Source Attribution
This excerpt is taken from the book Aḥkām wa Masā’il in the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah by Shaykh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani.
❖ Question:
Why was Jaʿfar al-Ṭayyār رضي الله عنه called Ṭayyār (the one who flies)? Is there any narration regarding this, or was it merely a popular attribution?
✿ Answer:
A narration from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما is recorded in al-Mustadrak of al-Ḥākim and in al-Ṭabarānī, in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Last night, I entered Paradise and saw Jaʿfar flying with the angels, and I saw Ḥamzah reclining on a couch.”
The statement of the Prophet ﷺ regarding Jaʿfar رضي الله عنه — “he is flying with the angels” (يَطِيرُ مَعَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ) — appears to be the reason why he came to be known as Jaʿfar al-Ṭayyār.
