This excerpt is taken from the book by Fazilat-ul-Sheikh Abdul Salam Rustami From Denial of Hadith to Denial of Quran.
Hadith 30: The Chicken Seeing the Angel and the Donkey Seeing the Devil
It is narrated from Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
When you hear the sound of a chicken, seek Allah’s bounty because it sees the angel, and when you hear the sound of a donkey, seek refuge in Allah from the devil because when it sees the devil, it speaks.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Beginning of Creation, Chapter: The Best Wealth of a Muslim, Hadith: 3303, and its translation from Maqam Hadith p: 233
There are two points in this hadith which the deniers of hadith present as objections and denial:
➊ How did the chicken see the angel and the donkey see the devil?
➋ What is the reason for seeking Allah’s bounty at that time and seeking refuge in Allah from the devil?
Answer:
➊ The existence of angels and devils has been proven by Quranic verses, so interpreting this otherwise is a sign of great misunderstanding. Moreover, the coming of angels to the righteous and devils to the criminals and soothsayers is established in the Holy Quran. It is stated:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا
"Indeed, those who have said, 'Our Lord is Allah' and then remained steadfast - the angels will descend upon them, [saying], 'Do not fear and do not grieve.'"
Reference: (41-Humazah:30)
Regarding devils, it is said:
هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ عَلَىٰ مَن تَنَزَّلُ الشَّيَاطِينُ ﴿٢٢١﴾ تَنَزَّلُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٍ ﴿٢٢٢﴾
"Shall I inform you of who the devils descend upon? They descend upon every lying, sinful person."
Reference: (26-Ash-Shu'ara:221-222)
Also, it is stated:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزًّا
"Have you not considered that We have set devils upon the disbelievers, inciting them continually?"
Reference: (19-Maryam:83)
Neither the soothsayers nor the disbelievers say that they have seen a devil with their own eyes, but our faith is that devils do descend upon them because Allah Almighty has said so. Therefore, the coming of an angel to a rooster and the rooster seeing it, similarly a donkey seeing a devil and braying upon seeing it, is not surprising, even though we cannot see them because we have faith in the unseen.
Allah Almighty has granted certain animals special abilities which are within our experience. The sense of smell of an ant is far superior to that of a human. A vulture can see a piece of meat or the like from a great height above the ground, and a cat can see in the dark. Besides these, there are other divine wonders which cannot be denied, so there is no reason to deny the rooster seeing an angel or the donkey seeing a devil.
➋ The reason for seeking Allah’s grace at the time of the rooster’s crowing (Adhan) is that the rooster is seeing the angel at that time, and in the presence of the angel, there is a greater hope for the acceptance of prayers because angels say Ameen to the prayers of the believer. Many hadiths have also been established regarding this. Protection from devils should be sought from Allah at all times.
Especially when they come near a person, the Holy Quran has instructed this prayer:
وَقُل رَّبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيَاطِينِ ﴿٩٧﴾ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ رَبِّ أَن يَحْضُرُونِ ﴿٩٨﴾
"And say, 'My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the incitements of the devils. And I seek refuge in You, my Lord, lest they be present with me.'"
Reference: (23-Al-Mu’minun:97-98)
