The Three who Spoke in the Cradle

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The Three who Spoke in the Cradle

The Hadeeth:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah – may Allaah be pleased with him – who said that the Prophet – صلى الله عليه وسلم – said:

"None spoke in the cradle except three:

1. ‘Eesa the son of Maryam,
2. Jurayj’s companion; Jurayj was a man of worship, he had a place of worship and while he was in it, his mother came in and called upon him. He said to himself; ‘My Lord, my mother or my prayer?’ So he continued praying and she left. The next day she also came and called upon him while he was in prayer, he said to himself; ‘My Lord, my mother or my prayer?’ So he continued praying and again she left. The following day she came again and called upon him while he was in prayer, he said to himself; ‘My Lord, my mother or my prayer?’ So he continued praying.
   She said: ‘O Allaah, do not allow him to die until he sees the faces of prostitutes.’
   The Children of Israel knew of Jurayj and his worship. There was a very beautiful prostitute who offered to seduce him. She attempted to do so but he did not pay her any attention to her. She then approached a herdsman who used to seek refuge in his place of worship, she offered herself to him and he slept with her. She became pregnant, and when she gave birth she claimed that it was the child of Jurayj. They went to him, invoked curses over him, destroyed his place of worship and attacked him.
   He said: ‘Why are you doing this?’
   They responded: ‘You fornicated with this woman and she bore you a child.’
   He said: ‘Where is the child?’
   So they brought him the child.
   He said: ‘Leave me until I pray.’
   When he finished praying he came to the boy and poked him in his stomach. He said: ‘O child, who is your father?’
   The baby boy responded: ‘So and so the herdsman.’
   So the people turned to Jurayj, kissing him and asking him for forgiveness. They offered to rebuild his place of worship in gold, but he refused and asked them to rebuild it from mud just as it was before, and so they did.
3. There was also a baby who was being breast fed by his mother when a rider in fine garments passed by on an agile animal.
   His mother said: ‘O Allaah, make my child like him.’
   The baby stopped suckling and looked at him, he said: ‘O Allaah, do not make me like him.’
   He then continued suckling…"
   Abu Hurayrah – May Allaah be pleased with him – said: ‘It is as if I can see Messenger of Allaah – صلى الله عليه وسلم – right now, as he is illustrating the scene of the baby’s suckling with his forefinger in his mouth.’
   He continued: "They passed by a slave girl who was being beaten by people who were accusing her of committing fornication and theft.’
   She was saying: `Sufficient is Allaah is for me, and the best of Guardians He is’
   The mother said: `O Allaah, do not make my child like her.’
   Again the baby stopped suckling, looked at her and said: ‘O Allaah! Make me like her.’ At this point they spoke to each other, the mother said: `A good looking man passed by and I asked Allaah to make my child like him, you asked Allaah not make you like him. We passed by this slave girl while she was being beaten and being accused of fornication and theft, I asked Allaah not to make my child like her, and you asked Allaah to make you like her.’
   The child said: `That man was a tyrant, so I asked Allaah not to make me like him. They were accusing the girl of fornication, while she did not commit it, and they were accusing her of theft, while she did not steal, so I asked Allaah to make me like her"

[Collected by both al Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

[Concerning the Hadeeth:]

"None spoke while in the cradle except three: ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam, Yusuf’s companion, Jurayj’s companion and the son of Pharoah’s daughter’s hair brusher.’

[Al Albaanee stated in As Silsilah ad Da'eefah #880: - Parts of al Albaanee's speech will be summarized or omitted, such as the details of the defects of some chains and the Jarh and Ta'deel concerning the narrators as it is extensive.]

This Hadeeth with this wording is false. It was collected by al Haakim in al Mustadrak…so this Hadeeth is false with me for two reasons.

The first: It restricts the number of those who spoke in the cradle to three, it then mentions four.

The second: The Hadeeth that was collected by al Bukhaaree in the Book of Prophets has the exact same chain as al Haakim’s but with a contradicting wording…

It was also collected by Muslim: 8/4-5, by way of Yazeed ibn Haroon on the authority of Jareer ibn Haazim. It was collected by Ahmad: 2/307 – 308 through another two paths on the authority of Jareer, but it is apparent that this Hadeeth is Mawqoof. It was collected by Ibn Jareer in his Tafseer: 12/115 on the authority of Ibn Waqee’…on the authority of ibn ‘Abbaas: "Four people spoke in the cradle while they were babies…" And he mentions all four as is in the false narration of al Haakim.

I have not found an authentic Hadeeth that removes this restriction [of only three people speaking in the cradle] that was collected by both al Bukhaaree and Muslim except the story of the baby boy of al Ukhdood [1]. It is mentioned in it that he [the baby boy] said to his mother: ‘My mother, be patient for you are upon the truth." It was collected by Ahmad: 6/17-18, on the authority of Suhayb with an authentic chain with the requirements of Muslim, but with the addition that he was a nursing baby. The story was also collected by Muslim: 8/231 but without this addition [of the nursing baby]. Al Haafidh [ibn Hajr] stated ‘al Fat-h’ that this addition is in Muslim in but this is an error if it is not established in some of the prints of Muslim.

Some scholars combined between this Hadeeth and the one collected by both al Bukhaaree and Muslim by saying the first Hadeeth only mentions those who spoke while they were actually in the cradle and Allaah knows best.

Concerning Yusuf’s witness, then it is apparent in the story in the Qur-aan that he was a man and not a child in a cradle. If he were a baby in a cradle, the mere fact that he spoke saying that she [al 'Azeez' wife] was lying would have been sufficient to settle the affair, and a clear evidence against her, because it is a miracle. There would not have been any need in saying that he [the witness] was from her family, or for any other evidence for the innocence of Yusuf – ‘Alayhi as Salaam – which is the shirt that was cut from the back as mentioned in the Ayah.

Ibn Jareer also collected authentic Ahaadeeth on the authority of ibn ‘Abbaas that this witness was a man with a beard, and this seems to be the correct opinion and Allaah knows best.

As an added benefit; what is mentioned in some of the books of Tafseer that the following also spoke in the cradle: Ibraheem, Yahyaa and Muhammad, may the Salaat and Salaam be upon all of them – there is no basis for this on the authority of the Messenger, so take note of this.