The questioner gave a huge hadith sample which nearly goes about a page and asks for clarification regarding the authenticity
The hadith is found in Sahih Muslim, and since most narrations in Sahih Muslim are authentic, he assumes this one is also authentic. He has sent the translation as is. The hadith is as follows:
The Messengerﷺ ﷺ of Allahﷻ said: “There was a king among those who came before you. He had a sorcerer. When the sorcerer grew old, he said to the king: ‘I have grown old, so send me a boy to whom I can teach sorcery.‘ The king sent him a boy to teach. On the boy’s way to the sorcerer, he would pass by a monk and would sit with him, listening to his words. This impressed the boy. Whenever he went to the sorcerer, he would first visit the monk, causing delay. The sorcerer would beat him for being late. The boy complained to the monk, who advised him: ‘If the sorcerer asks why, you are late, say your family detained you; if your family asks why, you are late, say the sorcerer detained you.’
One day, the boy encountered a huge creature blocking the people’s path. He said, ‘Today I shall know who is better, the sorcerer or the monk.’ He took a stone and prayed: ‘O Allahﷻ , if the monk’s way is more beloved to You than the sorcerer’s, kill this creature.’ He threw the stone and killed it. The people passed freely. He went to the monk and told him what had happened. The monk said: ‘My son, today you are better than me. You will be tested, and when you are, do not mention me.’
The boy began healing the blind and lepers, curing other diseases. A blind man in the king’s court heard of this and came with gifts, asking to be cured. The boy said: ‘I do not heal anyone. Allahﷻ is the one who heals. If you believe in Allahﷻ , I will pray to Him for you.’ The man believed, and Allahﷻ cured him. When the king saw the man’s restored sight and asked who healed him, the man said: ‘My Lord.’ The king asked: ‘Do you have a lord besides me?’ The man replied: ‘My Lord and your Lord is Allahﷻ .’ The king tortured him until he revealed the boy’s identity.
The boy was brought, and the king said: ‘My boy, you have reached great skill in sorcery, curing the blind and lepers.’ The boy replied: ‘I do not heal anyone; Allahﷻ heals.’ The king tortured him until he revealed the monk. The monk was brought and ordered to renounce his religion. He refused, so the king had him sawed in half. The blind man was also brought and similarly executed.
Then the boy was brought and ordered to renounce his religion. He refused. The king commanded his men to take the boy to a mountain, offer him to renounce his faith, and throw him off if he refused. On the mountain, the boy prayed: ‘O Allahﷻ , protect me from them as You will.’ The mountain shook, and the men fell to their deaths. The boy returned to the king, who asked about his men. The boy said: ‘Allahﷻ saved me from them.’
The king then ordered the boy taken to the sea in a boat, to be thrown overboard if he did not renounce. The boy again prayed, and the boat capsized, drowning all except him. He returned, and when the king asked, he again said: ‘Allahﷻ saved me from them.’
Then the boy told the king: ‘You will not be able to kill me unless you do as I say: gather the people in an open field, crucify me, take an arrow from my quiver, place it in the bow, say “In the name of the Lord of this boy,” and shoot it at me.’ The king did so, and the arrow struck the boy’s temple. He placed his hand on the wound and died. The people then declared: ‘We believe in the Lord of this boy.’ The king had trenches dug and lit with fire, throwing anyone who did not renounce their faith into the flames. When a woman hesitated with her infant, the child spoke: ‘Mother, be patient, for you are upon the truth.'”
First, we must understand Islamic principles regarding hadith. Any narration that contradicts the fundamental beliefs of Islam or the teachings of the Qur’an cannot be accepted, regardless of which book it appears in.
Miracles are for Prophets only. The ability to perform miracles is granted by Allahﷻ only to Prophets. Non-Prophets are not given such powers. Allahﷻ says that even Prophets cannot bring a miracle without His permission. When the disbelievers asked the Prophetﷺ Muhammadﷺ to perform miracles—such as building a golden palace, creating a garden with rivers in the desert, or ascending to the heavens—Allahﷻ commanded him to say: “Glory be to my Lord! I am only a human Messengerﷺ.” The Prophetﷺ did not have the authority to perform miracles at will; it was only when Allahﷻ willed and granted permission.
In this story, the boy performs numerous miracles: healing the blind and lepers (like Prophetﷺ Isa (AS)), causing a mountain to shake, surviving a fall from a mountain, causing a boat to capsize, and knowing the exact method of his own death. These are all characteristics of Prophetic miracles, yet this boy is not a Prophet . No non-Prophet can perform such acts.
Knowledge of Death
The boy claims to know how his death will occur and instructs the king on the specific method. However, the Qur’an clearly states that knowledge of one’s death is among the five things known only to Allahﷻ . No human knows when or how they will die. This is a clear contradiction of Islamic teaching.
Promotion of Superstition
The story contains elements reminiscent of myths and sorcery tales, such as the idea that a person’s life force can be transferred to an object. Such concepts promote superstition and are not part of Islamic belief.
Conclusion
This narration contains numerous elements that contradict Islamic principles. Miracles are for Prophets, yet this boy is not a Prophet.. Knowledge of death is exclusive to Allahﷻ , yet the boy claims to know how he will die. The story promotes ideas found in folklore and superstition.
Therefore, this hadith is not acceptable and should be understood as a false narration.