حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَکْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ وَأَبُو سَعِيدٍ الْأَشَجُّ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّی الْعَنَزِيُّ وَاللَّفْظُ لِابْنِ نُمَيْرٍ قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ إِدْرِيسَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ سِمَاکِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ بْنِ وَائِلٍ عَنْ الْمُغِيرَةِ بْنِ شُعْبَةَ قَالَ لَمَّا قَدِمْتُ نَجْرَانَ سَأَلُونِي فَقَالُوا إِنَّکُمْ تَقْرَئُونَ يَا أُخْتَ هَارُونَ وَمُوسَی قَبْلَ عِيسَی بِکَذَا وَکَذَا فَلَمَّا قَدِمْتُ عَلَی رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ ذَلِکَ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُمْ کَانُوا يُسَمُّونَ بِأَنْبِيَائِهِمْ وَالصَّالِحِينَ قَبْلَهُمْ
صحیح مسلم · Hadith 5598
Mughira b. Shu'ba reported: When I came to Najran, they (the Christians of Najran) asked me: You read O sister of Harun (i. e. Hadrat Maryam) in the Qur'an, whereas Moses was born much before Jesus. When I came back to Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) I asked him about that, whereupon he said: The (people of the old age) used to give names (to their persons) after the names of Apostles and pious persons who had gone before them.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020