❖ Authored by: Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Anwar Zāhid ḥafiẓahullāh
❖ Incident Reported by ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (رضي الله عنه)
Sayyidunā ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (رضي الله عنه) narrates:
I would occasionally visit gatherings of the Jews and converse with them. I used to tell them how the Qur’an confirms the truth of the Torah and vice versa. As a result, the Jews began showing affection toward me, and we had regular discussions.
One day, while I was speaking with them, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by. They said to me, “Your Prophet ﷺ is passing by.” I responded, “I shall go to him, but first tell me—by Allah, the One and Only, and keeping in view His blessings and the sacredness of His revealed books—do you not acknowledge that Muḥammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah?”
They all fell silent.
Their chief scholar, a man of great knowledge and stature among them, said, “This man has taken such a solemn oath. Why do you not answer him truthfully?”
The others replied, “Respected elder, you are our leader. Please answer on our behalf.”
The chief rabbi said, “Listen. The truth is that in our hearts we know that Muḥammad ﷺ is indeed the true Messenger of Allah.”
I asked, “Then what prevents you from believing in him?”
They said, “The only reason is that the angel who brings him revelation is Jibrīl (عليه السلام), and he is the angel of harshness, severity, punishment, and hardship. We are his enemies and he is ours. Had it been Mīkā’īl (عليه السلام), the angel of mercy, comfort, and ease, we would not have hesitated to believe.”
I then asked, “What status do Jibrīl and Mīkā’īl hold before Allah?”
They replied, “One is on Allah’s right side and the other on His left.”
I said, “By Allah, besides Whom there is no deity—whoever is an enemy to either of them is an enemy to Allah Himself. For Mīkā’īl does not befriend the enemy of Jibrīl, nor does Jibrīl befriend the enemy of Mīkā’īl. Neither of them acts independently without Allah’s permission—neither in descending to the earth nor in carrying out commands. By Allah, I desire nothing from you, nor do I fear you. So, hear this: whoever is an enemy of Allah, His angels, His messengers, Jibrīl, and Mīkā’īl, then verily, Allah Himself is an enemy to the disbelievers.”
After saying this, I departed and went to the Prophet ﷺ. As soon as he saw me, he said, “O Ibn al-Khaṭṭāb! A fresh revelation has just been sent to me.”
I said, “O Messenger of Allah, recite it to me.”
The Prophet ﷺ then recited the following verse:
مَن كَانَ عَدُوًّا لِّلَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَجِبْرِيلَ وَمِيكَالَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَدُوٌّ لِّلْكَافِرِينَ
(Surah al-Baqarah, 2:98)
I responded, “May my parents be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah! These are the very words I was discussing with the Jews just now. I had intended to inform you of the incident, but before I could do so, Allah—the All-Hearing, All-Seeing—had already informed you.”
This narration is mentioned in Tafsīr Ibn Abī Ḥātim and others.
❖ Ḥadīth Verification
⟹ Its chain of transmission is weak (ضعيف).
This narration appears in Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, under the verse from Surah al-Baqarah (2:98).
There are two chains for this report, both of which end at al-Shaʿbī, who did not live during the time of ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه). Hence, the narration is disconnected (منقطع).
Referenced in: Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī, 1/611
Conclusion:
This narration is widely circulated but rests on a disconnected and weak chain of transmission. It should not be cited as definitive evidence without clarification of its weakness.
وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
