Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 2819
sahih

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Once Solomon, son of David said, '(By Allah) Tonight I will have sexual intercourse with one hundred (or ninety-nine) women each of whom will give birth to a knight who will fight in Allah's Cause.' On that a (i.e. if Allah wills) but he did not say, 'Allah willing.' Therefore only one of those women conceived and gave birth to a half-man. By Him in Whose Hands Muhammad's life is, if he had said, "Allah willing', (he would have begotten sons) all of whom would have been knights striving in Allah's Cause."

وَقَالَ اللَّيْثُ حَدَّثَنِي جَعْفَرُ بْنُ رَبِيعَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ هُرْمُزَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏

‏ قَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ ـ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلاَمُ ـ لأَطُوفَنَّ اللَّيْلَةَ عَلَى مِائَةِ امْرَأَةٍ ـ أَوْ تِسْعٍ وَتِسْعِينَ ـ كُلُّهُنَّ يَأْتِي بِفَارِسٍ يُجَاهِدُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ صَاحِبُهُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ‏.‏ فَلَمْ يَقُلْ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ‏.‏ فَلَمْ يَحْمِلْ مِنْهُنَّ إِلاَّ امْرَأَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ، جَاءَتْ بِشِقِّ رَجُلٍ، وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ، لَوْ قَالَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ، لَجَاهَدُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فُرْسَانًا أَجْمَعُونَ ‏

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References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 56, Hadith 35
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 4, Book 52, Hadith 74 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
There is nothing that occurs except that Allah wished and willed it to occur. Considering this, one is encouraged to detachhimself from personal whims and desires andmake his desires and wants subject to Allah’s will in order to obtain them. In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ explains that Prophet Sulaymaan, son of Prophet Dawood (peace be upon them) swore that he would have sexual intercourse with one hundred - or ninety-nine – women, each of whom would give birth to a knight who would fight in Allah's Cause. The doubt about the number of women is from the narrator of this hadeeth. His companion, the angel who used to convey Allah’s revelation to him -and it is said he was someone else - said to him to say, “if Allah wills.” However, he did not say it, out of forgetfulness. The fact that he forgot to utter the words does not entail or mean that his heart was not relying upon Allah when he made that statement. He wasaProphet of Allah (peace be upon him), who was infallible like the other Prophets of Allah (peace be upon them). Simply, he forgot to utter the words “if Allah wills” with his tongue, but his heart was mindful of Allah and relying upon Him. The Prophet ﷺ continued that only one woman of them conceived,and gave birth to a half-man, because he did not utter the words. The Prophet ﷺ swore by Allah that if he had said, "if Allah wills”, he would have begotten 100 sons, all of whom would have been knights striving in Allah's Cause, as he said. The Prophet ﷺ swore using the words: “By Him in Whose Hands Muhammad's life is,” which he ﷺ often used whenever he wanted to swear and emphasise a point. From the benefits that can be concluded from this hadeeth is learning that one should strive to have sons with the intention of sending them to fight in the way of Allah. This hadeeth confirms the divine attribute of Hand, which is understood as it befits Allah, Exalted is He..
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