The Smoke (Ad-Dukhan)

Masruq reported: We were sitting in the company of Abdullah and he was lying on the bed that a person came and said: Abd Abd al-Rabmin, a story-teller at the gates of Kinda says that the verse (of the Qur'an) which deals with the" smoke" implies that which is about to come and it would hold the breath of the infidels and would inflict the believers with cold. Thereupon Abdullah got up and said in anger. O people, fear Allah and say only that which one knows amongst you and do not say which he does not know and he should simply say: Allah has the best knowledge for He has the best knowledge amongst all of you. It does not behove him to say that which he does not know. Allah has the best knowledge of it. Verily Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said to His Prophet ﷺ to state:" I do not ask from you any remuneration and I am not the one to put you in trouble," and when Allah's Mesqenger ﷺ saw people turning back (from religion) he said: O Allah, afflict thern with seven famines as was done in the case of Yusuf, so they were afflicted with famine by which they were forced to eat everything until they were obliged to eat the hides and the dead bodies because of hunger, and every one of them looked towards the sky and he found a smoke. And Abu Sufyan came and he said: Muhammad, you have come to command us to obey Allah and cement the ties of blood- relation whereas your people are undone;
supplicate Allah for tlicm. Thereupon Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said:" Wait for the day when there would be clear smoke from the sky which would envelop people and that would be grievous torivent" up to the words:" you are going to return to (evil)." (if this verse implied the torment of the next life) could the chastisement of the next (life) be averted (as the Qur'an states): On the day when We seize (them) with the most violent seizing;
surely We shall exact retribution" (xliv. 16)? The seizing (in the hadith) implies that of the Day of Badr. And so far as the sign of smoke, seizing, inevitability and signs of Rome are concern- ed, they have become things of the past now.

أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، أَخْبَرَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الضُّحَى، عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ، قَالَ كُنَّا عِنْدَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ جُلُوسًا وَهُوَ مُضْطَجِعٌ بَيْنَنَا فَأَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ إِنَّ قَاصًّا عِنْدَ أَبْوَابِ كِنْدَةَ يَقُصُّ وَيَزْعُمُ أَنَّ آيَةَ الدُّخَانِ تَجِيءُ فَتَأْخُذُ بِأَنْفَاسِ الْكُفَّارِ وَيَأْخُذُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْهُ كَهَيْئَةِ الزُّكَامِ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَجَلَسَ وَهُوَ غَضْبَانُ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَنْ عَلِمَ مِنْكُمْ شَيْئًا فَلْيَقُلْ بِمَا يَعْلَمُ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ فَلْيَقُلِ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ فَإِنَّهُ أَعْلَمُ لأَحَدِكُمْ أَنْ يَقُولَ لِمَا لاَ يَعْلَمُ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ لِنَبِيِّهِ ﷺ { قُلْ مَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُتَكَلِّفِينَ} إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَمَّا رَأَى مِنَ النَّاسِ إِدْبَارًا فَقَالَ " اللَّهُمَّ سَبْعٌ كَسَبْعِ يُوسُفَ " . قَالَ فَأَخَذَتْهُمْ سَنَةٌ حَصَّتْ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ حَتَّى أَكَلُوا الْجُلُودَ وَالْمَيْتَةَ مِنَ الْجُوعِ وَيَنْظُرُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ أَحَدُهُمْ فَيَرَى كَهَيْئَةِ الدُّخَانِ فَأَتَاهُ أَبُو سُفْيَانَ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ إِنَّكَ جِئْتَ تَأْمُرُ بِطَاعَةِ اللَّهِ وَبِصِلَةِ الرَّحِمِ وَإِنَّ قَوْمَكَ قَدْ هَلَكُوا فَادْعُ اللَّهَ لَهُمْ - قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ { فَارْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُبِينٍ * يَغْشَى النَّاسَ هَذَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ} إِلَى قَوْلِهِ { إِنَّكُمْ عَائِدُونَ} . قَالَ أَفَيُكْشَفُ عَذَابُ الآخِرَةِ { يَوْمَ نَبْطِشُ الْبَطْشَةَ الْكُبْرَى إِنَّا مُنْتَقِمُونَ} فَالْبَطْشَةُ يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ وَقَدْ مَضَتْ آيَةُ الدُّخَانِ وَالْبَطْشَةُ وَاللِّزَامُ وَآيَةُ الرُّومِ .

Masruq reported that there came to Abdullah a person and said: I have left behind in the mosque a man who explains the Qur'an according to his personal discretion and he explained this verse:" So wait for the day when the Heaven brings a clear smoke." He says that a smoke would come to the people on the Day of Resurrection anl it will withhold breath and they would be inflicted with cold. 'Abdullah said: He who has knowledge should say something and he who has no knowledge should simply say: Allah is best aware. This reflects the understanding of a person that he should say about that which he does not know that it is Allah who knows best. The fact is that when the Quraish disobeyed Allah's Apostle ﷺ he supplicated Allah that they should be afflicted with famine and starvation as was done in case of Yusuf. And they were so much hard pressed that a person would ace the sky and he would see between him and the sky something like smoke and they were so much hard pressed that they began to cat the bones, and a person came to Allah's Apostle ﷺ and said: Allah's Messenger. seek forgiveness for the tribe of Mudar for (its people) have been undone. The Messenger ﷺ said: For Mudar? You are overbold, but he supplicated Allah for them. It was upon this that this verse was revealed:" We shall remove the chastisement a little, but they will surely return to evil" (xliv. 15). lie (the narrator) said: There was a downpoor of rain upon them. When there was some relief for them they returned to the same position as they had been before, and Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, revealed this verse:" So wait for the day when the heaven brings a clear smoke enveloping people. This is a grievous torment on the day when We seize them with the most violent seizing;
surely, We shall exact retribution." And this (seizing) implied (Battle) of Badr.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، وَوَكِيعٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو سَعِيدٍ، الأَشَجُّ أَخْبَرَنَا وَكِيعٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، كُلُّهُمْ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، وَأَبُو كُرَيْبٍ - وَاللَّفْظُ لِيَحْيَى - قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ مُسْلِمِ بْنِ صُبَيْحٍ، عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ، قَالَ جَاءَ إِلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ تَرَكْتُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ رَجُلاً يُفَسِّرُ الْقُرْآنَ بِرَأْيِهِ يُفَسِّرُ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ { يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُبِينٍ} قَالَ يَأْتِي النَّاسَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ دُخَانٌ فَيَأْخُذُ بِأَنْفَاسِهِمْ حَتَّى يَأْخُذَهُمْ مِنْهُ كَهَيْئَةِ الزُّكَامِ . فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ مَنْ عَلِمَ عِلْمًا فَلْيَقُلْ بِهِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ فَلْيَقُلِ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ فَإِنَّ مِنْ فِقْهِ الرَّجُلِ أَنْ يَقُولَ لِمَا لاَ عِلْمَ لَهُ بِهِ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ . إِنَّمَا كَانَ هَذَا أَنَّ قُرَيْشًا لَمَّا اسْتَعْصَتْ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ دَعَا عَلَيْهِمْ بِسِنِينَ كَسِنِي يُوسُفَ فَأَصَابَهُمْ قَحْطٌ وَجَهْدٌ حَتَّى جَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَيَرَى بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا كَهَيْئَةِ الدُّخَانِ مِنَ الْجَهْدِ وَحَتَّى أَكَلُوا الْعِظَامَ فَأَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ اسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهَ لِمُضَرَ فَإِنَّهُمْ قَدْ هَلَكُوا فَقَالَ " لِمُضَرَ إِنَّكَ لَجَرِيءٌ " . قَالَ فَدَعَا اللَّهَ لَهُمْ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ { إِنَّا كَاشِفُو الْعَذَابِ قَلِيلاً إِنَّكُمْ عَائِدُونَ} قَالَ فَمُطِرُوا فَلَمَّا أَصَابَتْهُمُ الرَّفَاهِيَةُ - قَالَ - عَادُوا إِلَى مَا كَانُوا عَلَيْهِ - قَالَ - فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ { فَارْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُبِينٍ * يَغْشَى النَّاسَ هَذَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ} { يَوْمَ نَبْطِشُ الْبَطْشَةَ الْكُبْرَى إِنَّا مُنْتَقِمُونَ} قَالَ يَعْنِي يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ .

Abdullah said that five signs have (become things) of the past (and have proved the truth of the Holy Prophet): (Enveloping) by the smoke, inevitable (punishment to the Meccans at Badr), (the victory of) Rome, (violent) seizing (of the Meccans at Badr) and (the splitting up of) the Moon.

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي الضُّحَى، عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ خَمْسٌ قَدْ مَضَيْنَ الدُّخَانُ وَاللِّزَامُ وَالرُّومُ وَالْبَطْشَةُ وَالْقَمَرُ .

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of A'mash with the same chain of transmitters.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الأَشَجُّ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ مِثْلَهُ .