Imam Aḥmad (1) reported: “Isḥāq ibn Yūsuf related to us; ‘Awf (2) related to us, from Abū al-Ṣiddīq al-Nājī:

Al-Ḥajjāj entered upon Asmāʾ bint Abī Bakr after he had killed her son ʿAbd Allāh and said, ‘Your son profaned this Sacred House, and Allah has made him taste a painful punishment and dealt with him as you have seen.’

She replied, ‘You have lied! He was dutiful to his parents, constant in fasting and night prayer. By Allah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us that two great liars would emerge from Thaqīf—the latter of the two worse than the former—and that he would be a mubīr (ruthless destroyer).’

Abū Yaʿlā (3) likewise transmitted it—through Wahb ibn Baqiyyah, from Khālid, from ʿAwf, from Abū al-Ṣiddīq—saying: ‘It has reached me that al-Ḥajjāj entered upon Asmāʾ and said the same.’

Abū Yaʿlā also said: ‘Zuhayr related to us; Jarīr related to us, from Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād, from Qays ibn al-Aḥnaf, from Asmāʾ bint Abī Bakr. She said:

“I heard the Messenger of Allah forbid mutilation, and I heard him say, ‘From Thaqīf will arise two men: a liar and a destroyer.’”

I then said to al-Ḥajjāj, “As for the liar, we have already seen him; and as for the destroyer, you are he, O Ḥajjāj.”’

ʿAbd ibn Ḥumayd said: ‘Yazīd ibn Hārūn narrated to us; al-ʿAwām ibn Ḥawshab narrated to us; someone who heard Asmāʾ bint Abī Bakr al-Ṣiddīq told me that she said to al-Ḥajjāj, when he came to console her over her son:

“I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘From Thaqīf will emerge two men: a destroyer and a liar.’ The liar was Ibn Abī ʿUbayd—meaning al-Mukhtār—while the destroyer is you.”’ (4)

This report also appears in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (5) via another chain which we cited earlier when discussing the death of her son ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him.

Others besides Asmāʾ transmitted the same wording from the Prophet ﷺ. Abū Yaʿlā (6) said: ‘Aḥmad ibn ʿUmar al-Wakīʿī related to us; Wakīʿ related to us; Umm Ghurāb related to us, from a woman called ʿAqīlah, from Salāmah bint al-Ḥurr, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Among Thaqīf there will be a liar and a destroyer.”’ This wording is unique to Abū Yaʿlā.

Imam Aḥmad (7) also recorded—from Wakīʿ, from Umm Ghurāb (whose name was Ṭalḥah), through ʿAqīlah, from Salāmah—another ḥadīth on leadership in prayer, which was likewise collected by Abū Dāwūd and Ibn Mājah (8).

A similar report came from Ibn ʿUmar. Abū Yaʿlā (9) said: ‘Umayyah ibn Biṣṭām related to us; Yazīd ibn Zurayʿ related to us; Isrāʾīl related to us; ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿiṣmah related to us; he said: I heard Ibn ʿUmar say, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us that in Thaqīf there will be a destroyer and a liar.”’