The Flag on the Kaʿbah’s Roof at the Birth of the Prophet ﷺ: Fact or Fiction?
Source: Fatāwā Amun Pūrī by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amun Pūrī
The Question
Was a flag raised on the roof of the Kaʿbah at the birth of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?
The Report
It is narrated from the noble mother of the Prophet ﷺ that she said:
“I saw three flags: one planted in the East, another in the West, and the third waving on the roof of the Kaʿbah.”
(Dalāʾil al-Nubuwwah by Abū Nuʿaym al-Aṣbahānī: 1/610, ḥadīth no. 555)
Examination of the Chain of Narration
The chain of this report is extremely weak due to the following reasons:
① Abu Bakr ibn Abi Maryam – declared weak by the majority of the ḥadīth scholars.
② Yaḥyā ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Bābilatī – also weak.
(Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb by Ibn Ḥajar: no. 7585)
③ Ḥafṣ ibn ʿAmr ibn Ṣabāḥ – considered ḥasan al-ḥadīth (acceptable). In the book, his name was mistakenly written as ʿAmr ibn Muḥammad ibn Ṣabāḥ.
Conclusion
The narration regarding a flag being raised on the roof of the Kaʿbah at the birth of the Prophet ﷺ is based on a very weak chain and therefore cannot be relied upon as authentic evidence. It falls into the category of fabricated tales and unfounded traditions.
