The Hadith of the Leper, Bald Man, and Blind Man

Abu Hurayrah (RA) heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:

"Three men from the Children of Israel"—Israel is Jacob (AS), he is called Israel

He is also called Jacob; "Children of Israel" means Jacob's descendants.

So "Children of Israel"—Israel is not a religion; rather, Israel is the name of Jacob (AS).

When scholars say "Children of Israel," it means Jacob's descendants,

just like in the past, Banu Mudar or Banu Rabi'ah; so "the Children of Israel" means descendants,

so it is a lineage. Thus, when it is said "so-and-so is from the Children of Israel", it means from the lineage of Jacob,

from the descendants of Jacob (AS).

For this reason, most of the Prophets were from the Children of Israel,

from the offspring of Jacob: Joseph, Moses, Jesus, Zechariah, John, Solomon, David, Dhul-Kifl—all of these

were from the descendants of Jacob (AS), so they were called the Prophets of the Children of Israel.

Now, he said: "Three men from the Children of Israel,"

meaning from the descendants of Jacob (AS)—not direct children, but rather

generation after generation. Indeed, to this day, the Children of Israel exist.

Now, he said: "a leper, a bald man, and a blind man."

So this is an event that occurred in times past,

which Allah ﷻ alerts us to, and what happened to them, so that we may take heed

how we should respond to the blessings of Allah Almighty.

Three men: one with leprosy, one bald, and one blind.

The bald one: it is said he is one whose hair does not grow,

and it is said the bald one is he who has sores on his head that make people detest him.

The bald one is he who has no hair and has sores on his head.

In any case, Allah wanted to test these three.

In Al-Bukhari's narration: "Bada lillah to test them"—same meaning.

"Bada lillah" means He willed; "Bada li to do so" means "I willed to do so".

This is different from the "Bada'" believed by the Rawafidh when they say "Bada lillah",

meaning He learned something after previously not knowing it,

and this is disbelief in Allah, we seek refuge in Allah.

Rather, here "Bada lillah" means Allah willed to do this matter.

He said Allah willed to test them, meaning to try them.

Testing is a divine law, as Allah ﷻ said: "And We test you with evil and with good as trial."

Testing is Allah's way in this world; Allah ﷻ tests His servants,

so some pass this test, while others fail it.

Let us see now how Allah Almighty tested them.

He said: "So He sent to them an angel"—that is, He sent an angel to those three, each at a different time.

He came to the leper and asked, "What thing is most beloved to you?"

Leprosy is a disease that affects the skin,

such that the color of the skin becomes excessively white,

so much so that it is looked upon with aversion by some.

In fact, some scholars considered it among the defects that justify the annulment of marriage—

meaning, if a woman deceives a man, and upon entering upon her he finds she has leprosy, he may separate from her and reclaim his wealth,

because they deceived him. Likewise the reverse: if the husband turns out to have leprosy,

the woman has the right to demand divorce and receive her mahr (dowry) in full.

Why? Because there was deception.

So leprosy is an illness, a skin condition that has no cure to this day—

no cure; it can be alleviated or halted, but never fully eliminated.

That is why Allah ﷻ made it among the miracles of Isa (AS): "and you heal the blind and the leper by My permission."

So this leprosy is a disease affecting the body, a trial from Allah ﷻ, just like the trial of blindness,

deafness, or muteness—all are trials from Allah ﷻ.

He said: "So he came to the leper and asked: 'What would be most beloved to you?'"

He said: "A fine color." What bothered him was the leprosy.

He said: "I want a fine color like the rest of the people,"

"a fine color and fine skin." That is what he wanted.

He said: "And that what makes people look upon me with aversion be removed from me."

You see some people today, when a leper approaches, they recoil, though they shouldn't,

because what I know—I am no expert, but I asked knowledgeable people—is that it is not contagious.

Now, some people...

...recoil from him. So he says: 'People are disgusted by me because of it,'

meaning when they see me, they look at me negatively, and similar things that bother me.'

He says: 'I want a good complexion, I want a nice color,

and for what makes people disgusted by me to go away.' So he wiped him.

This was an angel, by the command of Allah ﷻ,

and his color could have changed even without wiping him.

However, this falls under taking the necessary means,

just as Allah ﷻ said to Musa (AS)...

“Then We inspired to Moses, "Strike with your staff the sea," and it parted, and each portion was like a great towering mountain.” (Quran 26:63)

Was it the staff's strike that split the sea? No, it was by Allah's ﷻ command.

To Maryam (AS): "And shake toward yourself the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you fresh ripe dates."

Let's see the strongest man among you—can you shake the trunk of a palm tree?

So what about a woman? Can she shake a palm tree trunk? No, she cannot.

Even if it were laden with dates, she couldn't. But she was told to take a physical means.

Here, "he wiped him" was also by way of taking a means.

"So he wiped him, and his filth went away from him, and he was given a fine color and fine skin."

This is the beginning of the trial.

He asked: "Which wealth is most beloved to you?" What kind of property would you prefer?

He replied: "Camels," or "cows." He didn't say both; he specified one.

However, the narrator, Ishaq ibn Abi Talhah (Ishaq ibn 'Abdullah), was uncertain,

saying: "I do not know whether the first said camels and the second cows, or vice versa."

Most likely—Allah knows best—the first chose camels and the second cows.

It wasn't the Prophet ﷺ who was unsure between camels or cows;

The Prophet ﷺ said one—camels—and Allah ﷻ knows best.

Yet out of precision, Ishaq (RH) expressed doubt about his memory.

I'm unsure whether he said the first asked for camels or cows, and the second said camels or cows.

I'm unsure, but placing camels first here and cows there suggests it's most likely...

...that the first one, the leper, asked for camels, and the bald man asked for cows. Alright.

He said: "[He asked for] camels or cows," so he was given a pregnant camel.

'Ushara' means one about to give birth. Hence the verse of Allah ﷻ: "And when full-term pregnant camels are neglected,"

Pregnant camels were among their most prized wealth.

A camel about to give birth means they become two—two camels, or a camel and a foal.

So this was among the most beloved wealth to people.

Allah ﷻ says: "When pregnant camels are neglected,"

On that Day, out of its terror, man abandons his most precious wealth—pregnant camels.

a pregnant camel—he abandons it out of the terror of that Day.

So 'ushara' means this camel is about to give birth, about to deliver.

He said: "So he was given a pregnant camel, and he said: May Allah bless it for you."

We've finished with the leper. Next, the bald man.

Then the angel came to the bald man—after finishing with the leper. Now we come to him.

He said: "What thing is most beloved to you?"

He said: "Beautiful hair." He did not just say "hair".

He said: "Beautiful hair"—meaning soft hair. He says: "Beautiful hair,"

"and that what makes people look down on me be removed"—which is this baldness.

Alright. Whether we say he had no hair, or that he also had sores on his head.

He said: 'And that what people despise me for be removed.' This is what bothers me:

'...what people despise me for.' So he wiped him and it left him—the baldness. Okay.

And he was given beautiful hair. Allah answered his prayer,

or Allah fulfilled what he wished.

Then he asked him: 'Which wealth is most beloved to you?'

He said: 'Cattle.' Or camels—this doubt is from

Ishaq, not from the Prophet ﷺ.

So he was given a pregnant cow—same thing.

And he said: 'May Allah bless it for you.'

Then the angel went to... Of course, the angel here appeared in human form.

Angels do not come to people in their true form, but in human form.

So he came to the blind man—the third one. He said: 'What do you like best?'

He said: 'That Allah restore my sight so I may see people.'

'I want my sight; I want to see people.'

So he wiped him, and Allah restored his sight to him.

So all three of them had their prayers answered

in curing the vitiligo, the baldness, and the blindness.

He asked: 'Which property do you like best?' He said: 'Sheep.'

So he was given a pregnant ewe—meaning about to give birth. They all got the same:

a pregnant camel, a pregnant cow, and a pregnant ewe.

So these two reproduced,

So these animals produced offspring—the cattle bred, the camels bred, and the sheep multiplied.

Each came to have a valley of... because [the angel] had said, "May Allah bless this wealth for you." And Allah indeed blessed him.

So the leper came to have a valley of camels,

the bald man came to have a valley of cattle—for they kept multiplying through Allah's blessing—

and the blind man came to have a valley of sheep.

Up to this point, all three experienced what? [As Allah says:] "And if We let man taste..."

“And if We let him taste mercy from Us after an adversity which has touched him, he will surely say, "This is [due] to me, and I do not think the Hour will occur; and [even] if I should be returned to my Lord, indeed, for me there will be with Him the best." But We will surely inform those who disbelieved about what they did, and We will surely make them taste a massive punishment.” (Quran 41:50)

All of these three have now received a blessing after hardship,

a blessing in the cure of leprosy, baldness, and blindness,

as well as an abundance of wealth—camels, cows, or sheep. All right.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Then he came to the leper in his former appearance after a time,"

after he had enjoyed his blessing for a while.

For by the time these camels, cows, and sheep bred, each had a valley of camels,

or a valley of cows, or a valley of sheep... How many years would that take?

Abu Abdillah, roughly how many years? How many years

does it take to acquire a valley of cows or a valley of sheep?

All right, on your word! As you wish.

So now, one had a valley of cows, another a valley of sheep, and the third a valley of camels.

Then the angel came to them, but not in his original form.

Rather, he came to the leper in the form of a leper—appearing as a leper.

The angel assumed the appearance of a leper.

He came to him in his former poor condition and said: "I am a needy man,"

"all my means of travel have failed me, and I cannot reach my destination today except through Allah, then through you."

Notice he says: "I cannot reach my goal today except through Allah, then you."

...in you.” That means it is a necessity, a dire need.

If one sees someone in dire need, he might even borrow to help him.

He is trying to show us that it is a matter of necessity.

He says, "I have no means today except through Allah, then through you."

And here, by saying, "I have no means today except through Allah, then through you,"

he wanted to appeal to his emotions, to his faith,

so he would remember his own past condition. But SubhanAllah, it did not work on him.

He said, "I ask you by the One who gave you handsome color and beautiful skin"—

because he had come to him in the form of a leper—

He said, “I ask you by the One who gave you handsome color, beautiful skin, and wealth, for a single camel...

Look, when he says 'a camel', he did not say 'your best camel', nor 'I want ten.' Just any camel.

'...give me a camel that I may reach my destination on my journey.'”

What did he say to him? He said, “I have many obligations; I cannot.” He was miserly with this wealth.

“And when We bestow favor upon man [i.e., the disbeliever], he turns away and distances himself; and when evil touches him, he is ever despairing.” (Quran 17:83)

He said, "The obligations are many," meaning, "I cannot."

Here the angel replied to him, saying, "I seem to know you. Were you not a leper?"

This question was rhetorical—meaning, "You were a leper."

"You were a leper, disdained by people, and poor,"

"and Allah ﷻ gave you this wealth?"

How did that angel know?

Well, because this was an angel. He was the one who came to him first and wiped over him,

and asked Allah to grant him this—a she-camel—

and prayed for blessing in it. So he knew him completely.

He said, "Were you not a leper, disdained by people, poor, and Allah gave you this wealth?"

He replied, "No, I inherited it from ancestor after ancestor."

Meaning he would not even admit that Allah ﷻ provided him with this wealth.

He said, "No, I have been rich for a long time."

Does it matter if he was always rich or became rich later?

On the contrary, being self-made would be better, but it was arrogance!

He said, "No, I inherited it from ancestor after ancestor."

What did the angel say to him? He said, "If you are lying"—and he was lying—

He was bringing a curse upon himself by lying.

he said, "If you are lying, may Allah restore you to what you were."

Meaning: as a leper, disdained by people, poor with no wealth.

Then he left him. Now, did he revert? It appears that—what?

He reverted. Allah answered the angel's prayer; this was a test, and he failed...

...miserably! He failed miserably!

Yes, he failed this test.

He ﷺ said, "Then he came to the bald man." Now it's the bald man's turn.

He came to the bald man in his former appearance and said...

He said to him the same as he said to the other.

Meaning, a poor man—he came to him in the appearance of a blind—bald man, excuse me.

"And said: By the One who gave you fine hair and wealth, give me a cow to sustain me on my journey."

He replied as the other had: 'Many obligations; I cannot.'

"He said: If you are lying, may Allah restore you to what you were."

The angel invoked against him as well. Alright.

He ﷺ said, "Then he came to the blind man." Now, the third one: the blind man.

He came to the blind man in his appearance—as a blind man.

"And said: A poor man and a traveler whose means have been severed on his journey; today I have no way to reach my destination except through Allah, then you."

"I ask you by the One who restored your sight for a sheep to sustain me on my journey."

He said—that is, the blind man—he said: "I was indeed blind." He admitted it! He acknowledged it.

He didn't say, "Inherited from my ancestors." He said: "I was indeed blind, and Allah restored my sight to me."

"Take what you wish and leave what you wish."

Now, a moment ago we said that gratitude for a blessing involves three things: recognition, praise...

...and then using the blessing in a way that pleases Allah ﷻ.

This man did exactly that.

What did he do? First of all, he said, "Allah restored my sight to me."

He praised. He acknowledged the blessing and praised Allah for it.

Then he said, "So take what you wish and leave what you wish."

Here as well, spending wealth or...

the blessings from Allah ﷻ, whether physical faculties or wealth, should be spent on what pleases Him.

"By Allah, I won't burden you for anything you take from me"—meaning, "Take whatever you want."

He said, "I want a sheep." He replied, "Take whatever you want.

Take what you wish. I won't burden you. Take whatever you want.

I was poor, and Allah ﷻ enriched me. I will not strain you for anything."

At this point, the angel said to him, "Keep your wealth,

for you three have only been tested"—meaning him, the bald man, and the leper.

"You have only been tested, and Allah is pleased with you"—because he gave thanks for the blessing—"and displeased with your two companions."

Sukht means severe anger. He was displeased with his two companions, meaning He was severely angry with them, Glorified and Exalted.

The scholars said it appears that Allah answered the angel's supplication,

turning one back into a leper and the other back into a bald man, and both lost their wealth.

And to this one he said, "May Allah bless you in what He has given you." And Allah knows best.

Of course, here regarding his statement... that is,

the angel coming to the leper and the blind man initially is clear,

however, the issue or question that people ask is: how could the angel take the form of a leper when he is not a leper,

blind when he's not blind, and bald when he's not bald?

This was a form of role-playing.

So is role-playing permissible, for example? This isn't real.

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen (RH) said this is evidence that acting is permissible if there is benefit,

so there is no harm in that.

And Allah ﷻ knows best. Yes.