and it was buried, without his bringing it out before the people. Thus, the removal that took place was not the one ‘Ā’isha was asking about. What supports this is that he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to the well specifically to remove it, not merely to look at it and then leave, for that would have served no purpose. Allah knows best.

This hadith is firmly established among hadith scholars and accepted by them. They do not dispute its authenticity. Yet it has proved difficult for many speculative theologians and others, who have vehemently rejected it and declared it false. One of them even devoted a separate treatise to it, attacking Hishām. The most charitable thing he said of him was: “He made a mistake and became confused; none of this happened.” He argued that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, could not have been bewitched, since that would confirm the unbelievers’ statement:

“You follow none but a man bewitched.” (17:47; 25:8)

They said: This is like Pharaoh’s statement to Moses:

“Indeed, I think, O Moses, that you are bewitched.” (17:101)

And what the people of Sālih said to him:

“You are only one of those bewitched.” (26:153)

And what the people of Shu‘ayb said to him:

“You are only one of those bewitched.” (26:85)

They said: Prophets cannot be bewitched, for that would contradict Allah’s safeguarding of them and their protection from devils.

This assertion of theirs is rejected by the scholars. Hishām was among the most trustworthy and knowledgeable of men, and none of the leading authorities impugned him in any way that would warrant rejecting his hadith. What business, then, have speculative theologians in this field? Others besides Hishām also narrated it from ‘Ā’isha. The compilers of the two Sahīhs agreed on this hadith’s authenticity, and not a single hadith scholar spoke a word against it. The account is well known among scholars of Quranic exegesis, sunnah, hadith and history, as well as jurists. These scholars know more about the circumstances and events of the Messenger of Allah’s life than speculative theologians do.

Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shayba said: Abū Mu‘āwiya narrated to us from al-A‘mash, from Yazīd ibn