1. Abu Salamah from Abu Hurayrah (rta)

 حدثنا يحيي بن بُكَيْرٍ حدثنا اللَّيْثُ عن يُونُسَ عن بن شِهَابٍ عن سَعِيدِ بن الْمُسَيَّبِ وَأَبِي سَلَمَةَ أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه قال سمعت رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ  صلي اللّٰه عليه وسلم  يقول قَرَصَتْ نَمْلَةٌ نَبِيًّا من الْأَنْبِيَاءِ فَأَمَرَ بِقَرْيَةِ النَّمْلِ فَأُحْرِقَتْ فَأَوْحَي اللّٰه إليه أَنْ قَرَصَتْكَ نَمْلَةٌ أَحْرَقْتَ أُمَّةً من الْأُمَمِ تُسَبِّحُ

Abu Hurayrah stated: “I heard God’s Messenger say: ‘An ant bit a prophet from among the past prophets. At this, he ordered the whole territory of ants to be burnt. Thereafter, God sent this revelation to him: “One ant bit you and in return you burnt all of them, who were glorifying God.”’”1

Following is the schematic illustration of the isnad of this narrative’s variants:

2. ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Hurmuz from Abu Hurayrah (rta) 

حدثنا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بن أبي أُوَيْسٍ قال حدثني مَالِكٌ عن أبي الزِّنَادِ عن الْأَعْرَجِ عن أبي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي اللّٰه عنه أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ  صلي اللّٰه عليه وسلم  قال نَزَلَ نَبِيٌّ من الْأَنْبِيَاءِ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ فَلَدَغَتْهُ نَمْلَةٌ فَأَمَرَ بِجَهَازِهِ فَأُخْرِجَ من تَحْتِهَا ثُمَّ أَمَرَ بِبَيْتِهَا فَأُحْرِقَ بِالنَّارِ فَأَوْحَي اللّٰه إليه فَهَلَّا نَمْلَةً وَاحِدَةً

Abu Hurayrah stated: “I heard God’s Messenger say: ‘Once a prophet sat under a tree when an ant bit him. At this, he ordered that all of ants in its habitat be taken out and burnt. So, they were burnt. Thereafter, God sent this revelation to him: “Why did you not burn just that ant that bit you.”’”2

Following is the schematic illustration of the isnad of this narrative’s variants:

 3. Hammam ibn Munabbih from Abu Hurayrah (rta)

وحدثنا محمد بن رَافِعٍ حدثنا عبد الرَّزَّاقِ أخبرنا مَعْمَرٌ عن هَمَّامِ بن مُنَبِّهٍ قال هذا ما حدثنا أبو هُرَيْرَةَ عن رسول اللّٰهِ  صلي اللّٰه عليه وسلم  فذكر أَحَادِيثَ منها وقال رسول اللّٰهِ  صلي اللّٰه عليه وسلم  نَزَلَ نَبِيٌّ من الْأَنْبِيَاءِ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ فَلَدَغَتْهُ نَمْلَةٌ فَأَمَرَ بِجِهَازِهِ فَأُخْرِجَ من تَحْتِهَا وَأَمَرَ بها فَأُحْرِقَتْ في النَّارِ قال فَأَوْحَي اللّٰه إليه فَهَلَّا نَمْلَةً وَاحِدَةً

Abu Hurayrah stated: “I heard God’s Messenger say: ‘Once a prophet sat under a tree when an ant bit him. At this, he ordered that all of ants in its habitat be taken out and burnt. So, they were burnt. Thereafter, God sent this revelation to him: “Why did you not burn just that ant that bit you.”’’3

Following is the schematic illustration of the isnad of this narrative’s variants:

4. Muhammad ibn Sirin from Abu Hurayrah (rta)

4871 أخبرنا إسحاق بن إبراهيم قال أنبأنا النضر وهو بن شميل قال أنبأنا أشعث عن الحسن نزل نبي من الأنبياء تحت شجرة فلدغته نملة فأمر ببيتهن فحرق علي ما فيها فأوحي اللّٰه إليه فهلا نملة واحدة رفعه الأشعث

4872 وقال الأشعث عن بن سيرين عن أبي هريرة عن النبي  صلي اللّٰه عليه وسلم  مثله وزاد فإنهن يسبحن

Abu Hurayrah stated: “I heard God’s Messenger say: ‘Once a prophet sat under a tree when an ant bit him. At this, he ordered that all of ants in its habitat be taken out and burnt. So, they were burnt. Thereafter, God sent this revelation to him: “Why did you not burn just that ant that bit you.”’”4

Following is the schematic illustration of the isnad of this narrative’s variants:

None of the above variants of this narrative can be accepted since they belie universal moral principles about prophets of God. Killing a habitat of ants merely because one of them had bitten a prophet does not even behoove a common person let alone a prophet of God.

This narrative is also reported in mawquf5 and maqtu‘6 forms from Abu Hurayrah (rta) and Hasan al-Basri respectively.

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1. Al-Bukhari, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, vol. 3, 1099, (no. 2856). See also: Muslim, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, vol. 4, 1759, (no. 2241); Abu Ya‘la, Musnad, vol. 10, 227, (no. 5848); Ibid., vol. 10, 419, (no. 6028); ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, Musnad, vol. 1, 121-122, (no. 197); Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 2, 402, (no. 9218); Al-Tabarani, Musnad al-shamiyyin, vol. 1, 69, (no. 83); Ibn Hibban, Sahih, vol. 12, 430, (no. 5614); Al-Nasa’i, Al-Sunan al-kubra, vol. 3, 166, (no. 4870); Al-Nasa’i, Al-Sunan al-mujtaba, vol. 7, 210, (no. 4358); Abu Da’ud, Sunan, vol. 4, 367, (no. 5266); Ibn ‘Asakir, Tarikh Madinah Dimashq, vol. 40, 335; Ibid., vol. 64, 151; Al-Tahawi, Sharh mushkil al-athar, vol. 2, 331.

2. Al-Bukhari, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, vol. 3, 1206, (no. 3141). See also: Muslim, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, vol. 4, 1759, (no. 2241); Abu Da’ud, Sunan, vol. 4, 367, (no. 5265); Abu Ya‘la, Musnad, vol. 11, 194, (no. 6304); Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 2, 449, (no. 9800); Tammam al-Razi, Al-Fawa’id, vol. 2, 51, (no. 1114); Al-Nasa’i, Al-Sunan al-kubra, vol. 5, 183, (no. 8615); Ibn ‘Asakir, Tarikh Madinah Dimashq, vol. 40, 335; Al-Tahawi, Sharh mushkil al-athar, vol. 2, 332.

3. Muslim, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, vol. 4, 1759, (no. 2241); See also: Al-Bayhaqi, Al-Sunan al-kubra, vol. 5, 214, (no. 9849); Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 2, 313, (no. 8115).

4. Al-Nasa’i, Al-Sunan al-kubra, vol. 3, 167, (no. 4871-4872). See also: Ibn ‘Asakir, Tarikh Madinah Dimashq, vol. 18, 128.

5. Al-Nasa’i, Al-Sunan al-kubra, vol. 3, 167, (no. 4873); Al-Nasa’i, Al-Sunan al-mujtaba, vol. 7, 211, (no. 4360); Abu Ya‘la, Musnad, vol. 10, 451, (no. 6064),

6. Al-Nasa’i, Al-Sunan al-kubra, vol. 3, 167, (no. 4871); Al-Nasa’i, Al-Sunan al-mujtaba, vol. 7, 211, (no. 4359); Ibn Hibban, Sahih, vol. 12, 463, (no. 5647).