93/40. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 7196 — Truthful Questioning Through an Interpreter
The translators of a ruler
Hadith About Truthful Inquiry and Translation
Sahih Bukhari : 7196
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 7196
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ، أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، أَخْبَرَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ أَبَا سُفْيَانَ بْنَ حَرْبٍ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ هِرَقْلَ أَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِ فِي رَكْبٍ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ، ثُمَّ قَالَ لِتَرْجُمَانِهِ قُلْ لَهُمْ إِنِّي سَائِلٌ هَذَا، فَإِنْ كَذَبَنِي فَكَذِّبُوهُ. فَذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ فَقَالَ لِلتَّرْجُمَانِ قُلْ لَهُ إِنْ كَانَ مَا تَقُولُ حَقًّا فَسَيَمْلِكُ مَوْضِعَ قَدَمَىَّ هَاتَيْنِ.
`Abdullah bin `Abbas Narrated from:
Abu Sufyan bin Harb told him that Heraclius had called him along with the members of a Quraish caravan and then said to his interpreter, "Tell them that I want to ask this (Abu Sufyan) a question, and if he tries to tell me a lie, they should contradict him." Then Abu Sufyan mentioned the whole narration and said that Heraclius said to the interpreter, "Say to him (Abu Sufyan), 'If what you say is true, then he (the Prophet) will take over the place underneath my two feet.' "
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 7196In-book reference : Book 93, Hadith 57USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 9, Book 89, Hadith 304
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 7196
This hadith about truthful inquiry shows Heraclius questioning Abu Sufyan through an interpreter. He did not ask in a careless way. He told his interpreter to say that he would ask Abu Sufyan questions, and if Abu Sufyan lied, the others should contradict him. This made the setting serious and pushed the speaker toward honesty. The narration then mentions Heraclius saying through the interpreter that if Abu Sufyan's statement was true, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would take over the place under his feet. The hadith is useful for the topic of interpreters because it shows translation being used in a formal inquiry where truth, witnesses, and careful wording mattered.
What we learn from this hadith
- An interpreter can be used in serious questioning.
- Witnesses can help check the truth of a statement.
- Formal speech should be clear when dealing with major claims.
- Truthfulness matters when giving information about the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.
