The “Satanic Verses” is the name given to an allegation that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) briefly recited words praising three Meccan goddesses as part of Surah An-Najm, before withdrawing them as words introduced by Satan. The alleged lines are not in the Quran, and the reports claiming that the Prophet recited them do not have a sound, connected chain of transmission.
What is the allegation?
The story claims that while reciting Surah An-Najm, the Prophet (PBUH) named al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat and then added: “These are the exalted cranes, whose intercession is hoped for.” The Meccan pagans supposedly prostrated because they heard their idols praised. According to versions of the story, the words were later removed after being identified as a satanic insertion.
What do the authentic reports say?
Sahih al-Bukhari records that the Prophet (PBUH) recited Surah An-Najm and prostrated, and that the Muslims and pagans present prostrated with him (Sahih al-Bukhari 4862–4863). These authentic accounts contain no satanic addition and no praise of idols.
The Quran’s actual passage does the opposite of what the allegation claims. After naming al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat, it rejects them as “nothing but names” invented by the pagans and their ancestors, with no authority from Allah (Quran 53:19–23). Inserting praise of those idols would contradict both the surrounding verses and the surah’s argument.
Why does the story appear in early books?
Some early historians and Quran commentators collected reports with their chains of transmission, including weak material for later scholars to assess. A report appearing in an early historical or tafsir work does not automatically make it authentic. The versions alleging that the Prophet uttered the additional lines are transmitted through broken chains or criticised narrators and are absent from the major authentic hadith collections.
What is wrong with the chains of narration?
1. The principal reports are mursal
Many versions terminate with Successors such as Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi, Qatadah, Abu al-Aliyah, or Said ibn Jubayr. A Successor did not personally witness the event and narrates without identifying the Companion from whom he received it. The Companion link - and possibly additional links - is therefore missing.
All of these reports come through mursal chains of narration, and I do not think that any of them can be regarded as authentic.
Ibn Kathir, Tafsir of Quran 22:52
A mursal historical report may be mentioned for background, but it cannot establish an accusation this serious against the Prophet (PBUH), especially when no sound connected narration confirms it.
2. Some versions contain severely criticised narrators
Certain chains include narrators whom hadith critics considered weak or unreliable. Muhammad ibn Humayd al-Razi was severely criticised by hadith scholars. Muhammad ibn al-Sa'ib al-Kalbi was accused of lying and fabricating reports. Reports attributed to Ibn Abbas through al-Kalbi from Abu Salih use a route rejected by hadith critics.
This does not mean that every narrator in every chain was unreliable. Some routes contain trustworthy transmitters until they terminate at a Successor, but remain weak because they are mursal. The precise conclusion is that no version possesses a sound, connected chain through reliable narrators to an eyewitness Companion proving that the Prophet (PBUH) uttered the alleged words.
3. The versions contradict one another
The reports disagree over whether Satan placed the words upon the Prophet's tongue or merely caused the pagans to hear them; whether the Prophet knowingly recited them, recited them while drowsy, or never recited them at all; the exact wording of the alleged statement; and who heard it and how it was later corrected. These contradictions are not the marks of consistent eyewitness testimony.
4. The authentic narration contains no such words
The sound report in Sahih al-Bukhari states only that the Prophet (PBUH) recited Surah An-Najm and that those present prostrated. It does not say that he praised the idols, that Satan placed words into the revelation, or that Gabriel later corrected the recitation. The established event is the recitation and prostration; the alleged “Satanic Verses” are an unsupported addition found only in defective reports.
Quran 22:52 is sometimes offered as proof of the story, but it does not mention Surah An-Najm, the three goddesses, or any words spoken by the Prophet. It states a general principle: Satan attempts to interfere with prophetic missions, but Allah abolishes what Satan casts and establishes His revelations. The verse therefore cannot authenticate the specific “Satanic Verses” narrative.
Conclusion
The so-called “Satanic Verses” are not verses of the Quran. The claim that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) recited praise of pagan idols rests on reports that hadith critics did not establish as authentic. The sound account says that he recited Surah An-Najm and the listeners prostrated; the surah itself unequivocally rejects the idols rather than praising them.
For the chains of transmission, the different versions of the story, and the Quranic evidence in detail, see What Are the Satanic Verses?