Taken from (The Creed of the Pious Predecessors-The People of Hadeeth) by The Great Imaam Aboo ‘Uthmaan Ismaa’eel ibn ‘Abdur-Rahmaan As-Saaboonee (rahimahullah) [Masjid Ibnu Taymeeyah Publication]
Chapter 7
The Position of the Salaf (Regarding These Narrations)
72. Yazeed ibn Haroon related in a meeting a hadeeth of Ismaa’eel ibn Abee Khaalid, from Qais ibn Abee Haazim, from Jareer ibn ‘Abdullah, that the Messenger of Allah salalahu alayhi wa salam said:
“Indeed you will see your Lord, like you see the full moon.” [Related by Ibn Khuzaimah in Kitaab ut-Tawheed 1:407-411]
So a man in the meeting said to him: ‘O Aboo Khaalid, what is the meaning of this hadeeth?’ He in reply got angry and said:
“How great is your resemblance to Sabeegh and how great is your need for that which was done to him. Woe be to you, and who knows how it will be? For who is it permissible to transgress this statement which the Hadeeth came with or to speak about it from one’s own desires, unless it be the one who ridicules himself and belitles his religion. Whenever you hear a hadeeth from the Messenger of Allah (salalahu alayhi wa salam), follow it and do not innovate in it. Indeed if you follow it and do not dispute about it, you will be saved. If not you will be destroyed.”
73 The story of Sabeegh which Yazeed ibn Haaroon referred to when he said:
“How great is your resemblance to Sabeegh and how great is your need for that which was done to him.”
It is related by Yahya ibn Sa’eed from Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyab: That Sabeegh at-Tameemee came to the chief of believers, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab radiallahu anhu, and said: ‘O chief of the believers, tell me about the verse:
“The Dhaariyaat that scatter dust”
He replied: “It is the winds and if I had not heard the Messenger of Allah salalahu alayhi salam say so, I would not have said it.” Sabeegh said:
‘So tell me about the verse:
“And they bear the heavey weight of water”
He replied: “It means the clouds, and If I had not heard the Messenger of Allah salalahu alayhi wa salam say so, I would not have said it.” Sabeegh said:
“So tell me about the verse:
“And those who distribute by command.”
He replied: “It means the Angels, and If I had not heard the Messenger of Allah salalahu alayhi wa salam, say so, I would not have said it.” Sabeegh said:
“So tell me about the verse:
“And those which float with ease”
He replied:
“It means the ships, and If I ha dnot heard the Messenger of Allah salalahu alayhi wa salam say so, I would not have said it.”
Then ‘Umar (radiallahu anhu) ordered the man to be whipped one hundred times. Then he was confined to a room. When he had recovered, he was called for and he was whipped again one hundred times until he was carried away on a saddle. Then ‘Umar wrote to Aboo Moosa al-Ash’aree (radiallahu anhu) stating that he, (Sabeegh) was to be prevented from attending the meetings of the people. That remained the case, until Sabeegh came to Aboo Moosa and swore that there was not anything in him now from what was in himbefore. So Aboo Moosa wrote to Umar, who replied: I think that he has indeed spoken the truth so let him with with the people.
[Related by al-Bazzaar 299, Ibn Katheer in his Tafseer 7:390 and Ibh Hajar in al-Isaabah 2:199. Al-Aajuree says in ash-Sharee'ah p.74 “The man was whipped because he used to seek the interpretation of the unclear verses of the Quraan (the mutashaabih) and he used to busy himself with knowledge which was not beneficial.” )
