This is a study of an Ibn 'Abbâs tradition, which bears witness to a "Hadith Qudsi" preceding 68 AH. A "hadith" is a tradition of Islam transmitted through the generations in a linked chain called the "isnad". A Hadith Qudsi, then, is a holy hadith: a tradition in which God Himself reveals a saying to His Messenger, although the saying did not enter the Qur'an. This particular one is mutawatir, which is to say widely spread.
Harald Motzki has attempted to restore the (currently low) status of hadith in the eyes of non-Muslims. In The Development of Islamic Jurisprudence, he concentrated on how the Musannaf of 'Abd al-Razzâq relates from the conversations between Ibn Jurayj and his teacher 'Atâ b. Abî Rabâh prior to the latter's death in 115 AH. Motzki concluded, in my opinion rightly, that 'Abd al-Razzâq related such accounts accurately.
As of now I do not own a copy of the Musannaf. However, there are similar accounts of conversations between Ibn Jurayj and 'Atâ outside it. I assume from Motzki that such conversations did occur. It follows that if two independent sources record the same conversation, then this conversation likely occurred whether or not it is in the Musannaf.
Ibn Jurayj told his students that 'Atâ was a student of Ibn 'Abbâs, the "Übermensch des tafsir" (Goldziher, Richtungen, 65) who died 68 AH. Motzki related and translated one tradition from the Musannaf, in which 'Atâ had gone to Ibn 'Abbâs to inquire about Q.4:24 (Motzki p. 143).
Ibn Abî Dawûd told that 'Atâ owned a codex of the Qur'an with variant readings (p. 88). Arthur Jeffery in Materials for the History of the Text of the Qur'an recorded fourteen readings of 'Atâ from Islamic commentaries (pp. 285-6). Two of these readings were his alone; two were from one specific authority, both times Ibn 'Abbâs; and another six were from Ibn 'Abbâs and others. Jeffery thought that 'Atâ's codex was a derivative tradition of Meccans. At any rate it is witness to the strength of the influence Ibn 'Abbâs's memory held over 'Atâ - 'Atâ was willing even to resist the official Qur'an in his name (albeit in a limited way).
In The Muslim World 28, 1938, Arthur Jeffery published a translation of two folios of Fada'il al-Qur'ân by Abû 'Ubayd al-Qasim b. Sallam (154-244 AH). These collect a number of hadith qudsi whose text allegedly once featured in the Qur'an. This is the hadith that is relevant here:
[from a previous hadith, Hajjâj b. Muhammad, d. 206 AH < Abu'l-Zubayr < Jabir b. 'Abd Allah: we used to recite:]
"Had the son of Adam a valley full of treasure he would want another like it. Nothing will really fill man's belly save the dust, and Allâh turns to whom He wills."
Hajjâj related to us from Ibn Jurayj who said - 'Atâ informed me saying - I heard Ibn 'Abbâs say - "I heard the Apostle of Allâh say the like of this, but I do not know whether it is Koran or not".
This tradition is also in Muslim's book on zakat, #1739 by al-'Ilmiyah reckoning. Muslim also transmits this from Hajjâj, but through Zuhayr b. Harb and Hârûn b. 'Abd Allâh:
Ibn 'Abbâs reported Allah's Messenger (pbuh) as saying: If there were for the son of Adam a valley full of riches, he would long to possess another one like it. and Ibn Adam does not feel satiated but with dust. And Allah returns to him who returns (to Him).
Ibn 'Abbâs said: I do not know whether it is from the Qur'an or not.
And in the narration transmitted by Zuhayr it was said: I do not know whether it is from the Qur'an, and he made no mention of Ibn 'Abbâs.
Muslim treated Hârûn b. 'Abd Allâh's account as the base text, and Zuhayr's as a "minority report". It turns out that Hârûn agreed with Abû 'Ubayd on Ibn 'Abbâs's comments about the saying. Abû 'Ubayd contracted it to "the like of this" because of the way he had organised his material, which by this point had become repetitive (this really was a very mutawatir tradition!).
Between Abû 'Ubayd and Muslim, we can be reasonably assured of the integrity of Hajjâj's report, at least for after when he reported it.
Bukhari's book on riqaq, #5956 by al-'Ilmiyah reckoning, records a barren isnad of Abu 'Asim < Ibn Jurayj < 'Atâ:
Narrated Ibn 'Abbâs: I heard the Prophet saying, "If the son of Adam had two valleys of money, he would wish for a third, for nothing can fill the belly of Adam's son except dust, and Allâh forgives him who repents to Him."
The same is reported in Tabaranî's collection 'an Abû Muslim al-Kashî.
Abû 'Asim's main difference is that the son of Adam has "two valleys" and wants a "third" (واديين من مال لابتغى إليهما ثالثا), not one valley and another like it (مثل واد مالا لأحب أن له إليه مثله). In this, Abû 'Asim agrees with the traditions of Zayd b. Arqam in Abû Ubayd, of 'Asim b. Bahdala's extension to sura 98, and also of Abû Harb b. Abî'l Aswad's extra mostly-forgotten sura.
Abû 'Asim further refused to allow Ibn 'Abbâs to speculate that the Ibn Adam verse might be in the Qur'an. This could reflect reverence for the Qur'an, for Ibn 'Abbâs, and for the words of Muhammad for their own sake.
Abû 'Asim's version is more Sunni-orthodox than the other versions. Very little of it is from Ibn Jurayj save the isnad.
Bukhari's book on riqaq, #5957 by al-'Ilmiyah reckoning, records Muhammad < Makhlad < Ibn Jurayj < 'Atâ:
Narrated Ibn 'Abbâs: I heard Allâh's Apostle saying, "If the son of Adam had money equal to a valley, then he will wish for another similar to it, for nothing can satisfy the eye of Adam's son except dust. And Allah forgives him who repents to Him."
Ibn 'Abbâs said: I do not know whether this saying was quoted from the Qur'an or not.
'Atâ said, "I heard Ibn al-Zubayr saying this narration while he was on the pulpit."
This last anecdote is not found in the other traditions, and is further reported in the tradition of Sahl bin Sa'd immediately below it in Sahih Bukhari. And even that one is unique among the six canonical collections plus Darimi and Ibn Hanbal. Until further texts come to light, it is best to treat this with skepticism.
Otherwise it agrees well with Hajjâj against Abû 'Asim.
Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, #3321 by al-'Ilmiyah reckoning, records Rawh al-Qaysî and someone else, both from Ibn Jurayj < 'Atâ:
I heard Ibn 'Abbâs saying, the Prophet (pbuh) said, "If the son of Adam had money equal to a valley, then he will wish for another similar to it, and nothing can satisfy the soul of Adam's son except dust. And Allah forgives him who repents to Him."
Ibn 'Abbâs said, I do not know whether this saying was quoted from the Qur'an or not.
This tradition, too, agrees with Hajjâj and Muhammad < Makhlad against Abû 'Asim.
These authorities corroborate one another, more or less. However they are all concerned not with the exact words of the conversation between Ibn Jurayj and 'Atâ, nor that between 'Atâ and Ibn 'Abbâs. Abû 'Asim rendered the transmitters into ciphers, and Zuhayr recorded Ibn 'Abbâs's questions only anonymously. What these traditions purport to answer is, what did Muhammad say?
Most of these transmitters did however preserve the internal debate of Ibn 'Abbâs at the start of the tradition, even when Ibn 'Abbâs was either revealing his ignorance of Qur'an or else questioning its completeness. According to 'Abd al-Razzâq, such a record was typical of what Ibn Jurayj recorded of his discussions with 'Atâ, and what he related of 'Atâ's own queries from Ibn 'Abbâs.
Motzki's argument on 'Abd al-Razzâq's behalf was that 'Abd al-Razzâq cared what Ibn Jurayj, 'Atâ, and Ibn 'Abbâs thought about the sayings they'd passed through the generations from the Prophet. On those grounds, even without 'Abd al-Razzâq's Musannaf itself, we can already gather the gist of Ibn 'Abbâs's report.
Ibn 'Abbâs knew a short version of the saying about the Vale of Gold. There were those, like the aforementioned Abu Harb and 'Asim b. Bahdala, who thought this saying was part of the Qur'an and had ideas as to potential sura candidates: a lost one for Abu Harb, an existent-yet-truncated one for 'Asim. But while Ibn 'Abbâs was one of the apparently-many who had heard the Prophet say it, he could not declare it Qur'anic or non-Qur'anic.
'Atâ knew that Ibn 'Abbâs was himself reluctant to insert this verse into his Qur'an. Given that, it is no surprise that 'Atâ declined to add it to his own Qur'an.
Any thoughts? e-mail me :^)
zimriel@sbcglobal.net28-29 Mar 2005, started & posted that night. 4 April, cleaned up bibliography, added Ibn Hanbal.