Written by: Abu al-Qasim Naveed Shaukat
hul-Qarnayn was a righteous king who traveled across the earth. One day, during his travels, he halted at Mount Hind. Al-Khidr, who was among his banner bearers, said to him:
"What troubles you, O King, that you have halted?"
Dhul-Qarnayn replied:
"How could I not halt when I see footprints, handprints, and trees more immense than any I have ever encountered, from which red water flows? This is certainly something extraordinary."
Al-Khidr, who had read all the scriptures, said to him:
"Would you like to hang onto the great tree and observe?"
Dhul-Qarnayn agreed.
Upon examining, he found a letter which read:
"بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم من آدم أبى البشر عليه السلام إلى ذريته أو صيكم ذريتي بنى و بناتي بتقوى الله و أحذركم كيد عدوي و عدوكم إبليس اللعين"
"In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. From Adam, the father of mankind, to his progeny: O my children, sons and daughters! I advise you to fear Allah and warn you against the deceits of your enemy and mine, the accursed Iblis. His speech is sweet and pleasant, but his desires led me to be expelled from the highest paradise to the earth. Because of my one mistake, I was cast down and was ignored for two years. These are my traces, and these trees have grown from my tears. It is here that my repentance was accepted. Therefore, turn to your Lord before regret overtakes you, advance before you are driven, and take precedence before precedence is taken over you."
Sulaiman saidhul-Qarnayn descended and touched the place where Adam عليه السلام had sat, which measured a distance of 180 miles. They counted 700 trees that had grown from Adam’s tears. When Qabil (Cain) killed Habil (Abel), the trees dried up, and red water began to flow from them. Dhul-Qarnayn then said to Al-Khidr:
"Take me back! By Allah, after this, I will never again pursue worldly desires."
➊ Al-Muqri reported from Abu Abdullah Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Bazzar, from Abu Muhammad Ja'far ibn Nasir al-Khaldi, from Ibrahim ibn Ahmad al-Khawwas, who narrated from Sulaiman al-Ashajj, the companion of Ka'b al-Ahbar.
(Tarikh Dimashq, 17/356)
➋ Hafiz Ibn Hajar stated:
"Narrated from Sulaiman al-Ashajj, companion of Ka'b al-Ahbar, from Ka'b al-Ahbar..."
(Al-Isabah, 3/238)
➌ Imam al-Hanai mentioned:
Reported by Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Abd al-Qadir al-Tarsusi, from Abu Hafs al-Saigh Umar ibn Ahmad, from Abu Dharr, from Ahmad ibn Salmah al-Razi, from Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Yazid al-Rifa'i, from Abd al-Karim ibn Harun al-Jurjani, who narrated from his father, from Sulaiman al-Ashajj.
(Fawa'id al-Hanai, 2/1372)
This chain was also cited by Imam Ibn Asakir. (7/418)
Second Chain (Hafiz Ibn Hajar):
Third Chain (Fawa'id al-Hanai):
❀ "And our duty is only to convey the message."
Narration of the Letter
Sulaiman al-Ashajj, a companion of Ka'b al-Ahbar, saidhul-Qarnayn was a righteous king who traveled across the earth. One day, during his travels, he halted at Mount Hind. Al-Khidr, who was among his banner bearers, said to him:"What troubles you, O King, that you have halted?"
Dhul-Qarnayn replied:
"How could I not halt when I see footprints, handprints, and trees more immense than any I have ever encountered, from which red water flows? This is certainly something extraordinary."
Al-Khidr, who had read all the scriptures, said to him:
"Would you like to hang onto the great tree and observe?"
Dhul-Qarnayn agreed.
Upon examining, he found a letter which read:
"بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم من آدم أبى البشر عليه السلام إلى ذريته أو صيكم ذريتي بنى و بناتي بتقوى الله و أحذركم كيد عدوي و عدوكم إبليس اللعين"
"In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. From Adam, the father of mankind, to his progeny: O my children, sons and daughters! I advise you to fear Allah and warn you against the deceits of your enemy and mine, the accursed Iblis. His speech is sweet and pleasant, but his desires led me to be expelled from the highest paradise to the earth. Because of my one mistake, I was cast down and was ignored for two years. These are my traces, and these trees have grown from my tears. It is here that my repentance was accepted. Therefore, turn to your Lord before regret overtakes you, advance before you are driven, and take precedence before precedence is taken over you."
Sulaiman said
hul-Qarnayn descended and touched the place where Adam عليه السلام had sat, which measured a distance of 180 miles. They counted 700 trees that had grown from Adam’s tears. When Qabil (Cain) killed Habil (Abel), the trees dried up, and red water began to flow from them. Dhul-Qarnayn then said to Al-Khidr:"Take me back! By Allah, after this, I will never again pursue worldly desires."
Analysis of the Chains of Narration
This story was transmitted by Imam Ibn Asakir with the following chain:➊ Al-Muqri reported from Abu Abdullah Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Bazzar, from Abu Muhammad Ja'far ibn Nasir al-Khaldi, from Ibrahim ibn Ahmad al-Khawwas, who narrated from Sulaiman al-Ashajj, the companion of Ka'b al-Ahbar.
(Tarikh Dimashq, 17/356)
➋ Hafiz Ibn Hajar stated:
"Narrated from Sulaiman al-Ashajj, companion of Ka'b al-Ahbar, from Ka'b al-Ahbar..."
(Al-Isabah, 3/238)
➌ Imam al-Hanai mentioned:
Reported by Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Abd al-Qadir al-Tarsusi, from Abu Hafs al-Saigh Umar ibn Ahmad, from Abu Dharr, from Ahmad ibn Salmah al-Razi, from Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Yazid al-Rifa'i, from Abd al-Karim ibn Harun al-Jurjani, who narrated from his father, from Sulaiman al-Ashajj.
(Fawa'id al-Hanai, 2/1372)
This chain was also cited by Imam Ibn Asakir. (7/418)
Authenticity Evaluation:
First Chain (Tarikh Dimashq):- Ibrahim ibn Ahmad al-Khawwas is unknown (majhool); mentioned in Tarikh Baghdad (6/463) and Al-Muntazam (13/26) without any assessment.
- Sulaiman al-Ashajj is also unknown; no biography found.
Second Chain (Hafiz Ibn Hajar):
- Weak due to the presence of Sulaiman al-Ashajj.
Third Chain (Fawa'id al-Hanai):
- Multiple unknown narrators:
- Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Abd al-Qadir al-Tarsusi: unknown.
- Abu Hafs al-Saigh Umar ibn Ahmad: unknown.
- Abu Dharr: unknown.
- Ahmad ibn Salmah al-Razi: unknown.
- Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Yazid al-Rifa'i: unknown.
- Abd al-Karim ibn Harun al-Jurjani:
- Some mentions by Imam Ibn Abi Hatim but without clear praise.
- Criticized by al-Azdi, whose criticism carries no significant weight due to his weakness.
- Thus, considered unknown.
Conclusion
After detailed analysis, it is evident that this narration regarding the letter of Sayyiduna Adam عليه السلام is not authentically established through any reliable chain of transmission.❀ "And our duty is only to convey the message."
