Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, never yawned and flies never touched him

8-10-2017 | IslamWeb

Question:

In the lecture before the Friday prayer, a scholar said these following things about Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam:
1. A fly never sat on the Prophet's face. 2. A cloud would shadow the Prophet. 3. Prophet Muhammad never yawned in his entire life. Is all this information authentic?

Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

With regard to yawning, then Ibn Hajar mentioned in his book Fat-h Al-Baari in the Chapter on Etiquette [Kitaab Al-Adab] that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) never yawned. He said, “Among the Prophetic characteristics is what Ibn Abi Shaybah and Al-Bukhaari reported in At-Taareekh from Yazeed ibn Al-Asamm, who said, ‘The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) never yawned.’ Also, Al-Khattaabi reported from Maslamah ibn ‘Abdul-Malik ibn Marwan that he said, ‘No Prophet has ever yawned.’ Maslamah met some Companions, and he was trustworthy. What confirms this is what was authentically reported; that yawning is from the devil.

As for the saying that a cloud used to shade him, if you mean that it always shaded him, then this is not true. Authentic ahaadeeth indicated that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) used to be exposed to the sun.

In Saheeh Ibn Hibbaan and the Mustadrak of Al-Haakim, they reported that ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

I heard the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) say, ‘I never wanted to do an act of the people of ignorance except twice; and in both cases, Allah protected me from committing them. One night, I told a boy from Quraysh who was with me in the hills of Makkah, where some sheep were grazing, 'Keep an eye on my herd until I go pass the night in amusement in Makkah like the youth do.' He said, 'Yes.' So I went out, and when I came to a lower house of the houses of Makkah, I heard singing and the voice of the Duff (a tambourine-like instrument without bells) and flute. I asked, 'What is that?' They said, 'So-and-so married his daughter off to a man from Quraysh,' so I was entertained with that singing and sound until I fell asleep, and I did not get up except by the sun touching me. I returned, and I heard the same thing, and I was told the same thing as before. So I was entertained with what I heard and felt sleepy and slept, and I did not get up except by the sun touching me. Then I returned to my friend (i.e. the boy), and he asked me, 'What did you do?' I said, 'I did not do anything.' I swear by Allah that after this, I did not intend to do any of the evils that the people of Jaahiliyyah (pre-Islamic era of ignorance) did until Allah blessed me with Prophethood.’

As regards flies, a number of scholars mentioned among the characteristics of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) that no flies ever touched his noble body.

As-Suyooti said in Al-Khasaa'is Al-Kubra: “Chapter: flies never touched the body of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) or his clothes.

Al-Qaadhi 'Iyaadh said in his book Ash-Shifaa’ and Al-'Azafi in his book about the birth of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) that among his characteristics was that flies never touched his body. Ibn Sab‘ mentioned this in Al-Khasaa’is with the wording that flies never landed on his clothes, and he added that among his characteristics is that lice never harmed him...

However, As-Suyooti said in Ash-Shamaa'il Ash-Shareefah, when commenting on the hadeeth narrated by ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said, “He was a human being just like all other human beings, he used to examine his clothes”; he said, “Examining (one’s clothes) necessitates that there is something that harms in general, such as fleas and lice; so the claim that he was never harmed by lice, or that flies never touched him, is overruled, and there is no authentic evidence for it.

Allah knows best.

www.islamweb.net