What is Sunan Ibn Majah 2204 about?

This hadith from Sunan Ibn Majah (Book of The Chapters on Pawning), narrated by It was narrated from Simak that the heard Musa bin Talhah bin `Ubaidullah narrating that his father said:, states: "“I passed by some palm trees with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he saw some people pollinating the trees. He said: 'What are these people doing?' They said: 'They are taking something from the male…"

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 Ibn Majah, which contains 4,345 hadiths across 38 books. It is hadith number 2204 in the Book of The Chapters on Pawning.

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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Sunan Ibn Majah #2204

The Chapters on Pawning

Sahih

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

حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُوسَى، عَنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ، عَنْ سِمَاكٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ مُوسَى بْنَ طَلْحَةَ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ مَرَرْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي نَخْلٍ فَرَأَى قَوْمًا يُلَقِّحُونَ النَّخْلَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ مَا يَصْنَعُ هَؤُلاَءِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا يَأْخُذُونَ مِنَ الذَّكَرِ فَيَجْعَلُونَهُ فِي الأُنْثَى ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ مَا أَظُنُّ ذَاكَ يُغْنِي شَيْئًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَبَلَغَهُمْ فَتَرَكُوهُ وَنَزَلُوا عَنْهَا فَبَلَغَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّمَا هُوَ ظَنٌّ إِنْ كَانَ يُغْنِي شَيْئًا فَاصْنَعُوهُ فَإِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ وَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ يُخْطِئُ وَيُصِيبُ وَلَكِنْ مَا قُلْتُ لَكُمْ قَالَ اللَّهُ فَلَنْ أَكْذِبَ عَلَى اللَّهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

“I passed by some palm trees with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he saw some people pollinating the trees. He said: 'What are these people doing?' They said: 'They are taking something from the male part (of the plant) and putting it in the female part.' He said: 'I do not think that this will do any good.' News of that reached them, so they stopped doing it, and their yield declined. News of that reached the Prophet (ﷺ) and he said: 'That was only my thought. If it will do any good, then do it. I am only a human being like you, and what I think may be right or wrong. But When I tell you: “Allah (SWT) says,” I will never tell lies about Allah (SWT).' ”

Narrated by It was narrated from Simak that the heard Musa bin Talhah bin `Ubaidullah narrating that his father said:

Context

This hadith recounts an incident where the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) observed people pollinating palm trees and expressed skepticism about its effectiveness. However, he clarified that while he could share his thoughts, he would never misrepresent divine revelation. This illustrates the balance between human reasoning and divine guidance.

Modern Application

In contemporary life, this principle encourages us to use reason and observation in our daily activities while recognizing the limits of our understanding. It promotes a thoughtful approach to decision-making, blending personal insight with faith.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Use of Reason and Divine Revelation because it emphasizes the importance of human reasoning while distinguishing it from divine guidance.

Use of Reason Divine Revelation