❖ Ḥadīth on the Distance Between Heaven and Earth and the Exaltedness of Allah ❖
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb al-ʿAqāʾid, p. 122
Narrated by al-ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه:
“We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at Baṭḥāʾ when a cloud passed by. The Prophet ﷺ asked, ‘Do you know what this is?’ We replied, ‘It is a cloud.’ He said, ‘It is a mzn (rain-cloud).’ We said, ‘Yes, it is a mzn.’ He added, ‘And ʿinān?’ We remained silent.
Then he ﷺ asked, ‘Do you know the distance between the earth and the sky?’ We replied, ‘Allah and His Messenger ﷺ know best.’ He said, ‘The distance between them is five hundred years. The thickness of each heaven is five hundred years. Between each heaven is a distance of five hundred years. Then there is an ocean, the distance of which is equal to the distance between the heavens and the earth — and Allah is above that. None of the actions of the children of Adam are hidden from Him.’”
This narration is reported in:
◈ Abū Dāwūd (4723)
◈ Ibn Mājah (1)
◈ Musnad Aḥmad (Vol. 1, p. 206)
◈ Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī (ḥadīth 3320) — Imām al-Tirmidhī classified it as ḥasan
◈ Kitāb al-Tawḥīd by Imām Ibn Khuzaymah (ḥadīths 101, 102 – through multiple chains)
◈ Kitāb al-ʿUlūw by al-Dhahabī (p. 108)
This ḥadīth is considered weak (ḍaʿīf) in terms of chain of transmission (isnād) due to the following reasons:
◈ Samāk ibn Ḥarb — Experienced ikhtilāṭ (narrative confusion) in later years. It is unclear whether this narration is from before or after his memory was compromised.
◈ ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmayrah’s narration from al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays is not established.
(al-Tārīkh al-Kabīr by al-Sakhāwī: 5/159)
Classified this narration as ḥasan (acceptable), despite the presence of some weakness in the chain.
Listed it in his Ḍaʿīf Sunan Abī Dāwūd, classifying it as weak.
In Kitāb al-ʿUlūw (p. 109, Indian edition), he possibly accepted one of its chains — the one transmitted by Ibrāhīm ibn Ṭahhān from Samāk — as reliable.
✔ While Imām al-Tirmidhī regarded it as ḥasan, there is recognized weakness in the isnād, especially due to the condition of Samāk ibn Ḥarb and the unclear link between ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmayrah and al-Aḥnaf.
✔ Some scholars have used the ḥadīth as supporting evidence regarding Allah’s exalted position (ʿulūw) above the heavens.
✔ Others have criticized its chain and considered it unsuitable for establishing doctrine without corroboration.
والله أعلم بالصواب
And Allah knows best what is correct.
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb al-ʿAqāʾid, p. 122
Text of the Ḥadīth
Narrated by al-ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه:
“We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at Baṭḥāʾ when a cloud passed by. The Prophet ﷺ asked, ‘Do you know what this is?’ We replied, ‘It is a cloud.’ He said, ‘It is a mzn (rain-cloud).’ We said, ‘Yes, it is a mzn.’ He added, ‘And ʿinān?’ We remained silent.
Then he ﷺ asked, ‘Do you know the distance between the earth and the sky?’ We replied, ‘Allah and His Messenger ﷺ know best.’ He said, ‘The distance between them is five hundred years. The thickness of each heaven is five hundred years. Between each heaven is a distance of five hundred years. Then there is an ocean, the distance of which is equal to the distance between the heavens and the earth — and Allah is above that. None of the actions of the children of Adam are hidden from Him.’”
🗂 Sources of the Ḥadīth
This narration is reported in:
◈ Abū Dāwūd (4723)
◈ Ibn Mājah (1)
◈ Musnad Aḥmad (Vol. 1, p. 206)
◈ Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī (ḥadīth 3320) — Imām al-Tirmidhī classified it as ḥasan
◈ Kitāb al-Tawḥīd by Imām Ibn Khuzaymah (ḥadīths 101, 102 – through multiple chains)
◈ Kitāb al-ʿUlūw by al-Dhahabī (p. 108)
Authenticity Assessment
This ḥadīth is considered weak (ḍaʿīf) in terms of chain of transmission (isnād) due to the following reasons:
⚠ Issues in the Chain:
◈ Samāk ibn Ḥarb — Experienced ikhtilāṭ (narrative confusion) in later years. It is unclear whether this narration is from before or after his memory was compromised.
◈ ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmayrah’s narration from al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays is not established.
(al-Tārīkh al-Kabīr by al-Sakhāwī: 5/159)
Scholarly Views on the Ḥadīth
Imām al-Tirmidhī:
Classified this narration as ḥasan (acceptable), despite the presence of some weakness in the chain.
Shaykh al-Albānī:
Listed it in his Ḍaʿīf Sunan Abī Dāwūd, classifying it as weak.
Imām al-Dhahabī:
In Kitāb al-ʿUlūw (p. 109, Indian edition), he possibly accepted one of its chains — the one transmitted by Ibrāhīm ibn Ṭahhān from Samāk — as reliable.
Conclusion
✔ While Imām al-Tirmidhī regarded it as ḥasan, there is recognized weakness in the isnād, especially due to the condition of Samāk ibn Ḥarb and the unclear link between ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmayrah and al-Aḥnaf.
✔ Some scholars have used the ḥadīth as supporting evidence regarding Allah’s exalted position (ʿulūw) above the heavens.
✔ Others have criticized its chain and considered it unsuitable for establishing doctrine without corroboration.
والله أعلم بالصواب
And Allah knows best what is correct.
