- The ḥadīth of Suhayb
Ibn Lahīʿah transmits it with his chain from Suhayb, who said: “On the night the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was taken on the Night Journey, water, then wine, then milk were presented to him. He chose the milk, whereupon Gabriel said, ‘You have chosen the fiṭrah (the innate disposition); every creature is sustained by it. Had you taken the wine, you would have gone astray and your community would have gone astray, and you would have been among the people of this …,’ and he pointed with his hand to the valley they were in. In another wording: ‘…the valley that is called the Valley of Hell.’ ‘So I looked at it, and it was a fire ablaze.’
Ibn Mardawayh recorded the report—this wording being his—as did al-Ṭabarānī in al-Kabīr, the alternate version belonging to him. Al-Suyūṭī attributed it to both of them in al-Khaṣāʾiṣ ⦗1/396-397⦘ and, as is his habit, remained silent about its status.
Al-Haythamī judged the narration defective ⦗1/78⦘ on account of Ibn Lahīʿah, pointing to his weakness, for he is well known for poor retention.