You are right about some of it and wrong about some

Islam > Hadiths > Virtues and manners > Virtues and Manners

Hadith narrated by Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim

Authenticity grade : Authentic hadith

Updated on 24 September 2026 at 12:34 AM

๐Ÿ“– 5 min read

Hadith text: You are right about some of it and wrong about some

ุนู† ุงุจู† ุนุจุงุณ ุฑุถูŠ ุงู„ู„ู‡ ุนู†ู‡ู…ุง ูƒุงู† ูŠุญุฏู‘ูุซ: ุฃู†ู‘ูŽ ุฑุฌู„ู‹ุง ุฃุชู‰ ุฑุณูˆู„ูŽ ุงู„ู„ู‡ ุตู„ู‰ ุงู„ู„ู‡ ุนู„ูŠู‡ ูˆุณู„ู… ูู‚ุงู„: ุฅู†ู‘ููŠ ุฑุฃูŠุชู ุงู„ู„ูŠู„ุฉูŽ ููŠ ุงู„ู…ูŽู†ุงู… ุธูู„ู‘ูŽุฉู‹ ุชูŽู†ู’ุทููู ุงู„ุณู‘ูŽู…ู’ู†ูŽ ูˆุงู„ุนูŽุณูŽู„ูŽุŒ ูุฃูŽุฑู‰ ุงู„ู†ุงุณูŽ ูŠูŽุชูŽูƒูู‘ูŽูููˆู† ู…ู†ู‡ุงุŒ ูุงู„ู…ูุณุชูŽูƒู’ุซูุฑู ูˆุงู„ู…ูุณู’ุชูŽู‚ูู„ู‘ูุŒ ูˆุฅุฐุง ุณูŽุจูŽุจูŒ ูˆุงุตู„ูŒ ู…ู† ุงู„ุฃุฑุถ ุฅู„ู‰ ุงู„ุณู…ุงุกุŒ ูุฃุฑุงูƒ ุฃุฎุฐุชูŽ ุจู‡ ูุนูŽู„ูŽูˆู’ุชูŽุŒ ุซู… ุฃุฎูŽุฐูŽ ุจู‡ ุฑุฌู„ูŒ ุขุฎูŽุฑู ููŽุนูŽู„ุง ุจู‡ุŒ ุซู… ุฃุฎูŽุฐ ุจู‡ ุฑุฌู„ ุขุฎูŽุฑ ููŽุนูŽู„ุง ุจู‡ุŒ ุซู… ุฃุฎูŽุฐ ุจู‡ ุฑุฌู„ูŒ ุขุฎูŽุฑ ูุงู†ู‚ุทุน ุซู… ูˆูุตูู„ูŽ. ูู‚ุงู„ ุฃุจูˆ ุจูƒุฑ: ูŠุง ุฑุณูˆู„ ุงู„ู„ู‡ุŒ ุจุฃุจูŠ ุฃู†ุชุŒ ูˆุงู„ู„ู‡ ู„ุชูŽุฏูŽุนูŽู†ู‘ููŠ ูุฃูุนูŽุจู‘ูุฑู‡ุงุŒ ูู‚ุงู„ ุงู„ู†ุจูŠ ุตู„ู‰ ุงู„ู„ู‡ ุนู„ูŠู‡ ูˆุณู„ู… : ยซุงุนู’ุจูุฑู’ู‡ุงยป ู‚ุงู„: ุฃู…ุง ุงู„ุธู‘ูู„ู‘ูŽุฉ ูุงู„ุฅุณู„ุงู…ุŒ ูˆุฃู…ุง ุงู„ุฐูŠ ูŠูŽู†ู’ุทูู ู…ู† ุงู„ุนูŽุณูŽู„ ูˆุงู„ุณู‘ูŽู…ู’ู† ูุงู„ู‚ุฑุขู†ุŒ ุญู„ุงูˆุชูู‡ ุชูŽู†ู’ุทูููุŒ ูุงู„ู…ูุณุชูŽูƒู’ุซูุฑู ู…ู† ุงู„ู‚ุฑุขู† ูˆุงู„ู…ูุณู’ุชูŽู‚ูู„ู‘ูุŒ ูˆุฃู…ุง ุงู„ุณู‘ูŽุจูŽุจู ุงู„ูˆุงุตูู„ ู…ู† ุงู„ุณู…ุงุก ุฅู„ู‰ ุงู„ุฃุฑุถ ูุงู„ุญู‚ู‘ู ุงู„ุฐูŠ ุฃู†ุช ุนู„ูŠู‡ุŒ ุชุฃุฎูุฐู ุจู‡ ููŠูุนู’ู„ููŠูƒ ุงู„ู„ู‡ุŒ ุซู… ูŠุฃุฎูุฐ ุจู‡ ุฑุฌูู„ ู…ูู† ุจุนุฏููƒ ููŠูŽุนู’ู„ููˆ ุจู‡ุŒ ุซู… ูŠุฃุฎุฐ ุจู‡ ุฑุฌู„ ุขุฎุฑ ููŠูŽุนู’ู„ููˆ ุจู‡ุŒ ุซู… ูŠุฃุฎูุฐู‡ ุฑุฌู„ ุขุฎูŽุฑ ููŠูŽู†ู’ู‚ูŽุทูุน ุจู‡ุŒ ุซู… ูŠูˆุตูŽู„ ู„ู‡ ููŠูŽุนู’ู„ููˆ ุจู‡ุŒ ูุฃุฎุจูุฑู’ู†ูŠ ูŠุง ุฑุณูˆู„ ุงู„ู„ู‡ุŒ ุจุฃุจูŠ ุฃู†ุชุŒ ุฃุตุจู’ุชู ุฃู… ุฃุฎุทุฃู’ุชูุŸ ู‚ุงู„ ุงู„ู†ุจูŠ ุตู„ู‰ ุงู„ู„ู‡ ุนู„ูŠู‡ ูˆุณู„ู… : ยซุฃุตุจุชูŽ ุจุนุถู‹ุง ูˆุฃุฎุทุฃุชูŽ ุจุนุถู‹ุงยป ู‚ุงู„: ููˆุงู„ู„ู‡ู ูŠุง ุฑุณูˆู„ ุงู„ู„ู‡ ู„ุชูุญูŽุฏู‘ูุซูŽู†ู‘ููŠ ุจุงู„ุฐูŠ ุฃุฎู’ุทูŽุฃู’ุชูุŒ ู‚ุงู„: ยซู„ุง ุชูู‚ู’ุณูู…ยป.

Ibn โ€˜Abbฤs (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "I saw, in a dream tonight, a cloud from which butter and honey were dribbling; and I saw people collecting from these with their hands, some getting much and some little. And there was a rope extending from the earth to the sky, and I saw that you (the Prophet) held it and went up, and then another man held it and went up, and then another held it and went up. Thereafter, another man held it, but it was cut and then got connected again. Abu Bakr said: "O Messenger of Allah, I ransom you with my father, I ask you by Allah to let me interpret this dream." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him, 'Interpret it.' Abu Bakr said: "The cloud is Islam. The butter and honey dribbling from it are the Qurโ€™an. Its sweetness dribbles, and people take much or little from it. The rope which extends from the sky to the earth is the truth which you (the Prophet) are upon. You follow it and Allah raises you high, and then another man follows it and rises up because of it, and another person follows it, and then another man follows it but [the rope] is cut, and then it is connected for him and he rises up with it. O Messenger of Allah, I ransom you with my father, am I right or wrong?' The Prophet replied: "You are right about some of it and wrong about some." Abu Bakr said: "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, tell me about what I was wrong." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not swear."

Explanation of the hadith: You are right about some of it and wrong about some

A man came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and told him that in his dream, he saw a cloud that was raining butter and honey, and people were taking thereof with their hands. Some took a lot of it, and others took little. He also saw a rope extending from the earth to the sky. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) took hold of the rope and went up.

Another two men did the same. A fourth man did the same, but the rope was cut and and then reconnected, so he finally managed to ascend. On hearing that, Abu Bakr swore that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) should let him interpret the dream. He allowed him to do so.

So Abu Bakr said that the cloud refers to Islam, for the cloud gives shade, protection, and blesses humans with its rain with the permission of Allah; and so does Islam: it protects from harm and destruction and brings bliss to one's life and afterlife. Abu Bakr further said that the honey and butter represent the Qurโ€™an, which drips sweetness. Some people learn much, and others learn little of it. The rope that goes from the earth to the sky is the truth that the Prophet follows, and thus Allah raises him by means of it.

Then a man takes the rope and rises up. This man was Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) for he would maintain the truth among the Muslims after the Prophet's death. Then another man, โ€˜Umar ibn al-Khattฤb, takes hold of the rope and rises. Then a third man, โ€˜Uthmฤn ibn โ€˜Affฤn, takes hold of the rope and rises.

The rope here breaks, signifying the killing of โ€˜Uthmฤn or the tribulations that occur to him. Then the rope is connected again, meaning that the caliphate devolves to โ€˜Ali. Then Abu Bakr wondered if he was right or wrong in his interpretation. So the Prophet told him that he was right about parts and wrong about other parts.

It was said that Abu Bakr was wrong in that he interpreted butter and honey as the Qurโ€™an alone. As these are two things, he should have interpreted them as representing the Qurโ€™an and the Sunnah, for the Sunnah explains the Qurโ€™an. It is by means of both the Qurโ€™an and the Sunnah that rulings attain perfection, just as pleasure is perfected by consuming both butter and honey together. It is further argued that the right interpretation is that the cloud refers to the Prophet and the honey and butter refer the Qurโ€™an and the Sunnah.

A third interpretation is that butter and honey represent knowledge and practicing, or understanding and memorizing. It is safer, some said: not to try to figure out what Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) got wrong in interpreting the dream, because the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) kept silent on that. Then Abu Bakr took an oath upon that the Prophet should tell him the parts about which he made mistakes, but the Prophet asked him not to take another oath on that, as he had already taken an oath before. The Prophet did not fulfill Abu Bakr's oath that time, for oaths should be fulfilled only when there is no subsequent evident harm or hardship.

The harm resulting from fulfilling Abu Bakr's oath in this regard was that the Prophet would have mentioned that the rope would be cut by the killing of โ€˜Uthmฤn as well as the civil disorders that would arise during his time. So the Prophet hated to mention them so that such bad news would not spread.

Categories : Manners of Visions

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