al-Mustadrak (al-Hakim) 6558

Translation

✧ While 'Umar b. al-Khattab was sitting in the mosque, a man passed by at the back of the mosque. A man said, "O Commander of the Faithful, do you know this passer-by?" He said, "No, who is he?" He said, "Sawwad b. Qarib, a man from the people of Yemen, from a household of nobility and standing. He is the one whose familiar spirit came to him with the appearance of the Prophet ﷺ." 'Umar said, "Bring him to me." He was summoned, and 'Umar said, "Are you Sawwad b. Qarib?" He said, "Yes." He said, "Are you the one whose familiar spirit came to you with the appearance of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?" He said, "Yes." He said, "Are you still upon your soothsaying?" He became very angry and said, "O Commander of the Faithful, no one has confronted me with this since I became Muslim." 'Umar said, "Glory be to Allah! By Allah, what we were upon of polytheism was greater than what you were upon of soothsaying. Tell me about your familiar spirit coming to you with the appearance of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ." He said, "Yes, O Commander of the Faithful. One night, while I was between sleep and wakefulness, my familiar spirit came to me and struck me with his foot and said: 'Arise, O Sawwad b. Qarib, understand and comprehend if you can comprehend. A Messenger from Lu'ayy b. Ghalib has been sent, calling to Allah and to His worship.' Then he began to recite: [al-sari'] I marvel at the jinn and their searching, and their tightening the camels with their saddlecloths, rushing to Makkah seeking guidance; the best of the jinn are not like their impure ones. So depart to the chosen one of Hashim, and direct your eyes to its head." He said, "I did not raise my head at his words and said, 'Let me sleep, for I have become drowsy.' When the second night came, he came to me and struck me with his foot and said: 'Did I not tell you, O Sawwad b. Qarib, arise, understand and comprehend? If you can comprehend, a Messenger from Lu'ayy b. Ghalib has been sent, calling to Allah and to His worship.' Then the jinn began to say: 'I marvel at the jinn and their seeking, and their tightening the camels with their saddles, rushing to Makkah seeking guidance; the truthful of the jinn are not like their liars. So depart to the chosen one of Hashim, between its ropes and its veils.'" He said, "I did not raise my head. When the third night came, he came to me and struck me with his foot and said: 'Did I not tell you, O Sawwad b. Qarib, understand and comprehend if you can comprehend? A Messenger from Lu'ayy b. Ghalib has been sent, calling to Allah and to His worship.' Then he began to say: 'I marvel at the jinn and their reports, and their tightening the camels with their saddles, rushing to Makkah seeking guidance; the believers among the jinn are not like their disbelievers. So depart to the chosen one of Hashim; its front is not like its rear.'" He said, "Love of Islam fell into my heart and I desired it. When morning came, I saddled my mount and set out for Makkah. When I was partway, I was told that the Prophet ﷺ had emigrated to Madinah. I came to Madinah and asked about the Prophet ﷺ. I was told he was in the mosque. I reached the mosque, hobbled my she-camel, and entered. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was there with people around him. I said, 'Hear my words, O Messenger of Allah.' Abu Bakr said, 'Come closer.' He kept saying that until I was before him. He said, 'Speak, and tell me about your familiar spirit coming to you.' He said: [al-tawil] A confidant came to me after stillness and a nap, and he was not, in what I have experienced, a liar. Three nights, his words each night: 'A Messenger of Allah from Lu'ayy b. Ghalib has come to you.' So I tucked up the hem of my lower garment, and the swift, strong she-camel carried me across the deserts. I bear witness that there is no Lord other than Allah, and that you are entrusted over every conqueror, and that you are the closest of the messengers in means to Allah, O son of the most noble and pure. So command us with what comes to you, O best of those who walked, even if in what has come there is graying of the forelocks, and be an intercessor for me on a day when no intercessor besides you will avail Sawwad b. Qarib." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his companions rejoiced greatly at my Islam, so much that it was seen in their faces. 'Umar leapt up and embraced him and said, "I had wished to hear this from you." The chain is interrupted.

Grades by grader

What scholars said about it

In their own words, as Hadith Unlocked records them. They are shown, not summarised into a grade.

• Abū al-Ḥasan Nur al-Dīn ʿAlī b. Abi Bakr al-Haythamī

  وكلا الإسنادين ضعيف

  in المستدرك على الصحيحين, p. 6621

Narrators

1. 1
   Sawād b. Qārib al-Dawsī

   Companion (ṣaḥābī)d. 61 AH
   سَوَادُ بْنُ قَارِبٍ الدَّوْسِيُّصحابي
   في حكم العنعنة
2. 2
   Muḥammad b. Kaʿb b. Sulaym al-Quraẓī

   trustworthy (thiqah)d. 108 AH
   مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ كَعْبٍ الْقُرَظِيِّثقة
   عن
3. 3
   عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْوَقَّاصِيُّ

   abandoned (matrūk)d. في خلافة الرشيد
   حدثنا
4. 4
   هِلَالُ بْنُ الْعَلَاءِ الرَّقِّيُّ

   truthful (ṣadūq)d. 280 AH
   حدثنا
5. 5
   أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَلْمَانَ الْفَقِيهُ

   d. 348 AH
   حدثنا إملاء
6. 6
   الحاكم

   d. 403 AH

Who each narrator was and how reliable, from hdith.com

Latin names and English verdicts with a dotted underline are machine translations, not reviewed.