Question:

In an athar, Ibn Abbas (ra) said commenting on the verse 65:12 "Seven earths: in each there is a Prophet like your Prophet, an Adam like Adam, a Noah like Noah, an Abraham like Abraham and a Jesus like Jesus" (Imam Hakim, Mustadrak, Bab Tafsir Surat Talaq, sahih, and Imam Bayhaqi, Asma wa Sifat wa Sha'b al-Iman, Sahih but Shadh, ibn Jarir).

[can be found in various tafsirs including ibn Kathir's and al-Durr al-Manthur of al-Suyuti]

Can we accept the literal meaning of this athar? Will accepting it literally conflict with any desicive or known text?

Answer:

There have been basically two views regarding this narration of Ibn Abbas r.a. It has either been rejected completely or understood in a particular manner.

Scholars who have rejected the narration include, Imams Abu Hayyan, (who considered it Mawdu), Ibn Kathir (who considered it of jewish origin, see "Al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah") and Ibn Hajr (who considered it radically conflicting with other texts, "Shadh," see "Fath al-Bari").

However, Imam Aloosi in his Tafsir states the narration is not problematic if it is looked at in the context of all the texts. When this is done, the meaning is that there are six other earths and the inhabitants of these earths have an origin just as the children of Adam all go back to Adam, similarly just as on our earth we have a number of special personalities and guides such as Nuh a.s. and Ibrahim a.s.and others who are distinguished above others, so too do those other earths. In other words it does not mean necessarily they are complete prophets like our prophets. See Ahsan al-Fatawa, vol.1 pg.508.
Both these views are sound.

Mufti Mohammed Sajjad

Wallahu Aalam bis-sawab

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The answer to this question is the opinion of the scholar and does not reflect the opinion of other scholars of As-Suffa Institute and As-Suffa Institute as an organisation.