English
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: A Jewish scholar came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: “O Muhammad, Allah will hold the heavens on one finger, the earths on one finger, the mountains and trees on one finger, the water and soil on one finger, and the rest of creation on one finger, then shake them and say: ‘I am the King, I am Allah.’” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) laughed, not in surprise but in affirmation of what the scholar said, then recited: They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal, while the earth entirely will be His grasp on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be folded in His right hand. Exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him [Az-Zumar: 67].
Possible references (unverified, pending editorial review)
- Candidate: Sahih al-Bukhari 4811 (unverified) 98% confidence
- Candidate: Sahih Muslim 2786a (unverified) 96% confidence
Confidence and text similarity are not editorial verification.
Commentary and footnotes (2)
Note 1
(1) His statement: “On one finger”: This hadith, on its apparent meaning, contradicts the earlier narration that the heavens are folded with His right hand and the earths with the other. Also, the apparent division of things among fingers suggests the physical hand with five fingers, as believed by the anthropomorphists among the Jews and other innovators. Since he did not deny it, it requires either interpretation, which is the way of the later scholars and is more knowledgeable, or acceptance and delegation with agreement on transcendence, which is the way of the Salaf and is safer. Allah knows best. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)
Note 1
(۱) قوله : على إصبع إلخ وهذا الحديث بظاهره يخالف ما سبق من أن طي العلوي بيمينه ، والسفلي بالأخرى، وأيضا ظاهر تقسيم الأشياء على الأصابع موهم لإرادة تحقق الجارحة المشتملة على الأصابع الخمسة، كما هو مذهب المجسمة من اليهود وسائر أهل البدع، ولكنه لما قرره ، حيث لم ينكره لزم إما التأويل، وهو مذهب الخلف، وهو أعلم، أو التسليم والتفويض مع الاتفاق على التنزيه، وهو مذهب السلف، وهو أسلم، والله تعالى أعلم. كذا في «المرقاة».