The hadith states that Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated the statement of the Mercy to the Worlds ﷺ: "Whoever raises his head from prostration before the Imam, Allah will surely make his head like the head of a donkey."
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari: 691, Sahih Muslim: 427)
Is it conceivable that a person's head would be transformed into the head of a donkey? This does not seem reasonable according to intellect.
① First Point
This hadith is of the highest degree of authenticity because the mentioned narration is found in the most authentic books of hadith, namely Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, which are the most authentic and reliable books after the Book of Allah, and the entire Ummah is unanimous on this, as has been proven in the previous doubt
Reference: (Regarding the authenticity of Sahihayn hadiths and the consensus of the Ummah)
. Therefore, there is no room for doubt about the hadith, and once the hadith is established, it is obligatory to believe in it and submit humbly.② Second Point
What is there in this hadith that is beyond reason! Whereas in the Holy Quran, Allah, the Lord of Glory, has mentioned the distortion of the forms of a nation of the Children of Israel. Allah Almighty says:
مَن لَّعَنَهُ اللَّهُ وَغَضِبَ عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهُمُ الْقِرَدَةَ وَالْخَنَازِيرَ وَعَبَدَ الطَّاغُوتَ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ شَرٌّ مَّكَانًا وَأَضَلُّ عَن سَوَاءِ السَّبِيلِ
Reference: (Al-Ma'idah : 60)
Those upon whom Allah has cursed and upon whom His wrath has fallen and who have been transformed into apes and pigs and who worshipped Taghut. They are worse in rank and further astray from the right path.
So, would this or other similar verses also be considered beyond reason!?
③ Third Point
What is this doubt really about? Is it a doubt about Allah's power? The Being who can create existence from non-existence, does He not have the power to cause a change in creation? As Allah Almighty says:
عَلَىٰ أَن نُّبَدِّلَ أَمْثَالَكُمْ وَنُنشِئَكُمْ فِي مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
Reference: (Al-Waqi'ah : 61)
And We are certainly not incapable of producing the likes of you and creating you anew in a form you do not know. (بالکل)
That is, Allah Almighty is capable of distorting your forms and turning you into monkeys and pigs, and creating some other creatures in your place with your shape and form.
④ Fourth Point
This is not difficult to imagine rationally, especially for those who accept Darwin's theory of evolution, whose essence is that the human existence began in the form of a monkey. So when it is conceivable that a monkey can turn into a human, then what is difficult about imagining some partial change in the creation of that human?
⑤ Fifth Point
The mention in the hadith of turning into a donkey's head for overtaking the Imam during prayer is a severe warning, which indicates the sanctity and prohibition of the mentioned act. It is not necessary for us to seek its actual occurrence, but it is essential to have faith in it and to refrain from the act for which this warning was revealed.
⑥ Last Point
Explaining the purpose of the hadith, Imam Qadi Iyad states that in this hadith there is a warning from Allah Almighty that the person who does such a thing in prayer will have his appearance changed into that of a donkey, which is an extremely bad form. In reality, the donkey is mentioned as an example of ignorance and laziness. So when this person opposes the rules of prayer and tries to precede the imam without any benefit, such a person is like a donkey at the extreme of ignorance. Thus, when he becomes like this inwardly, it is quite possible that he also becomes like this outwardly.
Reference: Ikmal al-Muallim (2/341)
