A rabbi came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Muhammad, we learn that Allah will put the heavens on one finger and the earths on one finger
Authentic hadithعن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال: "جاء حَبْرٌ من الأحبار إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال: يا محمد، إنا نجد أن الله يجعل السماوات على إِصْبَعٍ، والأَرَضَينَ على إِصْبَعٍ، والشجر على إِصْبَعٍ، والماء على إِصْبَعٍ، والثَّرَى على إِصْبَعٍ، وسائر الخلق على إِصْبَعٍ، فيقول: أنا الملك، فضحك النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم حتى بَدَتْ نَوَاجِذَهُ تَصْدِيقًا لقول الحبر، ثم قرأ: (وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ وَالأَرْضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ). وفي رواية لمسلم: "والجبال والشجر على إِصْبَعٍ، ثم يَهُزُّهُنَّ فيقول: أنا الملك، أنا الله". وفي رواية للبخاري: "يجعل السماوات على إِصْبَعٍ، والماء والثَّرَى على إِصْبَعٍ، وسائر الخلق على إِصْبَعٍ".
Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A rabbi came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: ‘O Muhammad, we learn that Allah will put the heavens on one finger, the earths on one finger, the trees on one finger, the water on one finger, the dust on one finger, and all other creatures on one finger. Then, He will say: ‘I am the King.’ Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) laughed so much that his premolar teeth became visible, confirming what the rabbi said. Then, he recited: {They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal, while the earth entirely will be [within] His grip on the Day of Judgment.} [Sūrat Az-Zumar: 67] In another narration by Muslim: “And the mountains and the trees on one finger, and He will shake them and say: ‘I am the King. I am Allah.’” And another narration by Al-Bukhāri reads: “And He will put the heavens on one finger, the water and dust on one finger, and all other creatures on one finger.”
Explanation
Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) tells us that a man from the Jewish scholars came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him that they find in their scriptures that on the Day of Judgment Allah, the Almighty, will put the heavens on one finger, the earths on one finger, the trees on one finger, the dust on one finger, and – according to one narration – the water on one finger, and all other created things on one of His fingers, which are five, as related in authentic narrations, but are not like the fingers of creatures. Then, revealing some of His power and grandeur, Allah, the Almighty, will shake all of them and proclaim His real dominion, absolute control, and true divinity. In confirmation of the statement made by the learned man, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) laughed so hard that his premolars were visible and he then recited: {They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal, while the earth entirely will be [within] His grip on the Day of Judgment.} [Sūrat Az-Zumar: 67]
Source · Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim
From the Hadith Encyclopedia (hadeethenc.com).