and they have also accepted Islam. You migrated, and they also migrated. You fought in jihad, and they also fought in jihad. The Prophet ﷺ then said, "I do not see any superiority for myself over you except for prophethood."
[Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah: 2/51, with an authentic chain]
This Hadith was declared "Sahih" by Imam Abu Awanah (as mentioned in Itahaf al-Maharah by Ibn Hajar: 2/12, Hadith: 1096) and Hafiz al-Dhiya al-Maqdisi [al-Mukhtarah: 2136]. Imam Abu Awanah said this Hadith is equivalent to a thousand Hadiths. Imam Hakim [4/452] declared it "Sahih al-Isnad," and Hafiz al-Dhahabi also said it is "Sahih."
This Hadith is also a clear evidence of the existence of the blessed shadow of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Note
Some people present this narration to negate the shadow of the Prophet ﷺ:"Hakim al-Tirmidhi narrated the route of Abdul Rahman bin Qais al-Zafarani Abdul Malik bin Abdullah bin Walid Dhakwan that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not have shadow in the sunlight or the moonlight."
[Khasais al-Kubra by Suyuti: 1/71]
Commentary:
This narration is fabricated and false.
- The narrator Abdul Rahman bin Qais al-Zafarani is "abandoned and a liar."
- Abdul Malik bin Abdullah was declared "unknown" by Mulla Ali Qari Hanafi [Sharh al-Shifa: 3/282, Egypt edition].
- Dhakwan is a Tabi'i, thus this narration is "mursal" and not acceptable as evidence, and it also contradicts authentic Hadiths.
