Hadith al-Mufadhdhal

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Beneficent

Muhammad bin Sinan relates that al-Mufadhdhal bin Umar narrated to him, “One day, after the Asr Prayer, I sat between the pulpit and the tomb (of the Prophet) pondering over the excellences with which Allah had endowed our master Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) of honor and virtues and of which the public of the Umma had no apperception, nor of his supreme eminence, perfect merit and outstanding grandeur. While I was absorbed in such thoughts, there arrived ibn Abul Awja’, an atheistic pagan. He took his seat within my hearing distance. A comrade of his followed him and sat by him attentively. Ibn Abul Awja’ started the conversation saying, ‘The occupant of this tomb has attained unique eminence in the entirety of elevated honor in all his accomplishments.’ His comrade adding an affirmation said, ‘He (Prophet Muhammad) was a philosopher. He made a mighty claim supported by miracles that confounded the common sense. The wiseacres dived deep in mind’s depths to penetrate the mysteries thereof, but all in vain. When his mission was accepted by the cultured, the erudite and the learned, the people in general entered the fold of his Faith in masses. The places of worship and the mosques of all places where the call to his prophethood reached began to ring loud and clear with his name side by side with that of the Almighty Allah, without any distinction of sea and land, mountain or plain, not once but five times a day in the Azan and Eqama. He

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 got his name attached to that of Allah with the express object of perpetuating his memory and to keep his mission dynamic.’

Ibn Abul Awja’ remarked, ‘Leave aside the mention of Muhammad about whom my reason is astounded and my thoughts are bewildered. Let us talk about the matter we want to discuss.’ Then he mentioned the genesis of things in the universe. He claimed that no one had created them and there exists no Creator, nor Designer, nor Renovator. The universe by itself has come to existence and will continue to exist as such as infinitum.”

Al-Mufadhdhal argues with Ibn Abul Awja’

Al-Mufadhdhal says, “I was outraged to hear this and I said to him ‘O disbeliever! Do you disbelieve in the Faith of Allah and deny Him, Who has created you in such comeliness transforming you from one state to another till you have arrived at your present shape? If you have thought about your own self and your sensation was truthful to you, you would have found in your own soul obvious proofs of the existence of the Almighty Allah, the signs of His All-comprehending sustenance and the evidence of His boundless workmanship.’

Ibn Abul Awja’ said, ‘O you, if you are a man of argumentation, we will argue with you and if you prove your evidence, we will follow; otherwise, you have no right to talk. If you are from the company of Ja’far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq, it does not behove you to talk in the strain you do, for his is not this mode of address, nor does he argue with us in such impropriety. He has heard more of our words than you have done, but he has never used any impropriety nor has he ever retorted aggressively. He is very forbearing, dignified, reasonable and of mature intellect. He is neither harsh nor touchy. He listens to our talk very attentively. He invites our arguments, so much so that when we have exhausted our armoury and we think we have

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 silenced him, he with a brief resume stultifies all our reasoning and dumbfounds us, so that we are left without a plank to answer the arguments of the revered personage. If you are of his company, then talk to us in the same strain.’”

Al-Mufadhdhal said, “At this, I came out dejected and thoughtful because of their disbelief in Allah and the consequent tribulation of Islam and its votaries because of this disbelief and a presumption of the meaninglessness of this universe. I betook myself to my master (a.s). On seeing me dejected, he asked me the reason thereof. I related to him the conversation of those atheists and the way in which I had tried to rebut their arguments. He asked me to come to him early the next day when he would disclose to me the immense ingenuity of the Almighty Artificer manifested in this entire universe comprising of beasts, animals, birds, insects, and all living beings, whether animals or plants, fruitful or fruitless trees, wheat or legumes, edible or non edible, that it may be a lesson to those who take lessons. The believers would be delighted to have such knowledge and the atheists would be confused.”