Ibn Taymiyyah on the Fabricated Hadith: Were it not for you, I would not have created the world

By Abu Amina Elias for FaithinAllah.org

Ibn Taymiyyah was asked about the hadith which some people quote, “Were it not for you, Allah would not have created the Throne or the Chair or the earth or the heavens or the sun or the moon or anything else.” Is it authentic or not?

He answered:

Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is the leader of the sons of Adam and the most virtuous and most noble of creation, so some people said, “Indeed, Allah created the world for him,” or that if it were not for him, Allah would not have created the Throne or the Chair or the earth or the heavens or the sun or the moon. But this tradition that is attributed to the Prophet is neither authentic nor weak. It was not narrated by any scholar as a tradition from the Prophet, and neither was it known from the companions. Rather, it is the words of someone who is unknown.

Source: Majmu’ al-Fatawa 11/86-96

هَلْ الْحَدِيثُ الَّذِي يَذْكُرُهُ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ لَوْلَاك مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ عَرْشًا وَلَا كُرْسِيًّا وَلَا أَرْضًا وَلَا سَمَاءً وَلَا شَمْسًا وَلَا قَمَرًا وَلَا غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ صَحِيحٌ هُوَ أَمْ لَا

فأجاب

وَمُحَمَّدٌ سَيِّدُ وَلَدِ آدَمَ وَأَفْضَلُ الْخَلْقِ وَأَكْرَمُهُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَمِنْ هُنَا قَالَ مَنْ قَالَ إنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ مِنْ أَجْلِهِ الْعَالَمَ أَوْ إنَّهُ لَوْلَا هُوَ لَمَا خَلَقَ عَرْشًا وَلَا كُرْسِيًّا وَلَا سَمَاءً وَلَا أَرْضًا وَلَا شَمْسًا وَلَا قَمَرًا لَكِنْ لَيْسَ هَذَا حَدِيثًا عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا صَحِيحًا وَلَا ضَعِيفًا وَلَمْ يَنْقُلْهُ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ بِالْحَدِيثِ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَلْ وَلَا يُعْرَفُ عَنْ الصَّحَابَةِ بَلْ هُوَ كَلَامٌ لَا يُدْرَى قَائِلُهُ

11/86-96 مجموع فتاوى ابن تيمية الآداب والتصوف كتاب التصوف »مسألة معنى قول من يقول حب الدنيا رأس كل خطيئة