The Incident of the Sun Returning for ʿAli رضي الله عنه – Research and Ruling
Source: Fatawa ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 3 – Principles, Verification of Narrations and Their Rulings – Page 259
Title: Did the Sun Really Return for ʿAli رضي الله عنه?
❖ The Question:
Did the Prophet ﷺ cause the sun to return for ʿAli ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه after he missed the ʿAsr prayer? What is the authenticity of this narration?
(Question by: Muhammad Anwar – Rawalpindi)
❖ Answer:
All praise is due to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
According to the narration, this incident was transmitted by Fudayl ibn Marzuq (who is ḥasan al-ḥadīth and deemed trustworthy by the majority), through Ibrahim ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (son of Fatimah bint al-Ḥusayn رضي الله عنها), who is unknown in status (majhūl al-ḥāl). The chain reaches Asmāʾ bint ʿUmays رضي الله عنها, and the narration states:
❖ The Incident:
◈ Revelation was being sent upon the Prophet ﷺ.
◈ His blessed head was resting in the lap of ʿAli رضي الله عنه.
◈ During this time, ʿAli رضي الله عنه could not perform the ʿAsr prayer, and the sun had set.
◈ The Prophet ﷺ asked:
“O ʿAli, did you pray?”
He replied: “No.”
Then the Prophet ﷺ supplicated:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّهُ كَانَ فِي طَاعَتِكَ وَطَاعَةِ رَسُولِكَ فَارْدُدْ عَلَيْهِ الشَّمْسَ
"O Allah, indeed he was in obedience to You and to Your Messenger, so return the sun for him."
Asmāʾ bint ʿUmays رضي الله عنها said:
“I saw the sun had set, then I saw it rise again.”
References:
– Mushkil al-Athār by al-Ṭaḥāwī (New edition: 3/92, Ḥadīth 1067; Old edition: 2/8)
– Al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī (24/147–152, Ḥadīth 390)
– Al-Abāṭīl wal-Manākīr by al-Jawraqānī (1/158)
– Al-Mawḍūʿāt by Ibn al-Jawzī (1/355)
❖ Verification of the Chain:
This narration is weak (ḍaʿīf) due to the following reasons:
◈ Ibrahim ibn al-Hasan was only explicitly authenticated by Ibn Ḥibbān, who is known for leniency in declaring narrators trustworthy, hence Ibrahim remains majhūl (unknown in reliability).
◈ Al-Dhahabī رحمه الله included him among weak narrators:
Diwān al-Ḍuʿafāʾ wal-Matrūkīn 1/46, Entry 169
◈ Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله stated:
➤ Fudayl ibn Marzūq’s hearing from Ibrahim ibn al-Hasan is not established.
➤ Ibrahim’s hearing from his mother Fatimah bint al-Ḥusayn, and her hearing from Asmāʾ bint ʿUmays, is also unverified.
(Minhāj al-Sunnah 4/190)
❖ A Second Version of the Incident
Another narration was transmitted by Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Faṭrī al-Madanī (a reliable and honest narrator):
Narrated: ʿAwn ibn Muḥammad ibn Umm Jaʿfar → from Asmāʾ bint ʿUmays رضي الله عنها
Narrative Details:
◈ The Prophet ﷺ offered Ẓuhr prayer at a place called Ṣabḥāʾ.
◈ He sent ʿAli رضي الله عنه on an errand.
◈ Upon his return, the Prophet ﷺ had already offered ʿAsr prayer.
◈ The Prophet ﷺ rested his head in ʿAli’s lap until sunset.
◈ The Prophet ﷺ then supplicated:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّ عَبْدَكَ عَلِيًّا احْتَبَسَ بِنَفْسِهِ عَلَى نَبِيِّكَ، فَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ شَرْقَهَا
"O Allah, Your servant ʿAli kept himself for the service of Your Prophet, so return the sun for him."
Asmāʾ رضي الله عنها said:
◈ The sun rose again until its light spread over the mountains and land.
◈ ʿAli رضي الله عنه performed ablution and offered the ʿAsr prayer.
◈ Then the sun set again.
It is said this incident occurred during the battle of Khaybar, at a place called Ṣabḥāʾ.
References:
– Sharḥ Mushkil al-Āthār (3/94, Ḥadīth 1068; other edition: 2/9)
– Al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī (24/145, Ḥadīth 382)
❖ Verification of This Chain:
This narration is also weak (ḍaʿīf) due to the following reasons:
◈ Both ʿAwn ibn Muḥammad and his mother Umm Jaʿfar (Umm ʿAwn bint Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar) are unknown in status (majhūl al-ḥāl).
◈ According to Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله:
➤ The uprightness and memory of ʿAwn and his mother are not established.
(Minhāj al-Sunnah 4/189)
➤ Umm Jaʿfar’s hearing from Asmāʾ bint ʿUmays is also unconfirmed.
(ibid.)
❖ Clarification Regarding Other Narrations:
In some versions, Fatimah bint al-Ḥusayn is explicitly mentioned as hearing from Asmāʾ bint ʿUmays, but those chains include mudallis (ambiguous) narrators, such as:
◈ Marwān ibn Muʿāwiyah al-Fazārī
◈ Sharīk ibn ʿAbdullah al-Qāḍī
Both narrate with “ʿan” (from), which raises concerns about interruption (incomplete transmission).
❖ Summary of Research:
The narration of the sun returning for ʿAli رضي الله عنه is weak and rejected (ḍaʿīf wa mardūd) through both chains.
◈ Narrations of Ibn ʿUqdah (a Shīʿī) and Ibn Mardawayh are also weak.
◈ Ibn Mardawayh’s chain includes Yazīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik al-Nawfalī, a weak narrator.
Refer to:
– Minhāj al-Sunnah 4/193, route of *Yaḥyā ibn Yazīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik al-Nawfalī → from his father → from Dāʾūd ibn Farhīj → from ʿAmmārah ibn Furʿawn → from Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه
❖ On the Weakness of Yazīd al-Nawfalī:
– Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, Entry 7751
– Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl (Vol. 4/414, Entry 9651: Yaḥyā ibn Yazīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik)
❖ Recommended References for Further Research:
◈ Minhāj al-Sunnah (Vol. 4, pp. 185–195)
◈ Wa Mā ʿAlaynā Illā al-Balāgh (14 January 2010 edition)
✿ Final Ruling:
The story of the sun being returned for ʿAli رضي الله عنه has no authentic basis.
All known narrations regarding this incident are weak, unsupported, or contain unknown narrators.
Thus, it is not permissible to affirm this event as factual or part of authentic Islamic tradition.
وما علينا إلا البلاغ
Our duty is only to convey.
We ask Allah for clarity in understanding truth from falsehood and to keep us firm upon authentic knowledge. Ameen.
