on its tail and said, “Will you not fear Allah? You have taken from me a provision that Allah sent my way!”

The shepherd exclaimed, “How astounding! A wolf, crouched on its tail, speaking to me in human language?”

The wolf replied, “Shall I tell you of something even more astonishing? Muhammad—Allah bless and grant him peace—is in Yathrib, informing people about what has already transpired.”

He continued: The shepherd then herded his sheep until he entered Madinah. He penned them into one of its corners, went to the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and told him what had happened.

The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—ordered that a call be made: “Prayer in congregation!” He then came out and said to the Bedouin, “Relate it to them,” so the man did.

The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said, “He has spoken the truth. By Him in Whose hand is my soul, the Hour will not be established until wild beasts speak to human beings, a man’s whip-tip and the strap of his sandal speak to him, and his own thigh tells him what his family did after he left.”

Tirmidhī narrated the last portion and declared it sound. Al-Bayhaqī said: “Its chain of transmission….”