one from each tribe, who would be responsible for ensuring that his people fulfilled what they had been commanded. Moses selected the leaders, and he set out with the Children of Israel until they drew near to Jericho. He then sent these leaders to gather intelligence for him and ascertain the situation.
They encountered one of the giants, a man called ‘Uj ibn ‘Unuq. He was three thousand, three hundred and thirty-three and one-third cubits tall. He would draw water from the clouds and drink from it, and would take fish from the bed of the sea, roast them in the heat of the sun by raising them toward it, and then eat them. It is related that when the water covered every mountain and everything upon the earth, it did not rise above ‘Uj’s knees. He lived for three thousand years, until Allah destroyed him at the hands of Moses, peace be upon him. This was because he came and uprooted (1) a rock from the mountain as large as Moses’ army, peace be upon him—a farsakh by a farsakh—and carried it in order to drop it upon them. But Allah sent the hoopoe, which bored through the rock with its beak; it fell around his neck and brought him down. Moses, peace be upon him, then approached him while he lay fallen and killed him.
His mother was ‘Unuq (2), one of Adam’s daughters, and the place where she sat occupied a jarib (3) of land. When ‘Uj encountered the leaders, carrying a bundle of firewood upon his head, he seized the twelve of them, placed them in the fold of his garment, and took them to his wife. He said, “Look at these people who claim that they wish to fight us.” He cast them before her and said, “Shall I not crush them beneath my foot?” His wife replied, “No. Rather, let them go, so that they may inform their people of what they have seen.” So he did so (4).
It is also related that he placed them in his sleeve and brought them before the king, casting them (5) before him. The king said, “Return and tell them what you have seen.” A single cluster of their grapes could be carried only by five men using a wooden pole, and five men could fit inside half a pomegranate after its seeds had been removed. The leaders returned and began to investigate their circumstances. Some of them said to others, “O people, if you tell the Children of Israel about these people, they will turn back from the Prophet of Allah. Keep it concealed, however, and inform Moses and Aaron, so that they may decide what to do.” They bound one another by a covenant to this effect. Then they broke the covenant, and each one
(1) In manuscript A: “wa qawwara.”
(2) Added from manuscript B.
(3) Added from manuscript B.
(4) The story of 'Uj ibn 'Unuq is related by al-Tabari in his Tafsir, 6:174-175 (al-Halabi edition), and by al-Suyuti in al-Durr al-Manthur, 3:48-49, as well as by other exegetes. It is among the Israiliyyat (Israelite reports) and fables inserted and propagated by the enemies of Islam. Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, cited it from al-Tabari and remarked: “This chain of transmission is questionable.” He then cited a report from Ibn Abi Hatim and said: “This is something too shameful to mention. Moreover, it contradicts what is established in the two Sahih collections: the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘Allah created Adam sixty cubits tall, and mankind has continued to diminish in stature until now.’” They also claimed that this man was a disbeliever, born of fornication; that he refused to board Noah’s Ark; and that the Flood did not reach his knees. This is a lie and fabrication. Allah has stated that Noah prayed against the disbelievers on earth, saying: “My Lord, do not leave upon the earth any inhabitant among the disbelievers.” He also said: “So We saved him and those with him in the laden ship; then We drowned those who remained.” And He said: “There is no protector today from Allah’s command except for one upon whom He has mercy.” If Noah’s disbelieving son drowned, how could 'Uj ibn 'Unuq, who was a disbeliever and born of fornication, remain? This is unacceptable to either reason or the Shariah (Islamic law). Moreover, the very existence of a man called 'Uj ibn 'Unuq is doubtful. Allah knows best.” Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, 2:39, Dar al-Fikr edition, 1400 AH.
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, cited this report as an example of a narration whose falsehood is established by sound evidence. He then said: “What is astonishing is not this liar’s audacity toward Allah, but that someone includes this hadith in books of knowledge, such as tafsir, without clarifying its status. According to their own account, he was not among Noah’s descendants, whereas Allah said: ‘And We made his descendants those who remained.’ Thus, He informed us that everyone who remained on earth was from Noah’s descendants. Had this 'Uj existed, he could not have remained after Noah. Furthermore, the distance between heaven and earth is five hundred years’ travel, and its thickness is likewise. Since the sun is in the fourth heaven, this immense distance lies between us and it. How could someone three thousand cubits tall reach it and roast a fish in its very orb? There is no doubt that this and similar tales were fabricated by heretics among the People of the Book, who intended to mock and ridicule the messengers and their followers.” Ibn al-Qayyim, Naqd al-Manqul, or al-Manar al-Munif, pp. 44-45. See also al-Alusi, Ruh al-Ma'ani, 6:86-87; Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, al-Fatawa al-Hadithiyya, p. 188; Muhammad Abu Shahbah, al-Israiliyyat wa al-Mawdu'at fi Kutub al-Tafsir, pp. 259-262; and Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, 1:278.
(5) Omitted from manuscript B.