S e c o n d  E x a m p l e : Accurate books of Hadith report from Anas and Abu Dharr  through  an  authentic  line  of  transmission:  “Anas,  the  Prophet’s  (UWBP) servant, said: ‘We were together with God’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) when he took up a handful of small stones and they began to praise God in his blessed palm. Then he put them in Abu Bakr the Veracious’s hand and again they glorified God.’”[160]  In his line of transmission, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari says: “Then he put them into ‘Umar’s hand, and again they glorified God. Then he took them and put them on the ground, and they were silent. Then he again took them, and put them in ‘Uthman’s hand, where again they began to glorify God.” Abu Dharr and Anas relate: “He put them in our hands and they were silent.”[161]

T h i r d  E x a m p l e : It is established by a sound report from ‘Ali, Jabir, and ‘A’isha  al-Siddiqa:  “Rocks  and  mountains  would  say to  God’s  Messenger  (Upon whom be blessings and peace), ‘Peace be upon you, O Messenger of God!’” In ‘Ali’s chain of narration, it says: “Whenever we went around in the environs of Mecca in the early of days of his prophethood, the trees and rocks we encountered would declare: ‘Peace be upon you, O Messenger of God!’”[162] While in his chain of transmission, Jabir says: “Whenever the Noble Messenger  (Upon whom be blessings and peace) came across rocks and trees, they would prostrate before him, that is, demonstrating obedience to him, they would declare: ‘Peace be upon you, O Messenger of God!’”[163] In one of Jabir’s narrations, the Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) said: “I know a rock that salutes me.”[164] Some people said that he intended the Black Stone of the  Ka‘ba.  In her line of transmission,  ‘A’isha  said: “God’s  Messenger  (Upon whom be blessings and peace) said: ‘When Gabriel brought me the message, I would never pass by a rock or a tree without it saying, ‘Peace be upon you, O Messenger of God!’”[165]

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[159] Bukhari, Manaqib, 25; Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 6 (Tahqiq: Ibrahim A’wad) no: 3633; Musnad, i, 460; Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa, i, 306; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 627; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya, vi, 97-8, 133.

[160] Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 306; al-Khafaji, Sharh al-Shifa’, iii, 70; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 627.

[161] Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 306; al-Haythami, Majma’ al-Zawa’id, v, 179; vii, 298-9; Ibn Kathir, al- Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya, vi, 132-3.

[162] Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 6; Darimi, Muqaddima, 4; al-Haythami, Majma’ al-Zawa’id, viii, 260; al- Hakim, al-Mustadrak, ii, 607; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 628.

[163] Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 307; al-Khafaji, Sharh al-Shifa’, iii, 71

[164] Muslim, Fada’il, 2; Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 5; Musnad, v, 89, 95, 105; Ibn Hibban, Sahih, viii, 139.

[165] Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 307; al-Khafaji, Sharh al-Shifa’, iii, 71; al-Haythami, Majma’ al-Zawa’id, viii, 259.