The following stories are commonly shared in talks/bayans. They should be avoided as they are baseless and made up.
From Salama Ibn Al-Aqwa, who said: I heard the Prophet (SAW) say, “Whoever (intentionally) attributes to me what I have not said, let him prepare for his place in Hell-fire.”
Source: Sahih Bukhari Hadith 109
- The Prophet’s crying at a Jewish Funeral
A widely shared but false story claims that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) cried when seeing a Jewish funeral. The story says he cried because one of his followers had entered Hell without accepting Islam. There is no basis for this story.
The Correct Version
A true version of this Hadith is found in Bukhari:1312
“Sahl bin Hunaif and Qais bin Sa`d were sitting in the city of Al-Qadisiya. A funeral procession passed in front of them and they stood up. They were told that funeral procession was of one of the inhabitants of the land i.e. of a non-believer, under the protection of Muslims. They said, “A funeral procession passed in front of the Prophet (ﷺ) and he stood up. When he was told that it was the coffin of a Jew, he said, “Is it not a living being (soul)?”
In this true version, there is no mention of the Prophet SAW crying. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, in his work “Fath al-Bari,” noted that the Prophet’s response shows that all humans have natural dignity. The act of standing was to respect human life. - Abu Jahl’s Midnight Visitor
A story tells of the Prophet knocking on Abu Jahl’s door during a stormy night, hoping to invite him to Islam. The tale ends with Abu Jahl angrily shutting the door when he realized who his visitor was. This story has no proof. - The Stormy Night Dawah
In one story, a companion saw someone walking on a stormy night. When he came closer, he saw it was the Prophet (peace be upon him). The companion asked, “O Messenger of Allah, where are you coming from on such a night?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, “A caravan has stopped on the other side of this mountain and will leave before dawn. I was worried they might not hear the message of the Kalima, so I went to share Islam with them.” This story is not found in any hadith book. Trusted scholars have called it ‘fabricated’.
The Correct Version
Many true Hadiths show the Prophet SAW did visit caravans of tribes as recorded in the Seerah of Ibn Hisham (Source). - The Angels’ Humble Attire
This story claims that Angel Gabriel appeared wearing rough cloth. The angel explained that all angels had adopted this dress to copy Abu Bakr’s humility shown during his Tabuk expedition sacrifice. Eight hadith scholars have clearly labeled this story as ‘fabricated’.
The Correct Version
A true hadith does prove that Abu Bakar RA gave all his wealth for the Tabuk expedition:
“I heard ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab saying: ‘We were ordered by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to give in charity, and that matched a time when I had some wealth, so I said, “Today I will beat Abu Bakr, if ever I beat him.”‘ So I came with half of my wealth, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “What did you leave for your family?” I said: “The like of it.” And Abu Bakr came with everything he had, so he said: “O Abu Bakr! What did you leave for your family?” He said: “I left Allah and His Messenger for them.” I said: ‘[By Allah] I will never be able to beat him to something.'”
Source: Jami`at-Tirmidhi 3675 - The Prophet’s Death Pangs Sacrifice
A made-up story describes the Prophet offering to bear all the death pains of his followers. He asks the Angel of Death to transfer his community’s suffering to himself. No trusted sources support this story. - Jibrail asks Allah loves the Prophet more or His Deen
In this story, Jibrail AS asked, “O Messenger of Allah, are you more beloved to Allah or His Quran?” The Prophet (SAW) replied, “I am more beloved because Allah revealed His Quran to me.” Then he asked, “Are you more beloved or me?” The Prophet (SAW) replied, “I am more beloved because you are sent to me.” Then he asked, “Are you more beloved or is Allah’s religion more beloved to Him?” The Prophet replied, “Allah’s religion is more beloved to Him because I was sent for the religion.” This story is not found in any trusted hadith book. Scholars have declared it ‘fabricated’. - The Miraculous Flour Mill
A story tells of a hungry companion who came home to find his family struggling. Thinking his prayers might not be enough, he went back to the mosque to pray several times. When he finally returned home, he found a miracle: the flour mill was working by itself, making flour without anyone helping. The family filled all their containers with this magical flour. The story claims that when Prophet Muhammad heard about this, he said the mill would have kept making flour until Judgment Day if they hadn’t stopped it. This story is incorrectly narrated.
The Correct Version
The True Version (from Musnad Ahmad): Abu Hurairah reports that a man went to his family, and seeing their need, went towards the desert. When his wife saw this, she went to the mill and fixed it, then went to the oven and lit it. Then she prayed (made Du’a), “O Allah, grant us food.” When she looked at the flour container, it was full, and when she went to the oven, it was also full. When the husband returned and asked if any food had come, the wife said, “Yes, from our Lord.” The husband went to the mill and saw this miracle. When this was mentioned to the Prophet (peace be upon him), he said, “If he hadn’t lifted the mill parts, it would have kept running until the Day of Judgment.
The main difference between the versions is that in the true story, the wife took practical steps and made Du’a. The fabricated story focuses only on repeated prayers and a sudden miracle.
Source: hadithanswers.com, hadithanswer.com
Source: Mufti Zahid Isa Qasmi
