How authentic is the story of al-Junayd fainting when he was put forward to lead the prayer, and the story of Ibn al-Zubayr prolonging his prostration until doves stood on his back?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Oct 24, 2026
We have not come across the story of al-Junayd and his being put forward for Imamate. As for the story of Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr concerning the length of his prostration, it is mentioned in books of history and biographies; among them is what Ibn Kathir mentioned in "Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah" from Al-A'mash, that Yahya ibn Wathab said: "When Ibn al-Zubayr prostrated, sparrows would land on his back, going up and down, not seeing him except as the stump of a wall." And the meaning of "jithm al-ha'it" (جذم الحائط) is: its base. The story was also mentioned in "Tarikh Dimashq" by Ibn Asakir and "Mu'jam al-" by Al-Baghawi.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/189692
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 189692
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy