The Death of Saʿd ibn Muʿādh رضي الله عنه and the Testimony of Allah’s Throne in Light of Ḥadīth
Source: Fatāwā Amnpūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amnpūrī
❀ Question
Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
اهتز عرش الرحمن لموت سعد بن معاذ
“The Throne of the Most Merciful shook at the death of Saʿd ibn Muʿādh.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3803, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2466)
Why did the Throne of Allah shake?
❀ Answer
This ḥadīth is mutawātir (mass-transmitted).
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr رحمه الله (d. 463 AH) said:
هو حديث روي من وجوه عدة كثيرة متواترة، رواها جماعة من الصحابة
“This ḥadīth has been narrated through many mutawātir chains, transmitted by a group of Companions.”
(Al-Istīʿāb, 2/604)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī رحمه الله (d. 748 AH) said:
هذا متواتر أشهد بأن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قاله
“This is mutawātir; I bear witness that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ indeed said it.”
(Al-ʿUluw, p. 89)
Wisdom Behind the Throne Shaking
Allah, the All-Wise, manifests signs in His creation. The Throne of Allah is the greatest of creations, separate and distinct from Allah Himself. Allah sometimes uses one creation as a sign of the greatness of another.
The status of Saʿd ibn Muʿādh رضي الله عنه before Allah was so elevated that at his death, Allah caused His mighty creation—the Throne—to tremble as a sign of Saʿd’s honor.
