Message sent to me:
Question: Who is the only woman whose father, husband, brother and son were Nabīs?
Answer: LayyÄ bint Ya‘qÅ«b – her father was Ya‘qÅ«b عليه السلام ; her husband was AyyÅ«b عليه السلام ; her brother was YÅ«suf عليه السلام ; and her son was Ẓul Kifl عليه السلام .
My comment:
At the outset, it should be mentioned that there are many unheard of narrations circulating through the blessings of ash-Shaykh Email, al-AllÄmah Blackberry and al-Mufti Facebook etc. The scholars are under no obligation to verify each of these circulations. The onus is upon the circulator to prove the authenticity of what he distributes.
عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال… البينة على المدعي
RasÅ«lullÄh صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “The burden of proof rests upon he who makes the claim.” [al-BayhaqÄ«]
That being said, my instinct tells me that the LayyÄ “narration” is but an attempt to provide a female equivalent to the ḤadÄ«th mentioning YÅ«suf عليه السلام as being NabÄ«, son of NabÄ«, son of NabÄ«, son of NabÄ«.
Daughter of Ya‘qub عليه السلام
Despite the story of YÅ«suf عليه السلام being the single most detailed continuous story narrated in the QurÄn, the only names mentioned in it are that of his and that of his father. This is because the QurÄn is a book of guidance and does not detail dates, names, places etc. as the Hebrew scripture does. However, it is permitted to refer to the Hebrew books for such details – where they make sense and do not contradict anything established by IslÄm – for RasÅ«lullÄh صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
عن عبد الله بن عمرو: “بلغوا عني ولو آية، ÙˆØدثوا عن بني إسرائيل ولا Øرج، ومن كذب علي متعمداً، Ùليتبوأ مقعده من النار
Convey from me even if it be an Ä€yah. Narrate from the Children of IsrÄÄ«l and there is no harm in it. But he who intentionally lies against me should prepare his resting place in the Fire.” [al-BukhÄrÄ«]
According to Genesis, “Leah” or LayyÄ was a wife of Ya‘qÅ«b عليه السلام who bore him his only daughter, DÄ«nah. This already debunks the fictitious LayyÄ, supposed daughter of Ya‘qÅ«b عليه السلام . Genesis further describes her being raped by an idol-worshipper. The Hebrew sources describe her only child, variously a boy or a girl, as the product of that rape. Even if a boy, it would be impossible for DÄ«nah/LayyÄ to be a mother of a NabÄ«, since the QurÄn describes Prophets as pure of lineage. Ẓul Kifl عليه السلام could not be the product of rape.
Sister of Yusuf عليه السلام
Firstly Yusuf عليه السلام did not have a full sister. He was the son of Rachel (RÄḥil) whilst DÄ«nah was the daughter of Leah (LayyÄ). That aside, DÄ«nah has been discussed above.
Mother of Ẓul Kifl عليه السلام
Ẓul Kifl عليه السلام is mentioned twice in the QurÄn. Although suggestions have been made, he is not clearly identified with any figure in the Bible with absolute certainty. If we accept the suggested names, we also accept that none of them are grandchildren of Ya‘qÅ«b عليه السلام. If we avoid the suggested names and restrict our discussion to IslÄmic sources, then neither the QurÄn nor ḤadÄ«th mention his mother. I cannot check every TafsÄ«r, but neither Ibn KathÄ«r, al-BaghawÄ« nor al-Qurá¹ubÄ« mention his mother. Surely being the grandson of Ya‘qÅ«b عليه السلام would have merited a mention?
Furthermore, the narration which the Books of TafsÄ«r quote from Ibn ‘AbbÄs , describing how Ẓul Kifl عليه السلام attained his position, makes it abundantly clear that this was generations after Ya‘qÅ«b عليه السلام when there was a large population descended from him and a kingdom had been established. In other words, he was born after MÅ«sÄ Ø¹Ù„ÙŠÙ‡ السلام and was no son of any daughter of Ya‘qÅ«b عليه السلام :
عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما، قال: “إن نبياً من أنبياء بني إسرائيل، آتاه الله الملك والنبوة، ثم أوØÙ‰ الله إليه أني أريد قبض روØك، Ùاعرض ملكك على بني إسرائيل، Ùمن تكÙÙ„ لك أنه يصلي بالليل Øتى يصبØØŒ ويصوم بالنهار Ùلا ÙŠÙطر، ويقضي بين الناس Ùلا يغضب، ÙادÙع ملكك إليه، Ùقام ذلك النبي ÙÙŠ بني إسرائيل وأخبرهم بذلك، Ùقام شاب،
AllÄh granted a NabÄ« from amongst the Prophets of BanÅ« IsrÄÄ«l kingship and prophethood. AllÄh revealed to him, “I intend to seize your soul. So present your kingdom to BanÅ« IsrÄÄ«. He who guarantees (kifl) you that he will offer á¹¢alÄh until the morning; and fasts during the day without breaking it; and will judge amongst the people without becoming angry; then give him the kingdom.”
The NabÄ« stood amongst BanÅ« IsrÄÄ«l and informed them of that. A young man stood…..
Wife of Ayub عليه السلام
The MufassirÅ«n have written extensively about the wife and children of AyÅ«b عليه السلام . They describe AllÄh’s gifts to the NabÄ« who had succeeded in the tests put upon him. This included the loyal wife and restoration of his deceased children and additional offspring as well. They debate whether the children were resurrected or are to be restored in the Ä€khirah. Again, neither Ibn KathÄ«r, al-BaghawÄ« nor al-Qurá¹ubÄ« mention his wife being the daughter of Ya‘qÅ«b عليه السلام , which would have been a pertinent point in listing AllÄh’s favours in regards his family. Even the Bible does not mention her name.
In all the discussion on the offspring, none mentions Ẓul Kiflعليه السلام as being amongst them. This would have been a most glaring omission in the light of the QurÄn describing other prophets (YÅ«suf, YaḥyÄ and ‘ĪsÄ) as gifts to the virtuous (Ya‘qÅ«b, ZakarÄ«yÄ and Maryam). How then does the QurÄn and commentators maintain silence on Ẓul Kifl عليه السلام being the supposed son of AyÅ«b عليه السلام ? Although not a unanimous view, the possibility of AyÅ«b عليه السلام being European and not Asian, makes the above parentage of an Asian NabÄ« even more farfetched.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Ummah should be far more careful of what they narrate as fact. In regards the above, I believe the balance of facts point to it being a fiction.