Refutation of Objections Against Islam Based on Isrā’īliyyāt
Modern-Day Rejectors Use Fabricated Narrations to Attack Islam
Contemporary deniers often exploit certain fabricated narrations to raise objections against Islam. One such example is the interpretation of the letter “ن” (Nūn) in Sūrah al-Qalam:
(ن وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ).
These individuals claim that Islam, like Hinduism, is based on fictional beliefs, using questionable narrations such as the following:
Controversial Narrations
Narration Attributed to Ibn ʿAbbās (RA)
According to the narration, Allah first created the Pen, then formed the skies from the vapors of water, and then created "Nūn" (a fish), upon which the earth was spread. When the earth began to move, mountains were placed to stabilize it.
(ʿAbd al-Razzāq, Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān by al-Ṭabarānī)
The Angel, the Bull, and the Earth Legend
The narration claims that Allah created the earth and placed it upon the shoulders of an angel. When the angel could not bear it, a bull with forty thousand horns was sent. When the bull too failed, a jewel from Paradise was brought upon which the bull's feet found stability.
Objections to These Narrations and Questions by Deniers
Atheists and critics ask: If these narrations are so unreliable, why did the scholars of exegesis include them in their Tafsīrs?
Four Dimensions Behind Such Narrations
① Jewish and Magian Conspiracy
The enemies of Islam—particularly Jews and Magians—fabricated these narrations to tarnish the image of Islam. When they lost the battle of logic and evidence, they resorted to conspiratorial tactics.
② Political and Religious Extremism
Certain individuals, especially extremist factions within the Shīʿah sect, fabricated narrations and attributed them to Ahl al-Bayt. Similarly, court scholars sometimes spread such stories to please the rulers.
③ Mixing of Authentic and Inauthentic Reports
Some narrations were transmitted without verification or proper chains of narration. As a result, truth became entangled with falsehood. Statements of the Ṣaḥābah and Tābiʿīn were often mixed with material influenced by Isrā’īliyyāt.
④ Flood of Isrā’īliyyāt
Many fabricated stories, influenced by Jewish sources, were included in classical Tafsīrs. Some of these are outright fabrications, while others are based on speculation and lack certainty. Accepting them as matters of creed is impermissible.
(al-Tafsīr wa al-Mufassirūn by Dr. Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-Dhahabī, Maktabah Wahbah, vol. 1, p. 113)
Unreliable Additions in Tafsīr Narrations
Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī and other exegetes mentioned chains of transmission in their works, but their broad approach to collection led to the inclusion of weak and unreliable narrations. Later commentators transmitted this content without distinguishing between authentic and weak, which led to a proliferation of fabricated content in Tafsīr literature.
(Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī, Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ)
Scholarly Opinions on the Fish-Related Narrations
Tafsīr Rūḥ al-Maʿānī
ʿAllāmah Ālūsī and other scholars hold that none of the interpretations of “Nūn” are authentic, except that it is a letter from the disjointed letters (Ḥurūf al-Muqattaʿāt).
(Tafsīr Rūḥ al-Maʿānī by Ālūsī, vol. 15, p. 27)
Criticism by Ibn al-Qayyim
Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah labeled these narrations as fabrications rooted in Isrā’īliyyāt. He stated that they were concocted by the People of the Book to mock the Prophets.
(al-Isrā’īliyyāt wa al-Mawḍūʿāt by Muḥammad ibn Suwaylim, Maktabat al-Sunnah, p. 113)
Analysis by Abū Ḥayyān
Abū Ḥayyān stated that none of the narrations regarding the letter “N” are proven authentic.
(Tafsīr al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ)
Necessity of Caution When Quoting Narrations
Scholars have stressed great caution in quoting such fabricated and Isrā’īliyyāt-based narrations:
✔ Mufti Farīd (RA) – Fatāwā Farīdiyyah, vol. 1, p. 485
✔ Mufti Saʿīd Aḥmad Pālanpūrī (RA) – Tuḥfat al-Aʿlamī, vol. 6, p. 446
Verified Number of Authentic Ḥadīths from Ibn ʿAbbās (RA)
According to researchers, only around 100 narrations from Ibn ʿAbbās (RA) regarding Tafsīr are authentically established. The rest are either weak or fabricated.
(al-Isrā’īliyyāt wa al-Mawḍūʿāt by Muḥammad ibn Suwaylim, p. 305)
Conclusion
All such narrations are either fabricated or heavily influenced by Isrā’īliyyāt. The scholars of Islam have rejected them with clear evidences. Using these narrations to object against Islam is nothing more than a baseless conspiracy.
References
- Tafsīr ʿAbd al-Razzāq
- Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr
- Jāmiʿ al-Bayān by al-Ṭabarānī
- Maʿālim al-Tanzīl, Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī
- Tafsīr al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ
- Mawsūʿat al-Isrā’īliyyāt wa al-Mawḍūʿāt by Muḥammad ʿĪsá, vol. 2, p. 828
- al-Isrā’īliyyāt wa al-Mawḍūʿāt by Muḥammad ibn Suwaylim, Maktabat al-Sunnah, p. 113
