❖ The Question:
Is it true that during the time of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه, the Nile River in Egypt stopped flowing, and upon receiving a letter from him addressed to the Nile, it began flowing again?❖ The Reported Incident:
This story is commonly narrated as follows:When Egypt was conquered, locals informed ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ رضي الله عنه that the Nile would not flow unless a young girl was sacrificed and thrown into the river on the 11th night of a particular month.
Rejecting this pagan custom, ʿAmr wrote to the Caliph, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه, who sent back a letter addressed to the Nile, saying:
"From the servant of Allah, ʿUmar, to the Nile of Egypt: If you flow on your own, then do not flow. But if you flow by the command of Allah, the One, the Irresistible, then I ask Allah to make you flow."
This letter was then thrown into the Nile, and reportedly, the river immediately began flowing and rose by ten cubits.
❖ Sources Where This Incident is Mentioned:
This story is found in the following works:- Futūḥ Miṣr by Ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam (pp. 150–151)
- Kitāb al-ʿAẓamah by Abū al-Shaykh (4/1424, Ḥadīth 937)
- Sharḥ Iʿtiqād Ahl al-Sunnah by al-Lālikāʾī (1/240, Ḥadīth 72 – section on Karamāt)
- Karamāt al-Awliyāʾ (p. 26)
- Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr (3/464 under Sūrah al-Sajdah: 27)
- Musnad al-Fārūq (1/223–224)
- al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah (1/23)
❖ Authenticity Analysis:
The chain of narration includes:- ʿAbdullāh ibn Laḥīʿah – a mudallis narrator (i.e., one who omits weak narrators)
- [Refer to: Ṭabaqāt al-Mudallīsīn 5/140]
- The narration is muʿanʿan (ambiguous in narration style), and
- Qays ibn al-Ḥajjāj is a Tābiʿ al-Tābiʿī (successor of the successors), whose teacher is unknown, making this an anonymous (majhūl) narration.
Conclusion: This chain is severely weak and unreliable.❖ Scholarly Verdict:
This narration is considered fabricated or unfounded due to the weakness in its chain, specifically because:- Ibn Laḥīʿah is a mudallis and has been widely criticized for unreliability.
- There is no known narrator between Qays ibn al-Ḥajjāj and the source of the story.
- Thus, it falls under narrations from the unknown (ظلمات).
Therefore, the entire incident is baseless and should not be attributed as a historical or religious fact.❖ Final Verdict:
This story is weak and rejected.It should not be used to establish belief, derive rulings, or to promote stories of miracles related to the Caliph ʿUmar رضي الله عنه or the river Nile.
