Reference :Sparrow said, "O vulture my brother, tell us about the new-born babies that could talk." Vulture replied, "OK! I'll you the story. Just sit and listen!" Vulture continued, "If a newborn child speaks, that is very astonishing demonstration of Allah's powers. This brain-puzzling event took place thrice in the history of mankind that a newborn child spoke from the cradle, not merely speech, but intelligent speech. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has informed us that these speakers were Prophet Isa, son of Maryam, a child who spoke in favour of Jurayj and the child of whom I will tell you in the following Hadith.
It is transmitted by Al-Bukhari that Abu Hurayrah, radhiyallahu 'anhu, heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying,
The version in Muslim reads,بَيْنَمَا امْرَأَةٌ تُرْضِعُ ابْنَهَا إِذْ مَرَّ بِهَا رَاكِبٌ وَهْىَ تُرْضِعُهُ، فَقَالَتِ اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تُمِتِ ابْنِي حَتَّى يَكُونَ مِثْلَ هَذَا. فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَجْعَلْنِي مِثْلَهُ. ثُمَّ رَجَعَ فِي الثَّدْىِ، وَمُرَّ بِامْرَأَةٍ تُجَرَّرُ وَيُلْعَبُ بِهَا فَقَالَتِ اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَجْعَلِ ابْنِي مِثْلَهَا. فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِثْلَهَا. فَقَالَ أَمَّا الرَّاكِبُ فَإِنَّهُ كَافِرٌ، وَأَمَّا الْمَرْأَةُ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ لَهَا تَزْنِي. وَتَقُولُ حَسْبِي اللَّهُ. وَيَقُولُونَ تَسْرِقُ. وَتَقُولُ حَسْبِي اللَّهُA lady of the Children of Israel was nursing her child at her breast when a handsome rider passed by her. She said, "O Allah! Make my child like him." On that the child left her breast and facing the rider said, "O Allah! Do not make me like him." The child then started sucking her breast again.
(Abu Hurayrah further said, "As if I were now looking at the Prophet (ﷺ) sucking his finger in a way of demonstration.")
(The Prophet (ﷺ) continued) After a while a slave-girl passed by her and the mother said, "O Allah! Do not make my child like this (slave-girl)." The child left her breast and said, "O Allah! Make me like her." When she asked why, the child replied, "The rider is one of the tyrants, while this slave-girl is (falsely) accused of illegal sexual intercourse and she says, 'HasbiyAllahu' (Allah is sufficient for me - He knows the truth)'." [Al-Bukhari 3466]
وَبَيْنَا صَبِيٌّ يَرْضَعُ مِنْ أُمِّهِ فَمَرَّ رَجُلٌ رَاكِبٌ عَلَى دَابَّةٍ فَارِهَةٍ وَشَارَةٍ حَسَنَةٍ فَقَالَتْ أُمُّهُ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلِ ابْنِي مِثْلَ هَذَا . فَتَرَكَ الثَّدْىَ وَأَقْبَلَ إِلَيْهِ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَجْعَلْنِي مِثْلَهُ . ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عَلَى ثَدْيِهِ فَجَعَلَ يَرْتَضِعُ . قَالَ فَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ يَحْكِي ارْتِضَاعَهُ بِإِصْبَعِهِ السَّبَّابَةِ فِي فَمِهِ فَجَعَلَ يَمُصُّهَا . قَالَ وَمَرُّوا بِجَارِيَةٍ وَهُمْ يَضْرِبُونَهَا وَيَقُولُونَ زَنَيْتِ سَرَقْتِ . وَهِيَ تَقُولُ حَسْبِيَ اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ . فَقَالَتْ أُمُّهُ اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَجْعَلِ ابْنِي مِثْلَهَا . فَتَرَكَ الرَّضَاعَ وَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِثْلَهَا . فَهُنَاكَ تَرَاجَعَا الْحَدِيثَ فَقَالَتْ حَلْقَى مَرَّ رَجُلٌ حَسَنُ الْهَيْئَةِ فَقُلْتُ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلِ ابْنِي مِثْلَهُ . فَقُلْتَ اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَجْعَلْنِي مِثْلَهُ . وَمَرُّوا بِهَذِهِ الأَمَةِ وَهُمْ يَضْرِبُونَهَا وَيَقُولُونَ زَنَيْتِ سَرَقْتِ . فَقُلْتُ اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَجْعَلِ ابْنِي مِثْلَهَا . فَقُلْتَ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِثْلَهَا قَالَ إِنَّ ذَاكَ الرَّجُلَ كَانَ جَبَّارًا فَقُلْتُ اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَجْعَلْنِي مِثْلَهُ . وَإِنَّ هَذِهِ يَقُولُونَ لَهَا زَنَيْتِ . وَلَمْ تَزْنِ وَسَرَقْتِ وَلَمْ تَسْرِقْ فَقُلْتُ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِثْلَهَا"Then there was a babe who was sucking his mother that a person dressed in fine garment came riding upon a beast. His mother said, 'O Allah, make my child like this one.' He (the babe) left sucking and began to see towards him, and said, 'O Allah, don't make me like him.' He then returned to the chest and began to suck the milk of his mother. He (Abu Hurayrah) said, 'I perceived as if I am seeing Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as he is explaining the scene of his sucking milk with his forefinger in his mouth and sucking that. He (Abu Hurayrah) further reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying, "There happened to pass by him a girl who was being beaten and they were saying, 'You have committed adultery and you have committed theft,' and she was saying, 'Allah is enough for me and He is my good Protector,' and his mother said, 'O Allah, don't make my child like her and he left sucking the milk, and looked towards her and said, 'O Allah, make me like her,' and there was a talk between them. She said, 'O with shaven head, a good-looking person happened to pass by and I said, 'O Allah, make my child like him,' and you said, 'O Allah, don't make me like him,' and they passed by a girl while they were beating her and saying, 'You committed fornication and you committed theft,' and I said, 'O Allah, don't make my child like her,' and you said, 'O Allah, make me like her.' Thereupon he said, 'That person was a tyrant, and I said. 'O Allah, don't make me like him,' and they were saying about her, You committed fornication,' whereas in fact she had not committed that and they were saying, 'You have committed theft whereas she had not committed theft,' so I said, 'O Allah, make me like her.'" [Muslim 2550]It is indeed unusual for a new-born child to .speak intelligent words and it is very surprising too. Allah demonstrates His powers in different ways. It is obvious from the narrative that the mother had seen a happy person and prayed to Allah that her son be like him but the infant rejected that idea immediately. He was a new-born child. The first thing is that children do not speak at that age let alone an intelligent speech. Then, what he said was quite contrary to the apparent yet exactly according to the facts which were unknown to his mother.
This incident makes it very clear that Allah does not choose merely grown-up, intelligent peoples to illustrate His perfect powers, but sometimes He shows them through new-born children.
Allah demonstrated two significant facts through this incident. The first thing is that the man who seemed to be very happy, a man of glorious personality and majestic life was in reality a great tyrant who oppressed people. Obviously, he was not the one to be immitated.
The second fact was that the oppressed slave-girl who seemed to be extremely destitute and subject of criticism turned out to be a virtuous, pious woman. Allah gave evidence of His Omnipotence by disclosing these two facts through the new-born child."
Vulture paused for a moment, then said, "O my brothers and sisters, there are advantages we gain from this story, first, The main message of this story is that the power of Allah, Rabb of the worlds, is not subservient to an agency. He is also not dependent on method or common custom of the times. He may, if He' chooses, take away the power of speech from an intelligent grown-up or give it to a new-born and make him speak intelligently. He displays His powers in different ways.
We also learn from this Hadith that there are two aspects of everything, the seen and the unseen. Man must concern himself more with the unseen than with the seen. He must not select anything because of its outward appearance but. examine the inward qualities and choose it because of unseen merits.
The mother of the child was impressed by the outward appearance and high-sounding stirring nature of the man to such an extent that she wished that her child should grow up like him. The facts were not like that. The man's awe-inspiring features were the outcome of his cruelty and if they are developed through oppression they are not praiseworthy qualities. They invite punishment of Allah on the owner of the qualities. Allah not only put these things in the heart of the child but He also made him speak out these facts. He rejected his mother's prayers and said that he would not like to be like the man.
Similarly, the mother went by the obvious condition of the slave-girl who had oppression writ on her features and she prayed that her child should not be like that slave-girl. Allah had again put into the child's heart the true position about the slave-girl who was not guilty as her accusers cried out but she was innocent and pious. The child prayed that he would wish to be like her.
Allah alone knows best that the aim of the child's supplication was not that Allah should grant him the condition of the slave-girl. He knew that she was truthful yet oppressed and he wished that he should live a truthful life even if he has to suffer for that. Also, he thought of the oppressive man who looked grand and was blessed with favours and abundance, and he supplicated that he should not be given those blessings if they were accompanied by an oppressive nature. If the blessings and favours were lawfully acquired then he craved for them ·but he should be protected from being oppressive and cruel otherwise he preferred poverty and innocence.
The supplication of the child did not mean that he rejected worldly favours. He rejected those favours of the world that are acquired through tyranny and oppression. The second supplication that he made did not mean that he wished for people to accuse and punish him as they did the slave-girl. His prayer was that the slave-girl was on the right and morally well-behved and pious and in spite of that she was oppressed. So, he wished to live a pure and pious life even if that brought him suffering in its wake.
We also learn that it is not proper to become opressive (no matter how much of the worldly blessings are received thereby). It is right and preferable to be one who is oppressed (even if one has to face many difficulties because of that). It might be well sounding to people of the world to act cruelly and oppress people in order to acquire worldly possessions and honour but it is deplorable in the sight of Allah and punishable.
The next lesson is, this episode is helpful in explaining a verse of the Qur'an. Allah has said,
Man looks at the outward features of everything. He goes mad when he sees the glitter of anything even if the inside is bad and harmful. He dislikes and hates anything that is not attractive in its outside appearance and he overlooks its intrinsic advantage and goodness.وَعَسَىٰ أَنْ تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ"...But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not." - (QS. 2:216)
This approach is wrong. We must examine everything from its external as well as internal aspects. An intelligent person decides only after such an examination.
Finally, the Hadith also teaches a teacher, reformer and a sermoniser that he must employ all permissible avenues to convey the message. The addressees are thus convinced effectively. The Propet (ﷺ) made a practical demonstration of the child sucking his mother by placing his finger in his mouth and sucking it. This was done that his listeners may understand properly what he said. We find innumerable examples of this type in the host of Ahadith of the Prophet (ﷺ). He frequently demonstrated in a practical way what he explained orally to his listners."
Sparrow said, "Then tell us about Jurayj!"
- Maulana Muhammad Zakaria Iqbal, Stories from the Hadith, Darul Isha'at.
