64/35. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 4163 — Caution About the Tree
The Ghazwa of Al-Hudaibiya
وَقَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: {لَقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ} .
Hadith About Bayat al-Ridwan: Be Careful with Claims About the Tree
Sahih Bukhari : 4163
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 4163
حَدَّثَنَا مَحْمُودٌ، حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ، عَنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ، عَنْ طَارِقِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، قَالَ انْطَلَقْتُ حَاجًّا فَمَرَرْتُ بِقَوْمٍ يُصَلُّونَ قُلْتُ مَا هَذَا الْمَسْجِدُ قَالُوا هَذِهِ الشَّجَرَةُ، حَيْثُ بَايَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَيْعَةَ الرُّضْوَانِ. فَأَتَيْتُ سَعِيدَ بْنَ الْمُسَيَّبِ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَقَالَ سَعِيدٌ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي أَنَّهُ كَانَ فِيمَنْ بَايَعَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ، قَالَ فَلَمَّا خَرَجْنَا مِنَ الْعَامِ الْمُقْبِلِ نَسِينَاهَا، فَلَمْ نَقْدِرْ عَلَيْهَا. فَقَالَ سَعِيدٌ إِنَّ أَصْحَابَ مُحَمَّدٍ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَمْ يَعْلَمُوهَا وَعَلِمْتُمُوهَا أَنْتُمْ، فَأَنْتُمْ أَعْلَمُ.
Tariq bin `Abdur-Rahman Narrated from:
When I set out for Hajj, I passed by some people offering a prayer, I asked, "What is this mosque?" They said, "This is the Tree where Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) took the Ar-Ridwan Pledge of allegiance. Then I went to Sa`id bin Musaiyab and informed him about it. Sa`id said, "My father said that he was amongst those who had given the Pledge of allegiance to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) beneath the Tree. He (i.e. my father) said, "When we set out the following year, we forgot the Tree and were unable to recognize it. "Then Sa`id said (perhaps ironically) "The companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) could not recognize it; nevertheless, you do recognize it; therefore you have a better knowledge."
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4163In-book reference : Book 64, Hadith 205USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 5, Book 59, Hadith 481
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 4163
This hadith about Bayat al-Ridwan gives a clear warning through Sa'id bin Al-Musaiyab's response. Tariq saw people praying at a place they called the Tree where the Prophet took the Ridwan Pledge. He later told Sa'id. Sa'id then reported from his father, who had actually been among those who gave the pledge under the Tree. His father said that the following year they forgot the Tree and could not recognize it. Sa'id then replied with clear irony: if the Companions of the Prophet could not recognize it, how could later people claim they knew it better? The point is simple: respect the event, but be careful about unproven claims.
What we learn from this hadith
- Claims about religious places should be checked carefully.
- The Companions who witnessed the pledge could not later identify the tree.
- The pledge matters more than later attachment to an uncertain location.
- A person should avoid acting with false confidence in religious matters.
