Hadeeth about Aadam being tall like a palm tree with curly hair

17-1-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

Is this narration authentic? Hafs Ibn `Umar Al-Hawdi informed us that Abu Hamzah Ishaq Ibn Rabi` Al-Attar informed us on the authority of Al-Hasan, on the authority of `Utayyi, on the authority of Ubayyi Ibn Ka`b, that he said: Adam was tall, of brown complexion, and had curly hair, as on a high palm-tree.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger. 

The hadeeth with the chain of narration mentioned in the question was cited by Ibn Saʻd in his book Tabaqaat Ibn Saʻd. It was also reported with a different chain of narration and cited by Ahmad in his book Az-Zuhd, Abu Ash-Shaykh in his book Al-ʻAthamah, and At-Tabraani in Musnad Ash-Shaamiyyeen with different chains of narration. It was also cited by Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Baʻth wan-Nushoor. Al-Haakim commented on it saying, “The chain of narration of this hadeeth is authentic, but Al-Bukhari and Muslim did not cite it.”

Al-Haafith Ibn Hajar declared it a hasan (good) hadeeth in his book Fat-h Al-Baari (6/367); he wrote, “It was narrated on the authority of Abu Haatim with a good chain of narration that Ubayy ibn Kaʻb reported a marfooʻ hadeeth (i.e. a hadeeth that is directly attributed to the Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam) reading, ‘Allaah created Aadam (Adam) a tall man with thick hair on his head as if he was a very tall palm-tree.’”

Some scholars, though, held that it is a mawqoof report (i.e. a hadeeth stopped at the level of the Companion). Ibn Katheer wrote, “It was narrated by Ibn Jareer and Ibn Marduwayh through different chains of narration on the authority of Al-Hasan that Ubayy ibn Kaʻb reported it on the authority of the Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam; however, the mawqoof report is the one with the most authentic chain of narration...”

He also wrote, “There is a missing link in the chain of narration between Al-Hasan and Ubayy ibn Kaʻb; Al-Hasan did not hear it directly from Ubayy ibn Kaʻb. Declaring it a marfooʻ hadeeth is also questioned (by hadeeth scholars).”

Allaah knows best.