A Report of Tamim al-Dari Driving Back a Fire in the Harrah

Companion karamahSalvation of believersHistorical outcomeLater manaqib accounts
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Classical Sunni sources preserve a report that a fire emerged in the Harrah during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab may Allah be pleased with him and that Tamim al-Dari may Allah be pleased with him was asked to face it. The fullest route says Tamim drove or herded the fire back by hand until it entered a ravine, cave, or the place from which it had emerged, while Umar repeated that seeing is not like not seeing. Al-Bayhaqi and al-Lalaka'i preserve the principal route, and Abu Nu'aym records a shorter cloak variant. However, al-Dhahabi says Muawiya ibn Harmal in the main route is not known, and no independently authenticated strong chain was located.

A classical report set during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab may Allah be pleased with him describes a fire emerging in the Harrah. The event was serious enough that Umar called Tamim al-Dari may Allah be pleased with him and told him to deal with it. The narration then presents Tamim's response as the extraordinary center of the story.

In the fuller form preserved by al-Bayhaqi and al-Lalaka'i, Tamim is reported to have approached the fire and driven or herded it back by hand. The fire continued retreating until it entered a ravine, cave, or the place from which it had emerged. During the event, Umar is reported to have repeated the statement that the one who sees is not like the one who does not see, emphasizing that he regarded the scene as something witnessed directly rather than merely reported afterward.

The principal route runs through Affan, Hammad ibn Salama, Sa'id al-Jariri, Abu al-Ala, and Muawiya ibn Harmal. Al-Lalaka'i includes the same event in his section on the karamat of Tamim al-Dari, while al-Bayhaqi preserves it in Dala'il al-Nubuwwa. These placements show clear classical reception of the story as an extraordinary event connected with Tamim.

Abu Nu'aym preserves a shorter parallel through Damra from Marzuq. In that version, Tamim pushes the fire with his cloak until it enters a cave. This is a related form, but its cloak detail should not be silently inserted into the hand-driven version or treated as an independent authenticated confirmation.

The decisive source caution comes from al-Dhahabi, who states that Muawiya ibn Harmal is not known. Task 1 also found that the alternate route does not provide a securely authenticated independent chain. The several classical appearances therefore establish that the report circulated, but they do not remove the transmission uncertainty.

The safest conclusion is that classical Sunni sources preserve a report of Tamim al-Dari confronting and driving back a fire in the Harrah, and later authors received it as a karamah. Because the checked routes remain materially weak or uncertain, the exact extraordinary event should remain a low-confidence reported karamah and an editorial draft rather than an authenticated historical certainty.

Conclusion

Classical Sunni sources preserve a report that Tamim al-Dari confronted a fire in the Harrah and drove it back until it entered a ravine, cave, or its place of emergence. Because all checked routes retain material chain uncertainty, it should remain a low-confidence reported Companion karamah requiring editorial review.

Sources

al-Lalaka'i, report 113 / 2435
al-Bayhaqi, Dala'il al-Nubuwwa
al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, Tamim al-Dari entry
al-Bayhaqi route: Affan -> Hammad ibn Salama -> Sa'id al-Jariri -> Abu al-Ala -> Muawiya ibn Harmal
al-Lalaka'i, Karamat Tamim al-Dari
Abu Nu'aym, Dala'il al-Nubuwwa, report 533
al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, Tamim entry
al-Dhahabi, Tarikh al-Islam, Tamim material
CAND-0136 Task 1 synthesis
al-Bayhaqi, Dala'il al-Nubuwwa, Tamim al-Dari fire report