❖ Jews Embraced Islam Upon Hearing Surah Yusuf From the Prophet ﷺ
Authored by: Hafiz Muhammad Anwar Zahid حفظه الله
✿ The Narration:
It is reported from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما:
*A Jewish scholar (ḥabr) came to the Prophet ﷺ while he was reciting Surah Yūsuf. The scholar asked, “Who taught you this?” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “Allah taught it to me.”
The Jew was astonished and returned to his people saying, “Indeed, Muhammad ﷺ recites the story of Yūsuf exactly as it is revealed in the Torah.”
A group of Jews then accompanied him and went to the Prophet ﷺ. Upon seeing him, they recognized him through his descriptions and examined the Seal of Prophethood between his shoulders.
They listened attentively to the recitation of Surah Yūsuf, were amazed, and accepted Islam on the spot.
— [Referenced in Fatḥ al-Qadīr, Vol. 3, p. 3; Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, Vol. 12, p. 170]
❖ Authentication of the Narration:
Status of the Chain: Its chain is fabricated (موضوع).
✿ Source and Chain Details:
The narration is found in:
- Dalā’il al-Nubuwwah by al-Bayhaqī (6/272)
- Reported via the chain:
Muḥammad ibn Marwān al-Suddī al-Ṣaghīr → al-Kalbī → Abū Ṣāliḥ → Ibn ʿAbbās
✿ Reasons for Fabrication:
① Muḥammad ibn Marwān al-Suddī al-Ṣaghīr — accused of fabrication (كَذّاب).
- Imam Ibn Ḥajar states: "He is accused of lying."
② His teacher in this chain is al-Kalbī, who is also a known liar (كَذّاب).
- Narrators of this kind are not accepted in hadith transmission.
③ The chain is built entirely upon discredited narrators, rendering the narration completely unreliable and fabricated.
❖ Conclusion:
Although the narration describes a moving and inspiring event, where Jews embrace Islam upon hearing the Qur’an, the chain is entirely fabricated and contains narrators known for lying and invention.
Thus, this story has no basis in authentic hadith literature and should not be quoted or relied upon in religious discourse unless clearly labeled as fabricated (موضوع).
