Second: it appears in the exposition of the verse, and any report transmitted in that capacity carries the force of a marfūʿ narration, as established in its proper discipline—­all the more so when it comes from the leading exegete, ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both), for whom the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed: “O Allah, give him understanding of the religion and teach him the interpretation.”

Some have explained these “words” as the plea found in the other verse: “They said, ‘Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves; and if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will surely be among the losers’” (Q 7:23). Sayyid Rashīd Riḍā affirmed this categorically in his Tafsīr (1/279). Ibn Kathīr (1/81), however, indicated that the view is weak. In my judgment there is no conflict between the two explanations; rather, each completes the other. The report of Ibn ʿAbbās does not specify what Adam عليه السلام said after he received those words from his Lord, and the second verse clarifies that omission. Thus there is no contradiction—praise be to Allah. The ḥadīth’s opposition to the Qur’an therefore stands proven, rendering it invalid.

The second point of contention is its final statement: “Were it not for Muhammad, I would not have created you.” This is a grave doctrinal claim that, by unanimous agreement, can be established only by a mass-transmitted text—or, according to some, by at least an authentic narration. Had it been sound, it would have appeared in the Qur’an or in rigorously authentic Sunnah. To presume its truth while the decisive text that would serve as proof has supposedly been lost clashes with the divine declaration: “Surely We have sent down the Reminder, and surely We will guard it” (Q 15:9).

Here, “the Reminder” encompasses the entire revealed law, Qur’an and Sunnah alike, as Ibn Ḥazm established in al-Iḥkām. Moreover, Allah Most High has already informed us of the purpose for which He created Adam and his offspring: “I did not create jinn and mankind except to worship Me” (Q 51:56). Anything that contradicts or adds to this purpose is unacceptable unless supported by a sound text from the infallible Prophet ﷺ—just as this fabricated ḥadīth clearly contradicts it.