Continuation of the explanation of the statement of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "."
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The Shaykh : We have previously spoken about the first hadith of Abu Hurayrah regarding the story of those who spoke in the cradle, among them being 'Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him), and Jirjis. Jirjis was a worshipper who had built a hermitage for himself to worship Allah in it. The Children of Israel spoke ill of him, and a woman among them said, “I will suffice you; I will test him.” This was because his mother had passed by him three times while he was praying, and he continued in his prayer, so she cursed him as mentioned.
In his story, there are benefits other than what has been mentioned: that if a person recognizes Allah the Exalted in times of ease, He will recognize him in times of hardship. This man was a worshipper who worshipped Allah the Mighty and Majestic, so when he fell into great hardship, Allah saved him from it.
When these people who plotted this great plot against him came to him, this woman went to Jirjis to test him, but he did not turn to her. There was a shepherd who grazed his sheep and then took shelter in this man’s hermitage. So she went to the shepherd, and he committed adultery with her, may Allah protect us from that, and she became pregnant from him.
Then they said: “This child is a child of adultery from Jirjis.” They accused him of this great sin, so they turned to him beating him, took him out of his hermitage, and demolished it. He asked them to bring the boy who was from the shepherd. When they brought him, he poked his belly and said, “Who is your father?” while he was in the cradle. He said, “My father is so-and-so,” meaning that shepherd.
So they turned to Jirjis, kissing him and rubbing themselves against him, and they said to him, “Do you want us to build your hermitage for you out of gold?” because they had demolished it unjustly. He said, “No, return it to what it was, out of clay.” So they built it for him.
In this story, this boy spoke while he was in the cradle and said that his father was so-and-so the shepherd.
Some scholars used this hadith as evidence that the child of adultery is attributed to the adulterer, because Jirjis said, “Who is your father?” and he said, “My father is so-and-so the shepherd.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) narrated this story to us for the lesson. So if the adulterer is not contested regarding the child and claims the child, it is attributed to him. A small group of scholars held this view.
The majority of scholars hold that the child of adultery is not attributed to the adulterer, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Ibn Majah 2006Sahih (Darussalam). But those who said that it is attributed to him said that this is if he has no one to contest him, such as the owner of the bed. The child belongs to the owner of the bed. But if he has no one to contest him and claims the child, it is attributed to him, because it is his child by nature. There is no doubt that this child was created from the semen of the adulterer, so it is his child by nature, and he had no legal father to contest him. Accordingly, it is attributed to him.
They said: This is more preferable than the loss of this child’s lineage, more preferable than the loss of his lineage, because if he has no father, his lineage is lost, and he becomes attributed to his mother.
In this hadith, there is evidence of the patience of this man, Jirjis, in that he did not take revenge for himself, and he did not burden them with an excess by asking them to build his hermitage out of gold. Rather, he was content with what he was content with initially, which was contentment and that it be built out of clay.
In his story, there are benefits other than what has been mentioned: that if a person recognizes Allah the Exalted in times of ease, He will recognize him in times of hardship. This man was a worshipper who worshipped Allah the Mighty and Majestic, so when he fell into great hardship, Allah saved him from it.
When these people who plotted this great plot against him came to him, this woman went to Jirjis to test him, but he did not turn to her. There was a shepherd who grazed his sheep and then took shelter in this man’s hermitage. So she went to the shepherd, and he committed adultery with her, may Allah protect us from that, and she became pregnant from him.
Then they said: “This child is a child of adultery from Jirjis.” They accused him of this great sin, so they turned to him beating him, took him out of his hermitage, and demolished it. He asked them to bring the boy who was from the shepherd. When they brought him, he poked his belly and said, “Who is your father?” while he was in the cradle. He said, “My father is so-and-so,” meaning that shepherd.
So they turned to Jirjis, kissing him and rubbing themselves against him, and they said to him, “Do you want us to build your hermitage for you out of gold?” because they had demolished it unjustly. He said, “No, return it to what it was, out of clay.” So they built it for him.
In this story, this boy spoke while he was in the cradle and said that his father was so-and-so the shepherd.
Some scholars used this hadith as evidence that the child of adultery is attributed to the adulterer, because Jirjis said, “Who is your father?” and he said, “My father is so-and-so the shepherd.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) narrated this story to us for the lesson. So if the adulterer is not contested regarding the child and claims the child, it is attributed to him. A small group of scholars held this view.
The majority of scholars hold that the child of adultery is not attributed to the adulterer, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The child is for the bed (i.e., belongs to the husband) and the fornicator gets nothing!
الولد للفراش وللعاهر الحجرThey said: This is more preferable than the loss of this child’s lineage, more preferable than the loss of his lineage, because if he has no father, his lineage is lost, and he becomes attributed to his mother.
In this hadith, there is evidence of the patience of this man, Jirjis, in that he did not take revenge for himself, and he did not burden them with an excess by asking them to build his hermitage out of gold. Rather, he was content with what he was content with initially, which was contentment and that it be built out of clay.