In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

The Myth of Gharaniq (The So-Called “Satanic Verses”)

Source: Authentic Islamic References
Translated by: Abdul Basir Sohaib Siddiq

Translation to english by: Tahleel Team
Date of Publication: 08.11.2025

It is regrettable that among some early commentators (mufassirun) and hadith scholars (muhaddithin), certain narrations became widespread suggesting that words allegedly uttered by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ were actually spoken by him. These narrations claim that such words came from the Prophet’s lips out of his wish that the hostility between him and the Quraysh polytheists might come to an end.

According to these accounts, Satan supposedly took advantage of this wish and made the Prophet ﷺ utter words that he desired to be spoken.

The story goes that the Prophet ﷺ felt a wish in his heart that a verse might be revealed in the Qur’an which would reduce the hostility between Islam and the polytheists of Quraysh — that there might be harmony or at least that their religion not be harshly criticized so as to provoke them.

One day, the Prophet ﷺ was sitting with the Quraysh polytheists when Surah An-Najm was revealed. As he began reciting it, upon reaching verses 19 and 20, it is claimed that he recited the words:
“Tilka al-gharaniq al-‘ula wa inna shafa‘atahunna laturtaja” — meaning “These are the exalted idols whose intercession is hoped for.”

The Prophet ﷺ then continued reciting until the end of the Surah, after which he prostrated. Following his prostration, both Muslims and polytheists also fell in prostration together.

The Quraysh said joyfully: “Now there is no difference between us and Muhammad ﷺ. We too say that Allah is the Creator and Lord, and these idols we worship are merely our intercessors with Him.”

That same evening, the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) came to the Prophet ﷺ and said:
“O Muhammad ﷺ, what is this that you have recited? These two sentences I did not bring as revelation.”

The Prophet ﷺ became deeply saddened, and Allah the Almighty revealed the verses (17:73–75) of Surah Bani Isra’il:

(73) And indeed, they were about to tempt you away from that which We revealed to you, so that you would invent something else against Us; and then they would have taken you as a friend.
(74) And if We had not made you firm, you would have almost inclined to them a little.
(75) Then We would have made you taste double punishment in this life and double after death; and then you would find no helper against Us.

This sorrow overwhelmed the Prophet ﷺ until Allah revealed verse 52 of Surah Al-Hajj, offering him comfort:

“And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet but that when he recited (Our revelation), Satan threw into his recitation; but Allah abolishes that which Satan throws in; then Allah makes His verses firm. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” (22:52)

Upon hearing the Qur’an recited by the Prophet ﷺ, both the Quraysh and Muslims fell in prostration together. When this news reached the Muslim emigrants in Abyssinia, they thought peace had been established between the Prophet ﷺ and the Quraysh. Many of them returned to Makkah, only to discover that the rumor was false and the hostility of the Quraysh remained unchanged.

The Sources of the Story

This story of Gharaniq has been reported by historians and commentators such as Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Ibn Sa‘d in Tabaqat, Al-Wahidi in Asbab al-Nuzul, Musa ibn ‘Uqbah in Maghazi, Ibn Ishaq in Sirah, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Mundhir, Al-Bazzar, Ibn Mardawayh, and Al-Tabarani.

The chains of transmission trace back to Muhammad ibn Ka‘b al-Qurazi, Muhammad ibn Qays, ‘Urwah ibn Zubayr, Abu Salih, Abu al-‘Aliyah, Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, al-Dahhak, Abu Bakr ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Harith, Qatadah, Mujahid, al-Suddi, Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, and Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him).
(Except for Ibn ‘Abbas, all others are non-companions.)

These narrations differ significantly in detail. The wording describing the idols varies from one narration to another, revealing inconsistencies that clearly indicate confusion and weakness in the Gharaniq story.

A brief analysis identifies fifteen distinct versions of the story:

In one version, Satan inserted these words during revelation, and the Prophet ﷺ mistakenly thought they came from Jibreel.
Another claims the Prophet ﷺ spoke them unintentionally out of his wish for reconciliation with the Quraysh.
Some say he spoke them intentionally as a rhetorical question.
Others say Satan himself uttered the words, disguising his voice as the Prophet’s.
Another version claims the Prophet ﷺ said them while drowsy.
Yet another attributes the words to a polytheist who spoke them aloud.

Scholars Who Rejected the Story

Many prominent scholars have completely rejected this story as false and fabricated, including:
Ibn Kathir, Al-Bayhaqi, Qadi ‘Iyad, Ibn Khuzaymah, Qadi Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi, Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Al-Qurtubi, Badr al-Din al-‘Ayni, Al-Shawkani, and Al-Alusi.

Ibn Kathir said: “All chains narrating this story are disconnected (munqati‘) or weak (mursal). I did not find it with any authentic chain.”
Al-Bayhaqi stated: “This narration is not established through reliable transmission.”
Ibn Khuzaymah declared: “This story is the fabrication of heretics (zanadiqa).”
Qadi ‘Iyad said: “Its weakness is clear, for it has no place in the Sihah Sittah and no authentic report supports it.”
Imam al-Razi, Qadi Abu Bakr, and Al-Alusi discussed the story in detail and refuted it with strong evidence.

Scholars Who Considered It Authentic

Regrettably, some renowned scholars accepted the story as genuine, including Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Imam Abu Bakr al-Jassas (the Hanafi jurist), Al-Zamakhshari (the rationalist commentator), and the great historian and exegete Ibn Jarir al-Tabari.
They based their interpretation of Surah Al-Hajj (22:52) on this narrative.

Ibn Hajar argued that although most chains are weak or disconnected, their multiplicity suggests a common origin. He cited Al-Bazzar’s narration from Said ibn Jubayr on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), transmitted through trustworthy narrators.

He reasoned that if the isnads were stronger, more scholars would have accepted the story. Others, however, rejected it outright because its acceptance would cast doubt on the entire Qur’an — raising the question of how far Satan’s influence extended — an unacceptable notion in Islam.

Critique and Refutation of the Myth

The first and clearest evidence disproving this story is the historical inconsistency within its timeline.

The narration claims this incident occurred after the first migration to Abyssinia, when news of the alleged reconciliation reached the migrants, prompting some to return to Makkah.

However, according to authentic historical sources, the first migration occurred in Rajab, Year 5 after Prophethood, and the supposed “reconciliation” occurred three months later in Shawwal, Year 5.

The Qur’anic verses of Surah Bani Isra’il that allegedly rebuked the Prophet ﷺ were revealed after the Mi‘raj (Ascension) — which took place around Year 11 or 12 after Prophethood.
That would mean Allah delayed the rebuke for six years — an implausible claim.

Furthermore, the verse of Surah Al-Hajj (22:52) — allegedly linked to this event — was revealed in Year 1 AH, about nine years after the supposed incident. It is unreasonable to think that the act occurred in Year 5 before Hijrah, the admonition came six years later, and the abrogation nine years later.

Authentic Account in the Hadith

The authentic reports found in Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawud, an-Nasa’i, and Musnad Ahmad describe the real event as follows:

The Prophet ﷺ recited Surah An-Najm, and upon finishing it, he prostrated. All present — Muslims and non-Muslims alike — also fell in prostration. Nothing more than this occurred.

The reason the polytheists prostrated was the overwhelming eloquence of the Qur’an and the powerful, divinely inspired recitation of the Prophet ﷺ, which deeply moved them.

Later, the Quraysh accused the Prophet ﷺ of sorcery, and some of them, ashamed of having prostrated, justified it by claiming they had heard him praise their deities — thus giving rise to the fabricated story of Gharaniq.

A certain Orientalist, in bad faith, later added that the “Satanic Verses” were abrogated and replaced by verses 21–23 of Surah An-Najm.

Conclusion:
The Gharaniq story is a fabrication with weak and conflicting chains, historical contradictions, and no basis in authentic hadith collections. The Qur’an is divinely protected, as Allah says: