Whoever tells a lie about me intentionally, let him take his seat in Hellfire

Chapter: The sin of a person who tells a lie against the Prophet (saws)

Authentic hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 110

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي حَصِينٍ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏

تَسَمَّوْا بِاسْمِي وَلاَ تَكْتَنُوا بِكُنْيَتِي، وَمَنْ رَآنِي فِي الْمَنَامِ فَقَدْ رَآنِي، فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لاَ يَتَمَثَّلُ فِي صُورَتِي، وَمَنْ كَذَبَ عَلَىَّ مُتَعَمِّدًا فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ ‏"

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"Whoever tells a lie about me intentionally, let him take his seat in Hellfire."

Reported by Al-Bukhari (No. 110, 3539, 6188, 6197), Muslim (No. 2266a), Abu Dawud (No. 4965), Ibn Majah (No. 3901) and Ahmad (No. 3608, 6871, 7238, 8152, 8768, 8948, 8956, 9124).

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified that whoever deliberately tells a lie about him, by falsely attributing a statement or action to him, will have a seat in Hellfire in the Hereafter as a recompense for lying about him.

Lessons

Telling lies about the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) deliberately and intentionally is a means of entering Hellfire.
Telling a lie about the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is not like telling a lie about all other people because the former leads to serious evils in terms of religious and worldly affairs.
Warning against spreading Hadīths before verifying them and making sure of their authentic attribution to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).

Explanation in Arabic

بَيَّنَ النبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أنَّ مَن كَذَبَ عليه مُتعمدًا بنِسبةِ قولٍ أو فعلٍ له كَذبًا، فإنّ له في الآخرة مَجلسًا في النار؛ جزاء له على كذبه عليه.

الكَذب على النبيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بالقصد والعَمْد سببٌ لدخول النار.
الكذب على النبي عليه الصلاة والسلام ليس كالكذب على سائر الناس، لِمَا يَترتَّب على ذلك من مفاسد عظيمة في الدين والدنيا.
التحذير من نشر الأحاديث قبل التثبُّت والتأكد من صحة نسبتها إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Classical commentary

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani — Fath al-Bari

قَوْله : ( حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى ) هُوَ اِبْن إِسْمَاعِيل التَّبُوذَكِيّ. قَوْله : ( عَنْ أَبِي حَصِين ) هُوَ بِمُهْمَلَتَيْنِ مَفْتُوح الْأَوَّل , وَأَبُو صَالِح هُوَ ذَكْوَانُ السَّمَّان. وَقَدْ ذَكَرَ الْمُؤَلِّف هَذَا الْحَدِيث بِتَمَامِهِ فِي كِتَاب الْأَدَب مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْه , وَيَأْتِي الْكَلَام عَلَيْهِ فِيهِ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّه تَعَالَى. وَقَدْ اِقْتَصَرَ مُسْلِم فِي رِوَايَته لَهُ عَلَى الْجُمْلَة الْأَخِيرَة وَهِيَ مَقْصُود الْبَاب , وَإِنَّمَا سَاقَهُ الْمُؤَلِّف بِتَمَامِهِ وَلَمْ يَخْتَصِرهُ كَعَادَتِهِ لِيُنَبِّه عَلَى أَنَّ الْكَذِب عَلَى النَّبِيّ صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَسْتَوِي فِيهِ الْيَقَظَة وَالْمَنَام. وَاَللَّه سُبْحَانه وَتَعَالَى أَعْلَم. فَإِنْ قِيلَ : الْكَ…

Scholar	Grade	Applies to	Work
Al-Bukharid. 256 AH	Authenticصحيح	The hadith	صحيح البخاري No. 110

Grades of other versions (1)

Al-Daraqutni تفرد به سعيد بن هبيرة، عَن أبي عوانة عن حصين عنه، وغيره يرويها عنه، عَن أبي حصين، عَن أبي صالح. — أطراف الغرائب (2/369)

Other versions

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 3539

Abu-l-Qasim said, "Name yourselves after me, but do not call yourselves by my Kuniya."

‏ سَمُّوا بِاسْمِي، وَلاَ تَكْتَنُوا بِكُنْيَتِي ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 6188

Abu-l-Qasim (The Prophet) said, "Name yourselves by my name, but do not call yourselves by my Kuniya."

‏ سَمُّوا بِاسْمِي، وَلاَ تَكْتَنُوا بِكُنْيَتِي ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 6197

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Name yourselves after me (by my name), but do not call yourselves by my Kuniya, and whoever sees me in a dream, he surely sees me, for Satan cannot impersonate me (appear in my figure). And whoever intentionally ascribes something to me falsely, he will surely take his place…

سَمُّوا بِاسْمِي وَلاَ تَكْتَنُوا بِكُنْيَتِي، وَمَنْ رَآنِي فِي الْمَنَامِ فَقَدْ رَآنِي، فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لاَ يَتَمَثَّلُ صُورَتِي، وَمَنْ كَذَبَ عَلَىَّ مُتَعَمِّدًا فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih Muslim 2266a

He who saw me in a dream in fact saw me, for the satan does not appear in my form.

مَنْ رَآنِي فِي الْمَنَامِ فَقَدْ رَآنِي فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لاَ يَتَمَثَّلُ بِي ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan Abu Dawud 4965

Call yourselves by my name, but do not use my KUNYAH (surname). Abu Dawud said : Abu Salih has transmitted it in a similar way from Abu Hurairah, and similar are the traditions of Abu Sufyan from Jabir, of Salim b. Abl al-Ja’d from Jabir, of Sulaiman al-Yashkuri from Jabir, and of Ibn al-Munkadir…

تَسَمَّوْا بِاسْمِي وَلاَ تَكْتَنُوا بِكُنْيَتِي ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan Ibn Majah 3901

“Whoever sees me in a dream has (really) seen me, for Satan cannot appear in my form.”

"‏ مَنْ رَآنِي فِي الْمَنَامِ فَقَدْ رَآنِي فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لاَ يَتَمَثَّلُ بِي ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

See all 21 versions

Not graded Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Musnad Ahmad 3608