Question:

Is it true that Moses put the burning coal in his mouth or not? And is it true that the spider spun its web over the Prophet ﷺ and his companion in the cave or not?

Answer:

Regarding [the story] that Moses (peace and blessings be upon him) took the burning coal and placed it on his tongue because Pharaoh was testing him with it: this has no basis.

It is from the Isra’iliyyat (Judeo-Christian traditions) that are neither to be believed nor disbelieved. Because nothing has come down in our Sharia (Law) confirming or denying this story, we remain neutral—we neither believe it nor disbelieve it.

As for the spider spinning its web over the cave where the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stayed when they migrated from Mecca to Medina—which is a cave in Mount Thawr—this is a baseless, false story. If the hiding of the Messenger ﷺ and his companion from Quraysh had been due to this web, it would not have been extraordinary, nor would it have been among the dazzling signs of Allah. Rather, what is extraordinary, and what is among the dazzling signs of Allah, is that Quraysh stood right at the mouth of the cave, and Abu Bakr said: “If one of them were to just look down at his feet, he would see us.”

Where is the web that prevents them from seeing? There was nothing there! Instead, Allah Almighty shielded His Messenger ﷺ and his companion from the eyes of these aggressive people.

So, the correct view is that there was no spiderweb, no dove nesting on a tree at the mouth of the cave, nor anything of the sort. It was simply a sign among the signs of Allah—Allah blinded the eyes of these polytheists from seeing the Prophet ﷺ and his Companion.