Incident of Tariq Jamil About the Donkey Coming Back to Life: Shariah Analysis
Source: Fatawa ‘Ilmiyyah (Tawdih al-Ahkam), Vol. 2, p. 442
Tariq Jamil narrates:
“Nabata bin Yazid al-Nakha‘i, during the time of ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه), set out from Yemen in the path of Allah. On the way, his donkey died. His companions said, ‘Give us your luggage.’ He replied, ‘No, go ahead, I will follow.’ He spread his prayer mat, said Allahu Akbar, and prayed two rak‘ahs. He then supplicated: ‘O my Master! You are free of all need, and I am in need of everything. You are the One who gives life to the dead. You have taken the soul of my donkey; I have a long journey ahead and I need it, so O Allah, give it life.’ He then stood up, picked up his stick, struck the donkey, and said: ‘Get up by Allah’s command.’ Immediately, the donkey jumped up and stood.”
(Dildasht Islahī Waqi‘āt, p. 223)
Reference:
Hafiz Ibn Hajar mentioned this story in al-Isabah from Abu Bakr bin Duraid’s al-Akhbar al-Manthurah. Its chain of narration is:
Ibn al-Kalbi → from his father → from Muslim bin ‘Abdullah bin Shuraik al-Nakha‘i
(al-Isabah, vol. 3, p. 582, section 3, biography no. 8850)
A fabricator of the highest degree:
Also extremely unreliable:
The chain of narration is unknown up to Ibn al-Kalbi, meaning the complete chain is missing, which further exposes its weakness.
This narration is fabricated (mawdu‘)—invented and false. It has no Shariah basis and holds no weight in the eyes of scholars.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatawa ‘Ilmiyyah (Tawdih al-Ahkam), Vol. 2, p. 442
The Incident as Narrated by Tariq Jamil
Tariq Jamil narrates:
“Nabata bin Yazid al-Nakha‘i, during the time of ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه), set out from Yemen in the path of Allah. On the way, his donkey died. His companions said, ‘Give us your luggage.’ He replied, ‘No, go ahead, I will follow.’ He spread his prayer mat, said Allahu Akbar, and prayed two rak‘ahs. He then supplicated: ‘O my Master! You are free of all need, and I am in need of everything. You are the One who gives life to the dead. You have taken the soul of my donkey; I have a long journey ahead and I need it, so O Allah, give it life.’ He then stood up, picked up his stick, struck the donkey, and said: ‘Get up by Allah’s command.’ Immediately, the donkey jumped up and stood.”
(Dildasht Islahī Waqi‘āt, p. 223)
Scholarly Verification of the Report
Reference:
Hafiz Ibn Hajar mentioned this story in al-Isabah from Abu Bakr bin Duraid’s al-Akhbar al-Manthurah. Its chain of narration is:
Ibn al-Kalbi → from his father → from Muslim bin ‘Abdullah bin Shuraik al-Nakha‘i
(al-Isabah, vol. 3, p. 582, section 3, biography no. 8850)
Criticism of the Narrators
① Muhammad bin al-Sa’ib al-Kalbi
A fabricator of the highest degree:
- Sulayman al-Taymi said:
“There were two great liars in Kufa; one of them was al-Kalbi.”
(Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 9, p. 157)
- Yazid bin Zuray‘ said:
“I testify that al-Kalbi is a disbeliever.”
(Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 9, p. 158)
- Al-Jawzajani said:
“A liar, discarded.”
(Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 9, p. 159)
② Hisham bin Muhammad bin al-Sa’ib al-Kalbi
Also extremely unreliable:
- Imam al-Daraqutni said:
“Abandoned.”
- Ibn ‘Asakir said:
“A Rafidi, not trustworthy.”
(Lisan al-Mizan, vol. 6, p. 196)
Important Note
The chain of narration is unknown up to Ibn al-Kalbi, meaning the complete chain is missing, which further exposes its weakness.
Conclusion of the Research
This narration is fabricated (mawdu‘)—invented and false. It has no Shariah basis and holds no weight in the eyes of scholars.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
