There is a very creepy and disturbing story about Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. It is the account of Muhammad’s late-night encounter with the men of al-Zutt.
The narration is attributed to Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, one of Muhammad’s most faithful companions and regarded in Islamic tradition as a reliable transmitter of hadith.
According to the report, Muhammad asked Ibn Mas‘ud to accompany him into the desert at night. When they arrived at a certain place and darkness had fallen, Muhammad drew a line in the sand and told Ibn Mas’ud:
“Stay behind this line and do not cross it, for if you do, you will die.”
Muhammad then walked away into the desert, a short distance away, leaving Ibn Mas‘ud wondering what was going on.
Before long, Ibn Mas‘ud saw a group of men appear. He described them as tall, lean, and naked. These men were identified as al-Zutt. Other sources describe al-Zutt as a migrant people from India or regions corresponding to modern-day Pakistan. Early Arabic ethnographic writings portray them as very tall, very dark-skinned, physically strong, hardy, very sexual and virile.
The narration states that these men “went to and began to ride the Prophet of Allah.” The Arabic verb used is rakiba (يركب / يركبون), which literally means “to ride” or “to mount.”
These tall, lean, black, naked men surrounded Muhammad and mounted him, riding him all night long while Ibn Mas‘ud watched from behind the line.
The narration continues that the men would circle and attempt to reach Ibn Mas‘ud as well, but were prevented by the boundary line drawn in the sand. Ibn Mas‘ud said he was extremely terrified and sat down to protect himself.
As dawn approached, the men departed. Muhammad then returned slowly, reportedly in pain from what had occurred during the night. Another narration found in works such as Akhbār Makkah states that he said:
“They wounded me all night long.”
Muhammad then laid his head in Ibn Mas‘ud’s lap and fell asleep — obviously “tuckered out” from the night’s events.
What exactly happened? The interpretation hinges on the word rakiba. While it can mean riding in the literal sense — as one rides a donkey or a horse — it can also carry a sexual connotation, similar to how “mount” can function in English slang. The word can be used to mean sexual intercourse in Arabic.
- Did they ride Muhammad like a horse?
- Or did they “ride” him in the sexual sense?
- Why did Muhammad go out at night into the desert for this meeting?
- Why was Ibn Mas‘ud told to stay behind the line?
- Why did Ibn Mas‘ud sit down when the men approached?
- Why did Muhammad return injured and exhausted?
The narration is said to appear in multiple Islamic texts and is claimed in the transcript to be known within scholarly circles, including institutions such as Al-Azhar University.
Reference:
The strange hadith of the encounter between Muhammad and al-Zutt (convenient link provided by Jai & DoC: https://sunnah2.com/262) including the phrase “they began to ride the prophet of Allah” — appears in several Islamic texts, chief among them:
- مسند الإمام أحمد بن حنبل (Musnad al-Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, v. 3, p. 399, hadith# 3788).
- تاريخ مدينة دماسكوس إبن هبات الله (Tarikh Medina Damascus, Ibn Hibat Allah, v. 46, p. 461).
- نور الدين الهيثمي مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد (Mujma’ al-Zawa’id w Munbigh al-Fawa’d, Ibn Abi Bakr, v.8, p. 261).
- “They wounded me”: أخبار مكة الفاكهي (Akhbar Mecca, al-Fakahi, v. 4, p. 24).
- “The penis of al-Zutt never weakens”: كتاب التشبيهات لابن أبي عون (Kitab al-Tashibihat, Ibn Abi ‘Awn, v. 1, p.50).
- “Women, dogs, and donkeys cancel a man’s prayer”: مسند الإمام أحمد بن حنبل (Musnad al-Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, vol. 2, p. 2992).
- “A woman may be compared to a cow, horse, or camel—for all are ridden”: تفسير القرطبي الجامع لأحكام القرآن (Tafsir al-Qurtubi, v.15, p.172).
- “… a vagina that never tires and a penis that never weakens”: الدر المنثور السيوطي (al-Dur al-Manthur, al-Siyuti, v.1, p.211).
2022 article first mentioning this hadith: https://www.raymondibrahim.com/2022/0…
Muslim responses to this hadith typically go as follows:
1) al-Zutt were Jinn, not humans;
2) The hadith is referencing the “Night of the Jinn,” when Muhammad reportedly preached the Koran to them;
3) Abdullah bin Mas’ud is on record saying that he was not with Muhammad on the Night of the Jinn: therefore, the hadith is weak (ضعيف) and likely fabricated.
Who Rode Muhammad All Night Long — Watch Video by Raymond Ibrahim
As discussed in this video, however, the earliest sources all depict al-Zutt as humans, meaning the night in question had nothing to do with the Jinn, and therefore the testimony of Abdullah — a chief and trusted transmitter of hadith — remains valid (the one argument raised against this hadith, that Abdullah was not present during the Night of the Jinn, becomes a moot point).
Can Muslims Explain The Weirdest Story About Muhammad Ever? — Watch Video by David Wood