The hadith of the three babies

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said that none spoke in the cradle except three. The fuller narrations are Sahih al-Bukhari 3436 and Sahih Muslim 2550. They mention Isa (Jesus), then the baby in the story of Jurayj, then a nursing baby in a third account. Sahih al-Bukhari 1206 and 2482 give the story of Jurayj on its own.

Other authentic reports mention a baby who spoke elsewhere, as in the story of the boy and the king. So some scholars understood the number in this hadith as referring to the cases the Prophet ﷺ was speaking about here. Allah knows best.

Jurayj and his mother

Jurayj was a man among Banu Israel who worshipped Allah in a hermitage. The narrations do not say that he was a prophet. One day his mother came and called him while he was praying. He said, in the meaning of his words, “O Allah, my mother and my prayer,” and he carried on with his prayer. In Sahih al-Bukhari 2482 his thought is given as: shall I answer her or pray?

In Sahih Muslim she came more than once and found him praying each time. Then she made a dua: O Allah, do not let him die until he sees the faces of women of ill repute.

The false accusation

The people of Banu Israel spoke about Jurayj's worship. A woman known for her beauty and bad conduct said she would tempt him. She spoke to him, but he turned away. She then went to a shepherd who used to shelter by his hermitage, and she bore a child. When he was born she said he was from Jurayj.

The people came, broke down his hermitage, brought him down and abused him. He made wudu and prayed. Then he went to the baby and asked: “Who is your father, boy?” The baby said it was the shepherd.

The people said they would rebuild his hermitage in gold. He refused and asked for it to be rebuilt from clay, as it was.

The other two babies

The first is Isa (Jesus). Quran 19:29-33 says that when his mother pointed to him, her people asked how they could speak to a child in the cradle. He said, in the meaning of the verses, that he is the servant of Allah, that Allah gave him the Scripture and made him a prophet, made him blessed wherever he is, enjoined on him prayer and zakah as long as he lives, made him dutiful to his mother, and did not make him a wretched tyrant. Quran 3:46 also says that he would speak to people in the cradle.

The third baby was nursing when a rider of fine appearance passed by. His mother said: O Allah, make my son like him. The baby left the breast, looked at the rider and said: O Allah, do not make me like him. Then he went back to nursing. Abu Hurayrah said that he could almost see the Prophet ﷺ showing how the baby sucked, with his finger in his mouth.

Then they passed a girl who was being beaten and accused of zina and theft, and she was saying: “Allah is enough for me, and He is the best disposer of affairs” (Sahih Muslim 2550). His mother said: O Allah, do not make my son like her. The baby left the breast and said: O Allah, make me like her. He explained that the rider was a tyrant, while the girl was accused of what she had not done.

What scholars said

Scholars who explained this hadith, such as al-Nawawi and Ibn Hajar, discussed why Jurayj was tried through his mother's dua. Many of them said that answering his mother was better than carrying on with a voluntary prayer, because he could have returned to it afterwards. They differ in the details, for example about an obligatory prayer.

The hadith tells us what happened among Banu Israel. It does not give a detailed ruling for every case, and it does not tell us the name of the place, the time, or any other detail about Jurayj.

Lessons from this story

  • A mother's right is great. Many scholars took from this hadith that a voluntary act of worship should not lead a person to neglect a parent.
  • Allah protects the sincere. Jurayj was falsely accused, yet Allah made a newborn baby speak to clear him.
  • Trials can come even to devout worshippers. When he was accused, Jurayj turned to wudu and prayer before he spoke.
  • Do not judge by appearances. The rider looked impressive but was a tyrant, and the girl who was beaten was innocent.
  • Say “Allah is enough for me, and He is the best disposer of affairs” when you are wronged, as the girl did.

General information for learning, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.

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