2970 — “A community among the Children of Israel was transformed, and I fear that this may be one of them”—meaning, the dabb lizards.

It was recorded by Ibn Hibban (1070—Mawarid), al-Tahawi in Sharh al-Maʻani (2/314) and Mushkil al-Athar (4/278), al-Bayhaqi (9/325), Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf (8/266), Ahmad (4/196), Abu Yaʿla (2/231/931), and al-Bazzar (2/66/1217), through several chains from al-Aʿmash, from Zayd ibn Wahb, from ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Hasana, who said:

“I was travelling with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, when we came upon dabb lizards. The pots were boiling, so the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said the above.” He said: “So we overturned them, although we were hungry.” This is the wording of Ibn Abi Shaybah.

Ahmad added in one narration: “Overturn them.” So we overturned them. The wording of Abu Yaʿla—and of Ibn Hibban through him—is: “He ordered that they be overturned, although we were hungry.”

Al-Bazzar said: “We know of no narration from Ibn Hasana except this and one other. Husayn differed from al-Aʿmash, saying: ‘From Zayd ibn Wahb, from Hudhayfah.’” Concerning the hadith of Hudhayfah, he said: “This is how Husayn narrated it from Zayd. Al-Aʿmash, al-Hakam ibn ʿUtaybah, and ʿAdi ibn Thabit differed from him; each of them differed from the others.”