Authored by: Hafiz Muhammad Anwar Zahid (ḥafiẓahullāh)
It is reported that on the night the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born, several prominent chiefs of the Quraysh were gathered in a meeting. A Jewish merchant, who was residing in Makkah for trade, approached them and asked:
“Has a child been born in your tribe tonight?”
They all expressed ignorance.
He then exclaimed:
“Allāhu Akbar! If you don’t know, then listen carefully: tonight, the Prophet of this last Ummah has been born. Between his shoulders is a mark—hair layered like a horse’s mane—and he will not drink milk for two days because a jinn has inserted its finger in his mouth.”
When the gathering dispersed and people returned to their homes, they came to know that a son was born to ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, and that child was Muḥammad ﷺ.
They brought the Jewish man to the house of Āminah. Upon seeing the seal of prophethood on the child’s back, he collapsed unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he was asked about his reaction.
He said:
“By Allah! Prophethood has now been taken away from the Children of Israel. O Quraysh! You rejoice at his birth today, but beware—by Allah, this child will one day strike you with a blow whose news will spread across the world!”
✔ This narration is recorded by:
Al-Ḥākim graded it as Ṣaḥīḥ (authentic).
However, Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī, in his marginal notes to al-Mustadrak (al-Talkhīṣ, Vol. 2, p. 602), disputed al-Ḥākim's judgment, casting doubt on its authenticity.
✔ The narration is transmitted as follows:
Yaʿqūb ibn Sufyān al-Fasawī
→ from Abū Ghassān Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā al-Kinānī
→ from his father Yaḥyā ibn ʿAlī al-Kitānī
→ from Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq (author of al-Sīrah)
① Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq did not include this narration in his own Sīrah
② Abū Ghassān Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā:
③ Yaḥyā ibn ʿAlī al-Kitānī (his father) is an obscure figure; his biography and status are unknown to hadith authorities
④ A similar version of this incident is attributed to a Christian monk, narrated by Abū Jaʿfar ibn Abī Shaybah, cited by:
However:
✔ Al-Zurqānī wrote that Abū Jaʿfar ibn Abī Shaybah is not reliable
The narration is weak and not authentically established due to:
While the story is frequently circulated, especially in Mawlid gatherings, it holds no weight in terms of hadith authenticity.
❖ The Narrative
It is reported that on the night the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born, several prominent chiefs of the Quraysh were gathered in a meeting. A Jewish merchant, who was residing in Makkah for trade, approached them and asked:
“Has a child been born in your tribe tonight?”
They all expressed ignorance.
He then exclaimed:
“Allāhu Akbar! If you don’t know, then listen carefully: tonight, the Prophet of this last Ummah has been born. Between his shoulders is a mark—hair layered like a horse’s mane—and he will not drink milk for two days because a jinn has inserted its finger in his mouth.”
When the gathering dispersed and people returned to their homes, they came to know that a son was born to ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, and that child was Muḥammad ﷺ.
They brought the Jewish man to the house of Āminah. Upon seeing the seal of prophethood on the child’s back, he collapsed unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he was asked about his reaction.
He said:
“By Allah! Prophethood has now been taken away from the Children of Israel. O Quraysh! You rejoice at his birth today, but beware—by Allah, this child will one day strike you with a blow whose news will spread across the world!”
❖ Ḥadīth Authentication
✔ This narration is recorded by:
- Al-Ḥākim in al-Mustadrak: Vol. 2, p. 602, Ḥadīth no. 4177
- Also cited in: al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah: Vol. 1, p. 101
- Mukhtaṣar al-Mustadrak: Vol. 2, p. 1055
❖ Scholarly Assessment
Al-Ḥākim graded it as Ṣaḥīḥ (authentic).However, Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī, in his marginal notes to al-Mustadrak (al-Talkhīṣ, Vol. 2, p. 602), disputed al-Ḥākim's judgment, casting doubt on its authenticity.
◈ Chain of Narrators:
✔ The narration is transmitted as follows:
Yaʿqūb ibn Sufyān al-Fasawī
→ from Abū Ghassān Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā al-Kinānī
→ from his father Yaḥyā ibn ʿAlī al-Kitānī
→ from Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq (author of al-Sīrah)
❖ Issues in the Chain
① Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq did not include this narration in his own Sīrah
② Abū Ghassān Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā:
- While al-Bukhārī considered him trustworthy,
- Sulaymānī labeled him munkar al-ḥadīth (transmitter of odd/unverified reports)
- Ibn Ḥazm declared him majhūl (unknown)
③ Yaḥyā ibn ʿAlī al-Kitānī (his father) is an obscure figure; his biography and status are unknown to hadith authorities
④ A similar version of this incident is attributed to a Christian monk, narrated by Abū Jaʿfar ibn Abī Shaybah, cited by:
- Abū Nuʿaym in Dalāʾil al-Nubuwwah
- Ibn ʿAsākir in Tārīkh Dimashq
However:
✔ Al-Zurqānī wrote that Abū Jaʿfar ibn Abī Shaybah is not reliable
❖ Conclusion
The narration is weak and not authentically established due to:- Disconnection in the chain
- Unreliable narrators
- Lack of corroboration from more authoritative sources
While the story is frequently circulated, especially in Mawlid gatherings, it holds no weight in terms of hadith authenticity.
