Growing up Ahmadi Muslim, we were often told about very impressive sounding hadith foreshadowing modern transportation in the age of the Dajjal (anti-Christ) and the Latter Days. What follows is my response comment to seeing such hadith cited again (page 3), but as is often the case, missing any literal sourcing. These hadith come from Bihar al-Anwar, but no one I’ve ever seen, provides a volume number or hadith number for these donkey transportation gems.

Hadith for Footnote 10

Also, this donkey would not just be used by the Dajjal but the people could use it as well, and the Holy Prophet never admonished the Muslims not to use the donkey. It is also narrated that the donkey would have a door on its belly and that people could go into the donkey’s belly through this door and go out of it.

Hadith for Footnote 11

Then the Prophet says, that inside the belly of the donkey, it would have light fixtures probably similar to those in the room in which you are reading this, and also comfortable seats similar to the one you maybe sitting on now.

Hadith for Footnote 12

The narrations also reveal that the donkey would eat fire.

Hadith for Footnote 13

The Holy Prophet said that the donkey would stop sometimes and the public would be allowed to have a chance to come into its belly. Every time the donkey would be about to leave, its departure would be loudly announced to the people so that they may know.

What’s interesting is the hadith cited in the article you’ve shared. Specifically, in footnotes 10 and 11, from Bihar al-Anwar.

Growing up Ahmadi Muslim, I’d hear such hadith frequently, but they were always paraphrased. No one ever bothered to show the literal text of the hadith (Arabic with its English translation side by side, for comparison–or even the English alone).

The volumes of Bihar al-Anwar on the Promised Mahdi has been translated into English here:

https://www.scribd.com/doc/62899227/Bihar-Al-Anwar-Vol-51-52-53-the-Promised-Mahdi-English-Translation-Part-1

https://www.scribd.com/doc/62899510/Bihar-Al-Anwar-Vol-51-52-53-the-Promised-Mahdi-English-Translation-Part-2

The donkey references here don’t contain the sayings that the linked article cites. Is there more to the book than parts 1 and 2 here? Apparently, these only cover volumes 51, 52, and 53. According to the Wikipedia entry on Bihar-Al-Anwar, there are 110 volumes total. However, these three volumes are meant to be about the Promised Mahdi. Presumably, they would also be about the Latter Days as well. It would be useful for people who want to cite these “prophetic” hadith to at least remember a volume number. In a compilation this huge, just saying “Bihar-Al-Anwar” could be a convenient way to make sure that no one ever finds the reference. Sneaky.

What’s more, this is a Shia compilation, compiled by the Shi’i scholar Mulla Muhammad Baqir, known as ‘Allama Majlisi (d. 1110/1698). –per Wikipedia entry.

This man died in 1698 AD. Let’s be generous and suggest that he compiled it in 1650 AD. It sounds far less impressive than “We have good evidence this is from 620 AD”.

Leonardo da Vinci (died 1519) predates this Shia scholar by almost two centuries, making all kinds of impressive and creative engineering drawings, conducting experiments and all manner of creative journaling. Nostradamus in a similar time frame (died 1566).

Can anyone show me these two hadith (footnotes 10, 11) and well, throw in 12, 13 for good measure, from any hadith collection prior to the 17th century AD?

Has any Ahmadi Muslim bothered to do a hadith science inspection on the isnad of these hadith?

The historicity of these hadith seems incredibly suspect.