Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.

ذِكْرُ الْإِخْبَارِ عَمَّا يُسْتَحَبُّ لِلْمَرْءِ لُزُومُ الْبَيَانِ فِي كَلَامِهِ

ibnhibban:5795ʿUmar b. Saʿīd b. Sinān > Aḥmad b. Abū Bakr > Mālik > Zayd b. Aslam > Ibn ʿUmar

When two men who came from the east made a speech and the people were charmed with their eloquence, the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said: In some eloquent speech there is magic. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 5007)  

ابن حبّان:٥٧٩٥أَخْبَرَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ سَعِيدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ

قَدِمَ رَجُلَانِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَخَطَبَا فَعَجِبَ النَّاسُ لِبَيَانِهِمَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ لَسِحْرًا أَوْ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرٌ»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Abū Dāwūd, Tirmidhī, Mālik, Aḥmad
bukhari:5767ʿAbdullāh b. Yūsuf > Mālik > Zayd b. Aslam > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar

Two men came from the East and addressed the people who wondered at their eloquent speeches On that Messenger of Allah ﷺ said. Some eloquent speech is as effective as magic.'  

البخاري:٥٧٦٧حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ ؓ

أَنَّهُ قَدِمَ رَجُلاَنِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَخَطَبَا فَعَجِبَ النَّاسُ لِبَيَانِهِمَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ لَسِحْرًا أَوْ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الْبَيَانِ لَسِحْرٌ  

abudawud:5007ʿAbdullāh b. Maslamah > Mālik > Zayd b. Aslam > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar

When two men who came from the east made a speech and the people were charmed with their eloquence, the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said: In some eloquent speech there is magic.  

أبو داود:٥٠٠٧حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ

أَنَّهُ قَالَ قَدِمَ رَجُلاَنِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَخَطَبَا فَعَجِبَ النَّاسُ يَعْنِي لِبَيَانِهِمَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ لَسِحْرًا أَوْ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الْبَيَانِ لَسِحْرٌ  

tirmidhi:2028Qutaybah > ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. Muḥammad > Zayd b. Aslam > Ibn ʿUmar

"Indeed there is magic in eloquence'-or- 'Indeed some eloquence is magic.'"  

الترمذي:٢٠٢٨حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ

أَنَّ رَجُلَيْنِ قَدِمَا فِي زَمَانِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَخَطَبَا فَعَجِبَ النَّاسُ مِنْ كَلاَمِهِمَا فَالْتَفَتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرًا أَوْ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرٌ  

قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ عَمَّارٍ وَابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الشِّخِّيرِ وَهَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ
malik:56-7Mālik > Zayd b. Aslam > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar

Malik related to me from Zayd ibn Aslam that Abdullah ibn Umar said, "Two men from the east stood up and spoke, and people were amazed at their eloquence. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Some eloquence is sorcery,' or he said, 'Part of eloquence is sorcery.' "  

مالك:٥٦-٧حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ

أَنَّهُ قَالَ قَدِمَ رَجُلاَنِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَخَطَبَا فَعَجِبَ النَّاسُ لِبَيَانِهِمَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ لَسِحْرًا أَوْ قَالَ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الْبَيَانِ لَسِحْرٌ  

ahmad:4651Yaḥyá > Mālik > Zayd b. Aslam > Ibn ʿUmar

[Machine] I heard Ibn Umar say, "Two men from the people of the East came to the Prophet ﷺ and gave a speech. The people were amazed by their eloquence. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Indeed, some speech may contain magic, or some parts of speech may be magical.'"  

أحمد:٤٦٥١حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى عَنْ مَالِكٍ حَدَّثَنَا زَيْدُ بْنُ أَسْلَمَ

سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ جَاءَ رَجُلَانِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَشْرِقِ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَخَطَبَا فَعَجِبَ النَّاسُ مِنْ بَيَانِهِمَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرًا أَوْ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرٌ  

ahmad:5291ʿAbd al-Raḥman > Mālik > Zayd b. Aslam > Ibn ʿUmar

When two men who came from the east made a speech and the people were charmed with their eloquence, the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said: In some eloquent speech there is magic. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 5007)   

أحمد:٥٢٩١حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ

قَدِمَ رَجُلَانِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَخَطَبَا فَعَجِبَ النَّاسُ مِنْ بَيَانِهِمَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرٌ أَوْ إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ سِحْرًا