Bahlool and the Fabricated Hadith That Fooled the Masses

One day, Harun and Bahlool were sitting in the caliph’s palace, listening to music and entertainment. Harun turned to Bahlool and said, “Brother, tell us a historical story!” Bahlool responded, “Do you know that Muawiya’s prime minister and advisor, Amr ibn al-As, were famous for their cunning and intelligence among the Arabs? Historians believe that the strength and stability of Muawiya’s caliphate were largely due to Amr ibn al-As, as he played the most significant role in securing Muawiya’s rise to power. Amr ibn al-As was known for his devious plots against the caliph of the time, Ali (peace be upon him), and through his scheming, he solidified Muawiya’s rule.”

Bahlool continued, “One day, Muawiya was sitting in his palace with Amr ibn al-As standing beside him. Suddenly, Amr turned to Muawiya and said, ‘O son of Abu Sufyan, do you think you have defeated Ali and become the caliph of the Muslims?’ Muawiya replied, ‘O son of As, do you have any other thoughts?’ Amr said, ‘Certainly, if the people were not foolish and ignorant, figures like you and I could not rule over them. Now I will prove their stupidity to you so you can see what kind of creatures you are ruling over!'”

“At noon, they went to the mosque for prayer. After the prayer, Amr ibn al-As turned to the people and said, ‘O people of Syria, I want to share with you a hadith that I am 100% sure is fabricated and false.’ The people, eager to listen, became completely silent. Amr said, ‘The hadith is: Whoever can stick their tongue out and touch their nose with it will surely enter Paradise.'”

At this, everyone in the mosque, eager to follow the “hadith,” stuck their tongues out and tried to touch their noses with them. Amr ibn al-As, struggling to suppress his laughter, saw Muawiya also attempting to touch his nose with his tongue. Unable to control himself, Amr burst out laughing. To save face, he quickly left the mosque.

Later that afternoon, Amr met Muawiya in the palace and said, “It is now proven how foolish your followers are, but even more foolish is you—knowing full well that this hadith was a lie, you still tried to practice it to ensure your place in Paradise. I am certain that you are the caliph of fools!”

Harun, laughing at Bahlool’s story, said, “Indeed, we too do things that are not much different from the foolish acts of those before us. In ignorance and foolishness, we are not far behind them.”

This story humorously illustrates how the people around Muawiya were easily manipulated by his cunning, and how the caliph himself, despite knowing better, participated in such foolishness. Bahlool’s story also highlights the wisdom in not following blind authority or absurd ideas, even when they come from a position of power.