Brief Comments on Riyaadh al-Saaliheen #12

The spider and the tree

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

[Sharh Riyaadh al-Saaliheen of Shaikh al-`Uthaymeen رحمه الله (1/564-565)]

What has been mentioned in some of the books of History (Tawaareekh) that the spider had spun the web at the mouth of the cave, and that a tree sprouted there, and that a pigeon was nesting in one of its branches, and that when the Mushriks came to the cave they said: ‘There is no one inside it. For here is the pigeon on the branch of this tree at the mouth of the cave, and this spider is nesting at the mouth of the cave.’ All this is not authentic, because the thing which prevented the Mushriks from finding the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his companion Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه were not physical barriers, rather they were spiritual factors – a sign from the signs of Allaah عز وجل – Allaah put a cover over the eyes of the Mushriks so that they could not see the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم or his companion Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه. 

If it were physical factors - like the spider spinning the web, and pigeon and the tree - all these are physical factors, each hiding the other; but the (real) factor is a sign from the signs of Allaah عز وجل. The point is, that which is mentioned in the books of History about this incident, has no authenticity to it, but the truth about which there is no doubt is that Allaah تعالى blinded the Mushriks from seeing the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his companion Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه in the cave. And Allaah is the source of strength.