What is Sunan Abu Dawud 3989 about?

This hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud (Book of Dialects and Readings of the Qur'an (Kitab Al-Huruf Wa Al-Qira'at)), narrated by Narrated Farwah ibn Musayk al-Ghutayfi:, states: "I came to the Prophet (ﷺ). He then narrated the rest of the tradition. A man from the people said: "Messenger of Allah! tell us about Saba'; what is it: land or woman? He replied: It is neither…"

Is this hadith authentic?

This hadith is graded Sahih. Sahih hadiths are considered the most authentic grade in hadith classification.

Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Sunan Abu Dawud, which contains 5,276 hadiths across 43 books. It is hadith number 3989 in the Book of Dialects and Readings of the Qur'an (Kitab Al-Huruf Wa Al-Qira'at).

I searched for a different number — is this the right hadith?

Hadith numbering varies across editions and translations (USC-MSA, Dar as-Salam, Fath al-Bari, and others). If you followed a link citing a different number but landed here, you may have been redirected to the canonical version in our library. If you were looking for a different hadith entirely, use the search bar to find it by text.

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#3988

#3989

Sunan Abu Dawud

#3990

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Sunan Abu Dawud #3989

Dialects and Readings of the Qur'an (Kitab Al-Huruf Wa Al-Qira'at)

Sahih

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَهَارُونُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، حَدَّثَنِي الْحَسَنُ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ النَّخَعِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو سَبْرَةَ النَّخَعِيُّ، عَنْ فَرْوَةَ بْنِ مُسَيْكٍ الْغُطَيْفِيِّ، قَالَ أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَخْبِرْنَا عَنْ سَبَإٍ مَا هُوَ أَرْضٌ أَمِ امْرَأَةٌ فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ لَيْسَ بِأَرْضٍ وَلاَ امْرَأَةٍ وَلَكِنَّهُ رَجُلٌ وَلَدَ عَشَرَةً مِنَ الْعَرَبِ فَتَيَامَنَ سِتَّةٌ وَتَشَاءَمَ أَرْبَعَةٌ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ عُثْمَانُ الْغَطَفَانِيِّ مَكَانَ الْغُطَيْفِيِّ وَقَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ النَّخَعِيُّ ‏.‏

I came to the Prophet (ﷺ). He then narrated the rest of the tradition. A man from the people said: "Messenger of Allah! tell us about Saba'; what is it: land or woman? He replied: It is neither land nor woman; it is a man to whom ten children of the Arabs were born: six of them lived in the Yemen and four lived in Syria. The narrator Uthman said al-Ghatafani instead of al-Ghutayfi. He said: It has been transmitted to us by al-Hasan ibn al-Hakam an-Nakha'i.

Narrated by Narrated Farwah ibn Musayk al-Ghutayfi:

Context

In this hadith, a man inquires about Saba', and the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) clarifies that it refers to a person, not a place or a woman. This highlights the importance of understanding context and the significance of individuals in historical narratives.

Modern Application

This principle encourages individuals to seek knowledge and understanding rather than making assumptions. In today's world, it promotes the value of inquiry and the importance of context in discussions about history and culture.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Prophetic Teachings because it reflects the Prophet's role in educating his companions about significant historical figures and their relevance.

Prophetic Teachings