Hadeeth: "Allaah created Adam in his image"

I have seen people take out this hadeeth of “Allaah has created Adam in his image”, and say this is one of Aboo Hurayrah’s fabrications. I wanted to know if this hadeeth exists in our books. And what do you know? This is a very well known hadeeth, and some of the companions of the Imaam asked the Imaam regarding this specific hadeeth, and the Imaam (عليه السلام) did not deny this hadeeth coming from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) nor did they call it a fabrication.

This hadeeth has been narrated through various isnaads.

حدثنا أحمد بن الحسن القطان قال حدثنا أبو سعيد الحسن بن علي بن الحسين السكري قال حدثنا الحكم بن أسلم قال حدثنا ابن علية عن الجريري عن أبي الورد بن ثمامة عن علي ع قال سمع النبي ص رجلا يقول لرجل قبح الله وجهك و وجه من يشبهك فقال ص مه لا تقل هذا فإن الله خلق آدم على صورته

He said: “The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) heard a man say to (another) man: ‘May Allaah deform your face, and of everyone who resembles you’. So he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said: ‘Do not say this, for verily Allaah has created Adam in his image’.”

Source:

1.       Al-Sadooq, Al-TawHeed, ch. 12, pg. 152, hadeeth # 10

Now here is a two aHaadeeth of people relating the hadeeth to our Imaams, and look at their response. They will also give a brief ta’wil (commentary) on what the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) meant when he said this.

Here is the commentary / meaning of this hadeeth from our Imaams:

حدثنا أحمد بن زياد بن جعفر الهمداني رضي الله عنه قال حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم بن هاشم عن أبيه عن علي بن معبد عن الحسين بن خالد قال قلت للرضا ع يا ابن رسول الله ص إن الناس يروون أن رسول الله ص قال إن الله عز و جل خلق آدم على صورته فقال قاتلهم الله لقد حذفوا أول الحديث إن رسول الله ص مر برجلين يتسابان فسمع أحدهما يقول لصاحبه قبح الله وجهك و وجه من يشبهك فقال ص له يا عبد الله لا تقل هذا لأخيك فإن الله عز و جل خلق آدم على صورته

I said to Al-RiDaa (عليه السلام): ‘O son of the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). The people narrate that the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said: “That Allaah (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) created Adam in His image.” So he (عليه السلام) said: ‘May God kill them! They have deleted the beginning (part) of the hadeeth. The Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) passed by two men who were abusing each other.  He (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) heard one of his companions say, ‘May Allaah deform your face and of everyone who resembles you!’  So he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said to him: ‘O `Abd Allaah! Do not say this to your brother since indeed Allaah (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) created Adam in his image.’”

Source:

1.     Al-Sadooq, `Uyoon Al-Akhbaar Al-RiDaa, vol. 1, ch. 11, pg. 119, hadeeth # 12

2.     Al-Sadooq, Al-TawHeed, ch. 12, pg. 152, hadeeth # 12

عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ بَحْرٍ عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ الْخَزَّازِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع عَمَّا يَرْوُونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ آدَمَ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ فَقَالَ هِيَ صُورَةٌ مُحْدَثَةٌ مَخْلُوقَةٌ وَ اصْطَفَاهَا اللَّهُ وَ اخْتَارَهَا عَلَى سَائِرِ الصُّوَرِ الْمُخْتَلِفَةِ فَأَضَافَهَا إِلَى نَفْسِهِ كَمَا أَضَافَ الْكَعْبَةَ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ وَ الرُّوحَ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ بَيْتِيَ وَ نَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِي‏

 “I asked Abaa Ja`far (عليه السلام) about which they narrate that Allaah created Adam in his image. So he (عليه السلام) said: ‘It is created in a new image, and Allaah chose and selected it over the other various images and He joined to it himself like the joining of the ka`bah to itself, and the soul to itself. So it said: ‘My House, and we have blown my spirit in him’”

Source:

1.     Al-Kulayni, Al-Kaafi, vol. 1, Kitaab Al-TawHeed, Ch. Al-RooH, pg. 134, hadeeth # 4

2.     Al-Sadooq, Al-TawHeed, ch. 6, pg. 103, hadeeth # 18

Grading:

1.       Al-Majlisi said this hadeeth is Da`eef (Weak)
à Mir’aat Al-`Uqool, vol. 2, pg. 84

And here is a commentary of this hadeeth from a classical scholar:

Al-MurtaDa says:

أ و ليس ظاهر هذا الخبر يقتضي التشبيه و أن له تعالى عن ذلك صورة الجواب قلنا قد قيل في تأويل هذا الخبر أن الهاء في قوله في صورته إذا صح هذا الخبر راجعة إلى آدم ع دون الله فكان المعنى أنه تعالى خلقه على الصورة التي قبض عليها و أن حاله لم يتغير في الصورة بزيادة و لا نقصان كما تتغير أحوال البشر و ذكر

"It is not necessary that this khabar (hadeeth) apparently implies tashbeeh (likening) and that Allah has an image. We say our answer is: That the ‘haa’ in Sooratuh, if this statement is SaHeeH, is that it goes back to Adam not Allah. And that the meaning is that The Most High (Allaah) created Adam in the image that he was when He seized him (i.e. died). And that he did not change in the image through growth or anything similar like other humans.”

Source:

1.     Al-MurtaDa, Tanzeeh Al-Anbiyaa, pg. 127

So I wouldn’t jump the gun so quickly and say that a Hadeeth is fabricated when neither our Imaams nor our classical scholars have said these statements.

And Allaah knows best.