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Refutations

Did a Blind Companion Kill His Wife for Insulting the Prophet? Complete Hadith Refutation

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Response to the Allegation of the Blind Companion

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Topics Covered
  • Response to the allegation that the blind companion killed his wife or female slave when she insulted the Prophet
  • Response to the allegation that the Prophet said about the murdered woman: Bear witness that her blood is shed
  • Response to the allegation of the hadith: Whoever insults a prophet, kill him
📋 Table of Contents Overview
Content of the Doubt The enemies of Islam accuse Islam of being criminal and cite as evidence the story of the blind companion who killed his wife when she insulted the Prophet Muhammad…!

Brief Response to This Ridiculous Suspicion

Point One — Weak Chains of Narration

Point One — Weak Chains of Narration All the narrations that spoke about the blind companion killing his wife are narrations that were not proven with a strong, authentic chain of narration. This story was mentioned in three narrations, two of which were weak and had broken chains of narration. As for the third, connected narration, it was narrated by (Uthman Al-Shaham), and he is not completely trustworthy. In fact, many early scholars weakened him, such as Al-Nasa’i, Al-Daraqutni, and others.

Point Two — Contradictory Details

Point Two — Contradictory Details The details of the story are contradictory; there is a story that says the man beat her until she died, another story that says the man strangled her until she died, and a third story that says he stabbed her until she died!!!
  • Then how would a blind man do these things when he was already blind and the incident happened at night?!
  • The story even mentioned that this blind man came, stepping over those present until he reached the Prophet. How could that be, when he was blind to begin with?!
  • The story even mentioned that this blind man described his two sons as being like two pearls. Could this blind man see their shape?!
  • The narration even mentions that the Prophet did not know who the perpetrator was, so he stood among those present and called for the perpetrator to come out. The blind man then came and confessed.

We are faced with two possibilities here: Either the blind man killed the woman and then escaped — but how was he able to escape while he was blind?! — or this blind companion did not flee, but lied to the people at first and did not tell them that he was the killer, even though the husband is the first person who will be asked by those present about who killed his wife.

Both possibilities are rejected, because the story is unrealistic.

Point Three — Contradicts Islamic Law

Point Three — Contradicts Islamic Law This story is against Islamic law, because Islam is the religion of evidence. Islam requires you to provide evidence before carrying out the prescribed punishment.

This story contradicts Islamic law in principle, because it would enable any person to kill his wife, his female slave, or anyone else, and then go to the judge and claim he killed her because she cursed the Prophet — possibly making up this excuse to get rid of his wife or take her money.

Thus, life will turn into a jungle, and every person will kill his wife or his slave girl and then be acquitted after arguing before the judge that he killed her because she insulted the Prophet!

Point Four — Contradicts the Prophet’s Own Practice

Point Four — Contradicts the Prophet’s Own Practice The beliefs of Christians themselves are an insult to the divine self, yet Islam does not command us to kill Christian civilians.

The Jews used to pass by the Prophet, insult him, and pray for his destruction, but the Prophet left them alone. Therefore, the following is mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari — 6/2538:

Sahih al-Bukhari — 6/2538 A Jew passed by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, “As-Samu ‘Alayk.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “And upon you.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Do you know what he is saying?” He said, “As-Samu ‘Alayk.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, should we not kill him?” He said, “No. When the People of the Book greet you with peace, say, ‘And upon you.’”
Archive of Fatwas and Consultations of Islam Today — 8/42–44 The basic principle is that the implementation of the prescribed punishments, retaliation, and crimes is up to the ruler. Incidents were referred to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and then to his successors after him… Even though some scholars used the hadith of Anas and Aisha as evidence that the People of the Covenant are not to be killed merely for insulting the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, because what they are doing of disbelief is greater. This is the opinion of the Kufians, Abu Hanifa, and al-Thawri. Perhaps they do not see the authenticity of what came in the hadith of the blind man, especially since it revolves around Uthman al-Shaham. Although some imams have deemed him trustworthy, Yahya ibn Sa`id al-Qattan has spoken about him, saying: “Uthman al-Shaham is known and denied, but I do not think he was that good.” And al-Nasa’i said: “He is not strong.”

Point Five — Personal Position

Point Five — Personal Position I don’t want anyone to understand that I approve of others insulting the Prophet. Rather, I call for these insulters to be punished by a judge so that they stop insulting our religion without cause. I am one of the most vehement advocates for judges to punish any Christian, Jewish, or atheist who insults Islam.

Detailed Response

The First Narration — Ibn Sa’d’s Weak Narration

Narration Text (Ibn Sa’d — Al-Tabaqat Al-Kubra 4/210) Qabisah ibn Uqbah told us: Yunus ibn Abi Ishaq told us, on the authority of Abi Ishaq, on the authority of Abdullah ibn Maqil, who said: Ibn Umm Maktum stayed with a Jewish woman in Medina, the aunt of a man from the Ansar. She was kind to him and hurt him for the sake of Allah and His Messenger. He attacked her, struck her, and killed her. The matter was brought to the Prophet. He said: By God, O Messenger of God, she was trying to be kind to me, but she hurt me for the sake of God and His Messenger, so I struck her and killed her. The Messenger of God said: “May God Almighty distance her, for her blood is void.”
Why This Narration Is Weak Narrator 1 — Abdullah ibn Maqil:
  • Did not hear the Prophet at all
  • Was not in Medina at the time of this alleged story
  • Was a Kufi man who lived in Iraq — the chain is therefore broken (munqaṭiʿ)

Narrator 2 — Abu Ishaq al-Sabi’i:

  • A mudallis who used the word “ʿan” (عن) here
  • Did not explicitly state that he heard it directly

Narrator 3 — Yunus ibn Abi Ishaq al-Sabi’i: Scholars have weakened him due to errors in transmission (without intentional lying):

Scholar Assessments of Yunus ibn Abi Ishaq
  • Abu Ahmad Al-Hakim: “Maybe they made a mistake in his narration”
  • Abu Hatim al-Razi: “Trustworthy, but his hadith cannot be relied upon”
  • Ahmad ibn Hanbal: “His hadith contains more than what people say; his hadith is confused” — weakened his hadiths on the authority of his father
  • Yahya ibn Sa’id Al-Qattan: “He was negligent and had a natural disposition”
  • Zakaria ibn Yahya Al-Saji: “Trustworthy, but some have deemed him weak”

The Second Narration — The Strangling Story

Narration Text Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah and Abdullah ibn al-Jarrah narrated to us, on the authority of Jarir, on the authority of Mughirah, on the authority of al-Sha’bi, on the authority of Ali, that a Jewish woman used to curse the Prophet and slander him, so a man strangled her until she died, and the Messenger of God declared her blood money void.
Why This Narration Is Weak Al-Sha’bi narrating from Ali ibn Abi Talib:
  • Al-Sha’bi saw Ali but only heard one hadith from him directly — as confirmed by Al-Daraqutni (Book of Causes 4/97) and Al-Hakim
  • That single hadith was most likely the hadith of stoning, as Al-Hafiz indicated in Al-Tahdheeb (5/60)
  • Therefore, this narration is a weak mursal hadith from Al-Sha’bi

On Al-Sha’bi’s mursal hadiths:

Ibn Abd Al-Barr — Al-Tamhid 22/320 “And the popular correspondence is nothing to them”
Prof. Dr. Ibrahim ibn Abdullah Al-Madhesh — Fatima, Daughter of the Prophet 4/370 “As for the hadith about Al-Sha’bi’s mursal hadiths, they are more authentic than others, even though they remain weak. As for Al-Ajli’s statement: ‘Al-Sha’bi’s mursal hadiths are authentic, and he hardly ever sends anything except authentic ones’ — he says: ‘He hardly ever sends anything,’ which indicates the majority. It is most likely that most of it is supported by evidence indicating that it has an origin, not that the mursal hadith is authentic in and of itself. Al-Tirmidhi and others have weakened the mursal hadiths of Al-Sha’bi.”
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali — Sharh Ilal al-Tirmidhi 1/284 “If the Hafiz narrates from a trustworthy source, he rarely leaves out his name, but rather names him. If he leaves out the name of the narrator, his ambiguity indicates that he is not trustworthy. Al-Thawri and others often did that. They would use a euphemism for the weak, but not name him. Rather, they would say: from a man. This is the meaning of what Al-Qattan said: If there was a chain of transmission in it, he would have declared it, meaning if he had taken it from a trustworthy source, he would have named him and announced his name.”
Al-Sha’bi’s Transmissions from Al-Harith Al-A’war Al-Sha’bi often transmitted stories from Al-Harith Al-A’war from Ali — and Al-Sha’bi himself described Al-Harith Al-A’war as a liar.
Al-Ilal at the end of Jami’ Al-Tirmidhi — 6/248 “It is narrated on the authority of Al-Sha’bi, who said: Al-Harith Al-A’war told us, and he was a liar. He narrated from him, and most of the inheritance laws that he narrated from Ali and others are from him. Al-Sha’bi said: Al-Harith Al-A’war taught me the inheritance laws, and he was one of the most knowledgeable of people.”
Abu Al-Muzaffar Al-Sam’ani — Al-Istilam 1/63 “As for the trace of Ali, Al-Sha’bi said: Al-Harith is a liar. And God knows best.”
Ibn Farah — Mukhtasar Khilafiyat al-Bayhaqi 1/291 “Al-Sha’bi said: Al-Harith Al-A’war is one of the liars, and his wound is too well-known for us to bother about it.”
On Al-Ajli’s Authentication of Al-Sha’bi’s Mursal Hadiths Sheikh Abdullah Al-Judaie says in Tahrir Ulum Al-Hadith 2/936:

“Al-Ajli strengthened the mursal hadiths of Amir al-Sha’bi, who was one of the middle-ranking followers, and said: ‘Al-Sha’bi’s mursal hadiths are authentic. He hardly ever sends anything but authentic hadiths.’ I said: This is useful in strengthening its consideration in and of itself, and it is not correct for it to be a ruling on the authenticity of the individuals of his mursal narrations without a witness. The apparent meaning of the phrase is that al-‘Ajli followed the mursal narrations of al-Sha’bi and found most of them authentic from other aspects, so their authenticity was known by a matter outside of the mursal narrator himself, and therefore he said: ‘It is almost not’ — so in it is that what is not attested to by witnesses that it is authentic, it remains weak.”

Also: Al-Mughirah ibn Muqsim — Second Narrator He is a third-degree mudallis according to Ibn Hajar in Al-Matalib Al-‘Aliyah 15/297. This type’s narrations are not acceptable without examination and testing.
Conclusion on the Iraqi Rumour Theory It seems from investigation of the chains of transmission that this story was merely a rumour that spread in Iraq. Some Iraqi narrators received it without a strong chain of transmission and then repeated it — among them: Abdullah ibn Maqil, Uthman Al-Shaham, and Al-Sha’bi.

Iraq — especially Kufa and Basra — was the region most filled with fabricated hadiths, as documented by historian Dr. Khaled Kabir Alal in The School of Liars in Narrating and Documenting Islamic History.

The Third Narration — The Longest Account (via Uthman al-Shaham)

Narration Text On the authority of Uthman al-Shahham, on the authority of Ikrimah, who said: Ibn Abbas told us that a blind man had a slave woman who used to curse the Prophet and insult him. He would forbid her, but she would not stop, and he would reprimand her, but she would not desist. He said: One night, she began to curse the Prophet and insult him, so he took the spoon and placed it in her stomach and leaned on her. So he killed her, and a child fell between her legs, and she stained everything there with blood. When morning came, this was mentioned to the Messenger of Allah, so he gathered the people and said: I ask Allah for a man who did what he did to me and has a right over me but stand up. So the blind man stood up, stepping over the people and slipping until he sat in front of the Prophet, who said: O Messenger of Allah, I am her companion. She used to curse you and fall. I have two sons from her like two pearls, and she was kind to me. But last night she began to curse you and attack you. So I took the dagger and placed it in her stomach and leaned on her until I killed her. Then the Prophet said, “Should you not bear witness that her blood is shed?”
The Status of Uthman Al-Shaham — Scholars Are Divided
Those Who Weakened Him
  • Yahya ibn Sa’id Al-Qattan (via Ali ibn Al-Madini, in Al-Jarh wa Al-Ta’dil 6/173): “You know and deny, but I don’t have that”
  • Al-Nasa’i: “Not strong”
  • Abu Ahmad Al-Hakim (Names and Nicknames 4/14): “It is not considered reliable by them”
  • Abu Hatim Al-Razi: “I don’t see anything wrong with his hadith” — which means his hadiths are written and tested, not that they are accepted
Ibn Abi Hatim — Al-Jarh wa Al-Ta’dil 2/37 “I found the expressions of criticism and approval at various levels. If someone is told that he is trustworthy or a reliable expert, then he is someone whose hadith is used as evidence. If he is told that he is ‘truthful’ or ‘honest’ or ‘there is nothing wrong with him,’ then he is someone whose hadith is written down and looked into, and this is the second level.”
Al-Daraqutni on “It Is Considered” Prof. Dr. Abdullah Al-Rahili — Imam Abu Al-Hasan Al-Daraqutni and his Scientific Works, p. 341:

“His terminology for ‘it is considered’ and ‘it is not considered’ means weakness according to Al-Daraqutni — as it is according to the majority — and they are of two types: Firstly — a possible type that can be remedied by multiple methods… So he is following the terminology of the majority in this.”

On Ibn Adi’s Phrase “I Hope There Is Nothing Wrong With Him” Sheikh Al-Albani — Series of Weak and Fabricated Hadiths 3/112:

“Ibn Adi’s statement, ‘I hope there is nothing wrong with him,’ is not a textual proof of his authenticity. Even if it is accepted, it is at the lowest level of approval or the first level of criticism, like his statement, ‘I do not know of anything wrong with him,’ as in Al-Tadrib.”

Al-Mu’allimi Al-Yemeni — Commentary on Al-Shawkani’s Al-Fawa’id Al-Majmu’ah, p. 459 “This is not authentic. Ibn Adi mentions the narrator’s reprehensible actions, then says, ‘I hope there is nothing wrong with him,’ meaning by ‘deliberate lying.’”
Those Who Authenticated Uthman Al-Shaham Three scholars authenticated him: Wakee’ ibn Al-Jarrah, Abu Zur’ah Al-Razi, and Yahya ibn Ma’in.
Ibn Hajar’s Conclusion Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani compared the opinions of the two groups and concluded that Uthman Al-Shaham is of the rank of “acceptable” (maqbūl) — meaning his hadith is not accepted unless there is corroborating evidence.
Imam Muslim’s Usage of Uthman Al-Shaham Imam Muslim mentioned Uthman al-Shaham in only one place in his Sahih — at the end of the chapter on The Descent of Tribulations like the Places of Rain — as a corroboration (mutāba’a), not an original narration. This indicates that Muslim viewed him as a narrator of limited accuracy.

As Imam Muslim stated in the introduction to his Sahih:

“So when we investigate the news of this group of people, we follow it with news in whose chains of transmission there are some who are not described as having memorized or mastered the hadiths, like the group mentioned before them…”

Final Note on the Child The narration does not mention that the blind man killed the child along with his mother. What the narration states is that the child was stained with his mother’s blood after falling between her legs:

“A child fell between her legs, and she stained everything there with blood.”

The Fourth Narration — “Whoever Curses a Prophet, Kill Him”

Narration Text (Chain 1) Abd al-Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Zabalah narrated to us, on the authority of Ali ibn Musa, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Husayn ibn Ali, on the authority of his father, that the Messenger of God said: “Whoever curses a prophet, kill him, and whoever curses my companions, flog him.”
Why This Chain Is Extremely Weak Narrator — Abd al-Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Zabalah:
Ibn Hibban on Abd al-Aziz ibn Zabalah “It comes from the Medinans with dilemmas, so it is invalid to use it as evidence.”

Al-Dhahabi and Ibn Hajar described him as an unknown narrator.

He apparently took this narration from a person named (Abdullah ibn Musa ibn Ja’far) — also unknown with no documentation.

Narrator — Ali ibn Musa al-Rida:

Ibn Hibban on Ali ibn Musa al-Rida — Al-Thiqat 8/456 “He narrates strange things on the authority of his father, as if he was always making mistakes… His hadith must be considered if it is narrated from him by people other than his children, followers, and Abu al-Salt in particular. For the reports that are narrated from him and are proven false are the fault of Abu al-Salt, his children, and followers, because he was too noble to lie in his own right.”
Abu Sa’d Al-Sam’ani on Ali ibn Musa “The defect in his hadith is due to the weak narrators narrating it from him”

Narrator — Musa ibn Ja’far al-Kadhim:

Abu Ja’far Al-‘Uqaili on Musa ibn Ja’far “His hadith is not preserved and the burden of proof is not on him”

The authors of Tahrir Taqrib al-Tahdhib stated: “He is innocent of the lies and falsehoods attributed to him.”

Narrator — Ja’far al-Sadiq:

Abu Bakr ibn Ayyash on Ja’far al-Sadiq “We asked him about the hadiths he was talking about — are they things you heard? He said: No, but it is a narration we narrated from our fathers.”
Abu Hatim ibn Hibban on Ja’far al-Sadiq “His narration is accepted as evidence if it is not narrated by his sons, because there are many objectionable things in his son’s narration of him.”
Narration Text (Chain 2 — Very Weak) Abu al-Hasan Muzahim ibn Abd al-Warith al-Basri narrated to us… Abd al-Salam ibn Salih al-Harawi narrated to me, Ali ibn Musa al-Rida narrated to me… on the authority of the Prophet, who said: “Whoever curses a prophet, kill him, and whoever curses one of my companions, flog him.”
Chain 2 — Extremely Weak
  • Abd al-Salam ibn Salih al-Harawi (Abu al-Salt): A malicious, lying Shiite Rafidi
  • Al-Husayn ibn Humayd ibn al-Rabi’ al-Lakhmi: A lying Kufi
  • Abu Al-Hasan Muzahim ibn Abd al-Warith: From Basra — status unknown
Narration Text (Chain 3 — Very Weak) Mahmoud bin Ahmed Al-Qattan and Abdul A’la bin Muhammad Al-Mu’addib informed us in Isfahan… Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Hanifa [told us]… on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather… The Messenger of God said: “Whoever curses a prophet, kill him, and whoever curses a companion, flog him.”
Chain 3 — Extremely Weak
  • Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Hanifa: An abandoned hadith narrator (matrūk)
  • Muhammad ibn Shuja’ al-Baghdadi: A lying, heretical Jahmite who invented false hadiths and attributed them to scholars in order to ridicule them
  • Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Hubaysh: Deemed weak by Al-Daraqutni and Abu Nasr ibn Makula — “He was not strong”
Narration Text (Chain 4 — Very Weak) Ubayd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Umari, the judge, told us in the city of Tiberias in the year 277… on the authority of al-Husayn ibn Ali, who said: The Messenger of God said: “Whoever curses the prophets will be killed, and whoever curses my companions will be flogged.”
Chain 4 — Fabricated
  • Ubayd Allah ibn Muhammad Al-‘Amri Al-Qadi: A liar who narrates objectionable hadiths — per Al-Nasa’i and Al-Daraqutni
  • Ismail ibn Abi Uwais: Weakened by Al-Nasa’i, Al-Daraqutni, and Al-Lalaka’i; made mistakes from memory; Abu Nu’aym Al-Asbahani indicated he took this hadith from an unknown man
Scholarly Verdicts on This Narration
  • Ibn al-Qayyim — Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimmah 3/1456: “And there is something in his heart” (indicating unease with the hadith)
  • Al-Haythami — Majma’ al-Zawa’id 6/260: “Narrated by Al-Tabarani in Al-Saghir and Al-Awsat on the authority of his Sheikh Ubaid Allah bin Muhammad Al-Umari. Al-Nasa’i accused him of lying.”
  • Al-Albani — Al-Silsilah Al-Da’ifah 1/244, No. 206: (A fabricated hadith)
  • Mulla Ali al-Qari — Sharh al-Shifa 2/403: “The hadith was narrated by Al-Qadi with his chain of transmission on the authority of Al-Daraqutni… but with a weak chain of transmission.”