The verse of stoning and suckling being eaten by the Goat story based on NOT authentic hadith=Statement.Â
Mohamad Mostafa Nassar
Twitter:@NassarMohamadMR
Christian Missionaries have led a new dishonest campaign of an apparent âproofâ that Muslims have corrupted the Quran.
Their argument is a Hadith from Sunan Ibn Majah which apparently demonstrates a goat eating the absent verse of suckling and stoning. I will touch on this topic as I go on.
Before we begin, we must clarify on the concept of âNaskhâ (abrogation)
There are three types of abrogation in the QuranâŚ
Ibn Salama says:
The scholars have divided abrogation into three kinds:
1)Abrogation of the recited (verse) together with the legal ruling.
2)Abrogation of the legal ruling without the recited (verse).
3)Abrogation of the recited (verse) without the legal ruling.
[1] Al-Nasikh wa al-mansukh by Ibn Salama pg. 5
Ahmad von Denffer said:
For abrogation of the recited (verse) together with its legal ruling:
âAâisha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that it had been revealed in the Holy Qurâan that ten clear sucklings make the marriage unlawful, then it was abrogated (and substituted) by five sucklings and Allahâs apostle (may peace be upon him) died and it was before that time (found) in the Holy Qurâan (and recited by the Muslims).
[34 Muslim, II, No. 3421.]
For abrogation of a legal ruling without the recited (verse):
âO Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou has paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the prisoners of war whom God has assigned to thee; and daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts and daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts, who migrated (from Makka) with thee; and any believing woman who dedicates her soul to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed her; â this only for thee and not for the believers (at large),
We know what we have appointed for them as to their wives and the captives whom their right hands possess; â in order that there should be no difficulty for thee and God is oft-forgiving, most mercifulâ Qurâan (33: 50).
âIt is not lawful for thee (to marry more) women after this, nor to change them for (other) wives, even though their beauty attract thee, except any thy right hand should possess (as handmaidens); and God doth watch over all thingsâ Qurâan (33: 52).
This is one of the few very clear examples of naskh, though only concerning the Prophet specifically, since for Muslims in general the number of wives has been restricted to four. Surah Quran (4:3).
For abrogation of the recited (verse) without the legal ruling:
âAbdullah bin âAbbas reported that âUmar bin Khattab sat on the pulpit of Allahâs messenger (may peace be upon him) and said: Verily Allah sent Muhammad (may peace be upon him) with truth and he sent down the book upon him, and the verse of stoning was included in what was sent down to him.
We recited it, retained it in our memory and understood it. Allahâs messenger (may peace be upon him) awarded the punishment of stoning to death (to the married adulterer and adulteress) and after him, we also awarded the punishment of stoning. I am afraid that with the lapse of time, the people (may forget it) and may say:
We do not find the punishment of stoning in the book of Allah, and thus go astray by abandoning this duty prescribed by Allah. Stoning is a duty laid down in Allahâs book for married men and women who commit adultery when proof is established, or if there is pregnancy or a confession. [Muslim, III, No. 4194; Bukhari, VIII, No. 816.]
The punishment of stoning for adultery by married people has been retained in the sunnah=Authentic commentary of Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him, while it is not included in the Qurâan.
[2] Ulum al Qurâan
Now we move to the Hadith about the suckling and stoning
Here are the hadiths=Authentic commentary of Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him which supposedly speak about the âmissing verseâ from the Qurâan:
It was narrated that âAishah said:
âThe Verse of stoning and of breastfeeding an adult ten times was revealed1, and the paper was with me under my pillow. When the Messenger of Allah died, we were preoccupied with his death, and a tame sheep came in and ate it.â
[3] Sunan ibn Majah Vol. 3, Book 9, Hadith 1944
Ironically the âSunnah.comâ website clearly also stated in the footnotes that this verse was abrogated. For proof see https://sunnah.com/urn/1262630 []
Meaning this verse was not wanted by the Prophet to be in the Quran (as we will see later on).
More explicit evidence which we know that this verse was abrogated despite the proof shown above is the narration found in other Hadiths (which Aisha herself mentions the abrogation)
Aâisha (Allah be pleased with, her) reported that it had been revealed in the Holy Qurâan that ten clear sucklings make the marriage unlawful, then it was abrogated (and substituted) by five sucklings and Allahâs Apostle (may peace be upon him) died and it was before that time (found) in the Holy Qurâan (and recited by the Muslims).
[4] Sahih Book 8 Hadith 3421
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Hazm from Amra bint Abd ar-Rahman that Aâisha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, âAmongst what was sent down of the Qurâan was âten known sucklings make haramâ â then it was abrogated by âfive known sucklings.
When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, died, it was what is now recited of the Qurâan.â Yahya said that Malik said, âOne does not act on this.â
[5] Malikâs Muwatta Book 30 Hadith 17
Imam Nawawi says in his commentary on Sahih Muslim:
There is a dumma on the letter yaâa and it means that the abrogation of the five sucklings came very late until the time that the Prophet (peace be upon him) died and a few people were reciting the five sucklings verse making it part of the Qurâan for they might not have been informed of its abrogation.
So, when he (Muhammad peace be upon him) did inform them afterwards they stopped reciting it and formed a consensus that this verse should not be recited anymore.
[6] Sharh Sahih Muslim, Kitab: Al Ridaaâ, Bab: Al Tahreem Bi Khams Ridaaâaat, Commentary on hadith no.2634
Al Sindi says in his commentary on Sunan Al Nisaaâi:
It is said that the fiveâs (verse on five sucklings) recitation has been abrogated and its abrogation came near the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) so some people werenât informed about it. So, they used to recite it but when the Prophet (peace be upon him) died they left its recitation.
[7] Sharh Sunan Al Nisaaâi, Kitab: Al Nikah, Bab: Al Qadar Allazhi Yuharrim Min Al Ridaaâaa, Commentary on Hadith no. 3255
Muhammad Shams al-Haqq al-Adhim Abadi says in his commentary on Sunan Abu Dawud:
And what this means is that the abrogation by five sucklings was revealed very late to the extent that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) died, some people were still reciting the verse of five sucklings and making it part of recited Qurâan for they were not informed about its abrogation but when they were after that, they went back on that and formed a consensus on that this verse must not be recited.
And abrogation is of three types: One of them is that its ruling and recitation be abrogated just like the ten sucklings verse. And the second is that its recitation has been abrogated without its ruling just like the five sucklings verseâŚ
[8] Awn al-Mabud Sharh Sunan Abu Dawud, Kitab: Al
Nikah, Bab: Hal Yuhharram Ma Doona Khamsa Ridaaâaat, Commentary on hadith no. 1765
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid said:
For breastfeeding to have the effect of transmitting its benefits from the nursing woman to the child suckled, it must meet certain conditions, which are:
1.The breastfeeding must happen within the first two years of the childâs life, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): âThe mothers shall give suck to their children for two whole years, (that is) for those (parents) who desire to complete the term of suckling.â [al-Baqarah 2:233].
2.The number of breastfeeding must total the known five feeds, in which the child eats his fill as if eating and drinking. If the child leaves the breast for a reason, such as to take a breath or to switch from one breast to the other, this (i.e., each separate time the child latches on) is not counted as one breastfeeding.
This is the opinion of al-ShafiâI, and the opinion favored by Ibn al-Qayyim. The definition of radâah (one breastfeeding) is when the child sucks at the breast and drinks until the milk enters his stomach, then he leaves the breast of his own accord.
The evidence for the number five (number of breastfeeding) is the report from âAâishah (may Allah be pleased with her) who said:
âThere was in the Qurâan [an aayah=verse which stipulated that] ten [was the number of] breastfeeding which created the relationship of mahram, then this was abrogated [by another aayah=verse which stipulated] five. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) died and [the aayah=verse which stipulated five] was still being recited as part of the Qurâan.â (Reported by Muslim, 1452).
In other words, the abrogation came so late that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) died, some people had not yet heard that this aayah=verse had been abrogated, but when they heard that it had been abrogated, they stopped reciting it, and agreed that it should not be recited, although the ruling mentioned in the aayah=verse remained in effect. This is an abrogation of the recitation without abrogation of the ruling, which is one type of abrogation.
[9] http://63.175.194.25/index.php?ln=eng&ds=qa&lv=browse&QR=2864&dgn=4
We can clearly see that the evidence shows that the consensus amongst the companions of the Prophet was that the verseâs recitation was meant to be abrogated and it was also commanded by the Prophet to abrogate this verse.
However, the command came just a very short while before the Prophetâs (peace be upon him) death and therefore not everyone was informed about it and some still thought that it was still a recited part of the Quran. However, once they have been informed that the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered its abrogation, then they stopped reciting it.
Whether the goat the verse or not is something that should not be the concern of the Christian missionaries since the verse was not meant to be part of the Quran in the first place.
And here a few more proofs against this
Al-Baaqilaani said:
There is no one on the face of the earth more ignorant than one who thinks that the Messenger and the ᚢahÄbah (the companions of the Prophet) were all careless regarding the Qurâan and that they would not memorise it and learn it by heart, and
that they would rely for confirming it on a sheet that was placed under the bed of âAâishah only, a sheet that was thrown on the floor and disrespected, until the neighbourhood sheep came in and ate it, resulting in the loss of that sheet and whatever was written on it!
We wonder what it was that could have allegedly led the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to such negligence, helplessness and carelessness, when he had been entrusted with the religion and had been instructed to protect it and preserve it.
And to appoint scribes to write it, as he had a large number of people who were skilled in the field of writing, whose main task was to write down the Qurâan that was revealed to him, and to write down covenants, deeds, trusts and other matters that might occur or be connected to the Messenger, especially since there was a need to keep a record of it.
The main task of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was only to explain and protect the Qurâan
And protect the religion; he had no occupation or any other worldly concerns to distract him from that, except some efforts he might undertake to support and reinforce the religion, and to promote and explain the Qurâan. Otherwise, how could it be possible that all these people and all of the ᚢahÄbah=Companions of the Prophet would not be aware of the verses about breastfeeding and stoning, so that no one would know about them or refer to them, except âAâishah alone?
Therefore, based on what we have described about how the Messenger was devoted to conveying the message, and the ᚢahÄbah=Companions of the Prophet were keen to learn and memorise it, it is not possible that they could have lost
something of the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, whether it was small or great; people of such caliber should be the greatest of people in memorising it and preserving what was revealed of it and what happened concerning it, such as the dates when it was revealed, the reasons for revelation, and what abrogated and was abrogated.
[10] al-Intisaar liâl-Qurâan (1/412-418)
Ibn Hazm said:
It was proven that the wording was abrogated, but the sheet on which it was written remained, as âAâishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said â then it was eaten by the tame sheep; but no one needs it (that verse). Something similar may be said regarding the verse on breastfeeding, and there is no difference between the two.
The proof of that is that they memorised (the verse) as we have mentioned. So, if it was confirmed as being part of the Qurâan, the fact that the sheep ate it would not have changed the fact that it was part of the Qurâan, based on the fact that they had memorised it.
Thus, we may conclude with certainty that no two Muslims differ concerning the fact that Allah, may He be exalted, enjoined upon His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) the conveying of the message, and that he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) conveyed it as he had been instructed to do. âŚ
And we may conclude, with regard to the verses that were lost, that if the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had been instructed to convey them, he would have done so, and if he had conveyed them they would have been memorised, and if they had been memorised then the death of the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) would not affect the matter at all, just as the fact that he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) died did not affect anything else of what he had conveyed of the Qurâan.
[11] al-Muhalla (12/177)
Al-Alusi said:
Regarding the additional material having been on a page that was kept with âAâishah and was eaten by the tame sheep, it is a fabrication and lie of the heretics that this was lost as the result of being eaten by a tame sheep without being abrogated. This is what it says in al-Kashshaaf.
[12] Rooh al-Maâaani (11/140)
Later on, the Hadith about 5 breastfeeding were also abrogated in front of the Prophet as narrated by Aisha
âIndeed, ten breastfeeds were mentioned in the Quran (as making marriage unlawful through foster relation), then it was changed by five and there was nothing, but it was abrogated in the presence of the Prophet.â
[13] Musannaf Abdul Razzaq, Hadith 13928
Matter of fact Islam Q/A says it is weak(daif):
This difference was sufficient for the scholars of hadith to rule that the version narrated by Muhammad ibn Ishaq was daâeef (weak), and that it was to be rejected and regarded as odd.
To sum up, the story of the sheep eating a page of the Holy Qurâan in the house of âAâishah (may Allah be pleased with her) is daâeef (weak) and is not proven.
[14] Islam Q/A answer no 175355
Note: The Muhammad Ibn Ishaq narration of the Hadith is the Sunan Ibn Majah one (which we see is weak)
Other evidence which also proves Muhammad Ibn Ishaq (the transmitter of the Hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah) is weak are the following:
Its isnad=narration is daâeef=Weak because the only one who narrated it was Muhammad ibn Ishaq, and its text contains something odd.
[15] Muâsasat ar-Risaalah edn (43/343)
Mufti Ebrahim Desai also agrees the same
The narration mentioned in the query is also weak. Muhammed bin Ishaq, who is considered to be a weak narrator, is present in the chain of narrators.
Besides the fact that it is a weak narration, the aayaat written on the piece of paper were not part of the Quran at that time, but they were made naskh(Abrogation) before the demise of Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), as mentioned in 5) and 6).
[16] https://islamqa.org/hanafi/askimam/581
Islam Web also has the view:
However, the two mentioned verses were abrogated: the verse about breastfeeding was abrogated both in terms of its recitation and its ruling, and the verse about stoning, its recitation was abrogated, and its ruling remained in effect. It is for this reason that the Companions did not write them in the compiled copy of the Quran.
[17] Islam Web: Fatwa no 182309
With regards to more evidence against the verse of âstoningâ here a few:
Narrated Ibn âAbbas:
âUmar said, âI am afraid that after a long time has passed, people may say, âWe do not find the Verses of the Rajam (stoning to death) in the Holy Book,â and consequently they may go astray by leaving an obligation that Allah has revealed. Lo! I confirm that the penalty of Rajam be inflicted on him who commits illegal sexual intercourse, if he is already married and the crime is proved by witnesses or pregnancy or confession.â
Sufyan added, âI have memorized this narration in this way.â âUmar added, âSurely Allahâs Apostle carried out the penalty of Rajam, and so did we after him.â
[18] Sahih Bukhari Volume 8 Book 82 Hadith 816
âAbdullah b. âAbbas reported that âUmar b. Khattab sat on the pulpit of Allahâs Messenger (may peace be upon him) and said: Verily Allah sent Muhammad (may peace be upon him) with truth and He sent down the Book upon him, and the verse of stoning was included in what was sent down to him.
We recited it, retained it in our memory and understood it. Allahâs Messenger (may peace be upon him) awarded the punishment of stoning to death (to the married adulterer and adulteress) and, after him, we also awarded the punishment of stoning, I am afraid that with the lapse of time, the people (may forget it) and may say:
We do not find the punishment of stoning in the Book of Allah, and thus go astray by abandoning this duty prescribed by Allah. Stoning is a duty laid down in Allahâs Book for married men and women who commit adultery when proof is established, or it there is pregnancy, or a confession.
[19] Sahih Muslim Book 17 Hadith 4194
Imam ibn Hajar Al Asqalani says:
Umar said: âWhen this verse came down, I approached the Prophet peace be upon him so I asked him: Should I write it down?â It is as if he hated thatâ Then Umar said: âCanât you see that if the old man if he commits adultery, he does not get the whip, and that if the young man if he commits adultery, he gets stoned?â
[20] Fath Al Bari, Kitab: Al Hudood, Bab: Al Iâtiraaf bil Zina, Commentary on Hadith no. 6327
In the verse whose recitation has been abrogated but its ruling remained, and it has happened what Umar feared. A tribe from the Khawarij or most of them and some of the Muâtazilites rejected the stoning. And it was reported by Abd al Razzaq and Al Tabari from another view that Ibn Abbas said that Umar said âThere will come a people that will lie (or disbelieve) in the stoningâ
[21] Fath Al Bari, Kitab: Al Hudood, Bab: Rajam Al Hublah min Zana Eezha Ahsanat,Commentary on Hadith no. 6328
Imam Nawawi says in his commentary:
And this is whose recitation has been abrogated and its ruling remained. And the companions of the Prophet abandoning the writing of this verse is clear evidence that the abrogated should not be written in the Quran and that Umarâs statement about the stoning as he is on the pulpit and the silence of the companions and other than them from who were present from opposing him is evidence about the ruling of the stoning (still being implemented)
[22] Sharh Saheeh Muslim, Kitab: Al Hudood, Bab: Rajam Al Thayb fil Zina, Commentary on Hadith no. 3201
Al Sindi says in his commentary:
The verse of stoning: Its recitation has been abrogated and its ruling still remains in effect.
[23] Sharh Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab: Al Hudood, Bab: Al Rajam, Commentary on Hadith no. 2543
Muhammad Shams al-Haqq al-Adhim Abadi says in his commentary on Sunan Abu Dawud:
And this is whose recitation has been abrogated but ruling remains in effect.
[24] l-Haqq al-Adhim Abadi, Awn al-Mabud Sharh Sunan Abu Dawud, Kitab: Al Hudood, Bab: Fil Rajam, Commentary on Hadith no. 3835
ââO Messenger of Allah, let the verse about stoning be written for me.â He (the Prophet) said, âI canât do this.’â
[25] Sunan Al-Kubra Baihiqi 8/211
It is reported in a narration from Kathir bin Salt that: Zaid (b. Thabit) said: âI heard the Messenger of Allah say, âWhen a married man or woman commit adultery stone them both (to death)â, (hearing this) Amr said,
âWhen this was revealed I came to Prophet and asked if I could write it, he (the Prophet) disliked it.â
[26] Mustadrik Al-Hakim, Hadith 8184
Conclusion:
The verse of stoning and suckling were abrogated and not meant to be part of the Quran as all the overwhelming proof presented above proves so.
Whether the goat ate any verse of the Quran or not is not something Christians or anyone should even have any concern about because that paper was useless anyway. Since the Prophet himself did not want it to be written and the agreement between his companions and the scholars also explicitly confirms this.
Credit: Muslim Allegations Hunters.
Allah knows Best.
For more Reading:
Adult breastfeeding in Islam ???
Adult Breastfeeding in the Bible?
The verse of stoning and suckling being eaten by the Goat story based on NOT authentic hadith=Statement.
The hadith about the sheep eating the page containing the verse about stoning and breastfeeding in the house of âAâishah is not sahih= Not authentic
Clarification of Hadith about the Suckling of a Grown Man
Suckling the elderly?! Adult breastfeeding?
Sources:
[1] Al-nasikh wa al-mansukh by Ibn Salama pg 5
[2] Ulum al Qurâan
[3] Sunan ibn Majah Vol. 3, Book 9, Hadith 1944
[4] Sahih Book 8 Hadith 3421
[5] Malikâs Muwatta Book 30 Hadith 17
[6] Sharh Sahih Muslim, Kitab: Al Ridaaâ, Bab: Al Tahreem Bi Khams Ridaaâaat, Commentary on hadith no.2634
[7] Sharh Sunan Al Nisaaâi, Kitab: Al Nikah, Bab: Al Qadar Allazhi Yuharrim Min Al Ridaaâaa, Commentary on Hadith no. 3255
[8] Awn al-Mabud Sharh Sunan Abu Dawud, Kitab: Al
Nikah, Bab: Hal Yuhharram Ma Doona Khamsa Ridaaâaat, Commentary on hadith no. 1765
[9] http://63.175.194.25/index.php?ln=eng&ds=qa&lv=browse&QR=2864&dgn=4
[10] al-Intisaar liâl-Qurâan (1/412-418)
[11] al-Muhalla (12/177)
[12] Rooh al-Maâaani (11/140)
[13] Musannaf Abdul Razzaq, Hadith 13928
[14] Islam Q/A answer no 175355
[15] Muâsasat ar-Risaalah edn (43/343)
[16] https://islamqa.org/hanafi/askimam/581
[17] Islam Web: Fatwa no 182309
[18] Sahih Bukhari Volume 8 Book 82 Hadith 816
[19] Sahih Muslim Book 17 Hadith 4194
[20] Fath Al Bari, Kitab: Al Hudood, Bab: Al Iâtiraaf bil Zina, Commentary on Hadith no. 6327
[21] Fath Al Bari, Kitab: Al Hudood, Bab: Rajam Al Hublah min Zana Eezha Ahsanat,Commentary on Hadith no. 6328
[22] Sharh Saheeh Muslim, Kitab: Al Hudood, Bab: Rajam Al Thayb fil Zina, Commentary on Hadith no. 3201
[23] Sharh Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab: Al Hudood, Bab: Al Rajam, Commentary on Hadith no. 2543
[24] l-Haqq al-Adhim Abadi, Awn al-Mabud Sharh Sunan Abu Dawud, Kitab: Al Hudood, Bab: Fil Rajam, Commentary on Hadith no. 3835
[25] Sunan Al-Kubra Baihiqi 8/211
[26] Mustadrik Al-Hakim, Hadith 8184
Almighty Allah is the highest and most knowledgeable, and the attribution of knowledge to him is the safest.
Right from Almighty Allah and wrong from me and Satan
Prepared by Mohamad Mostafa Nassar
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Arrogance is not only a sign of insecurity, but also a sign of immaturity. Mature and fully realised persons can get their points across, even emphatically without demeaning or intimidating others.