the stone and the evil eye

[abu Hasan]

update: corrections below from al-kawthari's preface to umdatu'l qari.

an anecdote about ayni and ibn hajar: the hanafi hadith master badruddin ayni had a rivalry with the other hadith master ibn hajar al-asqalani. raHimahumAllah.

the minaret of the masjid of the sultan al-muayyad leaned upon the tower and thereafter demolished; ayni was the shaykh in the attached school at that time. ibn hajar said a verse hinting that the minaret was fine until evil eye (ayn; and hence al-ayni) afflicted it.

لجامع مولانا المؤيد رونق
منارته بالحسن تزهو وبالزين
تقول وقد مالت عليهم تمهلوا
فليس على حسني أضر من العين
​

the mosque of the sultan [al-muayyad] was radiant
its minaret, beautiful and bedecked
but it says as it leans [as if falling] "be easy upon me
for, nothing is more harmful to me than the evil eye [al-ayn]"
​

badruddin al-ayni is originally from ayintaab, a city in turkey which is now known as gaziantep or antep. not to be outdone, al-ayni retorted

منارة كعروس الحسن إذ جليت
وهدمها بقضاء الله والقدر
قالوا أصيبت بعين قلت ذا غلط
ما آفة الهدم إلا خسة الحجر
​

the minaret's beauty was like a bride adorned
in reality, it was the command of Allah that ordained it to be destroyed
some say that it was afflicted by evil eye but i say, 'tis wrong!
nothing but the low quality of the stone [hajar] caused it to be demolished.
​

---
the sultan al-muayyad shaykh appointed al-ayni as the teacher of hadith in the al-muayyad school. it was inaugurated in the beginning of 819 AH and by the end of the year, its minaret began leaning towards the northern tower precariously. it was therefore demolished and rebuilt anew.

al-maqrizi (another rival of badruddin al-ayni) mentions that ibn hajar said (as above).

ibn hajar acknowledges this himself in his inba'a al-ghumur fi abna'a al-umur but in a different setting according to al-kawthari.

Allah ta'ala knows best.

 

[sag e raza]

The Noble Imam Ahmed Rida further said: Initially I had great respect for Imam Ibne Hajr Asqalaani and to Imam Badruddeen Mehmood Ai’nee who also wrote a commentary on Bukhari. Both these great Imams discussed the topic of purity of the stool of the Holy Prophet . Imam Ibne Hajr’s mode of argument was critical and scholastic. He said, “Some scholars say this and this objection arises, others say that and hence that argument arises, etc.” At the end of his discussion he commented, “As far as I am concerned I can not establish the purity of the stool of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah . (Meaning that it is impure as the stool of other human beings).”

On the contrary, Imam Badruddeen Ai’nee also dealt with this subject when writing his commentary of Al-Bukhari. He was a great Muhaddith, so he too, scholastically discussed this subject. In his concluding comment, he said, “These are all arguments, suggestions and comments. However, I accept and acknowledge all those scholars who agree that Sayyiduna Rasoolullah’s stool is pure. However, my ears are deaf and I cannot listen to the views of those who say that it was not clean.” Imam Ai’nee fully agrees to the purity of the stool and disagrees to those who think otherwise. These words of Imam Ai’nee clearly establish his deep and ardent love for the Glorious Prophet of Allah . His statement made such an impact on my heart that it was from that day that my love and respect for him increased tremendously.

 

[Aqdas]

ibn hajar acknowledges this himself in his inba'a al-ghumur fi abna'a al-umur but in a different setting according to al-kawthari.

yes, i too heard that it was light hearted and not malicious.