Bukhari 4814

Refuting this

Sahih al-Bukhari 4814

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Between the two blowing of the trumpet there will be forty.” The people said, “O Abu Huraira! Forty days?”

I refused to reply. They said, “Forty years?” I refused to reply and added: Everything of the human body will decay except the

coccyx bone (of the tail) and from that bone Allah will reconstruct the whole body.

Fat-h Al-Baari reads: “Some Hadeeth commentators argued that the meaning is that the tailbone lasts longer but it does eventually

decay just like every other bone does. The wisdom behind the Hadeeth is to highlight that this bone is the origin of humans and

the base from which they will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment and that is why it is more solid and stronger than other bones,

like the bedrock of a wall. Being more solid and stronger, the tailbone decays after a longer period of time in comparison with other bones.

However, this interpretation is refutable because it is contrary to the apparent indication of

the Hadeeth and is unsupported by revealed evidence.”

Mirqaat Al-Mafaateeh reads: “Some Hadeeth scholars interpreted the Hadeeth to mean that the tailbone remains under the earth for a

long time, and not that it never decays, because this is contrary to the tangible reality. Moreover, another Hadeeth reads:

‘It is the first to be created and the last to decompose. The indication of the two Ahaadeeth is the same. Some scholars argued that

the meaning of the Hadeeth is that the tailbone is the origin of humans, and accordingly it is more solid than the rest of the body

with greater reason, like the bedrock of a wall. Being more solid and stronger than other bones, it decomposes

after a longer period of time

However, this interpretation is refutable because it is contrary to the apparent indication of

the Hadeeth and is unsupported by revealed evidence.”

Mirqaat Al-Mafaateeh reads: “Some Hadeeth scholars interpreted the Hadeeth to mean that the tailbone remains under the earth for a

long time, and not that it never decays, because this is contrary to the tangible reality. Moreover, another Hadeeth reads:

‘It is the first to be created and the last to decompose. The indication of the two Ahaadeeth is the same. Some scholars argued that

the meaning of the Hadeeth is that the tailbone is the origin of humans, and accordingly it is more solid than the rest of the body

with greater reason, like the bedrock of a wall. Being more solid and stronger than other bones, it decomposes

after a longer period of time. After investigation – and Allaah is the Grantor of success – I say that the tailbone is the last

to decay as underlined in one Hadeeth; however, it does not decompose completely in the ground as this Hadeeth reported in Al-Bukhari

and Muslim suggests. The tangible reality should be ignored in this case. It has been asserted in the revision of the chapter on the

punishment of the grave – in Mirqaat Al-Mafaateeh – that this tiny part of the coccyx bone which

is usually mixed with dust and soil in the grave is rather intangible, as known to scientists.” [End of quote