The Basin (al-Hawd) of the Prophet on the Day of Resurrection

"The Basin" (al-hawd), in the creed of Ahl al-Sunna, is a basin of the Prophet to which the believers come on the Day of Resurrection, part of belief in the Last Day. Ibn Abi Asim opened part 2 of his Kitab al-Sunna with a chapter "On the Prophet's Basin", gathering its hadiths and reports with his chains. ¹

Among the chapter's reports is that of Hudhayfa: the Prophet's Basin is white as milk, sweeter than honey, colder than snow and more fragrant than musk, its cups as many as the stars, stretching from Ayla to San'a', and whoever drinks from it never thirsts again; al-Albani grades its chain good. ² Another chain from him gives its breadth as that between Ayla and Egypt. ² In Ibn Umar's report from the Prophet: "Before you is a Basin as wide as between Jarba' and Adhruh", whose chain al-Albani holds sound by the standard of al-Bukhari and Muslim, who both narrated it. ²

The chapter opens with a report from Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him): there will come people who deny destiny, deny the Basin, deny intercession and deny that some will come out of the Fire; al-Albani holds it good as a Companion's saying through its supporting chains, though the chain here is weak. ¹ It then relates that Ziyad or Ibn Ziyad – the narrator was unsure which – denied the Basin; when this reached Anas ibn Malik he said he had heard the Prophet mention it, and that he had known old women in Medina who never prayed without asking God to bring them to Muhammad's Basin; and that Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad sent for Zayd ibn Arqam to ask about the reports of the Basin, and Zayd related them from the Prophet. Al-Albani holds both chains sound by Muslim's standard. ^{1 3}

Ibn Abi Asim closes the chapter by saying that the reports he has given on the Prophet's Basin "yield knowledge", that it is as the Prophet described it – "we believe in it without doubt or denial" – and asks God to bring him to it. ⁴ Al-Albani notes that the wording in the original is somewhat faulty. ⁴

The views of the Mu'tazila and others on the Basin from their own books, and the exegetes' discussion of the link between the Basin and al-Kawthar, have not yet been added; see al-Kawthar.