—in a marfūʿ report—

“My Lord displayed before me the plain of Mecca so that He might turn it into gold for me. I replied, ‘No, my Lord; rather let me be satiated one day and hungry the next. When I am hungry I will humble myself before You and remember You, and when I am satiated I will praise and thank You.’” (1)

Abū Nuʿaym said: If someone were to object, “But Solomon (peace be upon him) understood the speech of the birds and even of the ant, as Allah, Most High, says: ‘O people, we have been taught the language of birds’ (al-Naml 27:16); and He also says: ‘Until, when they came to the Valley of the Ants, an ant said, ‘O ants, enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his hosts crush you while they are unaware.’ So he smiled, laughing at her words…’ (al-Naml 27:18-19).”

The reply is that Muhammad ﷺ was granted the like of this and far more besides. We have already recorded—at length—the speech of beasts and wild animals, the moaning of the date-palm trunk, the groaning of the camel, the words of trees, the glorification uttered by pebbles and stones, their being summoned by him and their response to his command, the wolf’s acknowledgment of his prophethood, the birds’ submission to his authority, the speech of the gazelle and its complaint to him, the words of the lizard and its confession of his prophethood, and other events of the same kind—so that there is no need to repeat them here. Thus ends Abū Nuʿaym’s statement.

I add: Likewise, the foreleg of the sheep informed him that it had been laced with poison, and the person who had placed the poison in it—a Jew—admitted as much.

He ﷺ also said concerning ʿAmr ibn Sālim, the man of the Khuzāʿah tribe (2), when the latter recited his poem seeking redress against Banū Bakr for violating the Treaty of al-Ḥudaybiyah: “This cloud is breaking open for your victory, O ʿAmr ibn Sālim.” That very incident became the cause for the Conquest of Mecca, as has already been mentioned.

He ﷺ further said: “I know a stone in Mecca that used to greet me with salām before I was commissioned; even now I recognize it.” (3) If this were merely a mode of communication appropriate to its condition, and the Messenger understood it, the case would already surpass the speech of birds and ants, for a stone is inanimate whereas they are living creatures. But if, as is more apparent, it was an articulated salutation, then the marvel is greater still. ʿAlī (Allah be pleased with him) said: “I went out with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ through one of the ravines of Mecca. No stone, tree, or clod of earth did we pass except that it said, ‘Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah!’” (4) This was speech heard by both the Messenger ﷺ and ʿAlī.

Abū Nuʿaym then said: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥārith al-ʿAnbarī narrated to us, Aḥmad ibn Yūsuf ibn Sufyān narrated to us, Ibrāhīm ibn Suwayd al-Nakhaʿī narrated to us, ʿAbdullāh ibn Adhīnah al-Ṭāʾī narrated to us, from Thawr ibn Yazīd, from Khālid ibn Maʿdān, from Muʿādh ibn Jabal, who said:

While the Prophet ﷺ was at Khaybar, a black donkey came and stood before him. The Prophet asked, “Who are you?” The donkey replied, “I am ʿAmr ibn Fihrān. We were seven brothers; every one of us was ridden by a prophet. I am the youngest of them, and I was appointed for you, so place me under your command…"