The Sunnah and Its Role in Islamic Legislation

\JLbe
~ u n n
anb t ~ role in
3fslamic legislation
Dr. Mustafa as-Siba'ee
Translated by
Faisal ibn Muhammad Shafeeq
Table of Contents
Arabic honorific symbols used in this book. 14
Transliteration Chart , 15
Translator's Foreword , , , 17
Dedication .23
Introduction to the Second Edition 25
Introduction .29
Preface 33
SECTION ONE
The Meaning of the Sunnah and how it was
Transmitted and Recorded , 71
Chapter One
The Definition of "Sunnah" 73
It was obligatory to follow the Prophet during
his lifetime, and after his death as well 77
How the Companions would receive the
Sunnah from the Messenger of Allah , 89
Why was the entire Sunnah not recorded during
the life of the Messeger of Allah 91
The Companions' attitude regarding the
Sunnah after the Prophet's death 95
Did 'Vmar imprison anyone from the Companions
for relating a great deal of hadiths? 98
6 Table of Contents
Did the Companions stipulate conditions for a
narration from a Companion to be accepted? 100
The Companions' journeys to v;uious lands
in order to seek out hadiths 106
Chapter Two
Fabricated Hadiths l09
When did fabrications first appear? 109
In which generation did fabrications begin to thrive? 110
The causes that led to fabrication and
the settings in which it thrived l13
First, Political differences 114
Would the Khawfuij fabricate lies against
the Messenger of Allah? 117
Second, the Zanadiqah 119
Third, Partisanship or fanaticism for one's race,
tribe, language, country or Imam , 121
Fourth, Stories and sermons 122
Fifth, differences in fiqh 123
Sixth, Ignorance of the religion, yet with a desire to do good 124
Seventh, Currying favor with kings and leaders 124
Chapter Three
The Efforts of the Scholars to Purify and
Authenticate the Sunnah l27
The Scholars' war on Fabricators and Fabrications 127
First, the chain of the narration 128
Second, Verifying the authenticity of Hadiths 129
Third, Criticism of narrators 130
Fourth, Establishing general principles to categorize different
hadiths and to distinguish between its categories 134
First, the ~ l j l j hadith 134
The Sunnah and its role in Islamic legislation 7
Second, the 1}asan hadith 134
Third, tja'eej (weak) 135
The signs that a narration being fabricated 137
The signs of fabrication in the chain , 137
The signs of fabrication in the aetnal text of a narration 139
Chapter Four
The Fruits of those Labors 145
First, the recording of the Sunnah , 145
Second, the science of , 152
Third, the science of conunending or refuting narrators 155
Fourth, branches of knowledge within the science of Hadith 161
Fifth, books on fabrications and fabricators , .172
Sixth, compilations of famous Hadiths , 175
SECTION TWO
Various Doubts Raised Concerning
the Sunnah Over the Centuries I77
Introduction , , , 179
Chapter Five
The Sunnah vis-a-vis the Shi'ah and Khawfuij 181
The Khawiirij , , 186
The Shi' ah 187
The majority of Muslims 188
Chapter Six
The Sunnah vis-a-vis the Mu'tazilah
and the Mutakallimeen 191
Chapter Seven
The Sunnah vis-a-vis those from the Early
Centuries who Rejected its Legislative Status 201
8 Table of Contents
Chapter Eight
The Sunnah vis-a-vis Contemporary
Personalities who Reject it... .215
The answer to the first argument... 219
In refutation of As-Sidqee's second argnment... 221
Answering As-Sidqee's third argnment... .223
A refutation of the fourth clalin 227
Chapter Nine
The Sunnah vis-a-vis those who Reject
the Validity of AlyM Narrations .235
The argnments of those who reject the
validity of AlJiid narrations 237
A refutation of the aforesaid argnments , .239
Proofs indicating the validity of AlJiid narrations
as binding proofs in Islam 241
Chapter Ten
The Sunnah vis-a-vis the Orientalists 251
Historical overview of the Orientalists and their objectives 251
A summary of Go1dziher's attacks against the Sunnah .254
In response to Goldziher's claims 258
Were most hadiths fabricated as a result of
progress among the Muslims? , .259
The Umawiyoon and Islam .261
Were the scholars of Madinah fabricators? 264
Did our scholars sanction lying in order
to protect the religion? .267
How did fabrications begin? 268
Did the Umawee government implicate itselves
in the fabrication of hadiths? 269
Did Mu'awiyah implicate himself in the
invention or spreading of fabrications? 270
Did the Umawiyoon use Az-Zuhri to fabricate hadiths? 271
Imam Az-Zuhri and his status in history 272
His name, birth, and life , .272
His most prominent traits and characteristics .273
His fame and popularity , 276
The scholars' praise for him............................................ .277
His status in the Sunnah 277
His contribution to the knowledge of the Sunnah , 278
What the scholars of narrator criticism
had to say about Az-Zuhri .279
Who related from him - either directly or
indirectly through others 280
In refutation of the doubts raised about Ituam Az-Zuhri 281
Ituam Az-Zuhri's attachment to the Umawiyeen .28l
The story of the rock and the Hadith,
"Do not undertake to travel..." , .286
The story of Ibraheem ibn al-Waleed al-Umawee .290
Az-Zuhri's saying, "They coerced us to write hadiths" 292
"Az-Zuhri frequented the castle and
walked among the retinue of the ruler" , .294
His pilgrimage with Al-l;Iajjaj .294
His training of Hisham's children .295
His appointment as judge , 295
Chapter Eleven
The Sunnah vis-a-vis Some Contemporary
Writers who Reject it. .303
A summary on the "Hadith" chapter in Fajr al-Isliim .304
Did fabrications begin during the lifetime of the Messenger? 306
Hadiths of Tafseer 310
10 Table ojContents
Is Imam Bukhari's $aT;eeT; comprehensive
of all that is authentic? 315
Was 'AbduWili ibn al-Mubfu:ak negligent? .319
The Hadith "Block off all doors" .325
AT;Eideeth (Hadiths) about virtues .327
The hadiths of Abu I.Ianeefah .329
Did people exaggerate in their dependence on the Sunnah? 330
The uprighmess of the Comapanions .334
Did the Companions ever accuse one another of lying? 335
Disagreement among the scholars in grading narrators .341
The principles of criticism in the chain and in the text .344
Rules laid down by the scholars for criticizing Hadith .345
A criticism of Hadiths in $aT;eeT; al-Bukhari .358
A first hadith......................................................................358
The second hadith .361
The third hadith.................................................................363
The fourth hadith .364
Applying AT;Eid narrations 367
About Abu Hurayrah 368
His uame and nickname .368
His Islam and Companiouship .369
His traits and qualities .369
His piety and worship .370
His prodigious ability to retain information .372
The Companions and scholars' praise of Abu Hurayrah 374
Those he related from and those who related from him 375
His sickness and death .376
Ahmad Ameen's accusations against Abu Hurayrah .376
Did some of the Companions criticize Abu Hurayrah 377
Abu Hurayrah did not commit his narrations to writing 383
"He would relate that which he did not hear" .384
"The Companions found fault with him
for abundantly relating too many hadiths" .388
"At times, the J::Ianafiyah forsook his hadith" .394
"Fabricators took advantage of his many narrations" .398
Abu Rayyah , , .399
Abu Hurayrah's name , ,..399
His roots and his early years 40l
His illiterateness 402
His poverty .403
The reason Abu Hurayrah accepted Islam and kept
company with the Messenger of Allah ..405
The story of his hunger and his constant
accompaniment of the Prophet... 408
His playful joking .416
"People mocked him" .419
His many hadith narrations .421
"His favoring of Bani Umayyah" , ..430
A general word about Abu Hurayrah .431
A general word about Abu Rayyah and his book. 437
SECTION THREE
The Ranking of the Sunnah in Islamic Legislation 443
Chapter Twelve
How the Sunnah Ranks with the Qur'an 445
Is the Suonah an independent legislative authority? ..450
The proofs of those who say that the rulings of the
third category are independently legislated.. , ..454
Proofs of those who deny the independent status
of the Sunnah in legislation , , .457
12 Table ofContents
The difference of opinion in this issue is superficial,
revolving simply on a choice of wording .459
Chapter Thirteen
How the Qur'an Emcompasses the Sunnah .461
Stories from the Sunnah.., .468
Chapter Fourteen
Abrogation of the Qur' an by the Sunnah and
Abrogation of the Sunnah by the Qur' an .469
Abrogation in the Qur' an .469
The Sunnah abrogated by the Qur' an , 470
Abrogation of the Qur' an by the Sunnah .472
When will we fill the gap? .475
o Enemy of Allah! We will continue to proclaim the troth 480
APPENDIX
The Four Imams and the Compilers of the Six Books 485
1 - Imam Abu l;Ianeefah .487
His lineage, birth and death 487
His formative years and schooL .487
The foundations upon which his school was established 488
The controversy surrounding him .489
The reasons for the controversy .490
What Mill and others said about hnam Abu l;Ianeefah 497
The result of the controversy , 500
Did Abu l;Ianeefah have only a small collection
of hadiths with him? .....................................................50I
Did Abu I;1aneefah give precedence to
opinion over hadith? .508
Examples of Abu I;1aneefah' s understanding
of certain hadiths .517
The study circle of Abu J::Ianeefah 520
A just word 522
2 - Imam Millik , , , .523
His life and status in knowledge .523
The principles upon which his schocj[ is founded 524
Al-Muwarrii ': Its status, hadiths and conuuentaries 525
Is al-Muwarrii' a book of fiqh or a book of hadith? 529
Dr. 'Ali's reasoning 530
3 - Imam Ash-Shafi 'ee 535
His life and status as a scholar .535
His role in defending the Sunnah .536
The foundations of his school... .537
4 - Imam A1}mad 539
His life and status as a scholar., , 539
The principles upon which his school was built... .540
The Musnad: Its ranking and hadiths .540
5 - Imam Bukhari 543
6 - Imam Muslim. .547
7 - Imam An-Nasa'i and his Sunan , .551
8 - Imam Abu Dawood and his Sunan .553
9 - Imam At-Tirmidhi and his Jami' 555
10 - Imam Ibn Majah and his Sunan 557
The ranking of his Sunnah 557
Glossary 559
Index 567
Arabic honorific symbols
used in this book
(iil) : SubiJanahu wa Ta 'ala - 'The Exalted."
~ : $alla-Allahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam - "Blessings and peace
be npon him."
('l\i1li) : 'Alayhis-Salam - "May peace be upon him."
~ : Rcujia-Allahu 'Anhu - "May Allah be pleased with him."
~ ; Rcujia-Allahu 'Anha - "May Allah be pleased with her."
Transliteration Chart
\ a
<s . T
a
'-'
b
u
t
0
Ih or t (when followed by anothe
Arabic word)
"-'
tb
C.
j
C
I;l
C
kh
,
d
:,
dh
)
r
)
z
u-"
s
,y,
sh
U'"

u.b
Q
j,
t
j;
dh
,
L
16 Transliteration Chart
t
gh
'-'
f
"
q
!.l k
J
I
i
ill
iJ n
<t...-c-....Ib
h
-'
w
-'
(as a long vowel) 00
(as a long vowel) ee

,
(Omitted in initial position)

Diphthongs:
Arabic script Pronunciation Transliterated as:
-'
' j1
Long 0, as in dough au, aw, ow
,

Long a, as in say ay, ai, ei
/
Fat!).ah a
/
Kasrah 1
,
l?ammah u
/
Shaddah Double letter
Sukoon Absence of vowel
Translator's Foreword
praise is for Allah the Exalted; may He send His
peace and blessings on Prophet Muhammad his family, and his
Companions.
Doring the last fifty years, The Sunnah and Its Role in Islamic
Legislation has been received with acclaim from scholars, from
stndents of knowledge, and from the general population of Muslims.
It has reached out to such a wide audience not just because its
message is universal, but because the author, Dr. as-Siba'ee,
has catered to every level of reader: the scholar appreciates the well-
organized, detailed, comprehensive, and academic approach taken by
the author in writing this book; the stndent of knowledge finds the
proofs and arguments he needs to increase his level of understanding;
and the truth-seeking Muslim is pleased to find that the difficult
subject-matter of this book is presented in readable and transparent
language.
Before reading this work, one might hesitate, questioning
whether some of the information found in it is outdated; after all,
some of it deals with the Orientalists and Muslim deviants of the
1940's and 50's. It is true that some sections of this work discuss
them and their ideas, yet that discussion toms out to be very timely
when we consider that Orientalists today and some Muslim deviants
who follow them proffer the same argnments that were proffered by
18 Translator's Foreword
their predecessors over half a century ago. Moreover, one appreciates
from those chapters the efforts undertaken by Shaykh As-Sibil 'ee and
some of his colleagues in preserving the anthentic teachings of Islam
in a historically significant University that was just beginning to
wane in those years. And that is important because when one sees
some of the more negative aspects of Azhar today, one appreciates its
honored past, which can be restored by the will of Allah when
true Islamic, scholarly endeavor is once again encouraged and sought
after.
The rest of the book, one will find, is timeless. Today, more
than ever, people are ignorant of the role of the Sunnah in Islamic
legislation. Throughout the world, many Muslims are ignorant about
the Sunnah - about its legislative force in our lives. For instance,
one often hears the wordlart! (obligatory) being synonymously used
with the Qur'an, and 'reCOmmended' with the Sunnah. Among
Muslims, there are many other misconceptions about the Sunnah,
which like the Qur' an, is in fact a binding source of Islamic
legislation.
In an era when organizing and classifying the knowledge of
our pious predecessors into clear and cohesive books is the job of the
Muslim author, Dr. as-Siba'ee presents perhaps the most
significant work of this century on the Sunnah, significant because of
its comprehensiveness and because of its attention to organized
details. The author covers all aspects of the Sunnah - he outlines the
historical development of the Sunnah, from the time it was mainly
transmitted through oral narrations to the time it was officially
recorded in books; he details the scholarly achievements of hadith
scholars who eradicated fabrications and in the process preserved the
authentic Sunnah; he mentions the many sciences of Hadith that
resulted from the efforts of the scholars; he discusses the views of all
groups, both from the past and the present, who attack the Sunnah
and its narrators; and then he presents irrefutable arguments to
disprove their claims. Dr. As-Sibil. 'ee ends the book with a useful
appendix wherein he discusses the four huarns, not concentrating on
their biographies, but rather on their approach to deriving rulings of
jurisprudence from the Sunnah. The methodology of each huam is
broken down, making it easy for the studeut to see why they differed
in some matters of Jurisprudence. I pray to Allah ~ to reward the
author well for this invaluable work, to have mercy on him, and to
make this work achieve at least the same level of acceptance in
English as it did in Arabic.
Translator's methodology
When IIPH first commissioned me to translate this work, I
stipulated that it had to be an abridged translation. In the origiual
Arabic, it is more than 5QO pages long. I felt that a book of that size
might, and usually does, discourage the English-speaking reader
from getting from one cover to the next. That is not to put down the
reader of English; a 500-page PhD thesis is probably fonnidable to
most readers of other languages as well.
So even before embarking on the task of translating this work,
I had a preconceived idea that I had to reduce it in size - by pruning,
getting rid of repetition, removing some of the digressions that the
author was sometimes prone to, by mentioning only a few of the
many examples resorted to in proving a point, all the while realizing
that I had to retain the gist of the author's message.
When I actually got started, I found that the task of abridging
was more difficult than I had first thought; I fell in love with the
book, appreciating it from the vantage point of a reader and student of
knowledge. Even the digressions about Azhar scholars arrested my
attention; I realized that those digressions were in fact very germane
20 Translator's Foreword
to the subject matter of the book. When the author repeated himself, I
felt that the repetition was iutended to stress a point or to highlight the
importance of an argumeut or to summarize key ideas - all of which
are valid reasons for beiug repetitive.
Therefore I found the task of pruning to be very difficult
indeed. In the end, this book is an abridgement of sorts simply
because, technically speaking, I gave the gist of what the author said
and uot a word-for-word translatiou. That being said, the translated
versiou treads a fine line between being an uuabridged translation
and an abridged translatiou. Anything I left out - and that is very
little - was so that I could make the translatiou as simple as possible
for the reader. When many examples from the Sunnah or history are
given to prove a point, I mentioned those that are easily understood
and do not need further elaboration. When the author mentioned
concepts that only Arabic-speaking people are familiar with, I
introduced those concepts with a brief definition or clarification, so
that the reader can keep up with the ideas of the book. And
sometimes, when I felt that a sunuliary could better be understood
than an entire paragraph of literal translation, I summarized. The
main portion of summarizing did not occur in the first draft; only
when I was editing the work did I do most of the summarizing, and
even that, only when I felt that it was in the best interest of the reader.
But for the most part, the book is very similar to its Arabic
counterpart. Whenever I felt that the author would not have approved
of an expurgation - and authors rarely do, but I'm sure that Islamic
authors do when they know that their readers are of another language
and would appreciate reading material that is written in a style that is
appealing in their language - I kept the text as it is in Arabic.
That is how I went about translating Shaykh as-
Sibii'ee's work. If I was correct in places, then that is from Allah
and if I erred on occasions, then that is from me and from the
Devil, and I ask that the reader supplicate for me. I pray that Allah
~ accepts and blesses this humble effort. May Allah have mercy
on the author, who strove with his pen to defend the authentic Sunnah
of the Prophet (Jil!'). 0 Allah, send prayers and salutations on
Muhanunad, his family, and his Companions.
Dedication
In the Name ofAllah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
J dedicate this work to one,
Who was compassionate to me when I was a child,
Who advised me and trained me throughout my formative years,
Who helped me acquire knowledge and supported me while I was a
student of knowledge,
Who encouraged me to call others to righteousness, making it easier
for me to bear hardships in the way of Allah,
Who was patient during hard times, thus inspiring me to do the same
while I was subjected to harsh treatment or while I was in chains
during my sojourn in prison,
Who showed me a merciful heart, lightening the intensity of the pain
I experienced through many illnesses...
To one,
Whose only longing was for me to be a link in the chain of
scholars from our family, a chain that spanned hundreds of years of
dedication to knowledge. I ask my Lord to count me as one of his
good deeds on the Day of Judgment.
24 Dedication
To,
My father, the eminent Shaykh, I;lusnee as-Sibii'ee.
I dedicate my first scholarly work to him, acknowledging his
favor and good guidance, hoping from Allah to bless me with
his company, to increase his reward, and to accept the supplication of
a dutiful son to his noble father, in accordance with Allah's
command:
(H :,1:,-:J1 ... ,
( .. And say: 'My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did
bring me up when I was (QaT'an 17: 24)
Introduction
To The
Second Edition
cAll praise is for Allah; to Him belongs all that is in the
heavens and the earth; indeed, He ~ is upon all things capable.
And may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the teacher of
mankind, Muhanunad ibn 'Abdulliih, who was given the Qur'an and
that which is similar to it. Allah ~ has clarified that obedience to
His Messenger ~ is the same as obedience to Him. The Sunnah of
the Messenger of Allah ~ is an explanation of the Qur' an and
represents the second source of legislation in Islarn. So whoever
accepts from the Messenger of Allah (JIilj) has accepted from Allah.
On the intellectual front in their battle against the truth, the
enemies of Islam generally aim to raise donbts about the Sunnah of
our Prophet ~ ; therefore, we must realize how supremely
important it is for us to be well acquainted with the Sunnah and its
role in Islamic legislation. This book goes a long way to filling the
void that has previously existed in this branch of knowledge; its
author, Dr. Mustaffi as-Sibii'ee (may Allah have mercy on him),
called it The Sunnah and Its Role in Islamic Legislation.
With Allah's blessings, this second edition has been
completed - and all praise is for Allah ~ . The author here
presents the findings of a detailed study on many issues revolving
around the Sunnah, and one will find that the contents of this book,
26 Introduction to the second edition
when considered as a whole, do justice to the title. Thoughout the
book, Dr. as-Sibil 'ee disproves the lies and doubts that are raised
about the Sunnab, refuting the enemies of the Sunnab by shedding
light on how detailed and meticulous the scholars of hadith were in
judging the authenticity of both the text of narrations and the chains
of narrators.
One might find that certain topics are discussed only briefly,
but that is because they are not closely linked to the core subject
matter of this work; the author discussed themonly inasmuch as they
had a relation to the main theme of the book.
Dr. As-Sibil'ee presents, in a clear and concise manner, the
different stages that the Sunnab went through during the earlier
centuries of Islam, and he points out the factors that led to false
claims and fabrications regarding the Sunnab in the past and present.
He then clarifies how the Sunnab was purified from fabrications and
lies through the contributions of the scholars.
With cogent arguments he refutes the claims of opponents of
the Sunnab, from the past and the present. Thoughout this work, he
not only takes the stance of a caller to Islam and a Mujiihid, but also
of an erudite and cultivated scholar. He presents an idea and then
always supports it with clear evidence.
It must be pointed out that Dr. u ~ t f i i wrote this book in
difficult circumstances, as is attested to by his brothers who were
living with him at the time in Cairo. Lacking the reference books he
needed, Dr. l l ~ t f i i was forced to go from place to place in order to
find the material he needed; moreover, circumstances were such at
the time that it was very difficult for him to meet with his teachers to
consult with them on the detailed issues of his research. At first, the
book was not printed for distribution, but was limited to a close circle
of students and scholars when the anthor handed it in as his Ph.D.
thesis at AI-Azhar University.
One of the posts he assumed during his academic career was
that of professor in the faculties of Law and Sharia. Around the time
when the first edition of this book was finally printed, Allah willed
for Dr. to become afflicted with a chronic illness; he
remained content and pleased with Allah knowing that even an
affliction is a blessing when one is sincere and patient.
The book received a warm welcome from the reading public,
especially from those who appreciated the significance of the work.
Although he became extremely weak becanse of his sickness, Dr.
Mustafa began to polish his work and add important comments, and
he continued to do so until he died - may Allah forgive him. And
although the core subject matter of the book remained his continual
preoccnpation, the reader will find here in the second edition two
appendixes. He intended to add a third, but he died before he was
able to complete it.
In these times when many co-conspirators plot against Islam,
mainly through attacks leveled against the Sunnah, The Sunnah and
Its Role in Islamic Legislation deserves any encomiumit receives, for
it goes beyond mere rhetoric in refuting those who attack the Sunnah:
it exposes their lies with convincing, logical, and conclusive
arguments.
May Allah have mercy on Professor As-Siba'ee and reward
him for his many efforts in do 'wah', perhaps the greatest of which is
this book. After a long period of waiting for researches, students, and
readers alike, AI-Maktab al-Islami has printed this second edition,
and we hope that it is added to the scale of Dr. As-Siba'ee's deeds.
1 da 'wah: calling people to accept and embrace Islam.
28 Introduction to the second edition
( ... And the close of their request will be: All praises and thanks be to
Allah, the Lord of all that (Qur'an 10: 10)
GJ)r. 3YCulwmmad eAdeeC
Introduction
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
eAnpraise is for Allah, Who has legislated rulings for His
slaves in a Clear Book and has commissioned the seal of Prophets
and Messengers, Mnhannnad - Blessings and peace be upon
him), to clarify its detailed rnlings. May the peace and salutations of
Allah be upon him, his family, his Companions - who conveyed the
revelation and were trustees of the truth, calling to the path of Allah
upon guidance - and all those who follow him until the Day of
Judgment.
We are living in an age of turmoil and strife, when peace and
justice are almost absent throughout the globe. The systems and laws
invented by human beings have yet to prove that they can solve
human society's problems - wars, societal ills, and mental malaise.
As Muslims, we believe that the world has no choice - if
happiness and peace are to be achieved - except to return to Allah's
pure and pristine teachings, which are free of distortion and change.
The message of Islam is the culmination of those teachings, for it
provides a system of laws that are suitable for every epoch and that
fulfill the needs of man in all places and times.
The Sharia of Islam - with its primary sources along with
derived rnlings of its scholars and Imams - is vast in its scope of
30 Introduction
teachings and laws, supplying a ruling for every occurrence and a
solution for every problem. It erects the scales of jnstice among
individuals, societies, and govermnents. The individuals that make
up the Muslim Nation lean toward peace when others do the same;
but they defend the honor of their faith and the true meaning of
freedom when others lean toward transgression against Islam.
The sources of Islamic legislation are preserved; they are
known and trusted by Muslims. For the most part, the Qur' an - the
first source of Islamic legislation - consists of general and universal
principles in rulings and legislations. On the other hand, the Sunnah
explains those principles, branching off from universal principles
into specific issues, a reality that is known to all who have a sufficient
background in the Sunnah. An inevitable result, then, is that the
scholars of Islam must rely - and have relied - on the Sunnah for
gaining knoWledge of Islamic rulings.
In the past, the Sunnah faced attacks froni certain sects who
ascribed themselves to Islam; today it faces attacks from Orientalists,
missionaries (of other faiths), and others whose sole purpose is to
destroy the solid foundation of Islamic legislation; unfortunately,
some writers from our Nation have been deceived into following
them in their views. However much they plot and plan, their attacks
cannot have a palpable effect when counteracted by irrefutable proofs
and dignified scholarly research.
In 1358 AHll939 CE, I met with many people from the
Muslim world who were influenced by the ideas of the Orientalists,
and I attempted to persuade them of the truth and to remove any
doubts about Islam they had in their minds. And that is what led me
to embarking on a study of the Sunnah and its role in Islamic
legislation. In presenting the findings of that study, I clarified the
stages the Sunnah went through in history as well as the efforts of the
scholars to preserve it and purify it from fabrications. Much of this
work addresses the claims of those who have attacked the Sunnah
from the past and present, in the end showing the purity and light of
the Snnnah. I concluded the work with short biographies of some of
the Scholars of Islam, particularly those who played a role in
preserving the Sunnah or in deriving Islamic legislations from it. I
have divided this book into three sections and ended it with an
appendiJc
Section One: The Meaning of the Sunnah and how it was
Transmitted and Recorded
Chapter One: The Definition of the Sunnah and the Stance of
the Companions vis-a-vis the Sunnah
Chapter Two: Fabrications - How they Originated? When?
And Why?
Chapter Three: The Efforts of the Scholars to Purify and
Authenticate the Sunnah
Chapter Four: The Fruits of their Efforts
Section Two: Opponents of the Sunnah
Chapter One: The Sunnah vis-a-vis the Shi'ah and Khawilrij
Chapter Two: The Sunnah vis-a-vis the Mu'tazilah and the
Mutakallimeen
Chapter Three: The Sunnah vis-a-vis those from the Early
Centuries who Rejected its Legislative Status
Chapter Four: The Sunnah vis-a-vis Contemporary
Personalities who Reject it
Chapter Five: The Sunnah vis-a-vis those who Reject Ahfid
Narrations
Chapter Six: The Sunnah vis-a-vis the Orientalists
32 Introduction
Chapter Seven: The Snnnah vis-ii-vis Certain Contemporary
Writers
Section Thee: The Sunnah's Ranking in Islamic
Legislation
Chapter One: The Ranking of the Sunnah in Relation to the Qur' an
Chapter Two: How does the Qur'an Encompass the SUlI1lah?
Chapter Three: The Sunnah Abrogating the Qur'an and the Qur'an
Abrogating the Sunnah
Appendix: Biographies of Some of the Great Mujtahideen and
Hadith Scholars of Islam:
1. Imam Abu I:Ianeefah
2. Imam Malik
3. Imam Ash-Shilfi 'ee
4. Imam Al;1mad
5. Bukhari
6. Muslim
7. An-Nasi!'i
8. Abu Dawood
9. Tinnidhi
10. Ibn Majah
I ask Allah to protect me from falling into error, to bless
me with guidance, to open for me the treasures of His mercy, and to
make us fromthose who listeu to what is said and then follow the best
of it. And all praise is for Allah, Lord of all that exists.
GJ)r. as-$ita'ee
Preface
~ l praise is for Allah, Lord of all that exists. 0 Allah,
send prayers and salutations upon Muhammad, his family, his
Companions, and all those who have carried in the past, who carry
now, and who will carry until the Day of Judgment, the banner of the
Sunnah. The book before you is my Ph.D. thesis, which I submitted
to the faculty of Sharia at Azhar University in the year 1949; based on
it, I achieved my doctorate in Fiqh, U ~ o o l and the History ofIslamic
Legislation. Since that time until only recently, I have desisted from
publishing the work. I refrained from doing so for a number of
reasons, the most important of which were the difficult circumstances
I found myself in when I wrote this book. Not to go into details about
those circumstances, I wish only to stress here that I was forced to
summarize many of the important topics that are discussed in this
work. I always wanted to expand on them and thus add to the benefit
of my research, and one way I intended to do that was to add other
topics that are related to the subject matter of the book. However, due
to extenuating circumstances, I never found the time to realize that
ambition.
Some of the chapters of this book have already appeared, in
short form, in some Islamic magazines in Cairo, Damascus, as well as
elsewhere. Many readers wrote to me, asking me to publish those
chapters; however, I delayed, waiting for a time when I would be free
to realize my hopes of adding to the work and ofrefining areas that
called for refinement. But then A4wa 'Alas-Sunnah al-
Muhammadiyah, by Muhammad Abu Rayyah, was published.
34 Preface
Because it consists of an unmitigated attack on the Sunnah and on its
narrators, my friends and colleagues insisted that this work be
published, and they were right in saying that a work of this nature is
needed to counteract the effects of Abu Rayyah's book and to expose
the falsehood he attempts to disseminate. So now I am giving this
work to the printers, leaving its contents unchanged, except for that
which I added in the discussion on Abu Hurayrah ~ . I do hope
that - when my health gives me an opportunity - I will be able to
put into action the hopes I had in improving this work, inshfi' Allah.
Points to consider about Abu Rayyah's book
Any Muslim with even a rudimentary knowledge of Islam
knows the role of the Prophet's Sunnah in Islamic legislation and the
influence it had on Islamic jurisprudence, from the time of the
Prophet ~ and the Companions until the era of the Mujtahid
Imams, and finally until the formation and development of the
famous schools of jmisprudence. The Sunnah plays a major role in
making Islamic jurisprudence a treasury of laws, which, among the
systems of laws in the world, are unparalleled in their superlative
qualities. Whoever is acquainted with the Book
2
and the Sunnah,
knows that the Sunnah has had the greater role in widening the scope
of legislation in Islam and in making it a timeless set of laws -
suitable for every age, epoch, and region. And every Muslim scholar
recognizes this distinction.
Throughout history, the enemies of Islam have attacked the
Sunnah and have attempted to raise doubts about its validity as a
proof in Islam. Furthermore, they have always attempted to raise
2 Whenever "the Book" with the capital B is used, the intended meaning is
the Qur'an.
doubts about the truthfulness of the narrators and compilers of the
Sunnah, focusing their attacks on the Companions and Tabi'oon.
Whenever an opportunity presented itself, different groups, who had
in common their hatred of Islam, joined ranks to further their
common objectives. That sort of alliance exists even this day: the
OrientaIists and others who have similar objectives work in
cooperation.
Theirs (that is, the enemies ofIslam) is a sequence and chain of
efforts, which has not broken off for over fourteen centuries. And
they will continne to promote their aims as long as Islamand the truth
have enemies. Those enemies act with blind fanaticism, for they are
committed to the goal of destroying everything that is attached to the
Qur' an and the Sunnah as well as to the goal of maligning every
bearer of the Prophet's flag.
Yet we do not doubt that today's battIe will end in the same
manner as yesterday's battIes ended - with the defeat of Islam's
enemies, with an exposition of their hidden and wicked scbemes.
Islam will remain like an impenetrable fortress simply becanse the
battIe in question is one between Islam and its enemies, between the
truth and desire, between knowledge and ignorance, between nobility
and malice, and between light and darkness. One of the Sunan
3
of
Allah in this life is this - truth, knowledge, nobility, and light
always come out in the end as victors.
~ a y We fling [send down] the truth [this Qur'an] against the
falsehood [disbelief!, so it destroys it, and behold, it [falsehood] is
vanished.. ) (Qur'an 21: 18)
3 Plural of Sunnah.
36 Preface
It is most unfortunate to see that many Muslims have
unwittingly fallen into the trap set for them by the enemies of Islam
- mainly the OrientaIists and some Western historians. It is not that
we doubt the sincerity of those Muslims; rather, we simply say that
they have been deceived by the guise ofscholarly research, which the
enemies of Islam use as a front for their nefarious activities. In the
end, such Muslims form the same conclusions and ideas that the
Orientalists promote. Those ideas lead them to raising doubts about
Islam, about the Sunnah, and about the narrators who conveyed the
Sunnah. Thus the enemies of Islam and some Muslims stand on the
same platform, working side by side with the same agenda.
It is clear that some Muslims have become ensnared in their
traps for one of four reasons:
1. They are ignorant of the realities of our Islamic heritage as well as
of its pure sources and pristine teachings.
2. They have been deceived by the "scholarly research" that the
enemies of Islam claim for themselves.
3. They desire fame, wanting to give the appearance of free and
libertarian thought, after having freed themselves from the shackles
of blind following which they attribute to Islam.
4. They are driven by deviation and desire and find no way to express
their feelings except by hiding behind the shield of OrientaIists and
misguided Western authors who write about Islam.
Based on at least one of the reasons just mentioned, Abu
Rayyah wrote Atj,wfi 'AI as-Sunnah al-Muhammadiyah. As I was
perusing his book, I noticed that whenever his opinion was different
from that of the majority of Muslim scholars, the books and sources
he cited and relied upon did not go beyond the following sources:
1. The opiuions of Mu'tazili Imams, which he cited from their books.
2. The opmlOns held by extreme elements among the Shi 'ah,
opinions that they proclaimed in their books.
3. The opinions held by the Orientalists, which they disseminated in
their books and pnblications.
4. Stories that are mentioned in books of literature, books that do not
contain historically anthentic narrations.
5. Deeply embedded desires in the heart of Abu Rayyah, which he
seems to have been nurturing for a number of years.
And whenever he does quote from reliable sources, he does
one of the following:
- What he is quoting from a source is not what the author of that
reference intended, and so, Abu Rayyah gives knew meaniug - his
own meaning - to the words of the author.
- He quotes facts that are accepted by Muslims scholars; bowever,
their understanding of those facts is completely different from his
understanding, and so he mentions them to make the readers think
that those scholars and he are in agreement as regards his overall
conclusions.
- He often quotes only a selected sectiou of a text, neglecting to
mention the rest of that text, wherein the author expresses his full
view.
- He sometimes quotes authors who themselves are quoting the
Mu'tazilah, but then he ascribes that quote to the authors instead of to
the Mu'tazilah. For example, he quoted Ibn Qutaybah as making a
certain statement, but were one to refer to Ibn Qutaybah's book, one
would find that that statement was not his, but instead was a
statement that he was quoting from someone else.
- He often uses the names of reliable scholars to support his claims,
38 Preface
when in reality those scholars never said anything to promote,
corroborate, or give any credence whatsoever to his claims.
But now let us move on to mention the reference books' that
Abu Rayyah relies heavily upon, those reference books that represent
the source and inspiration of his work.
(In :rL:.;'lI1 OJ..... )
... And certainly, the devils do inspire their friends [some humans]
to dispnte with you.. ) (Qur'an 6: 121)
1. Al- 'Arab Qabl ai-Islam, by Jrnjee Zaydan
2. AI-lfa4arah al-Islamiyah, by Kramer
3. Al-Maseehiyah fil-Islam, by Qays Ibriiheem Lucas
4. As-Siyadah al- 'Arabiyah, by van Fluton
5. Da'iratul-Ma'arif al-Isllimiyah, by a group of Orientalist writers
6. lfaqaratul-Isllim fee Darus-Salam, by Ibriiheem al-Yiizijjee
7. History of the Arabs, by Philip K. Hitty
8. Introduction to Islamic Theology and Law, by Ignaz Goldziher
9. Tareekh ash-Shu 'oob al-Islamiyah, by Karl Brockleman
10. Tareekh at-Tamaddun al-Islami, by Jrnjee Zaydan
II. Wijhatul-Islam, by a group of Orientalists
4 The original names of these writers and titles of their books were transliterated
by the author into Arabic, and some spellings and titles in English or other
European languages could not be verified. (Editor)
At the end of the book, Abu Rayyah proudly says that he used
the most cogent of proofs to establish his findings and that he used
reliable sources that are above all doubt and suspicion, when in
reality doubt mingles in the heart of any Muslim who reads them. In
the following sections, we will discuss the five major sources from
which he derived his ideas.
He described the Mu'tazilee scholars that he often quoted from
as possessing wonderfully lucid minds. One finds - as We did in a
chapter of this book - that the Mu'tazilah are of two groups: one
group among them reject the Snnnah in its entirety, while the other
group stipulates such impossible conditions for accepting a narration
from the Snnnah that they, for all effective purposes, reject the
Sunnah as well. We mention in a chapter of this book that the leaders
of their movement - especially those who vilified the Companions
- were very weak in their religion. We know that one of them,
Thumamah Ibn Ashras, said about those who hasten to the prayer
that, 'they are all donkeys'. They were a nationalistic group who
hated Arabs. Thumamah once said, "Look at what this Arab [he was
referring to Muhammad ~ did with the people." If that is what he
said about the Prophet (:i:&), then what can we expect from him
regarding the Companions? And what can we expect his view on the
Sunnah to be?
The Mu'tazilah, as a group, are enamored by Greek
philosophy and logic as well as by Indian philosophy and Persian
literliture. Most of them would iuterpret the Qur' an in such a way as
to hannonize between it and Greek philosophy. They outright
rejected hadiths that did not agree with polytheistic, Greek ideology.
They considered Greek philosophers to be the prophets of the mind,
prophets who were infallible in their ideas and judgments. It was
between those Mu'tazilee scholars and the majority of the Muslim
scholars that a clash of ideas and ideology took place. Abu Rayyah
40 Preface
described those Mu'tazilee leaders as being scholars and men of high
intellect, whereas he disparages the Imams and jurists of Islam,
scholars such as Malik, Shiifi'ee, Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn al-Musayyib,
and others. It is also clear from Abu Rayyah' s writings that he higWy
praised those leaders and rulers wbo tortured and incarcerated
Muslim Imams and jurists. Though most of his ideas are taken from
the likes of those leaders, he often resorts to duplicity, ascribing his
views to accepted Muslims scholars, when in reality those scholars
never dealt with his views except to refute them.
Before we talk about Abu Rayyah's reliance on Shi'ah
sources, I feel that it is important to preface our discussion with a
brief historical overview. We feel as much pain as we do sadness
when we read about the dispute that occurred between 'Ali ~ and
Mu'awiyah ~ over the caliphate as well as about the ripple effects
of that dispute, which continue to affect us until this very day. I do
not doubt in the least that the Jews as well as many foreigners, whose
lands were conquered by the Muslims, played a great role in igniting
the fires of those tribulatious and then in broadening the scope of
differences among Muslims, resorting for the most part to duplicity,
to evil plotting, and to fabricatiug lies against the Messenger of Allah
~ . Throughout history, the majority of Muslims - I am referring
here to the people of the Sunnah - have been most just and noble
when it came to speaking about the Companions of the Messenger of
Allah ~ ; after all, it was those Companions whom Allah ~
praised in His Book, when He (iIfit) mentioued their worthy migration
and their support for the Prophet ~ . That the Companions changed
to an evil state after the death of the Prophet ~ , as is claimed by the
Shi 'ah, is not conceivable, nor is it consistent with the honor and
superiority of Allah's Religion. Were you to read what they write as
well as what they say in their gatherings about the Companions, you
would think that the Shi'ah represeut a group of base criminals, who
have neither religion nor conscience to prevent themfromfalling into
ignominy. Despite what the Shi 'ah say, history establishes that the
Companions were more righteous in their lives and loftier in their
virtues than any other generation known to humankind. Furthermore,
we know that Islam did not spread to the different regions of the
world except at their hands and through their efforts and through their
sacrifices in the way of Allah ~ and in the way of the truth that
they believed in.
As regards our differences in the past, which were a result of
disputes over the caliphate, we have to understand that for a very long
time now, since we have become shackled in the chains of
colonialism, we no longer have a caliphate to fight over. This
requires from us that we cooperate with one another, that we narrow
the gap between us, that we unite the Muslims upon the truth, and, in
order to mend our past differences, that we look with a critical eye at
those fabricated hadiths that were used to vilify the Companions of
the Messenger of Allah (iI!!;).
In response to the demands of the masses, scholars of the
Sunnah have taken practical steps to narrowing that gap; they have
taken it upon themselves to study Shi'ah jurisprudence, comparing it
with their own accepted schools. This kind of comparative study has
been introduced into the curriculum of some universities as well as
into the books of many Muslim writers.
However, most scholars of the Shi 'ah have not taken any
practical steps until now to do the same. The most they have done is
to give the appearance of tolerance in conferences and gatherings; in
reality, though, many of them persist in cursing the Companions and
in speaking about them in an evil manner. They persist in believing
the lies and fabrications that are related in the books of their
predecessors. You will find that, while one of their scholars
ostensibly shows support for narrowing the gap between the people
42 Preface
of the Sunnah and the Shi 'ah, he at the same time writes a book that is
full of accusations and lies against the Companions.
In 1953, I visited 'Abdul-Husain Sharaf ad-Deen, in Tyre.
With him were seated some Shi 'ah scholars. We began to talk about
prevailing conditions in Muslim lands, and we agreed that the Shi'ah
and the people of the Sunnah should cooperate with one another in
the hope of alleviating the plight of many Muslims. During that
gathering, 'Abdul-Husain showed a great deal of enthusiastic
approval for the propositions we were putting forward. In the end, it
was agreed that a conference should be held between scholars of the
Suunah and scholars of the Shi' ah for the very purpose of bringing
about a practical cooperation between both groups. However, after
only a short period of time, I was shocked to see that 'Abdul-Husain
had just authored a book, which he filled with curses against Abu
Hurayrah ~ .
I was tmly amazed at the disparity between 'Abdul-Husain's
claims and between his actions, actions that did not in the least point
to a sincere desire to establishing some form of cooperation between
both groups and to erasing bitter memories from the past. I witnessed
a similar attitude from many other Shi 'ah scholars. Although they
profess to desire harmony between both groups, Shi 'ah scholars
continue to portray the Companions in an evil light, because the goal
of narrowing the gap between the people of the Sunnah and the
Shi'ah, to them, is nothing more than bringing the people of the
Sunnah closer to the beliefs of the Shi' ah.
While Shi 'ah scholars will launch an unmitigated attack
against any author from the people of the Sunnah who writes a
detailed history of hadith compilation, saying that the author is
creating barriers between Shi 'ah and Sunni, they see nothing wrong
in books, such as the one written by 'Abdul-Husain, in which one of
the most trusted narrators of hadith is being vilified and depicted as a
liar. They do not perceive that such books are iu fact the main barriers
that prevent us from reaching an understanding.
Shi'ab scholars do not limit themselves to attacking Abu
Hurayrab ~ ; rather, there are books printed in Iraq and Iran, in
which the Mother of the Believers, '.A:ishab ~ , is portrayed as
being evil, and in which many other Companions are treated in a
similar manner, which no person who has a conscience can bear to
read. Abu Rayyab's book is a clear example of what we are
discussing here, for in it, this stance ofthe Shi'ab is represented.
I, among other scholars who count themselves among the
people of the Suunab, have written about the history of Hadith
compilation, yet I have not done injustice to any person who is
honored by the Shi'ab, in the sense that we love 'Ali ~ and revere
him for his ranking in Islam, for his knowledge, and for his virtoes;
similarly, we love and revere the Prophet's family. But now we are
waiting for the Shi 'ab to do the same justice to other Companions, so
that we can meet upon common ground.
In some sections of this work, I briefly discuss those
Orientalists who formed Abu Rayyab's ideas; however, I wrote those
chapters before I visited many European universities in 1956, when I
had a chance to meet with them in person and to discuss with them
their views. Through the experience of meeting them in person, I am
now surer than ever that they represent a grave danger to our Islamic
heritage, and that is because their hearts are filled with hate and
rancor against Islam, Arabs, and Muslims,
When I landed in Europe, the fIrst scholar I met with was
Professor James Andersou, Dean of one of the law faculties that
specialized in affairs of the Muslim world, at the University of
London. He had graduated with a degree in theology from the
University of Cambridge, and during World War II, he had been a
44 Preface
soldier in the British army, stationed in Egypt. From my long
discussion with the professor, I learned much of the deeply
embedded prejudice he had in his heart against Islam. But here, I
mention a simple example only, which he related to me himself. He
had a student removed from the University for one reason only, and
that was because his thesis was entitled, The Rights of Women in
Islam. hI that paper, the student had established that Islam gives a
Muslim woman all of her rights. I asked the professor why he had
dismissed the student, pointing out to him that Western schools claim
to promote freedom of thought. He said, "The student said: Islam
gives such and such rights to women and Islam has given women
such and such status... and is he the official spokesman for Islam? Is
he Abu I;Ianeefah or Sh&fi 'ee who has the right to do that?" This was
the kind of inane reasoning I wituessed from many other professors
that I met with.
At the University of Edinburgh, the Orientalist who was the
Dean of the Facnlty of Islamic Studies was a Christian priest. And the
Dean of Arabic studies in Glasgow was also a priest who had been a
missionary in Palestine for almost twenty years. In Oxford, the Dean
of Islamic Studies was a Jew who previously worked for the British
Secret Service in Libya during the Second World War. When I met
with him, I asked him what reference books he used for his
curriculum, and he told me that he used the books of the Orientalists,
for the main part books written by Ignaz Goldziher, D.S.
Margoliouth, and Josef Schacht. As for Cambridge, the Dean of
Arabic and Islamic studies was an Orientalist who specialized in the
Arabic language only. His name was Ariri.
s
At one point in our
conversation he admitted, "We - the Orientalists - make many
errors in our research about Islam. And we must not delve into this
5 The original name of this person was transliterated by the author into Arabic,
and its spelling in English could not be verified. (Editor)
field, for you - the Muslim Arabs - are more able than us to carry
out that research."
And in Manchester, England, I met with Professor J. Robson,
whose views for the most part are in agreement with Orientalists that
are known for their fulminations against Islam. I tried to convince
him that Orientalist studies in the past were biased and as a result,
were prone to faulty logic and erroneous conclusions. I pointed out
the many errors in the claims of Goldziher, claims that were
inconsistent with historical facts. He politely asseuted, saying that he
did hope to improve on the works of his predecessors.
In the University of Leyden, in Holland, I met with the Jewish
Orientalist, Josef Schacht, who in those days, was the flag-bearer of
Goldziher's message, a message that is wrought with distortions,
misrepresentations, and twisting of facts, behind which he aimed at
bringing down the foundation of Islamic legislation. I pointed out to
Schacht the many errors of Goldziher's books, first beginning with
his misrepresentation of Imam Az-Zuhri. Together we looked
through reference books, and Schacht said, "You are right, Goldziher
did make a mistake here." I said, "Is it simply a mistake?" He flared
up in anger and said, "Why do you accuse him?" I presented proof
after proof, showing that Goldziher was wrong in many issues. As I
was talking, Schacht noticeably became more and more enraged, and
he refused to change his opinions in the least. It is interesting to note
that Schacht wrote a bookabout the history ofIslamic legislation; it is
filled with distortions and lies, proving that he followed the same
methodology as his teacher, Goldziher.
During my voyage, I was able to meet with many other
professors from Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Fiuland,
Germany, Switzerland, and France. From my discussions and
meetings with all of those professors, the following points became
clear to me:
46 Preface
1. Among Orientalists, you will rarely find one who is not a priest, a
colonialist, or a Jew.
2. Orientalists in non-colonialist countries, such as the Scandinavian
countries, are less extreme in their views when compared with
Orientalists in colonial countries.
3. In non-colonialist countries, contemporary Orientalists are willing
to forsake the views of Goldziher as soon as the truth regarding his
evil objectives become clear to them.
4. In a general sense, Orientalismis being spread through the church.
In colonialist nations, the church and the foreign ministry work side-
by-side, lending one another full cooperation.
5. Colonial countries such as Britain and France see Orientalist
activities as being a tool they can use to attack Islam and to malign
the reputation of Muslims.
The two most influential Orientalists in France today, Leon
Bercher and Louis Massignon, work in the French foreign ministry as
experts on Arab and Muslim affairs. And as we have seen,
Orientalism is well accepted in British universities, such as the
Universities of Oxford, London, Cambridge, Edinburgh, and
Glasgow. The Deans of Islamic Studies in those universities are not
Muslims, but rather they are Jews, British colonialists, or
missionaries. They are bent on keeping the books of Goldziher,
Margoliouth, and Schacht the primary reference books of their
faculties. If an Arab or a Muslim wishes to complete his thesis for his
Ph.D., those in authority in the University will never permit him to do
justice to Islam in his paper, nor will they allow him to speak against
their ideals - that is how they apply the freedom of speech they so
fervidly promote in their speeches.
Dr. Mohammed Ameen, a graduate of Azhar University, told
me that he was appalled by how the Orientalists, especially Schacht,
distorted the teachings ofIslam, and so he decided to make the topic
of his thesis a criticism of Schacht's book. He told Professor
Anderson what he wanted to do, hoping that, as the supervisor of the
faculty, he would approve of the topic, but of course, he refused.
When Muhammad lost hope at the University of London, he went to
Cambridge and proposed the same topic for his Ph.D. thesis.
However, he was plainly told that if he wanted to pass, it was better
for him not to write negatively about Schacht, because the University
would never allow that to happen. He then changed his topic to The
Standard ofHadith Criticism among the Scholars ofHadith. Finally,
they approved his topic, and he was able to gain his degree.
This, in short, is what I found through my,own investigations
about the Orientalists. I found that the books and opinions of
Goldziher play a most important role in influencing and guiding
Orientalists of today, and so I dedicated an entire chapter of this book
to refuting his lies and distortions.
It is unfortunate to see that students of the Muslimworld are to
a great extent forced to enter English-language universities, and
students of Islamic studies, not knowing the Arabic language, are
limited to English-language sources. The same Orientalists we have
just spoken of have written most of the books about Islam that are
available in English and other European languages, and so Muslim
students in Islamic universities unwittingly accept what they say as
being the truth, especially since those authors claimto be taking from
Muslim sources.
It is therefore crucial for our Arabic universities to plan and to
establish some branches of our universities abroad and also to put
together a curriculum in English, so that students can not only
achieve their Ph.D. degrees while they study through the English
medium, but can also learn the correct teachings ofIslam. I think that
that will serve to encourage many Muslim students to study in our
48 Preface
countries as opposed to universities from the West, and in that way
they will have protected themselves from the propaganda and lies
spread by the Orientalists and colonialists.
Muslim students are not alone in this regard, for a number of
Muslim writers have also been deceived by the Orientalists in
general, and by the Jewish Orientalist, Goldziher, in particular.
Ahmad Ameen is one of them, and I have dedicated a chapter of this
book to discussing his views. 'Ali Hasan 'Abdul-Qadir is another
example. When I was a student, studying in the second year of my
degree program, 'Abdul-Qadir was assigned to teach us a class on the
History of Islamic Legislation. He had just recently completed his
studies in Germany, where he received his Ph.D. degree from the
Faculty of Philosophy. He began his first lecture with approximately
the following words: 'I will teach you the history of Islamic
Legislation, but upon a scholarly way that knows no precedent in
Azhar University. I acknowledge before you that I have studied in
Azhar for approximately fourteen years, without gaining a true
understanding of Islam. I only understood Islam when I studied it in
Germany.'
We were amazed at his words and we said among ourselves,
"Let us hear what our teacher says, for perhaps he does have
something worthwhile to teach us about Islam, even though he says
that it is something new to Azhar." He began his lesson with the
history of the Prophet ~ , and he was dictating from a huge volume
he had before him, which we later found out to be Muslim Studies, by
Goldziher. Our professor would quote Goldziher's words and then
comment on them as if they were established scholarly facts. We
often protested, but he refused to go against Goldziher's view in any
matter whatsoever. Soon he came upon the section wherein
Goldziher accused Imam Az-Zuhri, the Imam of the Sunnah, of
having fabricated hadiths for the Banu Umayyah rulers. We debated
the issue with him, and just from geueral knowledge I had gained, I
pointed out Imam Az-Zuhri's status as a trusted scholar of hadith,
who, among the scholars, was above snspicion. However, Abdul-
Qiidir did not budge in his view; he remained intransigent in the face
of all argument and reasoning. I went to the library and sifted through
any book I could get my hands upon in which Imam Az-Zuhri was
discussed. My research about the Imam continued for three months;
every night after I left the faculty, I would continue that research until
the late hours of the night. After I had gleaned a good amount of
authentic information, I said to the Professor, "It has become clear to
me that Goldziher has distorted many facts that pertain to Az-Zuhri."
Without even considering the proofs I had before me, he simply
answered, "That is not possible, for the Orientalists - especially
Goldziher - are a group of just scholars, who would never distort
texts or facts!"
At this point, I decided to deliver a lecture on the topic. Upon
reserving an auditorium, I sent invitation cards to the scholars and
students of Azhar, among whom was 'Abdul_Qadir, for his presence
I especially desired. He graced us with his presence and I noticed that
he carefully listened to the entire lecture, which revolved on the
writings of Goldziher, bnt more specifically, on what he wrote about
Imam Az-Zuhri. In my final words, I said, "This is my opinion
regarding the topic and this is the opinion of our scholars about Imam
Az-Zuhri. If our teacher, Dr. 'Abdul-Qadir, disagrees with anything I
have said, then I hope that he is willing to discuss the issue now." He
stood up and proclaimed in a loud voice, "I admit that I had not
known who Az-Zuhri was until now, and I object to nothing that you
have said."
The above-mentioned incident between 'Abdul-Qadir and me
was the reason why I wrote this book. I think that Dr. 'Abdul-Qadir
did change his opinion in the end, realizing that the Orientalists were
not honorable and trustworthy in their research.
50 Preface
Abu Rayyah is the third author from the Muslim nation who I
found to be influenced by Goldziher. I sincerely hope that he reads
this book with the desire to seek out the truth, and perhaps, inshfi'
Allah,
6
he will retract many of the views that he expounded in Aqwa'
'AI as-Sunnah al-Muhammadiyah.
Some final words about the Orientalists
Since the end of the crusades, or if you will, since the time
when the crusaders met with military and political failures, the West
has continually sought to exact revenge against Islam and its
adherents through other means. The first strategy they resorted to was
to stody Islam and then to present its teachings in a negative light.
And no sooner did Muslim countries begin to suffer economically,
politically, militarily, and intellectually than did the West decide to
control Muslim lands through the use of power. They seized control
of country after country, and as soon as the West gained control over
most Muslim lands, they began to study Islam more vigorously in
order to justify their colonial ambitions. In the last century they were
able to study and research Islamic civilization from many
perspectives - for example, from religious, historical, and societal
perspectives. However, they did not arrive at the truth in their
research, mainly for two reasons:
First, many political and military leaders in Europe were driven by
religious fanaticism. When the Allies entered Jerusalem in World
War I, Lord Allenby said his famous words, "Now the crusades have
truly come to an end." As for religious fanaticism, its effects are still
felt in much that is written by Westeru writers about Islam. When we
find that a Western writer has done justice to Islamin his research, we
6 Allah willing.
will more often than not find that he is one who has forsaken not only
Christianity, but all forms of religion as well. The most prominent
example in this regard is the book The Civilization of the Arabs by
Gustave Le Bon, for it is perhaps the most unbiased book authored by
a Western writer who wrote about Islam and its civilization.
Gustave Le Bon
7
is a philosopher who rejects all religions. For
that reason and because he is fair to Islam, Western scholasticism
ignores his research, considering it to be of no value. Without a
doubt, he is perhaps one of the more eminent scholars of history and
sociology in the 19th century, yet for the reasons mentioned above,
Western scholars disparage him.
Second, material as well as intellectual prosperity achieved by the
West in the 18th and 19th centuries has had the effect of instilling a
great deal of pride and haughtiness in the hearts of their scholars,
writers, and historians. They go as far as to claim that, with the
exception of the Egyptians, they represent the root of all civilizations.
They claim that the Western mind is one that is precise and is able to
think logically. As for other peoples, especially Muslims, their minds
are simple and slow. They base their judgments on what they
witnessed from the weak popnlace that they colonized, weak in their
ignorance and in their backwardness.
When we came into close contact with Western civilization at
the beginning of this century, with the exception of scholars of the
Sharia, Muslim intellectuals could not compete with Western
scholars in presenting their heritage in the form of organized and
lucid scholarly research, for ancient books of our civilization are
disorganized when compared to the ordered scholarly work of
7 Gustave Le Bon (1841-1931) was a French social scientist and philosopher.
Originally trained as a physician, Le Bon's primary contribution was in
sociology, where he developed major theories on crowd behavior. (Editor)
52 Preface
Western writers. As for our heritage, it was the Orientalists who
dedicated their lives to studying our culture, our treasury of books,
and our civilization. It is not an exaggeration to say that one of them
would spend 20 years in writing a book on a very specific topic
related to our history, and during that research, he would refer to any
reference book he could get his hands on from the works of our early
scholars.
Because of their continual efforts and because of their total
dedication to colonial and religious ambitions, they were able to
organize their research about our civilization in such a way as amazed
our own intellectuals, especially when our intellectuals compared the
order and methodology of their books with the disorder and lack of
methodology in ours. They hastened to accept and take from
Orientalist books, being deceived into thinking that their knowledge
was vast, and moreover, being deceived into thinking that they only
spoke the truth. They felt that Orientalists followed a precise set of
principles in their scholarly research, from which they never
deviated. And this is how some Muslims came to trust the research
and studies carried out by Orientalists.
Those intellectuals who readily accepted the views of
Orientalists did not refer to the same Islamic reference sources that
the Orientalists referred to, either because,
- They found it difficult to get their hands on those sources
- They desired a quick road to scholarly achievement
- Or their desires led them to want to bring forth ideas that are
contrary to what is accepted in religious or scholarly circles in
Muslim lands, i.e., they desired notoriety.
For a period of time, a feeling of weakness and insiguificance
overwhelmed many among us; some of us lost trust in ourselves due
to our being in awe of Western researchers. But as soon as we were
able to shed off the shackles ofpolitical subjugation, we began to feel
that it was necessary to achieve intellectual independence as well,
and we began to feel the 1rue value of our heritage and civilization.
We even began to feel ashamed for our previous attitudes and for the
way in which we depended totally on Orientalists to leam about our
own heritage, beliefs, and legislations. lbis new consciousness
penueated the ranks of religious scholars as well as scholars from
other fields. We discerned that the Orientalists had an agenda that
consisted of religious as well as colonial objectives. Though we have
not achieved as much as we had hoped to achieve in tenus of that
independence, we continue to work and strive, by the will of Allah
~ .
The day will come, inshd' Allah, when the tables will be
turned and we will study Western heritage, producing criticism of
their religion, their sciences, and their civilization. At that time, our
children and grandchildren will use the same principles of criticism
that Western scholars themselves invented, in order to study Western
civilization, and in order to show the decadence and disintegration of
Western society.
If we were to use Western standards of scholarly research in
criticizing historical and sacred books of Western civilization, we
would certainly prove them to be of questionable worth and
authenticity. If we were to use the same principles in criticizing their
civilization and culture as they use in criticizing our history, I am sure
that we would arrive at results that would be highly unfavorable to
them. I often wish that our scholars had the time and resources to
study Western civilization in the same detail and depth that Western
scholars study our civilization. Perhaps that would make Western
scholars feel ashamed of the distortions and lies they resort to when
they attack Islam and Muslims.
At any rate, I feel that we must no longer depend on
Orientalists to leam our religion and our past, for the reference books
54 Preface
they rely on are none other than the books of our predecessors, even
though we have hitherto been ignorant of them. If there remains any
Muslim who is still under the spell of Orientalist research, then let
him read this book and others like it that expose the plots and lies of
the Orientalists.
But if we are to be severe with those who distort the truth, then
we must be just and fair with those who are just and fair, for
knowledge is not held as a monopoly by a single nation. Islam is
Allah's religion for all of humankind; it is therefore not possible that
only one nation or group of people understands it to the exclusion of
others. Anyone can, by the will of Allah, understand it, provided that
one adorns himself with the qualities of the true scholars - justice,
integrity, and a sincere desire to leam and then to disseminate the
truth. Let us read what Gustave Le Bon wrote
8
in The Civilization of
the Arabs:
"The reader may then ask, why do present-day scholars deny (and
attempt to hide) the contribution of the Arabs even though those
scholars give, at least in appearance, more importance to freedom of
thought and expression than to any religious principle? I asked
myself this question as well, and the only answer I can find is that our
freedom of thought is limited to outward appearance only, and that
we are not truly free to think as we wish to think upon certain issues.
Anyone of us is composed of two personalities: the first is formed
through study and intellectual pursuits, while the second is formed by
biased and intransigent thinking that has its source in the works of
our fathers and grandfathers... The truth is that the followers of
8 Due to the fact that Le Bon, like the other European scholars mentioned by
the author, wrote not in Arabic but in a European language, the words in this
'quote', and the others like it in this book, are not his own, but the translator's
rendition of the words of the Arab scholar who had originally rendered the
meaning of the French-language text into Arabic. (Editor)
Muhammad have remained bitter enemies of Europe for a number of
centuries. When they have not instilled terror into us with their
weapons... they have humiliated us with the superiority of their
civilization. And it is only yesterday that we have freed ourselves
from their penetration. Through inheritance from our forebears, we
have accumulated a great deal of myths about Islam and Muslims, to
the extent that the animosity we feel toward them has become a deep-
rooted instinctive feeling, such as is the deep-rooted malice that the
Jews have for the Christians, which is hidden sometimes, but which
always runs deep. Compounded with our inherited myths (against
Islam) are the myths that tell us that Greek and Latin alone are the
sources of knowledge and manners from the past. Fromthese factors,
it is easy to understand our general disregard for the great
contribution of the Arabs in the civilization of Europe... "
Moving on to Muslims who are disciples of the Orientalists,
we must give consideration - only because he thrust himself upon
us - to Abu Rayyah and his writings. When one thinks of Abu
Rayyah, the question arises, what sources did he depend on to arrive
at his conclusions, which, for the most part, are contrary to the views
of most Muslims? In lfikfiyat, Abu Rayyah relies on books of
literature to establish historical facts. Whereas he rejects all that is
related by the Imams of Hadith and fiqh, he readily accepts from
books that were not written for the purpose of relating the
biographies of important historical figures, but rather were written to
provide anecdotes and stories for people to amuse themselves in their
gatherings. Although that was the purpose of those books, Abu
Rayyah uses what is written in them as proofs to establish a
dangerous claim, one that attacks the very foundations of Islamic
legislation. We must ask ourselves, is this a dignified and honest and
scholarly approach to any academic research? Or is Abu Rayyah
simply following the methodology of his predecessor, Goldziher,
56 Preface
who rejected all that was in al-Muwarra', by Mill, wbile he
accepted all that he found in lfaydt al-lfayawan, by Ad-Dumairee?
It is a known and accepted fact among our scholars that
knowledge of hadith is not taken from books of jurisprudence, from
books of tafseer
9
, or from books of literature, simply because every
branch of knowledge has sources and reference books that are
particular to it. Also agreed upon by scholars is that knowledge of
history may only be taken from authentic, trusted sources. So when
one establishes occurrences from sources that are not trustworthy, his
research is of no scholarly value, and moreover he has no place
among the honored scholars.
Then what can we say about Abu Rayyah, who has delved into
a most dangerous topic in an attempt to destroy the reputation of a
man who, for fourteen centuries, from the time of the Companions
until our present time, has had an honored and high status in the
hearts of millions, some among whom are revered scholars. And in
that research, Abu Rayyah relies on Thimar al-Quloob, by Ath-
Tha'aIibee; Maqdmdt Badee' az-Zaman, by Al-Himdhiinee; and al-
Hi/yah, by Abu Na'eem. This last book was written for Muslims of
an ascetic bent, and it contains many narrations that are not authentic.
The author never claimed that his book should be used as a reference
in history. Anyone who has read it and has followed up on its chains
knows that it contains both authentic and unauthentic narrations.
We can summarize the conclusions of Abu Rayyah's research
as follows:
1. He maintains that the Sunnah was not officially recorded during
the life of the Prophet ~ . He says that the reason why it was not
recorded during that period was because the Prophet ~ forbade that
9 Exegesis or explanation of the meaning of the Qur' an.
from happening. And in this regard, his conclusions are in
accordance with those of the majority of scholars.
2. Abu Rayyah said that, because the Sunnah was not recorded
during the life of the Prophet ~ , differences resulted among
various Muslims factions, and furthermore, fabricated hadith
narrations were allowed to spread. Hence according to Abu Rayyah,
the Prophet ~ was the cause of much wrongdoing, and had he been
endowed with the foresight of Abu Rayyah, that wrongdoing would
have been prevented! I do not know - is Abu Rayyah pleased with
the implications of his conclusions? I do not think that any Muslim
who believes in Allah and the Last Day can reach such a level of
haughtiness. The only excuse we can find for him is that he was not
able to work out all of the implications of his conclusions.
3. He does not regard the authentic Sunnah as being a legislative
authority that Muslims must follow. The religion, according to him,
is the Qur' an, supplemented by Sunnah acts, but not Sunnah sayings.
Oral narrations, according to him, are not to be applied; rather, one
may take from them what one pleases and abandon what one pleases.
Not only is this claim contrary to the clear verses of Allah's Book, it
is also an invitation to chaos in beliefs and in legislation, which no
man who is honorable in himself or in his religion would call to.
4. He judges the scholars of Islam to be unfit for the task of
scrutinizing the Sunnah and distinguishing between the authentic and
fabricated; he instead considers men of literature and philosophy
from the Mu'tazilah to be worthy jndges in that regard.
5. Abu Rayyah claims that, over a span of thirteen centuries, Abu
Hurayrah (.) has deceived the Companions, the tabi'oon,1O the
jurists of Islam, and the Imams of hadith. Over and over again, he
10 Those who knew or met any of the Companions and transmitted hadiths
from them.
58 Preface
claims that they were blind to his lies and deceptions. It is
unfortunate, in his view, that the Muslims have been blessed by his
superior intellect only after thirteen centuries of waiting.
6. His next claim is as follows: Because fabrications crept into
compilations of the Sunnah, because some narrations are related by
meaning only, and because some narrators made mistakes in their
narrations, the Sunnah in its entirety is open to doubt. Abu Rayyah
was not the fIrst to make this claim; it was his forebears, or rather his
colonial masters, who have always attempted to establish it. But then
Abu Rayyah had the temerity to claim that he authored his book in
order to defend the Sunnah and that his intention all along was to
please Allah ~ . This was the fIrst time I had heard that one
supports a view or an idea by raising doubts about it or that one
serves Islam by cooperating with its enemies. Indeed, we belong t{)
Allah, and to Him is our return.
7. He raised doubts about every authentic narration that contains
information that is also found in the books of the Jews and Christians.
He maintains that if a hadith confIrms what is in the Torah and the
Bible, we can be sure that a Jew or a Christian fabricated the hadith.
He then says that if a hadith informs us about somethiug from the
Torah or Bible, yet we do not now fInd those words in the Torah or
Bible, then we can also be sure that those hadiths are fabrications!
This is not the talk of a scholar; more than anything, it seems like the
contradictory prattle of a man totally bereft of knowledge. As regards
the Torah, the Bible, and all other hooks of previous Prophets, Allah
~ clarilled the following two principles:
First, that Allah ~ revealed those books to the Prophets and that
the principal teachings of those books are one and the same.
Second, the followers of those Prophets later on distorted and
changed those revealed Books.
.fWI '! IN _ f' },.
(\, "-,,WI,-,.r-) ... oj, SY' ..:..c...;.J'f;." r
( ... They change the words from their [right] places.. ) (Qur'an 5: /3)
The way of the believing scholar, therefore, is to compare an
anthentically narrated hadith to Allah's Book. If the former is in
harmony with the latter, then his heart is at peace with that hadith and
he believes it to be true. Bllt if its implications are contrary to Allah's
Book - and there does not exist a single authentic hadith of this
description - then one may reject that narration, no matter how
much he trusts the narrators.
It is this principle that our scholars followed from the time of
the Companions until later generations - they would take from the
people of the book so long as their narrations did not contradict
Allah's Book, the authentic Sunnah, or the universal principles of
Islam. If a narration from the People of the Book did contradict any of
those three, then scholars would reject that narration. Abn Rayyah
invents a new methodology: any hadith that speaks about the Torah
or the Bible is a lie, fabricated by the Jews or Christians. Based on
this understanding, he rejected Abu Hurayrah's narrations from
Ka'b, in which it is affirmed that the Torah mentions the name of the
Messenger of Allah In this and similar narrations, he accused
the Jews who accepted Islam of inventing lies.
IfAbu Rayyah is the eminent scholar that he considers himself
to be, how did he arrive at that conclusion, when it is clear that verses
of the Qur' an establish the same facts that are established in the said
narration?
(Those who follow the Messenger, the prophet who can neither read
60 Preface
nor write [i.e. Muhannnad] whom they find written with them in the
Torah, and Gospel...) (Qur'an 7: 157)
1>-::. d ?:i\ 'I ,.!.\ '
, U!! _ f'-:!, _ Jy'J cJ. {V <J.
'k
1
>F' >/ r ,'t J >,
(1 : '_!J--) - ,.....-1 c>:!,,! j->",-J,.
[remember] when 'Eesa [Jesus], son of Maryam [Mary], said:
'0 Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you,
confinning the Torah which came before me, and giving glad tidings
of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Al;1mad.' .. )
(Qur'an 61: 6)
,,-__ b< . /,J. __ -" Ii:. >
(,5j j.>;; {'G; ;'1 Jj.;
r(i/: -::ll-:' .J..J,. -- -:::"'\ /" / .. -: /.'-/"'/
, '-!
l.i;:: &? i7
'_""') .,. jl15::Ji ..L.J

. c- ..J.Y "l\W 1:-:- .... l.l....r .:- /-<..7
is the Messenger of Allah and those who are with him
are severe against disbelievers, and merciful to each other. You see
them bowing and falling down prostrate [in prayer], seeking Bounty
from Allah and [His] Good Pleasure. The mark of them [of their
Faith] is on their faces [foreheads] from the traces of prostration
[during prayers]. This is their description in the Torah. But their
description in the Gospel is like a [sown] seed which sends forth its
shoot, then IIlllkes it strong, and becomes thick and it stands straight
on its stem, delighting the sowers, that He may enrage the
disbelievers with them.. ) (Qur'an 48: 29)
These verses from Allah's Book clearly show that the name of
the Messenger is explicitly mentioned both in the Torah and in
the Bible; furthermore, he and his Companions (may Allah be
pleased with them all) are described in those sources. Where is the
contradiction in these verses? And why is it so strange that one who
accepted Islam from the People of the Book shonld know that the
name of the Prophet ~ is mentioned in the Torah or the Bible? It is
true that the information we receive from some narrations is not
found today in the Torah or the Bible, but does that indicate that those
narrations are fabricated? The obvious and plain answer is no; the
reason that the Bible or the Torah do not contain some of the
information found in authentic hadith narrations is given to us by
Allah ~ , when He ~ told us that the Christians and the Jews
distorted the books that were revealed to their Prophets ~ . Abu
Rayyah can either acknowledge that the Bible and Torah still remain
anthentic and unadulterated revealed sources, in which case he will
disbelieve in every single authentic narration from the Prophet ~
that gives us some information about them; or he can acknowledge
that the Bible and the Torah have been changed and distorted, in
which case he should acknowledge and accept authentic hadiths,
even if the information imparted to us in those hadiths is not found
today in the Bible and the Torah. But the reasoning he presents is
self-contradictory. He says:
- that if a narration is in accordance with the Torah and the Bible,
we know that the narration is fabricated by a Jew or a Christian.
- and that if a narration imparts knowledge about those two sources,
but is not found today in them, we again know that the narration is a
fabrication.
8. After having criticized our pious predecessors for their dereliction
in scrutinizing hadith narrations, Abu Rayyah mentioned a principle
through which we can avoid making the same mistakes: to compare a
hadith to the mind; if it is in harmony with the mind, Abu Rayyah
accepts it, and if not, then he rejects it. The idea of testing the validity
of a hadith by comparing it to what one's mind accepts is an old one,
which the Mu'tazilah applied; they would reject every hadith that the
'clear mind' rejected.
62 Preface
Today, it is the Orientalists who are proponents of that idea;
Ahmad Ameen follows themin that view, for he mentioned a number
of authentic hadiths that, in his opinion, are not accepted by the mind.
We dedicated a chapter of this book to discussing some of the hadiths
that Ameen rejected. After mentioning the principle of testing a
hadith by comparing it to what the mind accepts, Abu Rayyah said,
"Had scholars from the early generations applied this principle, they
would have purified the Sunnah from mnch extraneous matter that
clung to it."
Althongh this principle is accepted by Abn Rayyah and others
of his ilk, it is one that has no value in the Sharia, for it results in
nothing other than chaos in the sphere of discerning between
authentic and weak narrations. What is the 'clear mind' that Abn
Rayyah is referring to? If by the 'clear mind' he is referring to what
the mind accepts as being an indisputable trnth, then that is
something that the scholars of hadith have already established. They
say that from the signs of a hadith being fabricated is, 'that its text is
contrary to indisputable facts or sure knowledge from Religion,
history, medicine, and so on'. Based on this principle, scholars of
hadith have rnled thousands of narrations to be fabricated.
Bnt if he is referring to what the mind finds strange, then
amazement or astonishment in the mind is a relative matter which has
to do with one's enviromnent, one's level of education, and other
factors which cannot be quantified by any measurement. Something
might be strange to one person, yet normal and ordinary to another.
In some rural areas, where people lived far away from cities, they
were aruazed when they heard about cars. They were not able to
visualize a moving vehicle that was not propelled by horses. But in
the West or in cities, cars were already common, everyday machines.
A Bedouin in the desert would be astonished when he heard about the
radio and considered it to be one of the lies of city folk; when the
The Sunnah and its role in Islamic legislmian 63
Bedouin heard the radio for the first time, he thought that it was the
devil that was speaking to him, just as a very young child thinks that a
mau is actually inside the radio, speaking to him.
There is surely nothing in Islam that the mind rejects as being
impossible. As in all previously revealed religions, there are matters
that the mind finds strauge, not being able to visualize or fully
comprehend them - for example, Paradise aud Hell. When a
Muslimhears something that the mind rejects as being impossible, lie
also rejects that thing; yet he takes his time in ascertaining the facts
about a matter that he finds to be strauge. In Islam, certainty of
knowledge is established by one of three ways:
1. Truthful information which the receiver hears from someone
whose truthfulness he is sure about, such as information we receive
from Allah in His Book aud information we receive from the
Prophets.
2. Experience or experimentation or something we clearly wituess
through our senses, after first making sure that the experiment is valid
aud correctly applied.
3. The judgment of the mind in a matter wherein there is no authentic
information aud no valid experience that is attested to by the senses.
These three sources of knowledge are mentioned in this verse:
5f ft::it e-;Ii dl ;; t:
..f.P<.'
(i' : <,Iy......)'l 0.J"......) y---
do not follow [do not say, nor do, nor wituess] that of which
you have no knowledge. Verily! the hearing, aud the sight, aud the
heart, about each of those you will be questioned [by
(Qur'an 17: 36)
It is one of the miracles of the Qur' au that they are mentioned in order:
64 Preface
1. Hearing or truthful information.
2. Sight or that which we experience or witness.
3. The heart, or seeking jndgment in the mind.
Based on what we know from this verse, any information that
is not established from the said three sonrces is not considered to be
knowledge; rather, it is near certainty (which falls short of snre
knowledge), or thinking something to be true (which is definitely not
knowledge), or imagining something to be true.
The foundations ofIslamic beliefs must be established through
knowledge, through 'absolute certainty of knowledge which
corresponds to reality, and which is established by proof. Examples
of this are faith in Allah and His perfect attributes, in the Books, in
the Prophets, in the Angels, in Paradise, and in Hell. But as for
matters that pertain to jurisprudence - legislations that are applied
through practice - then near certainty is sufficient. Many rulings in
Islam cannot practically be established if we stipulate absolute, sure
knowledge. The scholars of Islam are in agreemeut regarding this
principle.
Among the wealth of hadiths that our scholars have authenticated,
there is nothing that the mind rejects as being impossible, Authentic
hadith narrations may pertain to matters of belief; we know that such
matters must be in harmony with the Qur' an, and we are absolutely
sure that t n ~ is nothing in the Qur' an that the mind rejects as being
impossible. Hadith narrations may also pertain to jurisprudence - in
tenns of worship, dealings, and manners; and there is not a single
authentic hadith from this category that the mind rejects as being
impossible. Finally, narrations may be about past nations or about the
unseen world - such as matters pertaining to the hereafter. There is
nothing in this regard that the sound mind can outright reject as being
impossible, though there might be matters which the mind cannot
comprehend, finding them to be strange.
If a narration is related through mutawdtir 11 and authentic
chains, it imparts absolute, sure knowledge. If it is related through
al]dd I2 chains, it imparts almost sure knowledge, in which case the
Muslim accepts it as well. From what we have said until now, we see
that many people do not distinguish between what the mind rejects as
being impossible and between what the mind finds to be strange -
they equate the two matters, disbelieving in both. Whereas the former
stems from the impossibility of a matter, the latter stems from an
inability of the mind to visualize it or comprehend it. And there is a
great difference between what is impossible and what is not
comprehended.
Throughout history, there are many examples of matters that
were obscure to one generation but then later became clear and
understood to another generation. On the other hand, many matters
were considered to be accepted truths, whereas later they were
established to be false notions. What was impossible yesterday today
becomes a reality. We do not have a short supply of examples in this
regard, for we live in a period wherein humans have discovered much
in the field of technology. If anyone from the Middle Ages had said
that men would walk on the moon, people would have considered
him to be a madman.
Whenever Abu Rayyah and others of his ilk - those who call
for the mind to be a judge over hadith - have ruled a hadith to be a
11 A category of hadith describing narrations that are related by one or two
narrators who in turn related it from one or two narrators until the chain ends
at the Prophet, or a narration that is related by a group of narrators who
constitute a number that is still fewer than the minimum requirement for the
mutawiitir narration.
12 A category of hadith describing narrations that are related by a group of
upright and trustworthy narrators who also related from a group of upright and
trustworthy narrators, and s6 on, until the narration ends at the Prophet.
66 Preface
lie, the hadith has to do either with information about past nations or
with matters that pertain to the unseen. Let us consider this example:
Muslim reported from Abu Hurayrab ~ that the Messenger of
Allab ~ said, Indeed in Paradise there is a tree, under whose
shade a rider travels for 100 years. 13 This is an example of a hadith
related by Abu Hurayrab ~ that Abu Rayyab rejects. We ask Abu
Rayyab, how are the implications of this hadith impossible? Is it
because in it is the mention of a tree in Paradise, under whose shade a
rider travels for 100 years? Is not Paradise one of the matters of the
unseen? Other than from what we know from Allab and His
Messenger ~ , does Abu Rayyab have any additional information
about what is in Paradise? At the present time, we know that the
universe is so enormous that the mind caunot even visualize its
enormity; astronomers describe to us the vastness of the universe and
the relatively miniscule size of Earth. What is truly strange is that
Abu Rayyab believes what astronomers tell himabout the vastness of
the universe, and then disbelieves in the Messenger ~ - who was
supported by revelation and who received his knowledge from Allab
(:l\ij), the Creator of the universe. And what are those hundred years
when compared to the thousands of light years that astronomers talk
about? The problem with Abn Rayyab and others like him is that
their main wish is to deify their minds.
In short, to make one's mind a judge over revelation is nothing
other than a sign pointing to the foolishness of one's mind, an organ
that, for the most part, leads its possessor to disbelief. It is better for
the mind to think in those spheres that it is able to think in. If a person
is not able to grasp the secret of his own life and if he is not able to
comprehend an atom's worth of knowledge in the vast desert of our
universe, then how is he able to judge revelation, whose source is the
Creator of the entire universe?
13 Reported by Bukhari, vol. 11, p. 30, haditb no. 3013.
Let us suppose for a moment that making the mind a judge
over hadiths is a correct concept. We ask - which mind are they
referring to? Is it the minds of the philosophers? They differ greatly
among themselves; every newphilosopher that comes contradicts the
one who came before him. Is it the minds of men of literature and art?
This is not their field, for they are concerned with aesthetic beauty,
with what is rare, what is witty, what is funny, or what is stimulating
to the senses. Is it the minds of doctors, engineers, or
mathematicians? What do they have to do with this matter? Is it the
minds of hadith scholars? They do not impress you; instead, you
accuse them of being simple and dull-witted. Is it the minds of
jurists? They are divided into many schools of thought, and at any
rate, their minds, in your opinion, are the same as that of hadith
scholars. Is it the minds of atheists? They consider your belief in the
existence of Allah to be an indication of your ignorance and
foolishness. Is it the minds of those who believe in the existence of
Allah? These too are divided into many groups: some believe that
Allah is reincarnated in the shape of a man; others believe that Allah
and His creation are one and the same entity; others believe that Allah
is made up of three parts; and others believe that a cow, a mouse, and
a monkey should all be worshipped. If you say that we should make
the mind of the believer in one God and in the religion of Islam a
judge, then we ask you, the mind of which school of thought or sect
pleases you? Is it the mind of one who is from the people of the
Sunnah? Or is it the mind of one who ascribes himself to the Shi'ah,
the Mu'tazilah, or the Khawiirij? Abu Rayyah will say, "I choose the
minds of the Mu'tazilah because they possess clear minds."
We will then mention to Abu Rayyah an example of a hadith
that the Mu'tazilah reject. In Ta'weel Mukhtalif al-Hadeeth, Ibn
Qutaybah related that the Mu'tazilah rejected the following hadith
based on their principle of charging the mind with the duty of being a
judge over hadith narrations: When the Messenger of Allah ~
68 Preface
died, his armor was being held as secnrity by a Jew for an amonnt of
barley. 14 They say that the mind rejects this narration. We ask Abu
Rayyah, what was it in the minds of the Mu'tazilah that made them
reject this hadith? The following is another example of a debate that
took place between the mind of Ibn Qutaybah, the hadith scholar, and
the mind of a Mu'tazilee. Ibn Qutaybah said:
"They (the Mu'tazilah) say that the following hadith is false from its
beginning to its end." The Prophet (:11) said: If one of you wakes up
from his sleep, then he should not dip his hand in the basin until he
washes it thtee times, for one of you does not know where his hand
spent the night. 15 They said, 'This hadith would have been plausible
were it not for the saying, for one of you does not know where his
hand spent the night. Every one of us knows that his hand spends the
night in the same place that his body spends the night and that his leg,
ear, and nose spend the night. The worst that could have happened is
that he touched his private part during sleep. If a man would touch his
private part while he is awake, that does not nullify his purity, so how
is it different when he touches it while he is unconscious of what he is
doing? Allah ~ does not hold people accountable for that which
they do not know. While one is sleeping, one may unknowingly utter
words of disbelief, and one is not held accountable for that, neither in
rulings pertaining to the world nor in rulings pertaining to the
hereafter.' "
Ibu Qutaybah responded,
"The person who made this argument had knowledge regarding one
matter but was iguorant in many matters. Did he not know that many
scholars ofjurisprudence hold that it is compulsory to make ablutions
if one touches his private part, regardless of whether that happens
14 Reported by Bukhari, vol. 10, p. 57, haditb no. 2700.
15 Reported by Muslim, vol. 2, p. 116, haditb no. 416.
when he is sleeping or when he is awake? They base their ruling on
this hadith: Whoever touches his private part, then let him make
ablution. 16 And at any rate, that is not our view; we maintain that the
ablution meant for touching one's private part is washing one's hand,
and that is because the private parts are orifices through which
impnrities exit... one might touch his front or rear private part while
he is sleeping, and if that happens, his hand may have made contact
with certain impurities. This ruling is specifically for one who is
sleeping because he is not conscious of the fact that he has touched
his private part, whereas one who is awake is aware of that happening
and he hastens to wash his hands before he dips them into a basin or
before he eats or before he .shakes hands with others. Add to this the
fact that general principles of hygiene make the mind of the doctor in
agreement with the mind of the hadith scholar in this issue, and not
the mind of the Mu'tazilee.
In short, the Imams of hadith and Muslim jurists have not
forsaken the use of their minds when authenticating hadith
narrations, but rather they have limited the scope of how they use
there minds based on principles of the Sharia. Finally, here are, in
summary, my views on Abu Rayyah:
- Although I do not wish to judge the intentions of Abu Rayyah -
or any other person for that matter - it is hard to believe his claim
that he wrote his book to defend the Sunnah of the Messenger ~
- He constantly mentions the pains he went to in going about his
research. Yet at the same time he rejects the painstaking efforts of all
scholars of the Sunnah, from the time of the Companions until today.
He did not stop to consider that those scholars would travel
thousands of kilometers by foot in order to seek out knowledge; they
16 Reported by Ad-Daraqutni, vol. 2, p. 92, hadith no. 538; hadith status:
!fa1J,eel; (authentic).
70 Preface
would travel for mauy years aud they would stay awake during
nights, with a single lamp that provided them with enough light to
read aud gain knowledge. Despite those efforts, they did not dwell in
their writings on the great service they were rendering to the Muslim
Nation.
- He lacks all qualities of humbleness, for from the beginning of his
book until its end he continually praises his own work. Meauwhile,
we know that the most prominent characteristics of the Muslim
scholar is his humbleness, aud one of the most despicable of qualities
for a scholar to be adorned with is haughtiness.
- When he refutes someone, he uses the harshest aud most obscene
lauguage possible. Was it from the new principles he established that
a scholar should lack manners aud should be vile in his speech? What
I do know is that the Prophet ~ said, Modesty is part of Faith...>P
If he does not believe this narration because it was related by Abu
Hurayrah ~ , then let him consider this narration, which is related
by Zayd ibn TalIJah ibn RukfuIah ~ : Indeed every religion has its
manners, aud the mauner of I s I ~ is modesty.!8
I ask Allah ~ to guide us to the truth aud to make us fIrm
upon it, aud I ask Him to keep us away from falling into error aud to
graut us wisdom aud uprightness in our affairs.
Deau of the Faculty of Islamic Jurisprudence,
aud Professor ofIndividual Rights in the Faculty of Sharia,
Damascus University
17 Reported by Bukhari. vol. 1, p. 40, hadilh no. 23.
18 Reported by Ibn Miijah, nol. 1. p. 159, hadilh status: jayyid (good), said by
Shaykh Albfuli in fial;eeiJ al-Jiimi'.
SECTION ONE
The Meaning of the Sunnah
and how it was
Transmitted and Recorded
This Section Consists of Four Chapters
1. The Definition of the Sunnah and the Stance of the
Companions vis-a-vis the Sunnah
2. Fahrications - How they Originated? When? And Why?
3. The Efforts of the Scholars to Purify and
4. The Fruits of their Efforts
CHAPTER ONE
The Definition of II Sunnah"
to its original meaning in the Arabic language,
Sunnah means a way, regardless of whether the intended way is
praiseworthy or detestable. The Messenger of Allah said,
Whoever sets a precedent for a good Sunnah, then he has its reward
and the reward of all who apply it until the Day of Resurrection. And
whoever sets a precedent for an evil Sunnah, then upon him is its sin
and the sin of all who apply it until the Day of Resurrection.1
The meaning of 'Sunnah' as an Islamic term depends on who
is defining it - that is, it depends on the branch of Islamic
knowledge that one specializes in:
1. The definition of 'Snunah' according to the scholar of hadith: All
that has been related from the Prophet - from his speech,
actions, approvals, physical or moral attributes, or biography,
regardless of whether any of above is from the period before the first
revelation or after it. And as such, 'Sunnah' is a synonym of Hadith.
2. According to the scholar of u$ool al-fiqh 2: All that has been related
from the Prophet (;i:jij) in terms of his speech, action, or approval.
1 Related by Muslim in a hadith narrated by Jareer ibn 'Abdullah al-Bajalee.
2 Principles of Islamic jurisprudence.
74 The Definition of "Sunnah"
To this scholar, Sunnah might also mean that which an Islamic
proof indicates, regardless of whether that proof is the Noble Qnr' an,
the Prophet's Sunnah, or the ijtihiid
3
of a Companion. For example,
to him, what 'Uthman ~ did in terms of making people stick to
one recitation is Sunnah. The Prophet ~ said, You must follow
my Sunnah and the Suunah of the rightly-guided Caliphs after me.
The opposite of Sunnah in this sense is bid'ah 4.
3. According to the scholar of jiqh:
5
That which is established from
the Prophet ~ , but is not obligatory. To a faqeeh 6, 'Sunnah'
sometimes simply means the opposite of bid'ah, which is why
scholars say, 'The Suunah divorce', and 'The Bid'ah divorce'.
The Prophet's speech is a part of the first and second
definition. His speech, then, includes all that he spoke on different
occasions when what he said had to do with Islamic legislations, such
as his saying, Deeds are based on intentions, or his saying, The
choice (to rescind) remains with the buyer and seller as long as they
do not part from one another."
The Prophet's actions include all that the Companions related
from the Prophet's deeds in affairs of worship and otherwise. For
example, the way in which he prayed, fasted, or performed Hajj, or
for instance, his ruling based on one witness and an oath.
The Prophet's approval refers to any occasion on which he
approved of an action that issued from his Companions. He might
3 To use one's knowledge of the Qur'an and the Sunnah to derive rulings on
matters not specifically mentioned in either source of Islamic law.
4 Innovation.
S Jurisprudence.
6 Scholar of jurisprudence.
7 Related by Bukhari and Muslim from 'Vmar (may Allah be pleased with
him).
The Sunnah aJUl its role in Islamic legislation 75
have demonstrated his approval by silence, by some signal of
satisfaction, or by openly praising and supporting an action.
An example of the Prophet's silent approval occurred during
th", battle of Banu Quraydbah, when he said to an expedition, Let
none of you pray except in Banu Quraydbah.
8
Some of the
Companious applied the prohibition in the literal sense, so they euded
up delayiug the prayer uutil after maghrib
lO
Others had
another uuderstandiug of the Prophet's words: simply that they
shonld hnrry and try to reach Banu Quraydbah before the time of
maghrib, and so they euded up perfonniug the 'a;;r Prayer on time.
Wheu the Prophet heard what the two groups had done, he
implicitly approved of both groups by ceusuring ueither.
An example of his spoken approval involves the companion
Khiilid ibu al-Waleed He was eating the meat of a lizard that
had been presented to the Prophet who abstained from eating it.
Some of Companions asked, 'Is eating it l;tariim/
'
a Messenger of
Allah?' He said, 'No, but it is not common in the land of my
people, and I find myself to be repulsed by it.,12
The reason why their definitions differ is because the scholar
of each Islamic science has a specific and unique goal toward which
his stodies progress.
The scholar of hadith researches the life of the Messenger of
Allah (Blessiogs and peace be upon him) as an Imam, a guide, for
8 Related by Bukhari and Muslim from Ibn 'Vmar (may Allah be pleased
with him).
9 Mid-afternoon.
10 Sunset.
11 Forbidden.
12 Related by Bukhari and Muslim from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased
with him).
Allah ~ informed us that he ~ is our example and model.
Therefore he relates all that has to do with the Prophet's biography,
with his manners, with his sayings, with his attributes, and with his
actions ~ regardless of whether any of the ahove actually establishes
an Islamic ruling.
The scholar of u ~ o o l (principles of fiqh) sees the Messenger of
Allah ~ as a legislator, who laid down the rules of legislation for
mujtahideen\3 who were to come after him. TIris scholar concentrates
on the Prophet's sayings, actions, and approvals when they either
establish or confirm an Islamic rnling.
The scholar of fiqh studies the life of the Messenger of Allah
(Blessings and peace be upon him), knowing that all of his actions
point to an Islamic rnling. He studies Islamic rulings in relation to
human actions - whether a specific action is forbidden, permissible,
compulsory, and so on.
For the purposes of our study here, we mean by 'Sunnah' is
that which the u.'fool scholars asserted, because their definition
revolves around the Sunnah as a proof and refers to the status of the
Sunnah in Islamic legislation - with the knowledge that historically
speaking, 'Sunnah' generally carries the meaning of the more
comprehensive of the definitious, the definition asserted by the
hadith scholar.
13 Scholars who use their knowledge of the Qur'an and the Sunnah to derive
rulings on matters not specifically mentioned in either source of Islamic law;
i.e., they practice ijtihfui.
It was obligatory to foHow the Prophet ~
during his lifetime, and after his death as well
First, during the Prophet's life
During the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah ~ , His
Companions would receive religions rulings from the Qnr' an, which
they would learn from the Prophet ~ . However, many verses
imparted general commands, without laying out the details for how
those commands should be followed; meanwhile, other verses
imparted commands without mentioning restrictions or limitations
for the application of those commands. For example, the Qur' an
orders us to pray, yet it does not mention the details of prayer - the
number of its units, its timings, and how it is performed. The Qur' an
orders us to pay zaldit 14, yet it does not limit its applicability to those
who have the minimum amount of wealth for zakiit to be mandatory.
Likewise, there are many other commands that we cannot apply
uuless we know various details related to those commands.
Therefore, during the Prophet's lifetime, the Companions had to go
directly to the Messenger of Allah ~ in order to gain a detailed and
clear understanding of many rulings.
Similarly, the Companions faced many situations regarding
which the Qur' an made no specific mention; the rulings that applied
to those situations, then, had to be clarified by the Prophet ~ , for he
~ was a Messenger from his Lord, and among the creation, he best
knew the goals, principles, and limits of Allah's Sharia.
Inthe Qur' an, Allah informed ns ofthe Prophet's responsibility
regarding the Qur' an - to clarify its meanings and verses.
14 Obligatory charity: An 'alms tax' on wealth payable by Muslims and to be
distributed to other Muslims who qUalify as recipients.
Allah says:
And We have also sent down unto you [0 Muhammad] the
reminder and the advice [the Qur'an], that you may explain clearly to
people what is sent down to them, and that they may give
(Qur'an 16: 44)
The Prophet's duty was also to make clear the truth whenever
people differed regarding it:
G' c>:\J,' L c>.:Ji ;)Wl ':1\ .ASi GFi \:;':l>.
:JJ 'J ,_, , ,',; " _ Of "r
..fit'\ /'
(1! : '.!"...) 1Y:.
We have not sent down the Book [the Qur'an] to you [0
Muhammad], except that you may explaiu clearly unto them those
things in which they differ, and [as] a guidance and a mercy for a folk
who believe) (Qur'an 16: 64)
When people differ, they must accept the Prophet's ruling:
no by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you [0
Muhammad] judge in all disputes between them, and find in
themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept [them]
with full submission) (Qur'an 4: 65)
The Prophet was given the Qur' an and the lfikmah in
order to teach the people the rulings of their Religion:
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Allah conferred a great favor on the believers when He sent
among them a Messenger [Muhannnad] from among themselves,
reciting unto themHis Verses [the Qur'an], and purifying them [from
sins by their following him], and instructing them [in] the Book [the
Qur' an] and the Ijikmah [the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet],
while before that they had been in manifest (Qur'an 3: 164)
The vast majority of scholars from the early and later
generations of Islam hold that the I:Jikrnah referred to in the previons
verse must be something other than the Qur' an, The I:Jikmah is that
which Allah informed the Prophet about in terms of the
details of the Religion and rulings of the Sharia, which the scholars
call 'the Sunnah'. Imam Ash-Shiifi'ee said,
"Allah mentioned the Book, which is the Qur'an; He also
mentioned the I:Jikrnah, and I have heard certain scholars - whom I
trust - say that the I;Iikmah is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah
.. it is therefore not right - and Allah knows best - to say
that the I;Iikmah is anything other than the Sunnah of the Messenger
of Allah
By means of a conjunction, Allah coupled the Qur'an
with the I;Iikmah, meaning that they necessarily refer to two different
things. Furthermore, from the verse, we see that it is compulsory to
follow the I:Jikrnah just as it is compulsory to follow the Qur' an, and
we already know that Allah made it binding on us to follow only
the Qur' an and the Sunnah. That it is obligatory to follow the Prophet
is mentioned clearly in this verse:
80 The Definition of "Sunnah "
/' '" .t ..
'L-hl .' ,>,/,,, n'l; ... ).
--- ,.J if r+-r::
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:''' :-:-f -1\ 'l:t(t{t' ")."") .. )-:/ ;. <// ,--: ; c1; ..,.",/>.-
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(, oV : OJ'''''''''') ...
{ .. He commands them [to practice] al-Ma'roof [all that Islam has
ordained]; and forbids them from al-Munkar [all that Islam has
forbidden]; he allows for them as lawful all that is good and prohibits
as unlawful for them all that is evil, he releases themfrom their heavy
burdens [of Allah's covenant], and from the fetters that were upon
them... (Qur'an 7: 156)
commands them [to practice] al-Ma'rooj): Because the wording
used here is general, it embraces both commands from the Qur' an
and commands from other revelation - that is, the Sunnah. AI-
Miqdiim ibn Ma'adykarib (.) related that the Messenger of Allah
said, Indeed, I have been given the Book and, with it, that
which is similar to it. 15
That Muslims must follow the Prophet in what he
commanded and prohibited is indicated by this verse:
(V '"r')
... And whatsoever the Messenger [Muhannnad] gives you, take it,
and whatsoever he fotbids you, abstain [from it] .. J (Qur'an 59: 7)
In many verses of the Qur' an, obedience to the Messenger of
Allah is coupled with obedience to Allah, such as in this verse:

J'J'J _J7'
15 Abu Dawood, vol. 5, Pp. 10-12, hadith no. 3988; the chain is authentic.
obey Allah and the Messenger [Mnhammad] that you may
obtain mercy) (Qur'an 3: 132)
In this verse, Allah exhorts us to answer the Prophet
when he calls us:
you who believe! Answer Allah [by obeying Him] and [His]
Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life...'
(Qur'an 8: 24)
To obey the Prophet is to obey Allah
who obeys the Messenger [Muhammad] has indeed obeyed
Allah... (Qur'an 4: 80)
Allah also said:
[0 Muhammad to mankind]: 'If you [really] love Allah then
follow me [i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur' an and
the Sunnah], Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins.' ...,
(Qur'an 3: 31)
Allah warned us against opposing the Prophet's commands:
{ .. And let those who oppose the Messenger's commandment [his
Sunnah beware, lest afflictions, and so on befall them or a painful
torment be inflicted on (Qur'an 24: 63)
Moreover, He (i!fi!) indicated that going against the Prophet's
commands was disbelief:
.q ';;i i:;J; ill
<n :01j.-e JT
[0 Mubammad]: 'Obey Allah and the Messenger
[Mubammad].' But if they turn away, then Allah does not like
the (Qur'an 3: 32)
Allah categorically forbade Muslims from going against
the Prophet's commands and rulings:
. '-1. .J (1 ,t, N ';i -:; (\ .' :' ..1" Y\' f ",).
r 05': 0 CJ' '"'!YJJ 4U &" '. "-' \.OJ,.
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<n :dy.-"I I.,,:)tl.,;. J..D ..i.A!.:.JY'JJ 4Jj\ dJ (':"'-!'
is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His
Messenger have decreed a matter, that they shonld have any option in
their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he
has indeed strayed in a plain (Qur'an 33: 36)
One of the signs of hypocrisy is to refuse seeking jndgment
from the Messenger of Allah when there is a disagreement
regarding an issue:
t
J
j.; w); t:X 0j}J9
':- c ''C,( 't"'." Ii v' .1i J/I c . :'ft dil:l
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The-Sunnah and its role in Islamic legislation 83
[hypocrites] say: 'We have believed in Allah and in the
Messenger [Muhannnad], and we obey', then a party of them tum
away thereafter, such are not believers. And when they are called to
Allah [that is, His Words, the Qur'an] and His Messenger, to judge
between them, lo! a party of them refuse [to come] and mm away...
The only saying of the faithful believers, when they are called to Allah
[His Words, the Qur' an] and His Messenger to judge between them, is
that they say, 'We hear and we obey'. And such are the prosperous
ones [who will live forever in (Qur'an 24: 47-51)
If the Companions were with the Prophet and they wanted
to leave to go somewhere, it was considered to be one of the
necessary aspects of eemlin 16 that they should first seek his
pennission:
.:J ;\ <10 Gt' if.::1; & C;}..jji
,,), "l;:
.JJ, ZtJ1i 6G);1 ..:;.'\ ZtJ1i 01 i:,::r
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true believers are only those, who believe in [the Oneness of]
Allah and His Messenger [Muhannnad], and when they are with him
on some common matter, they do not leave until they have asked his
pennission. Verily! Those who ask your pennission, those are they
who [really] believe in Allah and His Messenger. So if they ask your
pennission for some affairs of theirs, give pennission to whom you
16 Faith: belief in all the six pillars of the creed of Islam.
will of them, and ask Allah for their forgiveness. Truly, Allah is Oft-
Forgiving, Most Merciful) (Qur'an 24: 62)
And with regard to this verse, Ibn al-Qayyim said:
"If Allah ~ made it a necessary element of faith for the
Companions to seek permission to go somewhere when they were
with the Prophet ~ , then it is even more obvious that it is a
necessary element of faith for them not to adopt a view in Religion
withont fIrst seeking his permission... "
It was necessary, then, for the companions to refer their
questions, doubts, or disagreements to the Messenger of Allah ~ .
They would adhere to all of his commands, prohibitions, and
decisions; and they would follow him in his deeds, acts of worship,
and dealings - uuless they kuew that a given action of his was
specific to him, and not meant for legislation. In obedience to the
Prophet's command, Pray as you have seen me pray,,,17 they took
from himthe rulings and pillars of the prayer, along with the way it is
performed. Likewise, they learned their Hajj rites from the Prophet
~ , for he said to them, Learn from me yonr Hajj rites. 18
If some of his Companions did not follow his command, the
Prophet (Jili;j) would become angry. au one occasion, a man sent his
wife to ask the Messenger of Allah ~ whether it is permissible to
kiss one's wife while one is fasting. Umm Salamah ~ informed
the woman that the Prophet (Jili;j) would kiss (his wives) even while he
was fasting. The woman remmed to her husband, informing him of
what she had learnt. The man said, "I am not like the Messenger of
Allah ~ : Allah makes permissible for His Messenger whatever He
pleases." When news of what the man said reached the Messenger of
Allah ~ , he became angry and said, I fear Allah the most from
17 Bukhari from Mill ibn Huwayrith.
18 Muslim, from Jabir.
among you and I am the most knowledgeable of you regarding His
limits. 19 And during the treaty of I:Iudaybiyab, the Prophet (ll!'J')
ordered his Companions to shave their heads and exit the state of
being pilgrims. They did not follow his connnand, as doing so in this
instance was difficult for them. The Prophet became angry and
made his connnand clear by being the first to follow it, and then the
Companions followed him.
So closely did the Companions follow and imitate the Prophet
they would do what he did and abstain from what he abstained
from, without even asking for the wisdom or reason behind his
actions. Bukhari related the following narration from Ibn 'Umar
The Messenger of Allab began wearing a gold ring, and
so the Companions also began to wear gold rings. No sooner did the
Prophet then remove his ring, saying, 'Indeed, I shall never wear
it (again),' than the Companions removed their rings as well.2o In
ash-Shifa', Al-Qagee 'Iyiid related that Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree
said, As the Messenger of Allab was praying with his
Companions, he removed his shoes and moved them to his left.
When the people saw that, they took off their shoes. When the prayer
was over, the Prophet said, 'What caused you to remove your
shoes?' They said, 'We saw you remove your shoes.' He said,
'(The reason why I removed my shoes) is that Jibreee
l
infonned me
that there was some fJlth on them.' 22
Such were the Companions with the Messenger of Allab (1iJi)
without exception, all of them recognized that the Prophet's speech,
19 Muslim, from 'Umar ibn Abi Salamah; and related by Ash-Shafi'ee in ar-
Risiilah, p. 404, in a mursal narration from 'Atli'.
20 Reported by Bukhari, vol. 28, p. 36, baditb no. 6754.
21 The angel Gabriel.
22 Abu Dawood, vol. 2, p. 353, hadith no. 555; hadith (authentic) in
accordance with the condition stipulated by Bukhari.
action, and approval - both tacit and explicit - represented Islamic
rulings; furthermore, not one of them gave license to himself to go
against the Qnr'an. The Companions would always simply obey the
Prophet (;i1Ii;), not even discussing with him his commands, except in
the following circumstances:
1. When the Prophet ~ gave his opinion in a worldly matter. For
example, during the battle of Badr, the Prophet ~ decided that
Muslims should camp in one locatiou, while J::Iabbab ibn al-Mundhir
(.) thought that another location was better, and so he expressed
his view to the Prophet (;i!Ii;).
2. When the Prophet ~ expressed his opinion in a Religious matter
before that view was approved or not by Allah ({II;ij). For example,
'Umar (.) expressed his view regarding what should be done with
the prisoners of Badr.
3. When the Companions found a ruling to be new and strange to
them. In such instances, they would discuss the ruling with the
Prophet (;i!Ii;), not to contradict him, but simply to leam the wisdom
behind his ruling.
4. When the Companions thought that an action of the Prophet ~
was specific to him. In such instances, they would not force
themselves to follow him.
5. When the Prophet (;i!Ii;) would tell them to do something, and they
felt from the context of his words that he was not commanding them,
but simply telling them that a certain act was permissible.
Otherwise, they would uuconditionally follow and obey the Prophet
~ .
Second, It was and is a must to follow and
obey the Prophet ~ after his death
Just as it was compulsory upon the Companions to follow the
Prophet ~ during his life, so too was it compulsory upon them and
upon all Muslims who came after to follow him after he died. The
revealed texts which indicate that following the Prophet is
compulsory are general - that is, not limited to the duration of his
life, nor is the application of those texts limited to the Companions.
Because the Prophet's rulings are infallible in that he received
revelation from Allah it follows that following him is
compulsory both during and after his lifetime. And because both the
Companions and those Muslims who came after them are followers
of Mubammad (*), it is compulsory upon both groups to obey him.
The Messeuger of Allah (;1&,) guided his Companions to
-'
following him even when they were far away from him. When he
sent Mu'adh ibn Jabal to Yemen, he asked, "When a
matter arises before you, how will you judge?" Mu'adh said, "I will
judge according to Allah's Book." He (*) said, "And if it (the
judgment) is not in Allah's Book?" He said, "Then according to the
Snnnah of the Messenger of Allah The Prophet said,
. .
"And if it is not found in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah
He said, "(After scrutinizing the issue) I will apply my
opinion, and I will not linger or be negligent." The Messenger of
Allah thumped him on his chest and said, "All praise is for
Allah, who has gnided the messenger of the Messenger of Allah to
that which pleases the Messenger of Allah
In many hadiths - so many that it reaches the level of one
form of tawfitur
24
- the Prophet exhorted Muslims to follow
and apply his Sunnah even after he died. In one narration, the
Messenger of Allah (*) said, <<1 have left with you two matters: you
will not go astray as long as you adhere to them- Allah's Book and
23 Related by A1Jmad; At-Tirmidhi; Ad-Darimee; Al-Bayhaqee, in al-MadkhaI;
Ibn Sa'd, in at-Tabaqlit; and Ibn 'Abdul-Barr in, Jami' al-Bayan aI-'lim wa-
Fadhlihi and Abu Dawood, vol. 9, p. 489, hadith no. 3119.
24 See the definition for mutawatir in Chapter Three.
my Sunnah.25 In another hadith, Abu Hurayrah ~ related that the
Messenger of Allah ~ said, "All of my Nation enters Paradise
except he who refuses." The Companions asked, "0 Messenger of
Allah, and who refuses?" He ~ said, "Whoever obeys me enters
Paradise, and whoever disobeys me has indeed refused.,,26 Ibn
'Abbas ~ related that the Messenger of Allah ~ said during his
farewell sermon, Indeed, Satanhas lost hope ofbeing worshipped in
your land, but he is pleased to be obeyed in other matters, as in those
deeds that you belittle, so beware! I have indeed left with you that,
which if you adhere to it, you will never go astray: Allah's Book and
the Sunnah of His Prophet ~ . 27
Ibn 'Abdul-Barr related that 'Irbaq ibn Sfuiyah ~ said,
The Messenger of Allah ~ led us in prayer in the early morning.
He then delivered to us an eloquent and profound sermon, one that
caused eyes to shed tears and hearts to quake. A man said, '0
Messenger of Allah! It is as if this is a farewell sermon! So advise us, '
He ~ said, 'You are to listen and obey (those in authority), even if
he (i.e., the one in authority) is an Ethiopian slave. Whoever of you
lives after me will see much conflict; then upon you is my Sunnah
and the Sunnah of the rightly-guided Caliphs after me: bite on it (i.e.
my Sunnah) with your molars. And beware and stay away from
innovated matters, for every innovation is misguidance.'28
And that is why the Companions ~ strove so hard to convey the
Sunnah, for the Messenger of Allah ~ entrusted them with it,
25 Jami' al-Bayfin al-'Ilm, 2/24. Related by AI-Hakim and Ibn 'Abdul Barr
from I:Iudhayr ibn 'Abdullah ibn 'Amru ibn 'Awf, from his father, from his
grandfather; also related by A1-Bayhaqi from Abu Hurayrah.
26 Bukhari, vol. 22, p. 248, hadith no. 6737 and AI-J;!illim.
27 Abu 'Abdulliih al-J;!illim.
28 Jami< al-Bayfin al-'Ilm, 2/182; also related by At-Tinnidhi, Abu DawQod,
A1)mad, and Ibn Majah. AI-J;!afidh Abu Na'eem said, "It is a jayyid (good)
hadith, one of the authentic hadiths of the people of Syria."
making it their duty to convey it to ensuing generations. Indeed, the
Messenger of Allah (;11) encouraged his Companions to convey
knowledge to others when he said, May Allah have mercy on
the one who hears my speech and then conveys it as he heard it...29
How the Companions would receive the
Sunnah from the Messenger of Allah
The Messenger of Allah lived among his Companions as
one of them, so that there was no barrier between him and them: he
would mix with them in the mosque, the marketplace, his home,
as well as au journeys. The Companious would attentively observe
his every word and deed, for siuce the time Allah had guided
them and saved them from misguidance, the Prophet was for
them the center oftheir religious and worldly life. They were so eager
to learn from the Prophet that they would accompany him in
shifts. Bukhari related that 'Vmar ibn al-Khaniib said, "A
neighbor of mine from the ... and me would take turns being
with the Messenger of Allah he would spend a day with himand
then I would spend a day with him. When it was my turn to spend the
day with the Prophet I would return to himwith the news of the
day. When it was his turn to spend the day with the Prophet he
would do the same." This goes to show how eager and keen the
Companions were to avoid missing any of his teachings. Tribes that
were far away from Madinah would send representatives, so that they
could learn Islamfrom the Messenger of Allah and then return to
their people as teachers and guides.
29 Jami' aI-Bayan aI- '11m (1/39). Also related by Ibn I;Iibban, in his $aly,eef.!;
Abu Dawood; Tinnidhi, who declared it to be l;asan (acceptable); Nisa'i; Ibn
Majah; and AI-Bayhaqi. All of the above who narrated it, narrate it differently
from the others, with slight differences in word order or additions.
In fact, some Companions wonld travel far distances in order
to ask the Messenger of Allah ~ about a ruling. Bukbari related
from 'Uqbah ibn al-I:Ifuith that a woman informed him that she had
suckled both him and his wife (when they were infants). He was in
Makkah, and he immediately began his jouruey to Madinah, until he
finally reached the Messenger of Allah ~ and asked him about
Allah's ruling regarding a man who marries a woman, not knowing
that she was his foster sister because of breastfeeding, but then is
informed of the fact from the woman who nursed them. The Prophet
(;ililj) informed him of what he had to d0
3o
, and in obedience to the
Prophet's ruling, he immediately divorced his wife and married
another woman.
. In affairs that involved a man and his wife, the Companions
would often seek recourse by asking the Prophet's wives, for the
Mothers of the Believers were best aware of the Prophet's family life.
In an example that we have already related, a Companion sent his
wife to ask whether a man may kiss his wife while he is fasting. Umm
Salamah ~ informed the woman that the Messenger of Allah ~
wonld kiss even while he was fasting.
At times, a woman might have asked the Prophet (;ililj) about a matter
that was specific to women; if it were difficnlt to explain the ruling to
the woman who asked, the Prophet (;ililj) would order one ofhis wives
to explain it. For instance, a woman asked the Prophet ~ how she
should purify herself from menstruation. The Messenger of Allah
~ answered her and then further elaborated on his answer, but she
did not understand his explanation, and so he ~ asked 'A' ishah
~ to explain to her what he meant, which was that she shonld take
a piece of clean cotton and wipe it over the blood stainS.
31
30 Reported by Bukhari, vol. 1, p. 156, hadith no. 5326.
31 Related by Bukhari, Muslim, and An-Nisa'i, from 'A'ishah.
Yet the Companions were not at one level regarding
knowledge of the Prophet's Sunnah. Some of them lived with him,
while others were inhabitants of the desert; some were businessmen,
others had a different occupation; some were dedicated to worship
and could not find work; some lived in Madinah; others lived in far-
off lands. Moreover, except in rare instances - and on Fridays as
well as the two 'Eids - the Messenger of Allah ~ did not have a
general gathering wherein he taught all of his Companions.
Why was the entire Sunnah not recorded
during the life of the Messenger of Allah ~ ,
and was some of the Sunnah written
down during his lifetime?
Biographers of the Prophet (;f:), scholars of the Sunnah, and
the masses of the Muslims - all agree that the Prophet (iil!:) and his
Companions went to great lengths in order to preserve the Qur' an.
Hence they memorized it and wrote it down on branches, rocks, and
any other clean material they could find. By the time that the
Messenger of Allah (iil!:) died, the Qur' an was preserved in its order,
and all that remained was to gather it in one book.
Despite it being an important source of legislation, the Sunnah
was not recorded dJIring the life of the Prophet ~ in the official
manner that the Qur' an was recorded, a fact that is agreed JIpon. The
reason behind that, perhaps, lies in the fact that the Prophet (iil!:) lived
for twenty-three years with the Companions, and it was a great task
indeed to write all of his sayings, deeds, and transactions on the
materials that were available for writing. Many of the Companions
would have had to free themselves completely from all other dJIties,
so that they could have dedicated themselves to recording the
Sunnah. And it is well known that those who could write dJIring the
Prophet's life were few - one could have counted them on one's
fingers. Since the Qur' an was the primary source for Islamic
legislation and the timeless miracle of the Messenger of Allah
(Blessings and peace be upon him), it made sense for the scribes of
the time to dedicate themselves to recording the Qur' an, so that they
could kave it as a complete and correctly inscribed Book for ensuing
generations.
There is another matter to consider regarding this issue:
because they were illiterate, the Arabs had always depended greatly
on their ability to memorize. And so they were able to memorize the
Qur' an. Had the Sunnah been recorded during the Prophet's life as
the Qur' an was recorded - and remember that the Sunnah
comprised twenty-three years worth of sayings, deeds, and
legislations - the Companions would have had to occupy
themselves with memorizing the Sunnah as they memorized the
Qur' an, and that would have indeed been difficult for them. Not to
mention the fear of mistakeuly mixing up some of the concise and
poignant words of the Prophet ~ with the Qur' an; this constituted a
danger for Allah's Book, a danger that would open the door for
suspicion and doubt, which the enemies of Islam would have
assuredly taken advantage of. Scholars mentioned in detail these and
many other reasons why the Sunnah was not recorded during the
lifetime of the Prophet ~ . With the preceding points in mind, one
can perhaps better understand the Prophet's saying, Do not write
down what I say, and whoever writes from me other than the Qur' an,
then let him erase it.32
Nevertheless, that the Sunnah was not officially recorded
during the life of the Prophet ~ does not mean that parts of it were
not recorded; actually, certain authentic narrations indicate that some
32 Muslim, Yo. 14, p. 291, hadith no. 5326, related by Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri.
of the Sunnah was recorded during the Prophet's lifetime. During the
year of the Makkah conquest, the Prophet gave a speech in
which he outlined the inviolability of Makkah - that fighting within
its precincts is forbidden, that its trees are not to be uprooted, and so
on. When he finished his speech, a man from Yemen said, "Write
down for me (these rules), 0 Messenger of Allah." Then the Prophet
commanded, "Write for Abu Shah.,,33
It is also established that the Prophet (Blessings and peace be
upon him) would write to the kings of his time and the leaders in the
Arabian Peninsula, in those letters inviting them to Islam. And when
he would send military or other expeditions, he would give them
letters of instruction, ordering them not to read them until they had
traveled a certain distance.
It is even established that some of the Companions had scrolls
in which they would record what they heard from the Messenger of
Allah such as the scrolls of 'Abdullilh ibn 'Amru ibn
which he called Abu Hurayrah once said,
"No one was more knowledgeable regarding the Messenger of
Allah's Sunnah than me, except for 'Abdullilh ibn 'Amru, for he
would write while I would not.,,34 When some of the Companions
learned of 'Abdullilh ibn 'Amru ibn scrolls, they reproached
him, warning him that the Messenger of Allah (.) would become
angry because of his actions. And so he went to the Messenger of
Allah who said, "Write from me, for by the One Who has my
soul in His hand, nothing other than the truth has ever come out of my
mouth.,,35
33 Bukhari, Ad-Danmee, At-Tinnidhi, and Al}mad.
34 Related by Al)mad and Al-Bayhaqi in al-Madkhal.
35 Related by Ibn 'Abdul-Barr, in Jami' al-Bayan al-'Ilm, 1/76, from Ibn
'Amm.
'Ali ~ had a scroll in which was written certain rnlings
regatding blood money, and the Prophet ~ wrote to the governors
in different regions, explaining to them the Zakat amounts for camels
and sheep.36
Scholars differed in the way they sought hatmony between the
seemingly conflicting natrations - those that forbade the recording of
the Sunnah and those that permitted it. Most scholars hold that the
prohibition was abrogated, and replaced by the new ruling -
permissibility. Others hold that the Prophet ~ forbade only those
who could not be trusted, perhaps because they might inadvertently
confuse the Qur' an with the Sunnah; meanwhile, he ~ permitted
those who were more knowledgeable and trustworthy. I believe that
there is no real contradiction between the prohibition and the license
to record the Sunnah; the prohibition was limited to the official
recording of the Sunnah, while the license to record it was either for
special circumstances or individual compilations by specific
Companions. This view is supported by the hadith that forbids the
recording of the Sunnah, for the wording used by the Prophet ~
was general and he was addressing the Companions as a group. That
'Abdulliib ibn 'Amrn ~ recorded some of the Sunnah, that he
continued to do so until the Prophet ~ died, and that the Prophet
~ approved his action - all deatly show that the Messenger of
Allah ~ permitted writing down the Sunnah as long as it was not
recorded in the same official and comprehensive manner as the
Qur'an was recorded. In Bukhari, Ibn 'Abbas ~ relates that when
the Prophet's ailment became severe, he ~ said, Bring me a book;
I will write down for you a book - after which you will not go
astray.37 However, 'Vmat ~ prevented that from happening
because the Prophet's sickness and pain increased. Nevertheless, this
36 Op. cit.
37 Reported by Bukhari, vol. I, pp. 32-33, hadith no. 920.
narration shows that the last of the two connnands was a license to
record the Sunnah.
The Companions' attitude regarding the
Sunnah after the Prophet's death
We have already mentioned the following hadith that is related
by Zayd ibn Thilbit May Allah make shine the one who hears
my speech, memorizes it, stores it, and then conveys it just as he
heard it... 38 And in another hadith: Indeed, let the one present from
you convey (the message and my teachings) to the one who is
absent. 39 The Messenger of Allah (Jii\j) exhorted the Companions
not only to convey the Sunnah, but also to be sure of what they
related from him. He said, Enough of a lie it is for one to relate
all that he hears.>;o the Companions were dutiful in conveying
the Prophet's trust to the Muslims. They dispersed throughout the
lands, and the ubi 'oon (the succeeding generation) endured many
hardships, traveling from far-off lands in order to meet certain
Companions and learn from them. All of this played a role in the
dissemination of hadith to the masses of the Muslims.
The Companions differed among themselves, in that some of
them related many hadiths from the Prophet (Jii\j), while some related
only a few; from the latter group were the likes of Az-Zubayr, Zayd
ibn Arqam, and 'Umran ibn It is related from 'Abdulliih ibn
Zubayr that he once said to his father, Zubayr, "fudeed, I do not
hear you relate hadith from the Messenger of Allah (gj) as so and so
relate from hinl." He said, "As for me, I never parted from him,
38 Abu Dawood and At-Tirmidhi.
39 Related by Ibn 'Abdul-Barr in Jlimi' aI-Bayan aI-'llm, from Abu Bakrah,
1141.
40 Related by Muslim, from Abu Hurayrab.
but I heard him say, Whoever lies about me, then let him take his
seat in the Fire. ,,41
Ibn Majah related in his Sunan that it was said to Zayd ibn
Arqam, "Relate (hadith) to us,"' He said, "We have grown old and
forgotten." It is a serious matter indeed to relate from the Prophet
~ , a matter that the Companions were careful not to err in. For
example, after Anas ihn Miilik ~ would relate a hadith from the
Prophet ~ , he would say, "Or (if this is not the exact wording) this
is approximately what he ~ said." This category of Companions
feared making mistakes inadvertently, and it appears that their
memories were not so strong as to help them in relating hadiths word
for word. Being careful in Allah's Religion, they thought it hetter not
to try to relate a great deal.
Add to that 'Vmar's wish not to have hadiths related so much
that people would become preoccupied with hadith and forget the
Qur' an. The Qur' an had been recently revealed, and Muslims were in
need of memorizing it, conveying it to others, and studying it. Ash-
Sha'bee related that when Qurdhah ibn Ka'b and a group were going
to Iraq, 'Vmar ~ accompanied them for a little while ... He ~
said, "You are going to a village, whose inhabitants make sounds
with the Qur' an like the droning of bees (meaning they recite it
often), so do not hold them back with hadiths, hence making them
preoccupied. Recite the Qur' an well, be sparing in your narrations
from the Messenger of Allah ~ , and go, as I am your partner."
When Qurdhah reached them, they said, "Relate to us." He
answered, "Vmar ibn al-Kha!1ab ~ forbade US.,,42
There were other Companions, however, who would relate
much from the hadiths of the Prophet ~ . Abu Hurayrah ~ was
41 Bukhari, in his $aIJee1.J., in the Chapter of Knowledge.
42 Jiimi' aI-Saydn al- 'flm, 2/120.
like a cOntainer or stOreroom of hadith, and he filled the hearts and
gatherings of Muslims with the sayings of the Messenger of Allah
'Abdullilh ibu 'Abbas (41li&), one of the younger Companions,
would seek out hadiths from the older Companions, and in doing so,
he exposed himself to a great deal of hardship and fatigue, Ibn
'Abbas (.) said, "A hadith of the would reach us from
one of the Prophet's Companions, and had I wished, I would have
called for him until he came to me and related to me the hadith he
had; however, I myself would go to him and sleep at his door until he
would come out to me and relate to me the Prophet's hadith.,,43
Thus he toiled until he absorbed all that was related to him by
different Companions, and then he himselfbegan to relate a great deal
ofhadiths to others. In later years, when fabrications ofhadiths began
to surface, it appears that he related less hadiths than he used to.
Although some Companions related a great deal of hadiths
from the Messenger of Allah they related relatively little during
the period of Abu Bakr (41li&) and 'Vmar (41li&), for their overall plan
consisted of two strategies: first, to fOrce Muslims to be positively
sure when relating hadiths, and second to make Muslims spend the
greater part of their energies in preserving and stndying the Qur' an.
Abu Hurayrah (41li&) was once asked, "Did you relate hadith during
the period of 'Vmar (.) as you do now?" He (41li&) said, "Had I
related hadiths during the period of 'Vmar (.) as I relate to you
now, he would have struck me... ,,44
Here, we must discuss two issues surrounding the attitnde of
'Vmar and of others, regarding the narration of hadiths:
First: Did 'Vmar (41li&) imprison anyone from the Companions for
relating a great many hadiths?
43 Related by Ibn 'Abdul-Barr from Ibn Shihiib.
44 Jami' al-Bayiin al-'llm, (21120).
Second: Did the Companions stipulate conditions for a narration
from a Companion to be accepted?
Did 'Umar ~ imprison any of the Companions
for relating a great deal of hadiths?
In an account that has spread to many people 'Umar ~ is
claimed to have imprisoned three eminent Companions for relating a
large number of hadiths; they are Ibn Mas 'ood ~ , Abu ad-Datda'
~ , and Abu Dhatt ~ . I tried to locate this narration in reliable
books of knowledge, but was not able to find it. Many details point to
this narration being fabricated. Ibn Mas' ood ~ was one of the
most eminent of Companions and one of the earliest to accept Islam;
moreover, 'Umar ~ held him in high regard. He ~ sent Ibn
Mas'ood ~ to Iraq to teach themtheir Religion, and so greatly did
he feel losing him that he said, "Indeed, I have preferred you over
myself with 'Abdullah (Ibn Mas'ood)." He sent Ibn Mas'ood to
teach the people of Iraq Islam and its rulings, and as is well known,
rulings of Islam are derived from the Qur' an but in greater quantity
from the Sunnah. So how is it possible that 'Umar ~ imprisoned
Ibn Mas' ood for relating narrations when he himself sent him to Iraq
for that purpose? As for Abu Dharr and Abu ad-Dardii", they are not
known for relating a great deal of hadiths. Just as Ibn Mas'ood was
the teacher of Iraq, Abu ad"Darda" was the teacher of Syria and
Palestine, so it is likewise strange for 'Umar to have imprisoned Abu
ad-Darda" .
And no matter how many hadiths are established from Abu Dharr
~ , they do not amount to even a portion of what Abu Hurayrah
~ related, so why would 'Umar ~ imprison the former and not
the latter? All of this clearly points to the claim being fabricated.
If it is said that Abu Hurayrah ~ did not relate many
hadiths during the caliphate of 'Umar ~ because he feared him,
we ask, why did Abu Dharr (.) not fear himas Abu Hurayrah (.)
did?
In reality, 'Vmar (.) did not stand in the way or prevent
those Companions who related many hadiths from narrating, among
whom were the likes of Ibn 'Abbas (4ib), Abu Hurayrah (4ib),
'A:ishah Jiibir ibn 'Abdulliib (.), Ibn Mas'ood (.)-. In
fact, it is related that when Abu Hurayrah became known for relating
many hadiths, 'Vmar (.) said to him, "Were you with us when the
was in such and such place?" He said, "Yes, I heard the
Prophet (ii!!;) say, Whoever lies about me on pmpose, then let him
take his seat in the Fire." 'Vmar (.) said, "Now that you mention
that, go and relate hadiths." How does it make any sense for him to
leave Abu Hurayrah alone when he was categorically the most
prolific of the Companions in relating hadiths, while he imprisoned
the other three, who related far fewer than Abu Hurayrah did?
For a long time I doubted the narration in which 'Vmar (.)
pmportedly imprisoned the above,mentioned three Companions
(.), and for a long time I criticized the narration from many
different angles, until finally I read al-Jf;Jdim, by Ibn I:Iazm. In it, Ibn
I:Iazm first mentions the narration and then refutes it, saying it is
disconnected, for Ibriibeem ibn 'Abdur-RaJ:uniin ibn 'Awf, the one
who narrated it from 'Vmar (.), never actually heard 'Vmar. And
AI-Bayhaqi agreed with Ibn I:Iazm in this assessment, though
Ya'qoob ibn Shaybah, AVfabaree, and others confirm that he did
hear 'Vmar (.) speak. It is more likely, however, that he never
heard 'Vmar speak, for he died either in the year 99 H or 95 H at the
age of75; that means that he was born in the year 20 H, which was at
the end of 'Vmar's caliphate. It is highly implausible, then, that he
heard 'Vmar (.) at such a young age; therefore, the narration is
invalid and unacceptable as a proof. Furthermore, Ibn I:Iazm stated
that the narration is a clear fabrication, for in it the Companions are
accused of wrongdOing, which in itself is a grave matter. For did
'Vmar ($) in fact prevent people from conveying the Sunnah? Did
he really force them to conceal hadiths? 'Vmar ($) was far above
those actions, for Allah protected him from them. It is a claim,
then, that no Muslim would make in the first place.
Did the Companions stipulate conditions for a
narration from a Companion to be accepted?
In Tadhkirat ul-Ifuffiidh, when he was relating the biography of
Abu Bakr ($), Al-I;!iifidh adh-Dhahabee said, "He was
the first to take precautionary steps when accepting the validity of
narrations." He then related from Ibn Shihiib from Qubaysah that a
grandmother of someone who died came to Abu Bakr ($), seeking
her share of the inheritance. Abu Bakr said, "I find nothing for you in
Allah's Book, nor do I know that the Messenger of Allah
mentioned something for you." He then asked the people; in
response, Mugheerah ($) stood up and said, 'The Messenger of
Allah would give her (i.e. the grandmother of the deceased) one-
sixth." Abu Bakr said, "Do you have anyone with you (who will attest
to the veracity of what you say)?" Muhammad ibn Maslamah ($)
bore witness to the same, and Abu Bakr gave the woman her share."
Jareeri relates from Na<)rah from Abu Sa'eed ($) that Abu
Moosa ($) gave greetings of peace to 'Vmar ($) from behind his
door; he repeated his greetings three times, and when he heard no
words of pennission to enter, he returned to where he came from.
'Vmar had him called back and said, "Why did you go away?" He
($) said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah say, If one of you
gives greetings of peace (in asking pennission to enter another's
home) and is not answered, then let him return (from whence he
came). 'Vmar ($) said, "You will indeed come to me with proof
(witnesses) or you shall see what I will do with you!" Abu Sa'eed
($) continued to relate, "Abu Moosa ($) returned to us white-
faced. We were seated when he came, and we said, 'What is the
matter with you?' He informed us and said, 'Then has any of you
heard of it (i.e., the narration)?' We said, 'Yes.'" The group that was
seated sent a man to accompany Abu Moosa and he informed
'Vmar that he too had heard the hadith.
45
Adh-Dhahabee also related, with a chain that goes back to
Asma' ibn al-J::Iakam, that Asma' heard' Ali say, "When I heard
a saying (directly) from the Messenger of Allah Allah
would make me benefit from it to the degree that He wished for
me. But if someone else related to me his sayings, I would make him
swear by Allah, and if he did, I would believe him. Abu Bakr
related to me - and he spoke the truth - saying, 'I heard the
Prophet (l!;) say: Whenever any slave sins but then performs
ablution, prays two units, and asks forgiveness from Allah
Allah forgives him. ",46
There are researchers who understand from the previous
narrations that Abu Bakr and 'Vmar accepted the validity
of a narration ouly iftwo or more narrators related it and that'Ali
stipulated from a narrator that he first swear by Allah Many
books on the history of Islamic legislation relate this understanding,
and among many students and teachers, that understanding goes
unquestioned. Even in our faculty of Sharia, here in Azhar, many of
our eminent teachers advocated that understanding when they put
together notes for the course, the History ofIslamic Legislation. When
they mentioned the conditions stipulated by the Imams for accepting
the validity of a hadith, they stated that Abu Bakr, 'Vmar, and 'Ali
(may Allah be pleased with them) stipulated the aforesaid conditions.
45 The hadith is narrated in both Bukhari and Muslim, from Abu Sa'eed.
46 Tadhkirat 1/2 and 6 and 7 and 10. These narrations are also
related by AH,Iiilim in al-Madkhal Iia al-lfadeeth.
Yet in reality, to deduce such stipulations from those
narrations is an error that is refuted by other narrations, narrations
that show 'Vmar to have accepted the validity of narrations that
were related by one narrator only and that show 'Ali to have
accepted narrations from certain Companions without first asking
them to make an oath. Likewise, the same is related from Abu Bakr
Here are some of those narrations:
1. 'AbduIHih ibn 'Amir ibn related that when 'Vmar
was on his way to Sham (Syria and Palestine) and when he
reached a place called Sargh, he heard that a plagne had occurred in
Sham (Syria and Palestine). 'Abdur-RaJ:uuiin ibn 'Awf
informed him that the Prophet said, If yon hear of aplagne in a
land that yon are in, do not depart, fleeing from it.,"7 'Vmar
then retnrned from Sarg. Ibu Shihab said, "Siilim ibn 'Abdullah ibn
'Vmar informed us that 'Vmar ouly returned with the people becanse
of the hadith of 'Abdur-RaJ:uniin ibn 'Awf
2. It is related that 'Vmar (.) mentioned the Majoos (the adherents
of a known Religion), saying, "I do not know what I should do
regarding their affair." 'Abdur-RaJ:uuiin ibn 'Awf said, "I heard
the Messenger of Allah say, Deal with them in the same way
that the People of the are dealt with.,,48
3. Al-Bayhaqi related the following narration from Hisham ibn
Ya1).ya al-Makhzoomi. A man from Thaqeef went to 'Vmar ibn al-
Khallab and asked him regarding a woman who began to
menstruate while she was visiting the House (i.e. the Ka'bah). The
man asked 'Vmar to rule in a specific issue regarding that woman,
and when 'Vmar answered him, the man said, "Indeed, the
Messenger of Allah (m) issued a ruliug in a situation like the one of
47 Bukhari, vol. 7, p. 168, hadith no. 920 and Muslim from Ibn Shihab.
4S Ar-Risalah, by Ash-Shill 'ee.
this woman differently from what you ruled." 'Vmar stood ...
and said, "Why do you ask me to issue a ruling about a matter for
which the Messenger of Allah issued a ruling. ,,49
4. 'Vmar (.t&) applied Sa'd ibn Abee narration regarding
wiping one's socks.
5o
5. 'Vmar was about to stone an insane woman, but when he was
informed that the Messenger of Allah said, The pen is raised for
three..., he ordered that she not be stoned.
These and other narrations are widespread and authentic, for it
is the trustworthy Imams who relate them. The narrations prove
without a doubt that 'Vmar accepted the validity of a hadith
even when only a single companion related it, and he wonld accept
such narrations without doubting or lingering. The above-mentioned
narrations and their like are more numerous than those narrations in
which 'Vmar demanded a second narrator, and they are just as
authentic. Therefore, the narration of Abu Moosa requires from
us a harmonizing interpretation. Perhaps 'Vmar wanted to make sure
of Abu Moosa's narration because it was about an issue that people
frequently face - seeking permission to enter another person's home
- and so it should have been an issue that he already heard the ruling
about. And so here is simply an example of how 'Vmar was
carefnl to preserve the authenticity of the Sunnah; here was also a
lesson for the lesser Companions and Tiibi 'oon: that if 'Vmar was
reluctant to accept a narration from an eminent Companion such as
Abu Moosa then they and ensuing generations shonld be even
more careful when receiving narrations from others. These all
constitote the correct way of understanding the actiou of 'Vmar, who
himself said to Abu Moosa "Indeed, I did not accuse you, but it
49 Miftahul-Jarmah, by As-Suyooli, p. 31.
50 Fat!} al-Mulhim
is the hadith of the Messenger of Allah ~ ) . In another narration,
Ubay ~ ) actnally reproached 'Vmar ~ ) for how he dealt with
Abn Moosa ~ ) , and 'Vmar answered him, "Indeed, I wanted to
make sure." In ar-Ristilah, Ash-Shiifi 'ee expressed the same view,
saying, "As for the narration of Abu Moosa, it was mere precaution,
for Abu Moosa was trustworthy and honest in 'Vmar's view -
illshfi' Alldh." Then Ash-Shafi'ee goes on to relate that Miilik ibn
Anas ~ ) related that 'Vmar said to Abu Moosa ~ ) , "Indeed, I
did not accuse you; rather, I feared that people would begin to
fabricate lies about the Messenger of Allah ~ ) . , , 5 1
As for Abu Bakr ~ ) , it is related that only when the
grandmother asked for her share of inheritance did he ask for a
second narrator; yet even that narration does not justify the claim that
his approach to hadiths was to accept a narration ouly when two
people had narrated it. On many other occasions he ~ ) jndged
according to the Sunnah without requesting another narrator. For
example, in al-Ma1Mool, Ar-Razee related that Abu Bakr ~ ) issued
a judgment in a case between two people, but when BilaI (.$)
informed him that the Prophet (;fi) ruled differently, he reversed his
judgment. If this narration is true, it goes to support our view in this
matter. Ibn al-Qayyim outlined for us Abu Bakr's methodology in
issuing judgments:
"If an issue were presented before Abu Bakr (.$), he would look in
Allah's Book, and if he found that which he couldjudge by, he would
judge by it. If he did not find (the ruling) in Allah's Book, he would
look in the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger, and if he found that which
he could judge by, he would judge by it. If he still found no solution,
51 Ar-Risiilah, by Shati'ee (p. 434). Ibn Ijazm had a different view: that 'Vmar
saw fit to find a second narration in the beginning, but when 'Ubai reproached
him, he retracted his view, and from then on, accepted the hadith related from
one Companion. Refer to al-Ihktim, 2/140.
he would ask the people: 'Do you kuow whether the Prophet ~
ruled in this issue?' Perhaps someone from the group would stand up
and say, 'He ruled with such and such ruling.' And ifhe still found no
Sunnah from the Prophet ~ , he would gather the leaders among the
people and seek counsel with them. If they agreed upon a ruling, he
would judge by that ruling."
In regards to the ouly narration we have in which Abu Bakr
~ asked for a second narrator - whether the grandmother
inherited _ there is a strong possibility that it was simply a case of
precaution and of verification, for to give a share of inheritance
required a clear proof; nothing was mentioned about it in the Qur' an,
and since most inheritance legislations are mentioned in the Qur' an,
there was a need for precaution and deliberation - so demandiug a
second narrator was unusual for Abu Bakr ~ . In al-Mustas/a, Al-
Ghaz3li relates many possibilities; among them are the following:
- Perhaps he wanted to see whether the ruling was permanent or
abrogated.
- Maybe he wanted to see if anyone else had heard the same hadith,
making the ruling even more binding.
- Maybe he wanted to see if anyone heard a hadith that indicated
otherwise.
- Or perhaps he wanted to discourage people from taking lightly the
matter of narrating hadiths.
As for 'Ali ~ , the author of al-MaJMool related that he
accepted the narration of Miqdiid ibn alcAswad ~ about the issue
of pre-seminal fluid without making him take an oath. Even in the
narration we mentioned earlier, it appears that he did not ask Abu
Bakr to take an oath; therefore it was not an overriding rule with him.
In short, what is correct and authentic is that Abu Bakr, 'Vmar,
and 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with them) would apply narrations
that were narrated by one Companion only. That certain situations
called for extra precautions does not mean that it was a general rule
for them to demand a second narrator or demand from the narrator
that he take an oath.
The Companions' journeys to various
lands in order to seek out hadiths
By the end of Abu Bakr and 'Vmar's caliphate, much of the
Sunnah was still in the hearts of the Companions and not spread
throughout the vatious lands, for with the exception of individual
cases wherein there was a need, 'Vmar forbade most of the
Companious from leaving Madinah. Even in Madinah itself, 'Vmar's
policy was to have the Companions concentrate on preserving and
memorizing the Qur' an, while he wanted them to relate hadiths to a
lesser extent, so as to prevent errors from occurring in hadith
narrations. Dnring the caliphate of 'Vthman 'Vthman
permitted the Companions to spread throughout the lands; people
began to need the Companions more and more to help them to
understand their Religion. The younger Companions were especially
sought after, since the older ones decreased in number day by day.
The younger Companions strove to glean as many hadiths as they
could from the older ones, and some even used to travel to other
Companions in order to learn a single hadith.
Jiibir ibn 'Abdullah said, "Ahadith reached me from one
of the Prophet's Companions that I did not myself hear fromhim, so I
purchased a mount ... and traveled on it for one month until I reached
Syria, where I met 'Abdullah ibn Vnays I went to
him and said, "It has reached me from you that you heard from the
Messenger of Allah (;il!;) (a hadith) about the wronging of others, a
hadith that I have not heard, and so I feared that both you and I shonld
die before I heard it." 'Abdulliih ibu Unays then related:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (g) say, 'The people will be
gathered uncircumcised aud buhman.' So we asked, 'What is
buhman?' He (g) said, 'They will have notlllng with them. Then a
call will be made to them, which both those afar aud near cau hear, 'I
am Ad-Dayyiin. It is not befitting that auyone from the people of the
Hellfire should enter the Hellfire while one of the people of Paradise
had a wrong done to himuntil I punish the wrongdoer for him. And it
is not befitting for auyone from the people of Paradise to enter
Paradise while one of the people of the Hellfire demauds justice from
him for a wrong he did to him until I punish him (the wrongdoer) for
him, even if it is only for a slap with one's haud.' We asked, 'How
(will they repay for their wrongdoings)? For we will indeed go to
Allah, naked, uncircumcised, aud with notlllng.' He (g) said, 'With
good aud bad deeds (will people be recompensed).'52
In auother narration, Abu Ayyoob traveled to
learn a hadith. When he reached his destination, Maslamah ibn
Mukhallid - the leader of the region - welcomed Abu
Ayyoob, hugged him, aud said, "What brings you here, 0 Abu
Ayyoob?" He said, "A hadith you heard from the Messenger of
Allah (g) about covering the faults of a believer." He said,
"Yes, I heard the Messenger of Allah (g) say, Whoever covers the
fault of a believer in this world over his suffering, Allah covers him
(his faults) on the Day of Judgment.53 Upon hearing the hadith, Abu
Ayyoob headed for his mount, climbed it, aud began his return
journey to Madinah.
52 Related by Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad; also, related by Al)mad, Tabariini,
Bayhaqi, and the preceding wording is his.
53 Bayhaqi and Ibn 'Abdul-Barr from 'Ata' ibn Abee Rabah from Abu
Ayyoob al-Ausiiri.
Narrations ofhadiths hegan to spread, and people concentrated
their efforts much more than before on studying under the Prophet's
Companions in order to learn the Prophet's Sunnah. The Tiibi'oon
searched out for Companions, seeking to learn from them before
death would hinder them. If a Companion visited any city, it was
enough of an occasion for all of its inhabitants to gather about himthe
minute he arrived.
A number of Companions became known for relating a great
deal of hadiths from the Messenger of Allah ~ - becanse of their
companionship from the earlier days ofIslam, such as in the case of
Ibn Mas'aod ~ ; because of their long service to the Prophet ~ ,
snch as in the case of Anas ibn Miilik ~ ; because of their
comprehensive knowledge of his personal family life, such as in the
Case of 'kishah ~ ; because of their concentrated efforts in
learning his hadith, such as in the case of 'Abdulliih ibn 'Umar,
'Abdulliih ibn 'Amm, and Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with
them), despite the young age of the fIrst two and the late acceptance
of Islam of the third. Without hesitating or doubting, people would
learn hadiths from the Companions, and the Companions would
accept them from one another, and none would accuse another of
lying. Until the infamons trial of the Discord occurred, the presence
of liars and fabricators was not known. But when that trial came, the
religious as well as the political life of Muslims began to change.
CHAPTER TWO
Fabricated Hadiths
When did fabrications first appear?
~ e year 40 H was the defining year for the Sunnah - in
which the purity of the Sunnah from lies and fabrication was
distinguished from the use of the Sunnah to serve political or
sectarian aims. 1ms was at a time when the discord between 'Ali
~ , and Mu'iiwiyah ~ took the shape of war, wherein blood was
spilt and lives were lost, at a time when Muslims were divided into
different groups: The majority were with 'Ali ~ in his
disagreement with Mu'iiwiyah ~ while the Khawiirij harbored
malice against both 'Ali ~ and Mu'iiwiyah ~ after having
previously been strong supporters of 'Ali ~ . After 'Ali's death, a
group from the Prophet's family demanded their right to the
caliphate. Because of political circumstances, Muslims divided into
groups. Each group tried to give credence to their position with
proofs from the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and obviously, those two
sources did not support every group in all of their claims. Some
groups began to interpret the Qur' an falsely and to give implausible
meanings to the Sunnah. Some went so far as to lie about the Prophet
~ , inventing hadiths that would support their cause; it was difficult
110 Fabricated Hadiths
for them to do the same with the Qur' an, for a great uumber of
Muslims had already memorized it, recited it, and related it. From
this point on, hadith fabrications began to spread.
The first topic about which fabricators began to invent their
lies was regarding the virtues of individuals; they invented many
hadiths that discussed the superiority of their Imams and of the
leaders of their sects. It is said that the first to do that were the
Shi 'ah '. Ibn Abi al-I;!adeed said in SharI; Nahj al-BalCtghah, "Know
that lies in the hadiths of virtues first started with the Shi 'ah... ,,2
In which generation did
fabrications begin to thrive?
The Prophet's Companions sacrificed their wealth and their
very souls; for Islam, they left their homeland and relatives; the love
and fear of Allah ~ was intermingled in their blood and flesh. It is
quite impossible, then, to imagine that this blessed generation would
fabricate lies against the Prophet ~ , no matter how tempting the
situation might have been. Well known among them was the saying
of the Messenger of Allah ~ , Indeed lying about me is not like
lying about anyone else. And whoever lies about me on purpose, then
let him take his seat in the Hellfire.
3
As we know from their
biographies, the Companions were most eager to preserve the Sharia,
to convey it to others as they received it from the Prophet ~ , and
. -
they went through many hardships to fulfill that purpose and mission.
1 Lit. sect or party, as in 'Party of Allah' and 'Party of Satan', mentioned in
the Qur'an.
2 Shark Nahjul-Baliighah, 2/134.
3 A famous hadith, which some scholars claim to be mutaw8tir because
seventy Companions related it. Others claimed that even more Companions
related it; at any rate, all of the books of the Sunnah have related it.
The Sunnnh and its role in Islamic legislation 111
In fact, they would contend with leaders, miers, or any man whom
they deemed to have strayed from Allah's Religion, and in doing so
the Companions feared no blame or oppression or even death.
On one occasion, 'Vmar ~ was delivering a sermon, when
a woman stood up in the gathering, which was packed with
Companions, and said, ''Wait, a 'Vmar! Allah gives to us, and you
deprive us! Did not Allah ~ say,
~ ... And you have given one of them a great amount [of gold] as Mahr
[marriage gift], do not take back the least bit of it...) (Qur'an 4: 20)"
And 'Vmar ~ responded, "The woman is correct and the man has
erred.,,4 -
When Abu Bakr ~ , the Caliph, resolved upon fighting the
apostates and those who refused to pay the Zakiit, 'Vmar ~
demurred, arguing that the Prophet (m) said, I have been ordered to
fight the people until they say: 'None has the right to be worshipped
but Allah.' And if they say it, then they have protected from me their
blood and wealth, except if there is a prior right to it, and their
accountability is with Allah ~ . 5 Abu Bakr ~ answered, "Did
notthe Messenger of Allah (m) say, 'except if there is a prior right'?
And from its rights is the zakiit." 'Vmar ~ was the first to pledge
allegiance to Abu Bakr ~ as Caliph because he recognized his
superiority, yet his love and veneration for Abu Bakr ~ did not
4 The said sennon of 'Umar is related by Imam Ab.mad in his Musnad and by
the compilers of the Sunan (plural of Sunnah) by way of Muhammad ibn
Seereen from Abu al-'Ajf3. as-Salamee. The narration of the woman refuting
his words is related by Abu Ya'la al-Moosalee in his Musnad, yet in it there
is a weak narrator. It has other chains as well, but they too are disconnected.
5 Bukhari and Muslim from Abu Hurayrah.
112 Fabricaled Hadilhs
prevent him from contending with him regarding a matter in which
he felt he was right - in a matter about which he disagreed with Abu
Bakr ~ .
In a similar incident, 'Ali ~ argued against 'Vmar's
decision to stone a pregnant woman who had committed adultery,
saying, "If Allah has made a way against her, He ~ has not made a
way for you against what is in her belly (or womb)." 'Vmar ~
reversed his decision, saying, "If it were not for 'Ali, 'Vmar would
have been destroyed."
When Marwiin was governor of Madinah, Abu Sa'eed (.)
reproached him for making the Khutbah (sermon) before the 'Eid
prayer, explaining to him that doing so was against the Smmah, for
the Prophet ~ had acted differently.
In Tadhkiral ul-lfuffiidh, Dhahabee relates a bold account of
Ibn 'Vmar (.), who during the sermon of Al-I,Iajjiij, the well-
known tyrant, said, "0 enemy of Allah, you have deemed lawful the
matters which Allah ~ has sanctified, you have ruined Allah's
house, and have killed the Awliyii' (those among His close slaves; the
true believers) of Allah." He related that AI-I,Iajjiij said, "Indeed, Ibn
az-Zubayr has alteted Allah's words." Ibn 'Vmar ~ said, "You
have lied, for neither Ibn az-Zubayr nor you is able to alter Allah's
words."...
History books are replete with these and similar narrations,
which clearly shows that the Companions were bold when it came to
defending what they believed to be true, which makes it impossible
for them to have lied about the Messenger of Allah ~ , for only the
coward lies. They conveyed the truth to all; indeed, they spoke out
when they felt that one among them made an error in judgment, in
judgments that were reached after much thought and reflection. Then
how could they have remained silent when someone actually lied
about the Messenger of Allah (;l:!ij;)?
-,
Listen to what Anas (.) had to say ahout the Companions.
He (.) related a hadith and a man said to him, "Did you hear this
from the Messenger of Allah (;iJiij)?" He said, "Yes, or someone
related it to me who does not lie; hy Allah, we would not lie, and we
would not even know what a lie is.,,6
Without a doubt, then, fabrications did not occur during the
period of the Prophet's Companions (.); they were all trustworthy
and none lied to another. Any difference of opinion that arose among
them stemmed from different judgments, with each one of them
seeking the truth.
Fabrications began during the period of the Tabi 'oon,
obviously more so during the period of the younger Tabi'oon than
the period of the older ones, a period in which Allah ~ was feared
more and Islam was followed more closely than in the ensuing
period. The Companions and the older, eminent Tabi 'oon - known
for their knowledge, piety, Religion, and trustworthiness - were
able to thwart the plots of the liars and fabricators.
The causes that led to fabrication and
the settings in which it thrived
We have already mentioned that political differences at the end
of 'Uthmiin's caliphate and during 'Ali's caliphate were primary
factors that led to the rise and spread of fabrications; also, we have
already mentioned that the Shi 'ah were the first to invent lies about
the Prophet (;iJiij), which makes Iraq the place where fabrications
originated. The Imams of Hadith point that out; for example, Az-
Zuhri used to say, "A hadith would go forth from us the span of a
hand and would return to us from Iraq the span of an arm." Miilik
6 Miftiih ul-Jannah. by As-Suyoo!"e: p. 25.
referred to Iraq as the house of miuting, for hadiths would be minted
there and then spread among the people just as coins are minted and
then are spread for usage in dealings. Granted, political differences
were the original cause for the occurrence of fabrications, yet there
were other causes and motives that led not only to more and more
fabrications, but to their spread as well. In the following sections, we
briefly outline the most important causes that led to the fabrication of
hadiths.
First, Political differences
Many political factions sunk into the mud that was lying upon
the Messenger of Allab the Rilfiljah (Shi'ab) were the most
active of these groups in inventing lies about the Messenger of Allab
(;til;). When Mill was asked about the Rilfigab, he said, "Do not
speak to them, nor relate from them, for indeed they lie."
7
Shareek
ibn'Abdullah al-Qiigee, known to have leanings toward exaggerating
regarding the Prophet's family, though he was just, said, "Take from
all whom you meet, except for the Rilfigab, for they fabricate hadiths
and then take it to be their Religion.',8 I,Iarnmiid ibn Salamab said,
"One of the Shaykhs of the Rilfigab said, 'When we used to gather
and find something to be good, we would make it a hadith....
9
And
Ash-Shilfi 'ee said, "Among the people who follow their own desires,
I have not seen a group bear witness to mote lies than the Rilfigab." 10
The people of the Sunnab relate many examples of hadiths that
the Rilfiljah fabricated. The following are all such examples:
7 Minhaj 1/13.
S Minhiij us-Sunnah.
9 Ibid.
10 Ikhti:jiir Uloom al-lfadeeth, by Ibn Katheer, p. 109.
- They relate that all of the Companions bore witness to the
following: the Messenger of Allah ~ took 'Ali ~ by the hand,
and said, "This is who 1appoint, my brother, and the Caliph after me,
so listen to him and obey." The people of the Sunnah proclaim that
this is without a doubt a fabrication invented by the Riifi<;lah (in
ensuing sections, we will explain how it is a lie).
- "Whoever wishes to see Adam, in his knowledge; Noah, in his
piety; Ibriiheem, in his forbearance; Moosa, in his dignity; and 'Eesa,
in his worship - then let him look at 'Ali."
- "I am the balance of knowledge, 'Ali is its two scales, Al-l:;Iasan
and AI-l:;Iusain are its strings, and Fiitimah is its link. And the Imams
from us are its pillars. In it is weighed the deeds of those who love us
and those who hate us." 1
- 'The love of 'Ali is a good deed and with it one is not harmed by a
sin; hating himis sin and with it one is not benefited by a good deed."
Just as they invented lies in order to praise the family of the
Prophet ~ , they invented lies to belittle the Companions,
especially Abu Bakr ~ and 'Vmar (4Ib). For example, in one of
their narrations, 'Vmar ~ supposedly tied a rope around 'Ali's
neck, so that he could be led like a mount, and Fa(imah ~ was
behind them screaming. Ibn Abul-l:;Iadeed mentioned that the people
of Hadith do not relate this and other similar narrations, but that only
the Shi'ah relate themY They also fabricated hadiths against
Mu'awiyah ~ ; for example, "If you see Mu'awiyah on my pulpit,
then kill him."
Thus the Riifi<;lah went to extremes, inventing hadiths that
corresponded to their desires. A good number of narrations they
fabricated, for in al-Irshfid, Al-Khaleeli said, "The Riifi<;lah made up
II Sharh Nahj al-BaUighah, 1/135; this is with the knowledge that Ibn Abul-
I:Iadeed was himself Shi'ah -and a Mu'tazilee.
approximately 300,000 hadiths in which 'Ali and the Prophet's
family were praised." Perhaps this is an exaggeration, yet the fact
remains that they invented a great number of hadiths. Any Muslim
must stand bewildered at the temerity shown by those who lied about
the Messenger of AllOO were it not known that most of those
who were Shi '00 were Persians, and their sole intention was to undo
Islam. Others from that group accepted Islam, but were not able to
cast off the renmants of their previous religion, and so they entered
Islam with a polytheistic mentality; they did not care whether they
lied about the bearer of the Message, so long as they could give fuel
to the love that dwelt in the innermost part of their hearts; this is the
way of children and the ignorant regarding that which they love or
hate.
Unfortunately, these were rivaled by some of the people of the
SunnOO, the ignorant ones among them. They refuted lies with lies,
though their lies were considerably fewer. For example, the
narration, "Upon the leaves of all the trees in Paradise is written:
None has the right to be worshipped but AllOO, Muhannnad is the
Messenger of AllOO, Abu Bakr 'Umar al-Filrooq, and
'Uthmiin Dhun-Noorayn."
Likewise, the staunch supporters of Mu'iiwiyOO equaled the
RiifiQab. Some of them made up narrations, such as this one: "The
trustworthy ones are three: I, Jibreel, and Mu'iiwiyOO." Or, for
example, "You are from me, 0 Mu'iiwiyOO, and I amfrom you." And
in yet another narration, "It is only Mu'iiwiyOO who I will not see in
Paradise, and then he will come to me after a long time, and I will
say, 'From where, 0 Mu'iiwiyOO?' He will say, 'From my Lord,
where he was speaking to me in private and I was speaking to him in
private.'" According to this narration, the Prophet (g) then says to
him, "'This is in return for your honor having been attacked in the
world."
So too did some of the supporters of the Banu 'Abbas fabricate
uarrations, narrations showing'Abbas (.) to be the Caliph after the
Prophet ~ . For example, " 'Abbas is my appointed one and my
inheritor." This group had no qnalms about inventing great lies such
as the following: they related that the Prophet ~ said to 'Abbas
(.), '10 the year 135, it (i.e. the caliphate) belongs to you and your
children, As-S:lf'aQ, AI-Man$oor, and Al-Mahdee."
Would the Khawarij fabricate lies
against the Messenger of Allah ~ ?
The people of knowledge mention that the Khawilrij - those
who left the camp of 'Ali (.) after he agreed to accept the ruling of
certain Companions in his dispute with Mu'awiyah (.) - were of
the various sects the least guilty of fabricating lies about the Prophet
(Blessings and peace be upon him). They lied so infrequently
because it was a part of their beliefs that a perpetrator of a great sin
was a disbeliever (this view is most widely accepted among them).
According to what Al-Ka'bee related,!2 they held that anyone who
sinned, regardless of whether the sin was a major or minor one, was a
disbeliever. Therefore they did not regard lying and wickedness as
being lawful; in their worship and austerity - despite their false
beliefs - they were indeed pious. Yet that did not prevent some of
their leaders from fabricating lies about the Messenger of Allah ~ .
It is related from one of their Shaykhs, "Indeed these hadiths are
Religion, so look at those from whom you take your Religion. And if
we desired a matter, we would turn it into a hadith." 13 'Abdur-
RaQman ibn Mahdee said that the Khawilrij and the Zanadiqah
14
12 AZ-Farq Baiyn al-Firiiq (p. 45).
13 As-Suyootee in al-LafiW al-Masnoo'ah, (2/486); here, he is relating from
Ibn al-Jawzee from the introduction of his book al-MawtJoo 'at.
14 See discussion below.
fabricated!bis hadith: "If a hadith comes to you fromme, then look at
it in light of Allah's Book. If it is in agreement with Allah's Book,
then I have said it."
That is what writers from the past and present say, yet I have
not found a single hadith fabricated by a Khfuijee (member of the
Khawfuij) - though I have searched long in the compilations of
fabrications. Nor have I found a Khfuijee who is listed among the
liars and fabricators. As for the Khfuijee Shaykh mentioned above, I
do not know who he is, and because I:Iammad ibn Salamah explicitly
said elsewhere that he related it from a Riifi<;lee Shaykh, it is very
possible that the attribution to a Khfuijee here is a mistake, especially
when we consider that we have not found a single hadith from them
that is fabricated.
As for' Abdur-Ra!,lman ibn Mahdee's narration - "If a hadith
comes to you..." - he said that the Zanadiqah and the Khawfuij
fabricated it. First, we do not know whether that saying can be
correctly ascribed to 'Abdur-Ra!,lman ibn Mahdee, for it is a saying
that is not backed by proof: he did not even mention who the
fabricator was, or when the fabrication originated. What raises
further doubts is that he ascribed !bis fabrication to the Zana<llqah
and the Khawfuij - which group was it? It is highly unlikely that
both groups got together and fabricated it. Other than Ibn Mahdee's
narration, other narrations only mention the Zanadiqah. Zakariyah
s ~ j e e related from Ya!,lya ibn Mu'een that he said, "TIns hadith
has been fabricated by the Zanadiqah." Al-Fatannee also relates the
same from AI-Khaj1iibee: "The Zana<llqah fabricated it.',!5 Not in
any of these texts are the Khawfuij mentioned. And as we shall see
later on, some scholars did not even rule !bis hadith to be fabricated;
they merely ruled that it was weak.
15 Tadhkiratul-Mawdoo'tit, p. 28.
The more I researched, the more I became sure that the
imputation of fabrication to the Khawiirij is not supported by valid
proofs, and is heuce a rejected claim. The Khawiirij claimed that a
perpetrator of a great sin - or a small one, according to some - is a
disbeliever, and lying is a great sin. Imagine howmuch greater the sin
of lyiug becomes when it is against the Messenger of Allah ~ .
They were a brave group and they worshipped a great deal, and they
did not resort to hidden lies as the Shi'ah did. Had they lied about the
Messenger of Allah ~ , they would have also deemed it lawful to lie
about those who were lesser in status, such as the leaders and rulers
of their time. Yet all historical data clearly indicates that they would
face rulers and leaders with a great deal of truth and openness.
What is important is for us to find a clear and palpable proof
that shows them to have fabricated hadiths, yet these proofs I could
not find, and still cannot find. Abu Dawood said, "Among the people
who follow their own desires, the most authentic hadiths come from
the Khawiirij." And Ibn Taymiyah said, "Among the people who
follow their own desires, there are none more truthful and upright
than the Khawiirij." He also said, "They do not lie on purpose; rather,
they are known for truthfulness. It is even said that their hadiths are
among the most authentic of hadiths."
Second, the Zanadiqah
Zandaqah is a termthat represents hate for Islam as a Religion
and a Nation. A Zindeeq is one who holds Zandaqah views, and the
plural of Zindeeq is Zan1idiqah, Islam swept away thrones and
leadership roles that were based upon misguiding people in their
beliefs, putting down their honor, and using them for base profit.
Rulers would use the people to fight wars, not for any particular
belief, but simply so that those rulers could expand their realms. But
120 Fabricated Haditks
with the advent of Islam, people began to notice that under the shade
of Islam there was honor for the individual, nobility in belief,
freedom for the mind, and eradication of superstition, charlatanism,
and foolish beliefs. And so people entered Islam in throngs. With the
political as well as military strength ofIslam, power was taken away
from tyrannical leaders and chiefs, who had no hope of regaining any
of their fleeting glory. Snch people and others of their ilk found no
means of exacting revenge on Islam except by trying to distort its
beliefs and noble qualities or to divide the ranks of its followers. The
strongest method they felt to be at their disposal was to fabricate
hadiths. And so under many disguises - sometimes as a Shi'ee,
sometimes as a Sufi, other times as a philosopher or wise man -
such people tried to disseminate fabricated hadiths. All such efforts
were meant to insert defects into the fonnidable, forbidding, and
towering structure that Muhammad ~ had built, which Allah ~
has promised will remain until the end of time, erect and safe. Those
who try to bring down that structure necessarily fail and end up
miserable as a result.
There are many examples of fabricated hadiths that issued
from this category of people; from them are the following:
- "Our Lord descends on the night of 'Arafah upon a camel...,
shakes hands with the riders, and embraces the walkers."
- "Allah created the Angels from the hair of His anus and chest."
- "Indeed, Allah felt pain in His two eyes and the Angels visited
llim."
- "Looking at a beautiful face is worship."
- "Eggplant is a cure for every disease."
In this manner, the Zanadiqah introduced thousands of
fabricated hadiths in beliefs, manners, rnedicine, the halal, and the
The Sunnah aud its role in Islamic legislation 121
hariim. In the presence of AI-Mahdee, one Zindeeq admitted to
having fabricated one hundred hadiths. When 'Abdul-Kareem ibn
Abee al- 'Auja was being led to his execution, he admitted to having
fabricated 4000 hadiths, in which he would make hariimthat which is
halal and make halal that which is hariim. When some of the Caliphs
from Banu 'Abbas felt the danger that the Zanadiqah represented to
the structore of political life in Muslim lands, they began to kill them
and divide their ranks. Al-Mahdee is most memorable among the
Caliphs for stamping out the Zaniidiqah movement; he would go after
their leaders, poets, and scholars. The most famous of the Zanadiqah
are 'Abdul-Kareem ibn Abee al- 'Auja, who was killed by
Muhammad ibn Sulayman ibn 'Ali, the leader of Basra; Bayan ibn
Sam'an al-Mahdee, who was killed by Khillid ibn 'Abdullah al-
and Muhammad ibn Sa'eed who was killed by
Abu Ja'far
Third, Partisanship or fanaticism for one's
race, tribe, language, country, or Imam
Certain nationalists invented the hadith, "Indeed, if Allah is
angry, he sends down revelation in the Arabic language, but if He is
pleased, He sends down revelation in Persian (Farsi)." Those who
were ignorant among the Arabs vied with them, making up the
hadith, "Indeed, if Allah is angry, He sends down revelation in Farsi,
and if He is pleased, He sends down revelation in Arabic." Fanatical
followers of Abu J:Ianeefah made up the hadith, "There will come a
man in my Nation who is called Abu J:Ianeefah an-Nu'man: he is the
lamp of my Nation." Fanatical opponents of Ash_Shiifi'ee invented
the hadith, "There shall come a man in my Nation who is called
Muhammad ibn Idrees: he is more harmful to my Nation than fblees
(the Devil)." The same can be said for fabricated hadiths that speak
about the virtues of certain countries, tribes, or even eras. The
scholars clarified that such narrations are fabricated, for they were
able to distinguish them from authentic hadiths.
Fourth, Stories and sermons
At a certain point, storytellers were responsible for
admonishing and sennonizing, yet most of them did not fear Allah
~ ; what was important to them was only to make people cry in
gatherings or to impress people with their sayings. And so they
would fabricate false tales and then ascribe them to the Prophet (;@).
Ibn al-Qutaybah explained that the commoners wonld sit in the
gatherings of storytellers expecting wonderful words or words that
would make them cry. In response to that demand, storytellers would
invent lies, for instance, abont Paradise and Hell, in order to make
people weep.
An example of this kind of fabrication is this narration:
"Whoever says, None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, Allah
creates from every word a bird, whose beak is made from gold and
whose feather is made from corals." The impudence and temerity of
those storytellers is bewildering. On one occasion, Al:Jmad ibn
I:.Ianbal and YaI;lya ibn Mu'een prayed in the Ar-Rassafah Mosqne. A
storyteller stood among the people gathered in the Mosque and said,
"Al:Jmad ibn I:.Ianbal and YaI;lya ibn Mu'een related to me from
'Abdnr-Razzaq from Qamdah from Anas, that the Messenger of
Allah em) said..." And he related the previous narration. He
continned to relate twenty or so pages worth of narrations, while
A!)mad stared in amazement at YaI;lya and YaI;lya stared in
amazement at A!)mad. Each asked the other, "Did you relate this?"
And each of them answered, "By Allah, until this honr, I had not
heard this." When the storyteller was finished, YaI;lya asked, "And
who related this to you?" He said, "AJ:nnad ibn I;lanbal and Ya1;lyii
ibn Mu'een." Ya1;lyii said, "I am Ya1;lyii and this is AJ:nnad, and we
have never heard of this to be among the sayings of the Messenger of
Allab <*)... "The storyteller said, "I used to always hear that Ya1;lyii
ibn Mu'een was an imbecile, but that fact has not dawned npon me
until now." Ya1;lyii asked, "And how is that?" He said, "Is there not
any Ya1;lyii ibn Mu'een and AJ:nnad ibn I;lanbal in the world other
than you two? I have indeed written from seveuteen AJ:nnad ibn
I;lanbals and Ya1;lyii ibn Mu'eens.,,16
Unfortunately, however, those storytellers were well received
by the public. One such storyteller became so impudent as to claim
that the Prophet (;i!!j) sits with Allab < upon His Throne.
Muhammad ibn Jareer aVfabaree heard about that, became very
angry, and refuted and reproached the man. He wrote on his door,
"How perfect is Allab! Who has no partner with Him on His throne."
The commoners of Baghdad believed the storyteller and in response
to what Muhammad ibn Jareer did, they stoned his house.
Fifth, Differences in fiqh
Some ignorant followers of the fiqh schools tried to strengthen
their schools by fabricating hadiths. For example,
- ''Whoever raises his hands in prayer, then he has no prayer."
- "To rinse one's month and to inhale water in one's nose three
times each is compulsory npon the one who is in a state of major
impurity. "
- "Jibreelled me in prayer by the Ka'bab, and he read ont lond, 'Io
the name of Allab, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.'"
16 Ta1J,dheer al-Khawa$ min Akddheeb by As-Suyootee.
Sixth, Ignorance of the religion,
yet with a desire to do good
Many pious people and people who were steadfast in their
worship fall uuder this category. By fabricatiug hadiths regarding the
vlltues of doing good deeds, these people thought that they were
getting closer to Allah ~ and that they were serving Islam. In those
narrations, they would encourage people to perfonn acts of worship
and obedience. When the scholars reminded them of the Prophet's
saying, Whoever lies about me on purpose, then let him take his seat
in the Hellfire, they would answer, "We are lying for him, not about
him." This was all because of ignorance regarding the Religion and
the overcoming of desires and heedlessness. From this category of
fabrications are many narrations that enumerate the virtues of
different chapters of the Qur' an. Noo!). ibn Abee Maryam admitted to
having fabricated these narrations. He excused himself by arguing
that the peopk were turning away from the Qur' an, while occupying
themselves in the fiqh of Abu I;laneefah and the battles related by Ibn
Is-!).aq. GhuliimKhaleel was another fabricator from this category; he
was an ascetic who remained aloof from the world and its pleasures,
and he dedicated his life to worship and piety. The common people
loved him, so much so that the marketplaces of Baghdad closed in
mourning on the day he died. Despite all of that, Satan made the
fabrication of hadiths appear comely to him- hadiths that discussed
the virtues of certain invocations. He said, "We fabricated those
narrations to soften by them the hearts of the commoners."
Seventh, Currying favor with kings and leaders
An example of this kind of fabrication occurred when Ghiyath
ibn Ibriiheem entered upon Mahdee, who was playing with a pigeon.
Seeing that, Ghiyiith related the famous hadith, "There IS no
competition except in the arrowhead (i.e., archery), the hoof (i.e.
horse racing)... " and he added "or the wing (of a bird)," trying to
please Al-Mahdee, who in response bestowed upon him 10,000
Dirhams. After Ghiyiith turned his back, leaving, Al-Mahdee said, "I
bear witness that your back is that of a liar about the Messenger of
Allah ~ ) . He then ordered for the bird to be slanghtered.
Scholars mention other causes that led to the fabrication of
hadiths, among which are the following:
- The desire to present a unique hadith in terms of either its text or
chain.
- The desire to promote a certain Islamic ruling.
- The desire to exact revenge upon an enemy or a specific group.
- The desire to promote certain kinds of food, perfume, or clothing.
Yet the seven categories we discussed in detail are the most
widespread and important factors that led to the fabrication of
hadiths.
At the end of this discussion, I must mention a point that has
often occurred to me, but that has strengthened in intensity as I wrote
this chapter. The leniency shown by the rulers had most rueful
results; had rulers taken a stronger stance against fabricators by doing
away with their leaders - as is the ruling of Allah ~ ) in this
situation - fabrications might not have spread to the extent that they
actually did. We find that a ruler such as Al-Mahdee admitted that
Ghiyiith ibn Ibraheem was a fabricator seeking to curry favor with
him, yet he rewarded him not with death or any other punishment, but
with 10,000 Dirhams. Strange enough, instead of punishing the
wicked liar, he slaughtered the pigeon, giving the wicked liar money
so that he could enjoy hinIself with the wealth of the Muslims. On
another occasion, Muqatil ibn Sulaymiin al-Balkhee said to Al-
Mabdee, "If you wish, I will fabricate for you hadiths regarding
'Abbas and his sons." Al-Mabdee said, "I am in no need of them."
But he did not punish MuqatiI. It is related that when Ar-Rasheed
perceived that Abu al-Bakhtaree lied abont the Messenger of Allab
~ , clallning that, ''The Prophet ~ used to fly on a pigeon," Ar-
Rasheed merely said, "Go away from me; had you not been from the
Quraysh I wonId have removed you from your post." The said liar
was actually a jndge for Ar-Rasheed. Allab ~ will hold those
leaders accountable if the narrations about them are true. Yes, they
did show great resolve in putting down the Zandaqab movement,
killing its leaders, but that was mainly because the Zanadiqab were
rebelling against them, for why else did they not do the same to the
liars and fabricators who lied about the Prophet ~ in order to please
their whims?
Storytellers filled the mosques with their lies while the leaders
and rulers had knowledge thereof. Fabricators thrived without
anyone to prevent them or thwart their activities. And had not Allab
~ brought about scholars and Imams who defended the Sharia in
each generation and who stripped the Sunnab of all false narrations
that became rrrixed with it, the calamity would have been complete.
The zeal of our pious predecessors, those who fought against
fabricators and their fabrications, helped to a great extent to preserve
the Hadith of the Messenger of Allab ~ from lies and liars until the
Day of Judgment.
CHAPTER THREE
The Efforts of the Scholars
to Purify and
The Scholars' War on
Fabricators and Fabrications
eAnyone who studies the stance taken by the scholars -
from the time of the Companions until the recording of the Sunnah
became complete - in how they fought to quell the plots of the
fabricators and in how they toiled and labored to purify the Sunnah
from false narrations, can only conclude that they could hardly have
done more to preserve the authentic Sunnab. The methods they used
to criticize and scrutinize hadith narrations were most excellent and
most scholarly, and thus they were able to discern between the
authentic and the weak. We can even positively say that our scholars
- may Allah have mercy on them- were the first ones out of all the
nations to lay down precise scholarly rules for discerning between
authentic and unauthentic historical narrations. Here are some of the
steps they took to save the Sunnah from the plots of liars, steps that
show us how they were able to cleanse the Sunnab, removing any
mud that tried to attach itself to it.
128 The efforts ofthe scholars to purifY and authenticate the Sunnah
First, the chain of the narration
After the Messenger of Allah ~ died, the Companions took
from one another without doubting in the other person's honesty, and
we have seen ample examples of this in previous chapters. Nor did
the Tabi'oon hesitate to accept any hadith that they had heard related
from a Companion of the Messenger of Allah ~ . This sort of trust
in society continued until the Discard! came to pass, and the
miserable Jew, 'AbduIHih ibn Saba, proclaimed his evil claim, one
based on extreme Shi'ah ideas, that 'Ali ~ had qualities of
godhood or of a deity. Generation after generation, schemes against
the Sunnah began to grow and spread. At that early stage during the
time of the Discord, scholars from the Companions and the Tabi'oon
began to scrutinize narrations, accepting only those narrations that
contained known chains and narrators, narrators who were known for
their trustworthiness and uprightness. In the introduction of fla!}ee!}
Muslim, Imam Muslim related that Ibn Seereen said, "They wonld
not ask for the chain (of narrators), but when the Discord occurred,
they said, 'Name to us your men.' They wonld see who was from the
people of the Sunnah and take their hadith, and they wonld see who
was from the people of innovation and not take their hadith." Such
scrutiny and investigation into the chains of narrations began in the
period of the younger Companions, those who lived on until after the
Discord occurred. Also in his introduction, Muslim related from
Mujiihid that Basheer al- 'Adwee went to Ibn 'Abbas ~ and began
to relate hadiths, saying, 'The Messenger of Allah ~ said such and
such..." Ibn 'Abbas ~ neither listened to his hadith nor looked at
1 The <Discord' refers to the period in Islamic history immediately after the
assassination of 'Ut:hrn.fut, the third of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, in which the
Muslim Nation was split into factions and became plagued by internecine
fighting.
him, and Basheer said, "0 Ibn 'Abbas, why do I see you not listening
to my hadith: I am relating to you from the Messenger of Allah ~ ,
yet you do not listen!" Ibn 'Abbiis (.$) answered, "Whenever we
used to hear a man say, 'The Messenger of Allah ~ said,' the
attention of our eyes and hears would hasten to him but when people
started to ... we began to take from people only that which we know."
The Tabi 'oon followed suit and began to demand from narrators the
chains of narrations, and they tried to take as much as they could
directly from the Companions. Abu al- 'Aliyah said, "We used to hear
narrations, the source of which were the Companions, and we would
not be satisfied until we rode to them. and heard from them
ourselves." Ibn al-Mubiirak said, "The chain (of narrators) is part of
the Religion. Were it not for the isnfid (the chain), anyone who
wished could say whatever he wanted."
Second, Verifying the authenticity of Hadiths
Scholars would verify the authenticity of narrations by
consulting with Companions, Tabi' oon, and Imams of the Science of
Hadith. Allah ~ prolonged the lives of many eminent and
knowledgeable Companions who acted as reference books for the
people. When fabrications first came into being, the people sought
judgment with the Companions, asking them about narrations they
heard. To this end, many Tabi 'oon and even Companions traveled to
different lands, seeking out authentic hadiths, which were related by
trustworthy Companions. We have already mentioned the journey of
Jiibir ibn 'Abdullah (.$) to Syria and Palestine, and of Abu Ayyoob
(.$) to Egypt in order to hear a single hadith. Sa'eed ibn aI-
Musayyib once said, "I used to travel for nights and days, searching
out a single hadith.,,2 On another occasion, Ash-Sha'bee related a
2 Jami' al-Baydn al- 'llm, 1/94.
130 The efforts ofthe scholars to purify and authenticate the Sunnah
hadith from the Prophet ~ , and when he finished, he said to the
man to whom he spoke, "You have taken it for nothing; a man used
travel for something less than this to Madinah.,,3 And Bishr ibn
'Abdulliili al-HaQramee said, "I used to travel from one city to
another, seeking out a single hadith that I wanted to hear."
Third, Criticism of narrators
By investigating the veracity of narrators, scholars contributed
much to discerning the authentic narration from the fabricated one, or
the strong narration from the weak one. They labored long and hard,
studying the lives and biographies of narrators, including what was
apparent regarding them and what was hidden. And in taking upon
themselves this monumental task, they did not fear the blame of
anyone, nor did they hesitate to proclaim openly any defect found in
narrators. It was said to YaI:1ya ibn Sa'eed al-Qaniin, "Do you not fear
that these whose narratious you have abandoned will be your
opponents before Allah on the Day of Judgment?" He said, "For
these to be my opponents is more beloved to me than for the
Messenger of Allah ~ to be my opponent, saying to me, 'Why did
you not expel lies from my Hadith?'"
Scholars laid down rules that explained in detail the criteria for
accepting the narrations of a narrator and for rejecting them. The
following four groups constitute the most important categories of
narrators whose narrations are not accepted:
I. The liars, who lied upon the Messenger of Allah ~ . The scholars
agree that narrations of hadith are not accepted from one who lied
even once about the Prophet ~ ; they also agree that it is one of the
greatest sins to lie about the Prophet ~ . Yet they disagree about
3 Jlimi' al-Bayiin al- 'flm, 1/92.
whether the fabricator is a disbeliever. A group of scholars hold that
fabricators are disbelievers. Other scholars say that the fabricator
must be executed, though they disagree amoug themselves whether
his repentance is accepted. Alpnad ibn I;!anbal and Abu Bakr al-
Humaydee, the Shaykh of Bukhari, say that the repentance of a
fabricator is never accepted; An-Nawawee, on the other hand,
positively asserts that his repentance is accepted and that his
narrations, like his testimonies, are from that time (i.e. the time of his
repentance) onward accepted, and that his situation is similar to that
of a disbeliever who accepts Islam. Abu al-Mudhaffir as-Sam'iini.
ruled that if someone lied regarding even one narration, all of his
previous narrations must also be rejected.
2. The liars, those who lie in their general talk, even ifthey never lied
about the Messenger of Allah ~ . Scholars agree that if someone is
known to have lied even once, then his narrations are not accepted.
Imam Malik enumerated four categories of people whose narrations
are rejected:
"The man who is known for his foolishness, even if he narrates most
among the people; the man who lies in the narrations of people, even
if I do not accuse him of having lied about the Messenger of Allah
(;i!lj); the man of desires (one who puts his desires before or on equal
footing with Allah's Sharia), who invites others to his desires and
prejudices; and the senile man, who does not know what it is he
related, though he might have virtues in terms of his worship.
But if one repents for his lies and then becomes known for
truthfulness and uprightness, then the majority of scholars bold that
both his repentance and narrations are accepted. Abu Bakr ~
Sairafee dissented, saying, 'When we reject the narration of anyone
for a lie that he was exposed with, we never return to accepting his
narrations, not even after an outward repentance.'"
132 The efforts ofthe sclwlars to purify and authenticate the Sunnah
3. The people of innovation and desire. Scholars agree that a
narration is not accepted from an innovator who sinks into disbelief
because of his innovation; the same ruling applies to the one who
deems lying as being lawful, though he does not go into disbelief
because of his innovation. But what about the innovator who does
not regard lying as being lawful: are his narrations accepted? Or do
we distinguish between the one who invites others to his innovations
and the one who does not invite others to them? Al-I;Iiifidh ibn
Katheer said, "In this there is a dispute as of old and new, yet the
majority hold that we make a distinction between the one who invites
others and the one who does not (that is, we do not accept the
narration of one who invites others to his innovation, while we do
accept the narration of one who does not invite others to his
innovation)." ShMi' ee and Ibn I;Iibban relate that there is a consensus
that it is not permissible to rule by a narration that is related by an
innovator. Ibn I;Iibban said, "I know of no disagreement arn.ong them
(the Imarn.s) regarding this." It appears, however, that Ibn I;Iibban's
claim is ill-founded, for Bukhari related from 'Imriln ibn I;Ianan, the
Kharijee who often praised 'Abdur-Ral,lman ibn Muljam and who
was one of the most farn.ous propagators of the views of the
Khawarij. Also, Shiifi'ee said,
"I accept the testimony of the people who follow their desires, except
for those who favored Ibn al-Khagab of the Riifi<;lah, for they permit
false testimouies when doing so is in their favor.,,4
In al-Farq Bayn al-Firiiq, 'Abdul-Qadir al-Baghdiidi relates that
Shiifi'ee modified his view in the end, excluding the Mu'tazilah as he
previously did the supporters of Ibn al-Khatliib. It appears to me that
scholars would reject the narration of an innovator when his narration
promoted his particular innovation, or if the narrator was from a
4 Jkhti$aT 'Uloom al-Ifadeeth, p. 107.
group who deemed lies - eveu about the Prophet ~ - as being
lawful wheu those lies served to promote their desires and prejudices,
and that is why scholars rejected the uarrations of the Riifi<;lOO, while
they accepted the narrations of certain Shi '00 who were known for
truthfulness and trustworthiness. They would also accept narrations
of an innovator if he or his group forbade Iyiug; 'Imran ibn I;la!!an is
one such narrator.
4. The ZanadiqOO, the wicked ones, and the heedless ones who had
no understanding of what it was that they were relating. Included in
this category are all those who do not fulfill the requirements of
precision in memory and conveyance, as well as those who are
lacking in the qualities of uprightness and nnderstanding. AI-I;liifidh
ibn Katheer said,
''The accepted narrator is the trustworthy one, who is precise in what
he relates. He is a sane Muslim who is of age, and who is free from
defects in the form of wicked deeds and of those deeds that detract
from one's honor (as outlined by scholars). He must be vigilant and
not heedless. He must bave memorized if he relates from his
memory, and he must have understanding if he relates by meaning.
And if he is faulty or defective in any of the previous conditions, his
narration is rejected."
Scholars hesitate to accept the narrations of the following categories:
4.1. Those about whom it is disputed - were they upright and
trustworthy or did they have in them some defect that affects the
authenticity of their narrations?
4.2. Those who erred frequently in their narrations, often
contradicting the narrations of the trustworthy Imams.
4.3. Those who forgot often.
4.4. Those who became confused about different narrations during
the later stages of their lives.
4.5. Those whose memories were weak.
4.6. Those who were not discerning - they took from anyone,
regardless of whether that person was trustworthy or weak.
Fourth, Establishing general principles to
categorize different hadiths and to
distinguish between its categories
There are three categories ofhadith: (anthentic), l;asan
(acceptable), and tfa'eef (weak).
First, the Saheeh hadith
. . .
Definition of the saheeh hadith [and in general, the saheeh narration,
even if it is not from the Prophet
It is a narration whose chain is connected, related by upright and
precise narrators, from the beginning of the chaiu until it reaches the
Messenger of Allah or its end, whether that end is a Companion
or anyone else; it not be shiidh,
5
and it must not contain a
hidden defect that takes away from its authenticity.
Second, the lfasan narration
Scholars have differed as to the correct definition of the l;tasan
hadith. Shaykh Ibn said that because it falls between the
authentic and the weak narration in the view of the researcher but not
in itself, it is difficult to express its limits; it is difficult also becanse
the matter is relative. Then Ibn chose to describe the l;tasan
hadith as follows:
5 i.e., when a trustworthy narrator contradicts the narration of one who is more
trustworthy.
"The l;1asan hadith is of two kinds: First, the hadith whose chain
includes a man whose qualities are not established, though he is not
heedless, not one who erred frequently, and not one who has been
accused of lying; and the text of the hadith is related elsewhere in
exactly the same wording or almost the same wording. Second, a
hadith that contains a narrator who is famous for being honest and
trustworthy, but he does not reach the level of narrators in his
memorization and perfection. And if such a narrator is the only one
who relates a narration, that narration is not munkar,
6
and the text
should not be shlidh
7
nor should it be marred by a hidden defect.,,8
The first and second century Hadith scholars did not name a
category of hadith using the term l;1asan; that occurred afterwards,
during the period of AI;1mad and Bukhari, after which it became an
accepted term.
Third, I)a'eef (Weak)
Its Definition: It is a narration in which the qualities, or requisites, of
the or l;1asan narration are not found. There are many kinds of
Qa'eef narrations, and each is named according to the cause of
weakness, whether it stems from the chain of the narration or the text
itself. Here are some of the categories of weak hadiths:
1. Mursal: It is a narration that a Tabi'ee ascribes to the Prophet
without mentioning the Companion that he took it from. Thefuqahd'
(fiqh scholars) disagree as to whether the mursal hadith is a valid
proof. The Hadith scholars, however, agree among themselves that it
is not a valid proof. In the introduction to his $aiJeeiJ, Imam Muslim
said, "In our basic view and the view of the scholars of narrations, the
6 See definition given in this section. (Editor)
7 See definition given in this section. (Editor)
8 Ikht4ar 'Uloom al-Ifadeeth, p. 28.
136 The efforts ofthe scholars to purify aud authenticate the Sunnah
mursal hadith is not a valid proof." Al-I:Iiifidh ibn a ~ ~ a l i i h said, "As
to our mention of the invalidity of the mursal hadith and our ruling of
it being weak, the group of hadith retainers and critics of narrations
agree with our view, a view they expressed in their various works."
They rejected the mursal narration because of their caution when it
came to protecting hadiths of the Prophet ~ . For if an upright
tabi 'ee left out the mention of the Companion, all Companions are
upright at any rate - and SO the obvious question is, what takes away
from the authenticity of such a narration? It was merely the caution
and precision for which the scholars of this Nation are so famous.
2. Munqati': It is a narration in which one narrator - who is not a
Companion - is missing, or if an obscure narrator is mentioned.
3. Mu'ddal: A narration whose chain is missing two narrators or
more; for example, a narration that a third generation Muslim (the
generation after the tabi'oon) narrates directly from the Prophet (l'l!i)
without mentioning the tabi 'ee and the Companion in the link.
4. ShOOh: Shiifi'ee defined this to mean a narration related by a
reliable narrator, but which contradicts that which other people
related. Some of the guardians of Hadith give it a different definition
(a narration that has one chain only, which is related either by a
trustworthy or non-reliable narrator) but that of Shiifi'ee is better, for
there are many hadiths that are related only by a single trustworthy
narrator. Muslim said, "Az-Zuhri has 90 letters that he alone
narrated."
5. Munkar: That which is related by only one narrator, who is neither
upright nor precise; such a narration is rejected.
6. Al-Mudtarib: For the different narrations of the same hadith to
differ, either in the text or the chain, without the possibility of
preferring one narration to the others, simply because they are all
equal in their authenticity and in the fact that they are related by
ttustworthy narrators. This kind of narration is weak, except if the
difference is, for instance, in the name of a narrator, the name of his
father, or the place he is from, and if the narrator is ttustworthy; in
these instances, the hadith is ruled to be authentic.
The signs that a narration is fabricated
Just as the scholars established rules for distinguishing among
the !Jasan, and <;fa'eef narrations, so too did they establish
rules for detecting fabricated narrations; in fact, they mention in
detail the signs through which a fabricated narration can be detected
Previously we discussed the different categories of fabricators and
their motives for fabricating. Here we mention the signs that point to
a narration as having been fabricated, and we divide those signs into
two categories: signs in the chain and signs in the text.
The signs of fabrication in the chain
They are many, the most important of which are the following:
1. A clear indication: that the narrator is a known liar and that his
narration is not related by anyone else who is ttustworthy. Scholars
have put much time and effort into learning the identities and
histories of fabricators, folloWing up on the liars among them so that
none escaped their scrutiny.
2. That the narrator himself admitted to having fabricated hadiths.
For example, Abu NooJ:t ibn Abee Maryam admitted to
haVing fabricated hadiths about the virtues of different chapters of the
Qur'an. Another example is 'Abdul-Kareem ibn Abee 'Aujii, who
admitted to having fabricated 4000 hadiths, in which he would make
hariitn that which in fact is halal and vice versa.
3. That a narrator relates from a Shaykh and it is not established that
the former ever met the latter, or it is established that the former was
born after the death of the latter, or that the former never traveled to
the land in which he claimed to have heard a hadith from the latter.
For example, Ma'moon ibn A1}mad al-Harawee claimed to have
heard a hadith from Hisham ibn 'Amrnilr. AI-J::Iilfidh ibn I;I:ibbiin
asked Ma'moon, "When did you enter Syria and Palestine?" He said,
"In the year 250 H." Ibn J::Iibbiin said, "Indeed, the Hisham that you
relate from died in the year 245 H." Similarly, 'AMullilli ibn Is-l;>ilq
al-Kirmiinee claimed to be relating from Muhammad ibn Ya'qoob. It
was said to the former, "Muhammad died nine years before you were
even born." In another narration, Muhammad ibn J::Iiitim al-Kushee
related from 'AM ibn Humayd. AI-HiilimAbu 'AMullilli said, "This
Shaykh heard from 'AM ibn J::Iumayd thirteen years after he died."
Chronology is depended upon to a great extent in these kinds of
narrations - this refers for the most part to dates of births, deaths,
and joumeys. Sufyiin ath-Thawree said, "When some narrators began
to lie, we used dates against them."
4. One can at times conclude that a narration is fabricated when the
situation and motives of a narrator are studied and exposed. Al-
J::Iiilim related that Saif ibn 'Vmar at-Tameemi said, "We were with
Sa'd ibn Tareef, when his son came from his instructor, crying. Sa'd
asked, 'What is the matter with you?' He said, 'The teacher hit me.'
Sa'd said, 'I shall humble them today.' 'Ikrimah related to me from
Ibn 'Abbiis ~ ahadith that ends at the Prophet (;i!!j): 'The teachers
of your children are the most evil among you, the least merciful to the
orphan, and the harshest with the poor and weak.' "
The signs of fabrication in
the actual text of a narration
There are many signs that point to fatirication in a narration,
but the most important of them in the text of a narration are the
following:
1. Stilted or awkward speech: The scholar who is fanriliar with the
intricate details of the Arabic langnage knows when a given word or
phrase is stiff or stilted and concludes that it is impossible to have
emanated from one who is eloquent and well-spoken - how then
could such words have emanated from the most eloquent person to
have ever spoken Arabic, Muhammad ~ ? Al-I;l3fidh ibn I;lajr
pointed out that this sign is valid when the exact words of the Prophet
~ are being quoted. Ibn Daqeeq al- 'Bed said, "Scholars often rule a
narration to be fabricated based on this principle - based on the
wording of the narration. Because of their extensive research in
Hadith literature, they have developed strong mental and spiritual
faculties, througb which they are able to differentiate between what
the Prophet ~ might have uttered and what the Prophet ~ could
not have uttered." And AI-Bilqeeni said, "If one serves under a
master for a number of years, he knows what he loves and what he
hates, so if a third party were to claim that the master hated
something, while the servant knew for a fact that he loved that thing,
he would, inuuediately upon hearing the claim, reject it as a lie."
2. An unacceptable meaning - this can occur in many ways, for
example:
2.a. The hadith is contrary to incontrovertible facts, facts that people
inherently accept, without the possibility of interpreting the hadith.
For example, that Noab' s ark circumambulated the Kaaba seven
times and then prayed two units at the station of Ibriiheem.
2.b. The hadith goes against general principles in wisdom and
140 The efforts ofthe scholars to purifY and authenticate the Sunnah
manners; for instance, "The Turks are unjust and the Arabs as well."
2.c. The narration invites to lust or wrongdoing; for example, "To
look at a beautiful face makes one's eyes shine."
2.d. The hadith is contrary to that which one plainly sees or feels; for
example, "After the year 100 H, no child is born that Allah ~ is in
need of."
2.e. The hadith is contrary to medical principles that are agreed upon,
such as, "Eggplant is a cure for every sickness."
2.f. The hadith is contrary to what we know of Allah's perfection and
completeness; for example, "Indeed, Allah created the horse, made it
run, and it sweated, and from it, He created Himself."
2. g. The hadith is contrary to undeniable historical fact or to Allah's
Sunnah (i.e. the general principles by which Allah (iii) makes things
happen) in the creation and in man. For example, in one narration an
Indian man is described to have lived for 600 years and to have lived
through the time of the Prophet ~ .
2.h. The hadith consists of the absurd or silly, matters that the wise
ones are protected from; for example, "White chickens are beloved to
me and beloved to my beloved, JibreeI."
Likewise is the case for all that the sane and wise person
instinctively rejects. Ibn a1-Jawzee said,
"How beautiful is the saying of the one who said: 'As for any hadith
you see that is contrary to sound minds, that is contrary to the basic
principles (of the Sharia), and that is contrary to what has been
(authentically) related - then know that it is fabricated.' "
3. A meaning that is contrary to a clear verse of the Qur' an and
cannot be iuterpreted; for example, "With the exception of seven
sons, no child of fornication enters Paradise." The implications of
this narration are plainly contrary to the following verse:
~ ... And no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another..)
(Qur'an 6: I64)
The narration is fabricated and is taken from the Torah; we know this
because the ruling it imparts corresponds exactly to that of the Torah.
The same can be said of a narration that is contrary in meaning to a
wellcknown, clear mutawiltir 9 Sunnah; for example, "If you narrate
from me a hadith that corresponds to the truth, then take it, regardless
of whether 1actually said it or not." It goes against the meaning of a
mutawatir hadith: "Whoever lies about me on purpose, then let him
take his seat in the Hellfire." This category also embraces those
narrations that go against universal principles that are derived from
the Qur' an and Sunnah; for instance, "Whoever has a son and then
names him Muhammad, he will also be his son in Paradise." Or, "1
make it binding upon myself that 1should not make anyone enter the
Fire whose name is Muhammad or Ahmad." Both of the previous
narrations contradict a known and established principle from the
Qur'an and Sunnah: that being saved occurs because of good deeds,
not because of names or titles. Also, if a narration is con1:(ary in
meaning to ijma' (consensus), we know that it is fabricated; for
instance, "Whoever makes up for obligatory prayers on the last
Friday of Ramadan, then that will compensate for every prayer he
missed during his life, up until seventy years." This is con1:(ary to the
consensus of the scholars, which dictates that the missed prayer
cannot be replaced by any other form of worship.
4. A narration that is at variance with known historical facts
regarding the period of the Prophet ~ for example, that the
Prophet (ii!!i) levied the jizyah
lO
upon the people of Khaybar and
9 A category of hadith describing narrations that are related by a group of
upright and trustworthy narrators who also related from a group of upright and
trustworthy narrators, and so on, until the narration ends at the Prophet (bpuh).
10 A tax that is paid by non-Muslims (people of the Book) who live in
Muslim lands by agreement.
lifted from them all hardship and forced labor by the witness of Sa'd
ibn Mu'iidh and the written testimony of Mu'iiwiyah ibn Abee
Sufyiin. Meanwhile, it is authentically established that the jizyah was
neither known nor legislated during the year of Khaybar; rather, its
ruling was revealed only after the year of Tabook, and Sa'd ibn
Mu'iidh ~ died before that during the battle of Khandaq, while
Mu'iiwiyah ~ accepted Islam during the period of the Makkah
conquest. Therefore, authentically established historical facts refute
the above-mentioned narration, showing it to be a fabrication.
S. The hadith corresponds to the sect or school of thought of the
narrator, who is fanatical in his adherence to that sect or school of
thought. For example if a Riifigee narrates a hadith about the virtues
of the Prophet's family or if a Murji' 11 narrates a hadith about irja', 12
one can be sure that the narration is fahricated. For example, I,Iabbah
ibn Juwayn said, "I heard 'Ali ~ say, 'Along with the Messenger
of Allah ~ , I worshipped Allah for five or seven years before
anyone else from this Nation worshipped Him.' " Ibn I,Iibbiin said,
"I,Iabbah was extreme in his Shi'ah heliefs, and he was very weak in
his narrations of hadith."
6. The hadith narration should have had many narrators relating it
dne to the fact that the command it contains is very important or
because many witnesses purportedly heard it. But the reality is that
only one narrator related it. From this category the people of the
Sunnah include the hadith of Ghadeer Khum, ruling it to be a
fabrication. In that narration, it is claimed that in front of all of the
Companions - who purportedly bore witness to what was
happening ~ the Prophet ~ took the hand of 'Ali ~ and said,
"This is my appointed one, my brother, and the Caliph after me, so
listen to him and obey." Scholars say that the narrator clearly
11 A member of the deviant Murji'ah sect.
12 A false belief that is the core tenet of the Murji 'ah sect.
mentioned that the hadith took place in front of all of the
Companions, which insinuates that all of the Companions hid what
they knew from the Prophet's words when they decided that Abu
Bakt ~ was most worthy of becoming Caliph, a claim that is as
base as it is impossible. That the Riifi<.1ah were the only ones among
the masses of the Muslims to have related this narration is proof
enough of it being a lie. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said,
"In this category is the narration that favors the caliphate of 'Ali
~ , for we know it to be a lie for lllany reasons. Never mind that it
is not mutawatir, it is not even related by anyone with an authentic
chain, nor is it reported to have been related in a clandestine manner,
despite the fact that the people took mutual counsel on the Day of
Saqeefah [when they agreed that Abu Bakt ~ should be the
Caliph] and when 'Umar (4!ib) died, when he appointed six to take
counsel and choose the next Caliph. Then, even when 'Uthmiin ~
died, the people differed regarding 'Ali ~ , so it is obvious that if
the narration is as the Riifi<.1ah claim it to be, many people should
have related it on all of the aforesaid occasions... " 13
Regarding the fabricated narration in question, Ibn l:;Iazm said, "We
have never found a chain for this claimed narration except one that
contains an extremely weak narrator, who relates from someone
unknown, who relates from another unknown, who uses the title Abu
al-l:;Iamra' - and we do not know who in Creation he is." Ibn Abee
al-l:;Iadeed clarified that there are many similar narrations and that
whoever reflects and does justice to historical facts must conclude,
without a doubt, that they are false and fabricated, for nothing even
remotely close to the authentic is related to us in that regard, and what
occurred after the Prophet's death clearly shows that none of the
Companions had any knowledge of that alleged command.
7. The hadith suggests a tremendously exaggerated reward or
13 Minhiij us-Sunnah, (4/118).
punishment for a small deed. Storytellers were best known for this
kind of narration, for they used them to soften the hearts of their
listeners and excite wonder among them. The following is an
example of this category: "Whoever prays such and such number of
units for the puhet' prayer receives the reward of seventy Prophets."
Or, for example, "Whoever says: None has the right to be worshipped
but Allah, Allah creates for him a bird that has 70,000 tongues, and
each tongue speaks 70,000 languages, and all of them (i.e, the
tongues) are asking forgiveness for lrim."
These are the most important principles that the scholars laid
down in criticizing hadith and in distingnishing the authentic from
the fabricated. From what is mentioned above, we see that they did
not limit their efforts or even most of their efforts to criticizing the
chain rather than the text, a claim that - as we shall discuss later on
- is upheld by some of the Orientalists and their supporters. Indeed,
scholars scrutinized equally the chain and the text of narrations; as
you have just seen, they mentioned four signs of fabrication for the
chain and seven for the text. And they did not stop there: they made
allowance for the refined judgment of the expert, whose virtuosity in
the field of hadith criticism- or whose intuition, if you will- often
played a subtle yet important role when it came to scrutinizing the
authenticity of narrations. At times, because of their expertise in the
Arabic language and because of their long study of the Prophet's
sayings and life, they would reject a hadith immediately upon hearing
it. They would say, for example, "There is darkness upon this
hadith," or, "Its text is dark," or, "The heart denies it," or, 'The soul
does not find peace in it." Ar-Rabee' ibn Khuthaym said, "Among
hadiths, there is the hadith that has the illumination of the day, by
which you know it. And among hadiths, there is the hadith that has
the darkness of the night, by which you know it." And Ibn al-Jawzee
said, "The skin of the student of knowledge quivers upon hearing the
munkar hadith, and most of the time, his heart has an aversion to it."
CHAPTER FOUR
The Fruits of those Labors
the efforts of the Scholars, which we have related to you
iu brief, the matter of the Sharia remained upright, for it was
established upon the foundation of the Sunnah, the second of its
legislative sources. The Muslims felt at ease with the hadith of their
Prophet from whom was swept away all quotations that he
never actually articulated. The the l;1asan, and the ga'eef were
distinguished from one another, and Allah protected His Sharia
from the tampering of the wrongdoers, the schemes of the schemers,
and the plots of the Zanadiqah and all other enemies. The Muslims
reaped the fruits of their vigilance and of their efforts; and the most
prominent of those fruits are as follows:
First, the recording of the Sunnah
Until this point, we already know that, unlike the Qur' an, the
Sunnah was not officially recorded during the period of the
Messenger of Allah The Sunnah was preserved in the breasts of
the Prophet's Companions, who verbally conveyed it to the
Tabi 'oon. Also, we have already established that parts of the Sunnah,
but not the entire Sunnah, were recorded during the Prophet's
lifetime, and when the era of the Companions came to an end, only a
146 The fruits ofthose labors
small percentage of the Sunnah had actually been written down. So
up until that time, the Sunnah was disseminated for the main part by
word of mouth. Yes, 'Umar (4!b) did contemplate recording the
Sunnah, but he decided not to in the end. In al-MadkJull, Bayhaqi
relates from 'Urwah ibn Zubayr that 'Umar ibn al-Khanab (4!b)
wished to record the Sunnah. He consulted the Companions of the
Messenger of Allah (m), and they advised him to write it down.
'Umar (4!b) continued to seek guidance fromAllah (iJ,il) for an entire
month ... after which he said, "Verily, I wanted to write down the
Sunan, but I indeed remembered a people who came before you: they
wrote books and applied themselves eagerly to those books while
they left Allah's Book (which had been revealed to their Messenger
(m; and I - by Allah - indeed will never cover Allah's Book
with anything else." 1
The reason given by 'Umar (4!b) corresponds exactly with the
situation the Muslims were in, for the Qur'an was freshly revealed
and entire nations were entering the fold of Islam; therefore they
needed to concentrate their efforts on preserving, studying, and
reciting the Qur' an, so that the source and foundation of their belief
could remain safe from all distortion. This situation remained
unchanged until the time of the Discord, when people began to
spread lies about hadiths. The Tiibi 'oon and those who came after
them rose to the occasion, contributing tremendous efforts to
identifying and then eradicating fabrications, efforts that we have
previously discussed. From the earliest fruits of those efforts was the
recording of the Sunnah - hence preserving it from distortion and
from becoming lost.
Almost all narrations indicate that 'Umar ibn 'Abdul- 'Azeez
was the first Tabi'ee who voiced the idea of compiling as well as
1 Jiimi' aI-Bayiin al- 'Ilm, In6.
recording the Sunnah. He commissioned Abu Bakr ibn J:.Iazrn - a
governor and judge over Madinah - to execute that idea, saying to
him, "Look for the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah and record
them, for indeed, I fear the eradication of the Sunnah and the
departnre of the scholars." He requested himto write down whatever
hadiths were known by 'Umrah ibn 'Abdur-RaJ:nnan
(98 H) and Al-Qiisim ibn Muhannnad ibn Abu Bakr (106 H). It
appears that he did not give this monumental task to Ibn J:.Iazm alone;
rather, he sent the same request to all of the greater scholars of the
time and all of the governors of different regions. Abu Na'eem
related in Tfireekh Asbahfin that 'Umar ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez wrote to
the inhabitants of all regions: "Seek out the hadith of the Messenger
of Allah and gather it."
2
And as such, 'Umar carried out the wish
of his grandfather, 'Urnar ibn al-Khaniib who had that wish for
a while and theu decided otherwise for the reasons outlined earlier. It
appears that Abu Bakr ibn J:.Iazm wrote something from the Sunnah
for 'Umar, yet the first to compile every Sunnah and narration that
was in Madinah was Imam Muhannnad ibn Muslim ibn Shihiib az-
Zuhree (124 H), who was one of the most eminent scholars of the
Sunnah during his era. In fact, 'Umar ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez ordered his
companions to go to Az-Zuhri, identifying him as the most
knowledgeable person in the Sunnah alive at that time. Muslim
mentioned that Zuhri related ninety hadiths that no one else had
related. Many Imams during his age openly said that had it not been
for Zuhri, much of the Sunnah would have been lost despite the
presence of other great scholars, such as Al-J:.Iasan and
others like him during that age. It also seems that Az-Zuhri's
recording of the Sunnah was not like the recording that was achieved
at the hands of Bukhari, Muslim, and Al)mad as well as other
2 In Taqyeed al- 'flm, AI-Khateeb's narration says that he wrote that letter to
the inhabitants of Madeenah.
compilers of the Hadith. Rather, his collection consisted of an
unorganized compilation of all the hadiths he heard from the
Companions; also, it is not sure that his collection consisted purely of
the Sunnah, for it might also have contained sayings of the
Companions and rulings of the Tabi 'oon. That should not surprise us,
though, because every new matter begins in such a way, until others
come later on to perfect it. Az-Zuhri used to disseminate written parts
of his collection to his students, so that they could relate them from
him. And as such, Az-Zuhri became the first to lay the foundation, or
rather, to place the first brick to the foundation, of recording the
Suunah in separate books. Prior to Az-Zuhri's breakthrough, many of
the Tabi'oon scholars hated to have knowledge and narrations
written down, and for different reasons; even Az-Zuhri, in his early
days as a renowned scholar, disliked the writing down of knowledge,
and he forbade others from doing so, but that was before 'Vmar ibn
'Abdul- 'Azeez encouraged and exhorted him with sound reasoning
to record the Suunah.
After the period of Az-Zuhri, many scholars dedicated
themselves to recording the Suunah. Here are lists of cities and
regions with the scholars who were the fIrst to record the Sunnah in
each of those respected areas:
In Makkah:
- Ibn Jurayj (ISO H)
- Ibn Is-]:liiq (lSI H)
In Madinah:
- Sa'eed ibn Abi 'Aroobah (156 H)
- Ar-Rabee' ibn Sabeeh (160 H)
- Imam Miilik (179 H)
In Basra:
- I:Iammad ibn Salamah (167 H)
)
In Kufa:
- Sufyiin ath-Thawree (161 H)
In Syria and Palestine:
- Abu 'Amru al-'Awza'ee (157 H)
In Wasit:
- Hasheem (173 H)
In Khorasan:
- 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubiirak (181 H)
In Yemen:
- Ma'mar (154 H)
In Ar-Ray:
- Jareer ibn 'Abdul-I:.Iameed (188 H)
Others to record in that era were Sufyiin ibn 'Uyainah (198 H),
Al-Laith ibn Sa'd (175 H), and Shn'bah ibn al-I:.Iajaj (160 H). Since
they all lived in the same era, it is not known who was the first of
them to record the Sunnah. In recording the Sunnah, they gathered
the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah CiiI) nrixed with the sayings of
the Companions and the rulings of the Tabi 'oon, and, they did not
organize chapters according to the subject matter. AI-I:.Iiifidh ibn J:.Iajr
said, "...As for gathering hadiths along with other similar hadiths in
one chapter, Sha'bee was the firstto achieve that, for it is related from
him that he said, 'This chapter on divorce is huge.' ,,3
Then came the third century, which was the most prosperous
period for the Sunnah, one blessed with many Imams of Hadith as
well as their compilations. Compilations at the beginning of this
century were written according to the way of masiineed,4 the
3 Tawjeeh un-Nadhr, p. 8.
4 sing.; musnad: a compilation (made by his student) of the hadiths related by
an Imam.
gathering of all that is related from a specific Companion in one
chapter, with multifarious subject matter. Among the first to author a
book in this manner were 'Abdulliih ibn Moosa al- 'Abasee al-
Koofee, Musaddad Asad ibn Moosa, and Na'eem ibn
I.Ianuniid Khuzii' ee. They were followed in suit by the great retainers
of hadith, such as hnam Al:)rnad, who authored his famous Musnad.
The same was achieved by Is-l;1iiq ibn Riihawai, 'Uthmiin ibn Abee
Shaybah, and others. The way they compiled was to mention the
hadiths of the Prophet (;Il!;) in their compilations without mentioning
the sayings of the Companions or the rulings of the Tiibi 'oon;
however, they would mix the authentic with the unauthentic, a
method that entailed much hardship upon the student of Hadith, for
only the hnams and scholars of Hadith were able to distinguish the
authentic narrations from other ones. So if one was not able to
ascertain the authenticity of a hadith, he was forced to ask the hnams
of hadith, and if he was not able to do that, the ruling of the hadith
would remain unknown to him.
This state of affairs was what prompted the hnam of Hadith
scholars and the shield of the Sunnah during his era, Muhammad ibn
Ismii'eel Bukhari (256 H), to tread a new path in compiling hadiths,
and that was to limit himself to anthentic hadiths, without
mentioning anything else. Hence he compiled his famous al-Jiimi'
(otherwise known as $aiJeeiJ al-Bukharz). Following him
in his way of compiling was his contemporary and student, hnam
Muslim ibn Al-I.Iajjiij al-Qushairee (261 H), who authored his
famous $aiJeeiJ. They paved the way for the student of knowledge,
enabling himto reach the authentic without having to research or ask.
Many scholars emulated them, and many books were compiled after
them, the most important of which are as follows:
- Sunan Abee Dawood (275 H)
- An-Nasa'i (303 H)
- Jami' at-Tirmidhi (279 H)
- Sunan Ibn Majah (273 H)
These Imams gathered in their books the compilations of all
previous Imams, for, as is the wont of hadith scholars, they related
from those who preceded them. At the beginning of the fourth
century, the compilers did not conttibute anything new except for
criticism and corrections or small additions to the earlier works. The
task of scholars from this century was to sift through all that had heen
gleaned by those who preceded them. They depended heavily on the
criticism of scholars from the earlier centuries. Another conttibution
they made was to gather in single books all of the different chains of
narration for a single hadith. The most famous Imam in this era was
Imam Sulayman ibn Al;lmad at-Tabarani (360 H), who authored his
three compendiums:
1. AI-Mu'jam al-Kabeer, in which he mentioned hadiths, gathering
all that each Companion related, one Companion at a time. He
organized the names of the Companions alphabetically. And this
compilation of his consists of 20505 hadiths.
2. AI-Mu'jam al-Awsat and
3. AI-Mu'jam aI-Asghar. In these two compilations, he mentioned
separately hadiths related by each Shaykh, and here too he organized
his Shaykhs alphabetically.
Examples of other Imams and compilers dnring this era are
Ad-Daraqutnee (380 H), who authored his famous Sunan; Ibn
I;Iibban al-Bustee (354 H); Ibn Khuzaymah (311 H); and At-Tahiiwee
(321 H).
And after the completion of this century, the recording, gathering,
and analyzing - in terms of authenticity - of the Sunnah was
completed. Additional conttibutions from scholars of ensuing
generations were limited to some additions to the authentic books.
For example, Abu 'Abdullah al-I;IaIdm an-Nisabooree (405 H) added
hadiths that Bukhari and Muslim did not mention in their
compilations, but that he felt to be authentic and in compliance with
the conditions of both scholars. Some scholars - Adh-Dhahabee
most noteworthy of them - approved of one category of his
additions, while disagreeing with him about the other category.
Second, the Science of Mustalahul-Hadeeth
... . .
Another fruit of the scholars' long labor to eradicate
fabrications was the recording of rules and principles that govern the
science of hadith; furthermore, hadiths were organized according to
the categories we already discussed. The combination of the
aforesaid rules and principles, through which scholars were able to
distinguish the authentic from the weak, made up a new science that
came to be known as The principles that made
up this science, and which are used to ascertain the authenticity of
historical narrations - are the most accurate and trustworthy known
in history; indeed, our scholars are the first to have laid down those
principles. In the early centuries of Islam, scholars of other fields
followed the way of hadith scholars when authenticating historical
reports, fields such as history, fiqh, tafseer, language, literature, and
so on. In the early centuries, therefore, historical reports or narrations
were accompanied by chains of narrators, each narrator being listed
until the chain finally reached the one who was being quoted, and this
was the case in all subjects. Even books written by scholars were
passed down to their students, who passed them down to their
students, and so on with each ensuing generation. We do not doubt,
for example, that Sal;eel; al-Bukhari, which is widespread among the
5 Hadith criticism.
masses of the Muslims, was authored by Imam Bukhari because he
related it with a connected chain, generation after generation. This
feature is absent in the works of scholars from other nations - even
absent from their holy books.
A contemporary Christiao author, Asad Rustum, a former
history professor at tbe Arnericao University in Beirut, wrote a book
about historical narrations. In his book, he depended on the principles
of Hadith criticism, admitting that they consist of the best methods to
authenticate historical reports aod narrations.
He writes in chapter 6,
"The achievements of the scholars of hadith in this regard, over
hundreds of years, are indeed worthy of wonder aod respect. Here are
some of the exact phrases we relate to you from their books to show
you their scholarly precision aod to acknowledge their contribution
aod favor to history."
He then begins to relate texts from ImamMiilik, ImamMuslim
- the author of Al-Ghaziili, Al-Qa<.!ee 'IyiiQ, aod Abu
'Arnru ibn
The science of does the following:
- It categorizes hadiths into the the lfasan, aod the tJ.a 'eef,
aod then classifies each of these three categories into sub-categories.
- It clarifies the requisites of the narrator aod the text.
- It details different kinds of defects in a narration.
- It mentions factors that cause a narration to be rejected.
- It mentions those extraoeous matters that cao help to strengthen a
narration.
- It clarifies howa student of Hadith should listen to the hadith, how
be should carry with him narrations, aod how he should be precise.
- It discusses the maoners of the Hadith scholar aod the student of
Hadith.
There are other issues as well that are studied in Hadith
criticism, issues that were discussed in more and more detail as this
science developed through its stages.
The first to author some of its topics was 'Ali ibn al-Madeeni,
the Shaykh of Bukhari; during that era, Bukhari, Muslim, and
Tinnidhi - in scattered pieces and works - also wrote on the
subject. But the first to author a detailed study of Hadith criticism in
one book was Abu Muhannnad ar-Ramaharmizee (360 H), in his
book, AI-MuiJaddith Bayn ar-Rawee was-Sami'; however,
he did not cover comprehensively all of the topics of this science.
Then came AI-J::Iiikim Abu 'AbdulHih an-Naisabooree (405 H), who
wrote Ma 'rifah 'Uloom ul-Hadeeth; however, it was a book that was
neither polished nor organized. Next came Abu Na'eem
(430 H), who did a sort of reproduction of Al-J::Iiikim's book. After
them came Al-Khateeb Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (463 H), who wrote
about the rules of narrating; he named his work ai-Kifayah; he wrote
another book about the manners of narration, which he called al-
Jami' li-Adab ash-Shaykh was-Sami'. In fact, he wrote a separate
work for each of the different branches of knowledge that are related
to hadith. Qa<;lee 'Iyii<;! (455 H) wrote a book called ai-lima', taking
most of his material from the books of Al-Khateeb.
It was in the year 643 H that Ash-Shaykh al-J::Iiifidh Taqee-ud-
Deen Abu 'Amru 'Uthrniin ibn ash-Shahrzoori wrote his
famous book, Muqaddimah Ibn which he dictated to his
students in the Ashrafiyah School of Damascus. Though it is not
firmly cohesive, it is comprehensive, covering all that is otherwise
scattered in the books of earlier scholars and that is why scholars
took eagerly to it, devoting themselves to explaining it either in verse
or prose form such as the 1000 verse explanation of Al- 'Iraqee;
the prose explanation of As-Sakhawee; At-Taqreeb, by An-Nawawi;
and its explanation at-Tadreeb, by As-Suyootee. Imam Al-J::Iiifidh
ibn Katheer ad-Dirnashqee (774 H) summarized it in his book
Ikhtisar 'Uloom ul-lfadeeth.
6
Thereafter many books were written on
Hadith criticism, the most popular of which are the following:
- A/jiyah, by Al-J:IMidh al- 'Iriiqee (806 H)
- Nukhbatul-Fikr lee by Ibn J:Iajr
- Tawjeeh un-Nadhr, by Shaykh Tiibir al-Jaziii'ree
Qawa'id at-TaiJdeedh, by Al-Qiisirnee ad-Dimashqee
Third, the Science of commending
or refuting narrators
Scholarly efforts and conttibutions also led to the science of
narrator criticism, in which was studied the overall qualities of
narrators - their trustworthiness, uprightuess, memory, and so on.
This noble science also has no parallel in the history of other nations.
Muslim scholars were eager to learn as much as they could about
narrators, not on personal grounds, but to be able to distinguish
between the authentic and the otherwise. They would themselves
interview contemporary narrators and learn from others about
narrators from the past. They neither hesitated nor felt asharned for
criticizing any given narrator, for driving away from the Sharia that
which did not belong to it took precedence over all else. It was said to
Bukhari, "Some people harbor malice against you becanse of the
history you relate; they say that it consists of backbiting other
people." He said, "We have only related such matters in the form of a
narration, and not as matters that stem from our own selves."
6 There is an excellent print of this book, with comments by Shaykh A1)mad
Muhammad Shakir. The book along with the commentary is called al-B/ilj.ith
al-lfadeeth.
Narrators were graded from as early as during the era of the
younger Companions; the following are examples of Companions
known to have graded narrators:
- Ibn 'Ahbas ~ (68 H)
- 'Ubadah ibn a ~ - ~ i i m i t ~ (34 H)
- Anas ibn Miilik ~ (93 H)
The following are from the Tabi'oon and are known to have
graded narrators:
- Sa'eed ibn al-Musayyib (93 H)
- Ash-Sha'bee (104 H)
- Ibn Seereen (110 H)
- Al-'Amash (148 H)
Then came the next set of Scholars who paid special atteution
to the grading of narrators:
- Shu'bah (160 H), who was especially careful, for he only related
from very trusted narrators
- Imam Malik (179 H)
- Ma'mar (154 H), one of the most famous of second century
scholars in this field
- Hisham ad-Distawa'ee (154 H)
- Al-Awza'ee (157 H)
- Ath-Thawree (161 H)
- I;!ammiid ibn Salamah (167 H)
- Al-Laith ibn Sa'd (175 H)
After these came the next set of scholars who did the same,
among whom are the following:
- 'Ahdullah ibn al-Mubiirak (181 H)
- Al-Fazaree (185 H)
- Ibn 'Uyainah (198 H)
- Wakee' ibn al-Jariil;l (197 H)
- Yal.waibn Sa'eed al-Qattiin (198 H), one of the most famous from
this group
- 'Abdur-Ra\lmiin ibn Mahdee (198 H); both he and Y ~ y a ibn
Sa'eed al-Qattan were considered as trusted proofs among the
masses: whoever they graded to be trustworthy, others would accept
as being trustworthy; but if they criticized a narrator - with criticism
that affected the validity of his narration - that narrator's narrations
would be rejected. Moreover, if scholars differed regarding the
grading of a narrator, they would refer the matter to these two and
accept their judgment.
7
Here are those from the next generation who are considered to
be hnams in this field:
- Yazeed ibn Haroon (206 H)
- Abu Dawood aVfiyiilisee (204 H)
- 'Abdur-Razziiq ibn Hanunfun (211 H)
- Abu ~ i m an-Nabeel a<;I-QaI)1)iik ibn Makhlad (212 H)
The next era saw the emergence of books written on the
criticismof narrators. Among the first to have written in this era were,
- Y ~ y a ibn Mu'een (233 H)
- A1;unad ibn l,Ianbal (241 H)
- Muhammad ibn Sa'd (230 H), who was a transcriber for Al-
Wiiqidee; he is also the author of a!-Tabaqdt
- 'Ali ibn al-Madeeni (234 H)
Followed by:
- Bukhari
- Muslim
7 Tawjeeh un-Nadhr, p. 114.
158 The fruits ofthose/abors
- Abu Zur'a
- Abu I;!atim ar-Raziyau
- Abu Dawood as-Sijistauee
Geueratiou after generation until the ninth century (in the Hijri
calendar), scholars continued to write and research about narrators,
so that one specialized in the field of hadith could find in their books
the history of any narrator that is mentioned in compilations of
hadith.
Books written about narrators differ in the way they are
authored - some mention only trusted narrators, such as occurred in
ath-Thiqdt, by Ibn I;libbau al-Bustee; ath-Thiqdt, in four volumes by
Ibn Qutloobghah (881 H); and ath-Thiqat, by Khaleel ibn Shaheen
(873 H).
Other books mention weak narrators only; examples of
scholars who wrote this kind of book are Bukhari, Nisa'i, Ibn
I;libbau, Ad-DaraqU!J1ee, Al-'Uqaylee, Ibn al-Jawzee, and Ibn' Adee,
whose book is called al-Kdmil fi4-l)u 'afd', which transcends all
other books iu this category. Ibn 'Adee mentioned all narrators who
were criticized in the very least, even if the narrator was one of the
men of the two $al]eel] collections - $al]eel] al-Bukhari and $al]eel]
Muslim. He also mentioned the Imams of the schools because some
contemporary rivals spoke about them. Adh-Dhahabee authored his
book, Meezan al- 'Aitiddl based on Ibn 'Iddee's book.
There are many books that mention both trusted and weak
narrators. The three Tdreekhs by Bukhari are best known in this
category - al-Kabeer, which is organized alphabetically; as well as
al-Awsat and which are organized chronologically.
Other books similarly embracing both trusted and weak narrators are
al-Jarl] wat-Ta'deel, by Ibn I;libbau; al-Jarl] wat-Ta'deel, by Ibn
Abee I;!atim ar-Razee; at-Tabaqdt al-Kubra, by Ibn Sa'd. But the
best book written in this fashion is at-Takmeel fee Ma'rifat uth-
Thiqat waq-l)u 'ala' wal-Majaheel, by Ibn Katheer, who combined in
it information provided in Tahdheeb, by Al-Mizzee and al-Meezan,
by Adb-Dhahabee, with Ibn Katheer's own additions and comments.
Scholars of this science did not all share the exact same
standards for criticizing narrators: SOme were severe, others lenient,
and a third group was moderate. Ibn Mu'een, Ya1)y1l ibn Sa'eed al-
Qanan, Ibn J::Iibban
8
, and Abu l:,I1ltim ar-R1lzee - these are some of
the sterner judges of narrators. Tinnidhi, Al-l:,Iiikim, Ibn Mahdee are
all known for being lenient when appraising narrators. Among the
moderates in this regard are AJ.nnad, Bukhari, and Muslim.
Therefore, regarding the same narrator, some scholars might rule him
to be trnstworthy while others rule him to be weak, a difference that
results from different standards set by each Imam for his appraisal. In
fact, it is possible that two opinions about a narrator might be related
from a single Imam, who at first ruled that he was trnstworthy and
then learned something that caused him to rule otherwise, and vice
versa.
Another reason why judgments may differ is the age-old
disagreements between the people of Hadith and the 'people of
opinion.' These differences led some Hadith scholars to rule certain
scholars of fiqb to be weak, for no other reason than Islamic rulings
that were not in harmony with the leanings of Hadith scholars. The
most prominent example of this is the case of tbe eminent scholar
Imam Abu l:,Ianeefah: certain scholars of narrator criticism
denounced him, despite his piety, righteousness, and noble status; we
find a clear instance of this when we read what Abu Bakr al-Khateeb
related in Tareekh Baghdad while discussing his biography. Such
judgments about him resulted mainly because of the refined and
precise nature of his deductions, many of which were not understood
8 Some include him among the lenient critics of hadiths, an opinion that has
more weight to it
160 The fruits of Ilwse labors
by some Hadith scholars. Some commoners who followed Hadith
scholars were so fanatic in their leanings that they accused Abu
I:Ianeefab of matters that he was positively innocent of.
Because of such partisanship and other similar motives,
scholars of this science eventually stipulated that a negative criticism
of any narrator must be accompanied by an explanation that justifies
the claim. Al-I:Iiifidh ibn Katheer said, "... As opposed to a negative
judgment (about a narrator), for it must be accompanied by
justification." lbis is because people differ regarding the reasons for
which they rule someone to be weak or untrustworthy; one scholar
may have a set of standards for ruling in this regard while another
may have other standards, which is why a negative judgment must be
accompanied by justification.
9
There are a number of instances of negative judgments based
on no apparent reason, or a reason, but one that is not even relevant to
the qualities that are looked for in a narrator - uprightuess,
trustworthiness, and precision, both in memory and in conveying
narrations. One absurd instance of this is when someone was asked
about the hadiths of Siilel) al-Muree. He said, "And what can one do
with (the narrations of) Siilel): they mentioned himone day in front of
I:Iammiki ibn Salamab and he blew his nose!,,10 In reality, such were
the acts of the ignorant Ones or novices in this science. As for the
Imams who were specialized in this science, they would not make
such wrongful judgments and ludicrous criticisms.
9 Ikhti#ir 'Uloam aI-ijadeeth, p. 101.
10 Ibid.
Fourth, Branches of knowledge
within the science of Hadith
Ascertaining the validity of a chain, authenticating narrations,
understauding ruliugs imparted by hadiths - to achieve these aims,
one must, within the science of hadith, study many issues or, if you
will, branches of knowledge. In Ma'rifah 'Ulaam ul-Hadeeth, Abu
'Abdullah al-I:!ilim estimated that there are fifty-two such branches
of knowledge. In at-Taqreeb, An-Nawawi went so far as to say that
there are sixty-five. The following is a discussion of the mOst
important of these branches of knowledge, which I mention mainly to
clarify the wonderful precision of the scholars in their efforts to
criticize and authenticate all narrations and to preserve those that
were authentic or at least acceptable.
1. Knowledge pertaining to the narrator
- his veracity, his skill in narration, his precision, the correctness of
his beliefs, his travels, his age, and all other factors that might affect
our evaluation of him, by which we rule him to be trustworthy, weak,
or otherwise.
Al-I:!ilim said,
"In our times, the student of Hadith needs to learn all that is pertinent
to the case of a narrator. First, does he believe in Tawl;eed 11 and in
the application of the Shatia? Does he make it compulsory upon
himself to obey the prophets and Messengers regarding that which
was revealed to them and that which they legislated as law? Then the
student must consider his personal situation is he a man of desire,
inviting others to become the s31lle? For we do not write from the one
11 The Oneness of Allah that He alone deserves to be worshipped and that
He has no partners. (Translator)
who invites others to his innovation ... a ruling that is based upon the
consensus of the Imams among Muslims. Then the age of the narrator
must be ascertained, for the student must establish that, historically
speaking, the narrator and his shaykh 12 actually did meet. We have
met narrators who mention an age, indicating the impossibility of
them having met their shaykhs (meaning that the shaykh had died
before the narrator was even born). Then the student must reflect on
the background of the narrator - is he a student of old, who relates
directly from teachers (going all the way back to the source of the
narration) or is he a new student? For in our times, a group has gained
prominence that buys books and then relate from them. Others now
write what they read in ancient scrolls, and then relate from them.
Whoever is not specialized in this knowledge and hears from them
(will believe them to be experts in this science)... "
2. Knowledge of the chains of narrations
AI-I;!iikim said,
"This is a vast science because the Imams differ regarding the
validity of narrations that do not have complete chains. A complete
chain in a hadith is for a narrator to relate from his shaykh, evincing
that he heard it from him, and that shaykh related from his shaykh
until the chain reaches a known Companion - without any narrator
being left out - and then the Messenger of Allah ~
3. Knowledge of those narrations that are
mawqoof 13 (sayings of the Companions)
An example of this is what Al-I;!iikimrelated from Mugheerah
ibn Shu'bah, who said, "The Companions of the Messenger of Allah
12 In this context: teacher, mentor. (Editor)
13 Literally: restricted. (Editor)
~ ) used to knock on his door with their nails." Al-.E.I3kim said,
"One who is not an expert in this science may, because the
Messenger of Allah ~ ) is mentioned, imagine this hadith to have a
chain that goes back to the Messenger of Allah ~ ) ; however, it is
not connected back to him ~ ) . Instead, it goes back only to a
Companion who was relating a practice of his fellow Companions.
None of them connects this chain back to the Prophet ~ ) :
4. Knowledge of how the Companions
ranked among themselves
Al-.E.Iilim classified them into twelve groups: the first group
consists of those who accepted Islam in Makkah, the last consists of
children who saw the Prophet ~ ) on the day of the Makkah
Conquest or during his farewell pilgrimage - these too are
considered to be Companions.
5. Knowledge of mursal narrations
(regarding which there is disagreement
- whether or not they are valid proofs)
Gaining an in-depth knowledge of mursal narrations has been
achieved only by those who are extremely well grounded in Hadith
science.
6. Knowledge of disconnected narrations
This subject does not include mursal narrations - even
though a mursal narration is disconnected at least in a sense -
because they constitute a topic in itself. AI-.E.I3kimnoted that there are
three kinds of disconnected chains.
6.a. The chain contains two unknown persons, who are neither
known nor named.
6.b. There is an unnamed person in the chain, who is nevertheless
known from another chain.
6.c. There is a narrator in the chain who did not hear from the narrator
that he is relating from (before it reaches the Tiibi 'ee, in which case it
becomes mursal).
7. Knowledge of when a narrator dearly indicates that
he received a narration directly from his Shaykh
When a narrator says that he received a hadith from his
shaykh, there are different ways in which he can express that he
directly received the narration from him, leaving no room for doubt.
This can occur with a specific word; for example, each narrator in the
chain says. "He told (related to) me," or, "I heard him say," or, "I
bore witness to such and such that he said."...
8. Knowledge of "from" narrations
This occnrs when a narrator does not clearly state that he heard
a narration directly fromhis shaykh; rather in the chain, it simply says
from such and such person from such and such person. As long as the
narrators are known to be inuocent of any of the kinds of deception in
relating narrations, the hadith is connected, a ruling that is agreed
upon by the Imams of Hadith. Al-J::liikim mentioned an example: a
hadith from Jiibir ibn 'Abdulliih. He then said,
''This hadith is related by those from Egypt, then those from Madinah
and Makkah, and tadlees (any form of deception, whether innocent
or otherwise, when relating a narration) is not one of their habits. And
it is the same with ns, whether or not they specifically mention that
they actnally heard it."
9. Knowledge of mu't!4al narrations
This occurs when between the Prophet ~ and the first
narrator there are two narrators who are not mentioned. This,
however, does not fall under the category of mursal narrations, which
are specific to the tabi'een only.
10. The Knowledge of when a Companion says
something mixed in with a Prophet's saying; or,
more generally speaking, removing any foreign14
letters, words or phrases from the Prophet's speech
Al-I:Iiikim relates the following example: He related from
'Abdnllah ibn Mas'ood ~ that the Prophet (JIlili) took his hand and
taught him the tashahhud in the prayer, saying, "Say: The tal;.iyyiit
(all words that indicate the glorification of Allah, His eternal
existence, His perfection, and His sovereignty) is for Allah. All acts
of worship are for Him." 15 When he mentioned the tashahhud 16
(testimony), he said, "If you have said this, then your prayer is over,
if you wish to stand, then stand, and if you wish to sit, then sit." Al-
I:Iiikim said, "The words 'If you have said this...' are inserted, for
they are the words of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood ~ . This is proven by
another chain wherein the narrator related from 'Abdnllah ibn
Mas 'ood ~ . In that narration, after it is mentioned that the Prophet
(JIlili) taught Ibn Mas'ood ~ the tashahhud, the narrator said that
'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood ~ said, "When you finish with this, then
you have completed your prayer," which shows that it was he who
said these words and not the Prophet (JIlili).
14 'Foreign' here means that it does not emanate from the Prophet (Blessings
and peace be upon hlln). (Translator)
15 Reported by Shuayb al-Arnawoot, vol. 5, p. 99, hadith no. 4006. Its chain
of transmission is authentic and its narrators are trUstworthy people.
16 The testimony that states there is none worthy other than Allah, He has no
partners, and that Muhammad (bpuh) is His slave and His messenger. When
recited in the sitting position of the prayer, this testimony includes the
ta1}iYyGJ: a formula containing words that indicate the glorification of Allah,
His eternal existence, His perfection, and His sovereignty. (Editor)
11. Knowledge of the Tiibi'oon
This branch of knowledge divides into many snb-branches.
One who is negligent in this knowledge may be led to confusion, not
being able to distingnish between Companions and Tabi 'oon, nor
between Tabi'oon and the generation that followed them. I;lilim
described their categories. The first consists of those who met the ten
Companions about whom the Prophet ~ bore witness that they
would enter Paradise. Examples from this category are Sa'eed ibn
Musayyib, Qays ibn Abee I;liizim. The last category cousists of those
of the inhabitants of Basra who met Anas ibn Miilik ~ ; those of
the inhabitants of Kufa who met 'Abdulliih ibu Abee AWIa ~ ;
those of the inhabitants of Madinah who met As-Sa'ib ibn Yazeed
~ ; those of the inhabitants of Egypt who met 'Abdulliih ibn al-
I;liirith ibn Jaz' ~ ; and those of the inhabitants of Syria and
Palestine, who met Abu Umamah al-Biihilee ~ .
12. Knowledge of the Companions' children
If one is ignorant of this knowledge, he can confuse one
narration with another. Even before that, the Hadith scholar must
know the children and grandChildren of the Prophet (:ii!Jj), as well as
the narrations that are authentically related from them. Next, it is
incumbeut upon the Hadith scholar to know the children of the more
eminent Companions, followed by the children of all other
Companious; then the children of the Tabi'oon, the children of the
followiug generation, and the children of Muslim Imams in general.
This branch of knowledge is indeed vast, and within the science of
Hadith, it is a field in and of itself.
13. Knowledge of narrator criticism
This branch of knowledge is composed of two categories:
positive judgments (those that establish the validity of an individual's
narrations) and negative judgments (those that rule a narrator's
narrations to be invalid).
14. Knowledge of the authentic and the weak
TIris differs from the criticism of narrators, for there are many
chains that are weak, even though they contain only trustworthy
narrators. AI-I:Iiikirn mentions an example, with his connected chain
that goes back until Ibn 'Vmar from the Prophet "The
prayer of the night and day are performed two units at a time, and
then the witr is one unit at the end of the night.,,I? Al-I:Iiikirn
commented:
"Every narrator in the chain of this hadith is trustworthy and precise,
yet the mention of 'day' is a mistake. He gave another example, a
hadith he related with his chain that goes back to M31ik ibn Anas,
from Ibn Shihab, from 'Vrwah, from 'A'ishah who said, "The
Messenger of Allah never found fault with food; if he desired it,
he would eat it, otherwise he would simply leave it." 18
Al-Hiikim noted:
"The hnarns and trustworthy ones relate this chain, yet it is wrong,
for by this chain, another hadith is intended, 'The Messenger of Allah
(Jili\j) never hit a woman with his hand,19 and the Messenger of Allah
never exacted retribution on his own behalf, unless one of
Allah's limits was transgressed, and then he would exact retribution
in that matter for Allah I tried to locate the one who erred in
this narration, but I could not find him, except that it is most likely
Ibn l;Iiyiin who is a truthful, acceptable narrator."
17 Abu Dilwood and Nisa'i, vol. 6, p. 156, hadith no.1295 and 1648; authentic
and Nisa'i said the word 'Day' is a mistake.
18 Reported by Muslim, vol. 10, p. 397, badith uo. 3844.
19 Reported by Ibn al-Jawzee, vo. 1, p. 102.
20 Reported by Bukhari, vol. 21, p. 45, hadith uo. 6288.
Then Al-I;liildm explained:
"Indeed, the authenticity of a hadith is not established based solely on
its chain, for there are other factors that affect the validity of a hadith,
such as the understanding of a narrator, the quality of his memory,
and the experience he has with hadiths. The people of understanding,
who can explain hidden defects in narrations, best contribute to this
category of knowledge... "
15. Knowledge of the Fiqh of the Hadith
its meaning and bearing on Islamic rulings
This signifies the fruit of all other sciences within the Science
of Hadith. Al-I;liildm mentioned a number of Imams in Hadith, who
not only related hadiths, but had a profound understanding of their
meanings as well. The following are some of those scholars - Ibn
Shihiib az-Zuhri, 'Abdur-Rai:Jmiin ibn 'Amru al-Awzii'i, 'Abdullah
ibn al-Mubiirak, Sufyiin ibn 'Uyainah, and Al;unad ibn I;lanbal.
16. Knowledge of abrogated and abrogating hadiths
Al-I;liildm gave many examples of both abrogated hadiths and
abrogating hadiths.
17. Knowledge of narrations that are famous
Al-I;liildm stated, "Famous narrations are altogether different
frotn authentic narrations, for many hadiths are famous but not
authentic. "
18. Knowledge of ghareeb 21 narrations
There are different kinds of ghareeb narrations, for example:
21 A category of hadith: literally, 'strange' or 'unusual'.
IS.a. Authentic ghareeb narrations, those that are narrated by a single
trustworthy narrator.
IS.b. Hadiths that are narrated by a single narrator from a single
narrator ... For example, the hadith,
The dweller (of a city or town) must not sell to a nomad (or
outsider).,,22 Al-l:;I3.k:im said,
"This is a ghareeb narration ofMiilikibn Anas from Niifai', who is an
Imam. ShMi' ee was the only one who narrated it ~ and he is an
Imam- and we know of no one who related from himexcept for Ar-
Rabee' ibn Sulaymiin, who is trustworthy and honest."
19. Knowledge of mufrad narrations
There are three categories of mufrad narrations:
19.a. Knowing those Sunan of the Messenger of Allah ~ that the
inhabitants of a single city related from a Companion; for example,
the inhabitants of Kufa or of Madinah, from the beginning of a chain
until its end - relate a hadith.
19.b. A hadith that a single narrator relates from a specific Imam.
19.c. A hadith specific to the inhabitants of a given city that is related
by a single narrator - for example, a narrator from Makkah who
relates a narration that is specific to the inhabitants of Madinah.
20. Knowledge of any kind of deception
in Hadith, regardless of whether or
not that deception is intentional
One category of this branch consists of those who do not
clarify in their books between narrations that they had actually heard
and narrations that they had not heard. Al-l:;I3.k:im said, "People in this
category are found among the Tabi'oon, the generation after them,
and it also includes people from every generation including this
one." He then mentioned the six categories of tadlees 23, giving
examples for each category.
21. Knowledge of hidden defects in narrations
This branch of knowledge is independent of others within the
Science of Hadith, for the trustworthiness of narrators is one matter
and the detection of hidden defects is another. Al-J::Iilim said:
"A negative judgment of a narrator plays no role in the detection of
hidden defects in hadiths because the hadith of an untrustworthy
narrator is weak in the first place, while hidden defects are most often
found in the narrations related by those who are trustworthy... In our
view, memorization, understanding, and long-standing experience
are the only proofs valid in this category."
He then mentioned ten categories, providing an example for each,
without mentioning the principles that govern each category. Hidden
defects revolve around three issues: one hadith being confused with
another, a mistake on the part of a narrator, or the connection of a
chain that is in fact mursal.
22. Knowledge of narrations that contradict others
Some schools of thought will rule according to one narration,
while other schools will rule according to another. For example,
certain narrations have the Prophet perfonning the mufrad Hajj,
others have him performing the tamattu' Hajj, while yet others have
him performing the qiirin Hajl4 - and all of them are authentic.
A1;lmad and Ibn Khuzaymah base their ruling according on the
23 Deception in narration.
24 These are three Islamically legislated ways of performing Hajj. (Translator)
tamattu' narration; Shiifi'ee on the mufrad narration; and Abu
I.Ianeefah on to the qfuin narratiou.
23. Knowledge of those narrations
that are not opposed in any way
24. Knowledge of additional words
This category deals with those narrations in which a narrator is
alone in adding words to a hadith... Al-I.Iilirn mentioned examples,
such as the hadith of Ibn Mas'ood ~ , wherein he ~ says, "1
asked the Messenger of Allah (lWi,), 'Which deed is best?' He (lWi,)
- ~ - ~
said, 'Prayer in the beginning of its time.' 1 said, 'Then what?' He
(Jilili) said, "Jihad
25
in the way of Allah.' 1said, 'Then what?' He ~
said, 'Dutifulness to one's parents.,,,26
Al-I.Iiikim said:
"This is a preserved authentic hadith, which is related by a group of
Muslim Imams from Miilik ibn Mighwal and also from 'Vthrnfut ibn
'Vmar. "In the beginning of its time" is mentioned in this hadith by
only two narrators: Bindilr ibn Bash-shar and Al-I.Iasan ibn Mukrim,
both of whom are trustworthy scholars of jurisprudence."
25. Knowledge of the different sects
that some narrators might belong to
The Imams of Hadith mention the sects or Sufi orders that
some narrators belong to, so as to wam against them.
25 Struggle or striving.
26. Knowledge of written errors in the text
Some Hadith scholars erred as they were transcribing hadiths.
27. Knowledge of written errors in the chain
After mentioning the preceiling categories, AI-l;:Iilim goes on
to mention other branches of knowledge within the Science of
Hadith. Most of them discuss in detail the names of narrators, their
lineages, their lifespan, their tribes, their contemporaries, their titles,
their deeds, and so on, all of which indicate the tremendous effort of
Hadith scholars for the preservation of authentic hadiths.
Fifth, Books on fabrications and fabricators
Scholars from the past would seek to ascertain the identities of
liars and fabricators. Once they knew who a fabricator was, they
would pronounce his name in gatherings, saying, "Such and such
person is a liar, so do not take from him," or, "So and so is a
Zindeeq," or, "So and so belongs to the Qadaree sect."
Certain narrators are well known among hadith scholars to be
fabricators:
- Abbiln ibn Ja'far an-Numairee: He invented 300 hadiths and then
ascribed them to Abu l;:Ianeefah, who in reality did not relate any of
them.
- Ibriiheem ibn Zayd al-Aslamee: He related from Malik narrations
that have no basis to them.
AI,lmad ibn 'Abdulliih al-Juwaibaree: He fabricated thousands of
hadiths that were iu favor of the Kararniyah sect.
- Jiibir ibn Yazeed al-Ja'fee: Sufyiln said about him, "1 heard Jiibir
relate approximately 30,000 hadiths, yet 1do not deem it pennissible
for me to relate anything from them... "
- Muhammad ibn Shujii' ath-Tbaljee: He fabricated hadiths ... and
then ascribed them to the people of Hadith.
- Nool;1 ibn Abee Maryam' He fabricated hadiths about the virtues
of the different chapters of the Qur' an.
The list continues:
- Al-I,Iiirith ibn 'Abdulliih al-'Awar, Muqiitil ibn Sulayman,
Muhammad ibn Sa'eed al-Masloob, Muhammad ibn 'Umar al-
Wiiqidee, Ibriiheem ibn Muhammad ibn Abee Yal;1yii al_Aslamee,
Wahb ibn Wahb al-Qiigee, Muhammad ibn as-Sii'ib al-Kalbee, Abu
Diiwood an-Nakha'ee, Is-l;1iiq ibn Nujail;1 al-Milittee, 'Abbiis ibn
Ibriiheem an-Nakha'ee, Ma'moon ibn Abee Al;1mad al-Hirwee,
Muhammad ibn 'Uklcishah al-Kirmanee, Muhammad ibn al-Qiisim
at-Tiiyikanee, Muhammad ibn Ziyiid al-Yashkaree, and Muhammad
ibn Tameem al-Firyiibee.
Scholars compiled books that contained only fabrications, so
as to wam the general population of Mnslims who might be deceived
by them. Here are the most famons of these books:
1. AI-Mawq.oo'at, by I,Iiifidh Abee al-FaIj al-Jawzee, who died in the
year 597 (H). He included in this compilation every hadith that he
believed to be fabricated, even if it was a hadith from the authentic
compilations. In fact, he mentioned two hadiths from fjaTjeeTj
Muslim, one from fjaTjeeTj al-Bukhari, thirty-eight from Musnad
ATjmad, nine from Sunan Abee Diiwood, thirty from Jami' at-
Tirmidhi, ten from Sunan an-Nasa'i, thirty from Sunan Ibn Majah,
sixty from Mustadrak al-ijaldm, and a great many from the other
compilations of the Sunnah. Some scholars voiced their
disagreement with him: for example Al- 'Iriiqee and Ibn I,Iajr,
specifically regarding the narrations from Musnad ATjmad; As-
Suyootee, who disagreed in general about narrations from different
compilations, in his book at-Ta'aqqubiit 'Ala al-Mawq.oo'at and in
1 74 The fruits oftlwse labors
his summary of Ibn al-Jawzee's book, al-Lfilee' al-Masnoo'ah.
Nevertheless, scholars agreed with Ibn al-Jawzee's ruling regarding
most of the hadiths from his compilation, differing with him
regarding only a few hadiths - especially hadiths from Imam
Bukhari, Imam Muslim, and Imam Al;nnad.
2. AI-Mughnee 'Anil-lfifdh wal-Kitab, written by Abu 'Umar
ibn Badr al-Moosalee, who died in the year 622 (H). The author
limited the scope of this work to mentioning only those issues
regarding which no authentic hadith is related... Scholars also voiced
their disagreement regarding some of his rulings.
3. Ad-Dur al-Multaqirrfee Tabyeen al-Ghalat, written by the eminent
scholar Ri<;la' ud-Deen Abul-Fa<;ll l:;Iasan ibn
Muhanunad ibn l:;Iusain; he died in the year 650 H. Scholars
also disagreed with him regarding some of his rulings.
4. At-Tadhkiratul-Mawqoo'at, by Ibn Tiihir al-Maqdasee (507 AH);
he mentioned narrations that were related not only by fabricators, bnt
also by weak, accused, or abandoned narrators.
5. and 6. AI-Lfilee' al-Mawqoo'ah and
adh-Dhail, both by Al-l:;Iiifidh as-Suyootee. In the former, he
summarized Ibn al-Jawzee's al-Mawqoo 'at. As-Suyootee makes
clear those hadiths regarding which he disagreed with Ibn al-Jawzee
- that is, when Ibn al-Jawzee ruled a hadith to be a fabrication and
As-Suyootee disagreed. In the latter book, As-Suyootee mentioned
those fabrications that Ibn al-Jawzee did not mention in al-
Mawqoo'dt. Finally, he authored at-Ta'aqqubiit 'Alal-Mawqoo'at.
7. Tadhkiratul-Mawoo'at, by Muhanunad ibn Tiihir ibn 'Ali al-
Fatinnee (986 H); he attached to it ar-Risdlahfil-Wadda'een wa-
I)u'afd, which is arranged alphabetically.
8. AI-Mawqoo'at, by Ash-Shaykh 'Ali al-l:;Ianafi (1014 H)
9. AI-Fawa'id al-Majmoo'ahfil-Af;adeeth al-Mawqoo'ah, by Imam
Ash-Shawkanee (1250 H)
10. Risalah, by Imam 'ani, who mentioned most of the
fabrications that were being spread by the storytellers and orators of
his time. At the end of this work, he mentioned the names of weak
and abandoned narrators.
11. AI"Lu'lu' fee mfi Iii lahu Mawqoo " by
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abee al-Mal;1iisin al-Qawaqjee al-l;Iasani al-
Masheeshee al-Azharee. He was born in Tripoli (Lebanon) and died
in Egypt at the end of 1305 H. This work has been printed in one
volume.
Sixth, Compilations of famous Hadiths
Scholars of Hadith also compiled famous narrations, clarifying
those among them that are authentic, those that are weak, and those
that are fabricated. Among these books are the following:
1. Al-Liilee' al-Manthoorah fil-AT;iideeth al-Mash-hoorah, by Az-
Zarkashee (794 H). As-Suyoo1i summarized this work in ad-Durar
al-Muntatharah fil-Af;iideeth al-Mushtahirah.
2. al-lfasanah fil-AT;iideeth al-Mushtahirah 'Alal-
Alsinah, by As-Sakhawee (902 H).
3. Kashf al-KhaJii' wal-llbiis fee mfi Yadoom min al-Af;adeeth 'Ala
Alsinati an-Niis, by 'Ajloonee (1162 H). He basically took As-
Sakhawee's book and then added to it.
4. Tamyeez-ut-Tayyib Minal-Khabeeth fee mfi Yadooru 'Ala
Alsinatun-Nas Minal-Hadeeth, by Thn ad-Deeba' ash-Shaybanee al-
Atharee (944 H).
1 76 The fruits ofthose labors
5. Asna al-Matalib fee AiJiideeth Mukhtalifatul-Mariltib, by Shaykh
Muhammad al-l;Ioot al-Bairootee. He took Tamyeez at-Tayyib and
then added to it.
Here ends a brief study of the stages through which the Sunnah
passed. During those stages, it was exposed to plots, the goal of
which was to distort the Sunnah; however, Muslim scholars
contributed gteatly to quelling those plots and to preserving the pure,
authentic Sunnah. I cannot help but express gteat admiration for
those scholars, whose work, I acknowledge, seems almost to
transcend the known limits of human endeavor. May Allah reward
them well for their contributions.
SECTION TWO
Various Doubts Raised
Concerning the
Sunnah over the Centuries
This Section Consists of Seven Chapters
5. The Sunnah vis-a-vis the Shi'ah and Khawanj
6. The Sunnah vis-a-vis the Mu'tazilah and the Mutakallimeen
7. The Sunnah vis-a-vis those from the early centuries
who rejected its legislative status
8. The Sunnah vis-a-vis contemporary personalities
who reject it
9. The Sunnah vis-a-vis those who reject AlJdd narrations
10. The Sunnah vis-a-vis the Orientalists
11. The Sunnah vis-a-vis certain contemporary writers
Introduction
eAlthOUgh the Suunah along with the people of the Sunnah
came out victorious over the efforts of fabricators and the enemies of
Islam in general, it continued to be opposed by certain sects who
professed to be Muslims. Here we discuss those groups and the
doubts they raised regarding the Sunnah as an authentic and binding
source of Islamic legislation.
CHAPTER FIVE
The Sunnah Vis-a.-vis the
Shi
l
ah and Khawarij
Companions never doubted in the least that it is
compulsory to obey the Prophet that he was sent to all people,
and that it was their responsibility to convey his message to all
humanity as well as to posterity. History establishes for us that as a
community, the Companions trusted one another uneqnivocally;
moreover, their hearts were free from rancor: they were brothers who
loved one another because they shared the Sa1l1e beliefs and goals and
because they loved the same Prophet, the same Book, and the same
Religion. Regarding their brotherhood, Allah says:
t;; fG; j<> 5-41 &Jr;
c /" G( / %\-: - .;;
.,. ?Y.""" .J' '" \. _ / 'r"'J-' / .x -"'F'
'.u.... )
is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him
are severe against disbelievers, and merciful with each other. You see
them bowing and falling down prostrate [in prayer], seeking Bounty
from Allah and [His] Good Pleasure. The mark of them [of their
Faith] is on their faces [foreheads] from the traces of [their]
prostration [during prayers] .. ) (Qur'aJl 48: 29)
182 The Sunnah vis-ii-vis the Shi'ah and Khawfirij
And Allah said about the specifically:
;) 1/ :.:\1 NLA e:/ -: -:(:-if '\]\
c
lJ
>_ lJ rr:-- f. 0" ,-,..e .J:r.' __ elr
,;..,., Sf j; I;' )J iJiJ J
\ :!--;.. ,....-.. \ ......:.--"
...
those who, before them, had homes [in Madinah] and had
adopted the Faith, - love those who emigrate to them, and have no
jealonsy in their breasts for that which they have been given [fromthe
booty of Bani an-Nadeer], and give them [the emigrants] preference
over themselves, even though they were in need of that..)
(Qur'an 59: 9)
In their dealings with one another, they were models of love,
cooperation, and sacrifice; they only differed among themselves
when they had different views about the tmth, but if the tmth became
clear, they would race to embrace it. Yet even when they differed,
they were still polite and gracious with each other, maintaining
respect for those whom they differed. This is how they were: each
tmsted that the other was tmthful; they would not accuse one another;
they acknowledged the superiority of those who accepted Islamprior
to them; they appreciated the contribution of any individual, whether
it was a financial contribution or otherwise; they were not jealous of
each other over blessings with which Allah favored some of
them; they were satisfied with the good that they all had in common
- they were the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (If;j), callers
to Islam, whom Allah saved from misguidance, granting them
guidance in its stead. Hence they were the bappiest of people in the
best state of affairs.
After the Messenger of Allah (If;j) died, the first difference of
opinion that surfaced among the Companions was - who should the
next Caliph be? Although they differed in a matter of utmost
importance - the highest leadership position in the Nation - their
tone of speech, the way in which they presented their opinions, and
then the manner in which they reached a unanimous agreement - all
point to their self-control, mutual respect, and love of the truth. In
these times, we know of no similar example, so imagine a nation that
existed fourteen centuries ago, when the concept of mutual council
was unknown.
The following, in brief, outlines the famous historical event
that took place in Saqeefah Banee Sii'idah:
- The gathered to choose a Caliph from among themselves.
- The most prominent Muhiljiroon hastened to join the in
their discussions; these were led by Abu Bakr and
Abu 'Ubaydah
- Showing respect, patience, and their good manners, the
Muhiljiroon listened to the argrunents put forth by the
- Then Abu Bakr presented his view and the view of the
Muhiljiroon.
- During his presentation, Abu Bakr first mentioned the rights
and virtues of the - mentioning how they helped Islam,
defended the Messenger of Allah provided shelter for the
Muhiljiroon, and welcomed them. Then he mentioned the virtues of
the Muhiljiroon, showing neither pride nor boastfulness.
- He then mentioned that the Arabs could not be ruled except by one
from the tribe of Quraysh. If the ruler were from the Khazraj (a tribe
in Madinah), the Aws (the other tribe from Madinah) would contest
his leadership for it and vice versa.
- The withdrew their claim for sole possession of the
caliphate, and they suggested that there should be two rulers: one
from the and one from the Muhiljiroon.
184 The Sunnah visc{Jcvis the Shi'ah and Khawdrij
- The Muhiijiroon countered that such an arrangement ~ having
two leaders for one Nation - would be the first display of weakness
in the Muslim Nation.
- Abu Bakr ~ nominated, in the presence of all who were there,
'Vmar ~ or Abu 'Ubayda ~ for the position of Caliph.
- 'Vmar said to Abu Bakr, "You are better than me."
- Abu Bakr answered, "But you are stronger than me."
- 'Vmar said, "Indeed, my strength is with your superiority," and
then he rushed to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr, and the Muhiijiroon
pledged allegiance as well.
~ The A n ~ i i r too raced to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr; so keen
were they in doing so that they almost trampled their leader, Sa' d ibn
'Ubadah, who was their original nominee for the caliphate. There
was a consensus among those who were present at Saqeefah, and
then the masses pledged allegiance to him as well. Only 'Ali (3)
and a small group with him waited a little, and then they too pledged
allegiance to him as their Caliph.
That was how the caliphate of Abu Bakr ~ began -
without the spilling of blood, without the creation of division, and
without the presence of rancor and accusations. Hence it was a
society that left us with a clear picture of brotherhood and mutual
cooperation. That state of peace and harmony in society continued
throughout the caliphates of Abu Bakr and 'Vmar as well as through
the earlier part of 'Vthmiin's Caliphate. Yet when it came to issues of
right and wrong, truth and falsehood, the Companions would voice
their opinions not allowing friendship, leadership, relationship, or
anything else, for that matter, to stop themfrom expressing what they
felt to be the trnth. They had the candidness of Arabs, knowing
neither hypocrisy nor deception; they had the manners of the
civilized, displaying neither harshness nor rudeness; they cooperated
as brothers do, possesing neither haughtiness nor pride; they were
obedient like soldiers, capable of showing neither rebelliousness nor
dissent. They built the structure of the new Nation and Religion with
a prodigious level of foresight and skill.
Then, in the latter part of 'U1:luruln's caliphate, the Discord
(trial) began: enemies from the Jewish tribes and other nations
pretended to be Muslims, and both the third and fourth Caliphs were
murdered. Then Mu'iiwiyah ~ became leader of the Muslims and
many who had malevolent intentions spoke ill of the Companions,
hiding behind the fa\iade of their prOfessed-lOve for 'Ali ~ . The
Shi'ah were not alone in this assault against the Companions, for the
Khawiitij too deemed the majority of Companions alive during their
time to be disbelievers.
The majority of Muslims, however, took a more moderate and
just stance regarding differences among the Companions. They felt
that the first three Caliphs had more of a right to the caliphate than
'Ali ~ and that 'Ali had more of a right to the caliphate than
Mu'iiwiyah. Yet in their support of the earlier three Caliphs and in
their support of 'Ali later on, they still maiutained a high regard for
those Companious who opposed them, finding excuses for those who
disagreed with them. We must remember, after all, that the mujtaltid
is not sinning when he errs, as loug as his goal is the truth. Now, the
long-standing commitmeut showu by the Companious to Islam, their
contributions to its spread, their many sacrifices for Islam, their
companionship and support of the Messenger of Allah ~ , their
woudetful manners and record before the Discord - all go to show
that we should believe them aU to be good and noble. We should
acknowledge that each one of them was a mujtaltid who was seeking
out the truth and that those amoug them who were truly right
achieved two rewards, while those amoug them who were wrong
achieved oue reward. This is based ou the famous hadith of the
186 The SunTUlh vis-a-vis the Shi'ah and Khawlirij
Messenger of Allah (Blessings and peace be upon him) regarding the
ijtihad of a ruler. 1
Had the differences that arose among the Companions been
contained, without outside interference or meddling, we would have
seen the wonderful qualities of good manners for which they were
known as well as the free expression of what each thought was
correct. However, there was outside interference and meddling from
the enemies ofIslam (as well as the involvement of Nations who just
recently accepted Islam) in the disputes and battles that took place.
Also, the enemies of Islam ascribed false sayings to the Companions
- sayings that the Companions indeed never uttered, nay, never
could utter. Those sayings, in which other Companions were vilified,
unfortunately found heedful ears among the masses of the Shi' ah. In
fact, it was the Shi'ah who first introduced such lies when they
fabricated hadiths that described the virtues of 'Ali ~ .
The Khawfuij
The differences that arose among the Companions resulted in
the Khawiitij and the Shi'ah having views about the Companions that
were diamettically opposite of the views held by the great majority of
the Muslims. Before the Discord occurred, each of the sects among
the Khawiitij held all of the Companions in high regard. Then, after
the Discord and after the judgment 'Ali ~ accepted that two
Companions should rule between him and Mu'awiyah ~ , they
declared 'Ali ~ , 'Uthmiin ~ , the people of the Camel and two
1 It is related by Bukhari and Muslim and is mentioned by Ash-Shiifi 'ee in al-
Umm, 7/252. The exact wording of the hadith is as follows: "IT a ruler (or
judge) rules and carries out ijtihful (exercises all of his knowledge and skill to
arrive at the truth), and then is right, he has two rewards. And if he rules and
exercises ijtihiid, but then is wrong, he has one reward."
rulings and those who were pleased with the that judgment and the
two rulings (or one of them) to be disbelievers. And as such, they
rejected the hadiths of the majority of the Companions after the
Discord because of their claim that the Companions had accepted the
judgment and followed the 'Imams of tyranny', which in the view of
the Khawfuij negated their trustworthiness.
The Shi'ah
The majority of the Shi 'ah sects - we are referring to those
who remained in the framework of Islam - inveighed against Abu
Bakr, 'Vmar, 'Vthmiin, and the majority of the Companions who
supported them. To this day, they also vilify 'A'ishah, TalJ:>ah, Az-
Zubayr, Mu'awiyah, 'Amru ibn A ~ (may Allah be pleased with
them), and those who worked with them to take away the caliphate
from 'Ali ~ ) . More to the point, they vilify the majority of the
Companions with the exception of the few who are known for their
strong loyalty to 'Ali. Some have mentioned that they number fifteeu
in total, which explains why the Shi 'ah reject the hadiths of the
majority of the Companions. Of the majority of the Companions,
they will accept only those narrations that are related by the
snpporters of 'Ali - those narrations also have to be related by their
Imams, whom they deem to be infallible. The general principle
among the Shi 'ah is this: anyone who did not show full support for
the caliphate of 'Ali was viewed as having betrayed the command of
the Messenger of Allah ~ ) , hence making him unworthy of being
trusted. Within their sect, there was but one group of Shi 'ah who
opposed the majority - the Zaydiyah, who believed that 'Ali was
superior to Abu Bakr and 'Vmar, but who also believed that both of
their caliphates were valid and that they were indeed superior and
virtuous Companions. They are considered to be the most just among
188 The Sunnah vis-a-vis the Shi'ah aru1 Khawiirij
the various groups of the Shi '31, and their interpretation of Islamic
jnrisprudence is very close to that of the people of the Sunn31.
The majority of Muslims
The majority of Muslims believed that all of the Companions
were just and upright, including those who died before the Discord
and those who lived through it, those who participated in it and those
who avoided it. They rejected the narrations of 'Ali's followers
unless a narration came by way of Ibn Mas'ood's companions,
because the latter were trustworthy and above fabricating lies about
'Ali ~ , unlike the Shi '31.
The conflict and unrest of that period led to an assault against
the Sunn31. The Shi'31 rejected the narrations of the majority of
Companions, especially those narrations in which the virtues of
certain Companions were extolled. The ouly hadiths they accepted
were those that were related by their hnarns, whom they believed to
be infallible. Hence many hadiths that are graded as belonging to the
highest level of Sa/;ee/; (authentic) narrations, they ruled to be
fabricated. For example, Bukhari related that the Prophet (;i'1!i)
ordered all doors of homes that connected to the Mosque to be
closed, except for Abu Bakr's door. According to the majority of
Muslim scholars, all of the conditions of authenticity are fulfilled in
this hadith, yet the Shi '31 have rule that it is a fabrication. In its stead,
they promote a narration wherein it is claimed that, yes, the Prophet
~ did order all doors of homes attached to the Mosque to be
blocked, but according to their narration, he made an exception for
'Ali's door only. Conversely the hadith that is considered to be the
basis for the Shi '31, in which it is claimed that the Prophet ~
asserted that 'Ali ~ should be leader after him and that all of the
Companions bore witness to that, has been rejected by the people of
the Sunnah, who have ruled it to be a fabrication that was concocted
by extreme Shi 'ah elements that wanted to justify their assault
against the Prophet's Companions. We have already explained how,
based on the sonnd principles of the hnams regarding hadith
criticism, this narration is a fabrication.
I believe that anyone who is just, or at least neutral, must agree
with the majority on this point, for it is impossible that every single
Companion hid his or her knowledge of the Prophet's command, a
command that the Shi'ah claim was made in the presence of all the
Companions. Likewise, it is impossible that they all agreed to deny
'Ali ~ his right to the caliphate. It is they who strove throughout
their lives to disseminate the truth, proclaiming it even to their
leaders, fearing neither reproach nor punishment. They fought for the
truth in small matters - the hnam sitting down between the two
sermons of Friday, for example -sohow is it possible that they hid
the truth regarding the Prophet's command in which he mentioned
who was to be the Caliph after him? It is established that to disobey
the Prophet ~ on purpose is wickedness and to disobey him
believing that it is permissible to do so is a form of disbelief. How,
then, is it possible that alI of the Companions tried to conceal the
Prophet's command? We must also ask this: Is it befitting of the
Messenger of Allah ~ that alI of his Companions should be liars?
Indeed then, these are grave lies that were fabricated by the Shi 'ah-
lies that involve the most offensive of implications!
Just as the Shi'ah took an offensive stance vis-a-vis the hadiths
related by the majority of Companions, the Khawilrij did the same.
Because of their piety and candidness, they did not invent lies as the
Shi 'ah did, but they did oppose the masses of Muslims in many
rulings. Some of their rulings were downright strange; for example,
they ruled that it is permissible for a man to marry a woman and her
aunt (be it her father's sister or mother's sister). They also deny the
190 The Swmah vis-a-vis the Shi'ah and Khawdrij
ruling for stoning, which is related in the Sunnah. The reason behind
such rulings was not iguorance regarding the Religion, as some
writers claim; rather, it is a result of the Discord that occurred, after
which they rejected the narration of everyoue who participated with
'Ali (.) or with Mu'iiwiyah (.). Because of that view, they are
just as dangerous as the Shi'ah are.
The majority of the Muslims had a more just view, for they
understood that veracity, trustworthiness and precision are qualities
that are sought after in a narrator. Moreover, we know that
prevarication was contrary to the nature, the Religion, and the
upbringing of the Companions. What, then, do their political views
have to do with their narrations? hnagine someone who fought
colonialism with both pen and sword, doing so for his country and
people. Then imagine someone claiming that he is not patriotic, that
he has no virtues, and that all of his sayings are lies. A person makes
those claims simply based on the man's political outlook, because he
was not satisfied with the ruling goverrunent. That is the case
regarding historical figures and a just ruling regarding them. With
greater reason, then, do we say that it is not permissible for the Shi'ah
and the Khawfuij to rule against the Companions who did not agree
with 'Ali (.) in certain political matters; furthermore, it is not
permissible for them to inveigh against their narrations, to rule that
. they are untrustworthy, or to stamp them with qualities that are not
befitting even of commoners - much less of the Companions of the
Messenger of Allah ~
In short, the Shi'ah and the Khawfuij for the most part rejected
the authentic Sunnah. Their views and arguments greatly influenced
the Orientalists and those of their ilk, who wished to raise doubts
about the Sunnah of the Prophet ~ .
CHAPTER SIX
The Sunnah vis-a.-vis the
Mu'tazilah and the
Mutakallimeen
We have varying accounts of the Mu'tazilah and their
views regarding the Sunnah. Are they with the majority of Muslims
in the belief that both Mutawiitir and A1Jful narrations are valid
proofs? Do they reject the validity of both categories as proofs? Or do
they accept the validity of Mutawiitir narrations and reject only the
AiJild ones? Al-Amidee relates that Abul-Husain from the
Mu'tazilah believed in the plausibility (in the mind) of it being
compulsory to worship Allah in accordance with AiJild
narrations. Yet it is related from Al-Jibii' ee and a group from the
Mutakallimeen that it is not plausible for it to be compulsory us to
worship Allah based on AiJild narrations. In at-Tadreeb, Suyooti
relates from Abu 'Ali al-Jibii'ee that the narration of an upright, just
narrator is ouly accepted when it is coupled with the narration of
another upright, just narrator; otherwise, he holds that the narration of
a single narrator is only accepted when
- the narration is in accordance with the apparent meaning of the
Qur' an or of another narration; or
192 The Sunnah vis-ii-vis the Mu'tazi/ah and the Mutakallimeen
- the ruling conveyed by the narrator was widely practiced by the
Companions, or at least by some of them.
But according to the narration of Abu at-Tameemi, Abu
'Ali would only accept a narration if it was related by four upright,
just narrators. Ibn I:Iazm said,
"All adherents ofIslamwould accept the narration related by a single
trustworthy narrator who related from the Prophet (Ji:tt). All groups
followed this way - including the people of the Sunnah, the
Khawilrij, the Shi 'ah, and the Qadariyah - until the Mutakallimeen
from the Mu'tazilah went against that consensus. 'Amru ibn 'Ubayd
would act according to what he related from Al-I:Iasan and he would
rule accordingly. Anyone who has the least amount of knowledge
regarding this affair knows that.
Elsewhere he wrote that the Mu'tazilah reject the validity of AlJiid
narrations as a proof in Islam:
"All of the Mu'tazilah and the Khawilrij say that Al;1iid narrations do
not impart knowledge. They say that if something might be wrong or
a lie then it is not permissible to rule by it in Allah's Religion... "
In 'Alam al-Mawqi'een, Ibn al-Qayyim says that the Mu'tazilah
reject many clear narrations that establish intercession for sinning
believers; they reject those clear narrations based on a Mutashlibih (a
verse whose meaning is unclear to the masses) verse:
no intercession of intercessors will be of any use to
(Qur'an 74: 48)
All of the above narrations, as you can see, contradict one another
and do not really lead us to a conclusion in the matter. I deemed it
best, then, to go back to the books of Kalfim (rhetoric, logic) to see
The Sunnahand its role in Islamic legislation 193
what the scholars of different sects had to say about the Mu'tazilah on
this issne. I found that Imam Abu al-Baghdildee ... and Ar-
Riizi related from the Nidhiimiyah (a branch of the Mu'tazilah) that
they reject the validity of Mntawatir narrations, deny that it imparts
knowledge, and affmn the possibility of a Mutawatir narration being
a lk Ar-Riizi also related that they reject A1:lild narrations.
We have to understand that the Nidhiimiyah represent one of
22 sub-sects within the Mn'tazilah and that their belief in the Sunnah
hinges upon what they believed regarding the Companions. Here,
then, I relate to you what Imam Abu al-Baghdadee (429 H)
wrote (in al-Farq Bayn al-Firaq) when discussing the different sub-
sects within the Mu'tazilah, their opinions regarding the Companions,
and their stances vis-ii-vis the Sunnah. First, Imam Al-Baghdildee
mentioned those matters upon which the different sub-sects of the
Mu'tazilah agree, and then he went on to discuss those matters about
which they disagree and he began with the
ibn 'AW (131 H)
went against the ways of our pious predecessors,
inventing a third innovation. He found that the people of his time
differed about 'Ali (.) and his companions and about TalJ:>ah (.),
Az-Zubayr (.), 'A'ishah and the rest of the people of the
Camel. On the one hand, the Khawilrij claimed that the latter group
fell into disbelief when they fought 'Ali and that 'Ali was in the right
when he fought the people of the Camel and when he fought the
companions of Mu'awiyah at $iffeen. On the other hand, they
claimed that 'Ali fell into disbelief when he accepted the judgment!.
1 When he ('Ali) agreed to accept the judgment of two Companions regarding
his dispute with Mu'awiyah.
194 The Sunnah vis-ii-vis the Mu'tazilah and the Mutakallimeen
The people of the Sunnah, however, said that both groups in the
battle of the Camel were Muslims. They said that 'Ali was right in
fighting them and that the companions of the Camel disobeyed him
and were wrong in fighting him, yet their mistake was neither
disbelief nor even wrongdoing on their part. The people of the
Sunnah accepted the testimony of two just, upright narrators from
both groups.
went against the opinion of both groups, claiming
that one of the two groups was made up of wrongdoers, though he
was not sure which group it was. He therefore deemed it plausible
that the wrongdoers were 'Ali and his followers - such as Al"!.Iasan,
AI-Husain, Ibu 'Abbas, 'Arruniir ibn Yasir, Abu Ayyoob
(may Allah be pleased with them), as well as everyone else who was
with 'Ali during the battle of the Camel. At the same time, he deemed
it plausible that the wrong-doers were 'A'ishah Tall;tah (.),
Az-Zubayr (.), and all of the other people of the Camel.
said that. if a man from 'Ali's camp and a man from the other camp
were to give testimony over a matter as simple as a dispute regarding
vegetables, he would have rejected both of their testimonies because
he could be sure that at least one of them was a wrongdoer, even
though he did not know which it was. However, if two men from the
same camp were to give testimony, he would accept it from them.
'Amru ibn 'Ubayd
Imam Al-Baghdadee then spoke of the 'Amrawiyah, the
followers of 'Amru ibn 'Ubayd. He said that 'Amrn added to the
innovation of claiming that both groups on the Day of Camel
were wrongdoers; therefore he did not accept the testimony of either
of the two parties. Hence, in this issue, there developed contrary
views among the Mu'tazilah themselves. An-Nidham, Mu'ammar,
The Sanna" and its role in Islamic legislation 195
and AUilJ;lidh - all from the Mu'tazilah - agreed with
viewpoint regarding the Day of the Camel. Meanwhile, I;!awshab and
Hashim - also from the Mu'tazilah - held a different
opinion, claiming that the leaders of both camps were saved (from
falling into wickedness) whereas their followers were destroyed.
Abu al-Hudhayl
Next, Imam al-Baghdadee spoke about the Hudhayliyah, the
followers of Abu aI-Hudhayl Muhammad ibn aI-Hudhayl, also
known as AI-'TIM (227 or 235 H). Because of his gross errors and
beliefs, other groups, even from the Mu'tazilah, rule that he is a
disbeliever. AI-Ma'roof bil-Mirdiid, AI-JiM' ee, and Ja'far ibn I;!arb
- these, all leaders from the Mu'tazilah, wrote books iu which they
exposed his falsehoods and in which they ruled him to be a
disbeliever.
He held that if a uarration spoke about matters that are hidden
to the senses - such as the miracles of the Prophets - it cannot be
considered to be authentic unless it was related by twenty people, one
of whom must have been granted Paradise - according to him, the
dwellers of Paradise could ouly be those who were in his movement.
He claimed that if a narration is related by four or less, it does not
establish a ruling. If four or more relate it - but not more than twenty
- it might impart knowledge, but then again, it might not. But if 20
narrators relate it and one of them is of the inhabitants of Paradise,
then it necessarily imparts correct and authentic knowledge. He
argued that twenty (such narrators) constitute an authentic narration
based on the following verse:
> "' { } ,/ { > r 't'. y/ },.
... I;J,;.; uL ... ,.
(10 '-,.r-)
196 The Sunnah vis-a-vis the Mu'tuziluh and the Mutukallimeen
~ . . . If there are twenty steadfast persons among yon, they will
overcome two hundred.. J! (Qur'an 8: 65)
He said, ''They cannot fight unless they represent a number
that establishes them as proofs against their enemy." 'Abdul-Qiidir
rightly said that Abu Hudhayl's intention was nothing other than to
invalidate all narrations from the Prophet ~ because he stipulated
that one of the narrators had to have been granted Paradise, and it is
known that according to him, the inhabitants of Paradise were only
those who participate with him in his innovation - he considered all
others to be disbelievers who would not be granted Paradise. Abu
Hudhayl is credited with this innovation, for no one before him had
stipulated that at least twenty narrators had to have related a narration
for it to be authentic.
An-Nidham
AI-Baghd3.dee then goes on to discuss the An-Nidhiimiyah
sect, whose adherents follow Abu Is-1}iiq Ibriiheem ibn Sayar, better
known as An-Nidhilrn. Their association with the Zanadiqah,
philosophers, and others of their ilk caused the corruption of An-
Nidhilrn and his immediate followers. An-Nidhilrn disbelieved in the
- -
miracles of the Prophet ~ - such as the splitting of the moon, the
pebbles in his hand that were glorifying Allah ~ , and the gushing
forth of water from between his fingers. By rejecting those miracles,
he meant to reject the prophethood of Muhammad ~ altogether. He
then began to reject established Islamic proofs such as consensus and
analogy. Moreover, he inveighed against the rulings of some of the
most eminent of Companions.
Imam AI-Baghdadi mentioned that most of the Mu'tazilah
agree that An-Nidhilrn was a disbeliever; ouly a few of the Mu'tazilah
followed him in his misguidance - figures such as AI-Aswiiree, Ibn
I;!ayit, Fa91 al-Hadathee and Al-Jiil)idh - and even these differed
with him in some of his false beliefs. Here are examples of
Mu'tazilah leaders who ruled him to be a disbeliever: Abu al-
Hudhayl, Al-Jibii' ee, AI-Iskiifee, and Ja'far ibn I;!arb, all of whom
wrote books to refute his falsehoods. The following is a list
containing some of his deviant beliefs:
- He believed that the Muslim Nation could agree upon falsehood,
which effectively means that he rejected ijrnfi'.
- He rejected qiyas and a!}fid narrations when they do not impart
undeniable knowledge.
- He viciously attacked Abu Hurayrah and 'Vmar
calling the former the greatest liar and accusing the latter of having
doubts about his Religion on the day of Hudaybiyah, not to mention
many other false accusations. He did not stop there, for he leveled
many vicious, false accusations at 'V1:lunfuJ and 'Ali and
Ibn Mas'ood
- Nidhiim imputed ignorance and hypocrisy to many of the
Companions, which implies that he believed them to be eternal
dwellers of the Hellfire. That is because, according to him, the one
who is ignorant regarding his religion is a disbeliever, while the
hypocrite is also a disbeliever, and both groups are eternal dwellers of
the Hellfire.
In short, that is what Abu al-Baghdadi related about
the different groups within the Mu'tazilah, and regarding most of
what he said, Ash-Shayristiini, author of ai-Miliil wan-Nil;iil (548 H)
agrees with him. We see, then, that among the Mu'tazilah, there were
those who doubted the uprightness of the Companions - such as
- while others among them believed with certainty that they
were wrongdoers - for example, 'Amru ibn 'Ubayd. There were yet
others among them - like Nidhiim - who attacked the honor of
eminent Companions, accusing them of prevarication, of ignorance,
198 The Sunnah vis-it-vis the Mu'tazilah and the Mutakallimeen
and of hypocrisy. Therefore, based on the opinions ofWii;;il, 'Amm,
and their followers, they reject narrations that come from those
Companions. And according to Abu al-Hudhayl, AJ;iid narrations are
only accepted when at least twenty narrators related it, with one of
them being a dweller of Paradise. Finally, An-Nidhiim rejected the
validity of ijrnii' and qiyas and casts doubts even about Mutawatir
narrations, accepting the possibility that they are not anthentic.
Such extreme views regarding the Sunnah obviously resnlted
in a division between the scholars of the Sunnah and the leaders of
the Mu'tazilah. The Mu'tazilah obviously took the path of heaping
accusation after accusation against the scholars of the Sunnah,
claiming that their narrations were lies and that they did not
understand the narrations that they related. They related laughable
accounts of errors that, though they might be true regarding
laypeople from the people of Hadith, t1:ley were surely lies regarding
the Imams and scholars of Hadith. On the other hand, the scholars of
Hadith accuse the Mu'tazilah of wickedness, innovations, and beliefs
that are contrary to what Allah ~ revealed.
What Al-Baghdildee relates to us regarding the Mu'tazilah -
even though it is the talk of a man discussing his adversary - is,
atleast for the most part, true, for the leaders of the Mu'tazilah
movement were not particnlarly religious, nor did they mind
perpetrating certain forbidden deeds. Al-Jiil:ridh, who himself is one
of the Imams of the Mu'tazilah, wrote the following in his book al-
Ma4fiIJik:
"One day, while Al-Ma'moon was riding his mount, he saw
Thumiimah (a leader from the Mu'tazilah), who was inebriated at the
time, and was rolling himself in mud. Al-Ma'moon said,
'Thumiimah1' He said, 'Yes, by Allah.' 'Are you not ashamed?' He
said, 'No, by Allah.' Ma'moon said, 'Upon you is the curse of Allah.'
He said, 'Yes, one after another.' "
Al"Jill:ridh also related that on one occasion, the servant of
Thnmfunah said to him, "Stand and pray." Thnmfunah did not heed
his words, and so his servant repeated, "The time for prayer is
running ont; stand, pray, and relax (i.e., during the prayer)." He said,
"I am relaxed so long as yon leave me alone."
The gap between the people of the Sunnah and the Mn'tazilah
only widened when the discord regarding "the Qur' an being created"
began, which was spurred on by Ma'moon (the leader during that
time) in the year 218 H, when he officially imposed npon the people a
belief that they did not accept and that the people of the Sunnah
refuted in their noble stance to defend the truth. They stood firm in
the face of enticements followed by threats of imprisonment and
death. The Imam of the Sunnah, Al;nuad ibn .E:Ianbal, went through
imprisonment and beatings for thirteen years, until finally, Al-
Mntawakkil took over the caliphate in the year 232 H, for (Al-
Mutawakkil) proclaimed his leanings toward the people of the
Sunnah, hence removing that trial from the people. He raised the
status of Hadith scholars, and as time went on, the Mu'tazilah
movement dwindled away. Yet, sad to say, that struggle led to two
dangerous results that have to do with the Sunnah:
1. The leaders of the Mu'tazilah raised doubts about the status of the
Companions, which opened the door for certain Orientalists to attack
them as well. Basing their views on what an-Nidhfun and others
fabricated, they built up the temerity to accuse the Companions of
lying.
2. In their Fiqh, most adherents of the Mu'tazilah sect were followers
of the School of Imam Abu .E:Ianeefah and his companions. Bishran
al-Muraysee, a prominent figure among the Mu'tazilah, followed in
his practice of fiqh the opinions of Abu Yoosuf al-Qiigee; however,
as soon as he proclaimed his view that the Qur' an was created, Abu
Yoosuf broke off ties with him.
200 The Sunnah vis"a"vis the Mu'tazilah and the Mutakallimeen
When the differences between the people of Hadith and the
Mu'tazilab leaders heightened in intensity, the former group
denounced all who said that the Qur' an was created, but
unfortunately some of the more extreme elements among the people
of Hadith attacked Abu I;laneefab and his companions as well,
atguing that they ruled based on opinion. Abu I;laneefab was
blameless in the matter, and just because the Mu'tazilab happened to
follow his school in matters offiqh, some ascribed to himthe opinion
of the Qur' an being created, despite the fact that the opposite is
authentically related from him. Moreover, Muhammad ibn al-I;lasan
(a student of Imam Abu I;laneefab) said, "Whoever prays behind a
Mu'tazilee must repeat his prayer." And when Abu Yoosuf (another
student of Imam Abu I;laneefab) was asked about the Mu'tazilab, he
said, "They ate the Zaniidiqab." Thus certain Muslim Imams were
attacked in a battle that they played no patt in.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Sunnah Vis-a.-vis those
from the Early Centuries who
Rej ected its Legislative Status
advent of the second centory saw the emergence of
those who rejected the validity of the Sunnah as a source of Islamic
legislation, of those who rejected non-Mutawiitir narrations (i.e.,
A1Jfid narrations), and of those who rejected those hadiths that either
did not explain what is in the Qur' an or did not affirm what is in the
Qur' an: in other words, those hadiths that legislated independent
rulings that are not found in the Qur' an.
Based on what we know, the first to write about such groups
was Imam Ash-Shiifi 'ee (may Allah have mercy on hinl). In al-Umm,
he dedicated a chapter to give an account of a debate that took place
between him and a man who denied the legislative authority of
hadiths. Shiifi'ee relates the debate in the form of a dialogue, first
beginning with his opponent who supposedly was a learned man.
His opponent: "You are an Arab, and the Qur' an was revealed in
your tongue... If one were to doubt a single letter of the Qur' an, you
would ask hinl to repent, and if he had repented, you would have left
him alone;but if he had not, you would have killed hinl. Allah (jjl)
says in the Qur' an:
202 The Sunnah vis-a-vis those from the early centuries
... as an exposition of everything.. J (Qur'an 16: 89)
So then how does it become pennissible for you or for anyone else to
say that a command is general one time and specific another time?...
And for the most part, your rulings have thus differed because of a
hadith that you relate from one man who has related from another...
And I have found that you as well as those of your school do not deny
that those to whom you give precedence for their veracity and
memory could possibly forget or make a mistake in their hadiths. I
have often found you saying, 'Such and such person made a mistake
in snch and such hadith.'... Is it correct to distinguish between
different commands of the Qur' an, when their apparent meaning (i.e.,
that they impart a command) is one? .. In spite of your description of
certain narrators, you place their narrations at the same level as
Allah's Book, and you allow (certain matters) based on those
narrations and forbid (others) based on them as well."
Imam ShMi 'ee: "We rule based on certainty of knowledge, on
authentic narrations, and on analogy: though some are stronger than
others, we rule based on all of the above... For example, in a court
case, we issue a ruling based on a man's confession, based upon
proof (i.e., for the most part, witnesses), or finally, based on an oath.
If any of the above proofs are established, we issue a ruling, yet they
vary in their strength."
His opponent: "You accept that which narrators inform you of, yet
you even acknowledge possible faults in them; what is your proof,
then, against those who reject such narrations? Because of the
possibility of error, I accept nothing from them. I only accept...
Allah's Book, which no one can have doubts about, not even about a
single letter. Can something have the same weight as sure
knowledge, though that something does not reach its level?"
]mam Shiifi'ee: When one has knowledge of Arabic and of the
Qnr' an which was revealed in that tongue, that knowledge will make
it binding upon him to accept the narrations of truthful people
regarding the Messenger of Allah (;ili!')... (Next, Ash-Shiifi 'ee began
mentioning proofs to back up his statement) Allah ~ ) says:
(He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger
[Muhammad] from among themselves, reciting to them His Verses,
purifying them [from the filth of disbelief and polytheism], and
teaching them the Book and the ljikmah I ...~ (QuT'an 62: 2)"
His opponent: "We know that 'the Book' is Allah's Book, but what is
the .E;Iikmah?"
lmarn Shiifi'ee: 'The Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ~ ) .
His opponent: "It is possible that 'the Book' is the Qnr' an in general,
whereas the .E;Iikmah is specific, and refers to its rulings."
]mam Shiifi 'ee: ''You mean that Allah ~ ) has clarified his
commands to them in a general way - commands such as the
Prayer, zakat, .E;Iajj, and so on. These matters He ~ ) clarified in His
Book, yet He clarified their rulings and details on the tongue of His
Prophet ~ ) .
His opponent: 'That is indeed possible!"
]mam Shiifi 'ee: "If you accept that, then you accept what I said
earlier, which means that you will not arrive at those detailed rulings
except through narrations from the Messenger of Allah ~ ) .
1 Literally: 'wisdom'.
His opponent: "Unless one takes the view of repetition in speech (i.e.,
that 'the Book' and the I:Iikmah have one meaning - the Qur' an)."
Imam Shiifi'ee: "When you say, 'The Book and the I;!ikmah', which
is more probable, that they represent two things or one thing?"
His opponent: "It is possible that they refer to two matters, as you
have said - the Qur' an and the Sunnah. And it is also possible that
they signify one and the same thing."
Imam Shiifi'ee: "What you first said is more likely to be correct, and
in the Qur' an is proof for what we said, proof that invalidates your
view."
His opponent: "Where?"
~ A n d remember [0 you members of the Prophet's family] that which
is recited in your houses of the Verses of Allah and the I;likmah.
Verily, Allah is always Most Courteous, Well Acquainted with all
things) (Qur'an 33: 34)
He ~ informs us that two matters are recited in the home."
His opponent: "I understand that the Qur' an is recited, but how is the
I;likmah recited?"
Imam Shiifi'ee: "The meaning of 'that which is recited" here is that
both the Qur' an and the Sunnah are articulated."
His opponent: "Yes, more than your previous argument, this more
clearly shows that the I;likmah is not the Qur' an."
Imam Shilfi'ee: "Allah commanded us to follow and obey His
Prophet (;i!i)."
His opponent: ""Where?"
Imam Shilfi'ee: "Allah says,
no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, nntil they make you
[0 Muhammad] judge in all disputes between them, and find in
with full (Qur'an 4: 65)
Allah also says:
who obeys the Messenger [Muhammad], has indeed obeyed
Allah.. (Qur'an 4: 80)
And Allah says:
> ;\ ' .>/ /j '<I ,/ / ':\'1
'-' JJ;. ,,-.:..A............,. -, '.c "",".-1)
. -.J , I-T... -, I,) ">-r l.T" U , .. u .. , -d .....
(,I"
And let those who oppose the Messenger's [Muhammad]
commandment beware, lest some discord befall them or a painful
torment be inflicted on them) (Qur'an 24: 63)"
His opponent: "It is clear then that the I,likrnah is the Sunnah of the
Messenger of Allah .."
Imam Shilfi 'ee: "Allah ordered us to obey the Prophet's
commands:
206 The Sunnah vis-a-vis thosefrom the early centuries
.. , j;:; ...
(v :
( ... And whatsoever the Messenger [Muhammad] gives you, take it,
and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain [from it]... (Qur'an 59: 7)"
His opponent: "It is clear in revelation that we must follow what the
Prophet commanded us to do and abstain from what he
forbade us from doing."
Imam Shiifi 'ee: "Is that obligation equally binding on us, on those
who came before us, and on those who will come after us?"
His opponent: "Yes!"
Imam Shiifi 'ee: "As regards those who did not meet the Prophet
but who came after him, do you not see that they can follow the
commands of the Prophet only through narrations about him that
have been passed on?"
Ask yourself this: "Knowing that certain parts of the Qur' an abrogate
other parts, how can we achieve knowledge of such matters eXCept
through reports that corne to us from the Prophet
His opponent: "The proof is well established on your side; we must
accept narrations from the Messenger of Allah I now believe
that it is compulsory upon Muslims to accept narrations from the
Prophet ... "
After Imam Shiifi'ee's opponent retracted his previous
statements and accepted the truth, he asked the Imamwhy commands
in the Qur' an are at times general and at other times specific. Imam
Shiifi'ee explained to him that the Arabic language is complex and
that though a statement might seem to be general in its implications,
it might in reality be specific. But if it happens that an apparently
general command is in reality specific, then that must be established
either by the Qur' an or the Sunnah. He then went on to mention
The Surmah and its role in Islamic legislation 207
examples of commands that seemed to be general in their
implications, but that are not truly general, because the Sunnah
mentions exceptions for those commands. For example, the Prayer is
obligatory upon every sane adult; however, menstruating women are
exempted. Though the command to pay zakiit on wealth may seem
comprehensive, certain categories of wealth are exempted. That
fathers, mothers, and children inherit from one another is indicated
by a general command, yet there are exceptions: the disbeliever does
not inherit from a Muslim (even if the Muslimis his father), the slave
does not inherit from the one who is free (even if the latter is related
to the former), and the murderer does not inherit from the one whom
he murdered. All these exceptions are established in the Sunnah.
Imam ShMi'ee's opponent was thus led to acknowledging that the
knowledge thereof can be achieved only through the Sunnah...
His opponent: "If we are sure (through a proof that imparts certainty
of knowledge) that a matter is I:Iariim, can a proof that does not
impart sure knowledge change that ruling to permissibility?"
Imam ShMi 'ee: "Yes. Is not the blood and wealth of the man sitting
beside me inviolable?"
His opponent: "Yes, it is."
Imam ShMi'ee: "But what if two men testified that he killed a man
and took his money?"
His opponent: "I wonld have him executed (for that crime) and his
wealth returned to thosewho inherit fromthe one who was murdered."
Imam ShMi 'ee: "We have sure knowledge that his wealth and blood
are inviolable, yet we can not be absolutely sure that he murdered the
man (the two witnesses might have lied, for example)."
His opponent: "We have been ordered to accept such testimony..."
Imam Shiifi 'ee: "Indeed, you have been ordered to accept that which
witnesses inform you of, though only Allah ~ knows what is
208 The Sunnah vis-a-vis tlwsefrom the early centuries
hidden in their hearts. Bnt we demand mnch more from a narrator (of
hadith) than we do from a witness. In certain sitnations, we may
accept the testimony of someone yet reject his narration of hadith,
when the scholars of hadith have shown that he had erred earlier."
In the end, Imam Shill 'ee' s opponent in the debate was
satisfied that to accept the Prophet's narrations is tantamount to
accepting from Allah ~ . Regarding the previous debate, the
following are some important points:
First, Shill 'ee did not name the group that rejected narrations, nor did
he identify his opponent in the debate. In Tfireekh at-Tashree' al-
Islfimi, Shaykh AI-KiQree - may Allah have mercy on him - said
that he was referring to the Mu'tazilah,
"Shafi 'ee did not mention whom it was that he was debating with,
and we do not know his identity from any other source, yet he did say
that the man was from Basra. The Kalfuniyah
2
movement thrived in
Basra, where many Mu'tazilah sects originated. The leaders and
well-known writers of the Mu'tazilah were known for their dispute
with the people of Hadith, so perhaps the man mentioned by Imam
Shafi'ee was one of them."
This deduction is further supported by Muhammad ibn
'AbduWlli ibn Muslim ibn Qutaybah's book, Ta'weel Mukhtalaful-
Hadeeth, which describes how the leaders of the Mu'tazilah
movement attacked the Sunnah and disparaged many distinguished
Companions.
There was a bitter dispute during or slightly before Shafi'ee's
time between the Mutakallimeen and the people of the Sunnah, and
most of the Mutakallimeen were in Basra. Based on these two facts,
2 It appears that this is a negative term, refening to people who were known
for following arguments and rhetoric than revealed proofs; and Allah knows
best (Translator)
Al-Khi<)ree concluded that the man was from the said group, which is
a very stroug possibility.
Second, in rejecting the validity of the Sunnah, deviant groups raised
doubts about uarrators and their mistakes. Hence they propounded
the view that ouly the Qur' an should be followed, which means that
they did not opeuly say that we must reject the sayings, actions, and
approvals of the Prophet (;1:jlj). Not related from any Muslim group is
the view that it is not compulsory to obey the commands of the
Messenger of Allah ~ or that his sayings and deeds are not sources
oflegislation. The only group that opeuly says that it is not obligatory
to follow the Prophet ~ is an extreme sect of the Shi'ah, but we
have nothing to say about them here, for our scope of study in this
work does not go beyond Muslim groups.
In al-Umm, hnam Shilfi 'ee (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"I have not heard of a single person who is described as being a man
of knowledge nor of anyone who describes himself as being a man of
knowledge who disagrees regarding the status of the Sunnah: that
Allah ~ ordered us to obey the commands of the Messenger of
Allah (;1:jlj) and to surrender to his rulings and that all who come after
the Prophet (;1:jlj) must obey him. Nor do they differ in that there exists
no statement that is binding except for Allah's Book and the
Messenger's Sunnah - all else is secondary to those two sources.
Nor do they differ in that it is incumbent upon us and upon those who
come after us to accept narrations from the Messenger of Allah (;1:jlj),
with the exception of a group that I will describe, inshii' Allah (i.e.,
the group referred to in the previously mentioned debate)."
From Imam Shilfi'ee's debate, it is clear that the cause of
dissension was the less than sure and certain knowledge that is
imparted from narrations, as opposed to the certain and sure
knowledge that the Qur' an imparts, for we are sure that the Qur' an is
210 The Sunnah vis-a-vis thosefrom the early centuries
authentically ascribed to the Messenger of Allah and then to
Allah
Ibn J::Iazm said:
"We have clarified that the Qur' an is the primary source of
legislations, and we find therein an order to obey the connuands of
the Messenger of Allah Describing His Messenger in the
Qur'an, Allah says:
(H" : 'JY-") 41 5l &')1 if
!{Nor does he speak [of his] own desire. It is only an inspiration that is
(Qur'an 53: 3-4)
With that, we conclude that inspiration from Allah to His Messenger
is classified into two categories:
1. Inspiration that is a miracle (in its organization, eloquence, and
other qualities) and that is recited and written in book form - which
is the Qur'an; and
2. inspiration that is related and transmitted, that is not written in
book form, that is not a miracle (in its flow, cohesiveness, and
organization), and that is read not recited - which are the narrations
we have from the Messenger of Allah This second category
clarifies and details Allah's connuands, Allah says:
(0 : W ... r-&l J; ... "
... That you may explain clearly to people what is sent down to
them.. ) (Qur'an 16: 44)
We find that Allah made it compulsory upon us to obey the
second category (the Sunnah) just as He made it compulsory upon us
to follow the first category (the Qur'an) without differentiating
between the two. Allah says:
'.!SUI '-,.r-) ... J;:)i i.?-..(tJ :Ji\ i;ir:;,
obey Allah and the Messenger [Muhammad].. J (Qar'an 5: 92)
The narrations we have referred to constitute one of the three matters
that we must follow based on the comprehensive verse for all
legislations, the first of them to the last of them:
you who believe! Obey this first source is the Qur' an.
obey the Messenger [Muhannnad]) this is the second source-
that which is related to us from the Messenger of Allah
those of you [Muslims] who are in authority..J (Qar'an 4: 59)
- this third source is ijma' ... "
He also said,
"fu case of any disagreement, the Muslim who believes in Tawl:teed
(Islamic monotheism) can seek judgment only in the Qur' an and
Sunnah and no other source; furthermore, he must accept that
judgment. If he seeks judgment from other than those two sources,
then he is a wrongdoer; and after the proof is established upon him
and he still feels that it is lawful for him to do so - to seekjudgment
from other sources - then in our view, he is without a doubt a
disbeliever. "
And on yet another occasion, he (Ibn I;!azm) said,
"If one says, 'We only take what we find in the Qur' an,' then he is a
disbeliever by the consensus of the Muslim Nation, and it is
incumbent upon him - based on his own view - to pray only one
unit of prayer from sunset until dusk and another unit at dawn,
because that is the minimum amount necessary for the action to be
called prayer. (That is to say, the Qur' an only orders us to pray
without mentioning the details of prayer, which are outlined in the
Sunnah. So if one is only following the Qur' an, he can pray a single
unit during the said times, and he will have fulfilled what, according
to the implications of his view, is correct.)... The one who says this is
a disbeliever and a polytheist whose blood and wealth are lawful. The
only ones to take this view are some of the more extreme elements of
the Rm"ah, and the Muslim Nation agrees that they are
disbelievers. "
Suyooti said,
"Extreme factions of the RMi<;lah reject the Snnnah as a valid Islamic
proof, limiting themselves to the Qur' an only, which is based on their
belief that the Prophethood was supposed to have been for' Ali ~
and that Jibreel ~ erred when he instead bestowed it upon the chief
of the Messengers (g).,,3
Third, based on what Imam Shm'ee related, we can summarize the
arguments of those who reject the Snnnah outright in the following:
- If the Sunnah initiates a new legislation that is not established in
the Qur' an, then knowledge that is established on a foundation that is
less than certain (i.e., the Sunnah) is contradicting knowledge that is
established on a foundation of certainty and of sureness (i.e., the
Qur' an). And the former kind of knowledge is not strong enough to
contradict the latter kind.
- If the Snnnah confirms a ruling in the Qur' an, then it is the Qur' an
that is being followed, and not the Snnnah.
- And if the Sunnah clarifies what the Qur' an mentioned in general,
then that which is established as certain knowledge - whoever
disbelieves in a letter of the Qur' an disbelieves - is being clarified
3 Mifidf:ml-Jannah, p. 3.
by that which is established as less than certain knowledge
whoever disbelieves in a letter of a narration does not disbelieve. And
that is neither pennissible nor correct.
It might occur to one that they accept Mutawatir narrations
(narrations related by such a large number of people that it must be a
correct report, such as 5000 people from a town reporting an
earthquake) because they impart sure knowledge. Then why did
Imam Shiifi 'ee generalize when he said, "They reject all narrations."
It appears that, according to them, even Mutawatir narrations do not
even impart snre knowledge but instead impart less than sure
knowledge. They claim that it is always possible for narrators to lie,
even if a great number of them relate the same information. If what
Al-Khiljree said - that the opponent in the debate was a Mu'tazilee
- is true and if what is imputed to An-Nidhiim - that he rejected
Mutawatir narrations, saying that they do not impart sure knowledge
- is true, then it also holds true that those who reject the Sunnah are
not obligated to perform a particular number of units in their prayer.
And that is significant because the number of units for each prayer is
related iu Mutawatir form and is agreed upon by the consensus of the
Muslim Nation.
When Shiifi'ee's opponent said that he did not accept anything
that might be based on an error he did not mean that he accepted
Mutawatir narrations, because, according to him, they can contain
errors.
Fourth, ImamShiifi 'ee' s refutations or answers can be summarized as
follows:
I. Allah ~ commanded us to obey and follow His Messenger ~ ,
a command that embraces both those who lived during his lifetime
and those who came after him. As regards those who were not
contemporaries of the Messenger of Allah ~ , they can only follow
him through narrations that are related from him, which means that
Allah (iJI*) also ordered us to follow and accept (authentic) narrations
from him. This is based on the rule that if an obligatory action cannot
be completed except with the help of another action, then the latter
action is also obligatory.
2. To ascertain the rulings of the Qur' an itself, we must accept
narrations. For instance, to know which verses are abrogated and
which are abrogating, we must refer to the Sunnah.
3. There are certain rulings that are agreed upon by all, even by those
who reject narrations from the Prophet ~ . The Sunnah is the only
source that establishes many of those rulings.
4. The Shatia established that it is possible for sure knowledge to be
specified or limited by knowledge that is at a level below that of sure
knowledge. For example, two witnesses are accepted in murder cases
and financial dealings. Yet we are sure that one's blood and wealth
are inviolable, whereas we are less than sure as to the veracity of the
two witnesses.
5. Yes, it is possible that errors or lies occurred in some narrations.
Yet that possibility certainly diminishes greatly when the uprightness
of a narrator is established and when his narrations are compared to
those of his contemporaries who were Hadith scholars. Furthermore,
when a narration is at least to some extent supported by another
narration from the Sunnah or a verse from the Qur'an, the aforesaid
possibility almost becomes non-existent.
Fifth, Imam Shiifi'ee did not answer his opponent's argument when
he said that Allah ~ sent down the Qur'an as an exposition of all
matters. This is an issue that we will discuss in the next chapter,
inshii.' Allah.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Sunnah Vis-a.-vis
Contemporary Personalities
who Reject it
Jn recent times, there are those of scanty knowledge who
reject the validity of the Sunnah as an Islamic proof. Inissues 7 and 9
of the magazine Manar " two interviews with Tawfeeq Sidqee are
printed, in which he proclaims that view under the title, Islam is the
Qur'an only. The claims and doubts he raised as well as his
arguments can be summarized as follows:
I. Allah says:

, / ,0<' /
(
1"A . ,. "'1' ) fA ,,:J..r j lJ. .. t:: ...
-il...-"t.>:J .Jr 0>:..,. .... ;:.-.... '" J
.. We have neglected nothing in the Book... (Qur'an 6: 38)
And He says:

, j(j' .< ,. "/,- /.' // --<"
(A
' . '-"I'. ) " .. ....
.'" ):f\,.;> ""'.... w J.../
... And We have sent down to you the Book [the Qur'an] as an
exposition of everything... (Qur'an 16: 89)
1 Refer to issues 7 and 9 of the magazine, from the 9th year of publication.
(Translator)
216 The Sunnah vis-a-vis contemporary personalities who reject it
Both these verses indicate that the Qur' an deals comprehensively
with all matters pertaining to Religion as well as all of its rulings and
commands. hI addition, they indicate that the Qur' an has clarified the
detailed rulings of Islam, so that no other source - such as the
Sunnah - is needed. Otherwise, the Qur' an could be described as
being remiss regarding its stated purpose (i.e., to be an exposition of
all matters), and that is impossible.
2. Allah says:
it is We Who have sent down the dhikr [i.e. the Qur'an] and
surely, We will guard it [from corruption]J (Qur'an 15: 9)
1bis verse indicates that Allah guaranteed to preserve the
Qur' an, yet He did not do so for the Sunnah. If the Sunnah were
a proof like the Qur' an, Allah would have guaranteed to preserve it as
well.
3. If the Sunnah were a valid proof, the Prophet Ciifi) would have
ordered it to be written down and the Companions as well as the
Tiibi 'oon would have worked to gather it and record it so as to
preserve it from distortion, forgetfulness, or error and so as to pass it
down to future generations of Muslims as an authentic and certain
source of knowledge. Since none of that occurred, it is not a definite
and sure source of knowledge; consequently, one cannot argue by it
as if it were a valid proof. Allah says:
,,fJA :., /" 1/ ,1').
<n :,1y...,)'1 OJ.r-) ... "" '" c...W 'Jr
do not follow that of which you have no knowledge.. J
(Qur'an 17: 36)
And He says:
(
itA . - ) ... 0fui 01 .:::.,;. ,)I ...
. i p;.-!!> r
(Verily, you follow nothing but conjecture..) (Qur'an 6: 148)
Positive and definite knowledge is ouly obtained from a written
record, which is the case with the Qur' an. In the case of the Sunnah,
the Prophet prohibited the Companions from writing it down
and whatever was previously written by them, he ordered them to
erase. Such was the view taken by the Companions and the Tabi'oon.
'A'ishah related that Abu Bakr burned 500 hadiths that he
had previously written down, and he said,
"I feared that 1would die and there would be among them (Le., those
500 hadiths) hadiths from men that 1 trusted, but who related that
which was incorrect, and 1would be the one who transmitted them."
Zayd ibn Thiibit did the same when he met Mu'awiyah
Mu'awiyah asked him ahout a hadith and he informed him of it.
Mu'awiyah ordered someone to write it down, but Zayd said,
"Indeed, the Messenger of Allah ordered us not to write down
anything from his hadith," and so he erased it. On one occasion,
'Vmar intended to record the Sunan, but he then changed his
mind, saying,
"Verily, 1wanted to write down the Sunan, but then 1remembered a
people before you who wrote books, dedicated themselves to them,
and abandoned Allah's Book. 1 will never mix the Qur'an with
anything else."
Likewise, 'Ali ordered someone who had written down some
hadiths to erase them. Ibn Mas'ood erased a scroll containing
hadiths that was related from him. 'Alqaruah, 'Ubaydah, Al-Qiisim
ibn Muhammad, Ash-Sha'bee, An-Nakha'ee, Mugheerah,
Al-'Amash - all of these Tiibi'oon also disliked wtiting down
hadiths. There are many narrations from them that indicate this. They
218 The Sunnah vis-a,..vis contemporary personalities who reject it
did not stop there: it is related from some of them that they forbade
people from relating hadiths or at least ordered them not to do it
abundantly. The Sunnah was only recorded in later generations when
error, forgetfulness, and distortion had already crept into it. All of the
above proves that it cannot be depended upon as a source of Islamic
legislation.
4. Certain narrations from the Prophet ~ indicate that the Sunnah is
not a valid Islamic proof. For example, "Indeed, hadiths from me will
spread, so whatever comes to yon that is in harmony with the Qur' an,
it is from me. And whatever comes to you that contradicts the Qur' an,
then it is not from me.,,2 Therefore, if the Sunnah establishes a new
legislation that is not found in the Qur' an, it is not in harmony with
the Qur' an (i.e., it contradicts the Qur' an). If it confrrms a ruling that
it is already in the Qur'an, then the proof is the Qur'an only. This is
proven by the narration, "If you relate a hadith from me that you
know and do not deny, then believe it, regardless of whether I really
said it or not, for I speak of that which is known and that which is not
denied. And if yon relate from me a hadith that you deny, then do not
believe it, regardless of whether I said it or not, for I do not say that
which is unknown and that which is denied.,,3 This shows that it is
compnlsory to compare what is related from the Prophet ~ to what
the Muslims know and acknowledge in terms of rulings from the
Noble Qur' an; therefore the Sunnah is not a valid proof. Another
example is the narration, "Indeed I do not make lawful except that
which Allah made lawful in His Book, and I do not forbid except that
2 Reported by AI-Tabarilni, vol. 3, p. 194, hadith no. 194 and Al-Bayhaqi, vol.
1, p. 9; Shaykh Al-Albfuri said it is a weak hadith. See al-Mu'jam al-Kabeer,
Ma'arifah as-Sunan wal-Athiir and Silsilah tuf-lJd'eefah wal-Mawq,oo'ah.
3 Reported bt AI-Uqayli, vol. I, p. 33, Ad-Daraqutni vol. I, p. 12 and AI-
TalJawee, vol. 1, p. 286. Hadith status: Munkar a seriously denounced hadith.
Shaykh aI-Albani said, Mawdoo', fabricated. See adh-Dhuafa, al-lfrtid, Musllkil
al-Athfir and Silsilah al-Al;iideeth mf-I;Ja'eefah, vol. 3, p. 203.
which Allah forbade in His Book.,,4 In another narration, "People
should not grasp anything from me, for indeed, I do not make lawful
for them except that which Allah has made lawful and I do not forbid
except that which Allah has forbidden."
This is a summary of 'Doctor' Sidqee's arguments. The
student of knowledge, however, will not hesitate to confum the
weakness, the inconsistency, the inherent contradiction, and the
falsehood of those arguments. We will prove their falsehood in the
following, inshfi' Alliih.
The Answer to the first argument
The Noble Qur' an encompasses the fundamentals ofIslam and
the general principles of Islamic legislations, some of which are
clearly spelled out and others that are left for the Messenger of Allah
~ to clarify. As long as Allah (l!!:i!) sent His Messenger to clarify
the rulings of Islam to Muslims and made it compulsory for them to
follow him, his clarification on those rulings is a clarification of the
Qur' an. And as such, the rulings of the Sharia - from the Qur' an and
the Sunnah and from what is subsidiary to them, ijma' (consensus)
and qiyas (analogy) - are in reality rulings from Allah's Book,
either directly or in derivation. Therefore there is nO contradiction
between the validity of the Sunnah as an Islamic proof and the
Qur' an being an exposition of all matters.
Imam Shiifi'ee said,
"No new matter befalls one in Allah's Religion except that Allah's
Book contains a guideline, showing the way to guidance in it."
4 Reported by Ibn I:!azm, vol. 1, p. 199; AI-Bayhaqi, vol. 3, p. 360; Ash-
Shill 'ee, vol. 11, p. 56. Ibn ij:azm said, it is Mursal, disconnected while Ash-
Shiili'ee and AI-Bayhaqi said, it is muqati, iutertnpted. See al-Al}kiim, Ma'rifah
as-Sunan wal-Ath8r, al-Mu/assil fee ar-Radd 'ala Shubhiit A'ada aI-Islam.
[This is] a Book which We have revealed unto you [0
Muhammad] in order that you might lead people out of darkness into
light, hy their Lord's leave to the Path of the All-Mighty, the Owner
of all (QaT'an 14: 1)
. AI Yt:: 81 ft=..ili d11 tn' ,.. ).
. rr--'J ['1:'. ct ,'. __ 'J''J r

(U '"yo)
We have also sent down unto you [0 Muhanunad] the
reminder aud the advice [the Qur' au], that you may explain clearly to
people what is sent down to them, aud that they may give thought.)
(QaT'an 16: 44)
'"yo) ... tj. $.I (.<t O';J ...
... And We have sent down to yon the Book [the Qur'au] as au
exposition of everything...) (QaT'an 16: 89)
In different ways, Allah clarified to His slaves matters through
which they worship Him:
I. There are matters that Allah directly mentioned in the Qur'au
- for instance compulsory deeds, such as the Prayer, zakiit, Fasting,
aud Hajj; or for example, Allah forhade wicked deeds, those that are
evident aud those that are hidden. He clearly mentioned in the Qur' au
that fornication aud alcohol are forhidden, as well as eating the meat
of au auimal that died naturally (i.e. that was not slaughtered), or
eating blood or pork. He outlined the obligatory elements of the
ablution, as well as many other matters that He clarified directly.
2. Then there are deeds that Allah ~ mentioned to be compulsory
in the Qur' an but explained how they are performed through the
speech of the Prophet (;i!) - for example, the number of units in the
different prayers, the details of zakat, and other obligatory deeds that
are revealed in the Qur' an.
3. In some matters, the Prophet (;i!) initiated legislation that Allah
did not directly mention in the Qur' an. Yet Allah did make obedience
of His Messenger compulsory in His Book. Whoever then takes from
the Messenger of Allah (;i!) has accepted Allah's command.
4. In yet other matters, Allah made His slaves strive to seek out a
ruling, and He tests their obedience in those matters just as He tests
their obedience in other matters that He ~ made compulsory upon
them.
He then went on to say:
"Anyone who accepts Allah's commands in the Qur'an of necessity
must accept the Messenger of Allah's Sunnah, because in the Qur' an,
Allah commanded the creation to obey the Prophet (;i!). So whoever
accepts something from the Messenger of Allah (;i!) is accepting it
from Allah (iii)... "
In refutation of As-Sidqee's second argument
That Allah ~ guaranteed that He would preserve the dhikr is
not limited to the Qur' an alone; rather dhikr refers to Allah's Sharia
as a whole, with which He (iii) sent His Messenger (;i!), so it is more
general than referting to just the Qur' an or just the Sunnah. This is
indicated by the following verse,
~ ... So ask the people of the dhikr if you know n o t . ~ (Qur'an 16: 43)
- meaning, ask the people of knowledge, the scholars of Allah's
Religion and Sharia. Just as Allah preserved the Qur' an, we can say
for certain that He ~ also preserved the Sunnah. For Allah sent
Imams who memorized the Sunnah, transmitted it to one another,
scrutinized its many narrations, and distinguished hetween the
authentic and the fabricated. They dedicated their lives completely to
those ends and made contributions that we have hitherto discussed in
this work. As such, the Snnnah of the Messenger of Allah (Jil&i) is
preserved and recorded in its sources, with nothing missing from it.
The scholars, the foremost among whomwas Imam Shiifi'ee
(may Allah have mercy on him), have stated that the Snnnah is found
among the people of knowledge, even if some scholars have more
(knowledge of it) than others. But if the knowledge of all those
scholars were to be gathered, then the Sunnah would also be gathered
in its entirety.
Without a doubt, that conclusion holds true. Regarding the
prayer, zakat, l:;!ajj, fasting, dealings, and compulsory duties -
nothing from the Snnnah has been lost. Every action and every
statement of the Prophet (Jill;) has been collected and recorded,
though the paths that lead to those Sunan may differ. Ibn l:;!azm said:
"Among the scholars of Arabic and of the Sharia, all agree that
everything that is revealed from Allah ~ is dhikr. We know with
certainty, then, that Allah preserved for us all that He revealed [to the
Messenger of Allah (;fi)]. Anything that Allah took upon Himself to
preserve is guaranteed to remain intact without any part of it ever
being lost or distorted."
Ibn l:;!azm then refutes those who claim that dhikr in the above-
mentioned verse refers to the Qur' an only:
''This is a false claim that is not snpported by any proof whatsoever. ..
Dhikr is a word that refers to all that Allah revealed to His Messenger
~ in terms of the Qur' an or revealed Sunnah through which the
The Sunnah aud its role in Islamic legislation 223
Qur'an is explained. Allah ~ says:
(f! : ~ I OJ...... )
(... And We have also sent down unto you [0 Muhammad] the
reminder and the advice, that you may explain clearly to people what
is sent down to them...~ (Qur'an 16: 44)
Therefore the Messenger of Allah ~ was charged with the duty of
explaining the Qur' an to people, and in the Qnr' an are found many
general commands, such as the command to pray, to fast, to pay
zaldit, to perfonn .E;lajj, and so on - all of which were clarified in
detail by the Prophet ~ . If the Prophet's clarification of those
general commands was not preserved or not gnaranteed to be free of
fabrications, then we would not have benefited in the least from those
general commands; hence most commands that we must follow from
the Qnr' an would have, in effect, become invalidated (meaning that
we would have no way of knowing how to execute those general
commands), and consequently, we would not have known what
Allah ~ intended by those commands."
Answering As-Sidqee's third argument
That the Prophet ~ did not order his Companions to record
the Sunnah, or in SOme authentic narrations that he ~ forbade the
recording of the Snnnah does not indicate or prove that the Sunnah is
not a valid sonrce of Islamic legislation. In previOUS chapters, we
have already explained that the situation during the Prophet's lifetime
called for the few who could write to combine their efforts in
recording the Qnr' an and for the rest to sttive to memorize Allah's
Book, so as to prevent it from being lost or being mixed with other
words. We have also hitherto established that parts of the Sunnah
224 The Sunnah vis-a.-vis contemporary personalities who reject it
were recorded even during the Prophet's lifetime, though it was not
officially recorded in that period, unlike the Qur' an, which was
officially recorded at that time.
We have to understand that for a matter to be a proof it does
not have to be written down, so one cannot say, "Had the Sunnah
been intended as an Islamic proof, he would have ordered it to be
recorded." Any given proof is established by many means: by
Mutawatir narrations, by the transmission of narrations by upright
and trustworthy narrators, as well as by a written record. In fact,
during Abu Bakr's caliphate, they were not satisfied that each verse
should simply be written down, they also demanded that each verse
be related in Mutawatir form from the memory of the Companions.
with regard to transmissions it is not necessarily the case that
memorized narrations ate not as authentic as and less precise than
writing; this is especially so in the case of the Arabs, who were
known for their ability to retain information. An ordinary man from
among themwould memorize an entire poemby simply listening to it
once. For example, it is authentically established that Ibn 'Abbas
~ memorized a long poem of 'Vmar ibn Abi Rabee'ah in one
sitting.
There are many other examples of their prodigious ability to
memorize and retain information. Ibn 'Asiikir related from Az-Zuhri
that 'Abdul-MaIik sent a long letter to the people of Madinah,
reproaching them for their stance vis-a-vis Ibn az-Zubayr's
predicament. That letter was read out lond in the mosque, and as
Sa'eed was not present, he asked his stndents about it, wanting to
know what was in that letter. They informed h:itu. but he was left
unsatisfied with their reply. Az-Zuhri said to him, "0 Abu
Muhanunad (Sa'eed), do you wish to know all that was contained in
that letter." He said, "Yes." He (Az-Zuhri) read out the letter from
his memory, without omitting a single word. Similar incidents are
related from Shill'ee and others. When relating and studying the
Prophet's Sunnah, they relied primarily on their memories.
As-Sidqee mentioned some scholars who disliked hadiths
being written down, yet he failed to grasp the reasoning behind that
view. Because of their prodigious ability to memorize and retain
information, those scholars felt that that ability would weaken if they
began to depend more and more on written narrations. After relatiug
the sayings of Companions and Tabi' oon who disliked for
knowledge to be written down, Ibn 'Abdul-Barr went on to say:
''Those who we mentioned held the aforesaid view only because they
took after the way of the Arabs, who were naturally gifted with
powerful memories... Ibn Shihab used to say, 'Whenever I pass by
the Baqee' graveyard, I block my ears, fearing that some obscene
words might enter them; for, by Allah, I have never forgotten
anything that has entered my ears.' A similar saying is related from
Ash-Sha'bee. The Prophet (;/Iii) said, We are an illiterate nation; we
neither write nor connt.5 It is well known that the Arabs had
specialized in memorization.,,6
Supposing that the narration from Abu Bakr ~ is authentic,
if anything, it only points to the piety of the Companions, who feared
that the hadiths they inscribed might contain mistakes. However,
Adh-Dhahabi said regarding that narration, "It is not authentic."
That some Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all)
refused to relate hadiths points only to their piety and their fear of
making mistakes when relatiug the Prophet's sayings; this was
clearly expressed in a narration we have previously related from Az-
Znbayr ~ . As for Companions who had stronger memories -
such as Ibn 'Abbas, Ibn Mas'ood, and Abu Hurayrah (may Allah. be
5 Reported by Bukhari, bMitb no. 1913 and Muslim, haditb uo. 1080.
6 Jfimi' al-Bayan al- 'flm, (1/69).
pleased with them) - they would relate narrations without hesitating
in the least. Zayd ibn Thiibit ($) was among those who refused to
have his narrations from the Prophet (g) written down. He explained
why he refused, saying, "Perhaps all that I have related to you is not
correctly related to you (i.e., it might contain mistakes)." So if some
Companions refused to narrate hadiths or write them down, it was
simply a matter of being careful regarding Allah's Religion.
However, for the most part, Companions and Tiibi 'oon would write
down narrations - this is related in one form of Mutawiitir narration.
Many such narrations are related in Ibn 'Abdul Barr's J8mi' al-
Baylin al- '11m as well as Al-Khareeb's Taqyeed al- 'Hm.
As-Sidqee then argued that the Sunnah was recorded at a very
late date in Islamic history, which he said diminishes its precision and
leaves much room for doubt as to its authenticity. He then said that
doubts or guesses are not permissible in Allah's Religion. His
arguments only serve to show his ignorance regarding the efforts and
contributions of the scholars in eradicating distortion and fabrication.
Because the Sunnah was related precisely by memory for the most
part, and in written form to a lesser extent, and because Az-Zuhri
recorded the Sunnah at the end of the first century (based on 'Vmar
ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez's command), the chain of narration is unbroken,
leaving no room for doubt. And whenever any lies were fabricated
regarding the Sunnah, the scholars clarified and exposed those lies,
again leaving no room for doubt. So great and comprehensive were
their contributions to preserving the Sunnah, one feels almost one
hundred percent absolute certainty as to the veracity of narrations
from the Prophet (g). Yet still, we do not say that Al;1iid narrations
impart one hundred percent, absolute knowledge, even though some
scholars have said so. We hold that they impart knowledge that
makes us almost one hundred percent sure as to their authenticity,
and I think that ouly someone who is intransigent in his views will
disagree about that. But being almost sure about a narration is enongh
for it to be a binding proof in our Religion.
The claim that less than absolute knowledge is not pennissible
regarding rulings in Religion is clearly wrong as it only pertains to
the basic tenants of the Religion, which one must believe in - or else
he is a disbeliever even if he doubts in them. Such matters include the
Oneness of Allah ~ , the veracity of His Messenger ~ , the
attribution of the Qur' an to the Lord of all that exists; similarly, the
pillars of Islam, snch as the Prayer and zaldit and other matters that
must be known and accepted by all. Secondary or subsidiary matters,
however, may be established by less than absolute knowledge. Even
regarding the Qur' an, rulings that are clearly outlined therein are less
than rulings that are based on ijtihad regarding its verses. For the
Qur'an contains general and specific (exceptions), categorical, and
limiting verses, general verses and verses (or hadiths) that clarify
meaning, all of which makes it very difficult to say that such rulings
impart absolute knowledge. This principle is established and
recognized in the principles of Islamic jurisprudence; it is
exemplified in the aforementioned case mentioned by Shiifi'ee of two
witnesses who bear witness that someone is a murderer. We know for
sure that that someone's blood is inviolable, yet we are less than sure
that he is a murderer because it is possible that the witnesses lied or
made a mistake. Nonetheless, a judge issues a ruling in accordance to
the testimony of those witnesses, which proves that rulings may be
established based on proof that imparts less than one hundred
percent, absolute knowledge.
A Refutation of the fourth claim
As-Sidqee's fourth claim consisted of a number of hadith
narrations.
The First Hadith: "Indeed, hadith from me will spread, so whatever
comes to you that is in hannony with the Qur'an, it is from me. And
whatever comes to you that contradicts the Qur'an, then it is notfrom
me." Regarding this hadith, Bayhaqi said,
"It is related by Khiilid ibn Abi Kareemah from Abu Ja'far from the
Messenger of Allah ~ . Khiilid is unknown and Abu Ja'far is not a
Companion, so the hadith is disconnected."
ShMi 'ee said,
"None of the narrators of this hadith have authentically related
anything - nothing small nor anything large. It is simply a
disconnected narration related by an unknown narrator, and we do
not accept a narration such as this one for any reason."
7
Ibn l,Iazm commented on Al-l,Iusain ibn 'Abdullilli, a narrator in
some of the chains of this hadith: "Al-l,Iusainibn 'Abdulliili is fallen,
accused of being a Zindeeq."
Al-Bayhaqi also said,
"The hadith related about comparing a badith to the Qur' an is false
and not authentic. The text is itself contradictory, for there is no
indication in the Qur' an that we have to compare a hadith to the
Qur'an (i.e., judge it by the Qur'an)."g
That summarizes what the people of knowledge had to say
about the hadith, yet I must pause briefly here to comment. If we
reject the authenticity. of this hadith based on the chain, as the
Scholars have mentioned, th"n we must wholeheartedly accept their
ruling. However, they do not all agree that it is fabricated; some
among them merely rule that it is weak, as has been ruled by ShMi'ee
7 Ar-Ris/ilah, p. 225.
8 Miftfil;ul-Jarmah, p. 6.
and Bayhaqi, If we reject the narration based on its text, then we have
to consider that it has been related with different wordings, Most of
its narrations are worded thus: "Whatever is in harmony (with the
Qur' an), then accept it; and whatever is contrary to or is not in
harmony with (the Qur'an), then reject it." This wording does not
warrant from us that we rule it to be weak, despite 'Abdur-Ral)miin
ibn Mahdee's statement, "It is one of the fabrications of the Khawanj
and the Zanfuliqah," We discussed eadier that One ofthe indications.
of a hadith having been fabricated is that it contradicts rulings of the
Qur'an and Sunnah that impart one hundred percent, absolute
knowledge. Therefore if a hadith imparts a ruling that is contrary to or
is not in harmony with clear rulings from the Qur' an, we declare that
hadith to be fabricated, and all scholars agree upon this principle.
And does the hadith we are discussing here say anything more thl).ll
that? Yes, certain narrations of this hadith indicate a false meaning,
causing us to rule it to be fabricated; for instance, this narration:
"Whatever (hadiths) you find in Allah's Book, then accept them; and
whatever (hadiths) you do not find in Allah's Book, then reject
them." We obviously rule that this narration is fabricated, because
there are many hadiths that establish rulings which are not found in
Allah's Book. There is a consensus among scholars in that they apply
such rulings, so long as the hadith is authentic.
The people of knowledge agree that the authentic Sunnah of
the Prophet ~ does not contradict the Qur'l).ll in any way. If any
narration indicates rulings that are contrary to the clear rulings of the
QuI' an, then it is rejected, by consensus, Ibn I,Iazm said, "There is
nothing in authentic hadiths that contradicts the Qur'an."
Muhammad ibn 'Abdull3h ibn Misrah said:
'There are three categories of hadith:
l. The hadith that is in agreement with the Qur' an; following it is
compulsory;
2. The hadith that conveys more than the Qur' an; it is added to what
is in the Qur' an, and following it is compulsory;
3. The hadith that is contrary to what is in the Qur'an, and it is
discarded. "
Ibn I;Iazm said:
"ill the first place, there exists no authentic narration that is contrary
to what is in the Qur'an. Every narration in the Sharia (i.e., every
hadith) is either an addition to what is in the Qur' an, attached to it and
explaining what it mentioned in general terms or it is an exception,
clarifying that which it mentions in general, and there exists no third
viewpoint"
Ifthat is the case - according to the way the matter appears to
me - we cannot rule the text of the narration to be fabricated based
on the meaning it communicates if its wording is as follows:
"Whatever does not agree with or is contrary to (the Qur' an), then it
is rejected." I took to this opinion even more after reading what Ash-
Shiitibee (may Allah have mercy on him) said about this hadith:
"illdeed, (the Prophet's) hadith is inspiration from Allah ~ , and it
is therefore impossible for there to exist any contradiction between it
and Allah's Book. Yes, it is correct for the Sunnah to bring forth that
which neither contradicts nor agrees with the Qur' an, but which
speaks about that which is not mentioned in the Qur' an - unless a
proof exists that is against that being correct, in which case every
hadith has to be in accordance with Allah's Book, and that is clearly
articulated in the aforesaid hadith. The meaning of the hadith, then, is
true..."
Reflect ... based on that, the hadith contains no proof for As-Sidqee' s
claim in the first place, even if the chain were authentic, because it
conveys a meaning that we accept.
The Second Hadith: "If you relate a hadith from me that you know
and do not deny, then believe it, regardless ofwhether I really said it
or not, for I speak ofthat which is known and not denied. And if you
relate from me a hadith that you deny, then do not believe it,
regardless of whether I said it or not, for I do not say that which is
unknown and which is denied."
The various uarrations of this hadith are all weak. Abn
Muhammad ibn I;Iazm said, "This hadith is mursal and Al-Asbagh is
unknown." In the text of this hadith is that which absolutely shows it
to be a fabrication: "then believe it, regardless of whether I really
said it or not." Far above is the Messenger of Allah ~ from
permittiug a lie about himself; it was he ~ who said in Mutawiitir
narrations, Whosoever lies about me on purpose, then let him take
his seat in the Hellfrre.9 Further commenting on this fabrication, Ibu
I;Iazm said, " 'Ubaydulliib ibn Sa'eed - one of the narrators of the
hadith ~ is a known liar... " Scholars reject this narration based on
many other discrepancies as well.
Yes, the hadith is related in acceptable chains without the wording,
"Whether I said it or not," but narrations without that phrase go
nowhere in supporting the claims of As-Sidqee and those of his ilk.
The existence of narrations of this hadith without that phrase simply
shows that one of the signs of an authentic hadith is that it is in
accordance with the Sharia; and if it is not in accordance with the
Sharia, then that is an indication that the hadith is a fabrication.
The Third Hadith: "Indeed I do not make lawful except that which
Allah ~ made lawful in His Book, and I do not forbid except that
which Allahforbade in His Book." As-Suyooti said, "It is related by
Shiifi'ee and Bayhaqi by way of Tiiwoos." Shiifi'ee said, "It is
disconnected." Bayhaqi said,
9 Bukhari, vol. 5, p. 37, hadith no. 1209; Muslim, vol. 1, p. 12, hadith no. 4.
"Suppose this hadith were authentic and refer to what Allah revealed,
What Allah's revelation is of two categories:
L Revelation that is recited, and
2, Revelation that is not recited,"
Here, Bayhaqi interpreted "the Book" as having a meaning more
general than the Qur' an, Yet there is no harmin giving "the Book" its
most apparent meaning - the Qur' an, for whatever the Prophet ~
commanded in terms of lawful and the unlawful is in Allah's Book
because He ~ ordered us to follow the Prophet ~ ,
Fourth Hadith: "People should not grasp anything from me, for
indeed, I do not make lawful for them except that which Allah has
made lawful and I do not forbid except that which Allah has
forbidden," ShOO'ee said, "It is a narrations by Tiiwoos, and it is
disconnected," Even if it were authentic, it would mean that people
have no right to say that the Prophet (;i!) permitted or forbade matters
that are not mentioned in the Qur' an, And that is because the Prophet
(;i!) is a legislator, who permits only that which is permissible in
Allah's Sharia and forbids only that which is unlawful in Allah's
Sharia,"
Based on our analysis of the above-mentioned hadiths, we see
that the people of knowledge discount a few of them as inauthentic,
whereas the others may be authentic, but still are not proofs to
support As-Sidqee's claims, Moreover there are many authentic
narrations in the Sunnah that refute his claims and the claims of
others like him,
ShOO'ee related from Sufiyiin ibn 'Uyainah from Siilim Abi
an-Naljrthat he heard' Abdullah ibn Abi RMai' relate fromhis father
that the Prophet (;i!) said, "Let me not find one of you leaning on his
cushion when a command comes to him from me in a matter that 1
ordered or forbade, and he says, '1 do not know, What we find in
The Sunrwh and its role in Islamic legislation 233
Allah's Book we follow.'" 10 This hadith is related by Abu Dawood,
Ibn Majah, at-Tirrnidhi, and Al).mad. AI-I::Iiikimrelated with his chain
to Al-Miqdiirn ibn Ma'adykarib, who said, "The Prophet ~ ) forbade
certain things on the Day of Khaybar, among them was the
domesticated donkey.. "Il And the Messenger of Allah ~ ) said:
"The time is near when a man from you will sit on his cushion, relate
a hadith from me, and say, 'Between me and you is Allah's Book.'
What we find in it to be lawful, we rule that it is lawful. And what
find in it to be unlawful, we rule that it is unlawful. ' Yet indeed, what
the Messenger of Allah forbids is just like what Allah forbids."
Shicti 'ee said, "fudeed, the Messenger of Allah ~ ) forbade people
from rejecting his commands, and he ~ ) is referring to Allah's
command that they are to obey bim [the Messenger ~ ) ] .
Basically, a Muslim who has any knowledge of Islam would
never say that Islam is the Qur' an alone, for the Sunnah establishes
most of the rulings in the Sharia. For the most part, the Qur' an
consists of general and universal principles. Where, then, can we find
in the Qur' an the number of units for the Prayer, the amount due in
zakat for different kinds of wealth, the detailed rites of I::Iajj, and all
other rulings in matters pertaining to worship or worldly dealings?
Ibn I::Iazm said:
"We ask the proponent of that false view: where in the Qur' an do we
find that the midday prayer is four units, that the sunset prayer is three
units, that each unit of prayer is performed in such and such manner,
that the prostration is performed in such and such manner, that certain
actions must be avoided when one fasts, that the zakat is paid in such
and such way for gold and silver ... where are the rulings for
10 Ar-Risalah, p. 403. This hadith is related by Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah, At-
Tirmidhi and A\lmad.
II Reported by Al-Bayhaqi in as-Sunan al-Kubrah, vol. 7, p. 76.
punishments mentioned, the rulings of business ... and of all other
matters in jurisprudence? If we were left only with the Qur'an, we
wonld not know how to apply all of that. All of the aforesaid matters
are explained in narrations from the Prophet ~ Even ijmii'
resolves only a small number of issues. Therefore we must return to
Hadith. Were a man to say, 'We take only that which we find in the
Qur'an', he would be a disbeliever by the consensus of scholars... "
CHAPTER NINE
The Sunnah Vis-a.-vis those
who Reject the Validity of
Ahad Narrations
~ e scholars of hadith have classified narrations into two

categories:
1. Mutawatir: Narrations that are related by a group of upright and
trustworthy narrators who also related from a group of upright and
trustworthy narrators, and so on, until the narration ends at the
Prophet ~ .
2. AJ:1iid: Narrations that are related by one or two narrators who in
turn related it from one or two narrators until the chain ends at the
Prophet (;iJii;), or a narration that is related by a group of narrators who
constitute a number that is still fewer than the minimum requirement
for the Mutawatir narration.
The J::Ianafi School adds a third category, which is called
Mash-hoor. It is a kind of narration that was A1).ad at first but became
Mutawatir in the second and third centories, such as the hadith,
"Verily, deeds are only by their intentions."
The scholars agree that the Mutawatir narration imparts absolute,
sure knowledge that must be applied. Hence they agree, without any
236 The Sunnah vis-a-vis those woo reject the validity of.
dissension, that the Mutawiitir narration is a binding proof. The only
exception - if we can refer to them as an exception, for they are not
from the scholars - are those who reject the validity of the Sunnah
and those such as An-Nidhiim as well as others of his ilk.
As regards Al;liid narrations, the majority of scholars agree that
they are binding proofs whicb must be applied, even thougb an
individual Al:tiid narration might not impart one hundred percent,
sure knowledge. In al-Ma1)$ool, At-Riizee goes as far as to declare
the consensus of the scholars upon that view (that is, that they might
not impart sure knowledge but are still binding proofs). There is
another group of scholars - such as hnam AJ:tmad, Al-J::Iiirith ibn
Asad al-MuJ:tiisibee, AI-J::Iusain ibn 'Ali al-Kariibisee, and Abu
Sulaymiin (it is also related by Miilik) - who hold that Al;liid
narrations do indeed impart sure, absolute knowledge which must be
applied. Whether Al;liid narrations impart one hundred percent, sure
knowledge or close to one hundred percent, sure knowledge is an
issue that is discussed in books of the principles of Islamic
jurisprudence, but it is an issue that has no bearing on our discussion
here, because all scholars agree in the end - and that is what is
important - that Al;liid narrations are valid proofs that must be
applied.
It is only deviant sects who have a dissenting view about the
Al:tiid narration. It is related from the Riifi<;lah, Al-Qiisiinee, and Ibn
Diiwood that they reject its validity as a proof, and this view is
ascribed to the Riifi<;lah and Ibn Diiwood in at-Ta1)reer and in its
commentary.
It is understood from what Ibn J::Iazm said that that opinion is
also held by the Mu'tazilah; however, Shiifi'ee did not inform us,
neither in ar-Risiilah nor in al-Umm, who it was that rejected its
validity, but we do know from what he said in al-Umm that the man
was from Basra. Hence there is a strong possibility that he was either
a Mu'tazilee or one of the Riifi<.!ah, because during the era of
Shiifi'ee, Basra was a centre wherein gathered adherents from many
different sects. The commentator of al-Musallam and of
ascribes the said view to the Riifi<.!ah and the Dhiihiriyah. But his
imputation to the Dhiihiriyah is doubtful, for the books of Ibn I.Iazm
as well as what is related to ns by the scholars indicate that the
Dhiihiriyah are with the majority in this issue.
The Arguments of those who reject
the validity of narrations
Those who reject the validity of Al;too narrations as binding
proofs in Islam argue the following points:
1. Allah says:
LA> /'i L: ...; 1:),.
(Y'l : ,,1.:;.......)'1 OJ''''''') __ /> :JT
do not follow that of which you have no knowledge...
(Qur'an 17: 36)
And He says:
@
/ /
(
r A . -'-'II - ) "" rA -,\( . '1 -; 1:1\ ... ),.
. r- OJ.J-'"'' "'.>< -- s .. r
... And verily, guesswork is no substitute for the truth)
(Qur'an 53: 28)
The way of the Al;tiid narration is a form of guesswork, for it is
susceptible to error and forgetfulness from the narrator. It does not,
therefore, endow us with certainty of knowledge and cannot, as a
consequence, be used as a proof.
2. Had it been permissible to apply the A1).oo narration in secondary
matters, it would also have been permissible to apply it in primary
matters, such as in issues regarding fundamental Islamic beliefs. But
238 The Sunnah vis-a-vis those who reject the validity of..
the reality is that there is a consensus between you and us that Al;tiid
narrations are not accepted in primary matters, and with greater
reason, then, they should not be accepted in secondary matters.
3. It has been authentically narrated from the Prophet ~ that he
hesitated to accept information frOIll Dhul-Yiidayn. On one occasion,
when the Prophet ~ completed the night prayer after only two units
- whereas he normally completedit after four units - Dhul-Yiidayn
asked, "Did you shorten the prayer or is it that you forgot?" The
Prophet ~ did not immediately accept what he said, but rather only
accepted his statement when it was corroborated by Abu Bakr ~
and 'Vmar ~ as well as others who were in the frrst row. Only
then did he complete the prayer and perform the prostration for
forgetfulness. Had the Al;tiid narration been considered a valid proof,
the Prophet ~ would have completed his prayer immediately
without having hesitated and without having first asked others to
confirm Dhul-Yiidayn's statement.
4. It has been related by a number of Companions that they did not
act according to Al;tiid narrations. Abu Bakr ~ rejected the
narration of Al-Mugheerah ~ when a woman whose grandchild
had died came to him, demanding her share of inheritance, and he
only accepted Al-Mugheerah's statement once it had been
corroborated by Muhammad ibn Maslamah ~ . And 'Vmar ~
rejected the narration of Abu Moosa ~ regarding the issue of first
seeking pennission before entering another man's house, and then
only accepted Abu Moosa's statement after Abu Sa'eed ~
confirmed it. 'Ali ~ would only accept a narration from someone
after that person first made an oath, and the only exception he made
to that rule was with Abu Bakr. Finally, 'A'ishah ~ rejected the
narration of Ibn 'Vmar ~ regarding the deceased being pnnished
on acconnt of his family weeping for him.
A Refutation of the aforesaid arguments
1. The verses mentioned apply to issues pertaiuing to the
fundamentals of the Religion and to its universal principles. As for
the details of the Religion and its secondary matters, then to act based
on narrations that impart less than one hundred percent knowledge is
compulsory, because for the most part, we cannot arrive at a ruling
except through those narrations. Consider the fact that the level of
understanding among scholars differs regarding verses of the Qur' an
and that the mujtahidoon are of different schools in different issues,
yet not a single one of them claims that he is one hundred percent
sure of his ijtihful being correct. But still, ijma' (consensus) dictates
that it is compulsory for the mujtahid to act based on the results of his
Ijtihad. Furthermore, that the Al:).ad narration is a valid proof is
established not by less than one hundred percent, sure knowledge,
but rather by one hundred percent, sure knowledge, for there is a
consensus to that effect among the scholars from the era of the
Companions and onward. Since ijma' dictates that the Al;1ful narration
must be applied and since ijma' imparts absolute knowledge, we can
say that the Al:).ad narration is applied based on one hundred percent,
sure knowledge.
2. It is simply wrong to use an analogy to say that as it is compulsory
for narrations to impart one hundred perceut, sure knowledge in
matters pertaining to beliefs and the universal principles ofIslam, it is
also compulsory for the same requisite to be fulfilled in secondary
matters. Whereas the universal principles of Islam and our primary
beliefs can be established, and indeed are established, through
narrations that impart one hundred percent, sure knowledge,
secondary matters and the details of the religion can realistically only
be established through narrations that impart less than one hundred
percent, sure knowledge. None argues, therefore, in this matter
except someone who is intransigent or who has an nlterior motive.
240 The Sunnah vis-ii-vis those who reject the validity of..
3. The Prophet (:i!) hesitated when Dhul-Yiidayn spoke because of
the possibility that he erred, for it was higWy unlikely that he alone
among the congregation should have noticed a matter that many
more among them should also have noticed. So when there is an
indication that an Al).iid narration contains a mistake, one must
hesitate and scrutinize it before accepting it. When the others
confirmed his statement, it became clear that Dhul-Yiidayn had not
imagined that the Prophet (:i!) had shortened the prayer. We must
also understand that even with Abu Bakr ~ and 'Vmat ~ and
those in the first row, all of them together do not amount to a number
of narrators that satisfies the conditions of the Mutawiitir narration, so
the ex.ample given does not even enter into the sphere of what we are
discussing here,
4. It is authentically narrated in Mutawatir narrations that the
Companions would act on Al).iid narrations. To establish that here, we
will list a number of proofs. Granted, a few narrations indicate that
they hesitated in accepting Al).ad narrations in specific situations, but
that does not prove that their overall opinion was to reject Al).iid
narrations. In those isolated instances, they either hesitated because
of external factors, because they wanted to make sure that the
narrator was correct in his report, or because they wanted to instruct
Muslims about the importance of making sure that a narration is
authentic. For example, Abu Bakr ~ hesitated to accept AI-
Mugheerah's narration simply to make sure that what he was relating
was correct. As we said earlier, the Qur' an mentions in detail rulings
related to inheritance, and since a grandmother is not mentioned in
the Qur' an as an inheritor, Abu Bakr needed to make sure that she
had a right to one sixth of the estate. When Mnhanunad ibn
Maslamah (4Jk,) confirmed that he had heard the same narration as
Al-Mugheerah (4Jk,) had, Abu Bakr did not hesitate to apply Al-
Mugheerah's narration. The same can be said for 'Vmar ~ when
he rejected Abu Moosa's narration, for in reality, he was teaching an
important lesson to other Companions as well as to Muslims who had
only recently accepted Islam, warning them all to be careful when
relating a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (;lJj'j). And that is why
'Vmar said to Abu Moosa "Indeed I did not accuse you, but it
is hadith from the Messenger of Allah And the same can be
said for any other similar narration. Hence the previous ex:nuples go
nowhere to prove the claims of those who reject A1:Jiid narrations, for
both Abu Bakr and 'Vmar accepted the narration when a second
witness corroborated it, and two narrators are hardly enough to
constitute a Mutawiitir narration. AI-Amidee said, "Whenever the
Companions hesitated to accept an A1:Jiid narration, it was because of
external factors or internal factors within the narration itself that
caused them to reject it, and not because they outright rejected A1;liid
narrations... "
The arguments of those who reject A1:Jiid narrations are clear
and are clearly refuted by the scholars; what remains is for us to
mention proofs which establish that it is compulsory for us to apply
authentic Al,liid narrations. The scholars of the fundamentals of
Islamic jurisprudence have mentioned many proofs in their books,
but the first Imam to discuss the topic was Imam Shiifi' ee in ar-
Risfilah. We will now relate to you the proofs that he mentioned.
Proofs indicating the validity of
narrations as binding proofs in Islam
1. 'Abdulliih ibn Mas'ood related from his father that the
Prophet said:
May Allah make shine the slave that hears my speech, memorizes it,
retains its, and then conveys it; for there are many like the one who
communicates Fiqh but is not a Faqeeh and there are many like the
242 The Surmah vis-a-vis those who reject the validity of..
one who communicates Fiqh to oue who has a higher level of
understanding than he has...I
The Prophet ~ exhorted his Companions to listen to what he said,
to memorize it, and then to convey it, and the Prophet ~ only
ordered them to convey his sayings because doiug so would be a
sufficient proof. Otherwise, if what they passed on fromhimwere uot
biuding, it would have made no sense for him to order them to
convey his message.
2. 'Ubaydulliih ibu Abi RMay' related from his father that the Prophet
~ said:
Let me not fiud one of you leaning ou his cushiou when a command
comes to him from my affair, either what I have forbiddeu him or
what I have commanded him to do, and then he says, "We do not
kuow! Whatever we find in Allah's book, we will follow.,,2
This hadith suggests that it is binding ou Muslims to accept a hadith
of the Prophet ~ when a truthful persou brings them news of that
hadith.
3. 'Alii' ibn Yasiir related that once, wheu a man kissed his wife while
he was fasting, he later on felt a great deal of regret for what he did,
and so he sent his wife to ask about the matter. When she met with
Umm Salamah ~ , the Mother of the Believers, she informed her of
what had happened, and Umm Salamah said: "Indeed, the Messeuger
of Allah ~ kisses while he is fasting." The woman returned to her
husband and told him the good news, but that only increased his
misery, for he said, "We are not like the Messenger of Allah ~ .
I Reporred by AI-Tinnidhi, hadilh no. 11712, Ibn Majah, vol. 1, p. 273, hadilh
no. 232. Shaykh al-Albam said it is athentic. $a1j.eel) al-Jiimi', hadith no. 6766.
2 Reported by Abn Dawood, vol. 12, p. 209, hadilh no. 3989 and At-Tinnidhi,
vol. 9, p. 268, hadith no. 2587. Shaykh aI-Albaoi said it is authentic. See
$aljee1) wa l)a'eej Sunan at-Tinnidhi, vol. 6, p. 163.
Allah makes pennissible for His Messenger whatsoever He
wills." And so again, the woman returned to Umm Salamah, but this
time she found that the Messenger of Allah was with her. He
(;i;!!;) asked, "What is the matter with this woman?" Umm Salamah
informed him and he said, "Did you not inform her that I do the
same?" She said, "I did indeed inform her, but when she went to her
husband and informed him, his situation worsened, and he said, 'We
are not like the Messenger of Allah: Allah makes pennissible for his
Messenger whatsoever He pleases.' " The Messenger of Allah
became angry and said, "By Allah, I fear Allah more than
anyone among you and I have more knowledge than anyone among
you regarding His limits."
4. Ibn 'Umar said: "As the people were perfonning the morning
prayer at Quba', a newcomer arrived, saying, 'Indeed the Qur' an (i.e.
part of it) has just been revealed to the Prophet and he has been
ordered to face the Qiblah, so turn you all toward the Qiblah.' " They
were facing Palestine at the time and they immediately changed their
direction to the Qiblah. The people of Quba' were and they
were people of Fiqh. They were already oriented to a Qiblah
(direction for prayer) that Allah had commanded themto turn to,
and it was not proper for them to change the direction of that Qiblah
unless they had some kind of binding proof, for they had not directly
received the command from the Prophet (;i;!!;) himself. In fact, they
did not even hear news of the new command from a group of people:
they relied on the narration of a single individual who was relating it
from the Prophet Yet they were immediately convinced that a
binding proof had come to them. Furthermore, the Prophet did
not later on say to them, "Yon were indeed oriented to a Qiblah, and
you should not have left it unless you had sufficient proof, such as
hearing the command from me directly, or at least, from a group of
people."
5. Anas ibn Malik said: "I used to share an alcoholic drink made
244 The Sunnah vis-ii-vis those who reject the validity of..
from .,. dates with Abu Tall:tah, Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jariil), and
Ubay ibn Ka'b. Someone once came tD them and said, 'Indeed
alcohol has Gust) been made forbidden.' Abu Tall:tah said, 'Stand, 0
Arras, to these jars, and break them.' I stood ... and struck one at the
bottom until it broke."
All of these Companions were knowledgeable, and they were
also distinguished for having accepted Islam early. At the time of the
narration, these eminent Companions had full knowledge that
alcohol was permissible, yet when a single man came, informing
them that it had just been made forbidden, Abu Tall:tah ~ - the
owner of the barrels - ordered for the barrels to be broken. Not a
single one from them said, "We are sure it is J:1aliil until we meet with
the Messenger of Allah ~ , for he is nearby and easily accessible."
Nor did they say, "We will wait until the news of the prohibition
becomes more widespread." Had they not been convinced by the
narration of a single truthful narrator, they would hot have spilled the
alcohol, for doing so would have been considered an extravagant and
wasteful act.
6. The Messenger of Allah ~ ordered Unays ~ to go to the wife
of a man who had accused her of fornicating. When he sent Unays,
the Prophet (Ji!) said, "If she confesses, then stone her to death.',3
She did confess and he did stone her to death.
7. 'Amru ibn Sulaym az-Zarqi related that his mother said: "While
we were atMina, 'Ali ibn Abi Tiilib ~ , who was mounted Upon a
camel, came to us and said, 'Indeed the Messenger of Allah ~ says,
'Verily, these are days of food and dtink, so none among you should
fast.' 4 He was upon his camel, shouting out these orders to them."
3 Reported by Bukhari, vol. 21, p. 103, haditb no. 6326 and Muslim, vol. 9,
p. 71, haditb no. 3210.
4 Reported by Ash-Shiifi'ee in his Musnad, vol. 3, p. 61, haditb no. 1112.
The Messenger of Allah ~ would not have sent a single truthful
person unless his narration from the Prophet ~ was absolutely
binding. The Messenger of Allah (;Ili1:) was himself making the
pilgrimage that year, so had he thought it necessary, he could have
gone himself and spoken to them directly or he could have sent a
group of messengers (consisting of enough men to fulfill the
conditions of the Mutawiitir narration) to convey his message.
8. The Messenger of Allah ~ sent Abu Bakr ~ to lead the
pilgrims during the ninth year (H). Muslims from various regions
attended that pilgrimage. Abu Bakr led them and informed them
about the rites that they had to perform, and of course, he was
conveying that information from the Messenger of Allah ~ .
9. During that same year, the Messenger of Allah ~ sent 'Ali ~
to read verses of the Ninth Chapter (Repentance) to the Pilgrims; he
~ explained certain matters to them and forbade them from other
matters. Both Abu Bakr and 'Ali were known to the people of
Makkah, known for their virtue, their religion, and their honesty, lf
there was a pilgrim who did not know them - or one of them - he
found others at that gathering who could inform him about their
honesty and their eminence. Furthermore, the Messenger of Allah
~ would not have sent a single messenger - or merely two
messengers - unless the information they were relating from him
was absolutely binding upon those to whom it was conveyed.
10, The Messenger of Allah ~ sent governors to the different
regions of the MuslimNation. He sent Qays ibn 'Asim, Az-Zabarqiin
ibn Badr, and Ibn Nuwayrah to their tribes - tribes that trusted in
their honesty. When emissaries from Bahrain were retuming to their
homeland, the Prophet ~ sent Ibn Sa'eed ibn al-' As ~ with
them. He ~ sent Mu'iidh ibn Jabal ~ to Yemen, commanding
him to inform its inhabitants about the obligatory deeds in Islam; the
people there were familiar with Mu'iidh' s status and they were
246 The Sunnah vis-a-vis thase who reject the validity of..
confident about his 1ruthfulness. In all of these examples, no one said,
"You are only one, and we shall wait until the Messenger of Allah
~ informs us directly or until he sends more people to us, so that
we can be sure that you are speaking the 1ruth."
II. Similarly, the Messenger of Allah ~ sent some of his
Companions to lead military expeditions. It was the duty of those
Companions to call other nations to Islam, and then to fight them if
necessary. In one instance, he ordered that Zayd ibn J:.Ifuithah ~
should lead the army, and that if he was killed, la'far ~ should
replace him, and if la'far ~ was killed, that Ibn Rawiil).ah ~
should replace him. Yet it was possible for the Messenger of Allah
~ to have sent a number of leaders for a single expeditiou;
however, he ~ deemed that the proof was established upon a
nation as soon as a single 1ruthful person invited them to Islam.
12. During the Prophet's lifetime, he would send envoys to convey
commands to the govemors of the various Muslimregions. It was uot
correct - and it did not occur - that anyone of those govemors
should hesitate to apply or execute his commands, for he (;@;) only
sent 1ruthful envoys.
13. The way of the Caliphs and govemors after the lifetime of the
Prophet ~ was the same. The Muslims agreed that there should be
a single Caliph, a single judge, and a single Imam. Therefore they
chose Abu Bakr ~ for the caliphate, who in turn chose 'Vmar
~ , who commissioned a council to choose the Caliph after him,
and they chose 'Vthmiin ~ .
14. When a judge or leader issues a ruling in any given matter, that
ruling must be executed. In such cases, a single individual (i.e. the
judge) is in reality relating from the Prophet (;@;), for his ruling is
based on the Prophet's legislations, either through an exact precedent
or through derivation.
15. When 'UillllT ibn al-KhaWib ~ was leaillng an expedition to
Syria, 'Abdur-Ralpnan ibn 'Awf ~ advised lrim not to continue
his journey, saying that there was an outbreak of a plague in Syria.
He infonned 'Umar that the Prophet ~ forbade the inhabitants of a
land wherein there was an outbreak of a plague from leaving that land
and that he ~ also forbade outsiders from eutering that land. Acting
on this uarratiou from 'Abdur-RaI;lman, 'Umar turned back and
returned home.
16. Ja'far ibn Muhammad related from his father that 'UillllT ~
mentioned the adherents of the Magian religion, saying, "I do not
know what I should do regarding their affair." 'Abdur-RaI;lmiin ibn
'Awf said: "I bear wituess that I heard the Messenger of Allah ~
say, 'Deal with them in the same manner that you deal with the
People of the Book.' " Up until that point, 'Umar had not taken the
jizyah 5 from the Magians, for it was a tax that was specific to the
People of the Book. But after he received new information from a
single trustworthy and truthful narrator, he began to take that tax
from them. Whereas Muslims must fight the disbelievers until they
accept Islam, the jizyah may be accepted from the People of the
Book. This ruling applies only to the People of the Book, and that is
mentioned in this verse: ~ ... Among the people of the Scripture [Jews
and Christians] until they pay the jizyah).
Imam Sh3fi'ee then briefly discussed the occasions wherein
'UillllT ~ demanded an additional narrator, such as in the example
of Abu Moosa ~ . Imam Sh3fi 'ee explained that that could have
been precipitated by three causes:
16.a. That 'Umar wanted to be careful and wanted to make sure that
the narration was authentic.
5 Jizyah: A tax levied on the people of the Scripture, who are under the
protection of a Muslim government.
16.b. That 'Umar didn't know who the narrator was.
16.c. That the narrator was not an upright and trnthful person.
'Umar's stance vis-a-vis Abu Moosa was due to the first cause - he
was simply being careful and cautious, for he knew Abu Moosa to be
trnstworthy and trnthful. 'Umar himself said to Abu Moosa, "Verily,
I did not accuse you, but rather I feared that people would begin to
ascribe false sayings to the Messenger of Allah." This is further
corroborated by the fact that, on other occasions, 'Umar did accept
the narration of a single narrator.
17. Iu Allah's book, there is further proof to establish the validity of
Al).ad narrations. Allah said: (Verily, We sent Nool). [Noah] to
his hnam Shiifi 'ee then went on to mention those verses that
speak of Prophets Ibriiheem, Isrna'eel, Hood, Shu'ayb, Loot,
and Muhammad (may Allah's peace be upon them) - all being sent
to their nations. This clearly indicates that one person is enough to
establish a binding proof.
18. Sa'eed ibn Jubayr stated: "I said to Ibn 'Abbas 'Nawfan al-
Bakillee claims that Moosa, the companion of Khicjr, is not the
Moosa of the Children of Israel.' " Ibn 'Abbas said, "He has
lied, the enemy of Allah. Ubay ibn Ka'b said to me, 'The Messenger
of Allah gave us a sermon and then mentioned the hadith of
Moosa and Khicjr in such a way that proves Moosa (of the Children
of Israel) to be the companion of Khicjr.' " Ibn 'Abbas, a Companion
of profound understanding and piety, accepted the narration of Ubay
ibn Ka'b from the Messenger of Allah
19. Ibn Jurayj related that Tawoos informed him that he asked Ibn
'Abbas about two units of prayer after and Ibn 'Abbas forbade
him from performing them. Tawoos said to him, "I will not abandon
them." Ibn 'Abbas recited to him,
tJI j ;1 t '/A z,r
/ Y. /// -;;/ ,.// j./ >//;:;',4 ,./ //.!1 "."'\
(n J.:o.ili ,Alr-'J:tu\ 0"J 2'-1'
(It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His
Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in
their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he
has indeed in plain error) (Qur'an 33: 36)
Here, Ibn 'Abbas reminded Tawoos that the proof was
established in this issue, first because the Messenger (Ji!) decreed a
command, and second, because he was relating that command from
him (Ji!). Furthermore, Tawoos did not then say, "This is your
narration and 1do not accept it to be from the Prophet (Ji!) because it
is possible that you have forgotten."
20. Abu Shurayl). al-Ka'bee related that the Prophet (Ji!) said during
the year of Makkah' s conquest: When one's own (family member)
has been murdered, he may choose between the best of two choices:
if he pleases, he may take the blood money, or if he pleases, he may
choose for the murderer to be executed. Abu I;!aneefah ibn Simiik
ibn al-Fa<,ll ash-Shihabee stated, "I said to Ibn Abi Dhayb, 'Do you
rule according to this (narration), 0 Abu I;!iirith1' He struck me on
the chest and shouted at me with emotion, reproaching me, and
saying, 'I relate to yon from the Messenger of Allah (Ji!), yet you say:
'Do you rule according to this narration?' Yes 1do rule by it, for that
is compulsory upon me and upon all who hear it. Indeed, Allah chose
Muhammad (Ji!) over alI other people, and He guided them
through him and at his hands... So it is obligatory for all creation to
follow him, either through voluntary obedience or through
subjugation and humiliation. A Muslim has no way out from that.'
He continued to talk for so long that 1 was hoping for his silence
(from the shame that 1 felt)." There are many more hadiths that
confirm the validity of A1)iid narrations, but the few that we
mentioned are enough to serve our purpose here.
21. huarn ShMi' ee then said that he knew of no dissent among
Islamic jurists regarding the validity of A1)iid narrations. He then
briefly mentioned a few reasons why a scholar might not apply a
narration that is presented before him. He said that the scholar must
be excused in those instances, because he perhaps is aware of a hadith
that is in conflict with the new one, because the narrator might not
have a strong enough memory, because the narrator is accused of not
fulfilling the requisite qualities of an upright and truthful narrator, or
because the hadith bears two interpretations. One should not think
that a scholar would abandon applying a hadith without a valid
interpretation or excuse. And Allah knows best.
Thus did huarn ShMi'ee (may Allah have mercy on him)
establish irrefutable proofs from the Qur' an, the Sunnah, the practice
of the Companions, the Tiibi 'een, those who carne after the Tiibi 'een,
and Muslim jurists - all showing that it is compulsory upon
Muslims to accept and apply A1)iid narrations.
CHAPTER TEN
The Sunnah Vis-a.-vis the
Orientalists
Historical overview of the
Orientalists and their Objectives
Whenthe annies of the Crusaders attacked Muslimlands,
they were driven by two motives:
First, they were driven by religious fanaticism, for the men of the
church invented wicked lies against the Muslims, thus inviting
faithful Christians to cleanse the lands of their savior from the hands
of the 'disbelievers' (meaning the Muslims). Therefore, the majority
of combatants in the Anny of the Crusaders were those who were
prompted by religious zeal to leave their homes, those who
volunteered to go forth in the path of death - which continued foray
after foray, attack after attack, and battle after battle.
Second, political and colonial ambitions inspired the kings of Europe
to look outward to the lands of the Muslims, from where news came
of unparalleled peace, civilization, and advancement. They also
heard much of the treasures, factories, and fertile land that were in the
hands of Muslims. They led their annies in the name of Christ, but in
their souls was no more than the desire to occupy, to conquer, and to
gain sole possession of the treasures and blessings that the Muslims
252 The Sunnah vis-a-vis the orientalists
had. By the will of Allah, those armies were in the end unsuccessful,
even after two centuries of continuous battle. The Crusaders returned
to their lands with sad hearts and with distress written on their
foreheads. However, they did return with something from the light of
Islam - in terms of knowledge - and in their hands they did bring
back some of the civilization that their own countries were deprived
of for so long. Though many among them were satisfied with these
results, the kings and rulers remained intent upon conquering the
lands that they fought so long and hard to gain. But upon reflection,
and after seeing that a complete military victory was virtually
impossible, they decided to study the beliefs and affairs of the
Muslims, in preparation for an intellectual and moral battle. And until
recently, the Orientalists were made up of men from the Christian and
Jewish faiths, who without a doubt, were the most staunch of enemies
against Islam, though a group of their scholars has always been just
and has always studied Islam in a manner that can overall be
described as impartial and fair. Nonetheless, most of them have
researched Islam in order to distort its beliefs as well as its beauty.
Others interested in studying Islam were those who were also
interested in colonialismand in poisoning the minds of Muslims with
so-called progress and civilization. In fact, most research abont Islam
that is taken up by non-Muslims is characterized by the following
traits:
1. An unjust understanding ofIslam and all that is connected to it in
terms of its goals and aims.
2. An unjust and unbalanced view of Muslims scholars, jurists, and
leaders.
3. The depiction of the Muslim civilization - especially the first
generation - as being one that is backwards and one whose leaders
strive to destroy individualism.
4. A distorted depiction of Muslim civilization in an attempt to
ridicule and belittle it.
5. A presentation of Islam that indicates ignorance on the part of the
researcher, who wants to judge Islam based on the manners and
customs of his own country.
6. A subordination of revealed text to the beliefs and desires of the
researcher.
7. A distortion of revealed texts, tbrough which the researcber
attempts to mar the principles of Islam.
8. A despotic and capricious way of studying history, for the non-
Muslim researcher will arbitrarily authenticate that which is related
by Ad"Dumayri, in al-lfayawan, while he will reject what is related
by Miilik in al-Muwa!!a'. Hence the standard by which they judge is
not the truth, but rather their own desires.
Encouraged by their governments and able to dedicate
themselves wholly to the task, Orientalists were able to study all
branches of knowledge that are related to Islam - history, fiqh,
tafseer, Hadith, and so fotth. Furthermore, they were furnished with
an ample supply of reference books for each branch of knowledge,
which enabled them to give an impression of profound scholarship
and erudition. Meanwhile, Muslim scholars, who live today in
societies that are stable neither in the political sense nor in the
economic Sense, are not able to devote themselves to the extent that
the Orientalists have devoted themselves, and as a result, the books of
the Orientalists are considered to be trustwotthy reference books to
many of our own intellectuals, some of whomhave been deceived by
their works, considering them to be written by honest seekers of the
truth. Thus it is that our own intellectuals run after the views and
opinions that are related by non-Muslim researchers; some Muslim
intellectuals take pride in the fact that they take from the views of the
Orientalists and attempt to give Islam a new framework, though in
reality they are deviating from the true teachings of Islam. A prime
example of Muslim thinkers who follow the OrientaIist school is
Ahmad Ameen, author of Fajr ai-Islam.
A Summary of Goldziher's
attacks against the Sunnah
Here, we discuss the stance taken by the Orientalists vis-a-vis
the Sunnah in terms of the doubts they have raised regarding it.
Perhaps the most dangerous of the Orientalists as well as the most
despicable in this regard is the Jewish Orientalist, Ignaz Goldziher.
With his extensive knowledge of Arabic sources, he is considered to
be the 'Shaykh' of Orientalists in recent generations. His books and
works continue to be considered as important reference books for the
Orientalists of today. In an unofficial manner, Ahmad Ameen has
related to us much of his ideas and beliefs in Fajral-Isliim. Dr. 'Ali
I,Iasan 'Abdul-Qiidir has also related many of Goldziher's views in
his book, Nadhrah 'Ama fee Tareekh al-Fiqh al-Islami.
In this section, we will first relate some of Goldziher's views,
at least those that are directly related to the subject, and then we will
move on to answer his claims one at a time. A more detailed
refutation of his views, however, would fill up the pages of an entire
volume, so I leave that task for another occasion, hoping that Allah
~ prolongs my life to the extent that I may fulfill that duty.
Dr. 'Ali I,Iasan 'Abdul-Qiidir relates that Goldziher claims: "It
is not correct to say that the greater part of hadith literature was
brought about in the first generation of Islam, the generation of
infancy. Instead, the greater part of hadith literature was the result of
the efforts taken up by Muslims in the era of growth (i.e. the
following generations of Islam)." 1
1 Due to fact that Goldziher, like the other Orientatists, wrote not in Arabic
but in a European language, the words in this <quote', and the others like it in
this book, are not his own, but the translator's rendition of the words of the:
Here Goldziher expresses his views in more detail, saying that
the era of growth was the period of great strife between the
Umawiyeen rulers and the righteous scholars, who occupied
themselves with the gathering of hadith and the Sunnah. Because the
narrations they had did not help them in their aims and goals, they
began to invent hadiths that, at least according to them, did not
contradict with the spirit of Islall1. They justified this to their
consciences, feeling that through their actions they were fighting
polytheism and despotism. They were promoting the cause of the
enemies of the rulers, the 'Wwiyoon, and so the majority of
fabrications in the early stages were directed to the praise of the
Prophet's family. Thus they were indirectly attacking the
Umawiyeen...
The matter did not rest there, for the ruling government did not
remain silent when faced with invented fabrications, fabrications that
were meant to bring them down. They too fabricated narrations that
were in accordance with their views. Basically, they resorted to the
same tactics that were used by their enemies. Mu'awiyah said to
Mugheerah ibn Shu'bah, 'Do not be negligent in cursing 'Ali, nor in
asking for mercy to be granted to 'Uthrniin. Also, curse the
companions of 'Ali and strive to eradicate their hadiths. On the other
hand, praise 'Uthmiin and his family, improve relations with them,
and listen to their sayings.' Upon this foundation, the hadiths of the
Umawiyeen were established against 'Ali. The Umawiyoon and their
followers had no qualms about rubricating hadiths that were in
accordance with their whims and desires.
Relying on their cunning natnres, the Umawiyeen used the
likes of hnam Az-Zuhri to further their objectives of fabricating
=Arab scholar who had originally rendered the meaning of the German-
language text into Arabic. (Editor)
256 The Sunnah vis-a-vis the onentalists
hadiths. During the days of Ibn azcZubayr's trial, 'AbdulcMalik ibu
Mirwiin forbade the people from making pilgrimage and he built the
Dome of the Rock in the Aqsa Mosque, so that people would make
pilgrimage to it instead of to the Ka'bah. He wanted to compel people
to do this based on religious heliefs. To further those aims, he fouud
that ImamAz-Zuhri, a man of great repute in the Muslimnation, was
prepared to fabricate hadiths for him. One such hadith was the
following- 'Journeys must not specifically be made except to three
mosques - this Mosque of mine, the inviolable Mosque, and al-
Aqsa Mosque.,2 Another example is the hadith, 'Prayer in al-Aqsa
Mosque is equivalent to 1000 prayers elsewhere.' What proves these
hadiths to be fabricated by Az"Zuhri is the fact that he was a friend of
'Abdul-Miilik and that he used to visit him frequently. Furthennore,
those hadiths that extol the virtues of al-Aqsa Mosque are related by
way of Az-Zuhri only.
The Umawiyoon did not convince the likes of Az-Zuhri to
help them through material benefits and favors, but rather, simply
through cleverness. Mu'arnmir ibn Rashid related that al-Waleed ibn
Ibriiheem al-Umawee went with a scroll to AzcZuhri, demanding
pennission from him to promulgate hadiths found within that scroll
in a manner that showed him to have heard them from Az-Zuhri. Az-
Zuhri assented without much hesitation and said, 'And who is able to
inform you of them other than IT Hence the Umawee was able to
relate the hadith found. in that scroll and to ascribe what he related to
Az-Zuhri. This is inharmony with what we related earlier in tenns of
the examples that showed AzcZuhri to be prepared to fulfill the
wishes of the ruling house. His piety, at times, made himhave doubts
about the honor of his actions, which is exemplified by this saying of
his that is related by Mu'annuar, ''Those rulers have forced us to
2 Reported by Bukhari, vol. 4, p. 376, hadith no. 1115 and Mnslim, vol. 7, p.
159, hadith no. 2475.
write hadiths." This shows that AzcZuhri was prepared to acquiesce
and to lend support to the government by stamping his reputed name
on their false fabrications. AzcZuhri was not scornful of the
government; rather, he viewed that it was necessary to work sidecbyc
side with the government. He frequented the castle of the ruler and he
would often walk in his retinue. Indeed he was even to be found in
the retinue of AMjajjiij, that most reprehensible man. Hisham
appointed him as teacher to his heir apparent. And during the era of
Yazeed the Second, he accepted the position ofjudgeship. Under the
circumstances, he turned a blind eye to the foibles and wrongs of the
Urnawiyeen, and was therefore not one who resisted unjust rulers. In
contrast to him a man like ashcSha'bee wore colored clothing and
played in the streets with children in order not to be given the position
ofjudgeship; he even fought against AlcI;Iajjiij along with the help of
Ibn alcAsh'ath. This axiom is established among scholars: whoever
takes on the position of being a judge has been slaughtered without
the use of a knife. But AzcZuhri did not stop at inventing hadiths for
the political benefit of the ruling house; instead, he went beyond that
to affairs of worship, opposing any opinion that was not held by the
inhabitants of Madinah. The Friday sermon consisted oftwo separate
sermons, the leaders would preach while in a standing position, and
the 'Eid sermon used to follow the prayer. The Urnawiyoon changed
all of that. For example, based on a narration they had with them,
they claimed that the Messenger used to give a sermon while in a
seated to position.
A similar situation occurred when Mu'iiwiyah increased the
number of steps of the pulpit. The Umawiyoon did not limit
themselves to fabricating hadiths that were in their favor, but they
also worked to conceal or to raise doubts about those hadiths that did
not correspond to their own views. The same happened with the next
set of rulers, for many hadiths that were in favor of the Umawiyeen
faded away with the advent of the 'Abbiisiyeen. The means they used
to create doubts in certain narrations was the ostensible claim of
criticizing narrators for the sake of the tmth and in order to
distinguish between the tmstwortby and untmstwortby narrator.
There are many examples to support this. 'Asim ibn Nabeel said, 'I
have not seen ~ i l l e 1 . lie in any matter to the degree that he lied about
hadiths.' They were aided in this quest by the narration, 'Hadiths
related from me will increase, and so whoever relates to you a hadith,
compare it to Allah's book. Whatever is in accordance with it, then it
is from me, regardless of whether I have said it or not.'
There are even many supposedly authentic narrations that are
clearly fabricated. For example, Muslimrelated that the Prophet (l!i:)
ordered for dogs to be killed except for the dog that helps its master in
hunting and the dog that helps the shepherd with his flock. Ibn 'Dmar
~ related that Abu Hurayrah ~ added 'the dog that works in
the field.' Ibn 'Dmar ~ said, 'Indeed, Abu Hurayrah ~ had a
field that he would use for planting.' Ibn 'Dmar's comment points to
what the Mu1).addith may do based on personal motives.
Other than narrations that were related verbally, there
appeared written scrolls that indicated the wishes or commands of the
Messenger (l!i:). It is quite unfortunate that such scrolls are not
scrutinized in order to ascertain their authenticity. For example, there
is nothing authentically related (i.e. verbally) regarding how much
zakiit should be paid for the ownership of young and old cows. And
so to specify those amounts, the people resorted to written scrolls that
are ascribed to the Messenger of Allah (l!i:).
These views, which were originated by Goldziher, have
dominated Orientalist circles in the last century.
In Response to Goldziher's claims
The diligence of the Companions to preserve the authentic
Sunnah, the same diligence shown by the next two generations, the
prodigious efforts of the Imams of hadith to gather the authentic
Sunnah and purify it from distortion and fabrication, and the
thorough research of the scholars to follow up on the biographies of
liars and fabricators in order to expose their plots - if you were to
reflect upon all of those labors, you would come to know that the
Orientalists are speaking from their imagination, making up lies as
they go along in order to distort the truth and satisfy their desires.
In this upcoming section, we will discuss in brief, and in detail
when necessary, each of the views of the Orientalists vis-a-vis the
Suunah, as exemplified by the proclamations of Goldziher. We call
upon the reader not to be blinded by the biased claims of the
Orientalists, for through the mention of incontrovertible proofs, we
will show those claims to be false.
Were most hadiths fabricated as a result
of progress among the Muslims?
Goldziher claimed that the greater portion of hadith literature
did not originate in the first generation of Islam, but rather through
progress, both political and social, in the latter part of the first and
second centuries. I caunot even begin to fathom how he had the
temerity to make that claim when all established authentic narrations
disprove it. The Messenger of Allah ~ died ouly after the complete
building and structure of Islam was erected, which consisted of what
was revealed to him in terms of the QUI' an and in terms of the
methods and the legislations that make up his Suunah. Just before he
died, he said, I have left with you two matters, and you will not
go astray as long as you adhere to them - Allah's book and my
Sunnah.
3
It is also well-known that among the last verses revealed
to the Prophet was this verse:
/ J;':} ;s:s /JS-f F;;ii
(l" "..\lUI '"r')
4... This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My
Favor upon you, and have chosen for yon Islam as your religion...
(Qur'an 5: 3)
When the Messenger of Allah died, Islamhad grown to its
perfection and was not, as Goldziher claims, in its stage of infancy. In
the early years after the Prophet's death, Muslims faced new issues
and dilemmas that were not specifically mentioned in the Qur' an or
Sunnah; in these instances, they derived and deduced, finding rulings
for new matters and new situations, and in doing so, they did not go
outside of the teachings of Islam. To perceive the extent of the
completeness of Islam in the first generation, you simply have to
reflect upon how 'Vmar had full control over the kingdoms of
Kisrah and Qaysar, kingdoms that were already extremely well
developed and civilized. Yet 'Vmar was able to rule over those
kingdoms and was able to deal justly among its citizens in the most
comprehensive and just of ways, more so than the way in which the
previous two rulers governed them. IfIslam at that stage Was indeed
in its early stages of infancy, how then was 'Vmar able to rule over
that vast dominion and to establish a systemthat provided both safety
and happiness to its citizens?
3 Reported by At-Tirrnidbi, vol. 2, p. 308, badith no. 2680: AI-Tabarani and
Al-ijillcim. Shaikh al-Albfini said, it is authentic. See Silsilah vol.
4, p. 355.
Furthermore, a just observer will notice that the Muslims of
various lands worsbipped in the same manner and lived under the
same set oflaws - at a societal level, at the level of tbe family, and at
the individual level. They were one, united in their worship, in their
dealings, and in their beliefs - and even in their customs for the
most part. Such results could not have come about had the Arabs not
set out from the Arabian Peninsula with a truly complete and perfect
system and set oflaws. Had the greater part of hadith literature been
the result of progress in the second century, it would have been
impossible for the worship of Muslims in Northern Africa to be the
same as the worship of Muslims in southern China, because the
environment and culture of the two areas are so different. How then is
it that the worship, the laws, and the manners of both geographical
areas, as well as all other areas that were inhabited by Muslims, were
the same?
The number of schools of jurisprudence did increase after the
first century, but that was because the Companions sometimes
differed in their understanding of Allah's Book and the Prophet's
Sunnah. One will not find an opinion that surfaced in the second or
third century except that that opinion was previously held by a
Companion or at least by a Tabi'ee. And that is much before the
progress in religion that is claimed to have come about by Goldziher.
This alone should serve to destroy Goldziher's claim from its root.
The Umawiyoon and Islam
Goldziher bases all of his ideas upon the supposed discord and
enmity that existed between the Umawiyoon and the pious scholars.
He depicts the Umawiyoon government as a worldly group that was
only interested in conquering and colonizing. He claims that they
were an ignorant lot that had no ties whatsoever with the teachings
262 The Sunnah vis-ii-vis the orientalists
and manners of Islam. This is a distortion of reality and is disproved
by authentic historical accounts. First of all, the accounts we do have
about that government are related to us by the next government, the
'Abbasiyoon, who were their bitter enemies. The narrators of the
'Abbasiyoon were able to add any fabrication that they wanted
because it was their books that replaced the books of the
Umawiyoon. So because of a hatred that the 'Abbiisiyoon and the
Shi'ah harbored against the Umawiyoon, the historian must be very
careful in judging narrations and he must scrutinize the books of
history to glean only authentic narrations that relate to the period of
the Umawiyoon, or to any other period for that matter.
In spite of the political situation that we have just outlined,
there still remains a great deal of historical narrative that disproves
the claims of Goldziher. In his Tabaqilt, Ibn Sa'd relates many
narrations that describe the piety and worship of 'Abdul-M3.lik before
he became Caliph; he was found in the mosque so often that he was
nicknamed "the Pigeon of the Mosque." Ibn 'Umar C.) was asked,
"When the Messenger of Allah's Companions are all gone, whom
should we ask?" He said, "Ask this young man," and he was
pointing to 'Abdul-Mill. In our discussion of Imam Az-Zuhri, you
will see that' Abdul-Mill was eager to guide scholars and students
of knowledge to follow authentic narrations from the Prophet
One day he said to Az-Zuhri, who at the time was a young man, "Go
to the for yon will find a great deal of knowledge with them."
Al-Waleed ibn 'Abdul-Miilik was of a similar character, for many of
the Mosques still known today were built during his era. We can say
the same for the rest of the Caliphs who ruled during the Umawiyoon
period, with the exception of Yazeed ibn Mu'awiyah, for it appears
that he had deviated, at least to a certain extent, from the manners of
the Sharia on a personal level. Nonetheless, his foes among
,Abbiisiyoon and Shi'ah narrators invented many lies about him. In
some narrations, it is even claimed that Al-Waleed threw down
Allah's Book and tore it up. Any uubiased and just person that reads
such narrations will not doubt that they are fabricated lies.
History clearly relates the many victories of the Vmawiyoon
armies, and we find that the dominion of Muslims did not increase
significantly after the Vmawee period. The expansion that occurred
during that period was, to a great extent, because of the bravery
shown by the Vmawee rulers, who would send their own children as
leaders of the conquering armies that went forth to make Allah's
Word supreme and to spread His Sharia. One must ask, then, why
would the scholars show enmity to them? And why is it claimed that
they did not understand Islam?
Goldziher's claims rest on the supposition that there was great
enmity between the Vmawiyoon and the righteous scholars, and that
supposition itself has no basis in the truth. Yes, it is true that there
was enmity between the Vmawiyoon and the leaders of the Khawfuij
as well as the 'Alawiyoon, but members of those groups were not the
scholars who rose to the task of gathering and reporting the authentic
Sunnah. The scholars who gathered and recorded the Sunnah were
the likes of Sa'eed ibn al-Musayib, Abu Bakr ibn 'Abdur-Ral;unan
ibn al-l,Ifuith ibn Hisham al-Makhzoomi, 'Ubaydullilll ibn 'Abdullah
ibn 'Vtbah, Salim Mawli! 'Abdnllah ibn 'Vmar, Niifay' Mawli! ibn
'Vmar, Sulayman ibn Yasiir, Al-Qi!sim ibn Muhanuuad ibn Abi
Bakr, Imam Az-Zuhri, 'Alii', Ash-Sha'bee, 'llqamah, Al-l,Iasan al-
B a ~ r e e , and others from the Imams of hadith. These scholars did not
enter into battles with the Vmawiyeen, not at a military level, and
certainly not at an intellectnal or a religious level. None of them had
any disputes with the government, with the exception, perhaps, of
Sa'eed ibn al-Musayib, who took issue with 'Abdul-Malik, but the
reasons for that are all too well-known. 'Abdul-Malik wanted him to
pledge allegiance to his son Al-Waleed and then to Sulaymiin. Abu
Sa'eed refused, saying, "Indeed the Messenger of Allah ~
prohibited two pledges of allegiance at the same time." This resulted
iu a rupture between the two. The only other time that a similar
situation occurred was during the era of Al-I;!ajjaj 4 Some scholars
during his era found great fanlt with him not becanse he was wicked
or misguided, but because of his severity in dealing with those who
rebelled against the Urnawee government. How can it be claimed that
he was against the teachings of Islam, when it was he who had the
honor of having placed vowel markers on the words of the Qur' an, an
action that shows his concern for preserving Allah's Book, which
conld only have resnlted from a deep-rooted love of the religion.
So Goldziher was correct in saying that the Umawiyoon had a
dispute, but their dispute was with the leaders of the Khawiirij and the
'ffiwiyoon, and not with the scholars who strove to preserve and
disseminate and purify the authentic Sunnah. If Goldziher was
referring to the latter group - which consisted of the likes of 'A\ii',
Niifai', Sa'eed, and Al-I;!asan - then we know for sure that he was
lying and that his claims are disproved by all historical accounts.
Were the scholars of Madinah fabricators?
In his books Muslim Studies and Introduction to Islamic
Theology and Law, Goldziher makes an even stranger claim than
before - that because there was enmity between the Umawiyoon
and the scholars of Madinah, the latter group is the first to have
fabricated narrations, using them to fight the Umawiyoon. An
important lesson for Goldziher is that a liar must at the very least
make his lies seem plausible. If the scholars of Madinah fabricated
many narrations, we must ask, were they the only scholars of Islam
4 AI-I:Iajjaj served as Governor of Iraq during the reigns of 'Abdul-Malik and
Al-Waleed. (Editor)
during that era? Were there not scholars in Makkah, Damascus, Kufa,
Basra, Egypt, and all other Islamic provinces? During that era,
Makkah boasted the likes of 'Alii', Tawoos, Mujiibid, 'Amru ibn
Deenar, Ibn Jurayj, and Ibn 'Uyainah. Basra was inhabited by the
likes of Al-I:Iasan, Ibn Seereen, Muslimibn Yasar, Abu ash"Sha'thii' ,
Ayyoob as-Sikhtiyiini, and Mitraf ibn 'Abdulliib ibn ash-Shukhayr.
All of these eminent scholars lived in Kufa - 'nqirnah, Al-Aswad,
'Amru ibn Shara\1bee1, Masrooq ibn al-Ajda', 'Ubaydah as-
Silmiinee, Suwayd ibn Ghaflah, 'Abdulliib ibn 'Utbah ibn Mas 'ood,
'Amru ibn Maymoon, Ibraheem an-Nakha'ee, 'Armr ash-Sha'bee,
Sa'eed ibn Jubayr, and Al-Qiisim ibn 'Abdur-Ra\1miin ibn 'Abdulliib
ibn Mas 'ood. The following scholars lived in Syria during that period
- Abu Idrees al-Khooliini, b e e ~ h ibn Dhu'ayb, Sulaymiin ibn
Habeeb, Khiilid ibn Mai'diin, 'Abdur-Rahmiin ibn Ghanam al-
i
Asha'ree" 'Abdur-Ra\1miin ibn Jubayr, and MakJ:1ool. Egypt boasted
the likes ofYazeed ibn Abi I:Iabeeb, Bukayr ibn 'Abdulliib al-Ashajj,
'Amru ibn al-I:Iiirith, Al-Layth ibn Sa'd, and 'Ubaydallah ibn Abi
Ja'far. Mitraf, and other eminent scholars inhabited Yemen.
These were all eminent scholars during the era of the
Umawiyeen; is it possible that they colluded with the scholars of
Madinah in fabricating so many hadiths? And how did that come to
pass? And where was the couference held in which they agreed to
work together? And if they did not conspire with the scholars of
Madinah - and it is impossible that they did - how is it possible
that they silently acquiesced to spreading their fabricated hadiths?
Where is it written in history books that they disapproved of those
scholars? On the contrary, we find in all authentically related
historical narrations that the scholars of the various Islamic provinces
agreed and acknowledged that the hadiths of the Arabian Peninsula
were the most authentic of all. 'Abdul-Miilik aCknowledged the
superiority of scholars in Madinah when he advised Imam Az-Zuhri
to go to the district of the n ~ r in order to learn from them. Howis it
possible that the scholars acknowledged the superiority of scholars
from Madinah if it were a centre of hadith fabrication and invention?
Goldziher's claims are therefore weak and baseless; in making them,
he was obviously driven by blind desire, and not a desire to seek out
the truth.
Using the disagreement that occurred between 'Abdul-Miilik
and Sa'eed ibn al-Musayib to the best of his advantage, Goldziher
took a huge jump by claiming that all of the scholars of Madinah
were liars; however, he did not mention Sa'eed's role in the
origination of fabrications. If there were a movement in Madinah that
strove to fabricate narrations, he would surely have been the leader of
that movement - he was one of Madinah' s most respected scholars.
Yet Goldziher altogether neglects to mention his role. Was Goldziher
accusing him of fabricating narrations as he had previously accused
Az-Zuhri? He was not so bold as to do that, for he did not find a
single narration, not even a fabricated one, which would help to
further that claim. But if Goldziher absolved Sa'eed from any
involvement in the invention of fabrications, how did he justify that,
for we know that, according to Goldziher's claim, Sa'eed was the
leader of the righteous scholars who rebelled against the
Umawiyoon? When we analyze and dissect his claims and
arguments, we find that the foundation of those claims crumbles ever
so easily.
The true scholars ofIslam searched out for fabricators and liars
and then gave them the label of wrongdoers. Goldziher gave those
same wrongdoers the title of "the righteous scholars". He then
claimed that they inhabited Madinah, but in reality, the truly
righteous scholars, those who really took on qualities of knowledge,
piety, and truthfulness regarding the Sharia, were the ones who
inhabited Madinah.
Did our scholars sanction lying
in order to protect the religion?
Goldziher alleges:
"...To the period of great strife between the Umawiyeen rulers and
the righteous scholars, who occupied themselves with the gathering
of hadith and of the Sunnah. Because the narrations they had did not
help themin their airos and goals, they began to invent hadiths that, at
least according to them, did not contradict the spirit of Islam. They
justified this to their consciences, feeling that, through their deeds,
they were fighting polytheism and despotism."
This is how Goldziher justified not only his claimbut also their
supposed fabrications. This is the claim of a man who never reached
the higher qualities attained by our distinguished scholars, scholars
who never lied even in insiguificant matters, scholars who feared
Allah ~ in the minute details of everyday life, never mind
importaot issues pertaioing to the Religion. So strict was their view
regarding liars that some scholars ruled that a fabricator is a
disbeliever, that he should be killed, and that his repentance is not
accepted. We might find an excuse for Goldziher by saying that when
a mao habitually lies, he thinks that all other people are greater liars
that he; and the thief thinks that all people are thieves just as he is
one. Otherwise, who in their right mind would say that one such as
Sa'eedibn al-Musayib would lie regarding the Prophet's Suunah? He
was tortured and humiliated because he was not willing to make two
pledges of allegiance at the same time; his reasoning was that he was
not willing to go against the Suunah of the Messenger of Allah (;i;lfj).
Would he then permit himself to lie about the Suunah of the
Messenger of Allah (;i;lfj)? Anyone of sound reason will disregard and
reject Goldziher's claims inunediately upon hearing them.
How did fabrications begin?
Goldziher asserts,
"They were promoting the cause of the enemies of the rulers, the
'Alawiyoon, and so the majority of fabrications in the early stages
were directed to the praise of the Prophet's family. Thus they were
indirectly attacking the Umawiyoon... "
Now the matter changes from fabricating hadiths in order to
protect the Religion to fabricating hadiths in order to attack the
Umawiyoon. Goldziher claimed that it was our pious scholars who
fabricated hadiths that extolled the good qualities of the Prophet's
family. It is true that Allah (1Ji;l) praised certain Companions in His
Noble Book and that the Messenger of Allah ~ praised 'Ali ~
j!Ist as he praised Ab!I Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthmiin, Tall)ah, 'A'ishah, Az-
Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them), and others like them from
the more distinguished Companions. There is, without a doubt, a
great portion of hadiths in which many disti!Iguished Companions
are praised, and among them were the Prophet's family. However,
the Shi 'ah added to those narrations, inventing false ones that
extolled the virtues of the Prophet's family and that inveighed against
the Umawiyoon and their supporters. The scholars of the Sunnah,
who exposed all of their lies, held s!Ich fabricators at bay. It was not,
therefore, the. righteous scholars from the inhabitants of Madinah
who invented hadiths that extOlled the virtoes of the Prophet's
family; rather, the role of the righteous scholars in this affair was to
fight the movement of fabrication, to the extent that Ibn Seereen said:
"They would not ask about the chain (of narrators), but when the
Discord occnrred, they said, 'Name to !IS your men.' They wO!Ild see
which ones were from the people of the S!Innah and accept their
hadith. And they would see which of them were from the people of
innovation and reject their hadith."
If Goldziher was sincere in wanting to know who the people of
innovation were according to the people of the Snnnah, he should
have referred to the same Arabic reference books that he distorted
and related from. He would quickly have ascertained that the people
of innovation were the Sbi'ah and the Khawiirij and those who
followed their way. It does not make sense that our sCholars should
first fight those groups who fabricated hadiths in wbich the virtues of
the Prophet's family were extolled, and then do the same evil deed
with the exact same intention.
If they were prepared from the very beginning to fabricate
hadiths, they should not have resisted the movement of the Sbi'ah;
rather, they should have cooperated with them since their goal was
one and the same. Then why did they not do so? It was a Sbi 'ah
scholar, Ibn Abi al-J;Iadeed, who himself admitted that the Sbi 'ah
were the first to fabricate hadiths, doing so because they wanted to
raise the status of the Prophet's family. Then comes Goldziher with
the temerity and the willinguess to lie and distort, ascribing clear
falsehood to the righteous scholars ofMadinah. The most wicked and
deviant of minds could not have distorted historical facts in a more
twisted manuer than did Goldziher.
Did the Umawee government implicate
itself in the fabrication of hadiths?
Goldziher continues,
"The matter did not rest there, for the ruling government did not
remain silent when faced with invented fabrications - fabrications
that were meant to bring them down, but they themselves also
fabricated narrations that were in accordance with their views.
Basically, they resorted to the same tactics that were used by their
enemies."
270 The Sunnah vis-it-vis the orientalists
That the Umawee government fabricated hadiths in order to
disseminate its views is a recent claim, existing for the fIrst time in
the imagination of Goldziher. Where are those hadiths that the
Umawee government fabricated? Our scholars relate every single
hadith with its chain of narrators, so where are the authentic and
preserved hadiths in whose chains are found the likes of 'Abdul-
Miilik, Yazeed, or Al-Waleed, or the likes of one of their governors,
such as Al-I:Iajj1ij and Khiilid ibn 'Abdullah al-Qasaree? And why
have their narrations been lost in the books of Sunnah? If the
Umawee government did not fabricate, but only incited others to
fabricate, what is the proof to establish even that claim?
Did Mu'awiyah implicate himself in the
invention or spreading of fabrications?
Goldziher relates the following:
"Mu'1iwiyah said to Mugheerah ibn Shu'bah, 'Do not be negligent in
cursing 'Ali, nor in asking for mercy to be granted to 'Uthman. Also,
curse the companions of 'Ali and strive to eradicate their hadiths. On
the other hand, praise 'Uthman and his family, improve relations with
them, and listen to their sayings.' Upon this foundation, the hadith of
the Umawiyeen were established against 'Ali."
Let us analyze this proof and see whether it works for
Goldziher or against him. Mu'1iwiyah ~ ) said to one of his
followers, "Oppose the companions of 'Ali ~ ) ... and improve
relations with [the companions of 'Uthman ~ ) ] . In what way
does this statement prove that he fabricated hadiths? Does not that
occur in every government, in tenus of how it deals with its
supporters and how it deals with its opponents? But what does that
have to do with the fabrication of hadith? And why did we not fInd
Mu'1iwiyah saying, "Do not be negligent in fabricating hadiths
against 'Ali ~ ) and for 'Uthman ~ ) ? Had Mu'iiwiyah ~ )
said that, it would have been a reasonable proof to support
Goldziher's claim. But, of course, he never said that.
Goldziher claims that Mu'iiwiyah said, "Curse the companions
of 'Ali and strive to eradicate their hadiths." All those who give
Goldziher and other Orientalists like him the benefit of the doubt
must learn a lesson from this example. The correct quotation as
related by At-Tabari is as follows, "Be diligent in censuring the
companions of 'Ali and keeping them at a distance." Observe how
this Orientalist distorted the quotation, adding in the words,
"eradicate their hadiths." The word hadith is not even found in the
original text. Even if it were found in the text and even if Goldziher
had not made the statement up, hadith would be referring to their
every day speech and conversation, and not to the hadith of the
Messenger of Allah (;i!).
Did the Umawiyoon use Az-Zuhri
to fabricate hadiths?
Goldziher goes on to say:
'The Umawiyoon and their followers had no scruples about
fabricating hadiths that were in accordance with their whims and
desires. Relying on their cunning natures, the Umawiyeen used the
likes of Imam Az-Zuhri to further their objectives of fabricating
hadith."
We feel it our responsibility here to expose Goldziher's plot to
stain the character of the most distinguished of the Imams of the
Sunnah during his era - moreover, of the first to have recorded the
Sunnah from among the Tiibi'oon. There was a clear plan behind
Goldziher's attack upon the foundations of the Sunnah, for he
attacked the most prolific of narrators among the Companions, Abu
Hurayrah (.); after attacking the honor of that distinguished
Companion, he went on to attack the foundation of the Sunnah
during the era of the Tiibi'oon - Imam Az-Zuhri. In spite of
Goldziher's plots, the truth must overcome falsehood. No matter for
how long falsehood is able to find shade or sanctnary, it will
eventnally be defeated.
Imam Az-Zuhri and his status in history
Before I begin to disprove Goldziher's accusations against
Imam Az-Zuhri, it is appropriate to first mention the latter's
biography, the opinions that the scholars held concerning him, and
his true statns in Muslim history. For if we relate what Goldziher
claims, we must also, in alI justice, relate the true picture of Imam
Zuhri's life, of his scholarly achievements, and of his contribution to
the Muslim Nation.
His name, birth, and life
He was Abu Bakr Muhanunad ibn Muslim ibn 'Ubaydullah
ibn 'Abdullah ibn Shihiib ibn 'Abdullah ibn al-l;Iiirith ibn Zuhrah al-
Qurashee az-Zuhri. According to the most authentic report, he was
born in the year 51 H. His father, Muslim ibn 'Ubaydullah,
participated with 'Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr (.) in his wars against
the Umawiyeen. He died, leaving behind a young son who had
neither wealth nor material possessions. ImamAz-Zuhri grew up as a
poor orphan without anyone to raise himor to care for him, other than
an older brother, whom history has mentioned nothing abont.
Before all else, he betook himself to memorizing the Qur' an, a
task which he completed in eighty nights, as is related by his nephew,
Muhanunad ibn'Abdullah ibn Muslim. ImamAz-Zuhri then went on
to stndy under the tntelage of 'Abdullah ibn Tha'lab, from whom he
learned the ancestry of his people. Next, he deemed it necessary to
learn the rules of what is lawful and prohihited in Islam, as well as the
narration of hadith. He traveled far and wide, learning from any
Companion that he could meet, and he met with ten in total- among
whom were Anas ~ , Ibn 'Umar ~ , Jahir ~ , and Sahl ibn
Sa'd ~ . He then sat with the most distinguished Tiibi 'oon that
were alive at the time: Sa'eed ibn al-Musayib, 'Urwah ibn az-Zubayr,
'Ubaydullah ibn 'Abdullah ibn 'Utbah ibn Mas'ood, and Abu Bakr
ibn 'Abdur-RaI.nniin ibn al-I;Iiitith ibn Hisham al-Makhzoorni, to
mention a few. Of the above-mentioned scholars, he spent the most
time with Sa'eed ibn al-Musayib; he kept company with himfor eight
continuous years. He traveled often to Syria, the first time being
when he was a young man during the caliphate of Mirwan, Then,
after 'Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr ~ was killed, Az-Zuhri
strengthened ties with 'Abdul-Malik; he also had good ties with all
the later Caliphs - Al-Waleed, Sulayrnan, 'Umar ibn 'Abdul-
'Azeez, Yazeed the Second, and Hisham ibn 'Abdul-Miilik. He
traveled often to Iraq and Egypt during his life, until finally, he died
in a place called Udamee in the year 124 H (according to the most
authentic of narrations); he died at the age of 72 and requested to be
buried at the side of the road, so that when people passed by, they
could supplicate for him - may Allah be pleased with him and have
mercy on him.
His most prominent traits and characteristics
He was short and had a short beard; he would dye his hair and
beard with henna. He was eloquent, so much so, that it used to be
said, "The eloquent ones from his era are three: Az-Zuhti, 'Umar ibn
'Abdul-'Azeez, and Tall:>ah ibn 'Ubaydullah." His most prominent
attribute was generosity; in that regard he was truly amazing. Al-
Layth ibn Sa'd said, "Ibn Shihab (Az-Zuhti) was the most generous
of men that you could ever meet. He would give to anyone that came
to him and asked for help, and if he had nothing left of his own with
which to give, he would borrow from his friends. And if that was not
possible, he would borrow from his slaves... "
It was well known during his time that he would provide
honey and sugar cane for those who would pass by his road. On one
occasion he went to a place that was inhabited by eighteen forlorn
elderly women, who owned nothing and who had no one to help
them. He borrowed enough money to provide each one of them with
a young female servant.
If one of the people of hadith was bold enough to refuse an
invitation to eat with him, Az-Zuhri would take an oath not to speak
with that person for ten days unless he accepted his invitation.
Among his many travels, he would go to outlyllig areas that were
inhabited by Bedouins in order to teach them their religion and to
furnish them with necessary food supplies. With such generosity, he
would often incur huge amounts of debt, which would accumulate,
but which would eventually be paid off by the Caliphs of Bani
Umayyah or by his friends. He was blessed with two other notable
characteristics, both of which enabled him to achieve fame and
superiority over his contemporaries:
1. He was patient, toiling hard and long to seek out knowledge. He
took advantage of any opportunity - and would actually seek out
opportunities - to meet with scholars and record all that he heard
from them. He would stay up all night long in order to revise and
study the knowledge that he gained. Here is what some of his
contemporaries had to say about him.
Abu az-Ziniid said, "We used to write down the lawful and the
prohibited, but Ibn ash-Shihiib would write down all that he heard.
And when he was in demand, I knew that he was the most
knowledgeable of people."
Ibriiheem ibn Sa'd said: "1 asked my father, 'What was it that
made Ibn Shihiib surpass all of you?' He said, 'He would come to
gatherings from the front, and any elderly or young person that he
met, he would ask; then he would go to the district of the n ~ i i r and
ask questions to every young man, elderly man, or elderly woman
that he met.' "
Az-Zuhri was so eager and determined to gain knowledge that
he would act as a servant to 'Ubaydulliih ibn 'Utbah ibn 'Abdulliih
ibn Mas 'ood, simply in order to seek knowledge fromhim. He would
fetch water for him and then stand at his door, waiting for him to
come out. 'Ubaydulliih would say to his servant, "Who is at the
door?" She would say, "Your young servant, who is crippled (she
was referring to Az-Zuhri, who walked with a slight limp)." She
thought that he was his servant because she would often see him
serving her master and waiting at his door. Contemporaries would
say about him that when he Would be alone in his house, he would
surround himself with books, betake himself to them, remaining
oblivious of all else. This would vex his wife to such a degree that she
said one night, "By Allah, these books are more severe upon me than
three competing wives." It was his wont that when he would hear
something new from some of his teachers, he would return to his
house, wake up his servant, and say to her, "Listen to me - such and
such person has related to me... " She would say in response, "What
do 1have to do with this hadith?" He would answer, "1 know that you
will not benefit by it, but I have just heard it and wish to revise it."
2. He was blessed with an amazingly powerful and retentive
memory. You have already heard his brother relate that he
memorized the entire Qur'an in eighty nights. Al-Layth related that
Az-Zuhri once said, "1 have never stored knowledge in my heart and
then afterwards forgotten it." On another occasion, he said, "1 have
never had to repeat a hadith in order to revise it, and 1never doubted
276 The Sunnah vis-a.-vis the orientalists
my memory except regarding a single hadith, about which I asked a
Companion, who then related it to me, making me realize that it was
exactly as I had memorized it"
Ibn 'Asiikir related in at-Tiireekh that 'Abdul-Miilik once
wrote to the people of Madinah, reproaching them. That letter was
read to the people from the pulpit, and when they departed, a group
betook themselves to the gathering of Sa'eed ibn al-Musayib. He
asked them, "What was in the letter? I wish to find one who could
relate to me its contents." One after another, his companions related
to him what they remembered from the letter. Sa'eed was not
satisfied, and then finally Ibn Shihiib said, "Do you wish, 0 Abu
Muhanunad, to hear all that is in it?" He said, "Yes." He recited the
contents of the letter to him from beginning to end as if it was before
him and he was reading it
So famous did Az-Zuhri become for his memory, that the
Caliph, Hisham ibn 'Abdul-Mill, wanted to test him. He asked him
to dictate four hundred hadiths to his children. An entire month
elapsed before Hisham said, "0 Abu Bakr, the book you dictated is
lost" He asked him to dictate it a second time, and after he did,
Hisham compared it to the first book and found them to be exactly
the same, word for word, letter for letter.
Az-Zuhri would consume honey in great quantities and he
would say, "It helps to strengthen the memory." And he disliked
eating sour apples and vinegar, reasoning that both of them cause
forgetfulness. It is also related that he said, "Whomever it pleases to
memorize hadith, then let him eat raisins."
His fame and popularity
After Az-Zuhri' s many travels, prodigious efforts, and service
to his teachers, and after people leamed of his retentive memory, his
trustworthiness, and his extensive knowledge, it is not surprising to
The Sunnah arid its role in Islamic legislation 277
learn that his reputation spread throughout the lands. People carne to
him from all provinces of the Islamic state in order to learn hadith
narrations from him.
Imam Miilik said, "When Az-Zuhri would enter Madinah, not
a single scholar would relate a hadith until he left. At that time,
Madinah was blessed with scholars who were in their seventies and
eighties, but instead of taking (knowledge) from them, people would
give precedence to Ibn Shihiih, even though he was so young at the
time."
The scholars' praise for him
Adh-Dhahabi related in his Tadhkirah and Al-l;liifidh ibn
'Asiikir related in his Tdreekh that Al-Layth ibn Sa'd said, "I have
never met with a scholar who had as much extensive knowledge as
did Az-Zuhri... "
Imam Miilik related that when Ibn Shihiib (Az-Zuhri) once
came to Madinah, he took Rabee'ah by the hand and entered a house.
When the time for 'A$r drew near, Ibn Shihiib came out, saying, "I
did not think that I would find a man in Madinah who is like ar-
Rabee'ah." Rabee'ah came out, saying, "I did not imagine that
anyone had reached the level of knowledge that Ibn Shihiib has
reached."
After having accompanied Az-Zuhri for a long time, 'Amru
ibn Deenar said, "By Allah, I have never met anyone who is like this
man from the Quraysh (i.e., Az-Zuhri)."
His status in the Sunnah
In al-Jarl}u wat-Ta 'deel, Ibn Abi l;liitimrelated that 'Umar ibn
'Abdul-'Azeez said one day to his companions, "Do you go to Ibn
Shihiib?" They said, "Indeed we do." He said, "Then continue to go
278 The Sunnah vis-a.-vis the orientalists
to him, for there is none today who has more knowledge of the
Sunnah ... than he." Commenting on this statement, Mu'ammar said,
"l;Iasan and others of his caliber were alive at the time."
'Ali ibn al-Madeeni said, 'The knowledge of the trustworthy
ones is with Az-Zuhri and 'Amru ibn Deenar, in the J:.Iijiiz; Qatiidah
and Yal)ya ibn Abi Katheer, in Basra, and Abu Is-l,Jaq al- 'Amash, in
Kufa (i.e., the majority of authentic hadiths are found among these
five). "
'Amru ibn Deenar said, "I have never seen anyone who was
more precise and insightful in Hadith than Az-Zuhri."
Ayyoob said to Sufiyiin ibn 'Vyainah, "Beyond Az-Zuhri, I
know of no one who is more acquainted with the knowledge of the
people of the J:.Iijiiz than Yal,lya ibn Bukayr." Sufiyiin said, "There
was uo one among the people who was more knowledgeable about
the Sunnah than Az-Zuhri."
There are countless reports from the scholars which indicate
that the person most knowledgeable about the Sunnah during that era
was Imam Az-Zuhri. Perhaps this goes back to what Az-Zuhri
himself said, in a narration that is related by Ibn 'Asiikir, "I spent
thirty-five or thirty-six years spreading the hadiths of the inhabitants
of Syria to the l;Iijiiz and the hadiths of the inhabitants of the J:.Iijiiz to
Syria. Thereafter I could not find anyone who could give me the
delight of hearing a hadith that I had not already heard before."
His contribution to the knowledge of the Sunnah
1. Charged with the task by 'Vmar ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez, Imam Az-
Zuhri recorded the Sunnah. And as we have seen in an earlier
chapter, Az-Zuhri was the first to have compiled the Sunnah in
written form during his era. In al-FatiJ, Al-l;Iiifidh ibn l;Iajr said, "The
first to have recorded knowledge was Ibn Shihab (Az-Zuhri), a task
that was undertaken at the behest of 'Vmar ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez." Abu
Na'eem reported that Miilik said, ''The first to have recorded
knowledge was Ibn Shiliab." These narrations and others like it all
point to Imam Az-Zuhri as being the first to have gathered and
recorded the Sunnah; thereafter, other scholars took up the work that
he began.
2. There are certain narrations that no one had memorized save Imam
Az-Zuhri, narrations that would have been lost had he not passed
them down to others. Ibn 'Asiikir related from Al-Layth ibn Sa'd that
Sa'eed ibn 'Abdur-Ra1.Jmiin ibn 'Abdulliih ibn Jameel al-Jamhee said
to him, "0 Abu Biirith, had it not been for Ibn Shihab, much of the
Sunnah would have been lost." And Imam Muslim said, "There are
seventy hadiths that no one relates save Az-Zuhri, not counting
narrations that do not have a good chain."
3, He was the first to have directed the attention of people to the
importance of chains. Before his time the chain of narration was not a
matter that was examined in any detail. Miilik said, ''The first to have
mentioned the chain of narrators was Ibn Shiliab." By this statement,
Mill was perhaps referring to the region of Syria and Palestine; this
is indicated by Ibn 'Asiikir' s narration, in which Az-Zuhri said, "0
people of Syria, why do I see that your hadiths do not have ... bridles
(i.e. chains of narrators)?"
What the scholars of narrator criticism
had to say about Az-Zuhri
Ibn Sa'd, the author of at-Tabaqlit, said, "Az-Zuhri was
trustworthy, with a great amount of knowledge, hadith, and narration.
He was afaqeeh (expert in jurisprudence) and a gatherer ofhadith."
An-Nasa'i said, "The best chains related from the Messenger
of Allah ~ are four: Az-Zuhri from 'Ali ibn al-Basan from his
father, from his grandfather; Az-Zuhri from 'Ubaydulliih from Ibn
'Abbas ~ ... " He then mentioned two other chains.
ImamAJ:unad said, "Az-Zuhri is the best of people with regard
to his hadith and isnad (chain of narration)." Ibn I;Iiitim reported that
Abu Zur' ah was asked, "Which chain is most authentic?" He said,
"They are four - the first is Az-Zuhti from Siilim, from his father... "
In ath-Thiqiit, Ibn I;Iibbiin said, ''The Kunyii of Muhammad
ibn Muslim ibn Slrihiib ibn az-Zuhri a1-Qurashee is Abu Bakr; he saw
ten Companions. He had the best memory during his era and he was
the best in relating texts of narrations. He was as much a faqeeh as he
was a superior man, and many people related from him."
$iile!:l ibn AJ:unad said, "My father said to me, 'Az-Zuhri is one
of the inhabitants of Madinah and one of the Tiibi' oon; and he is
trustworthy." In the introduction of his $ai}eei}, Imam Muslim said,
"Who is depended upon as much as Az-Zuhti with his entinence and
his many companions who are proficient retainers both of his hadith
narrations and the hadith narrations of others... "
In Tahdheeb at-Tahdheeb, Ibn I;Iajr said, "He is Al-Faqeeh,
Abu Bakr, Al-I;Iafidh, AI-Madanee (ascribed to Madinah), one of the
noble and distinguished Imams. He is the scholar of the I;Iijiiz and
Syria." Adh-Dhahabi said, "...He is the Imam, the I;Iafidh, and the
Hujjah (proof; i.e., the narrations he related are trusted and thus
become a proof for all who hear them)."
Who related from him - Either directly
or indirectly through others
Many people related from him, the most famous of them being
Miilik, Abu I;Ianeefah, 'Alii' ibn Abi Rabiih, 'Vmar ibn 'Abdul-
'Azeez, Ibn 'Vyainah, Al-Layth ibn Sa'd, AI-Awzii'ee, and Ibn
Jurayj. The two Shaykhs, Bukhari and Muslim, related chains in
which he was one of the narrators. He is a narrator in the following
books - SunanAbu Diiwood, Sunan an-Nasii'i, Sunan at-Tinnidhi,
The Sunnah arui its role in Islamic legislation 281
Sunan Ibn Miijah, al-Muwattii' (of Imam Miilik), al-Musnad of
Imam Shiifi'ee, and al-Musnad of Imam Al;unad. You will not find a
single chapter in any hadith compilation that does uot have a hadith, a
narration, or an opinion of Az-Zuhri.
In refutation of the doubts raised
about Imam Az-Zuhri
Such is Imam Az-Zuhri's ranking in the Muslim Nation. You
have seeu how favorably Muslim scholars have judged him; none of
them even accuse him of the most minor of offences that might
tarnish the reputation of a narrator of hadith. Among the Muslim
scholars, his trustworthiness and his piety are considered to be
beyond reproach. Even apart from of Muslims scholars, we know of
no one who has attacked the honor of Az-Zuhri except for this
fanatical, Jewish Orientalist, Goldziher. But by the grace of AJlah, all
of his assertions crumble ever so easily in the face of true scholarly
research.
Imam Az-Zuhri's attachment to the Umawiyeen
By virtue of Az-Zuhri's ties with the Umawiyoon, Goldziher
claims that they were able to use him in fabricating hadiths that were
in accordance with their desires. I do not know how the attachment of
a man such as Az-Zuhri - a man so truthful and trustworthy - to
the Umawiyoon could indicate that they used himfor that purpose. In
previous times, the scholars used to have good ties with the Caliphs
and kings without that haviug any effect whatsoever on their
trustworthiness. That Az-Zuhri had good ties with the rulers did not
affect his piety, religion, or trustworthiness. At any rate, those who
benefited from him were the masses of Muslims, whose Sbaykh
would go from circles of knowledge to the gatherings of the rulers
all for the purpose of relating hadiths, or spreading knowledge, or
282 The Sunnah vis-a-vis the onentalists
clarifying a ruling, or training children, or reminding the rulers of
their duty to Allah and of the rights that the Muslim Nation has
upon them.
It has been related in al- 'Aqd al-Fareed that on one occasion
when Az-Zuhri went to Al-Waleed ibn 'Abdul-Mill, the latter said,
"What of the hadith that the people of Syria relate to us?" He said,
"And what is that, 0 Leader of the Believers?" He said, "They relate
to us that if Allah makes a slave responsible over his flock, good
deeds are written for him while bad deeds are not written against
him!" Az-Zuhri said, "False, 0 Leader of the Believers! Is a prophet-
caliph more honorable to Allah or a caliph who is not a prophet?" Al-
Waleed said, "Of course, a prophet-caliph." Az-Zuhri said, "For
indeed, Allah said to his Prophet, Dawood
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Dawood [David]! Verily! We have placed you as a successor on
earth, so judge you between men in truth [and justice] and follow not
your desire - for it will mislead you from the Path of Allah. Verily!
Those who wander astray from the Path of Allah [shall] have a severe
torment, because they forgot the Day of (Qur'an 38: 26)
o Leader of the Believers, this is a warning to a prophet-caliph, then
what do you think is the position of a caliph who is not a prophet?"
Al-Waleed said, "Indeed, people are trying to make us deviate from
our religion."
Contemplate this last narration and notice how, in the end, the
attachment of a great scholar with a noble ruler benefits the Muslims.
Did Imam Az-Znhri surrender his will to that of the ruler and follow
him blindly? Rather, as we have just seen, his was the stance of the
noble, sincere scholar who is advising the ruler about Allah's religion
and protecting the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah from lies
and fabrications. Yes, he was helping the ruler, in the sense that he
was protecting him from treading a dangerous path - the path of
falsehood and oppression.
With his chain that goes back to Shilfi'ee, Ibn 'Asiildr related
that Hisham ibn 'Abdul-Malik asked Sulaymiin ibn Yasar about the
explanation of this verse:
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... And as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his
will be a great (Qur'an 24: II)
Hisham asked, "Who is the one among them who had the greater
share therein?" Sulaymiin said, "He was 'Abdulliih ibn Ubay ibn
Sulool." Hisham said, "You have lied; rather, he was 'Ali ibn Abi
Tiilib." It appears that Hisham was not serious in what he said, but
rather was trying to test the scholars, to see how steadfast they were
upon the truth. Sulaymiin ibn Yasar said, "The Leader of the
Believers is more knowledgeable as regards to that which he speaks
of." Next came the turn of Ibn Shihiib (Az-Zuhri); Hish3m said to
him, "Who was it among them who had the greater share therein?"
Az-Zuhri said, "He was 'Abdulliih ibn Ubay ibn Sulool." Hisham
said, "You have lied; ratherit was 'Ali ibn Abi Talib." Az-Zuhri was
brimming with anger as he said, "1. lie? May you have no father! For
by Allah, were a caller from the sky to call to me and say that Allah
has made lying permissible, I still would not lie... Such and such
person related to me that the one who had the greater share therein
was 'Abdulliih ibn Ubay ibn Sulool." Shilfi'ee said, "The people
present continued to spur Hisham against Az-Zuhri until the former
finally said, "Leave, for by Allah, we should not have paid off the
debts of one like you." ...Ibn Shihiib said, "I know and your father
before you knew that I did not borrow that wealth thinking that you
would repay it or that your father would repay it." Later on, Hisham
became propitiated and pleased with Az-Zubri, and so he paid off his
hnge debt, which of course he had incurred through giving ont
charity. When Az-Zubri received news of that, he said, "All praise is
for Allah, from Whom this blessing comes."
That is what Ibn 'As3kir establishes in a narration that is
related by Shili 'ee, who was one of the Imams of justice and truth.
Does not the above-mentioned incident show you the degree of Az-
Zuhri's trustworthiness? His ties with the rulers were definitely not so
strong as to affect his religion or trustworthiness in any way. He said
to the ruler, "May you have no father!" The average man would not
say such a statement to another man who is like him, at least not if he
respected himin the smallest degree possible. Thus we see that his tie
with the rulers was not the connection between the weak man and the
strong one nor of the deceived and the deceiver, but rather it was the
corutection of one who was sure about his religion and honored
through his knowledge. He was prone to anger if a lie was uttered in
his presence, especially if that lie distorted the historical facts that
pertain to the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ~ . He was
filled with rage when he heard the ruler distrust his interpretation -
and the interpretation of the scholars before him - of a verse from
Allah's book. Does it then make sense that he would succumb to the
desires of the ruler and fabricate lies for him? He said, "May you
have DO father! By Allah, were a caller to call me fromthe sky, saying
that Allah had made lying permissible, I still would not lie." Az-
Zubri was of a rare and precious strain of men in history, for he was
raised upon the guidance of Muhammad ~ .
Next, we must ask the question, what would Az-Zubri have
desired from acquiescing to the demands of the Umawiyoon? Did he
want wealth? Even Goldziher acknowledges that Az-Zubri was not
the kind of man who could have been enslaved by money. Speaking
of Az-Zuhri, 'Amru ibn Deena,. said, "I have not seen the deena,. and
clirham to be as insignificant in the eye of anyone as they were to Az-
Zuhri. It was as if he considered them to be at the same level as
manure." Did he desire status? Goldziher acknowledges that Az-
Zuhri was famo\ls and had a good reputation in the Muslim Nation,
so what higher status could he possibly desire? If Az-Zuhri was not
seeking status or wealth - and you have seen his bravery when it
came to defending the religion - could he have really reached such a
level of stupidity that he would sell his religion to the Umawiyoon
and in the process lose the respect of the Muslims?
Then Goldziher depicts the Bani Umayyah period as being one
replete with oppression and wrongdoing. He claimed that the
righteous scholars of Madinah fought with all of their powers against
the ruling government. We know that Az-Zuhri grew up in Madinah
and studied under the scholars who lived there. He studied under the
tutelage of Sa'eed ibn Musayib until the latter died. Every time Az-
Zuhri traveled to Madinah, Mlliik would sit with him, taking from his
knowledge. Az-Zuhri says about himself that he traveled for thirty-
five years between Madinah and Syria. If Goldziher's claims hold
true, why did the scholars of the various Muslim provinces not hate
Az-Zuhri? Ifin fact he did lie for the benefit of the Umawiyoon, why
did they not declare that he was a liar? Why did his teacher Sa'eed
not absolve himself from him, for he was one who paid no heed to the
punishment and strength of 'Abdul-Mlliik? What was it that made
them remain silent? Was it fear? They were men who knew no fear
when it came to criticizing narrators, regardless of whether that
narrator was the ruler or the lowest man in society. But suppose that
they were afraid: why did the scholars not criticize him during the
government of Bani al- 'Abbas? The supporters of Bani al- 'Abbas did
indeed accuse the rulers of Bani Umayyah of many crimes, but they
accused Az-Zuhri of nothing. Nor was he attacked by any of the
scholars of narrator criticism- including Al;nnad ibn I;Ianbal, Yal:lyii
ibn Mu'een, Bnkhari, Muslim, Ibn Abu I;Iiitim, and others like them
who did not fear the reproach of anyone when they were speaking the
truth for the sake of Allah ~ . During the rule of Bani al-'Abbiis,
the scholars declared Az-Zuhri to be a most upright and truthful
scholar and narrator - despite the fact that he had had strong ties
with the rulers of Bani Umayyah. That perhaps is the greatest proof
that shows him to be above suspicion.
The story of the rock and the Hadith,
"Do not undertake to travel..."
Goldziher claims that 'Abdul-Mill built the Dome of the
Rock in order to tum people away from making pilgrimage to the
Ka'bah. According to Goldziher's claim, he wanted to give the act of
visiting the Dome of the Rock the air of a religious duty, and so, his
friend, Az-Zuhri, fabricated the hadith, "Do not undertake to
travel..." Rarely have I seen anyone distort historical facts to the
degree that Goldziher does in this issue.
First, all trustworthy historians agree that the one who built the
Dome of the Rock was AI-Waleed ibn 'Abdul-Mill; this is related
by Ibn 'Asiikir, Al-'fabari, Ibn al-Atheer, Ibn Khaldoon, Ibn Katheer,
and others. We do not find them to have related, not even in a single
narration, that it was 'Abdul-Mill who built it. Suppose that
Goldziher's claim is true, that 'Abdul-Mill wanted to force people
to make pilgrimage not to the Ka'bah, but to the Dome of the Rock
Mosque (al-Masjid al-Aqsfi). Would not that have been an important
event in the history of Islam, worthy of being mentioned in history
books? It was the custom of Muslim historians to record the most
minute of details of Islamic history - from the birth dates of
scholars, to the dates of their deaths, to the appointment of judges, to
matters even more minute than that. Had 'Abdul-Miilik built the
Dome ofthe Rock and had he forced the people to make pilgrimage
to it, our historians would have meutioned that. But the opposite is
the case, for no trustworthy historian has related anything to support
Goldziher's claims. Among historians in general, Ad-Dumayree is
the ouly one to relate a narration, which he ascribes to Ibn Khilkiin,
that points to 'Abdul-Miilik as having been the one who built the
Dome of the Rock. Yet even in his book, Ad-Dumayree merely says
that: " 'Abdul-MaIik built it and people would stand beside it on the
day of 'Arafah." Despite the fact that this narration is weak and that it
is contrary to the narrations found among all other trustworthy
historians, the text related indicates nothing to further Goldziher's
accusations. It does not show that he built it so that people would
stand beside it on the day of 'Arafah, but rather it only indicates that
they would do so of their own volition. It is not even mentioned in
this narration that they were making pilgrimage to the Dome of the
Rock instead of to the Ka'bah; it ouly says that people would stand
beside it on the day of 'Arafah. This custom was widespread in many
of the Muslim provinces, and it was a custom that the scholars
wamed against, ruling it to be disliked. There is a great difference
between people making pilgrimage to it instead of to the Ka'bah and
between people merely standing beside it, imitating those who are
standing during the pilgrimage on the day of 'Arafah. People would
do so in different lands (i.e. stand beside mosques on the day of
'Arafah) in order to participate with those who had made pilgrimage,
in an attempt to share with their reward. That practice was not limited
to the Dome of the Rock, but people from all Muslim regions would
go out on the day of 'Arafah and stand either in the center of the city
or beside an important mosque.
Second, the wording of Goldziher's claim is itself self-
contradictory, for to build something and to request people to make
pilgrimage to it instead ofto Makkah is a clear instance of disbelief.
How could a mau such as 'Abdul-Miilik do such a vile deed when he
was nicknamed "The Pigeon of the Mosque" for his constant
worship? His opponents leveled mauy accusations at him, but we do
not find a single one of them to have accused him of being a
disbeliever, nor do we find that auy of them reproached !rim for
having built the Dome (aud, at auy rate, it was not even he who had
built). Had he done auything blameworthy, his enemies would have
been the first to find fault with him.
Third, as we have mentioned earlier, Az-Zuhri was born either in the
year 51 H or 58 H. 'Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr ~ was killed in the
year 73 H. Based on the first narration, Az-Zuhri was 22 years old at
the time, aud based on the second one, he was only 15 years old.
Does it make sense that he was famous in the Muslim Nation at such
au early age, to the extent that a fabricated hadith of his would be
immediately accepted hy both the scholars aud the masses, aud in this
instauce, regarding a hadith so grave in its implications that it
required the people to make pilgrimage no more to the Ka'bah, but
only to the Dome?
Fourth, authentic historical narrations leave no room for doubt that
dIning the lifetime of Ibn az-Zubayr, Az-Zubri did not even know
'Abdul-Mill aud had never even seen him. Adh-Dhahabi relates
that Az-Zuhri made acquaintance with 'Abdnl-Miilik for the first
time approximately in the year 80 H. Ibn 'Asiikir relates that they met
for the first time in the year 82 H. Hence Az-Zuhri only made
acquaintauce with 'Abdul-Mill a few years after ,Ibn az-Zubayr
~ was killed. Even when they frrst met, Az-Zuhri was a young
mau, aud 'Abdul-Miilik advised him to seek knowledge in the
precincts of the A n ~ a r . The claim that Az-Zuhri fabricated a hadith
during the lifetime of Ibn az-Zubayr in order to force people to make
pilgrimage to the Dome of the Rock Mosque is obviously a false
claim.
Fifth, all the books of the Sunnah relate the hadith in question. It is
related through many chains, many of which are not related through
Az-Zuhri. Bukhari related it by way of Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri ~
and not by way of Az-Zuhri. Muslimrelated it in three chains, one of
which contained Az-Zuhri, and the other two did not, but rather were
related by way of Jareer from Ibn 'Umayr from Quz'a from Abu
Sa'eed ~ ; and by way of Ibn Wahb from 'Abdul-Hameed ibn
Ja'far from 'Urnran ibn Abi Anas from Salman al-Aghar from Abu
Hurayrah ~ . So we see that Az-Zuhri was not the ouly one to have
related this hadith as is falsely claimed by Goldziher. Shaykh al-
Islam ibn Taymiyah - may Allah have mercy on him - was once
asked whether it is permissible to visit Bayt al-Maqdis and pray in it.
We mnst remember that he held that it was not permissible to make a
journey in order to visit graves. Bnt regarding the issue in question he
wrote:
"It is established in $ai)eei) al-Bukhari and $ai)eei) Muslim from the
Prophet ~ that he said, 'Do not undertake a journey.. .' The hadith
is related through many chains, and it is widely accepted by alI
scholars. In fact, the people of knowledge agree that it is authentic.
And in consequence, the Muslim scholars agree that it is
recommended to travel to Bayt al-Maqdis
5
to perform worship that is
legislated. Among the Companions, it is known that Ibn 'Umar ~
used to visit it and pray in it."
Sixth, the hadith in question is related by Az-Zuhri, who related it
from his Shaykh, Sa'eed ibn al-Musayib. It is obvious that had Az-
Zuhri fabricated this hadith in order to please the Umawee ruler,
Sa' eed would not have remained silent, for as we have seen, he was
punished and tortured at the hands of an Umawee ruler. Sa'eed died
5 Bayt al-Maqdis is the Arabic name for Jerusalem, and here it specifically
refers to the Dome of the Rock Mosque. (Editor)
290 The Sunnah vis-ii-vis the orientalists
in the year 93 H, i.e. twenty years after the death of Ibn az-Zubayr
~ . How could Sa'eed have remained silentfor such a long period,
especially when we know that he was very candid and forthright
when it came to defending the truth? When he did something for
Allah ~ , he did not fear the blame of anyone.
Seventh, let us suppose that Az-Zuhri fabricated a hadith in order to
please 'Abdnl-M31ik, why did he not clearly mention the superiority
of the Dome of the Rock if he in fact wanted people to make
pilgrimage to it? All that is said in this hadith and in every other
hadith that is authenticated about the Bayt al-Maqdis is the
superiority of praying in it and the virtue of visiting it without the
time of the visit being specified. And in a general way, this is
established in the Qur' an. The narration in question therefore goes
nowhere to further the supposed objective of 'Abdul-M3lik - to
force people to make pilgrimage to the Dome of the Rock.
Eight, the hadith "Do not undertake a journey... " is not connected in
any way to those fabricated narrations that speak about the virtues of
the Dome; not a single one of them is related by Az-Zuhri. The
scholars criticize those narrations, saying, "Every hadith that is
related about the Rock is a lie." They also say, "Regarding the virtues
of Bayt al-Maqdis, there are only three authentic narrations:
1. 'Do not undertake a journey...'
2. He was asked about the first house that was created on earth, and
he said, 'al-Masjid al-Ifarlim.' He was then asked, which next? He
said, 'al-Masjid al-Aqsi'i.'
3. 'Indeed prayer in it is equal to seven hundred prayers elsewhere.'''
The Story of Ibriilieem ibn aI-Waleed aI-Umawee
Goldziher said that Ibraheem ibn al-Waleed al-Umawee went
to Az-Zuhri with a scroll and requested that he give him permission
The Sun!Wh and its role in Islamic legislation 291
to disseminate the hadiths that were in it and to make it known to
others that he heard it directly from him. Without hesitating, Az-
Zuhri gave his permission, saying, "And who else would be able to
give you a license to relate them?"
First, Ibn 'AsaIdr pointed out that Ibrilheem had indeed heard
narrations from Az-Zubri. In that case, then, Ibrilheem was
presenting a scroll of hadiths which he had previously heard from
him. And according to the terminology of Hadith scholars, this is
referred to as 'license granted'. In his Muqaddimah, Ash-Shaykh ibn
~ S a l i l l t said:
'The fourth category of conveying hadith is license granted, which
may be given with a license, which means for the student to give a
book to his teacher that he had heard from him, and for the teacher to
say, 'Relate this from me.' Perhaps the teacher might dwell on the
matter first and then say to the student, 'Relate this from me.' And
this is called 'license granted'."
AI-I.Iiikirn said,
"This is considered to be a direct transmission by many scholars of
the early generations. This opinion is related from Miilik, Az-Zuhri,
Ar-Rabee'ah, yal:tya ibn Sa'eed, Mnjiihid, Sufiyiin, and others."
Ayyoob said, "We used to present (what we wrote in terms of)
knowledge to Az-Zuhri." 'Ubaydulliih ibn 'Umar said, "I went to
Az-Zuhri with a book, he dwelled upon it, and then said, 'I give you
license to relate it.''' Many of Az-Zuhri's students gave similar
accounts (i.e., they would present to him hadiths that they had
previously heard from him and then take his permission to relate
them). The action of Ibriiheem ibn al-Waleed in this instance -
supposing the narration to be authentic - is from that category of
hadith transmission. The other possibility, for Ibriiheem to have
invented the hadiths himself, then for him to have requested Az-
Zuhri to give pennission to relate them, and for Az-Zuhri to have
then agreed is impossible. Az-Zuhri was famous and well accepted in
the Muslim nation, and he did not reach that status except by his
trustworthiness, his honesty, and his precision.
Second, Az-Zuhri supposedly said, "And who other than I can give
you license to relate them?" lbis statement, even if we suppose it to
be true, Cll1l11ot be held against him, for who other than Az-Zuhri
could have given Ibrillieem permission to relate those hadiths if
Ibrillieem had heard them from him only. Through Muslim's
narration, we know that Az-Zuhri was the sole narrator of
approximately 90 hadiths. Therefore the meaning of what he said to
Ibrillieem is, "And who other than I knows these hadiths so that he
could give you license to relate them?"
Third, though Ibn 'Asllir said that Ibriiheem had heard narrations
from Az-Zuhri, the Ibriiheem in question is not a narrator in any of
the books of Sunnah, nor do scholars of narrator criticism mention
him - not among the trustworthy ones, not among the weak ones,
and not even among the abandoned ones. So where are those hadiths
that he disseminated by pennission of Az-Zuhri? And where are they
found in the books of Suunah? And who related them? And how did
this scroll disappear, there remaining no trace of it in the books of
history?
Az-Zuhri's saying, "They coerced us
to write hadiths"
Goldziher claimed that Az-Zuhri confessed to his mistakes
when he said in a narration related by Mu'ammar, "Indeed the rulers
forced us to write hadiths." Goldziher propounds the view that this
statement shows that Az-Zuhri was prepared to lend his recognized
name to the wishes and desires of the government.
We have already shown that Az-Zuhri was brave when it came
to defending the truth and that he was the last of people who would
submit himself to the wishes of the rulers. Fromthe narrations that we
have previously related, we can plainly see that he was not the kind of
man who was prepared to lend his recognized name to the cause of
falsehood, even if the government demanded that of him.
The text related by Goldziher is moreover a distortion, behind
which he intended to twist the facts. In the original narration, which is
related by Ibn 'Asillrir and Ibn Sa'd, "Az-Zuhri would refuse to write
hadiths for the people." And it appears that he did this so that people
would depend on their memories, and not on books - and we have
discussed this issue in detail earlier in this work. When Hisham
persisted in demanding him to dictate hadiths to his son in order to
test his memory, Az-Zuhri dictated four hundred hadiths. He
thereafter left the company of Hisham and said in a loud voice, "0
people, we have hitherto forbade you from a matter which we
ourselves have just performed for these rulers, who have forced us to
write the hadiths. So come here that I may relate them to you." He
then related to them the same four hundred hadiths.
In the original narration, Az-Zuhri said "Hadiths", meaning
known hadiths that are related from the Prophet ~ And in
Goldziher's narration, Az-Zuhri purportedly said, "Hadiths" (any
given hadiths). There is a great difference between the original and
the distorted narration: according to the former, Az-Zuhri is saying
that the rulers forced him to write down the Prophet's hadiths;
according to the implications of the latter (when the definite article
"the" is not used), he is saying that the rulers forced him to write
down hadiths, and without the definite article, this could be referring
to any hadiths, even fabrications. From this we see that Goldziher
used any and all means at his disposal to distort true facts.
"Az-Zuhri frequented the castle and
walked in the retinue of the ruler"
Goldziher asserts,
"AzcZuhri was not one of those that could not agree with them, but
rather he was of the view that it is correct to cooperate with the
government. Therefore he did not hesitate to go to the castle of the
ruler; he even used to walk in his retinue."
We have previously clarified that the scholars used to frequent
the gatherings of the rulers and that that did not take anything away
from their religion and from their trustworthiness. We have shown
that, yes, Az-Zuhri did have strong ties with the rulers from Bani
Vmayyah, but they were the ties of a scholar who had honor through
his knowledge, his religion, and his status of a scholar who did not
hesitate to oppose the ruler in any instance when the truth needed to
be clarified. In earlier times, the Companions would often visit
Mu'awiyah. And the Tabi'oon would do the same with Vmawee
rulers. Thereafter, Abu I.Ianeefah frequently visited
And it is well known that Abu Yoosuf would constantly be in the
company of Raroon ar-Rasheed. Despite all of that, their honor and
reputation was not tarnished and they did not descend from the level
of being just and trustworthy scholars.
His pilgrimage with Al-I;I:ajjiij
To further tarnish Az"Zuhri's image, Goldziher claimed that
he was in the retinue of Al-I.Iajjaj when he made the Pilgrimage. But
in reality, Az-Zuhri was with 'Abdullah ibn 'Vmar (410) when the
latter gathered with Al-I.Iajjaj. In Tahdheeb at-Tahdheeb, Ibn I.Iajr
relates a narration that goes back to Az-Zuhri, who said, " 'Abdul-
Miilik wrote to AI-I.Iajjaj, ordering him to follow Ibn 'Vmar in
the rites of I.Iajj... [Ibn 'Vmar went to him with Siilim and
me..." So Az-Zuhri was with 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar, and not with the
entourage of Al-I;!aiiaj.
His training of Hisham's children
One way in which Goldziher tried to belittle Az-Zuhri was by
him for having trained the Hisham's heir apparent.
Historically this is false, for Hisham's heir apparent was not his son,
but his nephew, Al-Waleed ibn Yazeed. Between this Waleed and
Az-Zuhri there existed bad feeling and hostility, which commonly
occurs between the evil ones and the righteous ones. Az-Zuhri only
trained Hisham's children when he made I;!aii with him in the year
106 AB. And what if he taught their children? Is not that better than
for a wicked person or an enemy of Allah to have taught them?
We know that the children of Hisham fought valiant battles against
Roman-held territories and that they deserve credit for spreading
Islam to many lands. Is it not just that we should ascribe some of
those valiant deeds to what their teacher and Shaykh, Imam Az-
Zuhri, instilled in them?
His appointment as judge
Goldziher found fanlt with Az-Zuhri for having accepted the
post ofjudge that Yazeed the Second offered him. Goldziher said that
if Az-Zuhri were indeed pious, he should have fled from taking such
a position, as did Ash-Sha'bee and other righteous scholars. Is this
criticism appropriate? We know of no scholar who ruled that the
reputation of someone becomes tarnished when he becomes a judge.
Indeed, the Messenger of Allah appointed all of the following as
judges - 'Ali ibn Abi Talib Mu'adh ibn Jabal Ma'qal
ibn Yasar and others. Many of the Tabi'oon were judges during
the era of Bani Umayyah - distinguished scholars such as Shurayl;t,
Abu Idrees al-Khoolanee, 'Abdur-RaI;tmiin ibn Abi Layla, and Al-
Qasirn ibn 'Abdur-Ral;tman ibn 'Abdnllah ibn Mas'ood. Some from
among them were even judges for Al-I;Iajjiij, but we know of no
scholar who found fault with thembecause of that. Yes, Ash-Sha'bee
did flee from being appointed a judge and he also fought against Al-
I;Iajjiij with Ibn al-Ash'ath. But when the Discord on the part of Ibn
al-Ash'ath died down, Ash-Sha'bee accepted the appointment of
judgeship. This was his final act, so one wonders why Goldziher
neglected to mention it.
He also claimed that the righteous ones would decline any
judgeships offered to them, and they would consider it to be a defect
in someone if he were to become a jndge. He argued by the hadith,
"Whoever undertakes the position of judgeship or whoever is made
to be ajudge has been slaughtered without the use of a knife." But all
that this narration means is that a judge must be careful when issuing
rulings and that he must be just in those rulings. It is a warning for
judges not to become corrupt.
ill al-HidiIyah, Shaykh al-Islam Al-Mirgheeniini said:
"It is permissible to be appointed by an oppressive ruler just as it is
permissible to be appointed by ajust ruler. The Companions accepted
positions from Mu'iiwiyah ~ even though the truth was with 'Ali
~ . The Tiibi'oon took positions from Al-I;Iajjiij, yet he was
oppressive. The ouly instance when they would not accept a position
from the ruler was when the conditions were such that it was
impossible for them to rule justly."
A Miilikee scholar, Ibn al- 'Arabi said:
"To accept a position of authority is not compulsory upon
individuals, but rather it is a collective responsibility. If the Imam
were to demand help from the people and then every one of them
abstained from answering his call, they would all be sinning. But if
some of them answered his call, they would be rewarded, and the
duty to respond would no longer be compulsory upon the rest."
In Tab#ratul-Ifukkiim, Ibn Farl}oon said:
"And know that all that is related in hadiths in tenus of warning in
this regard is specifically directed to oppressive judges and scholars
or to the ignorant ones that thrust themselves into such positions
without knowledge. It is for these sorts of people that the warnings
and threats have come."
And as such, we see that one's status as a just and upright
person is not affected simply by becoming a judge. The position of
judgeship is most honorable in many regards, but especially in the
sense that one is acting as a deputy to the Messenger of Allah ~ .
Yes, there were many scholars who fled from the position of
judgeship. Many among them bore much hardship in fleeing from
that position, but they did not flee from becoming judges because
they feared that their reputation as upright people would become
tarnished. Rather they did so, fearing that they would meet Allah ~
and upon them would be the burdens of the mistakes they might have
made concerning the affairs of people.
Goldziher knew that by raising doubts about hnarn Az-Zuhri,
he was in fact raising doubts about all compilations of hadith, for as
we have mentioned earlier, Az-Zuhri contributed greatly to the
dissemination of the Prophet's SiInnah. He was the first to have
recorded it and he was the sole narrator of many hadiths.
As we have seen thus far, all of Goldziher's claims are baseless and
are easily disproved. A pithy yet profound depiction of hnam Az-
Zuhri's status was given by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah when he
said, "(hnarn Az-Zuhri) acted as a servant to Islam for 70 years."
hnam Az-Zuhri used to say,
"Allah has not been worshipped through any means that is better than
knowledge... And it is through knowledge that Allah has trained His
Prophet (Blessings and peace be npon him)... Whoever hears
knowledge should make it as a proof for him between him and Allah
~ ) .
And he used to say, "Indeed learning can be negatively affected by
certain matters: forgetfulness, lying, and for the scholar to abandon
his knowledge until it abandons him." During his lifetime, he was a
sign of knowledge and guidance, and he will remain so for as long as
Allah pleases, in spite of all false, wicked, and fanatical opponents.
And all praise is for Allah, the Lord of all that exists.
Goldziher alleges,
"But Az-Zuhri did not stop at inventing hadiths for the political
benefit of the ruling house; instead, he went beyond that to affairs of
worship, fighting views that were not in accordance with the opinions
held by the inhabitants of Madinah." The Friday sermon consisted of
two separate sermons, the leaders would preach while in a standing
position, and the 'Bid sermon used to follow the prayer. The
Umawiyoon changed all of that. For example, based on a narration
they had with them, they claimed that the Messenger ~ ) used to
give a sermon while in a seated position.
A similar situation occurred when Mu'iiwiyah (.) increased the
number of steps of the pulpit. The Urnawiyoon did not limit
themselves to fabricating hadiths that were in their favor, but they
also worked to conceal or to raise doubts about those hadiths that did
not correspond to their own views.
Throughout history, governments have often taken practical
steps to strengthen their position in the eyes of the people, to make
things easier for their citizens, and to improve and renovate the
infrastructure of their cities. For the most part, these matters had
nothing to do with changing the religion. Even during the caliphates
of the four rightly-guided Caliphs, we discern such steps being taken,
but we must remember that those steps either had a basis in the Sharia
or at least did not contradict its teachings.
For example, it was Abu Bakr (4Jb) who gathered the Qur' an
in one 6; this was for the of Islam and Muslims.
'Vmar gathered the people behind one Imam for the Ramagiln
night prayers; this practice has its source in the Prophet's Sunnah;
'Vtbmiln ($) founded a first adhiin (call to prayer) outside of the
mosque; this was needed because of the expansion of Madinah. Aud
'Vmar ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez expanded the Prophet's Mosque; with
more and more people visiting Madinah, this was inevitable.
Goldziher censured Mu'iiwiyah ($) for having added steps
to the pulpit. However, a sintilar change occurred during the life of
the Prophet (Blessings and peace be upon him). After having
delivered his sermon at the root of a date-palm tree for a period of
time, he took a pulpit consisting of three steps because there was an
increase in attendance at the mosque; the Prophet needed a
higher place to speak from so that all could hear him. Because of the
expansion of the Muslim Nation during Mu'iiwiyah' s era, even more
people attended the mosque. Mu'iiwiyah (4Jb) increased the number
of steps so that people could hear him, and of course, there is nothing
wrong with that.
Goldziher then blamed Mu'iiwiyah ($) for sitting down
during the second sermon. We acknowledge that this constituted a
change in the form of worship, for all before Mu'iiwiyah ($) stood
during the second sermon. But he did not make that change by
choice; rather he did it from necessity: he become so overweight that
he was no longer able to stand for long periods of time. Ash-Sha'bee
said, "The first to give a sermon while sitting down was Mu'iiwiyah,
6 the Arabic text of the Qur'an without exegesis or extraneous text;
the volume containing this. (Editor)
and that was when he increased in fat and when his stomach became
large." Regarding this issue, Goldziher lied, for no one from the
Umawiyoon justified giving a sennon in a seated position by saying
that the Prophet ~ did the same.
As for delivering the 'Bid sennon before the 'Bid prayer,
Mirwiin excused himself, saying that he did that out of necessity,
because people would no longer listen to the sennon after the prayer.
This is the excuse he gave; he did not, however, invent a hadith or ask
someone else to fabricate one for him in order to justify his action.
Nonetheless, the Companions and the Tiibi 'oon reproached him for
having changed the order of the prayer and the sennon.
Bnkhari related in his fjal}eel} that Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri ~
censured Mirwiin, then the governor of Madinah, for performing the
sennon before the 'Bid prayer. Abu Sa'eed said to him, "You have
changed matters, by Allah!" Mirwiin said, "0 Abu Sa'eed, what you
know has gone." Abu Sa'eed said, "What I know, by Allah, is better
than that which I do not know." Mirwiin said, "Indeed, people would
not sit down (to hear us) after the prayer." And ImamMuslim related
a similar narration.
Mirwiin did not argue his point by mentioning a hadith and
neither did Mu'iiwiyah ~ when he gave a sennon sitting down or
when he added steps to the pulpit. We acknowledge that these
modifications did occur, but at the same time we do not accept the
view that the Umawiyoon leaders intended to change the Religion or
that they justified their actions with fabricated narrations.
Goldziher then said:
"In the second century, Muslims felt that it was enough for a
narration to be correct in appearance in order for them to authenticate
it. And many hadiths they cousider to be acceptable are in fact
fabricated. They were aided in this quest by the narration, 'Hadiths
related from me will increase, and so whoever relates to you a hadith,
you should then compare it to Allah's book. Whatever is in
accordance with it, then it is from me, regardless of whether I have
said it or not.' "
Goldziher implies that scholars acknowledged there to be
many fabrications among hadiths that they ruled to be acceptable. No
Muslim scholar has ever made such a statement. Goldziher made that
claim without providing any proof whatsoever. He should have
realized that in all scholarly work, one needs to provide proofs to
support one's claim; it is in the fish market, perhaps, that one can
speak as ignorantly as one pleases. As for the hadith he mentioned,
scholars of hadith have ruled it to be a fabrication.
Goldziher also suggested that Ibn 'Vmar ~ ) did not accept a
hadith from Abu Hurayrah ~ ) ; we examine that claim in detail in
our discussion on Ahmad Ameen.
Goldziher asserts,
"Other than narrations that were related verbally, there appeared as
well written scrolls that indicated the wishes or commands of the
Messenger ~ ) . It is quite uufortunate that such scrolls are not
scrutiuized in order to ascertain their authenticity. For example, there
is nothing authentically related (i.e. verbally) as regards to how much
zakat should be paid for the ownership of young and old cows. And
so the people resorted to written scrolls that are ascribed to the
Messenger of Allah ~ ) .
Scholars of the Sunnah treated written scrolls in the same
manner that they treated verbal narrations: they scrutinized them in
order to differentiate between the authentic and the fabricated. In fact,
they rejected a number of written scrolls that were ascribed to the
Prophet ~ ) on that basis. As for narrations about zakat, there were
many. Scholars sifted through them, applyiug principles of hadith
302 The Sannail vis-a-vis the orientalists
criticism. In the end, they fonnd some of them to be authentic, others
to be acceptable, and still others to be weak.
From the previous discussion, it becomes clear that Goldziher
did not adhere to diguified scholarly principles of research; he
distorted (the truth) whenever he needed to, he twisted facts
whenever he felt the need to do so, and he lied whenever it would
help further his claims. And it is sad to see some Muslims, such as
Ahmad Ameen, take Goldziher to be their Shaykh. How perfect
Allah is! He guides whom He wills and He leads astray whom He
wills.
"1'" J- // .....il ).,r .../ ......... :"', <>/ .""\>::"'\ .J. /--:"
. '''>-: iY'.J ' '-t' .)x,.. <..J 4ll , C>-'
M ...... I,) "," ......,........ J .. .....-..
.Q 1";;::
. _.... .:f-;;.. '.)
---- j.., < /'" .-- /< / '
(H0 : rL.;'i1 0.J.r-) '1 Jo
whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam,
and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed
and constricted, as ifhe is climbing up to the sky. Thus Allah puts the
wrath on those who believe (Qar'an 6: 125)
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Sunnah Vis-a.-vis Some
Contemporary Writers
Who Reject It
Wehave hitherto discussed one Orientalist's view of the
Sunnah. Yet there is a darker shade than his, one even more sinister,
which consists of deceptive attacks that are leveled against the
Sunnah. These attacks are cartied ont by "Muslims" who have
become students of the Orientalists. Their way of attack is neither
clear nor direct, definitely not like the direct offensive of the
Orientalists before them. Rather, these so-called Muslims hide under
a veneer of knowledge, under an ostensible purpose of sincere
scholarly endeavor. Seeking not to walk in open terrain and not to
clearly enunciate the views that lie in their hearts, they choose
trickery and hidden deception, fearing the rage of the masses. And we
will see - insh/i' Allah - that the falsehood of these so-called
Muslims is even more vile and reprehensible in its effects than the
work of the Orientalists. And we seek help from Allah, for He is
sufficient for us and He is a most perfect Benefactor.
The most prominent of contemporary writers who has taken
such a path is Alunad Ameen, a graduate of Islamic law. He has
written Fajr ai-Islam, T)uiJa ai-Islam and Dhuhr al-Isltim. He spoke
304 The Sunnah vis-a-vis some contemporary writers who reject it
about hadith literature in Fajr al-Isliim, a book in which he
confounds truth with falsehood, reality with lies, guidance with
deviance. In it, the author levels vicious attacks against a group of
distinguished Companions and Tiibi 'oon.
A Summary on the "Hadith" chapter
in Fajr aI-Islam
Ahmad Ameen dedicates approximately twenty pages of his
work to discussing the Prophet's Sunnah. He attempts to give an
historical account of the Sunnah and ofits recording. He defines the
Sunnah and mentions its status in the Sharia. He then goes on to
mention that hadith narrations were not recorded during the lifetime
of the Messenger of Allah ~ , though he does say that some
Companions wrote some narrations for themselves. He writes that the
Companions were of two groups after the death of the Messenger
~ : the first group disliked to relate hadiths abundantly and they
would demand proof from the narrator to show that what he related
was authentic, and the second group would relate abundantly from
the Prophet ~ . He alleges that because the Sunnah was not
recorded in any specific book and because the early generations of
Muslims depended maiuly on their memory, there resulted a great
deal of fabrications and lies about the Messenger ~ . He maintains
that such lies began to surface during the Prophet's lifetime. He
asserts that the acceptance of Islam by various peoples led to the
spread of many fabricated narrations, to such an extent that hnam
Bukhari had to choose for his authentic book from approximately
600,000 hadiths that were widespread during his era. The author of
Fajr al-Isliim then goes on to mention the main causes that led to
fabrication - and we have discussed them ourselves in a previous
chapter.
Ameen then proceeds on to mention the efforts of the scholars
in quelling the spread of fabrications, but be differed with Muslim
scbolars when he asserts the following: hadith scholars were derelict
in defending the Sunnah because they directed most of their criticism
to the chain of a narration and not to the text itself; he writes that they
directed one tenth of their attention to the text and the rest to the
chain. He then mentions those Companions who related hadiths
abundantly. And of course he mentions Abu Hurayrah ~ . He said,
"Indeed he would not write, but rather would relate from his memory.
He would relate narrations that he did not directly hear himself from
the Prophet (l!l!1i). Some Companions complained about his hadith
narrations, criticizing him most vehemently."
Ameen ends the "Chapter of Hadith" by going through the historical
stages that led to the recording of the Sunnah, ending his analysis
with the period of Bukhari, Muslim, and other compilers of the 'Six
Books.!.
That summarizes the "Chapter of Hadith," pages 255 to 274
from Fajr aI-Islam. Before commenting in detail on all of Ameen's
statements, we must first begin with some background. A deviant
"Muslim" in Egypt, Isma'eel Adham, distributed a pamphlet in the
year 1353 H on the history of the Sunnah. In it, he wrote that the
majority of hadiths that Muslims rely upon are not authentic, and at
best are doubtful. According to him, many of them are fabrications.
This pamphlet provoked the anger of many Muslims, and the
Egyptian government was forced, based on a request from the
scholars of Azhar University, to ban the publication. Adham went on
to defend his views in another publication, claiming that he was not
1 The 'Six Books' refers authentic compilations of the six greatest collectors of
hadiths: Bukhari, Muslim, Tinnidhi, Abu Dawood, Nasa'i and Ibn Majah.
(Editor)
306 The Sunnah vis-a.-vis some contemporary writers who reject it
alone in the doubts he raised about the Sunnah, but rather that a large
group of scholars agreed with him. Among those scholars, he
mentioned Ahmad Ameen. We waited long and hard for Ameen to
disassociate himself from that liar ... but he did not do so. Instead he
wrote an article in a weekly journal, expressing his grief over what
happened to his friend (Adharn), saying that freedom of expression
had been crushed.
In 1360 H, a debate took place at Azhar University about
lmarn Az-Zubri. It was instigated by Dr. 'Ali I:Iasan 'Abdul-Qadir,
who told me that Ahmad Ameen said the following words to him
after the debate:
"Indeed, Azhar University does not accept scholarly views that are
borne from freedom of expression, so the best way to spread your
views which are taken from the Orientalists is not to ascribe those
views to them directly. Rather, present your views to Azhar scholars,
saying that all of the research is yours. And present those views in
such a delicate way as will not anger them, for that is what I have
done in Fajr ai-Isiam and J)uiJa ai-Islam."
In the following section, we will go beyond merely accusing Ameen;
we will also present proof to establish his gnilt.
Did fabrications begin during the
lifetime of the Messenger ~ ?
On page 256 of Fajr ai-Islam, Ahmad Ameen writes,
"It appears that fabrications first carne into being during the lifetime
of the Messenger ~ . The hadith, Whoever lies about me on
purpose, then let him take his seat in the Hellfire, was probably
spoken because of an incident wherein someone falsely ascribed a
saying to the Messenger (;il!j)."
The Sunnah and its role in Islamic legislaOOn 307
This claim is not snpported by any authentic historical narration, nor
does Ameen mention any hadith related in a trustworthy source to
back up his words.
History establishes that, without a doubt, no one who accepted
Islam during the life of the Messenger ~ falsely ascribed any
saying to him. As for the hadith that Ameen refers to, the authentic
books of Sunnah agree that the Prophet ~ said those words when
he ordered his Companions to convey his hadiths to posterity. In a
hadith related in Bukhari, the Prophet ~ said, Convey from me
even if it is one verse, and relate from the children of Israel, and there
is no harm in that (i.e., news of previous nations that does not
contradict with the Book or the authentic Sunnah). And whoever lies
about me on purpose, then let him take his seat in the Hellfire.
2
Muslimrelated from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri ~ that the Messenger
of Allah ~ said, Do not write from me, and whoever has written
from me other than the Qur' an, then let him erase it. And relate from
me, for that is all right. And whoever lies about me on purpose, then
let him take his seat in the Hellfire.
3
And At-Tinnidhi related from
Ibn 'Abbas ~ that the Prophet ~ said, Beware of hadith from
me except for that which you know, for whoever lies upon me on
purpose,then let him take his seat in the HellfIre. Imam AlJrnad
reported that Abu Moosa al-GhiifIqee said, "Indeed the fInal
command that the Messenger of Allah ~ gave to us was when he
said, 'Upon you is Allah's Book, and you will return to a people who
love hadith from me, so whoever says upon me that which I have not
said, then let him take his seat in the Hellfire. And whoever has
memorized something, then let him relate it.' " Others have related
narrations that convey a similar meaning. All of these narrations
2 Reported by Bukbari, vol. 11, p. 227, badith no. 3202.
3 Reported by Muslim, vol. 14, p. 291, badith no. 5326 and Al-I;l3kim in al-
Mustadrak. vol. 2, p. 229. Hadith status: authentic.
show that the Prophet (;iI) knew that Islam would spread to the
people of many nations, and so he pointed out in clear words that
they should be careful and cautious when relating his sayings. ill
these narrations, he was addressing his Companions because they
were the ones who were to convey his message to the Muslim nation
and they were the ones who had first witnessed his message. But
none of the above-mentioned narrations indicates that the Prophet
(;iI) gave that warning because someone had already falsely ascribed
a saying to him. There are, however, two narrations that are contrary
in their implications to those mentioned above:
1. ill Mushldl al-Ath/ir, At-Tahiiwi related from 'Abdullah ibn
Buraydah from his father, who said, "A man went to a people who
were living on the outskirts of Madinah, and he said, 'illdeed the
Messenger of Allah (;iI) has ordered me to rule among you according
to my opinion in such and such rnatter. ..' During the days of
ignorance, he had proposed to a woman from among them, and they
had refused to marry her off to him. So he went to them until he
reached the woman, but the people to whom he went betook
themselves to the Prophet (;iI), asking himabout what happened. The
Prophet (;iI) said, 'He has lied, the enemy of Allah.' He then sent a
man, instructing him, 'If you find him alive, then strike him in his
throat, but I do not perceive that you will find him to be alive. And if
you fmd himto be dead, then burn him.' When he found him, he saw
that he had been bitten and as a result died, and so he burned him. After
that happened, the Prophet (;iI) said, Whoever lies about me..."
2. ill al-Awsa{, At-'fabarani related from 'Abdullah ibn 'Amru ibn al-
~ that a man wore a robe similar to the robe of the Prophet (;iI); he
then went to the inhabitants of a house in Madinah, saying to them,
"illdeed the Prophet (;iI) told me to go to the dwellers of any house
that I wished to go and he gave me permission to go in and see (and
take) whatever I want." They prepared a house for him and they sent
a messenger to the Messenger of Allah < ~ to inform him of what
happened. He <m) said to Abu Bakr < ~ and 'Vmar < ~ "Go to
him and if you find that he is alive, then kill him, and after that burn
him with fire. And if you find that he is dead, then you will have been
sufficed and I do not perceive except that you have been sufficed.,,4
They went to him and found that he had gone out in the night to
urinate, and while he was out he was bitten by a poisonous snake and
consequently, he died. They burned him and then returned to the
Messenger of Allah <m), informing him of wbat happened. He ~
said, Whoever lies abont me....
We must discuss these two narrations from various angles:
First, the texts of the two narrations impart strange meanings and
have all the telltale signs of fabrications. We do not know from the
biography of the Messenger of Allah < ~ that he ever ordered for the
dead to be burned. The authentic books of Sunnah do not relate to us
that he did that even once.
Second, the chains of both narrations are weak and contain narrators
whose hadiths are not acceptable. And that is why As-Sakhiiwi ruled
that they are fabrications.
Third, suppose that they are authentic; in both narrations, the reason
why the perpetrator fabricated a hadith was a worldly one that had
specifically to do with the falsifier. What does that have to do with
fabrications pertaining to the Religion, which Muslims relate as if
they are the hadith of their Messenger <mF How does the
falsification mentioned in these isolated instances, instances where
the motive was purely worldly and purely specific to the perpetrator,
indicate that fabrications had occurred during the lifetime of the
Messenger <m)?
4 Reported by At-Tabarani in al-Awsat, vol. 5, p. 131, hadilh no. 2172. Hadilh
status: There is a narrator in its chain of transmission, who become confused
and was disorganized. See Majmoo' al-Zawa<id, vol. 1, p. 145.
FoUI1h, it is clear from both narrations that the perpetrator in each
instance was nnknown. It is probable that the perpetrator had never
even met the Prophet ~ . It is even quite likely that he had not
accepted Islam, which means that he was not a Companion.
Therefore, there is no basis, in these narrations to snpport the claims
of anyone who wishes to raise donbts abont the truthfnlness of the
Companions.
Regardless of whether the hadith was spoken because of the
reason mentioned in the authentic books of Sunnah or because of the
reason mentioned in the previous two narrations - which some
scholars rule to be fabricated - there is no indication or proof to
show that fabrications occurred during the life of the Messenger ~ .
The supposition that fabrications occurred during his lifetime is
dangerous, for the first consequence of that assumption is that one
ascribes lies to the Companions of the Messenger ~ . And that is
contradictory to the truth and reality that is known regarding the
history of those Companions. It is also contrary to what the masses of
the Muslims agree upon in terms of their uprightness and
unquestionable trustworthiness - the only ones to deviate from that
were the Shi 'ah, some groups from the Khawiirij, and the Mu'tazilah.
Whatever Ahmad Ameen's motive was for forming that supposition,
he strayed from the truth and built upon a false foundation that is not
supported by any authentic hadith.
Hadiths of Tafseer
Ameen writes on page 529,
"Imam Al;unad's statement about hadiths of tafseer clearly indicates
the enormous amount ofhadith fabrications. He said that no narration
of tafseer is authentic. And Al;unad himself gathered thousands of
hadiths about tafseer. The compilation of Bukhari consists of 7000
hadiths, of which 3000 are repetitions. They say that these are the
ones he chose and deemed to be authentic out of the 600,000 hadiths
that were widespread during his era."
No one denies that there are a great number of narrations that
are fabricated, but to prove that, Ameen referred to two points: the
hadiths of tafseer (i.e. hadiths that explain verses from the Qur' an)
and the hadith of Bukhari. The appareut meaning of Ameen's words
is that he has doubts about all hadiths that clarify the tafseer of the
Qur'an.
If one were to delve into the books of Sunnah, one would find
that a great number of hadiths that speak about tafseer are authentic,
related through authentic chaius. In every book of Sunnah, the author
dedicates an entire chapter to what is related about tafseer -
including narrations from the Messeuger ~ , from the Companions,
and from the T3bi'oon. Furthermore, the scholars of tafseer have
stipulated that whoever wishes to interpret Allah's Book must
depend on what is related from the Prophet ~ .
Imam Abu Ja'far at-Tabari said iu his tafseer,
"Some of what Allah ~ revealed in the Qur' an to His Prophet ~
cannot be interpreted with any certaiuty except through clarification
from the Messenger ~ ... "
When discussing some of the matters that a mufassir
5
needs to
clarify, Abu I,Iiyiln al-Andaloosi, the author of al-Bal;r al-Mul;eet
said,
"To specify that which is unspecified, to clarify that which is general,
to clarify the reason that a verse was revealed, and to clarify the
occurrence of abrogation. These matters are taken from authentic
narrations that are related from the Messenger of Allah ~ ... "
5 Mufassir (pI. mufassiroon): one who engages in tafseer, i.e., one who
interprets the Qur'an. (Editor)
And As-Suyoo1i related in al-ItqiIn that Ibn Taymiyah said: "It
is compulsory to know that the Prophet ~ clarified the meanings of
the Qur'an to his Companions just as he clarified to them its text.
This verse,
(f f : ~ I 'H-)
~ ... And We have also sent down unto you [0 Muhammad] the
reminder and the advice [the Qur'an], that you may explain clearly to
people what is sent down to them...) (Qur'an 16: 44),
- encompasses both aims."
Az-Zarkashee classified the Qur' an into two categories: in the
first category, the tafseer of a verse is related either from the Prophet
< ~ from the Companions, or from the Tiibi 'een. And in the second
category, there is no narration that has reached us in which the tafseer
is given.
Other scholars, like Az-Zarkashee, classified tafseer into that
which is transmitted and that which is not transmitted. They ruled
that it is incumbent upon the mufassir to always to resort to the first
category. Had the greater portion of hadith literature pertaining to
tafseer not been authentic, they would not have issned this ruling.
There are even some scholars who hold that it is not permissible to
interpret a verse from the Qur' an except with what is related from the
Prophet <m).
As-Suyoo1i said in al-ItqiIn, "People have differed regarding
the tafseer of the Qur' an - is it permissible for any person to delve
into it? A group of scholars hold that it is not permissible for anyone
to interpret parts of the Qur' an, even if he or she is a knowledgeable
scholar whose knowledge of proofs, fiqh, grammar, and hadith
literature is extensive. The most knowledgeable of scholars have no
recourse except to take that which the Prophet ~ related.. ."
Each of the above narrations and sayings of the scholars shows
that it is not permissible for a scholar to reject authentic narrations
about tafseer. In Mukhta1jir al-Buwaytee, Shiifi 'ee said that it is not
permissible to interpret verses whose meanings are not clear and
obvious except through the Sunnah of the Prophet ~ , through a
narration from one of his Companions, or through the consensus of
the scholars. Yes, it is true that the total amount which is related
about tafseer from the Prophet ~ is less than that which is not
related from him. And the amount that is authenticated from those
narrations is less than that which is not authenticated. Nonetheless, it
is not permissible to raise doubts about those narrations that are in
fact authentic.
When Ahmad Ameen mentioned hnam AJ:unad, he was
referring to this statement that is related from him: "Three...have no
foundation: 'Tafseer', 'Trials', and 'Battles'." And in another
narration, "There are three books that have no foundation: 'Battles',
'Trials', and 'Tafseer'." In arriving at the true meaning of this
statement, we have to discuss it from a number of angles.
First, it is doubtful as to whether the above-mentioned narration from
hnam Al;imad is authentic, for he himself related many hadiths about
tafseer. Does it make sense that he would relate them and establish
them from his Shaykhs in his Musnad, and later on rule that nothing
authentic has been related concerning tafseer? Furthermore, the
implication of that statement is that all narrations from the Arabs
concerning Muslim battles are lies, and no scholar - or layman for
that matter - says that.
Second, it is well known from hnarn Al:,unad that he would negate the
authenticity of a hadith that was, if not authentic, then at least
acceptable. The scholars have said that hnarn AJ:unad used
terminology that was specific to him in this matter. In ar-Raja wat-
Takmeel, Al-Laknawee said: 'They would often say, 'it is not
authentic,' or, 'it is not established'. One who has no knowledge
might suppose that they were referring to fabricated or weak
narrations, bnt that is because he is ignorant of the terminology that
they use. In Tadhkiratul-Mawtjoo'fit, 'Ali al-Qfui said, 'That a
narration is not established does not mean that it is fabricated.' AI-
I.Iafidh Ibn I.Iajr said ... that it is acknowledged that AQrnad ibn
I.Ianbal said, 'I do not know of an established hadith regarding the
Tasmiyah (i.e. saying Bismillfih before making ablution).' Ibn I.Iajr
commented, 'That he negated having any knowledge of such a hadith
being established does not mean that any such narration is weak.
Perhaps by 'established', he was referring to 'authentic,' which does
not negate the possibility of Ifasan (acceptable).' "
Third, huam Al,lmad did not say that there is nothing authentic about
tafseer; rather, he ouly said that there are three that have no
foundation. It is probable that he was negating the authenticity of
specific books that dealt with the three said branches of knowledge.
This is proven by the second narration, in which he clearly said,
'three books'. This meaning is understood by Al-Khateeb al-
Baghdiidi when he said, "He was referring to specific books...(of the
three) one is by al-Kalbi and another is by Muqatil ibn Sulayman."
And huam AQrnad said about Tafseer al-Kalbi, "It is a lie from its
beginning to its end, and it is not permissible to read it."
Fourth, perhaps Imam AQrnad meant that what is authentic in tafseer
is ouly a small amount when compared to that which is not authentic.
This interpretation is accepted by many scholars.
In al-Burhfin, Az-Zarkashi said about hadiths that give an
interpretation of the Qur' an,
"It is necessary to be cautious about what is weak and what is
fabricated, for there is much in that regard. That is why huamAQrnad
The Sunnah and its role in Islamic legislatinn 315
said, 'Three books have no foundation, The Battles, The Trials, and
Tafseer.' Some of the more knowledgeable scholars from his school
said, 'He meant that many narrations do not have authentic,
connected chains, yet there is still much that is authentic.'''
Therefore, to use Imam Al;unad' s statement in order to raise
doubts about Alpideeth of tafseer is not correct; it is a view that is
disproved by authentic narrations in the major books of Sunnah, such
as Sa!}ee!} al-Bukhari, Sa!}ee!} Muslim, al-Muwarra', At-Tirmidhi-
and Musnad Imam A!}mad as well.
Is Imam Bukhari's ~ a J e e J comprehensive
of all that is authentic?
Ahmad Ameen claimed that Bukhari chose the hadiths of his
authentic compilation from a store of 600,000 hadiths. Our
discussion here revolves around two topics.
First: the number of hadiths that were widespread at that time. No
doubt, there was a huge number of hadiths that were widespread
during the lifetime of Bukhari - reaching 600,000 or even more. It
has been related that Imam Al;unad said, "There are slightly more
than 700,000 hadiths that are authentic. And this young man (i.e. Abu
Zur'ah) has indeed memorized 700,000." But what is the reality of
this great number? Are they all hadiths that discuss different topics?
Or are they simply different chains for the same hadiths? And are
they all hadiths that are ascribed to the Prophet ~ or are they also
ascribed to the Companions and the Tabi'oon? To answer these
questions, we must first mention the different meanings of hadith,
khabr
6
, and athdr7.
6 Khabr: literally: news.
7 afhiiy: literally: traces, remains
A group of scholars have said: "A hadith is that which is
ascribed to the Prophet ~ , and is therefore specifically meant to be
what he ~ said. It cannot refer to a saying of anyone else unless
there is additional proof to indicate that. As for khabr, it is more
general in its implications, for it is also comprehensive of that which
is ascribed to the Companions and to the Tiibi'oon. And as such,
every hadith is a khabr, but not every khabr is a hadith."
Others have said, "Hadith is that narration whose chain goes
back all the way to the Prophet ~ , and it also refers to that which
stops short at the Companions and the Tiibi 'oon. By this definition,
hadith is a synonym of khabr." As for fithar, it is synonymous to the
first meaning of khabr: it encompasses all narrations, regardless of
whether they are related from the Prophet ~ , from the
Companions, or from the Tiibi 'oon. The jurists of Khorasan call a
narration that stops short at the Companions or the Tiibi'oon an
iithar, and a narration that goes back to the Prophet ~ a khabr.
Therefore scholars differ in their understanding of the terms
hadith, khabr, and iithar. And based on that difference, we can easily
understand how there can be so many hadiths, 700,000 or even more,
for that number includes narrations that are related from the Prophet
~ as well as narrations that are related from Companions and
Tiibi'oon. Also, they include many chains of a single hadith. A
scholar of hadith may relate a single hadith with many different
chains. There might be many people, for instance, who relate from a
single Companion, and all of their narrations are passed down. The
job of the Hadith scholar is to gather the different chains of hadith;
consequently, he may even have ten chains for a single hadith,
though he counts them to be ten hadiths, and not one hadith.
If we were to gather the sayings, the deeds, and the approvals
of the Prophet ~ , adding to them the sayings of the Companions
and the Tiibi'oon, and adding to all of that the many chains of
The Sunnah and its role in Islamic legislation 31 7
narrations, it is not strange if that total would add up to hundreds of
thousands.
Al-'Allfunah ash-Shaykh Tahir al-Jaza'iree wrote:
"Some Hadith scholars use the tenn hadith both for the Prophet's
sayings and for the sayings of Companions and Tabi'oon. People
should not be surprised, therefore, when it is said to them that such-
and-snch had memorized 700,000 authentic hadiths. Many people
deem that to be an exaggeration, saying, 'Where are those hadiths
and why have they not reached us? And why did the retainers of
hadith not relate even one-tenth of that? And how is it correct that
they have neglected to relate most of what has been established from
the Prophet Hadith scholars are famous for the efforts they
made in preserving the authentic Sunnah, which means that they
should not have abandoned any of that.' "
It is related that Imam Alpnad said: ''There are slightly more
than 700,000 hadiths that are authentic, and this young man - he
was referring to Abu Zur'ah - has memorized 700,000 hadiths. And
he has memorized 140,000 about tafseer." It is related that Bukhari
said, "I have memorized 100,000 authentic hadiths and 200,000 that
are not authentic." It is related that Muslim said, "I have compiled in
this authentic Musnad (hadiths taken) from a store of 300,000 hadiths
which I have heard." As for what is related about Abu Zur'ah having
memorized 140,000 hadith about tafseer, you will be less astonished
when you learn that in this verse:
, ./
(A : .....;t53\ o..u-") if,;f-!!> .J>-lr
on that Day, you shall be asked about the delight [you
indulged in, in this (Qur'an 102: 8),
An-Na'eem mentioned ten sayings of the mufassiroon, and
each saying from them is called a hadith according to their
terminology.
(v-, : "-,,,WI '"r") 5jtwi S;::}J &Ji
who do good deeds only to be seen [of men], and refuse al-
Ma'oon [small kindnesses, e.g. salt, sugar, water,
(Qur'an 107: 6-7)
As regards al-Ma'oon in this verse, the scholars of tafseer have
mentioned six opinions, each one except for the sixth is considered to
be a hadith."
Second: that which is considered to be authentic by Bnkhari. The
author of Fajr ai-Islam, Ahmad Ameen, claims that the 4000 (not
counting repetitions) hadiths that Bnkhari compiled constitnte all that
Bnkhari considered to be authentic from among the 600,000 or so
hadiths that were widespread during his era. This claim is
unprecedented, for scholars agree that Bnkhari did not include in his
compilation every hadith that he considered to be authentic.
In his Muqaddimah, Ibn noted:
"Neither Bnkhari nor Muslim covered the authentic hadiths
extensively in their compilations, nor did they claim to do so. We
have related from Bnkhari that he said, 'I have not inserted into al-
Jami' (i.e. $aiJeeiJ al-Bukhan) other than what is authentic, and I
have left out other authentic narrations... because it (the compilation)
would be too long otherwise.' And we have related from Muslimthat
he said, 'I have not placed in this book everything that I considered to
be authentic. All that I put here is that which has been agreed upon.' "
Al-I.Imdh Ibn Katheer wrote:
"Neither Bnkhari nor Muslim adhered to the methodology of relating
all that has been ruled to be authentic. Both of them have
authenticated hadiths that are not found in their compilations. At-
Tirmidhi related that Bnkhari authenticated hadiths that he did not
include iu his owu compilatiou; rather, they are found in other
compilatious of the Suuuah."
In his book Shuroot al-A'immah al-Khamsah, Al-
said:
"As for Bukbari, he did not adhere to the practice of relating every
single authentic hadith, a fact that is attested to by what Abu ai-Fag]
'Abdullah ibn A!)mad ibn Muhammad related. He related from
Ta!l;lah from Abu Sa'eed aI-Miileeni from 'Abdullah ibn 'Adee from
Muharmnad ibn A!)mad from Muharmnad ibn who
said, 'I heard Muhammad ibn Isma'eel (Bukbari) say, '1 have
memorized 100,000 authentic badiths and 200,000 hadiths that are
not authentic.' ' And with his chain, he related that Bukbari said, '1
have only related the authentic in this book, but the authentic
narrations that 1 have not put here are more. '"
If the scholars agree that Bukbari did not relate in his
compilation every hadith that is authentic and that he memorized
100,000 authentic hadiths, the author of Fajr ai-Islam ascribed
incorrect sayings to them. He used the words, 'They said". If he was
referring to the ordinary people, then that is something else, but hete
we are discussing knowledge and scholarly criticism, which is no
place for reportiug the speech of laypersons.
Was'Abdullah ibn al-Mubiirak negligent?
Speaking about fabricators, Ahmad Ameen alleges on page 260:
"And some narrators, who had good intentions, would gather all that
came to them, considering every narration to be authentic. A narrator
of this kind was truthful himself, but would relate everything that he
had heard, and so the people, being deceived by his truthfulness,
wonld take narrations from him. lbis has been said about 'Abdnllah
ibn al-Mubiirak. It has been said that he was trustworthy and truthful
but that be took narrations from all who came and went."
320 The Sunnah vis"-a-vis some contemporary writers who reject it
In a footnote, Ameen says that this saying concerning 'Abdullah ibn
al-Mubarak is related in $af]eeiJ Muslim."
Ameen is speaking about hadith fabricators, and they are those
who would falsify hadiths, wrongly ascribing them to the Messenger
of Allah ~ , doing so for different reasons - reasons that we have
elaborated upon earlier in this work. As for someone who has a good
intention and who gathers all that comes to him, he is not a fabricator
because he did not lie, neither in the chain of the hadith nor in its text.
The most that can be said about such a person is that he is negligent
and that he accepts hadiths without scrutinizing them. His narrations
are put on hold until further study. If a scholar then finds that this
hadith gatherer related from trustworthy narrators and that other
trustworthy narrators related what he related, then his narrations are
accepted, and if not, then they are not. But to include such a person
among the ranks of fabricators, as Ameen did, is a clear rnistake,
which is a result of a lack of precision in scholarship. Also, what he
said about 'Abdulliih ibn al-Mubarak suggests that he considers him
to be a fabricator. This is a criticism of Ameen's choice of wording;
as for a criticism of what he actually says, we can begin by
summarizing his claims in three points:
1. 'Abdulliih ibn al-Mubilrak had good intentions but would relate all
that he had heard without scrutinizing and criticizing narrators.
2. People were deceived by his truthfulness and would accept all of
the hadiths they heard from him, considering them to be authentic.
3. The quote that Ameen related from $aiJeeiJ Muslim is referring to
'Abdulliih ibn al-Mubarak.
Ahmad Ameen is entirely wrong on all three counts.
1. The claim that, though 'Abdulliih ibn al-Mubilrak had good
intentions, he would relate all that he heard is contrary to reality, for
Ibn al-Mubarak was among the famous Imams dnring his day who
were known for criticizing narrators and for discerning between the
tmstworthy ones and the falsifiers who could not be tmsted. In the
iutroduction of his compilation, Imam Muslim (may Allah have
mercy on him) mentions a number of examples wherein Ibn al-
Mub1lrak criticized narrators.
Muslimrelates in a chain that goes back to Is-1;lilq Ibriiheem ibn 'Eesa
at-riiliqiini that the latter said, "I said to 'Abdullah ibn al-Mub1irak,
'0 Abu 'Abdur-Ra1;lman, what about the hadith which states that it is
one of the highest levels of piety to pray for your parents and to fast
for them along with your fast?' 'Abdullah said, '0 Abu Is-1;laq, who
is this from?' I said, 'This is from the hadith of Shihab ibn Khiriish.'
He said, 'Trustworthy, from whom?' I said, 'From Al-I:Iaiiilj ibn
Deenar.' He said, 'Trustworthy, but from whom?' I said, 'The
Messenger of Allah (;iI).' He said, '0 Abu Is-1;laq, indeed between
Al-I:Iajjaj ibn Deenar and the Prophet ~ is a great gap (i.e., they
were not contemporaries)...' "
And Muslim also related a chain that ends with 'Ali ibn Shaqeeq,
who said: "I heard 'Abdullah ibn al-Mub1lrak say to a large gathering,
'Forsake the hadith of 'Amru ibn Thabit, for he used to curse our
pious predecessors.' "
There are many other examples that Muslim mentioned in the
introduction of his ~ a l ; e e l ; , all indicating that 'Abdullah ibn al-
Mub1lrak was a strict critic of narrators and that he paid special
attention to the chains of narrators. Muslimrelated with his chain that
ends at Al-'Abbiis ibn Abi Rizmah, who said, "I heard 'Abdullah ibn
al-Mub1lrak say, 'Between us and the people is the chain (of
narrators).' ,.
In his Tadhkirah, AI-I:Iiifidh adh-Dhahabi related that Al-Musayib
ibn Wac;1ai1;l said, "I heard Ibn al-Mub1lrak being asked, 'Whom
should we take (knowledge) from?' He said, 'From the one who
sought out knowledge for Allah and was most fInn (and meticulous)
about his chain (of narrators). One might meet a trustworthy person
who related from one who is not trustworthy. And one might meet a
man who is not trustworthy but he related from one who is
trustworthy. But iustead, it should be a trustworthy one who related
from another trustworthy one."
Adh-Dhahabi also related that Ar-Rasheed captured a Zindeeq and
intended to execute him. The Zindeeq said, "And what will you do
about the one thousand hadiths that I fabricated?" Ar-Rasheed said,
"0 enemy of Allah, what will you do about Abu Is-l;1iiq al-Faziiree
and Ibn al-Mubiirak, who will both sift through them and remove
them letter by letter?" In another narration, Ibn al"Mubiirak was
asked about fabrications, and he answered, ''There are geniuses that
live for them (that is, that live to expose and eradicate them)."
Adh-Dhahabi reported that Ibraheem ibn Is-l;1iiq said: "I heard Ibn al-
Mubiirak say, 'I heard (narrations) from four thousand Shaykhs, and I
related from only a thousand of them.'" The above-mentioned
narrations clearly show Ahmad Ameen's claim to be false.
2. Ameen then says that people were deceived by his honesty... You
have just learned that Ibn al-Mubiirak was a strict critic of narrators.
When the qualities of truthfulness, uprightness, and precision in
ascertaining the truth are all combined in one man, then it is
compulsory to accept what he relates. And it is incorrect to say that,
"People have been deceived by his truthfulness."
Furthermore, we know that the scholars of narrator criticism agree
that Ibn al-Mubiirak was trustworthy and, arnong the scholars, he was
an Imam of high standing. Ibn Mahdee said, "There are four Imams:
Ath-Thawri, Miilik, I.Iammiid ibn Zayd, and Ibn al-Mubiirak."
Imam Al;unad said about him: "There was none from his era who
sought out knowledge more (assiduously) than he did. He compiled a
great deal..." Ibn Mu'een described him as being sagacious and
trustworthy. Ibn Sa' d, the author of at-Tabaqiit, said: "He was
trustworthy, he was himself a proof, and he had many hadiths." Al-
I;lilkim said: "During his lifetime, he was the Imam of all lands, and
he was the best among the people in terms of his asceticism, his
bravery, and his generosity." Nasa'i said: "During Ibn al-Mubiirak's
lifetime, we know of no one who was more honorable than he, nor of
anyone who was more knowledgeable than he, nor of anyone who
was more complete than he was in all praiseworthy characteristics."
In his explanation of $al;eel; Muslim, An-Nawawi said about him
that, "The scholars agree about his eminence, about him being an
Imam, and about his elevated status."
The scholars of narrator criticism agree that not only was Ibn al-
Mubiirak upright and truthful, but he was also very discerning when
it came to accepting narrations; it is therefore sad to see one in recent
times say about him that people would take hadiths from him, being
deceived by his truthfulness."
Furthermore, the fact that the scholars acknowledge him to be an
Imam and to be of an elevated status in the science of Hadith shows
us how wrong Ameen is in his allegation. Muslim related with his
chain that ImamMill (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Know
that a man is not safe from error if he relates all that he hears, and as
long as he persists in doing so, he can never be an Imam."
3. As for the statement that he related from $al;eel; Muslim regarding
'Abdulliih ibn al-Mubiirak, one will find, upon closer inspection, that
Ameen made a gross error. What Muslim really said is this: "Ibn
Quhziidh related .., that Ibn a1-Mubiirak said, 'Baqiyah has a truthful
tongue but he takes from everyone that comes and goes.''' Upon
reading this, you no doubt perceive that the words are those of
'Abdulliih ibn al-Mubiirak, who is speaking about Baqiyah, one of
the Hadith scholars dnring that period. Ameen, however, somehow
understood from that statement that the saying was about 'Abdnlliili
ibn al-Mubilrak. Moreover, it is established that Baqiyab ibu al-
Waleed was in fact famous for relating all that he heard. Muslim then
related this statement from Abu Is-l]iiq al-Fazan: "Write from
Baqiyab that which he related from known narrators, and do not write
from him that which he related from unknown narrators." Adh-
Dhababi related that Ibn al-Mnbilrak said about Baqiyab, "He would
relate from all who crawled or walked." As regards the statement of
Muslim, Ahmad Ameen made two mistakes. First, Muslim did not
make the statement in reference to Ibn al-Mubiirak, but rather he was
quoting Ibn al-Mubilrak, who was speaking about someone else.
Second, Ameen related the word "Thiqah (trustworthy)" and in
$al;eel; Muslim the correct wording is "Baqiyab." Therefore there are
ouly three possibilities: the author read the statement himself in
$al;eel; Muslim but because he misunderstood it, he made a mistake;
or he understood the statement, but he intentionally distorted it for
some purpose he had in mind; or he saw that the statement was
related by some Orientalists, and he simply took their statement,
trusting to their truthfulness. If the third possibility is true, then he
was relating from the enemies of Islam without having first checked
for himself in the text of Muslim. I myself searched through the
various editions of $al;eel; Muslim, perhaps that I might find one of
them to contain a misprint, specifically the statement related by
Ameen, thus giving him an excuse for his mistake. However, I found
that all copies contained the original text, without any of them
containing the misprint that I was looking for. If we try to find an
excuse for the Orientalist - that he is a foreigner, that he is not
faithful to Islam, or that he does not have the ability to understand
texts in Arabic - what excuse can we find for a (Arabic-speaking)
Muslim author who followed that Orientalist in his distortion,
especially considering that he built a very dangerous opinion based
on that distortion, an opinion that attacks the honor of a very
distingnished Imam from the early generations of Islam?
The Hadith, "Block off all doors"
On page 260, the author discusses some of the more important
factors that led people to fabricate hadiths. The first oue that he
mentioned was political differences - such as between those who
wanted 'Ali ~ to be Caliph and those who wanted Abu Bakr ~
to be Caliph, between Mu'ilwiyah ~ and 'Ali ~ , between
'Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr ~ and 'Abdul-Mill, and finally
between the Umawiyeen and the 'Abbilsiyeen.
We do not disagree with Ameen in this matter. But he then
related these words from Ibn Abi al-I:Iadeed:
"fudeed the source of lies in the hadiths of virtues came from the
Shi 'ah. When those who preferred Abu Bakr saw what the Shi 'ah had
done, they too invented hadiths for the Companions they preferred,
such as, 'If I were to take a Khaleel...'8 They invented it in contrast to
the hadith of brotherhood. Another example is the (hadith about the)
blocking off of doors, for it was related specifically in reference to
'Ali, but then the supporters of Abu Bakr changed it, making it refer
to Abu Bakr ~ ...
Considering that Ibn al-I:Iadeed was a Mu'tazilee and Shi'ah,
we can at least find some excuse for him: that he was blindly
supporting his beliefs as a Shi 'ah. However, we find no excuse for
Ameen for not having commented on those claims, uuless he actually
agreed with Ibn Abi al-I:Iadeed. We must remember, however, that
both hadiths are authentic and are related by the Imams of hadith.
The first one is related by Bukhari by way of Ibn 'Abbas ~
and Ibn az-Zubayr ~ . Muslim related it as well, by way of Abu
Sa'eed ~ and Ibn Mas'ood ~ . As for the second hadith, a
8 Reported by Bukbari, vol. 11, p. 492, baditb no. 3384 and Muslim, vol. 12,
p. 97, badith no. 4391.
326 The Sunnah vis-it-vis some contemporary writers who reject it
command is given for all doors connected with the Mosque to be
blocked off, with exception of Abu Bakr' s door. This hadith is related
by Bukhari, by way of Abu Sa'eed and Ibn 'Abbas. Muslimrelated it
as well, by way of Abu Sa'eed, Jundub ~ , and Ubay ibn Ka'b
~ . Both hadiths are related by other compilers of the Sunnah as
well - by Miilik, Tirrnidhi, Tabarfuli, Al}rnad, Ibn 'Asakir, Ibn
l;Iibbiln, and others.
As for the hadith of brotherhood, Ibn al-l;Iadeed refers to the
hadith accepted by the Shi'ah, in which the Prophet ~ makes a
bond of brotherhood between 'Ali and himself. This hadith is not
authentic through any chain that can be trusted, nor has any book
from the books of the Sunnah or any reliable narrator related it.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Tayrniyah stated:
"Indeed, according to the people of Hadith, this hadith is fabricated.
None of those who have knowledge of Hadith will doubt that in the
least. Its fabricator is ignorant and a liar, whose lies are manifest and
whose falsification has been exposed."
As regards the hadith about blocking off all doors to the
mosque, according to the narration of the Shi'ab, the exception is the
door of 'Ali (<@;,). Most hadith critics ruled that their narration is
fabricated. This ruling has been given by Ibn al-Jawzi, AI-'Iriiqi, Ibn
Tayrniyah, and others. Yet supposing it to be authentic, scholars have
given a sufficient explanation for it. In Fat!; al-Bari, Ibn l;Iajr relates
that the Prophet ~ at first ordered for the blocking off of all doors
except the door of 'Ali. When they had blocked the doors off, they
created another sort of passage, through which they would enter into
the mosque. He ~ ordered for all of these to be blocked except for
the one of Abu Bakr ~ . Ibn l;Iajr said, "This is a good way to
combine between the meanings of both hadiths. This nnderstanding
is upheld by Abn Ja'far aj-Tal)awi, in Mushkil al-Athfir and Abn Bakr
al-Kilabadhi, in Ma'i3.nee al-Akhbfir..."
A1}ildeeth (Hadiths) about virtues
Ameen states on page 261:
"When you see certain hadiths, you will not doubt as you are reading
them that they have been fabricated to support the Umawiyeen, the
'Abbasiyeen, or the 'lITwiyeen, or to discredit them, depending on
who it is that is fabricating the narration. Similar to this are those
hadiths that the fabricator invents in order to give preference to his
tribe. How many hadiths have been fabricated about virtues of the
Quraysh, the A n ~ a r , the Juhayuah, and the Mazeenah? And also
similar is the fanaticism shown for one's country. You will hardly
find a large country except that there is a hadith related about it.
Cities such as Makkah and Madinah are extolled. The mountain
UJ:1ud is extolled. I;Iijaz, Yemen, Syria and Palestine, Bayt al-Maqdis,
Egypt, and Fans - the superiority of all of these places has been
related in hadith narrations.
The Messenger of Allah ~ lived among Companions who
would give up their wealth and their very souls for Islam. Though
they were all of that nature, there was a disparity among them as to
the degree of how much they were willing to sacrifice. There is also a
disparity among them as to who accepted Islam in the early stages
and who accepted Islammuch later on. It is therefore not strange that
the Messenger of Allah ~ should specify praise for some of his
Companions or should mention the talents of one of his Companions,
or mention anything else that would point out to others the status and
superiority of a Companion or a group of Companions. The same can
be said for Makkah, for that was where the Da'wah had begun; and
Madinah, where a nation was formed; and Bayt al-Maqdis, which
Allah (l!*) praised in his Book. Likewise, tribes and the iuhabitants of
other cities would compete in the performance of good deeds and the
children of those tribes and cities would participate in making Allah's
Religion supreme in all lands. And so the Prophet (Blessings and
peace be upon him) would make known to all the merits of different
tribes and places.
Yet in some instances, it is also possible - and in fact it did
happen - that certain fanatical and ignorant elements fabricated
hadiths in order to raise the status of their leaders, their countries, or
even their tribes. They would invent hadiths about the virtues of
peoples and places.
Noone disagrees that both matters occurred: that there are
authentic hadiths that are related about virtues of peoples, countries,
and tribes, and that there are also fabricated narrations invented for the
same purpose. The job of the just scholar in such a situation is not to
hasten to give credence to all of these hadiths or to disbelieve in them
all. Simply because some of them are fabricated, the just scholar will
not rule themall to be fabrications. On the other hand, simply because
there are authentic narrations, he will not rule all other narrations to be
authentic as well. Scholars have precise means of distinguishing
between the authentic and the fabricated; they resort to scholarly
evidence to criticize both the chain and the text of a narration, After
scrutinizing any given narration, they will rule ahadith to be authentic
or otherwise. This is the logical way in dealing with situations such as
the one mentioned. And that is what our Imams have done when they
were faced with a huge quantity of hadiths.
After scrutinizing narrations in which people or places are
extolled, our scholars have found many of them to be authentic.
Imam Bukhari, for instance, has authored the most authentic book in
hadith, and he was the most severe in his conditions for accepting a
narration; even the author of Fajr al-Isllim acknowledges his status,
his precision, and his contribution to Islam. In his $al;eel;, Bukhari
dedicated chapters to show the superiority of the Muhfijiroon and the
n ~ r as well as the virtues of specific Companions, such as Abu
Baler, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, Sa'd, Ubay, and Mu'iidh (may Allah be
pleased with them). There are also numerous authentic hadiths about
the virtues of Makkah, Madinah, Yemen, Shiim (Syria and Palestine),
and other places; as well as about the virtues of certain tribes, such as
the Quraysh, Muzeenah, and Juhaynah. Bukhari was not alone in
authenticating these narrations; the likes of Al;nnad, Muslim, and at-
Tirmidhi also authenticated them. But at the same time, they clarified
which narrations were fabrications, exposing their fabricators, and
giving precise critiques on their chains.
What made the author of Fajr al-Isliim feign to be ignorant
about the many authentic narrations iu this regard? And why did he
raise doubts about all narrations that dealt with virtues of places,
peoples, and tribes? In this matter, as well as in other matters, he
followed the way of Orientalists like Goldziher.
The hadiths of Abu l;Ianeefah
Moving on to the second motive for the invention of
fabrications, Ameen asserts on page 162:
"And the same goes for fiqh. You will not find a secondary issue in
jurisprudence except that there is a hadith to support the claimof each
jurist whose ruling in the matter differs from that of other jurists. The
scholars relate from Abu I.Janeefah that he considered only a small
number of hadiths to be authentic. Ibn Khaldoon said, 'They amount
to seventeen narrations. ' Yet the books of his school are replete with
numerous and countless hadiths - and sometimes, with texts that, if
anything, are similar to the texts of Fiqh books..."
We do not disagree that differences in opinion in matters of
jurisprudence did playa role in the invention of fabrications, and we
ourselves have pointed this out in a previons chapter. Bnt Ameen is
wrong when he imputes to scholars the opinion that Abu I.Janeefah
only considered seventeen hadiths to be authentic.
The .l;Ianafi School is the most extensive of the schools of
jurisprudence in tenos of deducing and deriving rulings. The issues
in which Imam Abu .l;Ianeefah ruled are related to be in the hundreds
of thousands. Hence it does not make sense that Abu .l;Ianeefah
derived those rulings from a relatively small number of verses that
deal with jurisprudence and from seventeen or so hadiths. It uright be
said that he derived those rulings from the use of analogy. But in
response, we say that there are seventeen books of narrations that
Imam Abu .l;Ianeefah's students related from him, which indicates
that a great part of his fiqh is taken from the Sunnah. Imam Abu
.l;Ianeefah's rulings correspond to a great number of hadiths, so if he
ruled based on those hadiths, how can it be said that he did not
consider them to be authentic?
As for the statement of Ibn Khaldoon, it was not his, but rather
he was quoting it, and the context was such that the reader feels that
Ibn Khaldoon found it to be a strange statement. And we do not know
of anyone before Ibn Khaldoon who even mentioned it. On the
contrary, there are many sayings from scholars which show that Abu
.l;Ianeefah authenticated a great number ofhadiths. In a more detailed
manner, we shall deal with this issue later on in this book (inshfi'
Allah), when we discuss the biography of Abu .l;Ianeefah - may
Allah have mercy on him.
Did people exaggerate in their
dependence on the Sunnah?
Discussing the factors that led to hadith fabrications, Ameen
comments on page 263 of his book:
HI cannot help but feel that extravagance in many people led to
fabrications of hadith. How? They would not accept knowledge
unless the source of that knowledge had a strong link with the Qur' an
and the Sunnah; otherwise, they wonld not consider that knowledge
The SunJulh and its role in Islamic legislation 331
to be of any great value. If rulings of prohibition and pennissibility
were based on analogy, tbose rulings would not be given tbe same
weight as rulings tbat were based on haditb. If tbe source of
knowledge was analogy, many scholars of tbat period would reject it
and would not lend any importance to it; furthermore, some of tbem
would even reject wisdom, admonition, or good sermons if tbe
source was Greek, Indian, or Fiirisee, or even if tbe source was tbe
Torah or tbe Bible. If tbese were tbe sources of knowledge, people
were forced to make it appear tbat a wise saying, for instance, was
founded in religious texts so tbat people would accept it. They found
tbat tbe only door open to tbern was haditb, and so people entered
into it witbout fearing Allah, tbe Exalted, in tbeir actions. As a result,
we find rulings in jurisprudence to be manufactured - eitber from
Indian wisdom, Greek philosophy, or insight from tbe Christians and
Jews."
In tbe past and preseut, Muslims agree - except for tbose who
are not eveu considered, meaning people who simply follow tbeir
desires and practice innovation - tbat tbe Qur' an and tbe Sunnah are
tbe two sources of Islamic legislation upon which tbe Muslim scholar
must rely when he is issuing rulings. After agreeing on tbis initial
premise, tbe scholars then split into two groups:
1. A group tbat deems it mandatory to take from tbe apparent
meanings of texts, witbout tbe use of reasoning and witbout relying
excessively on tbe use of analogy. This group consists of tbe
Dhiihiriyah and most of tbe people of haditb.
2. A group tbat holds it necessary for tbe mind to work in order to
deduce rulings from texts. They use analogy along witb tbe Book and
tbe Sunnah. They search out for tbe reasons behind rulings, tbey
specify tbat which is general, and tbey limit tbat which seems to be
comprehensive. They also distinguish abrogated from abrogating
rulings whenever an additional proof is available to tbem. This group
consists of the majority of the mujtahideen 9, the bearers of
knowledge from the time of the Companions until this day.
Yes, there is a disparity among the scholars as regards using analogy
and to the conditions that must be stipulated for accepting a narration
to be authentic. And here lies the difference between the school of
opinion and the school of hadith. Nevertheless they all agree that it is
not permissible to practice ijtihful in fiqh without first resorting to the
Sunnah. The scholars also agree that it is necessary for a mujtahid to
have a comprehensively knowledge of all hadiths of jurisprudence.
In Jami' ai-Bayan ai- 'Em, AI-J::Iiifidh ibn 'Abdul-Barr related
that Imam Shiifi'ee (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"It is not for anyone to say J::Ialiil or J::Iarfun about something except
through knowledge, and knowledge is what is found in the Qur' an or
in the Sunnah or in consensus or in analogy... "
The scholars also agree that a mujtahid must first look in
Allah's Book, then in the Sunnah of His Messenger ~ , then in the
sayings of the Companions, and then into deduction and analogy,
uuless there is consensus. In our discussion about the four Imams, we
will further elaborate on this principle.
Ameen asserts that when rulings of permissibility and
prohibition are based on ijtihful, they do not have the same value as
rulings that are based on hadith. His statement implies that when a
mujtahid has a hadith that he can use for a ruling, there is a kind of
ijtihiid that is not based on that hadith. No Muslim SCholar has ever
applied that kind of ijtihful. A principle that all scholars agree upon is
that ijtihiid in the presence of a text is not permissible.
9 Mujtahideen: pI. of mujtahid, one who uses ijtihad, or reasoning, in deriving
rulings from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. (Editor)
The SlJJ1nah and its role in Islamic legislation 333
As for a wise saying or a good admonition - as long as it does
not contradict revealed texts, the spirit of revealed texts, or one of the
higher aims or morals that are derived from revealed texts, we know
of no hnam who rejected it simply because it was not related in the
Qur' an or the Sunnah. It is related by Tirmidhi in a hadith that is
graded as 'acceptable' wisdom is the goal of the believer; he takes it
wherever he finds it. When Allah describes the believers, He ~
says that they listen to what is said, and then follow the best of it.
Allah relates to us many stories from ancient nations, as well as their
wisdom and noble sayings. The Messenger of Allah ~ did the
same, pointing out that there is no harm in taking from previous
nations, as long as what is related is not in contradiction with the aims
and principles of the Sharia.
Bukhari related in his !ja1}ee1} from 'Abdulliili ibn 'Amru ~
that the Messenger of Allah ~ said: "Convey from me, even if it is
a single verse. And relate from the children ofIsrael, and there is no
harm in that." Al-I;!afidh Ibn I;!ajr wrote,
'There is no resttiction upon you when it comes to relating from
them. At an earlier time, the Prophet ~ reproached his Companions
for taking from them and for reading their books. Thereafter he gave
them more leeway in that regard. Because it was feared that some
people might be put to ttial, the prohibition took effect, and this was
before Islamic rulings became well established. When there was no
longer any danger, the Prophet (ii!) gave his permission because
there were lessons to be learned from nartations that were being
relayed at that time."
Ibn I;!ajr then related this saying of Miilik: 'The meaning of
this nartation is that it is permissible to relate from them in noble and
honorable matters. If something is known to be a lie, then it is not
(permissible)." Some Companions related much from Ka'b al-A1)biir
and Wahb ibn Munabbih, to the extent that books of tafseer are
replete with narrations from the Children of Israel. Likewise, Sufi
books and books on manners and wisdom are replete with sayings
related from other nations. Then how does the claim hold true that
Muslims would reject wisdomor a good sermon if its source were not
a revealed Islamic text?
In short, Ameen has no basis for his claim. In fact, important
Islamic reference books are full of narrations that disprove it. I do not
know what made him make such a statement. Was he trying to assert
that adherence to the Qur' an and Sunnah had a harmful effect on the
Religion because it gave people a motive to fabricate?
The uprightness of the Companions
On page 265, Ameen writes:
"Most hadith critics have ruled that every single Companion is
upright and trustworthy; no hadith critic has found fault with or
ascribed a lie to any of them. Few among them have depicted the
Companions in a negative light as others have done... Most scholars,
especially ones from recent centuries, have ruled that every single
Companion is upright and just..."
Among the matters that the Tiibi'oon and the masses of
Muslims from ensuing generations agree upon is that the
Companions are all upright andjust, and they are all above telling lies
or fabricating hadiths. The only ones to disagree in this matter are
those whose opinion is not even considered - the Khawiirij, the
Mu'tazilah, and the Shi'ah.
That consensus is well established; however, Ameen tries, for
a purpose that is known only to him, to raise doubts about it, first
claiming that most hadith critics ruled every single Companion to be
upright and just, whereas in reality, all hadith critics have ruled them
to be so. Second, he claims that few of them have depicted the
Companions in a negative light, and that this is opposed to what
others have done. The truth, however, is that those who spoke
negatively about any of the Companions are not considered to be
hadith critics. Instead, they are people with well-known leanings and
well-known fanatical attachments to a specific Companion to the
exclusion of the rest.
Al-I;IMidh ibn Katheer said: "All of the Companions are
upright and just; this is upheld by Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah."
Commenting on a view from the Shi'ab, that only seventeen
Companions were upright and just, Ibn Katheer inveighs against that
claim, saying, "It is madness without proof."
You will see that those who spoke negatively about the
Companions are from well-known sects, people who have specific
political leanings and obsessive attachments to some Companions
more than to others. Therefore it was not hadith critics who attacked
any of the Companions. Third, Ameen says that most hadith critics
ruled every single Companion to be upright and just, especially
scholars from recent centuries. However, it is not related that any
scholar from the early centuries ever attacked a Companion or
abstained from relating his hadith narrations.
Did the Companions ever accuse
one another of lying?
Ameen did not limit himself to an implicit attack against the
Companions; he was at times explicit in his assanlt: "Bnt it appears
that dnting their lifetime, the Companions wonld criticize one
another and wonld accord to some among them a higher status than to
others... " With these words, Ameen is disapproving of the stance
taken by hadith scholars, saying that it is not correct to say that all
Companions are upright and just. He says that the Companions
doubted the honesty of some among them, and in an attempt to prove
336 The Sunnah vis-a,.vis some contemporary writers who reject it
that, he based his arguments on the following three matters:
1. He related that Ibn 'Abbas ~ and '.A'ishah ~ criticized Abu
Hurayrah ~ .
2. He related that if a hadith were to be narrated in the presence of a
Companion, he would demand from the narrator that he prove the
veracity of his narrations.
3. He alluded to an incident that took place between 'Vmar ~ and
FaPmah bint Qays ~ .
We will deal with each of these points, showing that they do
not serve to further Ameen's claim. First, I know of no authentic
source in which it is related that some Companions doubted the
honesty of other Companions, except of course, the books of the
Riifil;lah and the extreme sects of the Shi'ah. These deviant groups
related that 'Ali ~ cursed those Companions who went against
him and deemed them to be liars. However, every single authentic
narration pertaining to this issue establisbes that the Companions
were far above cursing one another or even doubting the truthfulness
of one another. The proofs to establish this are plentiful indeed.
If a Companion heard a hadith from another Companion, he
would inunediately believe it to be true, without doubting it in the
least. He would then ascribe the hadith to the Messenger ~ in such
a way as if it was he who had heard it directly himself. Anas ~
said, "We would not accuse one another of lying." They trusted so
much in the piety and truthfulness of one another that there was no
room left in their hearts for any doubt. As for '.A'ishah and Ibn
'Abbas's criticism of Abu Hurayrah, we will delay its discussion
until the chapter we have dedicated to Abu Hurayrah ~ .
When Ameen referred to situations wherein some
Companions would ask for proof from other Companions to
make sure that a hadith was authentic, he was referring to the same
issue that we have hitherto discussed in a previous chapter, wherein
we mentioned that Abu Bakr ($) demanded from Mugheerab ($)
that he furnish witnesses to support his narration; likewise, 'Vmar
demanded the same1rom Abu Moosa ($). As regards these two
isolated instances, we have already mentioned the wisdom behind
Abu Bakr and 'Vmar asking for witnesses. And we have already
establisbed that they would accept narrations from the Companions
in other sitnations without demanding any additional witnesses. This,
in fact, was their habitnal way when receiving narrations, a way that
they deviated from only in isolated and specific instances when it was
necessary to teach the Muslims that they had to be careful when
accepting hadith narrations. How could 'Vmar have doubted Abu
Moosa when he himself said, 'Though you were most trusted by the
Messenger of Allab ~ ) , I did not want for people to become brazen
with hadith." And when that incident occurred, Ubay ($)
reproached 'Vmar for his treatment of Abu Moosa ($). Muslim
related that Ubay ($) said, "Do not inflict punishment on the
Companions of the Messenger of Allab ~ ) . Does not this severe
reproach prove that 'Vmar's stance in the said sitnation was not one
that the Companions were accustomed to?
As for the story between 'Vmar ($) and Fiitimab bint Qays
~ ) , Ameen says:
"It has been related that Fa!imab bint Qays reported that her husband
gave her a final divorce, and the Messenger of Allab (ifi) did not
grant her spending money or her former husband's home (during the
waiting period). He said to her, 'Wait out your period in the home of
Ibn Vmm Maktoom, for verily, he is a blind man.' When she related
that statement, the Leader of the Believers refuted her, saying, 'We
will not leave the Book of our Lord nor the Sunnab of our Prophet
~ ) for the saying of a woman, regarrling whom, we do not know
whether she spoke the truth or lied, nor whether she memorized or
forgot.' And 'A:ishab ~ ) said to her, 'Will you not fear Allab...' "
338 The Sunnah vis-ii-vis some contemporary writers who reject it
This hadith is related in most of the books of the Snnnah, and it
is well known by jurists. Yet it must be analyzed from various angles.
First, there was a disparity among the Companions regarding their
level of understandiug and their ability to deduce ruliugs. In another
context, some of them had extenuating circumstances, because of
which the Messenger ~ issued specific rulings for them. Then that
person would relate the ruling to others, saying that it was general
and applicable to everyone. A scholarly discussion would ensue,
which had nothing to do with criticism based on the doubtfulness of
someone's truthfulness. For example, person "A" related a hadith,
while person "B" held that it was abrogated or that its implications
were limited by another narration. One person might have related a
narration in which the Messenger ~ issued a ruling based on
extenuating circumstances, and the uarrator felt that the ruliug was
specific to him; but another persou might have thought that the ruling
was geueral and applicable to all who were in the same
circumstances. It might have occurred that one of them related a
hadith and that someone else narrated it differently, ruling that the
first person made a mistake or forgot. The point is that everything we
have in terms of differences that occurred among the Companions are
instances of differences of opinion based on the reasons mentioned
above, and not based on the reason that some disbelieved in the
truthfulness of others.
Second, the quote attributed to 'Vmar, "Whether she spoke the truth
or lied," is not related in any of the books of hadith. I sifted through
every hadith reference book that I could get my hands on, but I could
not find the purported narration with this specific wording. All that I
could find was the statement, "Whether she remembered or forgot,"
and even that statement is related in some sources only, such as in
$al;eel; Muslim.
One is shocked by Ameen's method, for immediately after
relating the hadith with the said wording, he says in a footnote,
"Refer to the explanation of An-Nawawi for $alJeelJ Muslim and to
the explanation of Muslim ath-Thaboot." When refening to the
explanation of An-Nawawi, I did not find the statement, "Whether
she spoke the truth or lied." And when referring to the second source,
I found that its author said that the statement was an addition and was
not actually related in $alJeelJ Muslim. Nonetheless, Ameen shonld
know that Muslim ath-Thaboot is not from the books of the Sunuah
and one should not refer to it in order to find out whether a narration
is an authentic hadith of the Messenger of Allah ~ . Since Ameen
was giving a historical account of the recording of the Sunnah, and
since he claims that he is a scholar, he should have fulfilled the basic
scholarly duty of referring to primary sources. He neither looked in
the primary sources of hadith nor was he trustworthy in giving an
accurate account of what he read in the books of hadith. He ascribed a
false saying to the explanations of both An-Nawawi and Muslim ath-
Thaboot. I do not know, did he think that his readers would simply
accept his claim without actually looking it up in the two sources he
cited?
Third, 'Vmar ~ only refuted Fiitimah's narration because he
found it to be contrary to what was authentic from the Book and the
Sunnah. It is an established rule that when two narrations contradict
each other, one must accept the stronger of the two. And we know
that a proof from the Book is stronger than a proof from the Sunnah.
So without a doubt, it was necessary for 'Vmar ~ to forsake her
narration and to adhere to the proofs that were strongest according to
his nnderstanding. Meanwhile, we give her the benefit of the doubt,
saying that perhaps she had forgotten, an explanation that involves
no staining of her character.
Fourth, 'A'ishah's statement, "Will yon not fear Allah", was based
on what she knew from the Messenger ~ - he did not rule for
financial support or for shelter in Fatimah's case because of her
extenuating circumstances. Hence it was not a general ruling for all
women who are given a final divorce. When 'A'ishah (i1llJ,) saw that
Fatimah (il/l;,) was relating the Prophet's ruling in her situation,
malting it s ~ m that it was a general ruling, ,;\'ishah pointed out the
truth to her and made her to understand that it was a specific ruling
for her. It is established in Muslim that Fatimah said, "0 Messenger
of Allah, my husband has divorced me for the third time and I fear
that he will come forcefully upon me." The Prophet ~ then
ordered that she should move. This is further corroborated by other
narrations in Bukhati, that 'A' ishah said, "It is not well for her to
mention this hadith. Fatimah was in an isolated place and it was
feared that something might happen to her, and so the Prophet (;!!!lj)
gave her license (to leave)."
After refuting all of the doubts raised by Ameen, we see that
the Companions did not in fact doubt in the truthfulness of one
another. And any narration which shows that they differed in a matter
is based on scholarly argumentation and on their different
understanding of hadith narrations; in other instances, they asked for
a wituess, not because they doubted in one another, but rather to
teach the next generation to be cautious and careful when judging a
hadith to be authentic or not. All of this goes to show how vigilant
they were in preserving the truth, how sincere they were in
transmitting knowledge, and how discerning they were in accepting
only authentic narrations of the Messenger of Allah ~ , so that they
could convey them to ensuing generations free from impurity. Allah
~ was pleased with that generation, a generation that was superior
to all other generations throughout history. May Allah reward them
well.
Disagreement among the scholars
in grading narrators
On page 266, Ameen wrote:
"As a resnlt of differences among the schools of jnrisprudence,
scholars differed in grading narrators. The people of the Sunnah
wonld often attack the honor of the Shi 'ah, to the extent that they
forbade relating narrations from 'Ali (.) that were related through
his companions and supporters. They only accepted his narrations if
they were related through the companions of 'Abdnlliili ibn Mas'ood
(.). The Shi 'ah took a similar stance vis-ii-vis the people of the
Smmah; they wonld only rule a narrator to be trustworthy if he was
from the Shi 'ah... As a resnlt, some wonld rule a narrator to be
upright while others would attack his honor. Adh-Dhahabi said, 'No
two of the scholars of this field agree in terms of ruling a weak
narrator to be trustworthy or of ruling a trustworthy narrator to be
weak.' Although the statement is an exaggeration, it shows us that
scholars did differ in their opinions when it came to grading
narrators. To mention jnst one example, Qatadah said about
Muhammad ibn Is-l;1aq, one of the greatest Islamic historians, 'People
will still have knowledge as long as Muhammad ibn Is-l;1iiq is alive.'
Nasa'i said, 'He is not strong.' Sufiyiin said, 'I have not heard anyone
accuse Muhammad ibn Is-l;1aq.' Ad-Diitaqutnee said, 'One cannot
use him and his father as proofs.' And Miilik said, 'I do witness that
he is a liar.. .' "
Our discussion here revolves around two points:
1. The principles of narrator criticism.
2. The statement ofAdh-Dhahabi and the opinions about Muhammad
ibn Is-l;1iiq.
As regards the first point, the author was very ~ v g u in
discussing the principles of hadith criticism, just as he was vague in
discussing the effects of differences among the schools of
jurisprudence. His statement, "As a result, some would rule a narrator
to be upright while others would attack his honor," implies that the
cause of differences in rulings pertaining to narrator criticismwas the
disputes among schools of jurisprudence. To begin with, the
differences in narrator criticismeither occurred between the people of
the Sunnah and those who differed from them in terms of the various
sects or between the people of the Sunnah among themselves.
Different rulings among the people of the Sunnah resulted
from the differences of opinion regarding the truthfulness of a
narrator, regarding whether he was upright, and regarding whether he
had a good memory.
Differences between the people of the Sunnah and others did
not result because of any disparity between the different schools. As
has been established in our discussion of narrator criticism, the
people of the Sunnah did not vilify or discredit their opponent unless,
1. his iunovation led to disbelief,
2. he attacked one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ~
3. he was inviting others to his iunovation,
4. or the hadith he was narrating was in harmony with the innovation
to which he was inviting others.
The scholars of hadith criticism would consider all of these points as
evidence showing that the narrator was not truthful or sincere. Other
than those points, they differed about a narrator who was outside of
the ranks of the people of the Sunnah not based on differences
between schools of thought, but based on the truthfulness of a
narrator. This is why the books of the Sunnah, and in their forefront
Bukhari and Muslim, related hadiths from some innovators whom
history has shown to be truthful. Examples of such narrators are
'Urman ibn l;IaWill al-Khiirijee and Abban ibn Taghlab ash-Shi'ee.
As he was discussing the biography of Abban ibn Taghlab al-Koofi,
Al-I:Iiifidh adh-Dhahabi said, "A dyed-in-the-wool Shi'ee, but he is
truthfuL For us is his honesty aud against him is his innovation."
It is true that the people of the Sunnah do not accept narrations
of 'Ali (.) which are related through his supporters, but that is
because they distorted his knowledge, imputed to him opinions that
he never held, aud attributed to him sayings that he never even
urtered. It is related from Ibn Is-l;1aq that he said, "When they
perpetrated those actions after 'Ali, one among them - who was
against their actions - said, "May Allah fight them; how priceless is
the knowledge that they have distorted!" All these points only
highlight the generalizations aud obfuscations resorted to by Ameen.
As regards the second point, Ameen said that as a resnlt, some
would rule a narrator to be upright while others would attack his
honor. He attempted to prove this point based on the statement of
Adh-Dhahabi. But he committed a sequence of errors:
First, he was wrong in using Muhammad ibn Is-l;1iiq as au example to
show that differences among the schools of jurisprudeuce had au
effect on narrator criticism, for Mnhammad ibn Is-l;1iiq was one of the
people of the Sunnah. Every scholar who disagreed about him was
also one of the people of the Sunnah. So Ameen did not prove his
point by using him as au example.
Second, he misunderstood Adh-Dhahabi's statement; he understood
from it that it showed how great a disparity there was among scholars
of narrator criticismin their judgments. But if one reads the statement
of Adh-Dhahabi closely, one will come to a completely different
understanding. In effect, Adh-Dhahahi is making the following
point: the scholars in this field are careful aud precise in criticizing
narrators, so it has never occurred that they differed about the
trustworthiness of a narrator who was famous for being weak, nor
about the weakness of a narrator who was known to be upright aud
trustworthy. Instead, they only disagreed about one who was neither
famous for being weak nor for being upright. He said, "Deemupright
a weak narrator and deem weak a trustworthy narrator." If he had
intended to say what Ameen understood, he would have said, "No
two agreed about the uprightness of any given narrator."
The question that remains, then, is this: did Ameen really not
understand the statement of Adh-Dhahabi or did he understand it but
choose to ignore its true implications in order to take away from the
honor of Hadith scholars, hoping to convince the reader that they
were often self-contradictory in their views? The implications of
what Ameen says are indeed dangerous. In effect, he is saying that if
a scholar rules a narrator to be satisfactory in his narrations, then
there are others who will consider himto be weak; consequently, it is
not binding upon us to accept a hadith that Bukhari relates, because
the narrators that he rules to be trustworthy will be judged as being
weak by other scholars. Contemplate these most dangerous ideas.
The principles of criticism
in the chain and in the text
Ameen comments on page 266:
'The scholars have established rules for narrator criticism, but this is
not the place to mention them. However, we can say that - and the
truth must be told - they gave more attention to criticizing the chain
of narrators than to criticizing the text of a hadith. Rarely do we find
themcriticizing a narration because the words ascribed to the Prophet
~ do not agree with historical circumstances and realities. Nor do
we find them criticizing a hadith because the style of the wording
used was philosophical in nature as opposed to the style of speech
that we know from the Prophet ~ . And we do not find them
criticizing a hadith because the style of its wording... is too similar to
texts ofjurisprudence. Regarding these matters, we find that scholars
of hadith criticize and analyze narrators 10 times more than they do
the texts of narrations. We even see that Bukhari - despite his high
and noble status and his precision in his research - established a
hadith, which is proven to be untrue through historical occurrences
and visible facts. This is because he limited his criticism to narrators.
For example, there is the hadith, 'There will not remain on the face of
the earth a breathing soul after one hundred years: 10 and the hadith,
'Whoever eats seven dates every day will be harmed neither by
poison nor by magic on that day until the night.' ,,11
Ameen's claim involves two matters:
1. A criticism of the rules established by the scholars of hadith
criticism.
2. A criticism of two hadiths that are related in $al;teel;t al-Bukhari.
His comments are based on the new principles that he establishes for
himself in the science of Hadith.
Rules laid down by the scholars
for criticizing Hadith
We must pause here to see whether the scholars were indeed
derelict when it came to criticizing the text of a narration and whether
there was anything more they could have done in that regard.
When a man brings you some news about another man, the
first thing that comes to mind is to ask yourself whether the bearer of
the news is trnthful or not - which you probably judge based on
what you know of his situation, his past, his trustworthiness, his
dealings, and so on. After learning that he is trustworthy, you then
move on to what he actually said, comparing it to what you know
10 Reported by At-Ta1].awi in Mushkil al-Athdr, vol. I, p. 386, hadith nos.
3384 and 439L
1l Reported by Bukhari, vol. 18, p. 63, hadith no. 5326 and Mnslim, vol. 6, p.
123, hadith no. 5388. See al-Musnad al-Jami', vol. 12, p. 177.
about the person who is being spoken of, in terms of his sayings,
deeds, as well as his situation. If the news corresponds to what you
know of his situation, you will not doubt that the bearer of news has
spoken the truth. Otherwise, you will hesitate in accepting the news
- even though you know that the bearer of news is truthful -
because of some evidence in the report itself that makes you unsure.
In the end, that might have been because the bearer of news had
forgotten or had imagined the information, thinking all the while that
what he was relating was true. Yet there might be another reason why
his news is false. If you not ouly hesitated in such a situation but went
so far as to rule his information to be a lie, then that was an arbitrary
and wrong ruling on your part, because you disbelieved in the news
of a man whom you acknowledge to be truthful and trustworthy.
The situation described above is the same as that of the
scholars who found before themmany narrations fromthe Messenger
of Allah ~ . In criticizing those narrations and discerning between
the authentic and the unauthentic, they took two steps: first, to
criticize the chain of narrators, and second, to criticize the text of the
narration,
As for the chain, we have already mentioned the conditions
they stipulated for a narrator to be acceptable - qualities such as
uprightness, precision, and memory. They also stipulated that each
narrator in the chain had to have heard directly from the one before
him until the chain reaches a Companion. I believe that neither the
author in question nor those who preceded him from the Orientalists
are able to accuse our scholars of dereliction when it comes to
criticizing narrators. They laid down precise rules, which provide the
guidelines for grading a narrator to be acceptable or not. Even the
Orientalists agree with this: that our scholars - may Allah have
mercy on them - have reached the pinnacle of circumspection and
precision in grading narrators.
As regards the text of a narration, we have hitherto mentioned
some of the principles they have outlined to criticize it:
1. The wording of the narration should not be stilted to an extent that
an eloquent person would not speak in that manner.
2. The narration should not be contrary to obvious realities that the
mind accepts, unless there is a possible (variant) interpretation.
3. The narration should not be contrary to general rules of wisdom
and manners.
4. The narration should not be contrary to what is felt by the senses or
to what is witnessed.
5. The narration should not be contrary to obvious facts of medicine
and wisdom.
6. The narration should not be inviting to baseness, from which Islam
absolves itself from.
7. It should not be contrary to what is instinctively accepted and
understood regarding the basic principles of belief - regarding
Allah's attributes or the attributes of His Messengers.
8. It should not be contrary to Allah's Sunnah regarding the universe
and humankind.
9. It should not consist offoolish sayings, which the wise ones would
never utter.
10. It should not be contrary to the Qnr' an, to the clear Sunnah, to
that upon which there is consensus, or to that which must necessarily
be known in the Religion - in cases that there is no room for
interpretation.
11. It should not be contrary to known historical realities from the
time of the Prophet (It%l.
12. It should not be in accordance with the sect or school of
jurisprudence that the uarrator is an adherent of and that he invites
others to join.
13. It should not informus of a matter that occurred in front of a huge
audience, but then is related by a single person ouly.
14. It should not be inspired by personal motive, which caused the
narrator to relate his narration.
15. It should not exaggerate in mentioning a huge reward for small
deeds, nor shonld it exaggerate in mentioning severe punishment for
a small, insignificant deed.
Based on these well-developed and solid principles, the
scholars dedicated therrlSelves to criticizing hadith texts, in order to
distinguish between the authentic and the unauthentic. No doubt,
they are sound principles, by which a just person cannot help but be
impressed - impressed by their strength, depth, and precision. But
our scholars did not stop at these principles; they compared a given
narration to other narrations, to see whether it contained any hidden
defects. They also studied to see whether the wording of a narration
had been distorted or whether another person's words were
mistakenly inserted into the wording of a text. Books of hadith
criticism are replete with examples of hadiths that are rejected based
on a flaw in the text of a narration.
Further illustrating their prodigious level of circumspection
and precision, the scholars have said that there is a possibility that an
authentic, Al;1iid narration only imparts almost sure knowledge and
not absolute knowledge; however, they also say that that is enough to
make it binding on us to apply them. Just that they made the former
statement shows how careful they were regarding Allah's Religion,
for they acknowledged that there always is the possibility that a
narrator might forget or make a mistake that goes undetected.
All of that circumspection did not seem to impress the author
of Fajr ai-Islam, and that is because it did not impress his Orientalist
teachers. Ameen says that when criticizing narrations, hadith
scholars shonld have paid more attention to the following issues:
1. Does the narration ascribed to the Prophet ~ correspond to the
conditions that are spoken of?
2. Do historical events corroborate the narration?
3. Is the style of the hadith one that is philosophical, contradicting
what is known from the style of the Prophet's speech?
4. Is the hadith similar in its form to a text of jnrisprudence?
And in l)ulja ai-Islam (2/130-131), he added the following matters:
5. Does the hadith correspond to reality?
6. Was th",re a political motive for fabrication?
7. Does the hadith correspond to prevailing circumstances?
8. Was there a personal motive that led the narrator to fabricate?
Th",se are the new and improved principles of hadith criticism that
Ahmad Ameen lays down. He claims that Islamic scholars ignored
these principles and that had they paid attention to them, they would
have ruled correctly in many hadiths that they ruled to be authentic,
when in fact - according to his claim - they are fabricated.
He gave two examples, both of which are hadiths found in
Bukhari. In l)ulja ai-Islam, he gave the example of a hadith related in
Tirmidhi from Abu Hurayrah ('*'): "Truffles...and their juice are a
cure for the eye, and the 'Ajwah (date) is from Paradise, and it is a
cure for poison." 12 Ameen says, "When hadith scholars criticized
this narration, they shonld have tested the potency of Truffles, in
spite of the claim of Abu Hurayrah (,*,), who said that he tried them
and that they led to his cure."
Concentrating our study on his new ptinciples and standards,
let us look at the examples Ameen chose to see the extent to which he
was correct.
1. He said that hadith scholars did not first check to see whether the
conditions that are spoken of in the narration correspond to reality.
12 Reported by Bukhari, vol. 17, p. 476, hadith no. 5272 and MlLSlim, vol. 10,
p. 362, hadith no. 3816. See al-Musnad al-Jiiml', vol. 12, p. 177.
You have already seen that this claimis false because they did in fact
lay down principles to criticize the text of a narration; we have
previonsly given the example of the hadith of the washroom; the
scholars rejected it because during his lifetime, the Prophet ~
never entered a washroom and washrooms were not even known in
IJijaz.
2. Ameen then spoke about historical events that corroborate or
disprove a narration. Yon have hitherto seen that hadith scholars
counted that as one of the signs of a fabrication. For example, they
rejected the hadith in which it is said that the jizyah tax was imposed
on the people of Khaybar. Scholars rejected it becanse historical
events disprove it - the jizyah tax was only imposed at a later date.
Notice in this example how scholars used history and the chronology
of events to expose the lie of a narrator. And you have also seen how
they used the chronology of events to show that a narrator lied in his
claim that he met the Shaykh from whom he purportedly heard a
narration.
3. He then said that scholars shonld have studied the style of wording
in a text, for if the style was philosophical in nature and if it was
contrary to the known style of the Prophet (*), we can know that that
narration is a fabrication. This comes under the topic of 'stilted
speech'. The principle behind that rule is that we know that the
Prophet ~ conld not possibly have uttered the words that are
ascribed to him. In this regard, we have related to you ibn Daqeeq a1-
'Eid's words,
"Often, they would rule it to be a fabrication because of matters that
revolved around the text. They knew what the Prophet ~ might
have said and what it was impossible for him to have said."
Hence it was easy for them to reject a hadith that consisted of a
philosophical style that they were not accustomed to in statements
from the Prophet ~ . We challenge Ameen to relate to us a single
hadith that scholars of Islamhave authenticated, though it is from this
category.
4. Next, Ameen mentioned that a hadith should be rejected if its fonn
is very similar to texts of jurisprudence. We mentioned earlier that
scholars stipulate that a narration must not be in accordance to the
sect or the school to which a fanatical narrator adheres. They reject
many hadiths that discuss beliefs when those hadiths support the
views of schools or sects of narrators. They also rejected hadiths
about jurisprudence for the same reason. For example, the narration,
"For the person who is in a major state of impurity, rinsing the mouth
and the nose three times each is compulsory." Another example is,
"If there is a quantity of blood equal to the size of a Dirham on one's
garment, then the garment must be washed and the prayer must be
repeated." 13 There are many other examples of hadiths similar to
these, many of which the scholars have ruled to be fabrications. Refer
to ar-R{};yah, M[[Wtj.oo'fit Ibn al-Jawzi, and al-Uilee' al-
'ah, by As-Suyooji.
5. He then asked whether the hadith corresponds to reality. Scholars
of hadith mention this issue; in fact, based on it, they have rejected
many narrations. For example, "Allah is in no need of any newborn
that will be born after the year 100."14 TIris is contrary to the
actuality of what we know, for some of the most famous Imams were
born after the first century. Another example is the narration, "Egg
plant is a cure for every ailment." 15 And another example is the
narration, "Eat lentils, for they are blessed. They soften the heart and
13 Reported by Ad-Daraqu!TIee, vol. 4, p. 168, baditb no. 5272; AI-Bayhaqi,
vol. 2, p. 404, haditb no. 3816 and Ibn Miijah. Shaykh al-Albilni said it is
fabricated haditb. See Silsila' wf-J!a'eefah, vol. I, p. 225.
14 Imam AWnad said: it is not authentic. See by Ibn al-Jawzee,
vol. 3, p. 192.
15 Imam al-Jizzee said: It is false and fabricated hadith, which has no root. See
al-Mawejoo'at by Ibn al-Jawzee, vol. 2, p. 301.
increase tears." 16 The scholars have ruled all of these narrations to be
false because they do not correspond to reality.
6. He then asked whether there was any political motive for
fabrication. The scholars rejected narrations that were related by
fanatical adherents of schools of jurisprudence or of sects. Hence
they rejected narrations about 'Ali that came from the extreme
elements among the Shi'ah. Similarly they rejected narrations about
Abu Bakr that came fromthe sect that over-zealously supported
him; about 'Ut!nnfuJ that came from the sect that over-zealously
supported him; about Banu Urnayyah that came from the
Urnawiyoon; and about Banu al-'Abbas that came from the
'Abbasiyoon. Scholars pointed out that political disagreement was
among the most important of factors that led to fabrication. In fact,
they were very severe in criticizing narrations that pertain to this
issue. After they scrutinizednarrations fromthis category, they ended
up rejecting more narrations than they had accepted.
7. He then asked whether the hadith corresponded to prevailing
circumstances. In this regard, scholars have rejected many hadiths,
among which is this one: "I had sore eyes so 1complained to Jibreel.
He said to me, 'Continue to look at the Scholars have
said, "During the lifetime of the Prophet there was no
that he could look at," and therefore they ruled that this narration is a
fabrication.
8. He then asked whether there was a personal motive that led a
narrator to fabricate. From a previous chapter, we know that scholars
did not overlook this issue. One scholar said, "We might find out that
a narration is a fabrication through the situatiou of the narrator."
16 This hadith is mentioned in al-Mawtjoo'at by Ibn al-Jawzi, vol. 2, pp. 294-
295 and by As-Saghanee in al-A1}iideeth al-Mawtjoo'at, p. 9. Shaykh al-Albfuri
said, it is fabricated hadith. See Silsilat al-AlJiideeth euJ-l)a'eejah, vol. 1, p. 114.
They exemplified this by the narration, "Mash strengthens the back."
The narrator of this hadith used to make mash. Another example is
the hadith, "The teachers of your children are the most evil among
you... " The narrator was Sa'd ibn Tareef, who said this statement
when his son came home crying, informing him that his teacher had
hit him.
The scholars of hadith were not derelict in any of the matters
that Ameen mentioned. They went much further than he did in laying
down principles through which they would criticize narrations, Had
Ameen read the many compilations of fabrications and had he
studied the books of the scholars on the various hadith sciences, he
would have acknowledged that Muslim scholars were thorough in
their efforts to preserve the authentic Sunnah and that they adhered to
precise scholarly principles, through which they were able to detect
an error either in the text or in the chain of a narration. We have
already clarified that the scholars have established approximately
fifteen rules for testing the text of the narration.
It is true, however, that the scholars (may Allah have mercy on
them) did not use those principles except in a very limited scope, only
when it was necessary to resort to them. They only rejected hadiths
based on the text when there remained no possibility for an
alteruative, plausible interpretation. They made sure that one of the
conditions of authenticity was indeed lost or that one of the signs of
fabrication was indeed present. They relied heavily on criticizing the
chain, and throngh that criticism they brushed aside thousands of
fabricated narrations. They then criticized the text, but within the
limited scope that we have mentioned. They did not risk issuing a
ruling in Allah's religion based simply on their emotions or desires.
And because of that, they were saved from falling into the error that
Ameen fell into when he wanted to nse those principles without being
circumspect and without having correct guidance. Hence he ruled
that certain authentic hadiths, which are above suspicion or doubt, are
fabrications.
That the scholars were hesitant and circumspect in rejecting
hadiths based on their texts is perfectly understandable; they were
scrutinizing narrations ascribed to the Prophet ~ , who had
circumstances that were specific to him. The principles for criticizing
his hadith are more precise and more difficult than the principles for
criticizing the hadith of anyone else because he was a Messenger who
received inspiration from Allah ~ ; he was given the most
comprehensive of words; he was given the authority to legislate; and
he had knowledge from Allah ~ about certain matters from the
unseen. It is not strange, then, to say that some of his hadiths were
above the understanding of people. So a statement that might be
perceived as philosophical might later on be understood as a clear
statement. It is also reasonable to say that he legislated with concise
phrases, which are similar to the phrases of jurisprudence in books of
Islamic law. H e ~ said, The buyer and seller are still at liberty (to
annul the deal) as long as they do not part from one another.17 He
~ also said, One cannot marry a woman and at the same time
marry her aunt from the father's side or her aunt from the mother's
side.18 And he (il1!i;) also said, What is forbidden because of (blood)
relation is also fo;bidden because of foster relations. 19 One cannot
reject these phrases simply because' they are similar to texts of
jurisprudence. If these phrases are spoken in clear and eloquent
Arabic and if later on the jurists hear those phrases and put them in
their books, it is not fair to say that they are unauthentic narrations.
17 Reported by Abu Diiwood, vol. 14, p. 6, hadith no. 4407 and An-Nisa'i.
Shaykh al-Albani said, it is an authentic hadith. See $alJeel; al-Jiimi', hadith
no. 6673.
IS Reported hy Bukhari, vol. 16, p. 61, hadith no. 2518; Muslim, voL 7, p. 209.
In other situations, the Prophet <m) spoke about some special
qualities of herbs or fruits. Such narrations might be miracles of
Prophethood, so that people from each generation might have a proof
as to his genuineness. If people did not discover the secret behind a
hadith duriug their era that does not prove that a hadith is a
fabrication. This is the reason why scholars have limited the scope of
criticismbased on a text as opposed to the chain, where their criticism
was much more extensive. Those who are criticized in the chain of a
narration are just like other people - the same rules apply to them
all. But as for the text, it is speech that is imputed to one who is higher
than the ordinary human being in his knowledge.
Perhaps he ~ might have said something figuratively, as
occurs often in the Qur' an. When one first looks at this kind of
statement, one might imagine it to be unauthentic, whereas the
intended meaning is different from the apparent linguistic meaning
that first comes to mind.
The Prophet ~ might have said something to inform us
about the unseen, about a matter that was to occur after his lifetime.
That matter might already have taken place, or it will corne to pass at
a time we do not know of, so one should not hasten to reject such
narrations.
The Prophet ~ might have said something about a matter
that was not discovered duriug his lifetime or in ensuing centuries. As
regards the hadith that mentioned the jutisprudential ruling for
purifying a container that has been licked by a dog, moderu science
has only recently discovered that its implications are true. The
scholars from the past believed it to be true, not because they had
scientific proof to back up their belief, but because they implicitly
believed in the words of the Prophet <m). Our scholars would not say
that the implications of such narrations are impossible, especially
after they first ascertained that the chain was correct and that the
narrators were all trustworthy.
The Orientalists, however, did not hold the Messenger of
Allah ~ in the same regard. They criticized the Prophet ~ using
the same principles they used when they criticized the sayings of any
other man. This was because they viewed the Messenger ~ as they
did any other man who had nO link to revelation and who had not
been informed by Allah of unseen matters. So if his hadith informed
us of a physical reality that is not part of hnman knowledge, the
Orientalists and those of their ilk would say that that hadith is
fabricated, arguing that it does not correspond to the knowledge of
the day. Likewise, if a hadith is related and contains words that are
legislative in their style, they would say that it is fabricated because it
represents Islamic jurisprudence after it became more developed, and
it does not represent the simple style of speech that was used during
the life of the Prophet ~ . And if the Messenger ~ gave
information of what was to occur to Muslims after his death, they
would say that the circumstances of the Prophet ~ did not pennit
him to make such prophecies.
The Orientalists rejected the Prophet's message and
disbelieved in the truthfulness of what he was conveying from
Allah ~ . As a consequence they attacked our scholars as well
because they did not take a similar stance.
Of course our scholars are excused for not having taken the
same path as the Orientalists in their misguided way, for our scholars
believe that Muhanunad ibn 'Abdullah ~ was a noble Messenger,
whom Allah sent to all people, sending with him a perfect set oflaws,
laws that bring happiness to people in this world and in the Hereafter.
It is truly unfortunate to see Muslims, such as the author of
Fajr ai-Islam, follow the way of the Orientalists. Authors like Ameen
do not, or do not want to, perceive the danger of what the Orientalists
are encouraging, and so they find fault with our scholars, arguing that
they were negligent in criticizing the texts of narrations. Following
that methodology, they disregard all proofs except those that are
proffered by the Orientalists.
In all that Ahmad Ameen wrote on this topic, I was not able to
fmd a single aberrant opinion of his that he did not take from the
Orientalists. He argnes that we must always seek judgment in
reasoning and in the mind when we are judging narrations. I do not
know whose mind it is that he wants to make the judge. Are not the
precise principles that our scholars derived better and more learned?
We do not have one mind by which we may establish a standard for
different matters; rather there is a disparity among our minds and our
ways of thinking. We each have different standards and we each have
different talents. A concept that one person might not comprehend or
understand another person might easily understand. So Ameen
commits a grave error when he says that we must seek judgment in
the mind when accepting hadith narrations.
The wisdombehind the legislation of a ruling in Islammight be
hidden to people from a given generation, bnt then it may become
clear to another generation, when the sciences become more advanced
and when some of the secrets of life are discovered. To open the door
to criticism of the text based on what the mind perceives to be true is
neither a precise principle nor a very scholarly one. To broaden the
scope in that regard is tantamount to opening the door for critics to
rule based on their desires or based on their weak nnderstanding, lack
of insight, or ignorance of established facts. To open doors in this
regard will inevitably result in chaos, the extent of which none knows
except Allah (i\I#). One will reject a hadith, another will accept it to be
true, and another will vacillate between both judgments. This is
because the minds of people differ in how they rule, in the opinions
they hold, and in their understanding. Perhaps the greatest lesson we
can learn in this issue is from the mistakes that the author of Fajr al-
Islam made. He ended up disbelieving in narrations that are
unquestionably true, and he ruled certain narrations to be fabricated
when all proofs establish them to be authentic!
A Criticism of Haditns in $aIJeelJ al-Bukhari
The first Hadith
After one hundred years pass, there will not remain a
breathing soul on the face of the earth.
Bukhari, Muslim, and other compilers of the Sunnah relate this
hadith. Because Ameen understood from it that the Messenger (iIl!\j)
informed his Companions of the end of the world and because the
world did not in fact come to an end after the appointed term, Ameen
ruled it to be a fabrication.
But this hadith is only a portion of a longer hadith that is
related by Bukhari in the "Book of Prayer". In it, 'Abdullah ibn
'Umar (.) said: "On one occasion when the Prophet (iIl!\j) prayed
the 'Isha' prayer at the end of his life, he stood after completing it,
and said, 'Do you see this night of yours, for after one hundred years
pass, there will not remain a single person from those who are today
on the face of the earth.' " The Prophet meant that no one who
was alive when he spoke the hadith would be alive after the passing
of one hundred years. Some Companions misunderstood the
Prophet's words, "fromthose who are today on the face of the earth",
and so they thought that the world would end after one hundred
years. But Ibn 'Umar clarified to them the exact phrase spoken by the
Messenger (iIl!\j) and then clarified the meaning of that phrase. From a
narration in At-Tabaram we learn that 'Ali ibn Abi Tillib (.) also
explained the correct meaning of the hadith.
Scholars researched this issue and found that the last
Companion to die was Abu Tufayl 'Amir Wiithilah (.), who died
in the year 110 H, which was exactly one hnndred years after the
Prophet (;i!\j) spoke those words in the aforementioned hadith. The
hadith is therefore one of the miracles of the Prophet ~ , for in it he
gave a lrue account about the future. Let us see what some of the
commentators of Bukhari say about the incident.
In FatT; al-Bari, Al-I;Hifidh Ibu I:Iajr said, "Ibn 'Umar ~
clarified iu this hadith the intended meaning of the Prophet ~ : that
one hundred years later ~ from the time that he spoke the words -
their generation was to come to an end. No one who was alive when
he spoke would still be alive after the passing of one hundred years,
and that is what in fact happened."
Scholars of hadith agree that the last Companion to die was
Abu at-Tufayl 'Amrr ibn Wiithilah ~ . And based on different
accounts, the longest he is reported to have lived was until the year
110 H, and that was exactly one hundred years after the Prophet ~
made the said statement.
ImamMuslimmentioned this hadith through many chains, and
in one of those chains, he relates this wording from Jiibir ~ :
There is not a breathing soul today that will still be alive after the
passage of 100 years.
An-Nawawi said: 'These narrations, which explain one
another, contain in them one of the signs of prophethood. They
convey the meaning that no soul who was alive when he spoke those
words wonld still be alive after the passing of one hundred years,
regardless of whether one was young or old at the time when the
phrase was uttered. It does not, however, negate the possibility that
anyone, who was born after that date, should live for more than a
hundred years."
Al-Kirmiini related that Ibn BaWil said: 'The Messenger ~
intended to say that after the passing ofthe said period, the generation
that was alive at the time would become extinct. He was admonishing
them by reminding them of the shortness of their years, telling them
that their life span was not like the prolonged life span of those who
preceded them from previous nations. He was, in so many words,
exhorting them to strive harder in their worship."
In his Muqaddimah, Ibn a!)-Saliil} said: "For sure, the last of them to
die was Abu Tufayl 'Anur ibn Wiithilah (.), who died one hundred
years after the Migration... It is also said that he died in the year 110
H. He was the last to die of those who saw the Prophet (;ilij;)."
In one of the nartations, it is related that the Prophet (;ilij;) spoke
those words one month before he died. Hence scholars rejected the
declaration of anyone who claimed to be a Companion after the year
llO H. After that date, some people - for instance, Ratnu of India
- claimed to be Companions, but their claims were of course known
to be false.
The hadith in question, which in reality is one of the Prophet's
miracles, has become distorted according to the logic of new
criticism; Ahmad Ameen, One of the main proponents of that
criticism, claims that it is a fabrication!
The question is, then, how did Ameen arrive at his conclusion?
It seems that he strove to invent new principles of hadith criticism in
his relentless struggle to belittle Muslim scholars. It also appears that
he depended greatly on the attacks of An-Nidhiim in the past, and of
the Orientalists in the present. He turned a blind eye to what the
commentators of the hadith explained in terms of its correct meaning
and to what Ibn 'Vmar (.) clarified in Bukhari itself. He also
turned a blind eye to the narration of Jiibir (.) in $aiJeeiJ Muslim.
He ouly mentioned the portion that was related by Bukhari in the
'Book of Knowledge'. Bukhari has an excuse in that it was his wont
to break up hadiths into portions and then relate them in different
chapters. Ahmad Ameen, however, has no excuse for limiting
himself to relating only a small portion of the hadith, especially
considering that the commentators of the hadith gave snfficient
explanation for it. Ibn I;!ajr, perhaps the most famous commentator of
Bukhari, points out in the 'Book of Knowledge', that Bukhari related
the rest of the hadith in the 'Book of Prayer'.
What is most astonishing is that the author of Fajr ai-Islam
mentioned at the end of the chapter the most important reference
books that he used. At the forefront he mentioned Ibn I;!ajr's Fat/; al-
Bari, which is an explanation of Bukhari; al-Qistilani, another
explanation of Bukhari; and SharI; an-Nawawi, an explanation of
$al;eel; Muslim. All of these commentators clarified the true meaning
of the hadith, and they all pointed out that Bukhari summarized the
hadith in one chapter and mentioned it completely in another. When
discussing the shortened version, they referred the reader to the
complete version. If the author actually referred to the books that he
claimed to have used in his research, how conld he have then
honestly asserted that the hadith is a fabrication? And if he did not
refer to those books in his research, why he did he mention them as
reference books that he used? And furthermore, on what basis did he
deem it permissible for himself to delve into a matter without proper
gnidance?
The second Hadith
Whoever eats seven 'Ajwa dates every day will not be
harmed by poison or magic on that day until the night.
Bukhari related this hadith in the 'Book of Medicine'; Muslim
related it too, and AJ:unad related it from Sa'd ibn Abi q q ~ (.).
In understanding this hadith, scholars approach it in different ways:
Some scholars rnled that this hadith is specific to the dates of
Madinah, basing that ruling on the narration of Muslim: "Whoever
eats seven dates within the limits of Madinah... " It is also
corroborated by tbe haditb of 'A'ishah ~ , which is related by
Muslim: "Indeed this 'Ajwd al- 'Aliyah is a cirre." Scholars who hold
this opiniou say tbat tbere is notbing to prevent Allah ~ from
specifying a city or place witb any given distinction - witb a specific
quality or merit that is uot found elsewhere. We know tbat some
medicines are found in some places or in some countries and are not
found elsewhere; and even if tbey are found elsewhere, tbey are not
as potent because of some special quality, for instance, in tbe soil of
tbat particular land. We know tbat tbe Prophet ~ was blessed, and
tbe 'Ajwah was among tbe trees tbat tbe Prophet ~ planted in
Madinah. Otber scholars have said tbat tbe haditb is general, and
applies to all 'Ajwah. Yet most scholars hold tbat tbe haditb is
specific to tbe 'Ajwah of Madinah.
In my judgment, it is not correct to be hasty in rejecting a
haditb and ruling it to be a fabrication, except ifits chain is weak or if
tbe established principles of trutb and wisdom categorically and
conclusively indicate tbat it is a lie. This haditb is autbentically
established tbrough many chains. It is related by tbe upright,
trustwortby ones, and so tbere is no room left for doubt. And its text
is correct as well; many people, myself included, have tested it, and
tbe truthfulness of tbe haditb has become apparent, for 'Ajwah is
indeed beneficial. In modern medicine, it has been proven tbat tbe
'Ajwah is nourishing, is beneficial to tbe digestive system, is helpful
in strengtbening tbe body, and is potent in fighting harmful bacteria.
Likewise, if tbe 'Ajwah is beneficial to tbe body, it is also beneficial
to tbe soul of tbe one upon whom magic is cast. We must remember
tbat it was tbe Prophet ~ who described tbe potency of tbis
medicine, and he is not one who spoke from desire. As long as we
can find some interpretation of tbe haditb, and as long as it has an
autbentic chain, we must not be rash by judging it to be a fabrication.
If modem medicine has not succeeded in finding all of tbe
special qualities of tbe 'Ajwah, tbat does not mean tbat tbe haditb is a
fabrication. Can anyone claim that medicine has reached its pinnacle
or that it has discovered the medicinal qualities of all foods, drinks, or
plants? Therefore Ameen showed a great deal of temerity in asserting
so positively that the hadith is a fabrication. With Muslim scholars, as
long as the chain of a hadith is authentic and as long as the text can be
given a general, plausible interpretation, they rule the hadith to be
authentic. And if they do not discover all of the therapeutic benefits
of the 'Ajwah today, then they will tomorrow inshii' Allah.
The third Hadith
Truffles ... are a cure for the eye; 'ajwah is from Paradise and
is a cure from poison.
At-Tirmidhi related this hadith from Abu Hurayrah ~ and
AJ:unad related it in his Musnad from Sa'eed ibn Zayd ~ .
Commenting on it, the author of Fajr al-Islfim said:
"In criticizing this hadith, did they even test the truffle to see whether
it contains an anecdote? Yes, they have related that Abu Hurayrah
~ said, 'I took three truffles, or five, or seven, and then squeezed
them into a container. A bleary-eyed female slave of mine darkened
her eyelids with them, and she became cured.' But is this enough to
prove that the hadith is authentic? Logically speaking, an isolated
instance is not enough to establish the potency of any given
medicine; the only way to establish that is by testing the medicine
many times over. Yet even better is to analyze the medicine in a
laboratory to see what elements it is made of. If chemically analyzing
its elements was not possible during that period, then they should at
least have tested it many times over, and that would have been the
correct way of testing whether the hadith is authentic or fabricated."
Here we have two matters: first, the hadith is authentically
related by Bukhari, Muslim, and others. Its chain is strong, for it does
not contain an accused or unreliable narrator. Second, Abu Hurayrah
~ tested the hadith and found it to be correct, and many others
after him tested it as well, and they too found it to be correct. An-
Nawawi related that a scholar in his day was afflicted with blindness;
he darkened his eyes with truffle and was then cnred. That scholar
was pious and was known for his narration of hadith. Many other
scholars throughout history have also attested to the potency of
truffles regarding aihnents of the eye.
It seems that Ameen wants every single Muslim to take a
quantity of truffle, to squeeze it, and then to use it as drops for the
eye. We have already seen that many scholars from the past have
found it to be potent. Did the author ever hear of anyone who used it
and then was harmed by it? Let us suppose that he tested truffles,
were they the same truffles that grew in the Arabian Peninsula dnring
the era of the Messenger ~ ? And has medicine today reached its
pinnacle, so that if modern medicine does not prove a hadith to be
true, we rule it to be a fabrication? In truth, Ameen was totally off
base in this example as well as in the previous two examples. I cannot
see how it is permissible to doubt a hadith whose chain is authentic
and whose text many scholars have tested and found to be true.
The fourth Hadith
Ibn 'Vmar ~ related that the Messenger of Allah ~ said:
Whoever takes possession of a dog ~ except for the dog that is used
for hunting or for (herding) livestock -loses two qeeriit 20 of reward
every day.,,2! It was said to Ibn 'Vmar, "Indeed, Abu Hurayrah adds
to the narration, 'or the dog that is used in the field.' " Ibn 'Vmar
said, "Indeed, Abu Hurayrah has a field."
20 Lit., an amount of gold equal to three grains of wheat (i.e., a carat); here,
an unspecified but large amount of reward.
21 Reported by Bukhari, vol. 17, p. 141, baditb no. 5059; Muslim, vol. 8, p.
225, haditb no. 2941.
Ahmad Ameen commented, "TIns criticism from Ibn 'Umar
was special in that it pointed out the personal motive (for
fabrications)." By this he means that Ibn 'Umar was accusing Abu
Hurayrah of the addition, "or the dog that is used in the field" . Abu
Hurayrah ~ had a field of vegetables, and so Ameen claimed that
he added to the hadith in order to justify Iris taking a dog to help lrim
in his field.
Bukhari related Abu Hurayrah' s addition, yet he did not relate
Ibn 'Umar's commentary. Muslim related both Abu Hurayrah's
addition and Ibn 'Umar's words; bnt then Muslim related the hadith
through other narrators, who related the addition from Ibn 'Umar,
wlrich he took from Abu Hurayrah. That Ibn 'Umar related this
narration proves that he accepted it to be authentic. Furthermore, Abu
Hurayrah ~ was not the only one to relate it, but others from the
Companions related it as well from the Prophet ~ . In Fatl; al-Barl,
Ibn I,lajr said, "Sufiyiin ibn Zuhayr and 'Abdulliih ibn Mughafftl's
narrations both correspond to Abu Hurayrah' s mention of (using a
dog in) the field."
The commentators of hadith compilations have clarified Ibn
'Umar's intent. An-Nawawi commented on Ibn 'Umar's statement:
"He was not disparaging or doubting Abu Hurayrah's narration. He
meant that since Abu Hurayrah had Iris own field that he used for
planting, he paid special attention to this hadith, memorizing it, and
perfecting Iris narration of it. When one is affected by a specific
matter, one becomes skillful in areas that others do not excel in... "
Muslim related this narration from other narrators as well, and not
only from Abu Hurayrah. The point is that Ibn 'Umar lrimself relates
the hadith. It is therefore possible that when he heard it from Abu
Hurayrah, he then went to the Prophet ~ and made sure for
lrimself. An important tiring to remember here is that a group of
Companions, and not Abu Hurayrah alone, related it from the
Prophet ~ .
We must also remember that Ibn 'Umar (.) acknowledged
the superiority of Abu Hurayrah (.), saying that he had memorized
more hadiths from the Messenger of A l l a h ~ than anyone else. We
will discuss later on how highly the Companions, Ibn 'Umar
included, held Abn Hurayrah in their regard. If Ibn 'Umar accused
Abu Hurayrah of lying, then why did he later on relate the said
narration fromhim? And why did jurists apply the narration, building
so many rulings upon it?
Ameen again had the temerity to impute his claims to the
books of hadith, when in fact those very books disproved all of his
assumptions. You might be asking the same question that I asked: did
he did not understand an-Nawawi's statement? Or did he understand
it but prefer the opinion of the Jewish Orientalist, Goldziher?
These are the examples through which Ameen attempted to
attack the Sunnah. He did not in reality contribute any new principle
to hadith criticism; the only matter that was novel about his approach
was the rashness he showed in applying established principles
without knowledge and without proper guidelines. He attacked
hadiths that were established to be authentic, and in doing so he
exposed his bias, showing everyone that his knowledge and opinions
were taken from the Orientalists.
The scholars of Islam were more judicious in applying the
rules of hadith criticism. As long as a hadith reached us through
authentic and correct chains and as long as the text can be interpreted
in a plausible manner, it is not permissible to reject that hadith,
because doing so is tantamount to rejecting a saying ofthe Messenger
of Allah ~ . And no Muslim would take such a bold step. It might
also be tantamount to accusing Companions of lying, and we have
established that the Companions were all upright and trustworthy.
Applying AlJad narrations
Ameen continues his attack on the Sunnah by saying:
"Scholars of hadith have classified hadith into two categories:
Mutawatir, which imparts sure knowledge, though it does not exist in
reality. Some have said that it exists in a single hadith and some have
connted mutawatir narrations to be seven in number. The second
categoryis A!)adnarrations, andthis kindofnarration imparts less than
sure knowledge. When there is a greaterpossibility of ttnthfulness and
correctness, it is permissible to apply such a narration."
Here we must pause, for those who connted the number of
mutawatir narrations to be so few followed deviant ways. As for the
people of the Sunnah, mutawatir narrations are without a doubt
many, and are not limited to one, two, or even seven.
When mentioning Al)ad narrations, Ameen relates this from
the scholars of hadith: "It is permissible to apply them." We do not
know any Muslim scholar who made tltis statement. We have
previously seen that those who reject the validity of the Sunnah, such
as the extreme Riifi<.!ah, do not apply a narration unless it is related
through their Imams. Those who say that it is a valid proof are the
majority of Muslims, who agree that it is compulsory to apply A!)ad
narrations as long as the chain is authentic. Others went even further,
not only saying that it is compulsory to apply A!)ad narrations, but
also that they impart sure knowledge. When Ameen said that it was
permissible to apply A!)ad narrations, he was saying so either
because he was lacking in knowledge, and this is strange for someone
who claims to be knowledgeable and who sets himself up as a judge
between different schools of thought, or the other possibility is that
he knew but distorted. Regrettably, there is no third possibility.
This distortion of his is of course an attempt at raising doubts
about the Sunnah. Ifmutawatir narrations do not exist and if it is only
permissible to apply A!)iid narrations, what then remains of the
Sunnah? And what status does the Sunnah have in Islamic
legislation? And do the Muslims really need it? Contemplate these
results and then make your own judgment about Ahmad Ameen and
his trustworthiness as a scholar.
About Abu Hurayrah ~
This final discussion of Fajr al-Isliim pertains to a noble
Companion and prolific narrator of hadith. The author of Fajr al-
Islam, Ahmad Ameen, was most cunning in leveling his attacks
against Abu Hurayrah ~ , and in doing so he followed the path
taken by An-Nidhfun and the Orientalists. Those attacks are
dispersed throughout his research; he spread them out, being careful
not to openly proclaim his beliefs. Ameen's distortions of certain
historical events, his eagerness to raise doubts about the honesty of
Abu Hurayrah, and his quickness to ascribe such doubts to other
Companions - all of these issue forth from Ameen's inner beliefs,
which, however hard he tries to conceal, are manifest and plain for all
to see.
I feel that it is necessary to relate a summarized biography of
Abu Hurayrah ~ , after which we can move on to a discussion of
Ameen's claims regarding this distinguished Companion. It is
important to relate his true biography, to relate what the Companions
of the Messenger ~ thought about him, and to relate how Muslim
scholars viewed him, so that we can then compare that picture to the
one depicted by Ameen.
His name and nickname
Scholars differ about his name and about the name of his
father; there are many opinions regarding this. However, the most
famous and most widely accepted of those opinions is that during the
days of ignorance, his name was 'Abd Shams ibn Sakhr. When he
accepted Islam, the Messenger named him 'Abdur-Ra!)miin. He
was from the tribe Daws, one of the tribes of Yemen. His mother's
name is Ameemah bint Safee!) ibn aI-J::I3rlth.
In a narration related by At-Tirmidhi, he himself mentioned
the reason why he was given the nickname "Abu Hurayrah": "I used
to look after the sheep that belonged to my family, and I had a kitten
(in Arabic, hurayrah). At night, I would place it on a tree, and durihg
the day, I would take it with me and play with it. And so they gave me
the nickname, Abu Hurayrah."
His Islam and Companionship
According to the most famous account, he accepted Islam in
the year 7 H, between the events of the Treaty of J::Iudaybiyah and the
Battle of Khaybar. At the time, he was approximately thirty years of
age. He went to Madinah with the Prophet (l!;) as the latter was
returning from Khaybar. He lived in a!i-Suffah, a special place in the
Prophet's Mosque, which the Messenger (l!;) had allocated to the
poor migrants, who found no house to take shelter in when they came
to Madinah. He kept close company with the Messenger (l!;),
following him wherever he went, and eating with him on most
occasions, until the Messenger (l!;) died.
His traits and qualities
He (Abu Hurayrah had a broad chest, he had a gap
between his two front teeth, he would dye his beard yellow and allow
it to grow, and he would trim his mustache. He had a truthful tongue
and he was loved by the Companions. Also, he liked to joke.
On one occasion, a man said to Abu Hurayrah: "I woke up
with the intention to fast, but when I went to my father and found that
he had bread and meat with him, I ate with him until I became full,
and all the while I had forgotten that I was fasting." Abu Hurayrah
~ said, "Allah fed you." The man continued, "I left him and went
to so and so, and with him was a female sheep that was giving mille I
drank the milk nntil my thirst was quenched." Abn Hurayrah ~
said, "Allah gave you drink." The man continued, "I returned to my
family and took my noon nap. When I woke np, I called for water and
I drank it." Abu Hurayrah ~ said, "0 cousin, you have not
accustomed yourself to fasting!"
In al-Ma 'Eirif, Ibn Qutaybah related that Mirwiin ibn al-Uakam
appointed Abu Hurayrah ~ as governor over Madinah. One day,
he rode on a donkey, upon which he placed a saddle. As he was
riding the donkey, he would pass by a man and playfully say, "Make
way, for the leader has come." Those who attack Abu Hurayrah (for
example, Goldzther) use this playful joking against him, claiming
that he was dull-witted.
It seems that Ameen was of the same opinion, which is why he
related the i1)cident. But the claim is unfounded. For a man to show a
playful and joking nature does not take anything away from his status
nor does it show him to have a deficient mind. Otherwise that would
mean that every person of a playful, joking nature is weak minded,
while every cold, dry person is of great intellect and mental faculty.
His piety and worship
We already mentioned that Abu Hurayrah ~ was most
often in the company of the Prophet (;ti) and that he would
frequently partake of his meals with him. In his determination not to
miss a single hadith of the Messenger of Allah ~ , he would often
have to bear the hardship of hunger.
Bnkhari related that Abu Hurayrah said: "By Allah, and there
is none worthy of worship except He, I used to press myself with my
liver against the ground because of severe hunger, and I would also
The Sunnah aTUi its role in Islamic legislation 371
tie a rock around my stomach." He also said, "I would have a fit
between the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah ~ and the apartment
of 'A'ishah ~ , . It would be said that I was c;;.azy; however, there
was no madness in me, but all that was in me was hunger."
He speaks falsely who claims that Abu Hurayrah was afflicted
with epilepsy. Abu Hurayrah ~ explains that his fits were because
of hunger and not because of madness. No Muslimhistorian has ever
related that he was afflicted with any mental ailment. So what is the
source of that claim - which of course originated with the
Orientalists? How could they have made that claim when the only
source they had in terms of the history of his life was what was
written by Muslim historians?
Abu Hurayrah was pious as well as generous. In a narration
related by Ibn I;Iajr, Abu Hurayrah is described as being one of the
most generous of people to his guests. In a narration that points to
Abu Hurayrah's piety, Al;1madrelated that 'Utluniin of India said, "I
hosted Abu Hurayrah for seven (days). He, his wife, and his servant
would divide the night into three portions. In the first portion, one of
them would pray, and wonld then wake the second person at the
beginning of the second portion. The second person would pray and
then wake the third person at the beginning of the third portion... "
Ibn Sa'd related from 'Ikrimah that Abu Hurayrah ~ would recite
tasbeeh (saying, Sublp'inallah: How perfect Allah is!) 12,000 times
every day, and he would say, "I recite tasbeeh in proportion to my
sins." 'Umar ~ appointed him as governor over Bahrain. When
Abu Hurayrah returned from his duties, 'Umar called him to assign
him another post, but this time Abu Hurayrah refused. 'Umar ~
said, "One better than you sought work: he was Yoosuf, a prophet of
Allah, the son of a prophet of Allah." He answered, "And I am Abu
Hurayrah ibn Ameemah. I fear three matters: that I will speak without
knowledge, that I will judge incorrectly, and last, that I will be
372 The Surmah vis-a-vis some contemporary writers who reject it
flogged, that my honor will be cursed, and that my wealth will be
appropriated. "
His prodigious ability to retain information
As a resnlt of his constant adherence to the company of the
Messenger ~ , Abn Hurayrah witnessed many sayings and deeds of
the Messenger ~ that others had missed. When he accepted Islam,
Abu Hurayrah ~ had a very poor memory, and so he complained
abont it to the Messenger of Allah ~ , who said to him, "Open yonr
garment." Abu Hurayrah then unfolded it, after which the Prophet
~ said, "Press it to your chest." He did so and never forgot a single
hadith from that day forward. The Imams of hadith - snch as
Bukhari, Muslim, A1)mad, Nasa'i, Abu Ya'la, and Abu Na'eem-
related this narration.
Goldziher clearly lied when he said that this narration is a
fabrication and that the commoners invented it to justify Abu
Hurayrah's prolific narration of hadiths. Goldziher defmitely has no
scholarly proofs to support his claim. Every Hadith scholar that
relates this hadith relates it through authentic chains, so the question
becomes, does Goldziher have any proof to show that they were
wrong or that their chains are weak? Of course, the answer is no.
Orientalists and those who follow them show astonishment at
the powerful memory of Abu Hurayrah, but were they to view the
matter with more justice and with more insight into the society in
which Abu Hurayrah ~ lived, they wonld neither be surprised nor
incredulous.
Memorization, for certain, is one of the distinctive abilities of
the Arabs. Among the Companions and the tiibi 'oon, we know of
wonderful stories of retentive memories. hnam Bukhari memorized
300,000 hadiths with their chains; A1)rnad ibn I:Ianbal memorized
700,000 hadiths; Abu Zur'ah memorized 700,000 badiths as well. It
is not odd to say that Abu Hurayrah had a powerful memory, for we
must remember that, as is related in the Musnad of Baqee ibn
Mukhallid, Abu Hurayrah related a total of 5374 hadiths. That
number is obviously minute when compared to the 700,000 that
Al;unad and Abu Zur'ah memorized. So why should we be so
surprised? There were Arabs in the past that memorized a total of
5000 long poems, and there are many examples of this throughout
Arab history. And in recent times, we knowofthe example of Al.Jmad
ibn al-Ameen ash-ShinqeeJi (may Allah have mercy on him), who
memorized all pre-Islamic poetry and all the poetry ofAbu al- 'Alii al-
Ma'arree (and much, much more than that). Now considering the
long period of time that Abu Hurayrah accompanied the Messenger
of Allah it is not surprising that he related more than 5000
hadiths, especially when we consider his retentive memory.
The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all)
acknowledged the superiority of his memory, and on one occasion,
Mirwiin tested its precision, In Ibn I:Iajr related from Abu
az-Zu'aiza'ah, the scribe of Mirwiin, that Mirwiin requested Abu
Hurayrah to relate many hadiths. He made Abu az-Zu'aiza'ah
sit behind himin order to transcribe all that he related. After one year
passed, Mirwiin called Abu Hurayrah back and asked him to repeat
the same hadiths. Abu Hurayrah assented, and as he was repeating
them, Mirwiin looked at what was written down and found that Abu
Hurayrah repeated the exact same hadiths without skipping a single
letter. lbis narration alone should quell all doubts about the memory
of Abu Hurayrah I do not think, however, that these proofs will
convince the Orientalists. They have no special enmity toward him as
a person, but rather they are simply attempting, as they did many
times before, to attack Islam and to raise doubts about its solid
foundation, relying not on the truth, but on blind and misguided
desires.
The Companions and Scholars'
praise of Abu Hurayrah
TaIl;lah ibn 'Ubaydu!lilh said: "I do not doubt that Abu
Hurayrah heard sayings fromthe Messenger of Allah that we did
not hear." Ibn 'Umar said, "Abu Hurayrah is better than me and
is more knowledgeable regardiug that which he relates." A man went
with a question to Zayd ibn Thiibit (4\Iih), and his answer was, "You
must to go to Abu Hurayrah, for as Abu Hurayrah, so and so, and 1
were in the mosque, we were invoking Allah and remembering
Him. Then the Messenger of Allah came, sat near us, and said,
'Return to that which you were busy in.' ,,22 Zayd continued, 'Then
my companion and 1 supplicated, and the Messenger of Allah
said, 'Ameen' for our supplications. Abu Hurayrah supplicated,
saying, '0 Allah, 1 invoke you for the same matters that my two
companions invoked You, and 1 ask you for knowledge that is not
forgotten'. The Messenger of Allah said, 'Ameen.'''
Zayd and his companion said, "And us, 0 Messenger of
Allah we ask for knowledge that is not forgotten." The Prophet
said, "This young Dawsee boy (ascribing him to his tribe) has
preceded you." 'Umar once said to Abu Hurayrah, "Among us,
you adhered most closely to the Messenger of Allah and you
memorized more of his hadith than any of us." Ubay ibn Ka'b
said, "Abu Hurayrah was brave in asking the Messenger of Allah
about matters that no one else would ask of him."
Shiifi' ee said, "In his day, Abu Hurayrah had the best memory
among those who related hadith." Bukhari said, "Approximately 800
22 Reported by Al-Tabarilni, vol. 16, p. 61, hadith no. 1282. and Al-!:liikim, vol.
7, p. 209, hadith no. 6215. Al-Tabarfuri said, its men are 1nIstworthy and !:liikim
said, its chain of transmission is authentic though not reported by two Imams.
See Majmoo' al-Zawii'id, vol. 9, p. 361 and al-Mustadrak
of the people of knowledge related from him. He had the best
memory of those who related hadith in his era." Abu said,
"Abu Hurayrah had the best memory of all the Companions of
Muhammad (;i:!i?)." Sa'eed ibn Abi aI-l;!asan (the brother of A1-l;!asan
aI-Baliri) said, "None among the Companions memorized more
hadith than Abu Hurayrah." A1-l;!iikim said, "Among the
Companions of the Messenger of Allah he memorized the most
and he adhered most closely to the Prophet's company... he followed
him wherever he went until the Prophet died, and that is why he
narrated so many hadith." Abu Na'eem said, "He memorized more
narrations from the Messenger of Allah than any other
Companion. And the invoked Allah to make him
loved by the believers, and so every believer loves Abu Hurayrah."
Commenting on the story of the garment, Ibn l;!ajr said, "The hadith
is one of the signs of prophethood, for Abu Hurayrah did in fact
become the one Companion who memorized more hadiths than any
other Companion."
Those he related from and those
who related from him
He related from a number of Companions, among whom are
Abu Bakr, 'Umar, AI-FaQl ibn aI-'Abbas, Ubay ibn Ka'b, Usiimah
ibn Zayd, and 'A:ishah (may Allah be pleased with them). And a
great number of Companions related from him, among whom are Ibn
'Umar, Ibn 'Abbas, Jabir, Anas, and Wathilah ibn aI-Asqa' (may
Allah be pleased with them).
These are some of the tiibi'oon who related from him -
Sa'eed ibn aI-Musayib (who married Abu Hurayrah to his daughter),
'Abdullah ibn Tha'iabah, 'Urwah ibn az-Zubayr, ibn
Dhu'ayb, Salman aI-Aghar, Sulayman ibn Yasiir, 'Uriik ibn MiiIik,
Siilim ibn 'Umar, Abu Salamah and l;!ameed ibna 'Abdur-RaJ:>man
ibn 'Awf, Muhammad ibn Seereen, 'Alii' ibn Abi Rabiil.J, 'Alii' ibn
Yasar, and many others. Bukhari said that 800 of the people of
knowledge and fiqh related from Abu Hurayrah. That 800 scholars
related from him is a clear proof indicating his lofty status and his
truthful tongue; and that meanS that there are 800 proofs against the
enemies of Islam and those who follow them from the Muslims.
His sickness and death
During Abu Hurayrah' s final sickness, Mirwiin went to him
and said, "May Allah cure you." Abn Hurayrah ~ ) said, "0 Allah,
I indeed love to meet You, so love to meet me." Mirwiin left him, and
no sooner did he reach the middle of the marketplace than Abu
Hurayrah died. It was the year 57 (or 58 or 59) H, and after the a ~ r
prayer, Al-Waleed ibn 'Uqbah ibn Abi Sufiyiin prayed over him. Abu
Hurayrah died at the age of78 or 79. When news of his death reached
Mu'awiyah ~ ) , he ordered the governor of Madinah to give
10,000 Dirhams to Abu Hurayrah's inheritors [he was among those
who supported 'Uthmiin ~ ) on the day of the Dar]. May Allah be
pleased with him and give him ample reward.
Ahmad Ameen's accusations
against Abu Hurayrah ~ )
We have just seen a truthful and factual depiction of Abu
Hurayrah ~ ) , as is related to us in history. How then did Ameen
justify his distorted representation of Abu Hurayrah?
Ameen mentions in the beginning of the chapter on hadith that
Ibn 'Abbas ~ ) and 'A: ishah (e.tI;,) rejected Abu Hurayrah' s hadith.
Ameen then claimed to be giving a biography of Abu Hurayrah, yet
he limited himself to mentioning only his ancestry, his roots, and the
story of how he accepted Islam. In elaborating on his biography, he
limited himself to relating stories in which Abu Hurayrah ~ ) was
speaking in a joking manner, and we know Ameen's intentions
behind relating those narrations. If he had adhered to just and correct
scholarly criticism, he would have mentioned Abu Hurayrah's status
among the Companions as well as their praise for hiru, their
acknowledgment of his prodigious memory, and their recognition of
his venerable status. However, Ameen mentioned nothing in that
regard, and that is of course because he only wanted to present an evil
portrayal of Abu Hurayrah, and in doing so he was following the
footsteps of his predecessor, Goldziher and other like-minded
Orientalists. His accusations can be summarized as follows:
1. Some Companions, such as Ibn 'Abbas (4$b) and 'A'ishah ~ ,
rejected some of his hadith.
2. Abu Hurayrah did not write down hadith, but rather depended in
his narrations on his memory.
3. He did not limit himself to what he heard from the Messenger ~ ,
but he would also relate what he heard from others, who heard from
the Prophet ~ .
4. Some Companions criticized hiru frequently and doubted his
truthfulness.
5. The I,:Ianafiyah forsook his hadith whenever his hadith was in
contradiction with analogy and they said of him, "He is not a faqeeh."
6. Fabricators took advantage of his many narrations, and so they
ascribed many narrations to him that they themselves invented.
You will see that in these issues, Ameen made many mistakes
and perpetrated many distortions. And in the process of discussing
his claims, we will expose his plots against a most distinguished
Companion.
Did some of the Companions
criticize Abu Hurayrah
Ameen claims:
378 The Sunnah vis-iI-vis some contemporary writers who reject it
"It has been related that Abu Hurayrah narrated the hadith, Whoever
carnes the bier of the deceased must make ablution.>,23 Ibn 'Abbas
~ did not apply his narration; he said, "We are not required to
make ablution for carrying two dry rods." Similarly, he related the
following hadith, which is related by Bukhari and Muslim:
Whenever one of you wakes up from sleep, then he must wash his
hand before putting it in a basin, for one among you does not know
where his hand was during the night. 'A: ishah ~ did not apply
this narration, saying, "What shonld we do with the mihras (a huge
rock that is hollowed out and then is filled with water so that ablution
can be performed from it)?" The commentator of Musallim ath-
Thaboot related these narrations.
Ameen mentions these two incidents in order to prove that the
Companions wonld criticize one another and wonld accord more
honor to some among them than to others. We had hitherto clarified
that whenever the Companions argued with one another, their
arguments were purely scholarly in nature. Their arguments were
based on their different levels of understanding when it came to
deducing rnlings from revealed texts. Or perhaps, one of them might
have forgotten a hadith while another reminded him of it. Yet none of
that had its source in doubts or in being skeptical of one another. That
then is our understanding of the scholarly discussion that took place
between Abu Hurayrah and others of the Companions. This is the
only correct way to understand their disagreements, for we have
already established through many narrations that they had total faith
in one another's honesty, and espedally in the honesty of Abu
Hurayrah ~ , for the other Companions acknowledged his skill,
his memory, and his truthfulness in narrating hadith. We have just
given a general course for understanding disagreements between
23 The author of al-Mabsoot said the hadith is weak based on the objection
Ibn <Abbass has towards it. al-Mabsoot, vol. 1, p. 234.
Companions, but let us look more closely at specific narrations
mentioned by Ameen:
First, the hadith, Whoever carries the bier in a funeral must perform
ablution. Ameen claims that Ibn 'Abbas ~ did not accept this
narration from Abu Hurayrah ~ . We must discuss this claimfrom
various angles:
1. I have not seen this hadith with the said wording in any book of
hadith, nor in any book of Fiqh. Nor could I find any mention of the
incident wherein Ibn 'Abbas ~ refused to accept Abu Hurayrah's
narration. Had the hadith been authentic and had the ensuing incident
actually occurred, the scholars of hadith would not have neglected to
mention it. Yes, some scholars of U ~ o o l do mention it - among
whom is the author of Musallim - but this group of scholars is
known for being lenient in mentioning narrations that do not have a
foundation, or that do have a foundation but are related through weak
chains. This is because hadith is not their specialty, and at any rate,
their books are not considered to be reference material or primary
sources for the knowledge of hadith. Only a man with insincere
intentions would rely on their narrations.
2. What is found in books of hadith is contrary to what Ameen
related. At-Tirmidhi related from Abu Hurayrah ~ the narration,
"From washing it (i.e. the corpse), a ritual shower, and from carrying
it, ablution.,,24 Then At-Tirmidhi said, "...This hadith of Abu
Hurayrah ~ is iJasan..." The people of knowledge disagree about
the one who washes a dead body. Some of the people of knowledge
- the Prophet's Companions and others - hold that, "If one washes
24 Reported by Abu Dawood, hadith no. 3162: At-Tinnidhi, hadith no. 1463;
Ibn Majith, hadith no. 993; A1)mad, hadith no. 3011; Ibn !.Iibban, hadith no.
1158 and AI-Bayhaqi, hadith no. 4542. Tinnidhi said, it is a good hadith and
its men are the men of Imam Muslim. AI-I:IMidh said in at-Talkhees its
narrators are trustworthy and authenticated by Shaykh aI-Albani.
the deceased, then he has to take a shower." And others have said,
'He has to perform ablution." MliJik ibn Anas said, "I prefer taking a
shower after washing the deceased, but I do not see that as being
compulsory." Shilfi 'ee said the same.
AlJmad said, "Whoever washes the deceased, I hope that it is
not compulsory upon himto take a shower. As for ablution, that is the
least that is compulsory after it." 1s-l;taq said, "One must perform
ablution." It is related from 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubiirak that he said,
"Neither a shower nor ablution is necessary after washing the
deceased. "
What we derive from the above-mentioned narrations is that
Abu Hurayrah was uot alone in narrating the hadith; it is also related
by 'Ali ~ and 'A'ishah ~ . And even in Abu Hurayrah's
narrations, it is at times related as a saying of the Prophet ~ and at
other times it is related as being simply a saying of Abu Hurayrah.
But there is no narration that relates the criticismof Ibn 'Abbas ~ ;
had it been authentic, it would have been related in the books of
hadith. These proofs show beyond all doubt that the incident referred
to by Ameen - between Ibn 'Abbas and Abu Hurayrah - never
even occurred.
3. Let us suppose that the hadith is authentic and that Ibn 'Abbas's
criticism is authentically related as well, that still does not mean that
Ibn 'Abbas ~ attacked the honor of Abu Hurayrah or accused him
oflying. All that we can conclude from those narrations, if they prove
to be true, is that they differed in their understanding of the hadith.
Abu Hurayrah ruled that ablution was compulsory, basing his ruling
on the apparent meaning of the hadith. Meanwhile, Ibn 'Abbas ~
ruled that a command is not intended by the hadith, but rather that the
action mentioned in the hadith is recommended. That is why he said,
"It is not necessary for us to perform ablution." The words, "it is not
necessary for us," represent the reason for their different views. Each
The Sunnah arul its role in Islamic legislation 381
one of them was a distinguished and superior Compauion, and each
one of themwas a faqeeh and a mujtahid. There is no hann, therefore,
in their having a different understanding of the hadith.
Second, the hadith, "Whenever one of you wakes up... " This
authentic hadith is related by Bukhati, Muslim, and other compilers
of the authentic Sunnah. In its different chains, it is related from Ibn
'Vmar, Jabir, and 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with them).
The statement attributed to 'A'ishah (Ill\;J "And what should
we do with the mihriis," is not authentically related in any book of
hadith; for that matter, it is not even mentioned in any book ofhadith.
What is established in this regard is reported by Al-I;lmdh al- 'Iraqee
in Tarl] at-Tathreeb SharI] at-Taqreeb when he related the following
from Al-Bayhaqi: "The one who disagreed with Abu Hurayrah in this
regard was Qayn al-Ashja'ee, one of the compauions of 'Abdullah
ibn Mas'ood ~ ) . 'Iraqee pointed out that "container" is
specifically mentioned in the narration of Muslim. This is significant
because it proves that the prohibition was specific to containers, and
was not applicable to large vessels or to a pond, for instance, for with
large quantities of water, it is not feared that any impurity on the hand
will spoil the water. And that is why Qayn al-Ashja'ee said to Abn
Hurayrah, "What about the Mihriis (a huge rock that is hollowed
out)? What should we do with it?" Abu Hurayrah said, "I seek refuge
in Allah from your evil."25
Abu Hurayrah ~ ) was not alone in his narration of this
hadith; it is also related by Ibn 'Vmar ~ ) , and at-Tirmidhi reports
that is also related by 'A'ishah ~ ) . When Ibn 'Vmar related the
hadith, someone else in his case also voiced his disagreement. In the
case of Abu Hurayrah, disagreement was not voiced by Ibn 'Abbas or
'A'ishah, but rather by Qayn, who was a tiibi 'ee and a compauion of
25 Related by Al-Bayhaqi.
Ibn Mas'ood Ibn f.Iajr confirmed this when he said, "Qayn al-
Ashja'ee was a Tabi'ee, from the companions of 'AbdulHili ibn
Mas' ood. An incident occurred between him and Abu Hurayrab... "
Ibn f.Iajr then went on to mention the incident in question.
Therefore it is clear that it was not 'A' ishab who took issue
with Abu Hurayrab's narration. But let us suppose that it was she
who disagreed - their difference of opinion would have stemmed
from their different understanding of the hadith. Abu Hurayrab was
of the opinion that washing the hands in that situation was
compulsory; Dawood, and At-Tabari were of the same view.
Meanwhile, 'A'ishab and Ibn 'Abbas both had a different
opinion, one that is upheld by the majority of scholars. Accusations
and doubts do not even enter into the matter.
There remains another issue - Ameen imputed his claim to
the commentator of Musallim Thaboot; however, when checking
for myself, I found that it was the author of Musallim and not its
commentator who mentioned that 'A'ishab rejected Abu Hurayrab's
narration. As for the commentator, he was the one who pointed out
that the narration from 'A'ishab is not authentic. These are the very
words of the commentator: "This is not established from them -
from Ibn 'Abbas and 'A'ishab - but rather it is established from a
man named Qayn al-Ashja'ee, and scholars differ regarding whether
he was indeed a Companion." Based on the above, we see that
Ameen strayed from the truth in two issues:
1. He ascribed the purported disagreement to the commentator of al-
Musallim, when in reality, it was the author ofMusallim himself who
mentioned it.
2. He neglected to mention that the commentator ofMusallim pointed
out the author' s How can we find an excuse for Ameen?
Every statement ofhis seems to be a calculatedmaneuver in an overall
attempt to disparage the Companions and to attack the Sunnab.
Abu Hurayrah did not commit
his narrations to writing
Abu Hurayrah was not the only Companion to have related his
narrations from memory; rather, this was the way in which all
Companions related from the Messenger of Allah with the
exception of 'Abdnlliili ibn 'Amru ibn did write
down narrations. It does not make sense that Ameen should single
out Abu Hurayrah wheu he himself acknowledges the following:
"At any rate, the fIrst generation came to an end and the recording of
the Sunnah in written form was not widespread. They would relate
narrations verbally, relying on their memory, and whoever did record
the Sunnah was doing so for himself."
The only possible reason why Ameen wonld single out Abu
Hurayrah is because he wanted to raise doubts about his
narrations. Ameen argues on the following levels: as long as the man
does not write down his hadiths, as long as he is relating from his
memory only, and as long as his memory is subject to error, we doubt
the veracity of his hadith. Ameen went a step further in his treachery,
purposefully neglecting to mention the praise accorded by the
Companions to Abu Hurayrah's memory, truthfulness, and piety. We
have hitherto established that, as is related by Bukhati, more than 800
scholars related directly from him.
Ameen knew that had he mentioned these points, he wonld not
have been able to attack Abu Hurayrah from that angle. A man
possessing Abu Hurayrah's reliable and retentive memory is not
reduced in status simply because he does not relate from a book.
There are even scholars who prefer the narrations of one who relates
from his memory to one who relates from his book, especially if the
former is reliable and truthful. This is because of the possibility of
misprints and errors in writing.
From that perspective some scholars from the Companions
and the tiibi'oon disliked for hadith to be written down; they also
preferred not to write so that people wonld not depend on writing
alone and in the process weaken their ability to memorize. In Himi'
al-Bayfin al- 'flm, Ibn 'Abdnl-Barr reported that Ibriiheem an-Nakha'i
said: "Do not write and then become dependent." Ibn 'Abdnl-Barr
also reported that Al-'Awzii'ee said:
''This knowledge is honorable when it remains on the tongnes of
men, spreading from one man to another, and being revised mutually.
When that knowledge is transferred to books, its light vanishes and it
goes to those who do not deserve it."
Many scholars refused to write hadith narrations because
memorization was an inborn qnality with them. Ibn Slrihiib said:
"Whenever I pass by the Baqee' (famous graveyard in Madinah), I
block off my ears, fearing that some obscene words will enter them,
for by Allah, whenever words enter my ears, I never forget them." A
similar saying is ascribed to Ash-Sha'bee. The Prophet ~ said:
"We are an illiterate Nation - we neither write nor make
calcnlations."26 We have hitherto elaborated on the fact that Arabs
were known for their prodigions ability to retain information.
"He would relate that which he did not hear"
Ameen said that Abu Hurayrah ~ would not limit himself
to narrating what he heard from the Messenger of Allah ~ , but he
would also narrate from other Companions. Ameen claimed that Abu
Hnrayrah related that the Messenger of Allah ~ said: Whoever
wakes up, being in the major state of impurity, then there is no fast
for him. 'A'ishah ~ repudiated that, saying, During Rarnaqan,
26 Reported by Bukh3ri, hadith no. 1913 and Muslim, hadith no. 1080. See
also Takhreej adh-Diullal, vol. 1, p. 138.
The Sunnah and its role in Islnmic legislntion 385
whenfa}r began, if the Messenger of Allah was in a major state
of impurity that did not result from a dream, he would take a shower
and fast. When Abu Hurayrah heard this narration, he said,
"Indeed she is more knowledgeable than me; I did not hear it from the
Prophet but rather I heard it from AI-Fagl ibn al- 'Abbas
Our discussion revolves around two issues:
First, Abu Hurayrah would sometimes attribute words to the
Messenger that he heard from others, and not directly from him,
but he was not alone in doing that. Younger Companions as well as
those who accepted Islam at a later date did the same. Of the major
Companions, all of the following attribnted sayings to the Messenger
that they heard from other Companions who were relating from
him: 'A'ishah, Anas, AI-Bara, Ibn 'Abbas, and Ibn 'Vmar (may
Allah be pleased with them). They did this because they all implicitly
trusted in the truthfulness and uprightuess of one another and because
they deemed this action of theirs to be correct. Ibn 'Abbas related the
following two narrations from the <<RiM (usury) is only
in an-Nasee'ah (a kind of usury), and, The Prophet continued
to make the Talbiyah until he threw (pebbles) at Jamaratnl- 'Aqabah.
When Ibn 'Abbas was questioned about the first narration, he
said, "Vsamah ibn Zayd informed me about it." And he later
said about the second narration, "My brother, AI-Fa<!! ibn 'Abbas
informed me about it." Ibn 'Vmar related the followiug hadith
from the Prophet Whoever prays over a funeral, theu he has a
qeeriit (of reward). Afterwards, he attributed the narration to Abu
Hurayrah. And we have previously related the saying of Anas
"Not all that we relate to you from the Messenger of Allah did
we hear from him, and we would not accuse one another of lying."
We have already discussed the mursal narration; according to
scholars ofhadith, what we are discussing here is called the mursal of
a Companion. Scholars agree that this kind of narration is withont a
doubt a valid proof and is considered to be part of the Prophet's
Sunnah. Only Abu Is-I;taq al-Isfarayeeni dissented, saying, "It is
possible that the Companion was relating the hadith from a tabi 'ee
(and not from another Companion)." TIris opinion has been
disproved, and enough for us is the consensus of the people of hadith
(as well as agreement from the majority of scholars).
In his Muqaddimah, Shaykh Ibn wrote:
"We do not count what is known in al-Fiqh as mursal of a
Companion to be from the categories of mursal narrations. The
mursal of a Companion occurred when Ibn 'Abbas (*), for
instance, and other younger Companions related from the Messenger
of Allah that which they did not hear directly from him, Such a
narration is given the ruling of a counected chain. Companions
related these narrations from other Companions. That we do not
know the Companion who is not mentioned in this kind of narration
does not have a negative impact on the narration, because all
Companions are upright."
In his commentary of Muqaddimah, AI- 'Iriiqi pointed out that
all scholars of hadith concur that the Mursal of a Companion is a
valid proof in Islam. There is a difference of opinion among scholars
for Abu Is-I;taq al-Isfarayeeni held that this kind of narration
is not considered to be a valid proof; however, the majority
scholars ruled to the contrary, affinning that it is in fact a valid and
binding proof.
After discussing the validity of the mursal narration in general,
Imam an-Nawawi went on to say, "None of the preceding has
anything to do with the mursal of a Companion... the scholars of
hadith ruled that the mursal narration cannot be used as a proof, yet
they all agree that the mursal of a Companion is a binding and valid
proof. Both SaTJeeTJ al-Bukhari and $aTJeeTJ Muslim contain
innumerable narrations of this kind." He then went on to establish
this opinion, supporting it with proofs.
This summarizes the opinions of the scholars regarding the
mursal narration of a Companion. Although this kind of narration
was widespread among the yonnger Companions, Ameen singled out
Abu Hurayrah ~ in an attempt to discredit him.
Second, we move on to discuss the hadith that Ameen mentioned.
The authentic books of the Sunnah do not mention that 'A'ishah ~
repudiated Abu Hurayrah's narration. What they do mention is that
Abu Hurayrah was asked to give a ruling about the fast of one who
wakes up and finds that he is in a major state of impurity. He ruled
that the fast of such a person is not valid. Meanwhile, 'ibshah ~
and Umm Salamah ~ , were asked to rule in the same issue, and
both of them ruled that the fast of such a person is correct. 'A' ishah
said: "The Messenger of Allah ~ would wake up in a state of major
impurity and he would still fast." When news of their rulings reached
Abu Hurayrah, he retracted his ruling and said, "Both of them are
more knowledgeable than I." Each Companion ruled based on what
he or she knewfrom the Messenger of Allah (;i1lj); in no way does this
mean that 'A'ishah accused Abu Hurayrah ~ f any falsehood.
Let us relate to you the exact text fromMuslim. He related with
his chain from Abu Bakribn 'Abdur-Ral;iman ibn al-.l:Ianth, who said:
"1 heard Abu Hurayrah ~ ...say, 'If a person is in a state of major
impurity whenfajr arrives, then he must not fast.' I mentioned that to
'Abdur-Ral;iman ibn al-.l:Ianth (his father) and he repudiated it.
'Abdur-Ra1)man, and 1 along with him, went to 'A'ishah and Umm
Salamah. He asked them, and both of them said, 'The Prophet ~
would wake up in a state of major impurity that did not result from a
dream and he would then fast.' We then went to Mirwan and 'Abdur-
Ra1)man mentioned to him what happened. Mirwan said, '1 urge you
to go to Abu Hurayrah... '
When they reached Abu Hurayrah, 'Abdur-RaJ.nniln ~ repeated to
him what he had heard. Abu Hurayrah said, 'Did they both say that to
you?' He said, 'Yes.' Abu Hurayrah said, 'They are both more
knowledgeable (than I),' after which he retracted his ruling and
clarified that he heard the saying from Al-Fa<,ll ibn al- 'Abbas ~ .
He said, 'I heard that from Al-Fa<,ll, and not from the Prophet (;iJJ1j).' "
This exact text from Muslim plainly shows that 'A'ishah did
not in fact reject any narration from Abu Hurayrah, a point that was
clarified by the commentator of Musallim ath-Thaboot:
"'Ibis contains no repudiation on the part of The Mother of the
Believers of Abu Hurayrah, nor does any narration that indicates
such a repudiation contain a chain of narrators."
Observe how brazen Ameen was when he tried to further his
claim. Not only did he neglect to mention the true stance taken by the
commentator ofMusallim, but also he misleadingly ascribed the false
claim to him. When quoting from books, Ameen wonld often resort
to that stratagem.
Yet let us suppose it to be true that 'A'ishah ~ refuted Abu
Hurayrah's view; that does not mean that she accused him of lying in
his narrations. Rather, all it indicates is that the ruling she felt to be
correct was contrary to the one that he felt was correct. It is simply
one instance among other instances wherein the Mother of the
Believers ~ corrected other Companions in their rulings. The
Companions would often disagree in matters of jurisprudence, but
they did not see that as accusing one other of lying, but rather as
making sure that their rulings were correct; moreover, by clarifying,
and not hiding, what they knew, they were being trustworthy in their
pursuit of spreading the truth. The Prophet (;iJJ1j) said, Whoever hides
knowledge, then Allah will bridle him with a bridle from fire.
Furthermore, most narrations do not mention that Abu
Hurayrah ~ ascribed the hadith to the Prophet ~ ; instead, they
mention the saying as being a ruling from him. Only a few narrations
indicate that his ruling was in fact a hadith that he ascribed to the
Prophet And in some of the narrations, Abu Hurayrah
imputes the ruling to Al-FaQl in others, to Usfunah ibn Zayd
and in one narration, "So and so infonned me." 1bis shows
that he heard it from Al-Fa<jl and Usfunah. Some of the narrators,
however, only mentioned Usfunah. Iustances of this kind occurred
often among narrators.
Al- 'Allfunah Ibn I;Iajr said, "Abu Hurayrah retracted that
rnling, either because he believed the narration from the Mother of
the Believers... to be stronger thau other narrations... or he believed
her narration to be an abrogation of other narrations. 1bis latter
opinion is held by most scholars... " The truth in this issue is uow
clear, at least for those who are seeking it and who do not have au
ulterior motive.
"The Companions found fault with him
for abundantly relating too many Hadiths"
Ameen said:
"It occurred frequently that some Companions criticized Abu
Hurayrah for his numerous narrations of hadith. They also had
doubts about him, which is indicated by what Muslim related in his
!'jalfeelf - that Abu Hurayrah said, 'Indeed you are claiming
that Abu Hurayrah relates mauy hadith from the Messenger of Allah
With Allah is our appointment. I was a poor man who served
the Messenger of Allah being content to fill my stomach.
Transactions in the marketplace occupied the Muhajiroon, while the
were preoccupied with watching over their wealth.' And in
another hadith related by Muslim, Abu Hurayrah said, 'They
say that Abu Hurayrah has (related) too much - and with Allah is
our appointment. They also say: why do not the Muhiijiroon and the
relate hadith as he does? And I will inform you about that: my
brothers from the were preoccupied with working in their
fields, and my brothers from the Muhiijiroon were preoccupied with
transactions in the marketplace. But I would adhere closely to the
company of the Messenger of Allah em), being satisfied just to fill
my stomach. I was present when they were absent, and I would
memorize when they forgot.' "
This excerpt is an almost exact reproduction of Goldziher's
words, except that Ameen's accusations are presented in a more
cautious and cunning manner. Goldziher was more straightforward
when he said:
"It appears that his extensive knowledge of hadith, which he was
always quick in recalling, excited doubt in the hearts of those who
took narrations from him directly and of those who did not hesitate to
voice their doubts in a mocking manner."
Here lies another slight difference between Goldziher and Ameen:
whereas the Orientalist imputed the doubts to those who took directly
from Abu Hurayrah - namely the tabi' oon - Ameen imputed them
to some of the Companions. In his cunning and more hidden atrack,
Ameen made even a more vulgar claim than did Goldziher.
At any rate, the narrations that Ameen related do not in any
way lead to a disparagement of Abu Hurayrah' s character or to an
atrack against his truthfulness, for it is well known that Abu Hurayrah
was among those who related many narrations from the Messenger of
Allah em), even though he accepted Islam late in the Messenger's'
life. He was able to relate so much because he adhered closely to the
company of the Messenger em); in fact, he followed himwherever he
went. And when the Messenger of Allah em) died, he would go
around asking the older Companions to inform him of narrations
from the Prophet em). This was a common practice among the
younger Companions - such as 'Abdulliih ibn 'Abbas
'Abdullah ibn 'Vmar and Anas Also, the Messenger of
Allah attested to the fact that Abu Hurayrah was more keen and
assiduous than any other Companion in taking hadith from him.
During the period of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, a time when the
Companions were spread throughout the lands, he felt it his duty to
convey to the MuslimNation all that he memorized from the Prophet
He could have easily refrained from narrating hadiths, bllt he
feared the evil results of hiding knowledge. He clearly expressed that
sentiment in a saying of his that is related by both Bukhari and
Muslim: "Had it not been for two verses from Allah's Book, I would
not have related a single hadith." He then recited,
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those who conceal the clear proofs, evidences and the
guidance, which We have sent down, after We have made it clear for
the people in the Book. they are the ones cursed by Allah and cursed
by the cursers. Except those who repent and do righteous deeds, and
openly declare [the truth which they concealed]. These. I will accept
their repentance. And I am the One Who accepts repentance, the
Most Merciful.) (Qur'an 2: 159-160)
Because Abu Hurayrah accepted Islam at a later date and
because he related so much from the Messenger of Allah it is
only natural that the Tabi 'oon and those who lived far away from
Madinah were amazed by the fact that he related so much. The
question that came to their minds was, "How is it that he relates so
much? And why do not the other Companions relate as much as he
does?" Without doubting him and without disbelieving in him. they
asked these questions, the purpose behind which was to expel the
amazement that was in their hearts as well as to hear for themselves
an explanation from Abu Hurayrah. When he explained the matter to
them - as we have related - they remained silent, being pleased
and satisfied with his answer. Where, then, do we find their abundant
criticismof him? Ameen claims that they doubted in his memory and
his .truthfulness - so in which narration are those doubts
authentically related? The badith that Ameen related indicates
amazement only because of Abu Hurayrah's many narrations, and
when did an expression of amazement become tantamount to an
accusation? A friend that you trust might give you an account of an
incident that is strange, and you in return might express your
amazement, not because yon accnse him of being a liar, but because
you want him to drive away your amazement by giving you more to
go on. This is what happened in the case of Abu Hurayrah ~ ) .
When he told them the secret behind why he related so many
narrations and why he related more than the other Companions, they
were pleased and satisfied with his answer.
Had they truly doubted in his honesty, do you suppose that
they would have allowed himto continue relating his narrations? We
know how stern 'Vmar ~ ) was in upholding the truth; then why
did he remain silent, allowing Abu Hurayrah ~ ) to relate so many
hadiths from the Prophet ~ ? During Abu Hurayrah's lifetime,
many other Companions were alive too, so why did they not put a
stop to his narratious? Through many incidents, we know that they
strove to preserve the authentic Sunnah and to correct the mistake of
anyone, even if they were correcting the Leader of the Believers,
'Vmar ~ ) If what Ameen says is true, then why wonld they
remain silent in the face of one who lied about the Prophet's Sunnah?
There remains another question that has a great bearing on this
discussion: who were the ones to whom Abu Hurayrah ~ ) was
referring in his statement? I see nothing in that statement which
shows that he was referring to the older Companions or to the more
distingnished Companions. What seems more probable to me is that
they were not even from the Companions. Did you not note that he
said: 'They say, 'Why do not the Muhiijiroon and the relate
hadith as he does?'" If those who asked him about his many
narrations were from the Muhiijiroon and the he would have
quoted them as saying, "Why do we not relate as much as he does?"
And in Abu Hurayrah's response, he said, "My brothers from the
Muhiijireen... and my brothers from the If they had been the
ones who took issue with him, he would have said to them, "Indeed
you were busy with business or with farming." And in Bukhari's
narration, he said, "...would memorize that which they would not
memorize." If he was addressing the Companions, he would have
said, "Which you would not memorize."
Then when I read various accounts of Abu Hurayrah's
biography, I could not find the name of a single Companion who
criticized Abu Hurayrah with the aforementioned criticism. Ibn Sa'd
related that on one occasion, when Abu Hurayrah admonished
Mirwiin, the latter became angry and said, "The people say that Abu
Hurayrah relates too many hadiths... " First, this incident occurred at
a very late date; second, Mirwiin is a Tiibi'ee, not a Companion; third,
he said that when he was angry; and fourth, he imputed that statement
to the people. Had Companions doubted Abu Hurayrah they
would not have remained silent for so long, waiting for Mirwiin to
find the right moment to inform him of their doubts.
Therefore neither the narration referred to by Ameen nor any
other narration indicates that the ones who criticized Abu Hurayrah
were the Companions or anyone else who was well known. Had that
been the case, history would have informed us thereof. We challenge
Ameen and his Orientalist teachers to bring forth a single authentic
historical account which proves that any known Companion had
criticized him or prevented him from relating narrations or clearly
expressed an accusation against him. Of course, they can bring forth
no such narration, for all historical accounts affIrm that the
Companions acknowledged his retentive memory and his vast
knowledge ofhadith. Even if Ibn 'Umar (.) or other
Companions were surprised at some of his hadiths, they would not
hesitate for long before accepting his narration, for they admitted that
he knew that which they did not know themselves.
On one occasion, Abn Hurayrah reported that the Messenger
of Allah said: "Whoever follows a funeral (procession), then he
has a qeerii[ (in reward)." When Ibn 'Urnar (.) heard that, he said,
"Abu Hurayrah has related much to us,'; but 'A'ishah
confirmed Abu Hurayrah' s narration. Then Ibn 'Umar said,
''Therefore we have indeed been negligent in many qeerfit." He then
began to relate the hadith himself and to ascribe it directly to the
Prophet When he was asked about it, he said, "Abu Hurayrah
related it to me... " Abu Hurayrah said to Ibn 'Umar, "I kept company
with the Messenger of Allah more than anyone among us, and 1
know more hadith than anyone among us."
Muhannnad ibn 'Amm3rah ibn 'Amru ibn I:Iazrn once sat in a
gathering wherein there were ten shaykhs who were Companions.
Abu Hurayrah (.) began to relate hadiths from the Messenger of
Allah Some of them did not know the hadiths, and he would
relate to them until they learned those narratiOns from him. He
continued to relate a number of hadiths, and Muhammad ibn
'A.nunilrah later said, "That day 1 realized that Abu Hurayrah had
memorized more than any other person." This incident is related by
Bukhari in at-Tfireekh and by Bayhaqi in al-Madkhal.
"At Times, the I;lanafiyah forsook his Hadith"
Ameen said:
The Sunnah ami its role in Islamic legislation 395
"The I;Ianafiyah sometimes forsake his hadith, and that happens
when his narration is contrary to analogy. This occurred, for
example, in the hadith that contains a ruling about the practice of not
milking an animal for a number of days, so that its udder swells up
and the buyer thinks that it gives a lot of milk every day. Abu
Hurayrah (<$ related that the Messenger of Allah ~ ) said, Do not
abstain from milking camels and sheep for a number of days (making
the buyer think that the animal produces a lot of milk). Whoever buys
it after that may choose between the better of two options after he
milks it. If he is satisfied, he may keep it. And ifhe does not like it, he
can return it along with a ~ i i , 2 7 of dates.,,28 The I;Ianafi scholars say,
'Abu Hurayrah is not a faqeeh, and this hadith is contrary to all
known analogy. To milk the animal is a transgression, and the
compensation for transgression is paid in that which is equivalent or
of the same value. And a ~ i i of dates is not any of those."
Here are some of Ameen's claims:
1. The I;Ianafiyah are of the opinion that analogy is given preference
over a narration whenever the two are in conflict with each another.
2. They applied this rule to the hadiths of Abu Hurayrah whenever
his narrations conflicted with analogy. Ameen made it seem that they
took this stance particularly with Abu Hurayrah (<$.
3. They do not consider Abu Hurayrah (<$ to be a faqeeh.
First, the I;Ianafiyah do not give precedence to analogy over hadith.
Imam Abu I;Ianeefah, his two companions, and the majority of his
followers hold that a hadith is categorically given preference to
analogy, regardless of whether the narrator is a faqeeh or not. This is
the opinion of Shill 'ee, AJ:unad, and the majority of scholars of the
foundations of jurisprudence.
27 $11': a measurement roughly equivalent to 3 kg. (Editor)
28 Reported by Bukbari, voL 7, p. 358, haditb no. 2004.
The following scholars are of the opinion that, ifthe narrator is
a faqeeh, his narrations are categorically given precedence over
analogy: Fakhr al-Islam, Ibn Abbiin, and Abu Zayd (all from the
J:.Ianafiyah). And if he is not a faqeeh, they still hold that his narration
is given precedence to analogy, except if his narration conflicts with
all analogies, and all the doors of reasoniug are blocked off. They
exemplify such a situation with the above-mentioned hadith. Al-
Kamiil ibn al-HanniJ.am and Ibn al-J:.Iajib al-Anudee say that if the
wisdom or reason in analogy is stronger than a narration and if that
reason is present both in the secondary issue and in the primary issue,
then analogy is put forward. If the narration is just as strong, than the
matter is put ou hold; otherwise, the narration is given precedence.
That summarizes the different opinions of the scholars
regarding a situation wherein a narration is in apparent contradiction
with analogy. Hence we know that the majority of J:.Ianafi scholars, at
their forefront the Imam and his two companions - ruled that a
narration is categorically preferred over analogy, regardless of
whether the narrator is a faqeeh or not. So what Ameen ascribed to
them is absolutely false.
Second, this stance taken by some J:.Ianafi scholars is not restricted or
applied particularly to Abu Hurayrah ~ ; rather, they generalized
their ruling for every narrator who is not a faqeeh. Here is what is in
Musallim ath-Thaboot:
"Fakhr al-Islam said: 'If the narrator is a mujtahid, then the narration
is given precedence. If he is known to be upright but is not a faqeeh
- for example, Abu Hurayrah and Anas ~ - theu his narration
is not forsaken when it is in contradiction to analogy, except if all
doors of reason are blocked off, such as in the case of the hadith
about the practice of not milking an animal for a number of days.
Therefore Ameen was incorrect in saying that the J:.Ianafiyah apply
this issue to Abu Hurayrah ~ only.
Third, Ameen was also wrong in relating from the I;Ianafiyah the
view that Abu Hnrayrah is not a faqeeh. Only Fakhr al-Islam and his
companions held that view, while the majority of the I;Ianafiyah were
of the opposite opinion; in fact, they inveighed against Fakhr al-
Islam's opinion. Al-Kamm ibn al-Hammam reports this statement
from Musallim ath-Thaboot: "Abu Hnrayrah is a faqeeh." Its
commentator, Ibn Ameer al-I;Iiij explained:
"Abu Hurayrah is not lacking in any of the reqnisites of ijtihiid. He
issued rulings during the period of the Companions, and no one
would issue rulings during their time except for a mujtahid. More
than 800 of the Companions and the tabi'oon related from him, and
among them were the likes of Ibn 'Abbas, Jiibir, and Anas (may
Allah be pleased with them)... "
Yes, because some of the I;Ianafiyah gave precedence to
analogy when it was in conflict with a narration, they forsook this
narration of Abu Hnrayrah (.$) (i.e. the hadith at issue here). They
did so, not becanse it was a narration of Abu Hnrayrah, but rather
because they were applying their principle and they were also
following an even more fundamental principle: If a narration is in
contradiction with the Qnr' an, the Sunnah, and consensus, it is not
applied. The rule is that when proofs conflict with one another, one
resorts to the strongest proof. No doubt the Qur' an, the Sunnah in its
entirety, and consensus are stronger than a single Al:13.d narration.
According to the opinion of the I;Ianafiyah, this narration conflicted
with the Qnr' an, the Sunnah, and consensus, and therefore they do
not apply it. Some of them are even of the view that the hadith is
abrogated, and that opinion is related from Abu I;Ianeefah himself. At
any rate, there is a difference of opinion in this issue, but there is
nothing to indicate that the I;Ianafiyah criticize Abu Hurayrah. Even
Fakhr al-Islam, who says that Abu Hnrayrah is not a faqeeh, clearly
praises him for his lofty status, his honesty, and his uprightuess.
The author of Musallim ascribed the said view to Fakhr al-
IsHUn; Ameen said that he ascribed it to all of the l;Ianafiyah. But by
now, we have seen so much in tenus of Ameen's distortions that we
expect no better from hUn.
"Fabricators took advantage
of his many narrations"
That the fabricators ascribed hadiths to him that he never
related is not something that is particular to Abu Hurayrah ~ ;
fabrications were invented and then falsely attributed to the following
Companions as well: 'Umar, 'Ali, 'A:ishah, Ibn 'Abbas, Ibn 'Umar,
Jiibir, and Anas (may Allah be pleased with them). So why did
Ameen mention this with regard to Abu Hurayrah alone?
The answer to this question flashes before us when we read
Muslim Studies, wherein Goldziher made approximately the same
statement. Goldziher then went on to say, "All of these conditions
make us cautious and doubtful about the hadiths of Abu Hurayrah."
Because Goldziher ended his discussion on that note, it consequently
follows that Ameen would end his biography of Abu Hurayrah on the
same note. Ameen was sincere to the enemies of Islam and followed
their footsteps closely. Throughout our discussion in this chapter, we
see that Ameen either singled out Abu Hurayrah ~ erroneously or
distorted facts in order to disparage him. Anything in favor of Abu
Hurayrah, he neglected to mention; and any falsehood that he could
hold against him, he mentioned.
We must ask Ameen and the Orientalists who preceded him,
what was the true status of Abu Hurayrah? Forty-seven years after the
death of the Prophet (J1li!;), Abu Hurayrah was still narrating hadiths,
and he was doing so within hearing distance of the most
distinguished of Companions. Yet he was honored and venerated by
them and by others. In issues of hadith, people would go to him and
the tiibi'oon wonld go to hear him, traveling for that purpose from far
off places. Abu Hurayrah (4I!i0) married the daughter of the most
distinguished scholar of the tiibi 'oon, Sa'eed ibn al-Musayib. What is
more, 800 scholars related narrations directly from him; perhaps no
other Companion reached his level in that regard. Scholars agree that
he was an upright, trustworthy, and pious Companion. Throughout
fourteen centuries, we have nothing but proofs pointing to his
honesty and uprightness. After all of that proof, and after all of that
time, a man comes and says that the Companions and the great
scholars of Islam did not know his true character and that in reality,
he told lies. The man who ascribes such lies to such a noble
Companion is worthy of all manner of ridicule and humiliation.
Abu Rayyah
Continuing to focus on those who have written negatively
about Abu Hnrayrah (.), we move on to the author ofAdwd 'Alas-
Sunnah al-Muhammadiyah, Abu Rayyah. This author was even more
vicious than his predecessors, for he claimed that Abu Hurayrah
(4I!i0) was not sincere in his acceptance of Islam, that he was not
honest when relating the Prophet's narrations, that he had a voracious
appetite for both food and wealth, that he was a biased partisan of
Bani Umayyah, and much more that we will presently discuss in
detail. Abu Rayyah's fulminations were more wicked than those of
the Mu'tazilah, the Riifi<;lah, and the Orientalists. May Allah reward
him in like for his falsehoods, lies, and distortions of the truth.
Abu Hurayrah's name
Abu Rayyah writes:
"People have not differed more about the name of anyone - during
the days of ignorance and the days of Islam- than about the name of
Abu Hurayrah ~ . After much inspection, historians still do not
know the name that was given to him by his parents and by which he
was identified among people."
He theu related from An-Nawawi that his name was 'Abdur-RaJ:unan
ibn Sakhr, which he said is corroborated in thirty-three opinions. He
then relates this from Al-Qutb al-Halabee: "Including the sayings
about his name and the name of his father there are forty-four
opinions. "
With these claims, Abu Rayyah attempts to belittle Abu
Hurayrah by saying that he was not known among the Companions.
We refute his rather shallow claim with the following:
1. A man's status is not diminished simply because there is a
difference of opinion about his name. A man is valued by his deeds
and not by his name or by the name of his father. Allah ~ did not
make entry into Paradise hinge upon names, titles, or nicknames, and
whoever claims the contrary is indeed ignorant of Allah's Religion.
2. There is a difference of opinion among scholars regarding the
names of many Companions; however, that does not take anything
away from their status, their service to Islam, or the veneration
granted them by the Muslims.
3. There is a rather simple reason why there is a difference of opinion
about Abu Hurayrah's name, so simple that it shows Abu Rayyah's
words to be flatulent and inane. Fromthe time that he accepted Islam,
the noble Companion in question was always known as Abu
Hurayrah. We find that most Muslirus today do not know the true
name of Abu Bakr a,,-Siddeeq ~ , and that is because from the
time they were young, they knew him by his nickname (Abu Bakr).
But what harm is there in this? From the day that he accepted Islam
and from the moment that he kept company with the Prophet (;j!), he
was not called by any name other than Abu Hurayrah. Is it then so
strange that the name given to him by his parents should have been
forgotten?
4. It is not tme that there are thirty or forty opinions about his name
and the name of his father. Some scholars mention thirty or forty
opinions only because narrators made mistakes, by placing one part
of the name before another; but after close inspection, scholars have
shown that there are in reality only three opinions. And this is clearly
mentioned by Ibn l:;Iajr, who said that the difference of opinion came
back to three names: 'Umayr, 'Abdnlliih, and 'Abdur-RaJ:unan. We
know that scholars differed abont the names of tens of Companions,
and regarding some of them there are four, five, or six opinions. So
why did Abu Rayyah single out Abu Hurayrah, unless Abu Rayyah' s
intentions were malevolent in the first place?
His roots and his early years
Abu Rayyah alleges:
"If they differed about Abu Hurayrah's name, they similarly knew
nothing about his early years or about his past before Islam, except
for what he mentioned himself - that he used to play with a kitten
and that he would serve people in return for enough food for his
stomach. All that is known of his background is that he was from the
family of Saleem ibn Fahm, from the tribe of Azd, and then from
Daws."
Abu Hurayrah was known and tmsted by his contemporaries
and by posterity. So we answer Abn Rayyah's claims with the
following:
1. Abu Huraytah ~ was from the Daws tribe, a well-known tribe
that was honored among other Arabs.
2. With the exception a handful of people, we do not know anything
about the biographies of the Companions during the days of
ignorance, the days before they accepted Islam. The Arabs were in an
abyss of ignorance, restricted to their peninsula - they cared not
about the affairs of the world, nor did the world care about their
affairs, except of course, in matters of business, for caravans would
pass through Arab lands. With the advent ofIslam, the Companions
were given honor because they carried the divine message. Each one
of them had a history worth recording. Narrators and historians
strove hard to find out more about them and to gain knowledge from
them. Is the affair of Abu Hurayrah (.) any different in this regard
than that of the majority of Companions? We do not know his entire
history during the days of ignorance, but how does that diminish his
status? Where in Allah's Book does Abu Rayyah find verses to
support his criticism? How perfect Allah is! The evil that Abu
Rayyah has spoken is inspired from no source other than the Devil
and his own desires.
3. Were we to ask Abu Rayyah about the history of thousands of
Companions - through the research of the scholars, we know that
during the final pilgrimage, there were 114,000 Companions with the
Prophet <*) - before the advent of Islam, he would not be able to
find information for more than ten or twenty of them, and that
information would amount to perhaps two lines in writing. Other than
those twenty, are all other Companions discredited, and of no worth?
Are these scholarly deductions or simply the ravings of a man
blinded by prejudice?
His illiterateness
Abu Rayyah said: "He was illiterate; he could neither read nor
write. "
Before Abu Rayyah, and throughout the centuries, no one
considered the illiterateness of a Companion to have negative
implications concerning his character. llliteracy was a predominant
characteristic among the Arabs to whom the Messenger of Allah (;f,j)
was sent. The vast majority of Companions, at least during the early
stages of Islam, were illiterate. Then why did Abn Rayyah single ont
the illiterateness of Abn Hnrayrah? Was that to raise donbts abont the
hadiths that he memorized and related? We have hitherto established
that none of the Companions, with the exception of 'Abdnllah ibn
'Amrn ~ , wrote down hadith narrations. Does Abn Rayyah want
to attack the narrations of all Companions jnst because they were
illiterate? No one before Abu Rayyah has ever made such ludicrous
statements.
His poverty
On more than one occasion, Abu Rayyah stressed the point
that Abu Hnrayrah ~ was poor; but he did not stop there - he
tried his utmost to belittle and discredit him simply because he owned
nothing in terms of material possessions. He claimed that Abu
Hnrayrah only kept company with the Messenger of Allah ~ in
order to fill his stomach. He repeatedly mentioned that Abu Hnrayrah
was unimportant in his tribe and that he was not from the nobility
among the Arabs. And because of these reasons, Abu Rayyah felt
that Abu Hnrayrah deserved ignominy and humiliation.
We know that the enemies of the Prophets would insult and
belittle the poor; for example, the people of Noah ~ said to him:
( ... Nor do we see any follow you but the meanest among us and they
[too] followed you without thinking.. ) (Qur'an 11: 27)
We also see how those who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day
take material possessions to be the standard or the criteria by which
they judge someone to be honorable. We can also nnderstand such
criteria to be prevalent in aristocratic or capitalistic societies. When
404 The Sunnah vis'-a-vis some contemporary writers who reject it
Abu Rayyah was disparaging Abu Hurayrah (.) for being poor,
was he speaking with the mindset of those who disbelieved in the
Messengers of Allah? If he is indeed a believer in Allah and in his
Messenger, he should know what Noah said to those who were
mocking his poor followers:
c
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... I am not going to drive away those who have believed. Surely,
they are going to meet their Lord, but I see that you are a people that
are (Qur'an 11: 29)
He also said to them:
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I do not say to you that with me are the Treasures of Allah, nor
that I know the unseen; nor do I say I am an angel, and I do not say of
those whom your eyes look down upon that Allah will not bestow
any good on them. Allah knows what is in their inner-selves. In that
case, I should, indeed be one of the (Qur'an 11: 31)
And if he was talking with the mindset of the rich, then he
should have realized that Islam has nullified material standards by
which people are judged. There is ouly one criterion in Islam, and
that is the measure of righteousness. Allah says:
... Verily, the most honorable of you to Allah is that [believer] who
has the most at-Taqwa... (Qur'an 49: 13)
In fact, there is no justification for Abu Rayyah's base views.
We know that Bilal ~ was a freed slave, yet he was the caller to
Prayer of the Messenger (;i!!\j). On the day of the Conquest of Makkah,
he was the one who climbed onto the roof of the Ka'bah, standing
above the chiefs of the Quraysh, in order to announce the word of
Islam. Dnring his caliphate, 'Umar ~ would give preference to
Suhayb ~ , Bilal ~ , and other poor Companions over the rich
ones.
It is well known that those who believed in the Messenger of
Allah (;i!!\j) during the early days of his message were the weak, the
poor, and the slaves. Did that have a negative impact on their status
with the Messenger of Allah (;i!!\j)?
Perhaps in the eyes of the disbelieving Quraysh - and of the
likes of Abu Rayyah - they were nothing more than poor and weak
burdens to society, but history has recorded for them pages of honor,
sincerity, and sacrifice in the way of propagating Allah's Religion.
And of course, the likes of Abu Rayyah are only as minute specks
when compared to their lofty status.
But here is an interesting point - the same standards by which
Abu Rayyah judges Abu Hurayrah ~ can be applied to Abu
Rayyah himself. Based on those standards, one ought to insult and
vilify him because he too is poor and because he has no honored
status in society.
The reason Abu Hurayrah accepted Islam and kept
company with the Messenger of Allah (;i!!\j)
We have previously alluded to the report that Abu Hurayrah
~ accepted Islam in the year 7 H, during the battle of Khaybar.
But we must point out here that we consider the correct opinion to be
that he had accepted Islam a great deal earlier, though we do hold that
he emigrated in order to join the Messenger of Allah (;i!!\j) in the year
7 H. We maintain that he accepted Islam prior to the year 7 H based
on the following two pieces of evidence:
L In when Ibn l)ajr was relating the biography of Tnfayl
ibn 'Amru ad-Dawsee, he mentioned that Tufayl had accepted Islam
before the Hijrah. After he accepted Islam, he returned to his tribe
(the tribe of Abu Hurayrah); he invited his people to Islam, and only
two people answered his call - his father and Abu Hurayrah. This is
clear in its indication that Abu Hurayrah had accepted Islam a
number of years before he actually went to the Messenger
2. Bukhati and Muslim related that there occurred a small conflict
between Abu Hurayrah and Abbiin ibn Sa'eed ibn when
the spoils of war were being distributed after the conquest of
Khaybar. Abbiin asked the Messenger of Allah to give him a
portion of the spoils, but Abu Hurayrah inteIjected, saying, "Do not
give him a share, 0 Messenger of Allah for he killed Ibn
QawqaI (Nu'miin ibn MiUik ibn Tha'labah, whose title was QawqaI
ibn Asram)." During the battle of U1;Iud, when Abbiin was still a
polytheist, he killed Ibn QawqaI.
We deduce from this story that when Abu Hurayrah emigrated
in order to join the Messenger of Allah during Khaybar, he was
not new to Islam; he was well aware of previous events and he even
knew what had happened during previous battles. And among those
who maintained that Abu Hurayrah accepted Islam before Khaybar
was Al-l)iifidh Ibn l)ajr.
Abu Hurayrah's acceptance of Islam, like that of all other
Companions, was sincere, and was purely for the sake of Allah
He fIrSt heard of Islamthrough Tufaylibn 'Amru at which time
he embraced it and applied its rulings. His wish to emigrate to join
the Messenger grew in intensity, until he finally was able to do
so, at a time when the Messenger and his Companions were
engaged in the battle of Khaybar.
Most narrations suggest that he arrived at the end of the battle;
however, he was present when the spoils of war were being given
out. Some narrations - the more authentic ones - establish that the
Prophet ordered the Mnslims to allot a share for him.
Thereafter, he continued to remain in the company of the
Prophet oblivious to all worldly pursuits, so that he could
dedicate himself to hearing the hadith of the Messenger It is
only natural that Abu Hurayrah should have taken his place in
for it was an area in the Mosque that was specific to those
who dedicated themselves wholly to knowledge and to jihad with the
Messenger of Allah those who had neither wealth nor family in
Madinah. Some of the most honorable of Companions were in
and the Messenger of Allah would honor them and
would encourage others to honor them as well.
Until the Prophet's death, Abu Hurayrah continued to
adhere closely to his company, following him wherever he went.
Because he remained close to him from the year 7 AH to the year 10
AH and because he was assiduous in asking the more distinguished
Companions to relate narrations to him, he of course knew more
hadith than those Companions who did not dedicate themselves
solely to the purpose of listeuing to hadith and of always remaining
closely to the Prophet's side.
That is the story of his Islam. Bukhari related that when Abu
Hurayrah was migrating to the Prophet a slave of his ran away.
When Abu Hurayrah reached the Prophet and when he pledged
his allegiance to him, the slave reappeared. The Messenger said,
"0 Abu Hurayrah! Here is your slave." Abu Hurayrah said,
"He is (free) for the Countenance of Allah." So happy was he to meet
the Messenger of Allah that he freed the only slave he had. This
of course was a wonderful display of sincerity to Islam and of
thankfulness for the blessings of Allah.
Sincere Muslims are of course inspired by such a story and
cannot help but to love and trust Abu Hurayrah completely. But
Abu Rayyah, filled with malice and spite, ouly perceived that his
acceptance of Islam was a story of one who was looking to fill his
stomach! Without a doubt, the scholars of Islam, from the early as
well as the later centuries, see Abu Hurayrah as being a noble
exampl,;, of one who fulfilled the trust of knowledge taken from the
Messenger of Allah (jJi,;).
The story of his hunger and his constant
accompaniment of the Prophet
1. Abu Rayyah went on to say that Abu Hurayrah used his
poverty as a means of finding a place in Had Abu Rayyah
known any shame, he would not have said that. Poverty is not
considered to be a fault in a person, nor is living in Only
base sollis who feel that honor is in wealth and status would make
such a statement. The ouly refutation we need in this issue is to refer
you to those verses of the Qur' an that speak about groups of
extravagant, rich people from previous nations who waged war
against the Messengers and their followers.
2. Abu Rayyah alleges:
"He was candid in expressing the reason why he kept company with
the Prophet just as he was candid in informing others about the
reality of his upbringing.
(That is he was an orphan - as ifhe considers being an orphan a fallit.)
He did not say that he kept company with him for love or for
guidance, which was the reason other Muslims kept company with
him. What he said is that he kept company with him and was satisfied
with just filling his stomach.
He mentioned in the footuote that the Arabic word 'alii (in Abu
Hurayrah's explanation) means 'because'. He therefore concludes
that Abu Hurayrah ~ kept company with the Prophet ~ because
he wanted to fill his stomach!"
Ouly if oue is defective iu mind or if oue has an ulterior motive
will one come to the conclusion that Abu Rayyah came to.
Otherwise, who of sound mind would say that Abu Hurayrah ~
left his country, his tribe, and his land that he grew up in just to be
able to eat and drink!
Could he not find enough to eat and drink in his own land? The
Paws tribe was huge and was honored among the Arabs. Moreover,
their land was fertile. Therefore, it is a far-fetched conclusion indeed
to say that Abu Hurayrah traveled to Madinah in order to find food
and drink. It is but blind malice and spite that can lead one to making
such ludicrous claims.
3. The authentically established hadith from the Prophet ~ in this
regard is not the same as Abu Rayyah's narration. The correct
narration is as Bukhari related it: "I would stay close to the
Messenger of Allah ~ , being satisfied just to fill my stomach." He
said this to clarify that he had no worldly ambitions, no aspirations
for wealth: all he wanted was to be with the Prophet ~ and leam
from him. And to fulfill that noble aim, he needed neither wealth nor
property, just food and drink to keep him going from one day to the
next.
The following is Muslim's narration: "I was a poor man, and I
would serve the Messenger of Allah ~ , with enough to fill my
stomach." Neither in this nor in the previous narration is
companionship mentioned; rather, what is mentioned is close
adherence to the Prophet ~ at all times and serving his needs.
Therefore, the narrations do uot reveal the reason why he became a
Companion of the Messenger of Allah ~ . Abu Hurayrah ~ was
simply explaining why he related more hadiths than any other
Companion: the Muhiijiroon were busy with transactions in the
marketplace, while the were busy taking care of their fields.
Meanwhile, he kept close to the Prophet (;i!), following him
wherever he went.
4. Abu Rayyah did not stop short at distorting words, but he went on
to make another claim: that 'alii means 'because'. Consequently, he
claims that Abu Hurayrah (.) said, "Because ] could fill my
stomach." He quoted Ibn Hisham as saying, " 'because' is one of the
meanings of 'alii, as in this verse:
(lAo :ir-;JI '.u-") ... ;$S:u. J ...
... And that you must magnify Allah for having guided you.. J
(Qar'an 2: 185)
This proves that Abu Rayyah did not want the truth. Ibn
Hisham - may Allah have mercy on him - said that 'alii has nine
meanings, one of them being 'because'. From those nine meanings,
Abu Rayyah chose 'because', when most of the nine meanings are
plausible meanings of 'alii in Abu Hurayrah's statement. Imam An-
Nawawi explained Abu Hurayrah's statement according to its correct
meaning:
"with enough to fill my stomach, meaning, ] adhere closely to his
company and ] am satisfied with my sustenance, for] do not gather
and save wealth; ] do not take more than the sustenance ] need... "
Ibn I;lajr said, " 'With enough to fill my stomach', means '] am
satisfied just to have enough sustenance'."
In short, Abu Rayyah exposed his own unscholarly and
unwarranted bias by attacking Abu Hurayrah in this manner. He used
the story of Abu Hurayrah's acceptance ofIslam against him, yet that
story is one of the strongest proofs that establishes Abu Hurayrah's
love for Allah (ll*) and His Messenger (;i!), a love that was not
mingled with the love of the world or the desire for wealth.
The Sunnah and its roie in Islamic legislation 411
He forsook worldly pursuits when he decided not to do
business in Madinah and not to work in its fields. His sole concern
and occupation was to always remain by the Prophet's side, so that he
could take from his Sunnah and then convey it to posterity. As for
wealth, even Abu Rayyah - despite his foolishness - did not claim
that Abu Hurayrah accepted Islam because he desired wealth.
Ibn Katheer related with his chain from Sa'eed ibu Hind from
Abu Hurayrah ~ that the Prophet <m) said to him: "Will you not
ask me concenring these spoils of war that your companions ask
about?,,29 Abu Hurayrah (.) answered, "I ask you to teach me
some of what Allah has taught you."
Ibn Katheer also related that one day, Abu Hurayrah's daughter said
to him, "0 my father, the girls fmd fault with me, saying, 'YOur
father has not adorned you with gold.' " He replied, "0 my daughter,
say to them, 'Iudeed, my father fears for me the heat of embers.' "
Was he seeking statos? During his migration to the Prophet
~ , Abu Hurayrah ~ was content to serve the caravan he was
accompanying. He was content to live in "'i-Suffah, a sanctoary for
those who had no home of their own. He endured severe hunger
during the days that he was seeking kuowledge. Therefore, no, he
was not seeking status. That is the truth concerning Abu Hurayrah' s
Islam, so howdoes Abu Rayyahjustify his lies when he himself said,
"The curse of Allah upon the liars, those who lie on purpose and
those who lie unintentionally!"
5. Abu Rayyah accuses Abu Hurayrah (.) ofhaving been a glutton,
saying that he would eat every day in the house of the Prophet ~ or
in the house of one of his Companions, to the extent that some of the
Companions would find excuses not to be in his company!
29 Reported by Abu Nu'aym. vol. 1, p. 381 and Ibn Asilir. vol. 19. p. 113.
Its narrators are trustworthy. See Siyar al-Aliim an-Nubld, vol. 2, p. 594.
412 The Sunnah vis-a-vis some contemporary writers wlw reject it
This, of course, is another distortion of historical facts. As for
him being a glntton, no authentic source has related that information
to us. Yet suppose it to be true, it does not have a negative impact on
his uprightness, his truthfulness, or his status. In no religion does
eating a lot affect one's reputation or status. As for him eating every
day in the house of the Prophet ~ or the house of one of his
Companions, that is something that we have hitherto mentioned,
explaining that he was always at Prophet's side and that he was
satisfied just to have enough to eat. He was oblivious of worldly
endeavors, preoccupied in the pursuit of leaming hadith from the
Messenger of Allah ~ .
When a man asked Tall:tah ibn 'Ubaydullah (.) about Abu
Hurayrah's many narrations, he said:
"We do not doubt that he heard sayings from the Messenger of Allah
(*) which we did not hear and that he knew things that we did not
know, We were an affluent people; we had houses and families. We
would go to the Messenger of Allah ~ at the beginning and at the
end of the day, but then we would return. He, on the other hand, was
poor, having neither wealth nor family. His hand was with the
Messenger of Allah ~ , he followed him wherever he went. So we
do not doubt that he knew that which we did not know and that he
heard that which we did not hear."
All Muslims appreciate Abu Hurayrah's sacrifices, but Abu
Rayyah strays from the way of the believers. He then added another
claim, saying that the Prophet ~ advised Abu Hurayrah, saying:
"Visit at intervals, and your love will increase." Abu Rayyah relates
that to suggest that the Prophet (;i1il;) was telling him not to visit
people's houses so frequently. This is a vile and baseless lie, which
Abu Rayyah himself exposes when he mentions the context in which
the Prophet ~ said those words. One day, the Prophet ~ asked
him where he was the previous day. Abu Hurayrah (.) answered,
"1 was visiting people from my (family)." The Prophet ~ is
commending Abu Hurayrah for having visited his relatives, which he
might not have done for some times because he was constantly in the
Prophet's company. Furthermore, there is much discussion among
hadith scholars about the chain of this hadith. But even snpposing it
to be authentic, it is not established that the Prophet ~ said those
words specifically to Abu Hurayrah; rather, more than ten
Companions relate the narration. Abu Rayyah cannot claimthat they
were all burdensome visitors, who frequently intruded into the homes
of others.
Abu Rayyah lied again when he claimed that some
Companions would resort to subterfuge in order to avoid Abu
Hurayrah's company. We challenge him to bring forth one authentic
narration that establishes his claim. On the contrary, Abu Hurayrah
~ was loved by all Muslims, which was Allah's answer to the
Prophet's supplication for him, as is related by Bukhari and other
compilers of the Sunnah.
6. Let us move on to yet another of Abu Rayyah's accusations: he
says that Abu Hurayrah gave precedence to Ja'far ibn Abi Tiilib ~
over all other Companions, deeming him to be superior even to Abu
Bakr, 'Umar, 'Ali, and 'Ut:Iuniln (may Allah be pleased with them).
This, of course, is a blatant lie. It is true that Abu Hurayrah praised
Ja'far ibn Abi Tiilib, saying about him, "He is the best of people to
the poor." But that is true, for the generosity of Ja'far and his love for
the poor was well known to the Prophet ~ and to his Companions.
The Prophet ~ gave him the title "Abu al-Masilkeen 30."
Are we to find fault with Abu Hurayrah ~ because he
praised Ja'far ~ ? When he praised Ja'far, he was in the process of
speaking about those who loved the poor and those who were
30 Literally, 'Father of the Poor'. (Translator)
compassionate to them, and not in the process of judging which
Companion of the Prophet was superior in the overall sense.
Therefore, Abu Rayyah's claim that Abu Hurayrah deemed Ja'far to
be superior over all other Companions is baseless. But since when is
Abu Rayyah so zealous in championing the cause of the
Companions? He is the one, after all, who leveled so many
accusations of mendacity and dereliction against them.
7. Next, Abu Rayyah related from Ath-Tha'illabi and Badee' az-
Zaman al-Hamdhani that Abu Hurayrah was enamored by a
kind of food called matf.eerah. They reported that he was given the
title "Shaykh al-Mageerah". Neither in the Qur'an nor in the Sunnah
of His did Allah forbid Muslims from loving a
specific kind of food. The best of people and the most pious of them,
Muhammad (i!'j;), loved certain kinds of dishes. And he (i!'j;) is an
example and role model for all. Deprivation of the stomach or of
one's private parts is not a part of Islam. Therefore the uprightness,
the honor, and the status of Abu Hurayrah are not negatively
impacted simply because he loved a certain kind of food.
It is also claimed that he would eat matf.eerah with Mu'awiyah
and then pray behind 'Ali however, this is narrated in
books of literature and the books of the Shi 'ah, in which the
authenticity of a narration is not a major concern for authors,
especiallY not with the likes of Ath-Tha'illabi and Al-Himdharn. It is
established that Abu Hurayrah did not participate in the disputes
between 'Ali and Mu' awiyah. Allah purified his sword and his
biography from any involvement in those disputes, just as He
purified many other scholars and worshipers who were Companions.
8. Abu Rayyah then cited al-lfilyah by Abu Na'eem, alleging that
Abu Hurayrah would say while circumambulating around the
Ka'bah, "Woe nnto me because of my stomach. If I fill it, it makes
me lethargic; and if I keep it hungry, it curses me or weakens me."
To be certain, Abu Na'eem was one of the major retainers of
narrations during his period; however, in his book, lfilyatul-Awliyah,
he did not limit himself to mentioning only authentic narrations. In
fact, many of the narrations mentioned in that book are fabrications,
one example being the aforesaid narration from Abu Hurayrah ~ .
Farqad as-Subkhee related it, and he never even met Abu Hurayrah;
moreover, he was not trustworthy in his narrations.
But again, we shall suppose the narration to be authentic - what is
there in it? Did he not state what applies to all stomachs? When one's
stomach is full, one becomes lethargic; and if one stays hungry for a
while, one becomes weak. Does not this apply to Abu Rayyah' s
stomach as well? Or does he claim himself to be special in this
regard: that he is active both when he is full and when he is hungry?
9. He also related another story from al-lfilyah about Abu Hurayrah.
During one of his travels, Abu Hurayrah ~ and his traveling party
stopped somewhere to eat. They called him but he was prayiug. He
then told their messenger, "I am fasting." As they were finishing
their meal, he came and began to eat with them. The people began to
stare at the messenger that they sent to him, and he said, "What are
you looking at? By Allah, he informed us that he was fasting." Abu
Hurayrah said:
"He has spoken the truth. I heard the Messenger of Allah ~ say,
'The fast of RamaQiin and the fast of three days from every month is
(like) the fast of an entire year.' I have already fasted three days at the
beginning of the month. I break my fast by Allah's gentle and easy
commands and I fast by Allah's multiplication (of rewards).' "
So eager is Abu Rayyah to follow up on anything that will
harm Abu Hurayrah's reputation that he does not perceive the
intelligence of the witty reply in this narration. Does this narration
indicate anything more than the fact that Abu Hurayrah was blessed
with a light and playful spirit, which made him beloved in the hearts
416 The Sunnah vis-a-vis some contemporary writers wJw reject it
of every believer? Nothing in this incident takes away from the honor
or statns of Abu Hurayrah. In his Musnad, hnam Al)mad related the
exact same incident except that it was about Abu Dharr If Abu
Rayyah learns of this, I fear that he will censure Abu Dhar as he did
Abu Hurayrah.
His playful joking
Next, Abu Rayyah declares that all historians are in agreement
about Abu Hurayrah being talkative - the word used in Arabic
is mihdhiir
31
- and a constant joker. He then interpreted the word
mihdhilr to mean one who uses a great deal of obscene and base talk.
As for his claim about the consensus of the scholars regarding Abu
Hurayrah being talkative, that is a lie before Allah about Abu
Hurayrah, and ahout historians. Not a single person ever described
Abu Hurayrah as being garrulous; we challenge, nay we demand,
Abu Rayyah to bring forth a single authentic narration in this regard.
Referring to the incident of Abu Huraytah's narration about
washing one's hands upon awakening from sleep, which we have
alteady discussed in a previous chapter, Abu Rayyah says that
'A'ishah described Abu Hurayrah using the word mihdhilr. As
we clarified, 'A'ishah did not repudiate Abu Hurayrah in
that incident, nor did she use the word mihdhilr when describing him.
n was Qayn al-Ashja'ee, one of the companions of 'Abdulliih ibn
Mas'ood who took issue with Abu Hurayrah, but still, even he
did not use the word mihdhilr to describe him.
We will again suppose that the narration imputed to 'A' ishah
is correct; it was an isolated incident, so how then can Abu
Rayyah claimthat all historians agree in describing himas garrulous?
Does a single person, 'A'ishah represent all historians?
31 Mihdhdr. talkative.
Abu Rayyah, you were the oue who said in your book, "The
curse of Allah ou the liars, regardless of whether they lied ou purpose
or whether they did so uuiutentionally." If you cannot produce
authentic proofs to support your claim, then you are one of the liars
- and you have cursed yourself.
As for Abu Hurayrah's joking, it was a characteristic he was
known for and one that Allah blessed him with, and through that
characteristic, Allah made him beloved to all Muslims. In Allah's
Religiou, jokiug is uot disliked; otherwise, harshuess and dullness
would have been recommended qualities in Islam. And far above are
Allah and his Messenger from recommending those qualities.
..
Allah said to his Messenger

'7./ ./" i. ,/ {- /,
\0'\ ... ..!J!y. ....J:il \ .....,;, u=..;:..;.> '1, ...
,. > - y
('0<1,
... And had you been severe and hard-hearted, they would have
broken away from you.. ) (Qur'an 3: 159)
Among honorable people, joking is not considered to be a base
thing. Within sensible limits, the Messenger ofAllah would joke
with his Companions and they too would joke. Amoug them, there
were those who were known for haviug the highest of characters, but
they were also known for their playful mirth - and Abu Hurayrah
is one such example. In the absence of Mirwan, he was left in
charge over Madinah. In his humbleness, he would ride a donkey
(and not a horse) and playfully say, "Make way for the governor!"
He would carry a bundle of firewood over his shoulder and then enter
the marketplace, saying, "Make way for the governor." These
incidents not only show ns the side of his playful nature, but also the
side of his humbleness.
One day, a young man went to him and said, "When I woke
up, I (made the intention) to fast. Then I went to my father; he had
bread and meat, and I ate, forgetting that I was fasting." Abu
Hurayrah said, "There is nothing against you (in terms of sin),
for it was Allah who fed you." The young man continued,
"Then I entered the house of my family, where milk was brought to
me, and I drank it, forgetting that I was fasting." Abu Hurayrah (.)
said, "There is nothing against you (because you forgot)." He then
continued, "Then I slept, and when I woke up, I drank water and had
sexual intercourse, forgetting that I was fasting." Abu Hurayrah
said in a playful tone, "0 my cousin, you have not accustomed
yourself to fasting."
What kind of person would find disgrace in such an innocent
statement? Historians agree with Abu Rayyah that Abu Hurayrah
would joke often; however, Abu Rayyah neglects to mention the
other matters that they agree upon regarding Abu Hurayrah - that he
was pious, that he was trustworthy, that he was known for his
constant worship, for his good deeds, and for his not being concerned
about material possessions. After mentioning their consensns on one
point, why did Abu Rayyah neglect to mention their consensus on all
other points? Does he wish for the following verse to apply to him?
, .1-"''''\ /' /"-; "fJ// 1 4J"'\ /-r:// 1/ ,,/ r J')- 'C)'I I //1-
' , ,- M. 'r ",' .\ \A J.,u . ' c.:.., .
J.- '" v.-:- _. Y"" 'iT.- ..,..J
(" 0 : .. WI LA jj r: LA;
whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger [Muhammad]
after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other
than the believers' way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen
and bum him in Hell- what an evil (Qur'an 4: 115)
Similarly, other Companions were moderate in joking.
Bukhati related that the Companions of the Prophet would play with
each other by throwing around watermelons. And Bukhati related the
following in alAdab al-Mufrad:
''The Companions of the Messenger of Allah did not possess dull
natnres. In their gatherings, they would recite poetry to one another
and they would discuss their history before Islam. But if something
was wanted from one of them regarding Allah's Religion, his eyes
would flare up (in seriousness) as if he were mad."
"People mocked him"
Abu Rayyah comments:
''They would ridicule his hadiths narrations simply because he
related them in abundance. Abu Riifay' reported that a man from the
Quraysh went to Abu Hurayrah ~ ) , dressed in a robe, and he was
strntting in it He said, '0 Abu Hurayrah! You indeed relate many
hadiths from the Messenger of Allah ~ ) ; and have you heard
anything about this robe of mine?' He answered, 'I heard Abu al-
Qiisim
32
say that a man from those who came before you was
strutting in his robe, wheu suddenly, Allah ~ ) made the earth
swallow him up. And he will rattle therein until the arrival of the
Hour. By Allah, I do not know, perhaps he was from your people or
from your tribe.' (Abu Rayyah ascribed this narration to Ibn
Katheer). It appears from the young man's question that he was not
seeking clarification, but rather he was ridiculing Abu Hurayrah. He
did not say, 'Indeed you have memorized the hadiths of the
Messenger of Allah ~ ) . Instead, he said, 'You indeed relate many
hadiths from the Messenger of Allah ~ ) . The context of the story
shows that he was mocking Abu Hurayrah."
First, the questioner was not one of the Companions, nor was he of
the Tiibi 'oon who took the Sharia and its manners from the
Companions of the Prophet ~ ) . He was simply a young, impudent
32 Abul-Qasim: one of the names of the Prophet, after his son AI-Qasim.
(Translator)
man of the Quraysh, and it is not expected from the likes of him that
he should acknowledge the status of Abn Hurayrah ~ ; so the true
value of that distinguished Companion should not be assessed based
on the attitude of one so brazen and impudent.
Second, he was a young wastrel, who was prancing around in an
extravagant robe. His foolishness led him to say, "Have you
memorized anything about this robe of mine?" And in some
narrations it is reported that the young man said, "Is this how the
young man walked before he was swallowed up by the earth?" He
then stumbled and fell in a very hard way, and as a result almost
broke several bones. Abu Hurayrah ~ recited this verse:
(Truly! We will suffice you against the scoffers) (Qur'an 15: 95)
In this incident, Allah ~ honored Abu Hurayrah ~ when
He exacted retribution from the young, impudent man.
Third, in every generation, there were the young and foolish who
mocked the people of knowledge. This happened to the scholars, the
pious, and even to the Prophets, as Allah ~ related to us in His
Noble Book. But since when do the Prophets suffer in their ranking
with Allah just because the foolish ones mock them?
Fourth, this was an isolated incident, and Abu Rayyah was not able to
produce another example. He used the words, "And they used to
mock him..." They used to indicates that this occurred often and
repeatedly. Does the action of one young, impudent man prove that
the Companions and the Tabi 'oon, the bearers of knowledge during
that time, would ridicule Abu Hurayrah's narrations? Abu Rayyah's
declarations are the ravings of a man who has a wish and then uses all
means of falsehood to realize it; his claims did not emanate from a
sincere scholar who was searching out for the truth. Every person is
responsible for establishing his status and character; in Abu Rayyah' s
case, he allied himself to the liars and fabricators - people who
follow their desires, so his is the status that he has chosen. As for Abu
Hurayrah (.), Allah has established his innocence regarding
all of the attacks that have been leveled against him.
His many hadith narrations
Abu Rayyah criticized Abu Hurayrah for his many hadiths,
which amounted, according to the Musnad of Baqee ibn Mukhallid,
to 5374 hadith narrations. Even among those narrations, the scholars
of hadith did not say that they are all authentically ascribed to him.
Abu Rayyah showed wonder at those many narrations because Abu
Hurayrah kept company with the Prophet for only three years.
We have already explained how he was able to memorize and
relate so much. We will add to that a narration related by Ibn Katheer.
In it, Mirwiin ibn al-l;Iakam became angry with Abu Hurayrah when
the latter spoke his view about the issue of Al-l;Iasan being buried
alongside the Messenger of Allah Mirwiin said, "Indeed the
people have said that you relate much hadith from the Messenger of
Allah and that you do so, in spite of the fact that you emigrate
only a short time before the death of the Prophet Abu
Hurayrah (.) said:
"Yes, I Came while the Messenger of Allah was at Khaybar in
the year 7 (H). At that time, I was more than 30 years of age. I
remained with him until he died, following him and serving him in
the houses ofhis wives... I wonld pray behind him, I made pilgrimage
with him, and I participated with him in his battles. I was, by Allah,
the most knowledgeable of the people regarding his hadith. By Allah,
a group of people from the Quraysh and preceded me in
becoming his Companions and in emigrating to be with him. Yet they
knew my adherence to him, and they would ask me about his hadith.
Among them were 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, Ta1l;lah, and Az-Zubayr
(may Allah be pleased with them)..."
Thereafter, Mirwan was always cautious and fearful of Abu
Hurayrah's answers.
In another narration, Abu Hurayrah (.) said to Mirwan, "I
accepted Islam and migrated by choice. I loved the Messenger of
Allah ~ ) with a strong love. As for you, you are of his city and you
are the ones who were first called. You expelled the caller from his
land; you harmed him and his Companions, and you accepted Islam
after me... " Mirwan recanted his words and was thereafter cautious
with him.
Without a doubt, one who is dedicated to a single task is able
to gather a great deal of knowledge in a short period of time. We
know of students who studied for only a short time with their
teachers, yet were able to learn more than students who had been with
those teachers for much longer than they. If we know that they were
hardworking, what is so unbelievable about that? What concerns us is
truthfulness, and the truthfulness of Abu Hurayrah was not doubted
by the Companions or by his students from the Tiibi'oon. That is the
true and authentic ruling of history. All narrations that Abu Rayyah
mentions are lies taken from dubious sources or simply from his
imagination. But let us take a closer look at the narrations he
mentions:
1. He claimed that 'Umar (.) struck Abu Hurayrah (.) with a
shield, saying to him, "0 Abu Hurayrah, you have related too many
narrations and it is worthy of you to tell lies about the Messenger of
Allah ~ ) .
We challenge Abu Rayyah to prove that he took this narration
from any authentic source of knowledge, as opposed to books of
literature that relate all kinds fabricated narrations, or the books of the
Shi 'ah, for the Shi'ah are known for their hatred of Abu Hurayrah
(4Ji;,) and for their fabrications concerning him. Abu Rayyah would
often quote from those sources, yet regarding this narration he does
not impute it to any book - why?
2. He claimed that 'Umar (4Ji;,) threatened to banish Abu Hurayrah
(4Ji;,) to his homeland or to a land that was inhabited by apes, and that
he promised to execute that threat if he would continued to relate
narrations from the Messenger of Allah (;tlj). Abu Rayyah says that
he related this from Ibn 'Asiikir and Ibn Katheer.
'Umar's prohibition on excessive transmissions of hadith
narrations was not specific to Abu Hurayrah (4Ji;,), and it is not
authentically related that he threatened to banish him to his
homeland; furthermore, dOTing that period such a punishment was
not even permissible. At any rate, we have already discussed 'Umar's
view on narrating and writing down hadiths.
As for the saying, "I will continue to pursue you until the land
of the apes," Abn Rayyah was duplicitous in ascribing it to Ibn
Katheer. In the narration of Ibn Katheer, 'Umar (4Ji;,) said to Ka'b al-
A!)biir, "You will abstain from hadith (about previous nations) or I
will continue to pursue you until the land of the apes." Here, 'Vmar
(4Ji;,) is threatening Ka'b al-A!)biir and warning him not to relate
narrations from the Children of Israel, and he is not, in spite of what
Abu Rayyah said, warning Abu Hurayrah (4Ji;,) to abstain from
relating narrations from Messenger of Allah (*J
3. Abu Rayyah then claims that the Companions accused Abu
Hurayrah of lying and that 'A' ishah ~ was among those who
repudiated him. Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali - Abu
Rayyah claims that each one of them accused Abu Hurayrah ~ of
lying. He then ascribes these views to Ibn Qutaybah in Ta'weel
Mukhtalif al-lfadeeth.
Abu Rayyah is the one who is lying here, for Ibn Qutaybah
ascribed those claims to An-Nadhfuu and those of his ilk, and then he
went on to refute them and to defend Abu Hurayrah ~ in a most
honorable way. It is a good thing that Abu Rayyah is not the only one
who owns a copy of Ta'weel Mukhtalif al-lfadeeth; the book is in
print and is widely circulated among scholars. In truth, no one, not
even the Orientalists, lied so brazeuly as did Abn Rayyah.
We challenge him to bring forth one authentic narration in
which Abu Bakr, 'Vmar, 'Vt.htniIn, 'Ali, 'A:ishah, or any other
Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) accused Abu
Hurayrah of lying about the Prophet's Suunah. Perhaps these
narrations ate found in the books of An-Nadhfuu or Abnl-l;:Iadeed al-
Islcifee, but they ate not scholars and their books ate not reliable
sources of knowledge.
'A:ishah ~ may have wondered at some of Abu Hurayrah's
natrations, but he would sometimes answer her, saying that while she
was in the house, occupied with adornment, he was following the
Messenger of Allah ~ , keeping close to him, and listening to his
hadith. She did not hesitate to then acknowledge the truth of what he
said. So humble and sincere was the Mother of the Believers that she
acknowledged the truthfulness and merit of one who deserved it.
As regatds the hadith about fasting when waking up upon a
IIlajor state of impurity, Abu Hurayrah acknowledged that 'A:ishah
was more knowledgeable regatding the Prophet's domestic affairs.
This indicates the humility and sincerity of Abu Hurayrah, who also
acknowledged virtue and merit to one who deserved it.
4. Abu Rayyah related from Ibn Katheer that when Zubayr heatd
some of Abu Hurayrah' s hadiths, he said, "He spoke in truth, he lied."
What Abu Rayyah did in this instance is similat to what Allah
~ relates about the People of the Book: they believe in some of the
Book and they disbelieve in some of the Book. Ibn al-Atheer related
the rest of the narration: that 'Vrwah ($) said to his father Zubayr
($), "My father, what about your saying, 'He spoke the truth, he
lied?'" Znbayr ($) said, "0 my son! As for him hearing these
hadiths from the Messenger of Allah ~ , I have no doubts thereof.
However, some of them he puts in their right place and some of them
he does not put in the right place." Do you understand from this
narration that Zubayr was accusing Abu Hurayrah ($) of lying or
that he was acknowledging him to be truthful?
When Zubayr ($) said, "And some of them he does not put
in the right place," he was saying that Abu Hurayrah had an incorrect
understanding of the rulings of some hadiths. That does not take
anything away from the honor of Abu Hurayrah ($), at least not in
the mind of anyone who understands the Arabic language.
5. Abn Rayyah reported that Ibn Mas'ood ($) refuted the following
narration of Abn Hurayrah ($): "Whoever washes the dead, then let
him take a shower; and whoever carries the dead, then let him make
ablution." He reported this narration from Jami' ai-Sayan aZ- 'flm, by
Ibn 'Abdul-Barr.
This also points to the lack of scholarly honesty in Abu
Rayyah. In the aforementioned book, Ibn 'Abdul-Barr dedicated a
chapter to mentioning issues wherein some scholars disagreed with
the views of other scholars. In that chapter, he mentioned how Abu
Bakr ($) scolded the Companions for disagreeing with him when
he wanted to fight the apostates. He also mentioned that 'A'ishah
~ refuted Ibn 'Vmar's view that the deceased is punished when
his family cries for him. She said in her refutation, "Abu 'Abdur-
Rahman... made a mistake or forgot." She also disagreed with him
about the number of times that the Messenger of Allah ~ made the
'umrah. And in yet another example, he related that Ibn Mas'ood
($) refuted the opinion of Abu Moosa ($) and Salman ibn
Rabee'ah ~ in an inheritance issne. Among those issues, he also
mentioned that Ibn Mas'ood ~ disagreed with Abu Hurayrah's
statement, "Whoever washes the dead, then let him take a shower;
and whoever carries the dead, then let him make ablution."
As you can plainly see, Abu Hurayrah ~ was only issuing a
ruling in the issue and Ibn Mas'ood ~ refuted his opinion and not
his hadith. How does this imply that Ibn Mas'ood accused Abu
Hurayrah of lying in his hadith? It is also important to note that many
jurists have held the same opinion as Abu Hurayrah, with some of
them deeming the ruling indicated by the opinion to be compulsory
and others deeming it to be recommended.
6. Abu Rayyah ended his discussion on Abu Hurayrah by saying,
"We cannot mention all instances wherein the Companions criticized
him or donbted in his narrations because our book is too small for
thaL."
This too is a manifest lie, for it is clear that he searched
extensively, even in books of no scholarly value, for anything with
which he could attack Abu Hurayrah ~ , and then he mentioned all
that he found.
If we discuss the Companions' criticism of Abu Hurayrah' s
rulings, we must take into consideration that Abn Hurayrah would
rule based on the apparent meaning of hadiths, without resorting to
interpretation. Some Companions differed with him in his
understanding, and so they would refute his ruling, but never his
hadith. And more generally, this type of disagreement occurred often
among the Companions. We already pointed out that Ibn 'Abdul-
Barr dedicated an entire chapter in Jami' al-Bayan al- 'nm to issues
wherein they differed. Throughout the centuries and until this day
scholars disagree with one another in certain issues, but they do not
attack the honor or religion of the one they disagree with. Another
point to remember is that Ibn al-Qayyimrepeatedly mentioned in his
books that Abu Hurayrah ~ was among the choice Companions
h ifti
33
woweremu s.
7. After ending his discussion on the Companions and how, at least
according to his claims, they doubted the truthfulness of Abu
Hurayrah ~ , Abu Rayyah moves on to mention an unauthentic
narration, wherein it is claimed that Abu .E.Ianeefah did not accept
narrations that were related by Abu Hurayrah.
We can say with absolute certainty that the narration in
question is not authentic. .E.Ianafi jurisprudence that is related from
Abu .E.Ianeefah himself is replete with rnlings that have no basis
except for the hadiths related by Abu Hurayrah ~ . Concerning
Abu Rayyah' s claim that the .E.Ianafi jurists do not consider Abu
Hurayrah to be a faqeeh, we have already established in the chapter
on Ahmad Ameen that the .E.Ianafi jurists do indeed agree that he is a
faqeeh; the only exception from the .E.Ianafis was 'Eesa ibn Abbiin
and those who followed him, and their dissent is disregarded, even by
the .E.Ianafis.
8. Abu Hurayrah ~ , like many other younger Companions, would
relate narrations from the older Companions and then ascribe them
directly to the Prophet (;i!'). Abu Rayyah says that that was tadlees, a
form of deception on the part of Abu Hurayrah. Yes, there is a termin
hadith criticism that is called tadlees, but in no way do scholars of
hadith describe narrations by Companions from other Companions to
be a category of tadlees. By the consensus of the scholars, that form
of narration is called a mursal of a Companion. Companions wonld
only relate from other Companions, and as has been established
earlier in this book, everyone from their generation was upright and
trustworthy. It did not occur that a Companion would relate from a
33 Mufti: a learned person qualified to issue a derived ruling from revealed
sources.
tiibi'ee in the same way, ascribing the narration directly to the
Prophet ~ , for they knew that a tfibi'ee conldnot have directly
heard it from him ~ .
9. Abn Rayyah then says that Abn Hurayrah appeased his conscience
by jnstifying his fabrications against the Messenger of Allah ~ : as
long as the lawful is not made forbidden and the forbidden is not
made lawful, then there is no harm in that. Abn Rayyah attempts to
prove his claim by mentioning hadiths that are snpposedly related
through Abu Hurayrah. Here are two examples: "If you do not make
lawful that which is forbidden and ifyou do not prohibit that which is
lawful, then you are correct in principle, and there is no harm in
that." And here is the second example: "Whoever relates a hadith,
then that is pleasing to Allah, regardless of whether I said it or not."
The Imams of Hadith have scrutinized these narrations and
then exposed those who fabricated them and those who falsely
ascribed them to Abu Hurayrah (4t. Not a single one of them can
authentically be attributed to Abu Hurayrah. What then, is his sin in
that?
10. Abu Rayyah claimed that Abu Hurayrah (4t would take hadith
narrations from Ka'b al-A1)bar and then impute them to the Prophet
~ . This is a most vile claim, which points to the active imagination
of Abu Rayyah and the distortions that he perpetrated. The scholars
of hadith have mentioned that one of the categories of narration is
when a more distinguished narrator is relating from one who is less
distinguished; they exemplified this by the narrations of Abu
Hurayrah, Al-'Ubfuialah (4t, Mu'iiwiyah (4t, Anas ($), and
others from Ka'b.
One might understand from Abu Rayyah's statement that Abu
Hurayrah was relating hadiths of the Messenger of Allah ~ from
Ka'b. This is false, for Ka'b never even met the Messenger ~ . The
scholars pointed out that Companions would take from Ka'b - and
The Sunnah ami its role in Islamic legislation 429
from others who accepted Islam, hut were previously Jews or
Christians ~ narrations ahout previous nations. It is authentically
related that the Messenger of Allah ~ said, Do not believe the
people of the book or accuse them of telling lies.,,34 Therefore, their
narrations are related for the benefit of wisdom and contemplation,
not for the benefit of legislating rulings or judging what came in the
Qur' an; legislations are taken from the Qur' an and not from previous
books, for the Qur'an is a judge over those books.
Abu Rayyah mentioned that Ka'b praised Abu Hurayrah ~
for having knowledge of the Torah even though he never read it.
Even if this is authentic, there is nothing in it, for many people
listened to narrations in gatherings without reading from books. But
how does that have a negative impact on Abu Hurayrah's character?
In an attempt to establish his claim, Abu Rayyah mentioned a
narration that is related by Muslim; in it, it is clear that the following
happened: while people were listening to Abu Hurayrah ~ relate
narrations, they confused those narrations he related from the
Messenger ~ and those he related from Ka'b. Thereafter Abu
Hurayrah corrected their mistakes, exhorting them to be cautious
when relating narrations and advising them to fear Allah ~ . Abu
Rayyah distorted the facts of this narration, claiming that Abu
Hurayrah would take narrations from Ka'b and then attribute them
the Messenger ~ ; however, what we mentioned is clearly the true
meaning of the narration.
Similarly, Abu Rayyah distorted the facts in another instance.
He reported that Bukhari and Ibn Katheer rejected Abu Hurayrah's
narrations, but far above were those two scholars from falling, as did
Abu Rayyah, into the dark depths of ignorance. In the incident he
referred to, they merely said that the hadith they were discussing
34 Reported by Bukbari, vol. 23, p. 76, hadith no. 6987.
cannot be authentically attributed to Abu Hurayrah; this only means
that they were pointing out mistakes from other narrators, and what
does that have to do with Abu Hurayrah?
"His favoring of Bani Umayyah"
In an attempt to discredit Abu Hurayrah ~ , Abu Rayyah
gleaned all narrations that he conld from the books of the Shi 'ah. Of
course, the Shi' ah are known for their hatred of Abu Hurayrah ~ l ,
and on a more general note, of many other eminent Companions.
Abu Rayyah had another motive in that regard: in order to make his
book marketable in Shi 'ah populated areas, he pretended to be Shi'ah
himself, by way of accusing the same Companions that the Shi 'ah
accused. He is free to use such tactics, but what is most repugnant is
his declaration that his book is a scholarly work, which he wrote
based on the most stringent of scholarly principles. He repeatedly
says in his book that no one before him had ever reached such high
scholarly standards, nor, he says, had anyone discovered what he
discovered through his research.
Abu Hurayrah loved the family members of the Messenger of
Allah ~ ; in more than one narration he related the virtues of AI-
IJasan ~ and AI-IJusain ~ . On the day that the Muslims
wanted to bury AI-IJasan beside his grandfather, the Messenger of
Allah ~ , there occurred a difference of opinion between Abu
Hurayrah and Mirwiln ~ , which resulted in an estrangement that
continued almost until the time that Abu Hurayrah died. On the day
of the Dar'S, Abu Hurayrah supported 'Uthmiln ~ , just as 'Ali
~ and his two sons, AI-IJasan and AI-IJusain, supported him. Yet
his main preoccupation in life was to disseminate the Sunnah and to
serve knowledge. He therefore refused to participate in the disputes
35 This refers to the plot to assassinate "Uthman (may Allah be pleased with
him). (Translator)
that occurred between 'Ali and Mu'awiyah. He was not alone, for a
number of the more distinguished Compauions also refused, simply
because they did not want to take part in shedding the blood of
Muslims. In their opinion, neutrality between the two groups was
more pleasing to Allah ~ and safer for their consciences. That was
the true stance of Abu Hurayrah; all other opinions about him were
inspired by desire and partisanship in the past, and by ignorance and
false beliefs in the present.
A general word about Abu Hurayrah ~
Based on this and the previous chapter, the following facts
about Abu Hurayrah become clear, facts that are based on authentic
narrations from trustworthy historians and the Imams of Hadith:
First, he related more hadiths than anyone else from the Compauions.
From the day that he accepted Islam and onward, he remained in the
close company of the Messenger of Allah ~ , directing all of his
energies to memorizing his hadith and to learning as much as he
could about that part of the Prophet's life that had passed before Abu
Hurayrah's emigration. After the Prophet's death, he continued to
gather narrations from other Companions until he had with him a
great treasury of hadith, which consisted of more hadiths than any
other Companion had collected.
It is true that some of his narrations elicited wonder in some
Compauions who had not previously heard them. At first, they
wondered because he had so many hadith narrations, but in the end
they all acknowledged that he had memorized more hadiths than
anyone else among them. And never did they doubt in his sincerity
when he was relating hadiths. We will go over two examples to
illustrate this point:
1. In at-Tabaqtit, Ibn Sa'd related from Al-Waleed ibn 'Abdur-
RaQrniin that Abu Hurayrah related this hadith from the Prophet ~ :
"Whoever attends a funeral, then he has a qeera{ (in reward)." Ibn
'UIilllf ~ ) said, "Watch what you relate, 0 Abu Hurayrah! For
indeed, you relate too many hadiths from the Prophet ~ ) . Abu
Hurayrah took him by his hand and went with him to 'A:ishah ~ ) ;
he said to her, "hIformhimof what you heard the Messeuger of Allah
(;I!j) say." She confirmed Abu Hurayrah's narration, and he said to
Ibn 'Umar, "0 Abu 'Abdur-Ra1,Jmiin! By Allah, neither planting...
nor transactions in the Iilllfketplace disttacted me from the Prophet
~ ) . Ibn 'UIilllf said, "You know more than us, 0 Abu Hurayrah,
about the Messenger of Allah ~ ) and you have memorized tnore of
his hadith than any of us."
2. hI his Tareekh, Ibn Katheer reported that Abu al-Yusr ibn Abi
'Amir said: "I was with Tall}ah ibn 'Ubaydulliih when a man entered
and said, '0 Abu Muhanunad! By Allah, we do not know - does
this Yemeni (Abu Hurayrah) have more knowledge of the Messenger
of Allah ~ ) than you? Or does he ascribe to the Messenger of Allah
~ ) that which he did not hear or that which he (i.e. the Prophet) did
not say?' TaiQah ~ ) said, 'By Allah, we do not doubt that he heard
sayiugs from the Messenger of Allah ~ ) which we did not hear and
that he knew that which we did not know. We were an affluent
people, for we had homes and families. And we would go to the
Messenger of Allah ~ ) at the beginning and that the end of the day,
but then we would retorno But he (Abu Hurayrah) was poor - he had
neither wealth nor family. He went hand in hand with the Messenger
of Allah ~ ) , following him wherever he went. So we do not doubt
that he knew that which we did uot know and that he heard that which
we had not heard.' " Ibn Katheer said, "Tinuidhi related it in a similar
narration. "
These two examples are authentically related from the people
of knowledge; both serve to sileuce those who would accuse Abu
Hurayrah ~ ) of any wrongdoiug.
The SunlUlh and its role in Islamic legislation 433
Second, he would continue to relate narrations until he died in the
year 58 or 59 or 60 (there being three different reports). There were
many of Companions still alive and the Muslims were vigilant in
protecting the true and pristine teachings of Islam. During that
period, the Muslim Nation was indeed vast and powerful. But we still
find that the Muslims would gather in throngs around this
distinguished Companion; each one would feel it to be a great honor
just to meet Abu Hurayrah, never mind to actoally hear narrations
from him. Two great honors were bestowed on the most erninent
scholar among the Tabi'oon, Sa'eed ibn al-Musayib: he remained a
close student of Abu Hurayrah until he died, and he married his
daughter to him. Bukhari mentioned that 800 scholars from the
Companions and the next generation related narrations from Abu
Hurayrah ~ ; no other Companion had even a tenth of 800
narrators who related from him. This alone should satisfy those who
sincerely want the truth.
The Companions were vocal in correcting any misconduct in
society, they prevented innovators from changing the Religion, and
they were severe against those who deviated from the Sunnah of the
Messenger ~ , regardless of whether that deviation was in speech
or in action. Does it make sense, then, that they would remain quiet if
they had the very least amount of doubt about Abu Hurayrah or about
his narrations? He was not a chief or a ruler and he did not have a
very high ranking in society; in fact he was poor ~ then what
prevented them from forcing him to refrain from relating narrations
from the Messenger ~ , if indeed they had doubts about his
truthfulness. They were the ones who proclaimed the truth even in
the face of rulers and governors.
Third, you already have had a glimpse of how Abu Hurayrah ~
voiced his disagreement with Mirwiin, the governor of Madinah at
the time. Concerning that incident, Abu Hurayrah became angry with
him and said, "You have entered into a matter that does not concern
you!" And we know the rest of the story - how Abu Hurayrah gave
a very candid and trnthful answer, which perhaps can even be
described as being severe. Is not that an indication that Abu Hurayrah
was not biased in his support for Bani Umayyah. From that incident,
we learn that he was a man who was confident about his Religion and
about his narrations from the Messenger of Allah ~ ) ; afterwards,
Mirwful regretted having provoked Abu Hurayrah into giving him
such a forceful and cogent response.
Fourth, along with his kuowledge and dedication to spreading the
Sunnah, he was also kuown for his worship, his prayer, and in
general, his piety. In his Tareekh, Ibn Katheer related from Abu
'Uthmful of India that Abu Hurayrah would stand for prayer for one-
third of the night, then his wife would stand for one-third of the night,
and then his son would stand for one-third of the night. At the end of
each interval, one of them would wake the next person up. Ibn
Katheer also reported that Abu Hurayrah said, "1 divide the night into
three parts: one part for reciting the Qur' an, one part for sleeping, and
one part for revising the hadith of the Messenger of Allah ~ ) .
'Ikrimah related that Abu Hurayrah would say, Subl]fina Allfih
12,000 times every night, and he would say, "1 repeat the tasbeel]
(saying, Subl]fina Allfih) in proportion to my sins." It is also related
that people would frequently hear him seek refuge in Allah ~ ) from
the Hellefire.
More than one narrator related that during his prostration, Abu
Hurayrah would seek refuge from the following - from fornicating,
from stealing, from disbelieving, and from perpetrating a major sin. It
was said to him, "And you fear perpetrating those (sins)?" He said,
"And what makes me safe while Iblees (the Devil) is alive and
changing hearts..." Abu 'Uthmful of India said that he asked Abu
Hurayrah, "How do you fast?" He said, "1 fast three days at the
The Sunnah aJUi its role in Islamic legislation 435
beginning of the month, and if something happens with me, I at least
have a monthly reward."
Abu Hurayrah had a female servant who would often vex him
through her actions. He once raised a small stick to her and said,
"Were it not for retribution on the Day of Judgment, I would have
(struck) you with this. However, I will sell you to One Who will give
me your price when I amin most need of it. Go forth, you are free for
Allah (fig)."
In Mina, during the days of the 'Eid, Ibn 'Umar ~ and Abu
Hurayrah would lead the people in reciting the takbeer, which clearly
points to Abu Hurayrah's status among the people. Furthermore, he
was the one who prayed over the Mother of the Believers, 'A'ishah
~ ; 3 6 and there is also a narration which states that he prayed over
Umm Salamah ~ , the Mother of the Believers.
And on his deathbed, Abu Hurayrah began to cry, and he was
asked, "What makes you cry?" He said, "I am not crying over this
world of yours, but rather I am crying because of the long distance of
my travel and because of the few supplies I have (i.e. deeds)." To say
that a man known for the above-mentioned qualities would lie upon
the Messenger of Allah ~ is itself a grave and repugnant lie.
Fifth, Although he had very little in terms of worldly possessions, he
would give charity whenever he acqnired any wealth. The scribe Abu
az-Zu'ayza'ah reported that Mirwan sent one hundred dinars to Abu
Hurayrah; on the next day, he sent a message, saying, "I made a
mistake, for I did not intend to give you that money; rather, I intended
to give it to such and such person." Abu Hurayrah said, "I have spent
it, bnt when my stipend comes, then take it from me." He had already
given the money in charity; Mirwan was only testing himto see what
he would do with the money.
36 i.e., at her funeral. (Editor)
One mnst disregard Abu Rayyah' s claim that Abu Hurayrah
lived in a castle. In Ibn Atheer's narration, it is related that he died in
his house, in 'Aqeeq.37 The word house does not signify affluence or
extravagance, for all other Companions had houses as well. But no
one would be brazen enough to say, "They lived in castles!" And we
seek refuge in Allah from those who distort and change facts.
Sixth, a few years after his death the Imams of Hadith paid special
heed to Abu Hurayrah's narrations. They scrutinized all of his
narrations, distinguishing them from those that were falsely ascribed
to him. His narrations are found in all compilations of the Sunnah. It
was An-Nidhiim, Al-Iskiifee, and the Shaykhs of the Mu'tazilah and
the Shi'ah who first invented lies about him.
Seventh, Islaruic jurists studied in depth all narrations that were
authentically attributed to Abu Hurayrah. If a hadith were correctly
imputed to him, no one would reject his narration. The ouly
exceptions in that regard were Ibriilieem an-Nakha'ee and other
scholars from Kufa who had specific and known conditions for
accepting Al)iid narrations. Nonetheless, the majority of Islaruic
jurists did not agree with them; even Abn l;Ianeefah, who was also in
Kufa, is not reported to have taken the same stance as Ibriiheem an-
Nakha'ee. Instead, he would apply Abu Hurayrah's narrations as
long as it was authentically established that he related them.
Eighth, the first people to depict Abu Hurayrah in a negative light
were An-Nidhiim and other Shaykhs of the Mu'tazilah; but they also
took a similar stance vis-a-vis most Companions of the Messenger
~ ; therefore their hostile attitude was not specific to Abu
Hurayrah. The Mu'tazilah are known to have rejected some authentic
hadiths that are established to be correct by the majority of scholars.
They were heavily influenced by Greek philosophy, which they set
37 A section of Madinah. (Editor)
up as a standard to judge Islam. Had they not feared the masses of
Muslims, they would have even criticized the Qur' an; since they
were unable to do so, they were satisfied to interpret it based on their
inclinations. They felt that Greek philosophy was truth unmixed with
any falsehood. Today, any student from secondary school is able to
answer and refute their laughable philosophy. Yet Abu Rayyah
considers them to be the ones with sonnd minds.
As for the Shi'ah, they did not single out Abu Hurayrah with
their criticisms, but rather their fulminations were against most of the
Prophet's Companions. Most Shi 'ah sects ruled that the majority of
Companions were disbelievers, and this ruling of theirs applied to the
likes ofAbu Bakr, 'Umar, Sa'd, Khiilid, & other eminent Companions.
They based their hatred on a general principle: anyone who did
not prefer' Ali to be the leader after the death ofthe Prophet ~ must
be hated. So because the Companions agreed to appoint Abu Bakr as
Caliph, the Shi 'ahs hated them all, considering them to be plotters in
a huge conspiracy to prevent 'Ali from becoming Caliph. Whereas
the Shi 'ah generalize their hatred for most Companions, Abu Rayyah
more or less singles out Abu Hurayrah. May Allah be pleased with
Abu Hurayrah, and may He ~ give Abu Rayyah that which he
deserves!
A general word about Abu Rayyah and his book
After an initial cursory reading of Abu Rayyah' s book, I wrote
a short criticism on it. But after a more lengthy perusal and upon
further reflection, I have written a more detailed criticism. The
following are some conclusions about Abu Rayyah that I can assert
with absolute surety:
First, the man is not trustworthy when he quotes from sources; he
often adds to the text or excerpt, sometimes with one word that is
enough to change the entire meaning, so that the new meaning
corresponds to what he wants, and not to what the author of the text
intended; and very often, he deletes a word, or words, from the text
that he is quoting from. Ofteu, he quotes a scholar, though that
scholar never uttered the words he ascribed to him. For all of the
above, we have mentioned a number of examples as we were
discussing his 'treatise' on Abu Hurayrah (.).
Second, wheu he tries to prove a poiut or an opiniou that is not held
by the majority of scholars, he quotes the scholars to prove his poiut,
but in reality, those quotations often have nothing to do with the issue
in question or with the point that he is trying to prove, and all the
while he tells the reader that his views were championed by scholars
from the early centuries.
For example, it is well known that Abu Hurayrah and other
Companions would hear a hadith from a Companion, after which
they would directly ascribe it to the Prophet ~ Abu Rayyah argues
that the scholars call this kind of narration tadlees, which is a form of
deception in hadith narration. However, he neglects to mention that
the scholars agree that that action of Abu Hurayrah (.) and other
Companions is not categorized as tadlees, but rather is called mursal
of a Companion. Furthermore, they agreed that the mursal of a
Companion is a valid proof iu Islam.
Third, he twists and distorts the meanings of texts on purpose; his
understanding of texts is ofteu inspired by his desires and not by
scholarly methods of research. His understanding of Abu Hurayrah's
statement, "enough to fill my stomach" is a clear iustance of twisting
and shapiug the meaning of a text to suit his preconceived notious.
Fourth, in an attempt to establish his notions, he ofteu rejects
narrations, which, by the consensus of scholars, are autheutic.
Meanwhile, he relies heavily on fabricated narrations, which have
been ruled by scholars to be lies. Whereas he has no scruples when it
comes to disbelieviug narrations from authentic sources of the
Sunnah, such as Bukhari and Muslim, he trusts fully books like al-
lfayawlin, by Ad-Dumayree; SharI; ibn Abul-lfadeed; 'Uyoon al-
Akhhlir; and Maqlimlit Badee' az-Zamlin al-Himdhlini. As we have
seen earliet, these were the same standards set up by the Orientalists.
Fifth, in all that concerned Abu Hurayrah, he relied on the works of
these Orientalists: Goldziher, Springer, and Von Kramer; in terms of
books, he was influenced by Dii 'iratul-Ma'liri! al-Isliimiyah (from
Britain). Abu Rayyah proudly boasted that those are the "scholars"
that he trusted and learned from. However, he has proved to be more
corrupt than they were and more vicious in his atlllcks. Although
Springet accused Abu Hurayrah of lying, he still praised him for his
good manners and his overall piety. This is considered as praise when
compared to Abu Rayyah's description of Abu Hurayrah ~ .
Springer observed that many narrations were falsely ascribed to Abu
Hurayrah, and in effect, he was directing the fault of those narrations
to others. On the other hand, Abu Rayyah writes that Abu Hurayrah
would lie, but would appease his conscieuce by saying that he was
not forbidding lawful matters and that he was not making lawful
forbidden matters. Thus we see how the student - Abu Rayyah -
surpassed and excelled his teachets.
Sixth, he did not adhere to the dignified speech that scholarly
research is known by; he used such vulgar language as is appropriate
to men of no learning, or rather, to men of no character.
At the beginning of his book he affirmed that a lie iu speech
that does not correspond to reality, regardless of whether
prevarication was intended or not. He then said, "Then the curse of
Allah upon the liars, regardless of whether they lied intentionally or
not." He said this, fully understanding that the Companions, the
scholars of hadith, and the eminent jurists of Islamall made mistakes.
So in the mind of Abu Rayyah, they are all cursed by Allah! But by
the infinite and divine justice of Allah ~ , we have on more than
one occasion caught Abu Rayyah lying intentionally. Furthermore,
he used the vilest of language in describing eminent Companions,
such as Abu Hurayrah ~ and Mu'awiyah ~ .
Seventh, throughout his work, he continually refers to his own
genius, clallning that his research was a huge breakthrough and that
he discovered the true character of Abu Hurayrah, which was hidden
from 800 scholars from the Companions and Tabi 'oon - thus, in
essence, he was attribnting Simplicity, naivete, and neglectfulness to
the Companions, among whom were 'Vmar ~ and many other
eminent Companions. He implied the same criticism to thousands of
scholars from ensuing generations.
Eighth, the books he relied on to develop his opinions contain
opinions that go against the views of the vast majority of Muslims.
These are some the "reference books" Abu Rayyah took from:
~ ijayfit al-ijayawfin, by Ad-Dumayree
- Al- 'Umdah, by Ibn Rasheeq
- SharI; Nahj al-Balfighah, by Ibn Abil-l;Iadeed
- Nihfiyatul-Arib, by An-Nuwayree
- Al-Bayfin wat-Tabyeen, by Al-Jiil;ridh
- Al-ijayawfin, by Al-Jiil;ridh
- Mu'jam al-ijayawfin, by Ma'loof Pasha
- Khfis al-Khfis, by Ath-Tha'iilabee
- A:'-Sadfiqah wa:,-Sadeeq, by At-Taw1,leedi
- AI-ija4firat al-Islfimiyah, by Kramer'8
- Introduction to Islamic Theology and Law, by Goldziher
38 The reference here is uncertain, but it may be to Samuel Kramer, a Russian
Orientalist. (Editor)
He blindly accepted what he found in these books, while he rejected
much from the authentic books of Sunnah - such as Bukhari,
Muslim, Musnad Imam ATJmad, al-Muwattil', Tirmidhi, and other
authentic sources of the Sunnah.
Based on the above, we can say that Abu Rayyah's book is of no
scholarly value whatsoever. And the following two points sumup the
gist of our judgment regarding his work:
1. The book was not written based on accepted methods of scholarly
research.
2. The author is void of scholarly qualities such as honesty and
precision.
(f :dj>-';I 'jY-) J.(-II .. o"
... But Allah says the truth, and He guides to the [Right]
(Qur'an 33: 4)
SECTION THREE
The Ranking of the
Sunnah in
Islamic Legislation
This Section Consists of Three Chapters
12. How the Sunnah Ranks with the Qur'an
13. How the Qur'an Encompasses the Sunnah
14. Abrogation of the Sunnah by the Qur'an,
and Abrogation of the Qur' an by the Sunnah
CHAPTER TWELVE
How the Sunnah
Ranks with the Qur'an
e-Allah (i!II*) revealed the Qur'an to His as
guidance for righteous people, as a constitution for Muslims, and as a
remedy for the hearts of those whom Allah wills to cure. It comprises
many of the aims for which Allah sent His Messenger - in it are
legislations, manners, exhortations, stories, (declarations of) taw1;leed
(Islamic Monotheism), promises of reward, and warnings of
punishment. It is positively authentic as a whole as well as in its
detailed verses. So whoever doubts in a verse or in a word or in a
letter of the Qur' an, is not a Muslim. The most important duty of the
Islamic scholar is to acquaint himself with Allah's laws and rulings
that are found in His Book.
In the generation of the Companions, Muslims received the
Qur' an orally frotu the Messenger of Allah and it was passed
down to ensuing generations through mntawiltir transmission. Other
than conveying Allah's Book to the people, the Messenger had
another duty as well: to explain the Book and its verses, by clarifying
the details of a general command, hY explaining general principles
that are revealed in the Qur' an, and so on.
446 How the Sunnah ranks with the Qur'an
Just as Muslims need to know Allah's Book, they need to
know what the Prophet ~ clarified regarding it. One cannot
correctly understand the Qur'an or know what Allah ~ means in
many verses except by referring to the Messenger of Allah ~ , to
whom Allah revealed His Book, so that he could explain to people
that which was revealed to them from their Lord.
With the exception of deviant groups, Muslims from the past
and present agree that the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ~ -
comprising of his sayings, deeds, and approvals - is one of the
binding sources of legislation in Islam, which every Muslim needs in
order to know what is lawful and what is prohibited. In a previous
chapter, we mentioned the proofs that establish the validity of the
Sunnah as a source of Islamic legislation. What we want to discuss
here is the ranking of the Sunnah in relation to the Qur' an. Is it equal
in status to the Qur' an or is it second to the Qur' an in ranking?
First, we know the following about the Qur' an and the Sunnah:
1. We are absolutely sure about the authenticity of the text of the
Qur' an. That much we know about its text. As for the meanings and
rulings it conveys, some we are certain of and some we are less than
positively sure about.
2. As for the Sunnah, we are absolutely sure about the authenticity of
mutawatir narrations and less than absolutely sure about narrations
that are not mutawatir, at least regarding each specifiC narration, for
as a whole, or as a group, they represent absolute, sure knowledge.
The text that is established by less than absolute, sure knowledge is
second in ranking to that which is established through absolutely sure
knowledge. Consequently then, the Suunah ranks secoud to the
Qur'an.
Furthermore, the Sunnah can either be a clarification of the
Qur' an or an addition to it. Ininstances when it is a clarification, then
it is ranked second to that which is being clarified, for the primary
text is the fonndation and the explanation is built npon it. If it is an
addition, then it is not taken into consideration unless no text in the
issue is found in the Qur' an. This is another proof, showing that the
Qur' an is of a higher ranking.
Thus far, we have arrived at our conclusions through reasoning, but
those C<,lnclusious are also corroborated by a number of narrations.
One example is the hadith of Mu'iidh $;,), which Abu Diiwood and
Tirmidhi related. In it, the Prophet (iii!!') asked: "If an issue is
presented before you, how would you judge?" Mu'iidh ~ ) said,
"By Allah's Book." "And if you do not find (the ruling in Allah's
Book)?" Mu'iidh said, "By the Snnnah of the Messenger of Allah
(iiI!!')." Then the Prophet ~ ) asked, "And if you do not find (the
ruling in the Sunnah)?" He said, "I will strive (to arrive at a
judgment) through my opinion."
'Vmar ~ ) wrote to ShuraYJ:1 al-Qfu:Iee: "If an issue comes
before you, then judge by what is in Allah's Book, and if an issue
comes to you whose ruling is not in Allah's Book, then judge based
on the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ~ ) ... " And in another
uarration, 'Vmar ~ ) said, "If you find something in Allah's Book,
then judge by it and do not tnm to anything else." This statement is
clarified through another saying of his: "Look to what seems clear to
you from Allah's Book, and do not ask anyone about it. Regarding
that which does not seems clear to you from Allah's Book, then
follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ~ ) .
The following is related from Ibn Mas'ood ~ ) : "If any of
you is presented with an issue, then let him judge by what is an
Allah's Book, and if something comes to him that is not in Allah's
Book, but is (explained in the Sunnah) of the Messenger of Allah
~ ) , then he should speak (i.e. rule) by it." And we mentioned earlier
that both Abu Bakr ~ ) and 'Vmar ~ ) would first seekjudgment
in Allah's Book, and if they would not find a ruling for any given
issue therein, they would then look in the Sunnah of the Messenger of
Allah (:il$). There are many narrations from the Companions, the
Tiibi 'oon, and the Imams and Mujtahidoon that convey a similar
meaning.
What we have just mentioned might seemingly contradict the
statement of some scholars, when they said that the Sunnah is a judge
over the QjJI' an, for it clarifies what is general in the Qur' an, it limits
rulings of the Qur' an that are universal, and it clarifies exceptions to
general rulings of the Qur' an. In these situations, one takes from the
understanding of the Sunnah, forsaking the apparent meaning of the
Qur' an. A verse from the Qur' an might have two possible meanings,
and the Sunnah clarifies which of the two meanings is intended. So
again, the ruling of the Sunnah is applied. Do you not see that the
verse about stealing rules that the hand of every thief is cut off, yet
the Sunnah establishes that there are exceptions: it establishes a
minimum amount of property, which if stolen, leads to the hand of
the thief being cut off. Furthermore, the stolen property must have
been stored in a safe place, and if it was not, then the hand of the thief
is not cut off. Furthermore, the verse suggests that the yad - Arabic
for hand - should be cut off; and yad applies to the area fromthe tips
of one's fingers all the way to one's elbows. But the Sunnah has
specified that yad in this instance is referring to (what extends from)
the two wrists. Similarly, the verses about zakiit embrace all kinds of
wealth, but the Sunnah clarifies that zakiit is compulsory only on
specific kiuds of wealth. (Furthermore, in regard to marriageable
women,) Allah says:
(H : .l:...,'J1 ... it; J:\; ... "
{ .. All others are (Qur'an 4: 24)
The Sunnah limited the implications of this general ruling, legislating
that a man cannot marry a woman and her aunt (whether from the
father's or the mother' s side) at the same time. There are many more
examples to establish this principle.
This might suggest that we give preference to the Sunnah over
the Qur' an, or at least, give equal weight to both. But we answer this
by saying that the application of the Sunnah in the aforementioned
situations signifies a clarification of what Allah (l!iIi) intended in His
Book. In the verse about stealing, for instance, the Sunnah clarifies
that the intended meaning of the Qur' an is for the hands to be cut off
at the wrists, and not at the elbows; and that the iutended meaning of
thief is that thief who steals at least the minimum amount for the
punishment to the applicable to him and that thief who steals property
that is stored in a safe and protected place, Therefore the Sunnah has
not legislated a new ruling, but rather it has clarified and interpreted
and explained that which is general or that which has more than one
possible interpretation. And this is what is meant by those who say
that the Sunnah is a judge over the Book: it clarifies the Book, but is
not ranked above it.
One might also argue that the scholars disagree about the
authenticity of the narration ascribed to Mu'adb ~ . Tinnidhi said
about that narration, "1 do not know it except through this chain, and
it is not connected." Al-Jawzjiiui ruled that it is a fabrication, when
he said, "This hadith is false; it contains a chain that cannot be
depended upon to establish rulings that pertain to the principles of the
Sharia." We answer this argument with the following: the practice of
Abu Bakr, 'Umar, Ibn Mas'ood, Ibn 'Abbas, and others higWy
distinguished Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all), as
related through authentic narrations, as well as the practice of
scholars who came after them, are enough to prove what we are
saying.
Without a doubt, because Al).ad narrations impart less than
sure, absolute knowledge, they rank second to the Qur' an, at least in
terms of the authenticity of the text. As for understanding rulings of
texts, one must refer to the Sunnah before one executes a command
from the Qur' an because of the possibility that the Sunnah specifies
or limits or clarifies a ruling in the Qur' an. From this perspective, the
Sunnah is equivalent, or on an eqnal footing, with the Qur' an,
equivalent in that one must compare and contrast verses of the Book
with narrations from the Sunnah and then find harmony between both
whenever there is an apparent contradiction. No two scholars, who
recognize the authority of the Sunnah as a binding proof in Islam,
would disagree about this.
Is the Sunnah an independent
legislative authority?
Scholars are in agreemeut that texts from the Suunah are of
three categories:
1. A text that coufmns a ruling of the Qur' an: it confirms a rnIing of
the Qur' an in the general sense as well as in the details of that ruling.
In this category are those hadiths which iuform us that Prayer, zakiit,
I:;lajj, and fasting are compulsory, without going into details about the
conditions or requisites or pillars of those deeds. Such hadiths are in
agreement with verses from the Qur' an that impart a similar meaning.
So we have the hadith, "Islam is built upon five: to bear witness that
none has the right to be worshiped except Allah and that Muhammad
is the Messenger of Allah, to establish the prayer, to give zakiit, to
fast Rama9fut, and to make pilgrimage to the House (i.e. the Ka'bah),
for whoever is able to do so." This hadith is in agreement with all of
the following verses:
(A, :oro;Jl OJ.r-) ... iJ yi if. it; ... "
( ... And perform the Prayer, and give (Qur'an 2: 83)
6j\ i;: W 't:.,:;.J\ 'y _// .:::z .1\ 1/:'-1).
, -, <r ., i -, i' - r
("
1"'--<11- ) ... ;%
I' . O.}j'-" \ ",".
you who believe! Observing the fast is prescribed for you as it
was prescribed for those before you.. ) (Qur'an 2: 183)
... ld.:-,f .; ; r.i\ &- ... ,
(Q,V : JT 0.J".....)
C And J::Iajj [pilgrimage to Makkab] to the House [Ka'bah] is the
duty that humankind owes to Allah, those who cau afford the
expenses [for one's conveyauce, provision aud residence]...
(Qur'an 3: 97)
Another example is the hadith: The wealth of auy Muslim is
not lawful (to auother Mnslim) except by his consent.! This is in
agreement with the verse:
j '11 II > <-'1(1 i:;lLt '1 <::yji
".... -'
h' ",;<,-,/ /.?--:.
o ;,L:..;JlOj.r-) ... 0'1; if 'S' { "-.:.)y-J
you who believe! Do not consume each other's property unjustly,
but let it be a trade amongst you, by mntual (Qur'an 4: 29)
2. A text that clarifies a ruling of the Qur' au, by limiting the
applicability of a comprehensive ruling, by mentioning the details of
a general ruling, or by mentioning au exception to a general ruling. In
this category are those hadiths that mention in detail the rulings of
Prayer, fasting, J::Iajj, business trausactions, aud dealings that are
mentioned in a general way in the Qnr' au. 'This category constitutes
the greater portion of the Sunnah.
1 Reported by At-Tinnidbi, vol. 5, p. 72, Alpnad and Ad-Dilraqu(nee. Tinnidbi
said, it is a good and authentic hadith. See Tafseer Ibn Katheer, vol. 6, p. 53
and Fatiiwa ash-Shabakah al-Islamiyah, vol. 1, p. 164.
3. A text that establishes a ruling that the QUI'an does not speak of,
meaning that it neither confinns nor denies it. In this category are
those hadiths that establish the prohibition of marrying a woman and
her aunt (whether from the father's or the mother' s side) at the same
time. Another example is the stoning of an adulteress and the
banishment of a fornicator; yet another example is the ruling that
establishes a share of inheritance for a grandmother.
That the rnlings of the first two categories are applicable and
binding and that their examples are commonly found in the Sunnah is
not an issue of contention among the scholars. It is only the third
category - wltich establishes rulings that are neither rejected nor
approved of in the QUI' an - that the scholars disagree about, a
disagreement that is, as you will see, for the most part superficial. Are
the rulings of the third category independently established? Or do
they implicitly come under the texts of the QUI' an, even if that is by
way of interpretation? The author of Muwafiqat and others take the
second opinion, wltile the majority of scholars take the first. First, we
relate the following saying of Shilfi 'ee, and then we will move on to
explain how the two groups differ in this issue:
"Every scholar that I know of holds that the Sunnah of the Prophet
~ is of three kinds...
The first concerns rulings about wltich Allah (1l*) has revealed a text
in the QUI' an, and then the Messenger of Allah (;i;!1i) mentions the
exact same ruling. The second concerns issues about wltich Allah
revealed verses in the QUI' an, and then the Prophet ~ clarifies
what was intended by those verses... The third consists of hadiths
wherein the Messenger of Allah ~ legislates regarding issues that
are not mentioned in the QUI' an.
There are four opinions regarding the third category:
1. Some say that Allah (1l*) granted this to the Prophet ~ when He
made it obligatory upon His slaves to obey ltim. And in His prior
knowledge, Allah knew that He would guide the Prophet <J!l!lj) to
those actions that would please Him and to issue rulings that are not
mentioned in any text of the Qur' an.
2. Some scholars say that no Sunnah has ever been established except
that it has a basis in the Qur'an. In his Sunnah, the Prophet (Ji!)
clarified the number of prayers and the detailed rulings of the prayers
based on the verses that establish the Prayer to be compulsory. The
same can be said about business transactions as well as other
legislations. Allah says:
... /. r.b;i1 i:;tLt"1 i;.::\: 6J\
(y : .t::..;J1 '->r-)
you who believe! Do not consume each other's property
unjustly.. J (Qur'an 4: 29)
(w
o
'p;ll '->r-) ... r;;'J &:Ji j:\J ... ,.
{ .. Whereas Allah has pennitted trade and forbidden Riba [usury] ...
(Qur'an 2: 275)
The Prophet (Jii!1i) clarified what is pennitted and what is forbidden,
just as he clarified the rulings that pertain to the Prayer.
3. Some say that ... through Allah's direct command to obey the
Prophet (Jii!1i), the Sunnah is established.
4. And others say that every Sunnah was inspired to him, so the
Sunnah is the Wisdom that was inspired to the Prophet from
Allah ... "
When Shiifi'ee was discussing the different views regarding
the third category, it is clear that the difference of opinion is not about
the existence of the third category; rather, it is only in how we explain
it. Does it consist of rulings that are legislated independently, as is
held by the scholars of the first, third, and fourth opiuions? Or are
those rulings based upon texts from the QUI' an, as is held by those
who adopt the second opinion?
The Proofs of those who say that the rulings of
the third category are independently legislated
First, logically speaking, as long as the Messenger of Allah is
protected from erring, there is nothing to prevent the Sunnah from
establishing an independent legislation or ruling, and Allah
may, according to what He wills, order His to convey
His rulings to the people in any manner whatsoever, regardless of
whether it is through the Qur' an or through any other means. As long
as the mind accepts it as being plausible and as long as it has indeed
occurred by the consensus of all scholars, then why should we not
accept that view?
Second, verses in the QUI' an which establish that it is compulsory to
follow and obey the Messenger in his commands and
prohibitions are general - they do not differentiate between the
clarifying Sunnah, the corroborating Sunnah, and the independent
Sunnah. In fact, some verses of the QUI' an point to that
independence; for example, Allah says:
-PiS ;NT J;:j\' i?k1J ([t{,
<':<;'1 "i\' <, J><\T' .1;
... -..f;:l r )PJ'!J;.u t>
you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger
[Muhammad] and those of you [Muslims] who are in authority.
[And] if you differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah
and His Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the last Day.. )
(Qur'an 4: 59)
The Sannah and its role in Islamic legislation 455
Referring a matter to Allah means referring it to the Qnr' an, and
referring it to the Messenger means referring it to his Sunnah
(after his death). Allah says:
E
:;.llWI 'J......) ... ib:i.::G j;.)T if._ft;
obey Allah and the Messenger, and beware [of even coming
near to drinking, gambling or other wicked deeds]..) (Qar'an 5: 92)
This verse, as well as all other verses wherein obedience to the
Messenger and obedience to Allah are coupled, indicates
that it is compulsory to obey Allah in all that He commanded and
forbade in the Qur' an. And obedience to the Messenger's commands
and prohibitions refers to that which is not in the Qnr' an; had it been
in the Qnr' an, it would have been part of obedience to Allah (i.e.
from the first part of the above-mentioned verse). Allah says:
... J ",)i .:;.;:, ... ).
--- 1 --,.... -.-- "" .. T
(,\" :JJ:.l' 'J......)
And let those who oppose the Messenger's commandment
beware, lest some afflictions befall them.. ) (Qar'an 24: 63)
This verse specifies the Messenger with matters that he is to be
obeyed in, and that is the Sunnah which has not been mentioned in
the Qur'an. Allah says:
(A' :.L..;JI 'J......) ... Lill.ill J;.)T J"
who obeys the Messenger, has indeed obeyed Allah.. )
(Qar'an 4: 80)
(v
... And whatsoever the Messenger [Muhammad] gives you, take it;
and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain [from it]. And fear Allah...
(Qur'an 59: 7)
4Bnt no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you
[Muhammad] judge in all disputes between them, and find in
with full submission) (Qur'an 4: 65)
This verse was revealed regarding the Prophet's ruling in favor of
Zubayr in a dispute he had with an and that ruling is not
in Allah's Book.
These are all proofs from the Book, showing that rulings from
the Prophet may in fact be additions to the rulings of the Qur' an.
Third, there are many hadiths that show the Sharia to be made up of
two sources together: the Qur' an and the Sunnah, and there is in the
Sunnah that which is not in the Book. Just as we are required to
accept rulings from the Book, we must also accept rulings from the
Sunnah. The Prophet said: "The time draws near when one of
you will say, 'This is Allah's Book; what is in it that is permissible
we will consider to be permissible; what is in it that is forbidden we
will consider to be forbidden.' Indeed, whoever receives a hadith
from me and then disbelieves in it, then he has indeed refused to
accept from Allah, His Messenger, and that which he related."
2
Fourth, in the hadith of Mu'iidh The Prophet asked,
"What will you rule by?" He said, "By Allah's Book." The Prophet
2 Related by At-Tabrfuri in al-Awsat, from J3bir; and Ibn 'Abdul-Barr related it
in Jami' Bayiin ai-'llm, 2/189.
asked, "And if yon do not find (the ruling in Allah's Book)?"
Mn'adh said, "Then by the Snnnah of the Messenger of Allah."
This clearly shows that the Snnnah is that which is not in the Qnr' an.
This is represented by the saying of some scholars, "The Qnr' an has
left a place for the Snnnah, and the Snnnah has left a place for the
Qur'an."
Proofs of those who deny the independent
status of the Sunnah in legislation
The following arguments of Ash-Shatibee represent the proofs
of the second gronp.
In the meanings it conveys, the Snnnah has its sonrce in the
Qnr' an - it details general commands, it clarifies commands that
reqnire clarification, and it expands on what is mentioned in
aphoristic form, and that is becanse the Snnnah is an explanation of
the Qnr' an. Allah says:
""PiA .;( J'o"" "'" /" .,,' ).
... 'i l:. \:lj'J ... ,.
(!t : j>.iJI '.J.J-)
... And We have also revealed unto yon [0 Mnhannnad] the
reminder and the advice [i.e. the Qnr'an], that yon may explain
clearly to people what is revealed to them.. ) (Qur'an 16: 44)
Yon will not find a command in the Snnnah except that the Qur' an
pOints to its meaning, either in a general way or in a detailed way.
Furthermore, everything which indicates that the Qnr' an is...
the source of the Sharia, also indicates what we are saying here. Allah
says:
verily, you [0 Muhammad] are on an exalted [standard of]
(Qur'an 68: 4)
'A'ishah interpreted this to mean that the Prophet's
character is the (teachings of the) Qnr' an; she did not need to say
anything else to throw further light on his character. This shows that
his speech, his action, and his approval all have their source in the
Qur' an, because a person's character is limited to those three aspects.
Likewise, we know that Allah made the Qur' an a clarification of
all things...and this is similarly expressed in the following verses:
(
") ... ...zs::J,:' :' ... }.
1"A :,1.::.;,1 ,,",, v;. . J T
... And We have neglected nothing in the Book.. J(Qur'an 6: 38)
... This day, I have perfected your religion for you.. (Qur'an 5: 3)
This last verse is referring to the revelation of the Qur' an. So to all
intents and purposes, the Sunnah is a clarification of the contents of
the Qur' an, and that is what we mean when we say that its source is
the Qur'an.
In short, we say that the Sunnah is a clarification of the Book.
Those of the other opinion mention verses that command us to obey
the Messenger along with our obedience to Allah This is
referring to our obeying the Messenger in his clarification and
explanation of the Qur' an. Therefore, whoever puts into practice the
explanation of the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah and that
which He intended by His speech. If one's action is contrary to the
Prophet's explanation, then one has disobeyed Allah, because one
acted in opposition to what Allah intended by His speech...
Regarding the ruling that involved Zubayr (4ih), it came under the
rulings and texts of the Qur' an, which we will shortly explain. We
acknowledge that there are additional rulings in the Sunnah, but those
additions are in the form of an explanation of the Qur' an, and in
reality, that is not an addition. As for the hadith: "The time draws
near," Zayd ibn al-Ijlabbab is in its chain, and Imam AJ:nnad said
about him, "He is truthful but he makes a lot of mistakes." Ibn
Ijlibbiin made a similar statement. For that reason Bukhari and
Muslim abandoned his narrations.
The Difference of opinion in this issue
is superficial, revolving simply
on a choice of wording
In short, we see that both groups agree that there do exist
rulings in the Sunnah that are not mentioned in the Qur' an. The first
group says that such rulings point to independence in legislation,
because such legislations involve the establishment of rulings that are
not mentioned in the Qur' an. Although the second group
acknowledges that such rulings are not specifically mentioned in the
Qur' an, they hold that those rulings, one way or another, are derived
from passages in the Qur' an. And as such, they say that there does
not exist an authentic hadith which establishes a ruling that is not
mentioned in the Qur' an, unless that ruling falls under a passage or a
principle explained in the Qur'an. If one finds a hadith that does not
fulfill this condition, then one should know that it points to the hadith
being unauthentic, and consequently, one must not apply it.
As you can see, the dispute is superficial, for both groups
acknowledge the existence of rulings in the Sunnah that are not
established in the Qur' an; however, one group does not refer to those
rulings as being independent, while the other group does - but the
result is one and the same.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
How the Qur'an
Encompasses the Sunnah
fljranted, the Sunnah is a clarification of the Qur' an. But if
the Qur' an indicates all that is in the Sunnah, both in general and in
detail, as is the view of Ash-Shapbee and others - based on these
verses:
(M ~ I '"r") -@ ... tcJ:. $). : . ~ ... "
( ... as an exposition of everything...~ (Qur'an 16: 89)
- ~
E ., .cr,,\. ,'' ,< "
(
1" A . rL::..;"1 , ) fA ... t<,$".yo...z.,....., <J """ \A ...
. :i.J.P s.'" "" /';.-.... .... J
{ .. We have neglected nothing in the Book.. ) (Qur'an 6: 38)
- then how do we explain the fact that we see many rulings that are
not mentioned in the Qur' an?
Scholars answer this question in a number of ways:
First: The Qur' an indicates that it is obligatory to apply the Sunnah;
therefore, every application of the Sunnah is also an application of
the Qur' an. And this, as you can see, is a general way of
understanding this issue. 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood ~ ) is known to
have had this understanding. It is related that a woman from Bani
Sa'd went to him and said: "0 Abu 'Abdur-Ral;uniin, it has reached
me from you that you curse women who practice tattooing, women
462 How the Qur'an encompasses the Sunnah
who ask others to do that for them, women who remove hair from
their upper faces or eyebrows, and women who use a tool to create a
gap between their teeth in order to beautify themselves - those who
change the creation of Allah." He said, "And why should I not
Curse those whom the Messenger of Allah (*) has cursed, and (are
cursed) in Allah's Book." The woman said, "I have indeed read the
Qur' an from cover to cover, and I have not found it." He said, "If you
had read it, you would have found it. Allah (iI\il) says,
'1' 1//' I'd ).
"l::\$!'" .. r-r lAJ 'J""'J' r-''' COJ'" r
(v 0.J...... )
( .. And whatsoever the Messenger [Muhammad] gives you, take it;
and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain [from it] .. ) (Qur'an 59: 7)"
In another example, 'Abdur-RaQrniin ibn Yazeed saw a man
wearing his regular garment despite the fact that he was making
pilgrimage, being in an inviolable state. 'Abdur-RaJ:un3n told him to
remove his attire, but he responded, "Bring me a verse from Allah's
Book and you will have taken off my garment." 'Abdur-Ral;uniin
recited.,
jF';" Y(""I' .. ).
(V 0.J...... ) "l::\$!'" 'J""'J'I r" COJ r
( ... And whatsoever the Messenger [Muhanunad] gives you, take
(Qur'an 59: 7)
It has been related that Tawoos would pray two units after
Ibn 'Abbas said to him: "Abandon it." He said, "They are only
prohibited when they are taken as a Sunnah." Ibn 'Abbiis said,
"Indeed, the Messenger of Allah forbade prayer after the
prayer. So I do not know, will you be pnnished for them or will you
be rewarded for them? For indeed, Allah (iI\il) says,
. '-'i .1 \""1 .v, '" ';'\ .' ':'.1 ',/, ").
r ufo: ul.'.t' ".."...-lJ 4Jl '. 1) 'l'Y:. 0
b
L.Jr
(It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His
Messenger have decreed a matter that they shonld have any option in
their decision... (Qur'an 33: 36)"
Second: The explanation widely understood by the scholars is that
the Book is general and the Snnnah is a detailed explanation of it.
This is exemplified by those hadiths which clarify rulings that are
mentioned in general, either by explaining how deeds are performed
or by mentioning their prereqnisites ot by mentioning those actions
that nullify one's deeds. The Sunnah, for instance, explains the
timings, the prostration, the bowing, and all other rnlings for the
prayer. The Sunnah also clarifies the detailed rulings of zakat;
likewise for fasting. In many other issues that relate to the
jurisprudence of l;Iajj, marriage, business dealings, and so on, the
Sunnah clarifies that which is mentioned in the Qur' an in general
terms. Allah (Iii) says:
(tf :J>.'llOjr-)
( ... And we have also revealed unto you [0 Muhammad] the
reminder and the advice [i.e. the Qur'an], that you may explain
clearly to people what is revealed to them.. ) (Qur'an 16: 44)
It was said to Milraf ibn'Abdullah ibn ash-Shukhayr: "Do not
speak to us except with the Qur'an." Milraf said to him, "By Allah,
we do not want a replacement for the Qor' an, but what we want is he
who has more knowledge of the Qor' an than we do." And in this
context, Al-Awza'i said, "The Book is in more need of the Sunnah
than the Snnnah is of the Book." Ibn 'Abdnl-Barr said, "What he
meant is that the Sunnah judges it (i.e. its meaning) and clarifies what
is meant by it."
When asked abont the narration wherein it is said that the Sunnah
judges the Book, Imam AI:tmad said, "I do not have the audacity to
say that; indeed, the Sunnah explains and clarifies the Book."
Third: This tlrird explanation involves looking at the overall
meanings that are intended by Qur' arnc legislation through the
Qur' an's many verses and then understanding that rulings from the
Sunnah do not overstep or surpass those meanings.
We can explain this by saying that the Qur' an came to bring
happiness to people in this life and in their lives of the Hereafter, and
comprehensive happiness is in three things:
1. Essentials: preserving one's Religion, one's life, one's progeny,
one's wealth, and one's mind.
2. Wants or wishes: This includes anything that leads to more ease
and to the lifting of hardship; for example, not fasting while one is
traveling or when one is sick.
3. Self-improvement: This category has to do with noble manners
and characteristics.
These three matters and everything that completes them are
principles under which fall all rulings from the Qur' an; also, the
Sunnah came with those three matters in its explanation and
clarification of the Qur' an. Therefore, all texts of the Sunnah retnrn,
through examination, to those three matters.
Fourth: The Qur' an might mention two opposite rulings. H there is
an issue which has characteristics that are appropriate to both rulings,
the Sunnah then comes and makes it applicable to one of the two
rulings or gives it a specific ruling which corresponds to it having
qualities that are applicable to both. Or the Qur' an might mention the
ruling for something along with the wisdom behind that ruling, and
then the Messenger gives the same ruling for another issue that
contains the same wisdom, using the principles of analogy.
Examples of two opposite rulings:
1. Allah ~ permitted that which is good and forbade that which is
impure. There remains matters that are unclear to us - are they from
the first or the second category? In these instances, the Prophet ~
clarifies which category they belong to. For example, he ~ forbade
the meat of predators that have fangs and he also forbade the meat of
domesticated donkeys. On the other hand, he ~ ruled that the meat
of the lizard and rabbit are from the first category - the pure and
lawful.
2. Allah ~ permitted hunting and fishing in the sea and informed
us that sea creatures are included in the good andpure things that are
lawful for us; on the other hand, He ~ forbade animals that die of a
natural cause, and not by Islamic slaughtering. So the ruling for sea
animals that die of a natural cause remains unclear. Then the Prophet
~ said about the sea, Its water is pure and its dead creatures are
lawful.,,'
3. Allah forbade the meat of animals that die of a natural cause, while
He ~ permitted animals that are slaughtered according to Islamic
principles. But when a female animal is slaughtered, there is the issue
of the fetus that comes ont of her womb. Do we consider it to be
slaughtered or do we consider it to be of the other category? In a
hadith, the Prophet ~ said, "The slaughter of a fetus is (achieved
through) the slaughter of its mother." In this ruling, more strength is
given to the fact that it is a part of the mother than to the fact that it is
an independent entity.
An example of what is given a specific ruling because
it is somehow appropriate to two different ntlings:
1. Allah ~ made marriage lawful and made fornication unlawful,
but what about a marriage that is enacted outside the proper
1 Related by Abu Dawood, Nisa'i, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.
boundaries of the Sharia? It is not a complete marriage in the sense
that there is something that mars it, yet it is not sheer fornication
either, for there is the element of marriage in it. The following is
related in the Sunnah: "Any woman that marries without the
pennission of her Wali (guardian), then her marriage is invalid, then
her marriage is invalid, then her marriage is invalid. But if he has
entered upon her (in other words, if the couple have had sexual
relations), then she may keep the dowry because of what he deemed
pennissible from her.,,2
Examples of giving a similar ruling
through the use of analogy:
1. Allah ~ forbade His slaves from marrying two sisters at the
same time. He ~ said:
(H : .t:..,'J"jr-) - ~ ... ~ s i \ ; ~ ~ ~ j.;'1J ... ,
~ ... All others are lawful, provided you seek [them in marriage] with
mahr [bridal gift given by the husband to his wife at the time of the
marriage] ... ~ (Qur'an 4: 24)
The Prophet (;iJJl;) then forbade men from marrying a woman and her
aunt (whether fromthe father's or the mother' s side) at the same time,
a ruling that is derived through the principles of analogy. The reason
why it is not pennissible to marry two sisters at the same time also
applies to marrying a woman and her aunt at the same time. The
Prophet ~ said, Indeed, if you do that, then you will have broken
off ties of kinship.,,3 The reason given suggests the use of analogy.
Fifth: All detailed rnlings in the Sunnah have their source in the
detailed rulings of the QuI' an; here is an example:
2 Related by Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi, and there is a slight difference in the
various wordings of the hadith.
3 Reported by Muslim, vol. 2, p. 1029, hadiili no. 1408 aud Al-Tabariinee.
1. Sabee'ah gave birth approximately two weeks after
her husband's death, and the Prophet told her that her waiting
period was over. The hadith tells us that the verse:
p L:;j [; 51,:i;; M
nn :oro;Jl '_u") ...
those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they [the
wives] shall wait [as regards their marriage] for four months and ten
days... (Qur'an 2: 234)
- is specific for women who are not pregnant, while the verse,
..J::ff\ 10.-;:;; ,)./0'/ t -;;",..1-/
1
"-",-;''',i J. ",}/
(i : ,,)i.kJ1 "(1$1'" ::,+t.... 0
1
':":hi.J ... T
... And for those who are pregnant [whether they are divorced or
their husbands are dead], their iddah [prescribed period] is uutil they
lay down their burdeu... (Qur'an 65: 4)
- is general for divorced woman and for others.
This pattern is frequently found in the Sunuah; however, the
texts of the Qur' an are not detailed enough for the said purpose. What
this means is that there is not a detailed ruling in the Qur' an for every
single detailed ruling in the Sunuah. Ash-Shatibee mentioned that
this explanation involves implications that are impossible to realize;
he mentioned, for instance, that the Prayer, pilgrimage, and zakat are
explained in detail in the Sunnah, though a detailed explanation of
them is not given in the Qur'an.
These are the most important explanations given by the
scholars to show how the Qur' an encompasses the Sunnah. As you
have seen, some of these explanations are general in their
implications, only pointing to the fact that the Qur' an orders us to
apply the Sunnah. Some explanations fully embrace all examples
from the Qur' an and Sunuah, while others do not.
468 How the Qur'an encompasses the Surmah
It is best to say that all of those explanations complement one
another; no doubt, when we put all of those explanations together, all
rulings of the Sunnah - even ones that impart new rulings - ate
shown to have their source in passages from the Qur' an. In that sense,
the explanation of the following verse is given a complete and
satisfactory interpretation:
(,,\ <!(Sl ...
{ .. We have neglected nothing in the Book... (Qur'an 6: 38)
Stories from the Sunnah
What remains to be explained are the stories, parables, and
admonitions found in the Sunnah. From this category ate examples
that explain what is in the Qur' an, such as those hadiths that explain
this verse:
(0'\ :Oy::.o;Jl .......) ... --:,.ql J.,1L;r; ...
{ .. And enter the gate in prostration [or bowing with humility] ...
(Qur'an 2: 58)
The Prophet said, 'They entered, crawling on their... "
Some examples from this category do not serve the purpose of
explaining verses of the Qur' an, nor do they make a belief or a
practice obligatory upon us. It is not necessary that these examples
have a source in the Qur' an. But they serve the same purpose as
stories from the Qur' an serve - in tenus of how we must
contemplate them, in terms of the encouragement we ate given in
them to do good deeds, and in terms of the warning (explicit or
implicit in them) against doing bad deeds. One example is the story
of the bald man, the leper, and the blind man; another example is the
story of Jurayj al- 'Abid.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Abrogation of the Qur'an by the
Sunnah and Abrogation of the
Sunnah by the Qur'an
Abrogation in the Qur'an
Withthe exception of Abu Muslim scholars
agree that parts of the Book may abrogate other parts of the Book.
However, here is not the place for a detailed discussion of this issue.
Scholars also agree that one Sunnah may abrogate another
Sunnah; however, if the abrogated narration is mutawatir, then the
abrogating narration must also be mutawatir. And of course, if the
abrogated narration is A/:1iid, then the abrogating narration can be
either A/:1iid or mutawatir. Scholars mention many hadiths to
exemplify this kind of abrogation; one example is the hadith, I used
to forbid you from visiting graves; indeed, visit them.
As regards to abrogation, scholars differ in two issues:
1. Whether the Qur' an can abrogate the Sunnah.
2. Whether the Sunnah can abrogate the Qur' an.
We will sununarize the different views regarding these issues,
leaving a more in-depth discussion for books on the fundamentals of
Islamic jurisprudence.
470 Abrogation ofthe Qur'an by the Sunnah...
The Sunnah abrogated by the Qur'an
1. The majority of scholars agree that this is possible, and also, that it
occurred in fact. They mention many examples, among which is the
changing of the Qiblah from Bayt al-Maqdis to the Ka'bah. It is
known that the Prophet (.) as well as the Muslims prayed for a
number of months - when they first migrated to Madinah - facing
Bayt al-Maqdis. There is no verse from the Qur' an to establish that
ruling, but it was then abrogated by the verse:
-1"1-:':.' '::: !h 3:'-:.\\";":' .'/< ,:&:k
'..I _ir". r
-'f\E'I ... '1'-;
(H i : 0.:J.::i;'11 0';"""",)
(Verily! We have seen the turning of your face towards the heaven.
Surely, We shall turn you to the Qiblah [prayer direction] that shall
please you, so turn your face in the direction of al-Masjid al-l;Iarfun
[at Makkah]) (Qur'an 2: 144)
Let us consider another example. In the l;Iudaybiyah treaty, it
was agreed that Muslims who came from Makkah were to be
returned to the Quraysh. This ruling was abrogated in relation to
women. It became forbidden to force immigrant female believers to
return to the disbelievers of the Quraysh because it was feared that
they would be put to test in their religion and their honor. This new
ruling was put into effect by dint of the verse:
/"" .... bo " ,-

.6< '" "" !o<....J'
... f;i. 5t;; 1; '>1 ..b 1-O(:.S:J\ Jl c:.} :\'
'" l'""'"., "" -- ",,'/ ....

(\. :
(0 you who believe! When believing women come to you as
emigrants, examine them; Allah knows best as to their Faith, then if
you ascertaiu that they are true believers do uot send themback to the
disbelievers. They are not lawful [wives] for the disbelievers, uor are
the disbelievers lawful [husbands] for them...) (Qur'an 60: 10)
2. Imam Shiifi'ee said: 'The Sunnah may not be abrogated by the
Qur'an." Some have interpreted his statement as follows: The
enemies of Islam might claim that Allah was not pleased with
the ruling of His Messenger and so He changed it. However,
this explanation of the Imam's statement is totally unsatisfactory, for
its implications would never even come to the mind of a Muslim.
Imam Shiifi 'ee himself gave the correct reason for his opinion.
He said that if the Qur' an did indeed abrogate the Sunnah, then it
would be permissible to say regarding those business transactions
that the Prophet forbade, that perhaps he forbade them
before this verse was revealed:
(Wo :.r>;J1 '.u-) . l;JI rJ;..; j:1; ...
Whereas Allah has permitted trade and forbiddeu usury.. .)
(Qur'an 2: 275)
In another example we know that some people were stoned to
death for having committed adultery. If it is possible that the Book
abrogates the Sunnah, one might say that the ruling for stoning is
abrogated by this verse:
(r ... ;x. ;;; :J
woman and the man guilty of illegal sexual intercourse, flog
each of them with a hundred stripes...) (Qur'an 24: 2)
This is the real reason behind Imam Shiifi'ee' s opinion.
It is important to note, though, that many scholars from the
Shiifi'iyah agreed with the majority in this issue, and they gave many
explanations to excuse Shiifi 'ee for his opinion.
472 Abrogation ofthe Qar'an by the Sunnah...
Abrogation of the Qur'an by the Sunnah
There are two opinions in this issue:
1. The Hanafi opinion: The Book may be abrogated by the mutawatir
Sunnah and the widespread Sunnah (i.e. well known and accepted by
the scholars), but it may not be abrogated by the A!;lad narration.
They argue that the mutawatir narration, like the Qnr' an, is
established through absolute certainty of knowledge; and the
widespread narration has achieved strength because it is widely
accepted by the scholars, which is why it is given a similar status to
the mutawatir narration. Both the mutawatir narration and the
widespread narration are kinds of revelation that are not recited;
therefore they may abrogate the Book.
One example they gave in this issue is the abrogation of a
ruling from the Book by the narration that establishes the ruling for
wiping over one's socks. That narration is widespread. Another
example is the bequest mentioned in this verse:
~ is prescribed for you, when death approaches any of you, if he
leaves wealth, that he makes a bequest to the parents and next of kin,
according to reasonable manners.. ) (Qar'an 2: 180)
The following hadith abrogates the ruling in the verse (that the
bequest is compulsory): There is no bequest for an inheritor. The
hadith is widespread and is applied by the vast majority of scholars;
furthermore, in al-Umm, Shlifi 'ee said that it is mutawatir (this is
related from him by Ibn I:!ajr in al-FatiJ).
2. The opinion of the majority: It is not permissible for the Book to be
abrogated by the Sunnab, regardless of whether it is a mutawatit,
widespread, or Al;!lld narration. Representing the view of the
majority, Shiifi 'ee mentioned the following proof:
(Whatever a verse [revelation] do We abrogate or cause to be
forgotten, We bring a better one or similar to it...) (Qur'an 2: 106)
The Snnnab is neither better than nor similar to the Qur' an.
Furthermore, Allab ~ said:
( .. Say [0 Muhannnad]: 'It is not for me to change it on my own
accord; I only follow that which is revealed unto me.' ...)
(Qur'an 10: 15)
This shows that he ~ followed all that was revealed to him and that
he ~ did not change anything of his own accord - and abrogation
is a form of change.
When we say that the Sunnab cannot abrogate the Book, we
are closer to protecting the Messenger of Allab ~ from the attacks
of those who show enmity to Islam. In an instance wherein the
Sunnab seemed to abrogate the Book, one might say, "The Prophet
~ was the first to say and do the opposite of what he claims to have
been revealed to him." Based on the following verses, this argument
does not apply to the abrogation of a part of the Book by another part
of the Book:
474 Abrogation ofthe Qur'an by the Sunnah...
d 'db ;j u:.;
E,.,
(\ . \ . '-"1' ) .. ,.\ ... jU...
r.....
when We change a verse [of the Qur' an] in place of another-
and Allah knows best what He sends down - they [the disbelievers]
say, 'You [0 Muhammad] are but a forger, a liar.' ...
(Qur'an 16: 101)
':i'\, . " "
(\ r : '-'Y') .. > u:..uu GJ ,Al.r' if"
0 Muhammad: Rool; al-Qudus [Jibril (Gabriel)] has brought it
[the Qur'an] down from your Lord with truth... (Qur'an 16: 102)
Without a doubt, the opinion of the majority is closer to the
truth, and thereis no definite example of the Sunnah abrogating the
Qur' an. The examples mentioned by the l;Ianafiyah are not applicable
to the issue in question, for we do not agree that abrogation in those
issues occurred by way of the Sunnah. The dispute, then - in my
opinion - is not whether the Sunnah abrogated the Book in practice,
but rather whether it is permissible or conceivable that it occurred.
Our discussion of the Sunnah in this work is complete, and all
praise is for Allah. The gathering of the Sunnah, the efforts of the
scholars to preserve the authentic Sunnah, a refutation of those who
reject the validity of the Sunnah, and the status of the Sunnah in
Islamic legislation as well as its relation to the Noble Qur' an - we
have (and all praise is for Allah) discnssed all of these issues, and
now we move on to a short conclusion in which we discuss the Four
Imams and the stance they took vis-a-vis the Sunnah. Thereafter, we
mention a short biography of each of the compilers of the six books
of Sunnah as well as a synopsis of each compilation.
When will we fill the Gap?
Anyone who has stndied the history ofIslam, from the lifetime
of Mnhammad ~ nntil this day, should have perceived a constant
reality: Islam has always been the target of many attacks, the goals
behind which are to distort its teachings, to tnm Muslims away from
the application of its laws, and to destroy it using any means
necessary. The enemies of Islam who plan and perpetrate those
attacks are prodigiously skillful and organized in laying their traps;
on the other hand, Muslims deal innocently, and perhaps even
naively, in their reactions to those plots. Their defense mechanism
consists of forgiveness; they make neither prior preparations nor any
retributive attacks. Had not Islam been Allah's Religion, which He
~ guaranteed to preserve, some of the plots carried ont by the
enemies of Islam would have been enough to destroy it and wipe out
its traces.
It is also plain that those who conspire against Islam have
varied in their methods and in the execution of those methods over
the centnries. When Muslims were strong, their attacks took the form
of intellectnal and cultnral invasion. When the Muslims were weak,
their attacks took the form of military warfare, the goal of which was
to annihilate all Muslims. If war did not produce fruitful results, they
would resort to deception and to intellectnal as well as cultural
warfare. Within the bonndaries of Islamic territory, they would
infiltrate the ranks of Muslims, disseminating morals and ideas that
were contrary to the basic tenets of Islam.
A prime example of how the enemy attempts to destroy Islam
is to raise doubts about the authentic Prophetic Snnnah, which the
vast majority of Muslims accept and follow, and which is the
foundation of Islamic law, a law that is unparalleled among the
nations for its vastness and comprehensiveness, but also for its
476 Abrogation ofthe Qur'an by the Sunnah. ..
pennanence as an applicable set of laws. The overall plot against
Islam found ready and receptive minds among many Islantic sects
from the past, as well as from many Muslim writers (such as Ahmad
Ameen) in the present. That this plot existed and still exists is not
conjured up by the imagination: it is, on the contrary, an established
fact. Jewish Orientalists and others of their ilk evince many salient
aspects of that plot in their writings. Directors of Islantic studies
programs in many Western universities turn the attention of Muslim
students to this issue; they refuse to allow any student to make the
topic of his thesis a refutation of the lies that they themselves produce
regarding the Sunnah and its narrators. Last summer, while I was in
Gennany for medical treatment, a young MuslimGennan girl, who is
a student in the Islantic studies program at the University of
Frankfurt, contacted me. She wanted me to guide her to some
reference books that would help her in her thesis. The director of the
programforced her to make her topic "Abu Hurayrah". He asked her
to research the topic from various angles; for example, what is said
about Abu Hurayrah, what are the lies that are ascribed to him, and
what do some sects (and not the People of the Sunnah) have to say
about him?
A few years ago, a conference took place in Lahore, Pakistan,
the purpose of which was to study issues pertaining to Islam. Muslim
scholars from different countries attended the conference, and a
number of Orientalists attended it as well. The Muslim attendees
qnickly perceived that it was the OrientaIists who originated the idea
of the conference, for they invited many of their disciples from India
and Pakistan to participate in it as well. The most fanatical and
ignorant of those who attended was the Canadian OrientaIist, Smith
- who perhaps is a Jew. The main point that the OrientaIists
repeatedly brought up was that the Sunnah and revelation should be
made subservient to principles of"knowledge", principles that are, of
course, based on their values and standards. Many of their disciples
proclaimed their rejection of revelation as a sonrce of Islamic
legislation. They said that Islam is not a revealed religion, but is
instead a set of reformist ideas, the author of which was Muhammad.
Last year, there was a great uproar in Pakistau because a group
of intellectual Muslims propounded the belief that the Sunnah is not a
sonrce of Islamic legislation. Only later did it come out in the open
that that group consisted mainly of disciples of the Canadian
Orientalist, Smith.
When Ayub Khan wrote the Pakistani Constitution, he
stipulated that a council of Muslim scholars be formed, whose
function wonld be to oversee laws passed by the Parliament, in order
to judge whether those laws are in harmony with the teaclrings of
Islam. Obviously, the stipnlation was wtitten to please the general
opinion of Muslims in Pakistau. However, when it came time to
applying the Constitution and to applying that stipulation, the
aforesaid council did nothing to promote Islamic Law, for it was
made up of Smith's disciples, and not a single one of them was a
Muslim scholar.
And recently, one who was as ignorant as he was malevolent in his
intentions wrote a book on the Sunnah; the main purpose of the book
was to raise doubts about the Sunnah and about its most prolific
narrator from the Companions, Abu Hurayrah. Copies of the book
were bought up quickly and were sent to all Western Universities; I
learned of this from many Muslim students who study in Europe.
Anyone who follows these occurrences will not doubt that
they are a sequence of events that constitute an overall plot against
the Sunnah and against its most prolific narrator. Some wtiters from
Muslim lands have become shameless enough to write similar books,
which they fill with fabrications and lies against the eminent
Companion, Abu Hurayrah ~ ; this is what 'Abdul-l;Iusain did in
his book, Abu Hurayrah.
Another example of the vigilance and constant wakefulness of
the enemies of Islam is shown in how they take advantage of the
disputes that occurred between the Companions in the early days of
Islam, particularly the disputes over the caliphate. They aggrandize
differences among Muslims in an attempt to divide their ranks. Such
disagreements occur in all generations and in all nations, but we do
not see any other nation bearing grudges for internecine wars that
took place over fourteen centuries ago!
In the fIrst century ofIslam it was the cunning Jew, 'Abdulliili
ibn Saba, who plotted against Islam; thereafter his flag was taken up
by the polytheists of Persia, whose people were freed from an
oppressive ruler, but more importantly, from their polytheistic
beliefs. Muslims opened the minds and eyes of the Persian people so
that they could see the light of truth. When the Muslim army defeated
them, some who did not welcome the change found no means of
exacting revenge except by attacking the reputation and character of
leaders from the conquering army.
All of this had a tremendous effect on dividing the Muslims
and weakening their strength. It was hoped that sincere scholars and
intellectuals from the Muslim world would leam from those painful
lessons. However, it is now agonizing to see that many of them do
not fumIy grasp their pens in order to raise this nation from the
depths of ignorance and to thrnst it into the reahns of knowledge and
strength. Many Muslim intellectuals of today occupy themselves
with writing and rewriting books about the disputes that took place
fourteen centuries ago. But we must realize that it is Allah ~ who
will judge among those who differed. We only help the enemies of
Islam by dragging those differences into the spotlight and by
maintaining the distances that separate us and prevent our unity.
These are some examples that show how vigilant our enemies
are in planning and executing the plots they have contrived against
our nation, our religion, and our history. We must wake from our
slumber and we must curb the emotions that our enemies know all
too well how to inflame in order to suit their purpose.
History is replete with examples of this painful reality: the
wakefulness of our enemies and their continual efforts to destroy the
foundation of Islam, and the naivete of Muslims, who do not sense
the danger of those plots until they are already ensnared. Is the source
of this reality the innocence of Islam and the wickedness of its
enemies? Or does it stem from the nature of good and the nature of
evil in every generation? Or is it just that, in past centuries, Muslims
did not possess the means to discover the schemes of their enemies?
Perhaps all of these had a part to play, but is it not time that we
organize ourselves, that we study all plots against Islam, and that we
learn how they are contrived and executed, so that we can then
counteract them? Is that not practicable? Today, every Muslim
country has agencies to detect and then foil any attempt of political or
military uprising from its citizens. Why cannot similar agencies be
used to detect and then foil attempts against Islam, both from without
and from within?
For us to continue to remain in a state of heedlessness is a great
crime. Were Muslim countries to allot ten percent of their yearly
budget to exposing the aforesaid plots and defending against them,
we could indeed achieve a great deal. We could tum the tables,
anniltilating the forces of evil that work to bring destruction and
misery to humankind.
We calion all Muslim scholars, intellectuals, and writers to
meet once again upon a united word, to bury all remnants of past
disagreement, and to recognize and then defend against the dangers
that constantly surround Muslims. Muslim scholars must work
together sincerely in an atmosphere of mutual cooperation and
understanding. They should, in belief and in practice, take
480 Abrogation a/the Qur'an by the Sunnah...
Muhammad ~ to be their leader and role model. Their goal should
be to free Muslims from the shackles that hold them back and to
convey the message and guidance and light of Islam to all of
humanity, so that there will be no corruption on earth and so that
Religion in its entirety will be for Allah ~ . 0 Allah, we have
conveyed, so testify to that...
o Enemy of Allah! We will
continue to proclaim the truth
As I was writing this work, I came across Abu Rayyah' s book 1,
wherein he claimed that he had analyzed and researched the Sunnahin
more detail than anyone else before !rim, When we discussedhis work
earlier, we established his lack of scholarship and we showed how he
perverted known facts about the eminent Compauion, Abu Hurayrah
(4t. He did not stop there, however, for he also attacked the honor of
the most distinguished of Companions, such as Abu Bakr, 'Vmar, and
'Vthmiin, and also of the younger Compauions, such as Anas,
'Abdullah ibn 'Vmar, and 'Abdullah ibn 'Amru (may Allah be
pleased with themall). But most ofhis fuhninations were against Abu
Hurayrah. As I was readinghis book, I became more and more certain
that his work is like that of the enemies of Islam, those who continue
in their efforts to demolish the foundation of the Sunnah and to stain
the reputations of those Compauions who conveyed to us the
Prophet's knowledge and guidance.
Throughout Abu Rayyah's book it is clear that he was seeking
fame, but more possibly, notoriety, just as a Beduoin did when he
urinated in the well of Zamzam during the I,Iajj season. When asked
for the motive behind his crime, he explained that he perpetrated the
foul deed so that people would speak about him, even if their speech
1 AWa' 'Al/is-Sunnah ai-Muhammad/yah, (1967).
were in the form of curses! I felt it my scholarly duty to point out Abu
Rayyah's ignorance and to clarify and expose his many false
statements about against Islam. I already explained that his book is of
no scholarly value, for from cover to cover, it is filled with falsehood
and fabrications. In spite of this, he claimed that his book was the first
of its kind and that it should have been written one thousand years
earlier.
When he found out that my book had been published, Abu
Rayyah's plans were thwarted. At the time, the Ministry of Cultural
Affairs in Egypt was about to print one of his books. But when some
authorities from the Ministry came across my refutations of Abu
Rayyah, they told him that they had changed their minds, opting not
to print his book. Despite his many efforts to convince them to
change their decisiou, his wishes ended in failure, He ttied to deceive
the authorities in the Ministry just as he ttied, through his book, to
deceive the masses of the Muslims.
j (;' -H'\ 'J\ L,;' i :Sr'.tr 5j-.J.31);..
,W "V'"""":: '-' '-' 'Y-" cL '-' , -r
i''6 Ul /, 't
'.Y. , _ Cl' > -,' rr'-' r-'" '.J-' U"v' rtf.....
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(\ '.J.r-)
[thiuk to] deceive Allah and those who believe, while they
only deceive themselves, and perceive [it] not! In their hearts is a
disease [of doubt and hypocrisy] and Allah has increased their
disease. A painful torment is theirs because they used to tell liesJl
(Qur'an 2: 9-10)
It seems that his malice and resentment were compounded, for
he wrote another book in which he again repeatedly slandered the
honorable and worthy Companion, Abu Hurayrah A group of
scholars and I ttied to bring him to his senses with proofs and logic,
but he persisted then and still continues to persist in falsehood. A
more detailed and scholarly refutation ofhis newbook I will leave for
the second edition of this book, which I hope to begin soon, as soon
as Allah ~ blesses me with enongh strength to oversee that project
and to correct the many typographical errors that appeared in the first
edition. But here, I will suffice by mentioning some of the ideas he
expressed in the introduction to his second book.
In both his first and second books, he maliciously maligned
the scholars of Azhar University, yet he was a man who wore the
robe of Azhar scholars and gave himself the title, Shaykh. This is not
strange to those from his city and those who know the history of his
life. When he was young, he attended in the secondary school that
was linked to Azhar University. However, his grades were so poor
that he did not even complete high school. When he lost hope of
continuing his studies, he took a job at a newspaper, assuming the
responsibility of correcting typographical errors. He continued in that
vocation for a number of years, after which he was given a small
writing job in a municipal office. There he continued to work until
retirement. When he left Azhar, he would stand at the side of the
road, mocking students from Azhar. He derided them for their
dedication to studying the Religion, which he saw as a proof of their
foolish minds. This is Abu Rayyah, as we know him through the
people of his city, from scholars and students alike. He did not
graduate from high school and he never took his knowledge from a
scholar. All that he learned was taken from newspapers, which is why
he does not deserve to be described as a student of knowledge, and
his opinions and ideas are certaiuly not worthy of any attention.
These incidents early on in his life played a major role in increasing
Abu Rayyah's prejudice against Muslim scholars; his early
experiences also serve to show us why he is lacking in both
sholarship and intellectual honesty.
In an attempt to refute my views, he derided me because I am
from Syria and he continually asserted that my people (Syrians) are
known for their stupidity. It does not bother me that he calls me
stupid, for it is the people and readers who can better judge that. But
what concerns me is that I shonld clarify the reality of the beliefs that
this man clings to. His ignorance led him not only to an extreme
feeling of nationalistic pride, but also to hating people from other
countries. If he were truly a Muslim, he would have known that
Muslim countries constitute one nation. Scholarly research is not
accepted only from the inhabitants of one country to the exclusion of
inhabitants of other countries. Had he been a true seeker of
knowledge, he would have known the great extent to which Egyptian
scholars learned frotu Syrian scholars and the great extent to which
Syrian scholars learned from Egyptian scholars; also, the great extent
to which Egyptian and Syrian scholars gained knowledge from Iraqi
scholars. What unites them all is that they are Muslim scholars. His
book is replete with stories that portrayed the inhabitants of Syria as
being foolish people with weak minds. On what basis, then, does this
man claim to adhere to scholarly principles?
One constantly perceives from his book his great desire for
fame, even if that fame is to be achieved through sin and wrongdoing.
He said that his first book aroused a great controversy, which no
other Arabic book has ever achieved, with the exemption of Taha
Husein's book? He boasts that books are written for the sole purpose
of refuting his book, that magazines are filled with critical articles
about his work. This is the reality of Abu Rayyah: without
scholarship, he desires fame among the ranks of scholars, and lacking
in honesty, he seeks fame by arousing the anger of the righteous. The
most wretched of people are those deviants who seek notoriety
through the perpetration of evil actions - actions that make them
deserve the curse of Allah, of the angels, and of all people.
To be sure, this man has gained his notoriety. All copies of his
first book were bought by a foreign embassy in Cairo, and then those
2 Most likely, the author is referriug to On Pre-Islamic Poetry, (1925). (Editor)
484 Abrogation ofthe Qar'an by the Sannah...
books were sent off to libraries in Western universities. His book,
then, is in the hands of those who harbor a great deal of malice
towards Islam, towards the Messenger and towards his
Companions. The second book cannot be found in the marketplace
even though it has just recently been printed. We were not able to
procure a copy for ourselves except through the intercession of some
of our Shi'ah acquaintances. Let himenjoy his fame for now, but did
he not write in his first book that he was only seeking the truth?
In his secoud book,
3
Abu Rayyah continues his unfouuded
allegations against the Sunnah. Abu Rayyah, why should we desist
from talking about you and exposing your views? You have waged
war against the truth and you have deviated from guidance. You
wrongly thought that it was in your power to destroy the foundation
of the Sunnah - and because of that, you became an enemy of Allah
and a helper to the enemies of Islam. Why then should we remain
silent? Why then should we consider your feelings? No, by Allah,
your actions are those of an enemy of Allah! We will continue to
expose your falsehood. The more you persist in spreading falsehood,
the more we will believe in the truth and the more fiercely we will
defend it. Upon this, Allah has taken a covenant from us, and
upon this, we were promised Paradise. With Allah's help and
guidance, we will not surrender to falsehood and we will not be
derelict in our dnties.
... l' 61 //s::Jf i 1 :Sf
J ,. . , yJ ,-C .Jr
(lAV Jlo"j-")
remember] when Allah took a covenant from those who were
given the Scripture [Jews and Christians] to make it known and clear
to people, and not to hide (Qar'an 3: 187)
3 Qissat al-lfadeeth al-Muhammadi. (1969).
APPENDIX
The Four Imams and the
Compilers of the Six Books
This Section Consists of Four Imams
and Six compilers of the books
1. Imam Abu I;[aueefah
2. Imam Mlliik
3. Imam Ash-Shafi'ee
4. Imam AlJmad
5. Bukhari
6. Muslim
7. An-Nasa'i
8. Abu Dawood
9. At-Tirmidhi
10. Ibn Majah
1
Imam Abu Haneefah
(80 H - 150 H)
His lineage, birth, and death
:!Jee was Abu I.Ianeefah, Au-Nu'man ibn (son of) Thabit
ibn Zoota, the first of the four Imams to be born and the one with the
greatest following. It is known that he was born in Kufa, yet
researchers disagree about the year of his birth - some say he was
born in 63 H, others say 70 H, and yet others say 80 H. Based on
certain narrations, some researchers uphold the second opinion, but
the third view is more widely accepted. He died in Baghdad in the
year 150 H; there his grave still lies, known to those who visit it, in an
area known as al-A'dhamiyah.
His formative years and school
He grew up in Kufa, one of the great Islamic centres of the
time, which boasted the greatest number of scholars representing
each school; the city was most famous for its scholars of the Arabic
language and each of its branches, such as granunar, literature, and
rhetoric.
488 Imam Abu lJaneefah
He studied the rhetoric until he not only mastered it, but also
achieved recognition for that mastery. He then joined the study circle
ofl;lanunild, the Shaykh of Kufajurists. The study circle ofl;lammad
was linked with the famous Companion 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood
for l;Ianunad had studied under Ibriiheem an-Nakha'ee, who
had studied under 'Alqama ibn Qays, who in turn had studied under
'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood. Abu l;Ianeefah continued to attend
l;Iammiid's circle until the latter died in the year 120 H. l;Ianunad's
students concurred that Abu l;Ianeefah should take his place, and thus
he became the leader of the Kufa School, which was known as the
School of Opinion. Furthermore, he became the undisputed Imam of
jurists in Iraq. News of his scholarly reputation then spread to the
different regions, and during his lifetime, he was able to meet with
contemporary scholars in Basra, Makkah, and Madinah, and then
later on in Baghdad, after built it. With those scholars Imam
Abu l;Ianeefah discussed many issues, benefiting them and being
benefited by them. His fame continued to grow until his circle
became a great learning centre; in it gathered many eminent scholars
of Hadith - such as 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubiirak and ibu Ghiyath
- and scholars of fiqh (jurisprudence) - such as Abu Yoosuf,
Muhanunad, Zafar, and Al-l;Iasan ibn Ziyild - as well as many
famous self-denying worshippers - such as FUl;1ayl ibn 'Iyaq and
Dawood ai-Ta' ee. In his lifetime, Abu l;Ianeefah not only carried
with honor the trust of knowledge, but also strove to be upright in the
realms of worship, everyday transactions, and renunciation of
worldly things. Until the day he died, he continued to be sincere to
Allah to His Messenger ("'), and to the Muslims.
The foundations upon which his school was established
Al-Bayhaqi related the following quote from Abu l;Ianeefah:
"I take from Allah's Book, and if I do not find (the proof I am
seeking), then from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (",). And
if I cannot find (the prool) in either Allah's Book or the Sunnah of
His Messenger (;1;), I take the saying of any of his Companions that
you wish over the saying of any of his other Companions that you
wish, yet I do not abandon the saying of a Companion by taking the
opinion of anyone else instead. However, if the matter ends at
Ibr3.heem, Ash-Sha'bee, Ibn Seereen, Al-I;Iasan, 'Alii', Ibn Musayib
- and he mentioned the names of others who were not Companions
either - then they are a people who have exerted themselves to
arrive at a ruling, and so, you too, exert yonrself as they have done."
In another narration:
"What I do not find in it (i.e. the Qnr' an), I take from the Sunnah of
the Messenger of Allah (;i!i\j) and those authentic narrations from him
that are widespread among those who are ttustwortby."
When he carried out his own ijtihiid (by exerting himself to
analyze proofs in order to arrive at a ruling) in matters wherein there
was no proof from the Qnr' an, the Sunnah, or the saying of a
Companion, he would resort to analogy (Qiyiis). AI-IstiiJsiin was one
of the kinds of qiyiis he would use, and he would interpret it to mean
qiyiis khafee' as opposed to qiyiis jalee'. 1
The controversy surrounding him
Based on the preceding section, one knows the foundations
upon which Imam Abu I;Ianeefah built his jurisprudence and ijtihiid,
and one can plainly see that they are foundations that are in harmony
1 Qiyas khafee' and qiyas jalee' are tenns that pertain to analogy, the practice
of giving a ruling on an issue for which is no clear text from the Qur'an and
Sunnah based on an issue for which there is clear evidence from the Qur' an
and Sunnah. The two issues are likened to one another because of a common
point, which is sometimes obvious - qiyiis jalee' - and which is sometimes
subtle - qiy/is khafee'. As for isti!J.sdn, it is a fonn of analogy. (franslator)
490 Imam Abu lfaneefah
with the schools of the other three Imams. Muslims know ImamAbu
I:Ianeefah for his great service to Islam, for the foundations of
jurisprudence that he had a hand in building, and for the many
eminent scholars that graduated from his school. Yet we see that
there was some turmoil surrounding himduring his time, turmoil that
continued even after his death. People are divided regarding Imam
Abu I:Ianeefah: some acknowledge his virtues and recognize him as
an Imam of great knowledge, and this group is the majority of
Muslims. Then there are those who have malevolent feelings toward
him, warning people away from him and from his jurisprudence.
They are a people who also hold Imam Abu I:Ianeefah's companions
in contempt. Why is that? And who are the ones who belong to this
second category?
The reasons for the controversy
1. Imam Abu I:Ianeefah was the first to use deduction to derive new
rulings for new issues, rulings that were based on known rulings for
known issues: hence he would even derive verdicts for incidents that
had not yet taken place during his time, a practice that the scholars
before him disliked. They deemed it to be a waste of time because it
occupied people's time with matters in which there was no benefit. If
Zayd ibn Thiibit ~ would be asked regarding an issue, he would
first ask, "Has it occurred?" And if they answered no, he would say,
"Then leave it until it occurs." Abu I:Ianeefah, on the other hand, saw
things in a different light: he felt that the job of the mujtahid is to
prepare people to accept a mling in Islamic jurisprudence, for though
a matter might not occur during the life of the mujtahid, it might
occur afterwards. AI-Khaleeb al-Baghdiidi relates to us an incident
that clearly shows Imam Abu I:Ianeefah's view in this issue:
"When Qatiidah came to Kufa, Abu I:Ianeefah met him and said,
'What do you say about a man who leaves his wife for so many years
that his wife supposes himto be dead; she marries another, but her first
husband then returns to her; what do you say regarding her dowry?'
Beforehand, when Abu I.Ianeefah's students were with him, he said to
them, 'Ifhe mentions a hadith, he lies, and if he gives his own view, he
will be wrong.' In answer to the question, Qatiidah said, 'Woe unto
you! Has this matter occurred?' Abu I.Ianeefah said, 'No.' He said,
'Then why do you ask me about that which has not occurred?' Abu
I.Ianeefah answered, 'Indeed we are preparing for the problem before
it arrives, and when it does arrive, we know its ins and outs.' "
Hence his school came to be known as 'the Supposers', or the school
of those who hypothesized occurrences, saying, "Suppose that such
and such were to happen or suppose that such and such occurred."
On one occasion, when Imam Miilik was asked about an issue, he
gave the answer to his students. But then one of his students said,
"Suppose that it occurred in this way." ltuam Miilik became very
angry and said, "Are you one of the 'Supposers'? Did you come here
from Iraq?" Imam Miilik once said, "People used to give verdicts
only for what they heard and knew, and the talk that is prevalent
among people today did not exist." By this, he was referring to the
many hypothetical issues that were being discussed.
The leader of his time, 'Abdnl-Miilik ibn Mirwan, asked Ibn Shihiib
about a matter, and the latter asked, "Did this happen, 0 leader of the
believers?" He said, "No," and so Shihiib answered, "Then leave it,
for when it comes to pass, Allah ~ will give us a way out." When
mentioning the way of the 'Supposers' in a very critical manner, Ash-
Sha'bee, one of the Imams of hadith in Iraq, mentioned that Al-
I.Iakam, Al-I.Ianuniid, and their companions were from that group.
And I.Iammiid was the Shaykh of Abu I.Ianeefah. It has also been
related that Ash-Sha'bee said, "Nothing was more hated to me than
'suppose'. ,,2
2 lam;' aI-'llm aI-Fadhlihi, 2/146.
492 Imam Abu Ifaneefah
Through deductions and the study of hypothetical issues, the number
of issues in the jurisprudence of Imam Abu l;Ianeefah are indeed
many; the author of al- 'Iniiyah SharJ; al-Hidayah estimated those
issues to approximately number I 270 000. That is indeed a huge
number, but were it to be said that that number is an exaggeration,
then we can at least say that the number of established issues related
from !tim are more than those related from any other Imam. Because
of his many deductions, some spiteful critics have said, "He is the
most ignorant of people regarding what has occurred, and the most
knowledgeable regarding that which has not occurred."
2. Imam Abu l;Ianeefah stipulated strict conditions for a narration to
be accepted - very difficult conditions indeed, but he ouly did so
because fabrication in hadith became a widespread phenomenon.
During his time, Iraq was the source of revolutionary and intellectual
groups in the Islamic world, and as such, it was fertile soil for
fabrications and fabricators to thrive. These factors impelled Imam
Abu l;Ianeefah to be more circumspect when accepting the
authenticity of a hadith, and so he ouly accepted those hadiths that
were famous and widespread, and came from trustworthy people. In
this regard, he was more careful and strict than even the scholars of
hadith, which is why he deemed many hadiths to be weak, which in
the view of scholars of hadith, were authentic and accepted.
3. Although he was strict in one aspect ofjudging the authenticity of
hadiths, he was more lenient in another: he would consider
disconnected (mursal) narrations to be acceptable, but ouly if the one
who narrated it was trustworthy. Mursal narrations are narrations
wherein one of the tiibi'een (companions of the Prophet's
Companions) would narrate a hadith without mentioning the
Companion from whom he took it. Imam Abu l;Ianeefah's view in
this matter is contrary to the view of the majority of Hadith scholars,
which led him to arguing issues based on hadiths that were
considered to be weak and inapplicable by others.
4. Because ImamAbu I;Ianeefah limited the scope of hadiths that he
accepted and felt comfortable with, he needed to rely more and more
on analogy, reasoning, and opinion. Limited in one area, he found
strength in another, for Allah ~ granted him unique and truly
amazing powers of reasoning. Without a doubt, his use of analogy
was vast, and not only was the distance great in this regard between
him and the scholars of hadith, but also between himand the scholars
of jnrisprudence who limited the use of analogy to a very narrow
sphere.
5. So strong were ImamAbu I;Ianeefah's powers of reasoning that he
was able to give credence to opposing views in a single matter. Ibn
Abul-' Awfun related the following from Muhanuuad ibn al-I;Iassan.
As Abu I;Ianeefah was approaching Baghdad, his companions and
best students gathered there, waiting to greet him. Among them were
the likes of Abu Yoosuf, Zafar, and Asad ibn 'Anuu. They agreed
upon the ruling of an issue for which they had many supporting
proofs. They said to one other, "We will ask Abu I;Ianeefah about it
as soon as he arrives." When he arrived, it was the first question he
was faced with; and much to their surprise, he gave them an answer
different to the one they had agreed upon. There were many murmurs
in the gathering, and he calmed them, saying, "Gently, gently, what is
it that you say?" They said, "Yours is not our opinion." He asked,
"Do you have proof or no proof?" They said, "We indeed have
proof." He said, "Then show it." He argued with them and overcame
them with proofs until finally they succumbed, admitting the mistake
to be theirs. And so he said to them, "Do you know now?" They said,
"Yes." He said, "What would you say to someone who said that your
first view was correct and that this new view of yours is wrong?"
They said, "That is not so, for we now have the correct view." And so
he argued with them until they relented and said, "0 Abu I;Ianeefah,
you have wronged us, for we were in the right from the beginning."
494 lmamAbulfaneefah
He said, "What would you say to someone who said that both this
view and the other view are wrong, but the truth lies in a third
opinion?" They said, "That cannot be." He said, "Listen... " And he
offered a third opinion, arguing with them until they relented and
accepted it to be true. Then they said, "0 Abu l;:Ianeefah, teach us."
He said, "The correct view is the first one that you answered, for such
and such reason. And this issue can ouly have three sides, and each
side has its source in jurisprudence, yet this view is correct, so take it
and refuse all else."
One who can look at an issue from so many angles, being able to
defend each one is indeed one who will be strongest in deducting
rulings from texts. So that we will not be deemed as exaggerators in
this matter, let us rely on what ImamMiilik said: "Had this man (Abu
l;:Ianeefah) wished to establish proofs that this column is made from
gold, he would be able to do so."
Then no wonder that his deductions are contrary to the view of other
scholars and of the majority of scholars of hadith, who for the most
part, go no further than the apparent meanings of texts, being
reluctant to seek out reasons from them and to combine the meanings
of several revealed texts. Walking among the crowd of hadith
scholars were many commoners, about whom Ya1).ya ibn Yamlin
said, "One of them writes down a hadith without understanding or
contemplating its meaning. And if one of them were asked about an
issue, he would sit down, as if he were merely one who copies down
things." Some such commoners, who attached themselves to the
scholars of hadith, were illiterate as far as ideas and culture go, and
their illiteracy in that sense led them to make laughable errors in
writing and in judgment. One of them prayed the Witr prayer after
purifying himself from the washroom, but he didn't first perfonn
ablution. He justified his action by referring to the Prophet's saying,
"If one after relieving oneself, removes the impurity with pebbles or
the like, then lethlln do witr.'" Witr literally means odd (as in an odd
number), and the witr prayer is called the witr prayer because it
consists of an odd number of units, but here the Prophet ~ is
obviously ordering us to use an odd number of pebbles. Another
example is of a man who for forty years refused to cut his hair on
Friday; he did this based on the Prophet's prohibition of Ifilaq before
the Jumu 'ah prayer. The Prophet ~ forbade Ifilaq before the
Friday prayer,4 and Ifilaq means circles of knowledge; he forbade
Ifilaq before Jumu 'ah so that people would not feel confined to the
mosque, because there is the Friday sermon on that day as well. The
man in the example refused to cut his hair on Fridays because he read
Ifilaq as Ifalq, which means cutting hair.
For sure, people of that ilk - laypersons who were pseudo scholars
of hadith - would find it indeed difficult to understand the precise
and skillful way in which hnam Abu I:Ianeefah deduced rulings from
revealed texts. And as such, they were the quickest to develop bad
opinions about him, the quickest to speak badly of him, and the
quickest to accuse him of taking the matter of hadith lightly.
6. hnam Abu I:Ianeefah was not the only scholar of his time; indeed,
he had many contemporaries, and from the very nature of
competition among humans is that their hearts find little sympathy
with those who surpass them in understanding, in fame, or in
acceptance. Few are those who are able to escape this weakness, even
among scholars, except those whom Allah ~ favors and fills their
hearts with wisdom, the guidance of the prophets, and the serenity of
the truthful.
ill Jami' al-Bayan al- 'flm, Ibn 'Abdul-Barr dedicated an entire
3 Reported by Bukbari, vol. 2, p. 59, hadith no. 518; Muslim and AI-1:!iikim.
Hadith status: authentic and agreed upon with the exclusion of the addition.
4 Reported by At-Tirmidhi, vol. 2, p. 118, hadith no. 1408 and Nisa:i.
Tirnridhi said, it is authentic.
496 Imam Abu I;laneefah
chapter to discussing competitiou amoug the scholars, aud what
resulted from that iu terms of what some of them said about other
scholars. At the beginning of that chapter, he referred to Ibn 'Abbiis's
. ~ ) saying, "Listen to the knowledge of the scholars aud do not
believe some over others, for by the One Who has my soul in His
haud, they are in conflict with one auother more thau he-goats are in
their pen.,,5 Ibn 'Abdul-Barr then related what some scholars said
disparagingly about other scholars ~ such as the saying of Malik
about Muhammad ibn Is-l;1aq, of YaI;1ya ibn Mu'een about Shiifi'ee,
of I;lammiid about the people of Makkah, aud of Az-Zubri about the
people of Makkah.
The reputation of Abu I;laueefah reached such a high level that some
of his contemporaries said many inappropriate things about him in
gatherings; some who were weak-hearted took news about him to the
Caliph regarding matters of which he was totally innocent, to the
extent that in his own defence, Abu I;laueefah said about 'Abdur-
RaI;1miin ibn Abi Layla, the judge of Kufa, "Indeed, Ibn Abi Layla
deems permissible regarding me that which I do not deem
permissible regarding animals."
7. As a result of all of the previous factors combined, news of Abu
I;laueefah spread to the scholars of distaut lauds. They heard that his
rulings were contrary to their own rulings without knowing why he
differed with them, aud they believed that the narrations of which
they had knowledge were true aud authentic. And so at times, even
those who had never met Abu I;laueefah may at some point have
spoken ill of him. But how quickly they would acknowledge his
superiority as a scholar when they finally met him, when they
witnessed his piety, aud when they had a taste of his understanding.
The author of al-Khayrlit al-lfislin relates that al-Awza'ee thought ill
of Abu I;laueefah at first, without having met him until that point. Al-
5 Jlimi< aI-Sayan al-'llm, 2/151.
Awz1i'ee once said to 'Abdulliih ibn al-Mubilrak, "Who is the
innovator who has come out of Kufa, the one who is called Abu
J::!aneefah?" Instead of answering him on that score, Ibn al-Mub1irak
began mentioning some of the most difficnlt of issues in
jurisprudence, relating how they shonld be understood and what
rnling shonld be given to each matter. Al-Awz1i'ee said, "From
whom did these rulings emanate?" 'Abdulliih ibn al-Mub1irak
answered, "A shaykh I met in Iraq." He said, "He is a noble shaykh;
go to him and take much (knowledge) from him." Ibn al-Mub1irak
said, "He is Abu J::!aneefah." Later on, Al-Awz1i'ee met Abu
J::!aneefah in Makkah, and they discussed many issues of
jurisprudence. After the two separated ways, Al-Awz1l'ee said to Ibn
al-Mub1irak, "I envy the man his vast knowledge and his abundant
understanding, and I ask Allah ~ fOr forgiveness, for I was plainly
wrong. Keep company with the man, for he is very different from the
description of him that has reached me."
6
What Malik and others said
about Imam Abu l;Ianeefah
In light of the previons discussion, it is important to mention
that which the great contemporaries of Abn J::!aneefah had to say
about him, for they made statements that seemingly contradict one
another.
Mill, Ath-Thawree, Al-Awz1i'ee, Sufiyiin ibn 'Uyainah,
'Abdulliih ibn al-Mub1irak - these and others have issued different
opinions about Abu J::!aneefah, and that at least is clear when we read
narrations from Al-Khateeb's Tfireekh, narrations that often extol
him and at times disparage him. I, like 'Eesa ibn Bakr al-Ayoobi as
well as others before him, hold that those narrations that contain an
attack on Abu J::!aneefah by eminent Imams are fabricated.
6 AI-Khayrlit al-ijisan, p. 33.
Nonetheless, I do not deny - nor find it strange - that some
of those narrations are true, but true for the very reasons that we
mentioned earlier, which were exemplified in the stance of AI-
Awza'ee before he met with Abu I;Ianeefah and his stance after
having met him. Though some of Abu I;Ianeefah's contemporary
scholars might have had an ill opinion of him at first, we doubt not
that that changed to praise and respect after having met him, for Abu
I;Ianeefah made many travels to Makkah, Madinah, Basra, and
Baghdad, and in those centres he met with many scholars. That is
why there are many narrations in which eminent scholars extol Imam
Abu I;Ianeefah's understanding, in which they recognize his
uprightness that was on a par with the uprightness of scholars who
came before him. For example, AI-Qa<.!ee 'Iya<.! relates in Mad/irik
that Imam Abu I;Ianeefah and ImamMill gathered on one occasion
in Madinah. Imam Malik left his company and was sweating
profusely, and noticing that, AI-Layth ibn Sa'd said, "I see that you
are sweating?" Mill said, "I was sweating because I was Abu
I;Ianeefah; 0 one from Egypt, he is indeed a Faqeeh (one who is an
expert in Islamic jurisprudence)." It is also authentically related that
Malik read Abu I;Ianeefah's books - meaning those books that his
stndents wrote about him - until he had gathered 60 000 of Abu
I;Ianeefah's issues, a fact that is related by many, such as Ibn Abi al-
'Awam as-Sa'dee, Abu 'Abdullah ibn 'Ali a ~ ~ a y m a r e e AI-
Muwaffiq al-Khawarizmee and others.?
Many of Mill's companions and the authors of his school
admit that Mill praised Abu I;Ianeefah, and they give reasous for
those uarratious that speak harshly about Abu I;Ianeefah. For
example, Abu Ja'far ad-Dawoodee, author of an-Namee 'Alfi al_
Muwana', explained that Mill said those words wheu he was in a
state of anger, for even a scholar may say certain words when angry,
7 TIi'neeh al-Khateeb, p. 3.
words for which he may later seek forgiveness from Allah ~ . Al-
I.Iiifidh ibn 'Abdnl-Barr was of the view that the students of Miilik
who attacked Abu I.Ianeefah, were people of Hadith, as opposed to
Miilik's students of fiqh, from whom no such remarks are related.
In Abu al-Waleed al-Bajee's commentary of al-Muwarrii', the
author denies all such narrations from Miilik, saying, "Miilik never
spoke ill of the fuqahii s; he only spoke about narrators of hadith in
terms of their ability to retain and relate hadiths." Al-Bajee further
argues that Miilik held 'AbdnlIah ibn al-Mubfu'ak in high regard, and
Ibn al-Mubarak was one of Abu I.Ianeefah's closest companions.
As for Imam Shiifi 'ee, we do not doubt that all narrations in
which he is said to disapprove of Abu I.Ianeefah are fabricated. Imam
Shiifi'ee never even met Imam Abu I.Ianeefah; he only met with his
students, especially Muhammad ibn al-I.Iasan. He studied
Muhammad's fiqh in Baghdad and then later said that he left
Baghdad, carrying with him a camel-load of knowledge. Since
Shiifi'ee said that about one of Abu I.Ianeefah' s closest students, it
makes no sense that he wonld speak ill of Abu I.Ianeefah. And it was
Shiifi 'ee himself who said the famous line, "People are dependant in
their fiqh upon Abu I.Ianeefah."
Imam AIp:nad never met Abu I.Ianeefah either, though he did
meet one of his closest studeuts, Abu Yoosuf. In his early days of
seeking knowledge, he attended Abu Yoosuf' s circle. He also studied
the books of Muhammad ibn al-l;:Iasan. Ouce, when asked where he
got his precise answers from, Imam AJ:unad answered, "Frotu the
books of Muhammad ibn al-I.Iasan.,,9
Yes, I do not doubt that Imam AJ:unad disagreed with Abu
I.Ianeefah's approach to fiqh, but he was not at odds with him as a
8 Fuqahii: plural of faqeeh.
9 T6'neeb al-Kha[eeb, p. 180.
person. They both agreed upon the basic principles of taking from the
Sunnab, yet their approach differed. Imam AJ.nnad said, "For me, a
weak hadith is better than people's opinion," whereas Imam Abu
I:!aneefab was very strict in accepting the authenticity of a hadith,
only accepting those narrations that were widespread among trusted
people. Such differences do not imply that one man attacked the
other - to each is the road that he has taken.
The results of the controversy
The controversy surrounding Imam Abu I:!aneefab led to
many evil resnlts: views were ascribed to him that he never upheld.
Some claimed he was a MUlji' 10, others that he was a Qadaree
ll
,
others that he rejected hadiths, and many others that he imparted his
own opinions and desires about Allab's Religion.
After Imam Abn I:!aneefab died, and after his students and
school (along with them) spread with the wind throughout the lands
of Muslims, none of the accusations mentioned above survived; all
that remained - and continues to remain - from such criticisms are
two matters: one that issues from the stubborn partisanship of
members of other schools and the other from ignorance in the ways
of scholarly ijtihad. Some of the enemies of the Sunnab have used
one of these two matters to create doubt in the Sunnab, as you have
seen earlier from the author of Fajr al"Isliim.
These are the two accusations:
1. That he did not have access to many hadiths and
2. That he gave preference to opinion and analogy over authentic
hadiths.
10 A member of a deviant group.
11 Another deviant group.
It is important to study these two accusations and the basis for each in
history, judging their veracity based on the authentically related
biography of Imam Abu l;Ianeefah - that which is related from his
fiqh and his ijtihiid.
Did Imam Abu I;[aneefah have only a
small collection of hadiths with him?
In this regard, AI-Khateeb al-Baghdiidi relates statements from
a variety of scholars, statements that accuse Abu l;Ianeefah of being
weak in the knowledge of Hadith and of having access to only a small
number of hadiths. For example, he relates that Ibn Mubiirak said,
"Abu l;Ianeefah was an orphan in Hadith." He relates that Ya.1).yii ibn
Sa'eed al-Qarriin said; "He was not one of the people of Hadith." He
relates that Imam Al}mad said, "Indeed, he has with bim neither
opinion nor hadith." And he relates that Abu Bakr ibn Abu Diiwood
said, "All of the hadiths that have been related from Abn l;Ianeefah do
not exceed one hundred and fifty in number, and even in half of those
he erred."
I do not wish to scrutinize and refute these and other snch
narrations based on their chains (who related them and how), for
many formidable researchers have disproved those narrations,
explaining Al-Kha!eeb's prejudice in relating themY However, I do
intend here to refute the claim that is still put forward by the enemies
of both Abu l;Ianeefah and the Sunnah; many historians have had no
qualms about presenting those claims, and they are exaggerated to
the greatest degree by Ibn Khaldoon in his Muqaddimah, wherein he
relates (althongh using expressions that hint that he did not give
12 Refer to Ta'neeb al-Khareeb 'AId M/i Sliqa fce Tarjumat Abi /:!aneefah min
al-Akddheeb, written by Shaykh Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari. He discussed
the different narrations, arguing that the statements carniot be correctly linked
to those to whom they are ascribed.
502 Imam Abu lJaneefah
credence to the sayings himself) that the narrations of Abu I;!aneefab
do not exceed seventeen hadiths in number.
To claim that his stock of hadiths does not exceed seventeen
hadiths or even 150 hadiths is a precarious claim indeed, for Imam
Abu I;!aneefab was one of the greatest of Muslim Imams, and his
school of thought is the most adept in the practice of delving into
issues that are deduced; furthermore tens of millions of people adhere
to the principles of his school. Then can that claim be true?
1. By the consensuS of his followers and opponents, Abu I;!aneefab is
a mujtahid, one who is qualified to practice ijtihiid, and one of the
conditions of ijtihiid is for the mujtahid to know those hadiths that
have to do with rulings ofjurisprudence, and those hadiths number in
the thousands, or according to the most conservative estimate (which
is held by some of the I;!anbali scholars), in the hnndreds. Then how
can Imam Abu I;!aneefab have practiced ijtihiid if he did not, as it is
claimed, fulfill the most important of conditions for practicing
ijtihiid? And why did the Imams acknowledge his ijtihiid and why did
they take so many pains to understanding his fiqh? Scholars in many
countries have stodied his fiqh; and whether they follow himor refute
some of his views, they acknowledge him as a mujtahid. How could
that be so if he were not standing on a firm foundation?
2. Anyone who studies Imam Abu I;!aneefab's school will find that
his view is in harmony with authentic hadiths on hundreds of issues.
As-Sayyid MurtaQii az-Zubaydi gathered Abu I;!aneefab's store of
hadiths and those hadiths in which his narrations agree with those
narrations of the authors of the Six Books. Az-Zubaydi titled that
compilation, 'Aqd al-Jawfihir al-Munayfi fee Adilati Abi lfaneefah.
One must now ask, how is it possible that Abu I;!aneefab's ijtihiid is
in harmony with hundreds of authentic hadiths ifhe had had access to
only seventeen hadiths, or fifty, or 150, out of which he erred
regarding half of them?
3. In his u ~ n n i f al-Kobeer, Ibn Abi Shaybah dedicates an entire
chapter to those issues in which Abu I:Ianeefah's view was contrary
to authentic hadiths; those issues were 125 in number. Even if Ibn
Abi Shaybah were correct in his criticismof Abu I:Ianeefah reganling
those issues, Abn I:Ianeefah would be correct in every other issue
about which a hadith is related. According to the most conservative
of estimations, Abu I:Ianeefah ruled on 83 000 issues, and some relate
that he ruled on 2 200 000 issues. The implication here is that Ibn Abi
Shaybah admitted that on all other issues, Abu I:Ianeefah' s rulings
did not go against the Sunnah (other than the 125 he mentioned).
Regarding the thousands of issues on which Abu I:Ianeefah ruled, at
least many of them are based on a hadith, which means that Abu
I:Ianeefah had with himat least hundreds or thousands of hadiths. The
opposite conclusion is that the Sunnah consists of only 125 hadiths, a
claim that no Imam or scholar makes.
4. Imam Abu I:Ianeefah's views are highly regarded in the science of
Hadith. Considering that this science depends so much on one's
knowledge of hadiths and its narrators, how can Abu I:Ianeefah have
had access to only a very limited supply of hadiths?
5. Yal;1yii ibn N3!!r, who related from Abu I:Ianeefah, said of him, "I
entered his honse, which was full of books, and I asked, 'What are
these?' " He said, "These are hadiths, from which I have related only
a small number, those that are beneficial."
6. Even though ImamAbu I:Ianeefah did not sit to relate hadith in the
manner known to the scholars of hadith, and even though he did not
author a bookofcompilation - as did Malik- his students gathered
his hadiths in seventeen maslineed 13
13 Masaneed: pI. of musnad; books compiled by students who related from the
Imam.
Kitiib al-AtMr, by Abu Yoosuf; Kitiib al-AtMr al-Marfoo 'ah, by
Muhammad; al-AtMr al-Marfoo 'ah and al-Mawqoofah; Musnad al-
lfasan ibn Ziyfid al-Lu'lu'ee; Musnad lfammad ibn ai-Imam Abu
lfaneefah - these are some of the more famous of those books and
compilations.
QiiQee al-Qudiit, Abu al-Mua'yyid Muhammad ibn Mal;unood al-
Khawiirizmee (died in the year 665 H), gathered most of those
collections in a huge volume called, lami' al-Masaneed, which he
arranged according to the chapters of fiqh. In that volume,
Khawiirizmee deleted repetitions and related the same chain for a
single hadith only once. After compiling many different Masaneed,
he once said in a sermon:
"I have heard of some ignorant people in Syria who belittle Abu
I:;!aneefah, claiming that he had access to a very limited supply of
hadiths. They claim that Abu I:;!aneefah had no book of hadith, while
Shiifi'ee had the Musnad and Imam Miilik had al-Muwa!!a'.
Overcome by religious zeal, I decided to glean fifteen of his
masaneed that were compiled by the most eminent of Hadith
scholars. "
His Masaneed have been related by the eminent hadith scholar
of Syria, Al-I:;!iifidh Shams-ud-Deen ibn Tooloon in al-Fahrasat al-
Awsat and by the eminent hadith scholar of Egypt, Al-I:;!iifidh
Muhammad ibn Yoosuf who said in his book 'Uqood
ai-laman, "Abu I:;!aneefah was one of the great and prominent
scholars of hadith. Had he not paid such special attention to Hadith,
he would not have been able to deduce so much in issues of fiqh. And
Adh-Dhahabi was correct when he included Abu I:;!aneefah in his
Tabaqiit al-lfufffidh
14
." He writes in Chapter 23:
14 This title translates as: the levels of those who memorized and related
hadilhs.
"Despite his vast store of hadiths, so little has been related from him
because he was mostly occupied in deducing issues of jurisprudence,
and for the same reason little is related of the great number of hadiths
heard by both Imam Mill and Imam Shiill'ee. Similarly, little is
related from the likes of great Companions, such as Abu Bakr (4b)
and 'Umar (4b), even though their knowledge was vast while more
is related from those Companions who are lower than them in
ranking."
In his Tiireekh al-Kabeer, AI-Badr al- 'Ainee relates that the
Musnad of Abu l::Ianeefah that was compiled by Ibn 'Uqdah, alone
comprises of 1000 hadiths, and this is not counting the other
Masiineed that were compiled. In at-Ta'qeebftt, As-Suyooti attests to
the trustworthiness of Ibn 'Uqdah: "Ibn 'Uqdah was one of the great
memorizers of hadiths; he was the most trustworthy ofpeople, and no
one other than a prejudiced partisan would consider himto be weak."
Zafar also has a book of narrations (iithiir) in which he relates
frequently from Abu l::Ianeefah.
The claim, then, that Imam Abu l::Ianeefah had a very limited
collection of hadiths is false, just as the following claim is false: that
Imam Abu l::Ianeefah authenticated only seventeen or so hadiths, and
needless to say, this claim is not related in any trustworthy book; Ibn
Khaldoon is the only one who related that claim15, and the words he
used to relate that claim were ambiguous at their best, for he
mentioned that seventeen was the number of his narrations, and even
that meaning is incorrect. As we have mentioned earlier, the number
15 Perhaps Ibn Khaldoon related this claim because Muhammad related the
Muwatta' from Malik, and he added 13 extra hadiths that he related from Abu
I:Ianeefah and 4 extra hadiths that he related from Abu Yoosuf. One bereft of
knowledge may then have concluded that the total number of hadiths that
Imam Abu l:Ianeefah had authenticated was 17. Nonetheless, we must continue
to search for the source from which Ibn Khaldoon related that claim.
of hadiths that hnam Abu l;Ianeefah authenticated reaches the
hundreds at the very least, and that is based on the compilations of
hadiths that his students related fromhimand from the hadiths that he
actually applied in his school of jurisprudence. Those facts alone are
enough to refute the claim related by Ibn Khaldoon.
There is another major error that many authors commit when
they try to excuse Abu l;Ianeefah for having so few hadiths.
16
They
say that Abu l;Ianeefah was in Kufa, whose inhabitants knew very
few hadiths, simply because it was not a centre for hadiths. Those
who make this excuse do not heed the fact that Kufa was a center of
knowledge during the time of Abu l;Ianeefah and that he made many
knowledge-seeking journeys to the most renowned Islamic centres
during his life.
Fromthe day that it was established in the year 17 H, Kufa was
the dwelling place of many great Companions. 'Vmar ~ sent
'AbdulHih ibn Mas'ood ~ , known as Ibn Vmm 'Abd, to Kufa, and
he was the sixth person to accept Islam. He was sent there to teach its
inhabitants the Qur'an and the Religion. Ibn Mas'ood's status and
knowledge with the Muslims was so high, that the Caliph could
hardly do without himin the capital city, which is why 'Vmar (<$)
wrote to the people of Kufa, saying, "I have indeed preferred you to
myself with 'Abdulliih." And the Prophet ~ said, Whoever
wishes to recite the Qur'an freshly (clearly, distinctly) as it was
revealed, then let him read with the recitation of Ibn Vmm 'Abd.
'Vmar referred to him as being a field full of knowledge. There are
many more narrations that refer to the vast knowledge of 'Abdulliih
ibn Mas'ood, and from the beginning of 'Vmar's caliphate until the
caliphate of 'Vtlunfut (4@,), he was central and prominent educator of
the people of Kufa. Many reciters and jurists graduated from his
16 Adh-Dhaylawi is one such author; he mentioned that excuse in lfujjatullahi
al-Biilighah.
school in Kufa, so many so, that 'Ali ibn Abi Tillib ~ was
genuinely snrprised at the great nnmber of jurists in Kufa, and so he
said to Ibn Mas'ood, "Yon have filled this area with knowledge and
fiqh." His stndents and their stndents numbered 4000, and they were
the lamps of Kufa.
Kufa received another boost when 'Ali ~ and other
knowledgeable Companions moved there; it became an unparalleled
centre of learning, boasting scholars of fiqh, Hadith, the sciences of
the Qur' an, and language. Were one to gather into one book the
biographies of 'Ali's and Ibn Mas'ood's major stndents, one would
have enough material for a very large volnme. Not counting Iraq as a
whole, Al-'Ijlee estimated that 1500 of their Companions lived in
Kufa
To understand the implications of the fact that both 'Ali and
Ibn Mas'ood lived in Kufa, one need only hear the words of Masrooq
ibn al-Ajda', an eminent tabi 'ee: "I found that the knowledge of the
Prophet's Companions was at its height in six (of them): 'Ali,
'Abdullah (Ibn Mas'ood), 'Umar, Yazeed, Abi Darda', and Ubay ibn
Ka'b, and then 1found their knowledge to peak in 'Ali and 'Abdullah
(Ibn Mas'ood)."
The travels of Abu l,Ianeefah are many. He visited both Basra
and Madinah dozens of times and from the years 130 H until 136 H,
he sojourned in Makkah. And it was in these two blessed cities that
Abu l,Ianeefah met with many great scholars, such as Al-Awza'ee. In
Makkah, he learned from the stndents of Ibn 'Abbas ~ , and in
Madinah, from the stndents of 'Umar ~ . There, he even learned
from some of the scholars from the Prophet's family - such as Zayd
ibn 'Ali Zayn al-'Abideen, Muhammad al-Baqir, and Abu
Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah ibn al-l,Iasan.
On one occasion, Abu l,Ianeefah was asked about the source of
his knowledge. He said,
"From the companions of 'Vmar, who took their knowledge from
'Vmar; from the companions of 'Ali, who took their knowledge from
'Ali; from the companions of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood, who took their
knowledge from 'Abdullah; and in his time, there was none more
knowledgeable on earth than Ibn 'Abbas (meaning that he took his
knowledge from Ibn 'Abbas's companions as well)."
And because Imam Abu I;laneefah gathered the knowledge of
the most famons Companions, storing it in his memory, it is not right
to claim that he was living in a region whose inhabitants knew very
few hadiths. On the contrary, Kufa was replete with scholars, and
moreover, with Companions, among whomwere two of extra-special
significance 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood and 'Ali ibn Abi ralib.
Did Abu I;laneefah give precedence
to opinion over Hadith?
We have already explained that under no circumstances would
Abu I;laneefah give precedence to opinion or analogy or istiiJsiin over
any authentic hadith that was widespread among trusted individuals.
Ibn Abi al- 'Awwamrelated that Abu Yoosuf, a prominent student of
Abu I;laneefah, said:
"If an issue were to present itself to Abu I;laneefah, he would say,
'What are the narrations that you have knowledge of?' After we
mentioned the narrations we had and he mentioned those that he had,
he would study them, and if there were more narrations supporting
one of two opinions, he would take that opinion. But if the number of
narrations was equal for both views, he would study them and then
choose."
In al- 'Alim wal-Muta'allim, As-Samarqandi relates that Abu
I;laneefah said:
"Everything that the Prophet said - regardless of whether we
heard the saying or not - then without any stipulation, we believe in
it and we bear witness that it (the verdict) is as Allah's Prophet ~
spoke."
In al-Intiqii', Ibn 'Abdul-Barr related that Abu l;Ianeefah said:
"May Allah curse the one who goes against the Messenger of Allah
~ , for through him, Allah honored us, and through him, He saved
us." Ibn 'Abdul-Mub3rak related that he heard Abu l;Ianeefah say:
"If it comes from the Prophet ~ , we unconditionally accept it; if it
comes from a number of Companions, we choose one of their
opinions; and if it comes from the Tiibi'een (the companions of the
Prophet's Companions), we assert our opinion just as they did." I? In
a similar narration, he said, "If it comes from other than the
Companions, (we choose, for) they are men and we are men.',18
Ash-Shay'ram, in al-Meeziin, reported that Abu l;Ianeefah
said: "By Allah, he invents a lie about us who says that we give
precedence to analogy over a revealed text (i.e. a verse from the
Qur' an or a hadith); and in the presence of a revealed text, is there
any need for analogy?"
Ash-Shay'riini here relates another of his sayings:
"We only resort to analogy in cases of dire need. In any given issue,
we first look for proof in the Qur' an, the Sunnah, or the rulings of the
Companions. If we find no proof, then we compare (using methods
of analogy) an issue for which there is no proof to an issue for which
there is proof."
And in yet another narration from Ash-Shay'ram, he said,
"We first take from Allah's Book, then from the Sunnah, then from
the rulings of the Companions, and so we apply that which they
agreed upon. But if they differed among themselves, we compare the
ruling of one issue to that of another, linking them tn one another
17 Al-Madkhal, by Al-Baybaqi.
18 AI-Meezan, Ash-Shay<rfuri.
510 Imam Abu lftmeefah
through a factor that is present in both, so that the ruling becomes
clear."
Just from the few narrations mentioned above, it becomes
clear that Abu l:;Ianeefah would never prefer opinion, regardless of
what that opinion was, to an authentic hadith. Rather we find that the
likes ofIbn l:;Iazmrelate a consensus fromthe scholars ofIraq that the
tfa 'eel hadith is given precedence over analogy. But here is an
important point that Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned in A'alam al-
Mu'qi(een:
"The meaning of the term tfa'eelas used by the earlier generations of
Muslims differs from its meaning according to the later generations.
What the later generationsmight refer to as being lJasan (acceptable)
is sometimes called tfa'eel by the early generations."
Before explaining this point, Ibn al-Qayyim said:
''The students of Abu l:;Ianeefah agree that in his school, the qa'eel
hadith is preferable to analogy and opinion. And upon that basis he
established his school. For example he gave precedence to the hadith
regarding laughing (during prayer) over analogy and opinion, even
though that hadith is qa'eef. Similarly, he gave precedence to the
hadith regarding performing ablution with the nectar of dates over
opinion and analogy, even though it is a qa'eelhadith. He ruled that
the thief's hand is not cut if he stole less than 10 dirhams, and the
hadith regarding that rnling is tfa'eef. He ruled that (for religious
purposes) menstruation does not surpass ten days, and the hadith that
indicates that rnling is qa'eef He also stipulated that one of the
conditions for establishing the Friday Prayer is that it be performed in
a populated area (as opposed to the desert, for example)... Therefore
his school gives precedence to the qa'eelhadith and to the sayings of
the Companions over analogy and opinion, and that is also the
opinion held by Al:unad ibn l:;Ianbal."
Regardless of the meaning of 4n'eef- whether its meaning is
according to what the early or later generations meant - that the
scholars of hadith consider a hadith to be 40 'eef does not necessarily
mean that it is 4a'eefaccording to Abu l;Ianeefah; rather, it must be
authentic in his opinion based on his general principles. The
viewpoints of scholars may differ in this regard, one ruling a hadith to
be authentic, while another deeming it to be weak.
At any rate, based on what Ibn l;Iazm and Ibn al-Qayyim
acknowledge - they were the most adamant of scholars in refuting
(stance of the) l;Ianafi School - one can plainly see that Abu
l;Ianeefah would give precedence to the 4n 'eef hadith over opinion
and analogy. It is also interesting to note that Abu l;Ianeefah accepted
the mursal hadith, preferring it over analogy, whereas Shilfi 'ee
accepted it only with conditions, and Hadith scholars on the whole
rejected it. In light of Abu l;Ianeefah's view regarding the mursal
hadith, it is plain to see that in his School, he would not resort to
analogy unless he found nowhere else to go, meaning that he found
no authentic narration that he could depend upon. What is the source,
then, ofthe falsehood and lie that has himpreferringopinion to hadith?
There are, however, a number of narrations in which some
scholars of Hadith attack Abu l;Ianeefah for rejecting hadiths which
they deem to be authentic. In his Tilreekh, AI-Baghdiidi relates from
Yoosuf ibn Asbill that Abu l;Ianeefah rejected four hundred or more
of the Prophet's hadiths, yet out of those four hundred, he only
mentions four. He also relates that Wakee' said, 'We have found that
Abu l;Ianeefah has gone against two hundred hadiths." And then he
relates that l;Iammiid ibn Salamah said, "Abu l;Ianeefah was
presented with narrations and Sunan (the books of hadith), yet he
rejected them, choosing to resort to opinion." Some of those who
purported!y said such things about Abu l;Ianeefah were in fact his
own companions, making those narrations doubtful. Other such
512 [mamAba l;Ianeefah
narrations, we outright reject as being false. Yet there is little doubt
that there were some scholars of hadith during the time of Abu
l;laneefah who found fault with him for having rejected narrations
that they themselves authenticated.
For example, Ibn Abi Shaybah censured Abu l;laneefah for
ruling contrary to hadiths in 125 issues - i.e., 125 different hadiths.
Howis that possible when Shm'ee related a consensus in this matter:
that it is not permissible for a Muslim to go against the ruling of any
hadith that is authentically narrated from the Messenger of Allah
~ And how is that possible when Abu l;laneefah lrimself said,
"Whatever comes from the Messenger of Allah, we accept it
unconditionally" ?
This question can be answered from different angles:
1. In regard to narrators of a hadith, scholars may differ, some
deeming a specific narrator to be weak, others deeming him to be
trustworthy in his transmissions. And for sure, Abu l;laneefah was
more knowledgeable regarding the narrators that he related from, for
his time was prior to that of those who attacked them. It often
happened that there were only two narrators between him and the
Companion who related the hadith. In such sitoations, it was easy for
him to give a just ruling regarding those narrators, because they were
close to his time, and because he was able to ask those who knew
them about their character. As for those narrators that he did not
know - such as those from the l;lijaz19 and Syria - he would often
abstain from ruling on them. And perhaps his view regarding those
narrators was different from that of their stodents. And as such, he
would abstain from applying certain hadiths that other scholars ruled
to be authentic, just as others abstained from applying certain hadiths
that according to him, were authentic.
19 The western region of the Arabian peninsula in which Makkah and Madinah
are located. (Editor)
2. Even when presented with a hadith that he considers to be
authentic, the mujtahid may have information about another proof
that changes the apparent meaning of that hadith; he may eveu find a
proof that is stronger altogether; he may believe that the hadith has
been abrogated, or that its meaning imparts a general ruliug, while
another proof limits the scope of that ruling; and in all of the above
situations, the mujtabid abstains from applying the hadith as opposed
to others who do not have with them his proofs, and those others
might censure him for not applying the hadith. In his letter to Miilik,
Al-Layth ibn Sa'd enumerated seventy authentic hadiths that Miilik
abstained from applying, and they were all hadiths that Miilik himself
related in al-Muwarrii'.
Rarely will you find an Imamwho applied every single hadith that he
deemed to be authentic, and that is because in certain instances, there
are other proofs that will override the apparent meaning of a hadith.
This is a point that the mulJaddith 20 (hadith scholar) does not
understand, and from that pOint the muiJaddith and the faqeeh differ.
Abu J:.Ianeefab said:
"The example of one who searches out for hadiths without
understanding them is that of the chemist, who gathers medicines,
not knowing which sickness each one is meant to cure - until the
doctor arrives. And that is the state of the studeut of hadith: he
doesn't know the meaning of the hadith until the faqeeh arrives. ,,21
In a narration related by Ibn 'Abdul Barr, Ya'qoob Abu Yoosuf, a
student of Abu J:.Ianeefah, says:
"While I was alone with AI-A'mash, he asked me about an issue, and
so I answered him. He said, 'From where did you derive this answer,
20 Hadilh scholar.
2! AI-Manliqib by AI-Muwaffiq aI-Millee.
514 Imam Abu Ifaneejah
o Ya'qoobl' I told him, 'From the hadith that you yourself related to
me.' I then informed him of the hadith, and he said, '0 Ya'qoob, I
had indeed memorized this hadith before the time that your parents
met, and I have not learned its true meaning until now.'
Ibn 'Abdul Barr also relates the following narration from
'Ubaydulliih ibn 'Amm. 'Ubaydnlliih said,
"I was in the gathering of Al-' Amash, when a man came and asked
about an issue; Al- 'Amash did not answer, and when suddenly he
saw that Abu I;Ianeefah was present, he asked, '0 Nu'miln (Abu
I;Ianeefah) speak of this issue.' Abu I;Ianeefah answered, and Al-
'Amash asked, 'From where did you get that answer?' He said,
'From the hadith that you related to us,' to which AI-'Amash
responded, 'We are the chemists and you (fiqh scholars) are the
doctors.' ,,22
3. We do not deny that there were some hadiths that Abu I;Ianeefah
did not know of; the Companions were dispersed throughout the
lands of Islam, and in each region there may have been a hadith that
was unknown to the inhabitants of other regions. No one ever
claimed - not during the times of the Companions, the tiibi'oon, or
later times - that he had knowledge of the entire Sunnah. A young
man once approached Ash-Sha'bee and related a narration to him.
Ash-Sha'bee said, "We have not heard of this." The young man said,
"Knowledge in its entirety you have heard?" He said, "No." The
young man asked, "Half of itT' He said, "No." The young man said,
"Then consider this narration to be from the second half that you do
not know of."23
In fact, there are hadiths that escaped many of the greatest of the
Prophet's Companions. 'Vmar had not heard the hadith that
22 Jiimi' a/-Sayan al-'llm, 2/t3t.
23 Tadreeb p. 108.
gave a mandate for Jizyah to be taken from the Magians, nor the
hadith about plagne, at least not until 'Abdur-Ralpnan ibn 'Awf
informed. him. The hadith regarding seeking permission before
entering another person's home was also unknown to 'Vmar, until he
was informed about it by Abu Moosa ~ . Both 'Vmar and Ibn
Mas'ood were unaware of the hadith regarding dry ablntion;
meanwhile, 'Annuilr ~ and others had knowledge of that hadith.
While 'A:ishah ~ , Ibn 'Vmar ~ , and Abu Hurayrah ~ had
not heard the hadith that makes it permissible to wipe over one's
socks during ablution, 'Ali ~ and I;Iudhayfah ~ had heard it.
Ibn 'Abbas ~ was unaware about the prohibition on fixed-term
(mut'ah) marriages until other Companions informed him. Similar
situations occurred often among the Companions, yet no one found
fault with them, nor did anyone accuse them of being ignorant of the
Messenger of Allah's hadiths. Many of them ruled opposite to what a
hadith indicated before it reached them. And likewise, the same
excuse should be made for Abu I;Ianeefah.
4. Because fabrications became rampant during his time, Abu
I;Ianeefah stipulated very precise conditions for a narration to be
accepted; he was strict in accepting narrations only because he
wanted to be careful regarding his Religion. Here are some of those
conditions (These conditions basically apply to A!).ad narrations):
- A!).iid narrations must not contradict those universal principles that
he recognized after having studied many of the rulings in the Sharia.
If an Al;Uid narration contradicted any of those principles, he would
abandon that narration, applying the stronger of the two proofs.
- The narration must not contradict the apparent and general rulings
of the Qur' an; in the case of such a contradiction, he would rule by
the apparent meaning of the Qur' an, abandoning the narration, so as
to apply the stronger of the two proofs. However, when the narration
is explained that which needed clarification or when it legislated a
new ruling altogether, he would apply it.
- The narration mnst not contradict a Snnnah that is well known -
regardless of whether it is a saying or an action; here again, he
applied the stronger of two proofs.
- The narration mnst not contradict another narration that is at the
same level; ifthis occurred, he would choose one overthe other by dint
of extraneons proofs - for example, one of the Companions was more
knowledgeable than the other, one of them was a faqeeh while the
other was not, one ofthemwas yonng and the other was old, and so on.
- The narrator's actions mnst not differ from what he himself
narrated. For example, Abu Hurayrah ~ narrated the hadith about
washing a container seven times after a dog licked it; however, his
fatwa 24 was differeut.
- If the narration imparts a verdict on an issue that affects many
people, it must be a widespread narratiou or one that is narrated by so
many people at each level of its narration that for it to be a fabrication
is impossible.
- If it is by itself, the narration must not contain more informatiou
than other uarrations, regardless of whether that occurs in the text or
the chain. The narration that contained the basic and not the
additional infonnatiou is applied, so as to take caution with regard to
Allah's Religiou.
- As for ruliugs on punishments, the lesser punishment is applied
wheu narrations differ.
- From the time the narrator heard the hadith until the time he
conveyed it to another or to others, he must have retained the hadith
in his memory without once forgetting any of it.
- The narrator must not need to depend upon his writing when he
forgets his narration.
These are some of the more important conditions that Abu J.Ianeefah
stipulated for accepting and applying Al:>ad narrations. The scholars
24 Religious verdict.
of Hadith reject most, if not all, of these conditions, while other
hnams differ with him in only some of them. Our purpose here is not
to defend or uphold Abu I:!aueefab's opinions; our goal is to convey
the reasons for which Abu I:!aueefab abaudoned certain Al.Jild
narrations.
If you have followed the discussion until this point, you know
that, using his ijtihad, Abu I:!aueefab abaudoned certain narrations
from the Sunnab, opting to resort to his opinion instead - aud there
is no harm in that, for hnams before aud after him did the same.
However, the matter would have been different had he abaudoned
aspects of the Sunnab based on intrausigence or desire - yet Abu
I:!aueefab is far above doing that, for his status as au hnam is
established, aud so is his piety, righteousness, aud justness in seeking
out aud applying the ttuth from the Qur' au aud Sunnab.
Examples of Abu l;Ianeefah's
understanding of certain hadiths
1. When Sufiyiin ibn 'Uyainab met with Abu I:!aueefab, the fonner
asked: "Is it ttue that the following is your fatwa: that the sale is
binding upon both buyer aud seller as soon as they stop talking about
the sale aud move on to auother topic, even though they remain
together in one place?" Abu I:!aueefab auswered, "Yes." Sufiyiin
said, "How so when in au authentic hadith, the Messenger of Allab
~ said, 'The buyer aud seller continue to have a choice (for one of
them to revoke the trausaction) as long as they do not separate from
one auother'?" Abu I:!aueefab said, "What wonld you say if they
were in a boat together, in prison together, or if they were traveling
together? How would they separate from one auother?"
It is clear that Abu I:!aueefab did not reject the hadith; rather, his
understauding of separation was separation of speech aud not a
518 1mamAbu lfaneefah
physical separation, and with that view, he took the overall purpose
of contracts and transactions into consideration. The examples of
people that Abn .E.Ianeefab mentioned perhaps have to stay together in
one place for months on end, and so, do we say that as long as they
are together, the contract is not complete? And that anyone of the
two parties may revoke the contract whenever he pleases? The
Arabic word for separation or parting, Tafarruq, is used elsewhere to
mean a parting of words. Allab says:
(\ ,,. : J"Jr) ... ;tI . VJet,
(And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allab [i.e. this
Qur'an], and be not divided among yourselves.. ) (QuT'an 3: 103)
And the Prophet said: The Jews have divided. (Here it means
into sects, and not into different physical locations.).
Now if one whose understanding of precise jurisprudential reasoning
is weak, he will certainly rule, at least at first glance, that Abn
.E.Ianeefab went against a hadith, when that is not the case.
2. In this example, Ibn Abi Shaybab finds fanlt with Abu .E.Ianeefab
for ruling against the meaning of the following hadith. Ibn Abi
Shaybab related from Muhammad ibn Nu'man that his father,
Nu'man, gave him a servant as a gift. Nu'miin then went to the
Prophet so that he conld attest to what he did, and the Prophet
"Did you give the same to each of your children?" He said,
"No." The Prophet said, ''Then take (the servant) back.,,25Ibn
Abi Shaybab then mentioned the same hadith with two different
chains and different wordings. After relating those narrations, he says
that Abu .E.Ianeefab sanctions such gifts (i.e. a father giving a gift to
one, but not to all of his children).
25 Reported by Bukhari, vol. 9, p. 344, Muslim. Abu Dawood, An-Nisa'i, At-
Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah. Hadith status: authentic.
First, the majority of scholars rule that it is not obligatory to give
one's children equally, but that it is recommended. Among these
scholars are Mill, Al-Layth, Ath-Thawri, Shilfi 'ee, Abu J:Ianeefah,
and his students. Though some of them considered it to be disliked,
they overall agree that it is permissible for one to specifically give a
gift to one of his children without giving to the others. All of these
scholars, however, rule that it is recommended to give equally. On
the other hand, there are some scholars - such as Ibn al-Mubilrak,
Al;unad, and the Dhiihiriyiih (Is-J:tiiq was with them, but then he
returned to the opinion of the majority) - who rule that it is
compulsory to give equally in this regard, ruling according to the
apparent meanings of certain narrations.
Al-Bayhaqi enumerated ten reasons why giving equally in this matter
is recommended, and not compulsory, even though proponents of the
other view argned against those reasons.
What is important here is to understand why thejurists differed in this
matter. They differed because the hadith is related in different
narrations, with different wordings. Some of those narrations indicate
that giving equally is ouly recommended: "Make someone other than
me bear wituess to this (transaction)," and "Would it please you that
all of your children should be equally dutiful to you?" Other
narrations indicate that giving equally is compulsory: "1 will not bear
wituess to injustice," and "Take hitu back." Regarding these
different narrations, Al-Qa<;lee 'Iy3.<;l said, "Combining between these
different narrations is better than forsaking some of them altogether
... and the way to combine them is to give the classification of
'recommended' to all of them." In his explanation of $a!;ee!; Muslim,
Al-Qa<;lee then goes on to explain why all of the narrations should be
classified as recommended.
There is no need to delve further into this issue, especially
when we consider that Abu J:Ianeefah was not alone - the majority
520 lmmn Abu lfaneefah
of Islamic jurists agreed with him. Shiifi 'ee related that Abu Bakr
~ favored ',\'ishah ~ and that 'Vmar ~ favored 'Asim iu
gifts. Other Companions did the same (with their own children), and
their doiug so is itself the clearest of proofs indicating that giving
equally is recommended.
This is an example of those issues whereiu Ibn Abi Shaybah
holds that Abu I;Ianeefah did not apply an authentic hadith - he
states that there are 125 such issues. And as we have seen, Abu
I;Ianeefah did not abandon the apparent meaniug of the hadith
because he gave preference to opinion; rather, he did so because of
his ijtihild, and the likes of him (and all other Imams) are excused iu
that case. Also important to note is that, of the issues mentioned by
Ibn Abi Shaybah, Abu I;Ianeefah was not alone iu the opinion to
which he was led by his ijtihad; most of those opinions he shared
with one or more of the other Imams.
The Study circle of Abu I;Ianeefah
Anyone who knows of the many emiuent scholars who
attended Abu I;Ianeefah's circle and how he conducted that study
circle with his students also knows that Abu I;Ianeefah does not
deserve the harsh criticism that was leveled at him. Al-Mugheerah
ibn I;Iarnzah said, "Those companions of Abu I;Ianeefah who wrote
with him were forty men, the most distinguished among the eminent
ones." In another narration, Al-Asad ibn al-Furat enumerates the
most promiuent from among those forty: Abu Yoosuf, Zafar ibn al-
Hudhayl, Dawood aVfa'ee, Asad ibn 'Anuu, Yoosufibn Khilid as-
Samtee, Yai)ya ibn Zakariya ibn Abu Zay'dah.
Al-Asad here describes the way Abu I;Ianeefah's circle was
conducted:
"They (the students) would disagree about the answer to an issue;
each one would come with his own answer, until finally, they would
raise the issue with him ... they would often spend three days on a
single issue and then write it down in their records."
Az-Zafar said,
"We wonld discuss our views with Abu I.Ianeefah, and among us
were Abu Yoosuf and Muhammad ibn al-I.Iasan. We wonld write
what he said, bnt one day Abu I.Ianeefah said to Abu Yoosuf, '0
Ya'qoob, do not write all that you hear from me, for I might hold an
opinion today that I will forsake tomorrow...' "
From here the statement of Al-Muwaffaq al-Makkee rings true: that
Abu I.Ianeefah's School was one of mutual counsel, and not a
dictatorship in which he wonld impose his views; thus was his
sincerity to Allah, to His Messenger ~ , and to the believers.
And so we are led to comprehend Wakee's statement when
one day a man said to him, "Abu I.Ianeefah has erred." Wakee' said,
"And how can he err When has with himAbu Yoosuf and Zafar, with
their capacities for drawing analogies; the likes of Yal;tyii ibn Abi
Ziiy' dah, I . I a f ~ ibn Ghiyiith, I.Iibbiin, and Mandal, with their
memorization ofhadith; Al-Qiisim ibn Ma'an, with his knowledge of
the Arabic language; Dawood at-Tii'ee and Fuqayl ibn 'Iyaq, with
their renunciation of material pleasures and their piety? If one has the
likes of them as his companions, he will almost never err, because if
he does err, they will bring him back (to the truth).
We do not agree with Wakee', that Abu I.Ianeefah never erred.
However, the following factors show that the harsh campaigu against
him was unjust and false - his companions, his enviromnent, his
lifespan being so close in time to the generation of the Companions,
his penetrating understanding, and his sound judgments. The harsh
campaigu against him started during his lifetime - because of
competition among contemporaties and because of the iguorance of
certain narrators - and it continued and culminated during the time
of Imam Al;tmad. Many were those who vilified the l;Ianafi School
because of the punishment and oppressiou that the Mu'tazilah dealt
to the people of Hadith. The l;Ianafi School was thus attacked
because most of the Mu'tazilah followed the l;Ianafi School in
matters of jurisprudence, although not in matters concerning beliefs.
A Just Word
I was greatly impressed by the words ofAl-l;Iatidh ibn 'Abdul-
Barr, which he wrote in Jllmi' al-Bayan al- 'llm:
''The people of Hadith surpassed the proper bounds in finding fault
with Abu l;Ianeefah. According to them, they blamed Abu l;Ianeefah
because he gave credence to opinion and analogy even in the
presence of revealed texts, while most of the people of knowledge
say, 'If the narration is authentic, then analogy and opinion are
nullified.' However, whenever he rejected what was related through
an Al;tiid uarration, he had a plausible explanation... I know of no one
of the people of knowledge, who had uot interpreted a verse or a
hadith, whereby he rejects another Sunnah, either with a plausible
explanation or with the claim of abrogation; Abu l;Ianeefah did this
often, while other scholars did it ouly rarely. (This is the opinion of
Ibn 'Abdul-Barr)... It used to be said, the nobility of a man from the
past is known from the disagreement among people regarding him.
They would say, 'Do you not see that two groups were destroyed
because of their view of 'Ali ibn Abi Tiilib - the ones who
exaggerated in their love for him and the ones who despised him.?'
That is the description of the people of noble nature and character,
those who reached high levels of virtue in their Religion. And Allah
~ knows best.
2
Imam Malik
(93 H - 179 H)
His life and status in knowledge
8mam and muhaddith of Madinah, he is Abu 'Abdullah
Malik ibn Anas He was born in the year 93 H, but
according to Ibn ad-Dabee' ash-Shaybiini in his introduction of
Tayseer al-WU$ool, he was born in the year 95 H. Born in Madinah,
he died there as well, in the year 179 H, at the age of 86. He gained
knowledge from Rabee'ah, from many of the great jurists among the
tabi 'een, and so extensive was his study under the instruction of Az-
Zuhri, that he is considered to be one of his most famous students. He
also heard much from NMay', the freed slave of Ibn 'Umar; those
narrations that he related from NMay' became well known, and
according to the convention among some of the scholars of hadith,
that chain is called the golden chain: Malik from NMay' from Ibn
'Umar He continued to apply himself in the pursuit of
knowledge until he became an Imamin the I;Iijaz - he was called the
'Scholar of Madinah' and the 'Imam of Dar_ul_I.Iijrah,26. His fame
26 Another name for Madinah; literally, 'home of migration'. (Translator)
524 Imam Malik
spread and scholars from different lands traveled to meet him and
leam from him. He established a hadith gathering in the Prophet's
Mosque; he conducted it with dignity and decorum - wearing
perfume and his best gannent, and he would not raise his voice, in
veneration for the Messenger of Allah ~ .
The principles upon which
his school is founded
Mill was known for his knowledge of both fiqh and Hadith,
and like Abn I;Ianeefah, he was known to have accepted the validity
of the mursal hadith. In his compilation of hadith, al-Muwartii', he
related a number of mursal hadiths. The principles upon which his
school is founded are the same as those of the other Imams: The
Qur'an, the Sunnah, ijma' (consensus), and qiyas (analogy);
however, he added two more proofs that he recognized: the practice
of the people of Madinah and al-Ma:,iilil; al-Mursalah.
27
As for the
latter proof, most of the Imams held it as a proof, but as for the
former, he held the practice of the people of Madinah to indicate the
Prophet's Sunnah, whether in action or in situation. For their practice
to be considered a proof, he stipulated that they would have to agree
upon it and it would have to be a practice that they had inherited,
from generation to generation, extending back to the time of the
Messenger of Allah ~ . He believed that the inhabitants of Madinah
would not agree to apply a practice unless that practice was
legislated, applied by the Companions, approved by the Messenger
of Allah ~ , and then inherited by ensuing generations.
27 Actions introduced in order to safeguard the rights of the majority in a
given community. (Editor)
According to Imam Miilik, the practice of the inhabitants of
Madinab is a stronger proof than the Ai.liid hadith, so if the two were
not in agreement, he wonld give preference to the former. And
because of that, Al-Layth ibn Sa'd found fanlt with Imam Miilik for
having abandoned seventy Sunnab practices that he himself had
related in al-Muwarra'. The other Imams and scholars did not agree
with Imam Miilik in that view; scholars continued to atgue with him
regatding the validity of that proof, and among them was Imam
Shafi'ee. Ibn I,fazm put forwatd perhaps the most famons atgument
against the practice of the inhabitants of Madinab (as a proof), in al-
Il;kiim fee al-Al;kiim; he offered many cogent atguments. Ibn
I,fazm also refuted that proof in different patts of his book at-
Mul;alla.
ImamMiilik' s School spread throughout the Muslimlands, but
most noticeably in Western Africa and in Egypt.
AI-Muwattii': Its status, hadiths,
and commentaries
Perhaps ImamMiilik is best known for his book, al-Muwarra',
which (the Caliph) requested himto compile. When Al-
performed I,faij, he asked Imam Miilik to write a
comprehensive book of knowledge that wonld avoid both the
strictest judgments of Ibn 'Dmat and the most lenient
judgmeuts of Ibn 'Abbas
When (the Caliph) Al-Mabdee performed I,faij, he heatd al-
Muwarra', and ordered for 5000 dinars to be given to Imam Miilik
and 1000 to his students. Later on, (the Caliph Hilroon) Ar-Rasheed
visited him duting one of the many I,faij journeys he made; he heatd
al-Muwarra', desired to hang up the pages of the book on the Ka'bab
and to force people to apply it. Imam Miilik answered, "0 leader of
526 Imam Malik
the believers, do not do so, for indeed the Companions of the
Messenger of Allah ~ differed in matters of jurisprudence; they
became dispersed throughout the lands, and each one of them was in
the right (meaning that each one of themruled according to the proofs
he had and according to the level of his understanding)." Then Ar-
Rasheed desisted from canying out his plans?S
Allah ~ made people's hearts to receive al-Muwarra' with
praise and acceptance. The most famous Imams who heard al-
Muwarra' from Imam Millik: were Al-Awza'ee, Shiifi'ee, and
Muhatnmad; Muhammad's narration is more famous than the rest.
ImamMillik was careful to select only authentic hadiths, and it
is said that he continued to refine and improve his compilation over a
period of forty years. In his introduction on the commentary of al-
Muwatta', As-Suyooti relates that Al-Awza'ee said, "We studied al-
Muwatta' with Millikin forty days, and he said, 'A book that I have
authored in forty years, you have taken in forty days: how little it is
that you understand from it.' "
He organized al-Muwarra' into chapters based on subject
matter; for each subject, he first related relevant hadiths from the
Prophet (m), and then he related relevant saying from the
Companions and Tabi'oon. Those sayings were mostly from the
inhabitants of Madinah, simply because Millik himself had never left
Madinah. After relating a hadith, Millik would often explain the
meanings of its vocabnlary, and sometimes, of its phrases as well.
When he related an A1).ad narration that was not in agreement with the
practice of the inhabitants of Madinah, he wonld point that out.
As for the status of al-Muwarra' among the different
compilations of hadith, the opinions of the scholars differ. Ibn al-
28 This incident is related by Abu Na'eem, in aI-Ifilyah.
'Arabi, the majority of Malikee scholars and others - these hold that
its status is above that of [falJeelJ Bukhari and [falJeelJ Muslim. Their
preference is based on Imam Malik's status as a scholar and on his
efforts in seeking out authentic narrations, not to mention the forty
years he speut in authoring the book.
Meanwhile, Adh-Dhaylawee, in lfujjat Alliih iI-Biilighah,
places the two [falJeelJ compilations and al-Muwarrii' together on the
highest level.
But the majority ofHadith scholars rank al-Muwarrii' at a level
lower than [falJeelJ Bukhari and [falJee/; Muslim. Ibn l::Iajr explains
why: "Malik's book is authentic in his view and in the view of those
who follow him based on his acceptance of the mursal and munqati'
narrations... " And it is well known that the scholars of Hadith give no
consideration to the mursal and munqati' narrations; no wonder,
therefore, that they give al-Muwanii' a ranking lower than that of
[falJeelJ Bukhari and [falJeelJ Muslim.
Proponents of the fIrst two views argue that all of those
narrations that are Mursal or Munqap' in al-Muwanii', have linked
chains in other narrations; from that angle, then, it is authentic in its
entirety.
Al-l::IMidh ibn 'Abdul-Barr, as well as others, have found
linked chains to those narrations that are disconnected in al-
Muwanii'. Ibn 'Abdul-Barr wrote,
"On each occasion that he (Malik) did not link a chain - when he
said, 'It has reached me' or ' ... from a trustworthy source' - the
hadith has a linked chain in a narration not related by MiUik. This is
true for the sixty-four times that that happened, exceptfor four, which
are unknown.))
And even regarding those four hadiths, Shaykh Ash-Shinqeeti,
in Itfii'atil lfiilik, relates that Ibn m ~ a l i i l l found linked chains for
528 Imam Malik
them. As-Suyooli supported that, saying:
"AI-Muwarrii' is authentic in its entirety, without exception. The
Mursal narration, according to Millik and other Imams, is a valid
proof without condition. And according to us, it is a valid proof when
it is strengthened by other narrations, and every Mursal narration
found in al-Muwarrii' is strengthened by one or more narrations.
HZ9
Yet Ibn I;Iazm claimed that al-Muwarrii' contains weak:
hadiths; however, perhaps he claimed they were weak: in relation to
the chains that were linked for the same hadiths. As for the chains
related by Millik, they are, in his view, authentic. And is it not better
to take his view on those that he related from, since he knew them
best?
There are approximately thirty different copies of al-
Muwarrii', based on those who narrated it from ImamMiilik. Here are
the most famous of those: Muwalla' Ya1Jyii ibn Ya1Jyii al-LiIythee,
Muwattii' ibn Bukayr, Muwallii' Abu M u ~ a b , Muwarrfi' ibn Wahb,
Muwalla' ai-Imam Muhammad ibn al-lfasan. Each copy differs
slightly in the order of hadiths, and some even contain additions, all
depending on when each narrator related from Matik, since as we
have seen earlier, he continually strove to improve the book. Hence it
is not strange that he should have added hadiths at times, removed
some hadiths at other times, depending on his view at the time.
Because of the different copies, scholars differ as to the
number ofhadiths found in al-Muwallii'. Abu Bakr al-Abharee gave
the following account:
- Narrations from the Prophet ~ , the Companions, and the
Tiibi 'oon: 1720
- Those that have linked chains: 600
29 Sharl) al-Muwatta:, p. 8.
- Mursal narrations: 222
- Mawqoof narrations: 613
- Narrations specifically from the Tiibi'oon: 285
Of among the various copies of al-Muwarra', that of
Muhammad ibn al-lJasan is the most famous, especially in Makkah,
Madinah, and India. Most of the hadiths in his version of Muwarra'
are taken from bnam Miilik (1005); some are taken from Abu
lJaneefah (13); some from Abu Yoosuf (4); and the rest from others.
Scholars ofhadith continue to study and analyze al-Muwarra',
yet Al-lJiifidh ibn 'Abdul-Barr remains best-known for his two
explanations - at-Tamheed Limajil-Muwarra' min al-Ma'anee wal-
Asaneed and al-Istidhkarfee SharT; Madhiihib 'Ulama' al-Arrt!far. Of
the former explanation, Ibn lJazm said, "On the fiqh of Hadith, I
know of nothing that is even similar to it, let alone better than it." The
following is a list of some of the scholars who explained al-
Muwana': Al-lJiifidh Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-'Arabi (543 H),
Al-Jaliil as-Suyooli (911 H), Az-Zarqfuri al-Miilikee (1122), Adh-
Dhaylawee (1180 H), Ash-ShaYkb 'Ali al-Qfui al-Makkee (1014 H),
and Al-Laknawi (1304 H) in his book at-Ta'leeq al-Mumajjad 'Ala
Muwarra' ai-Imam Muhammad.
Many scholars have also summarized al-Muwarra', among
whom are Abu Sulaymiin al-KhaJ:tiibi (388 H), Ibn 'Abdul Barr (463
H), and Ibn Rasheeq al-Qayrawiini (463 H). And many other books
have been written to explain particular aspects of al-Muwarra', all of
which points to the high regard in which the scholars held it.
Is al-MuwaffiY a book of Fiqh
or a book of Hadith?
Scholars agree that bnarn Miilik's Muwarra' is the earliest
extant book of Hadith from the second century. Throughout the
530 Imam Miilik
centuries, if scholars of Hadith listed the various books of Hadith,
they would always include al-Muwa!tii' in that list, though they may
have differed as to its ranking among the books of Hadith. Yet in
recent times, Dr. 'Ali l;Iasan 'Abdul-Qadir makes a claimin his book,
Nadhratun 'Aamahfee Tareekh al-Fiqh al-Isldmi, that ImamMill's
Muwarra' is a book of fiqh, not Hadith.
Dr. 'Ali's reasoning
Dr. 'Ali claims that - with the exception of al-Majmoo', by
Zayd - al-Muwarra' is the first book of fiqh that has reached us. He
claims that it is not a book of Hadith, and other than those of West
Africa (who follow the Millee School), no one gives it a ranking
similar to that of the Six Books. He states that it was their piety that
led scholars of recent times to include it in the list of other authentic
compilations. He then stresses that it is not a book of Hadith in the
trne sense, because its author's purpose was not simply to gather
authentic hadiths; rather, it was to discuss and study fiqh, customs,
and actions according to the consensus of the people of Madinah;
ImamMiilik mentions rulings of the other Imams in a given issue as a
lead in to mentioning his confonning view, yet were he to speak in
the way of the Hadith scholars, he would mention a hadith, not an
Islamic ruling. He then goes on to say,
"Fromhere we see that Miilik was not a scholar of Hadith and that the
Hadith was not his only basis, otherwise he would not have taken the
practice of the inhabitants of Madinah as a proof. Although he was
not a trne mul)addith, he was able to benefit greatly the scholars of
Hadith ... The chain of narrators was not an indispensable condition
for him, and that can be seen in al-Muwarra' itself, in the many
mursal narrations."
Dr. 'Ali's claims, which he mentioned at length, can be
summarized in two points:
1. That Miilik was not a mu1Jaddith.
2. That al-Muwarrii' is not a book of Hadith, but a book of fiqh.
Answering those claims:
1. That Miilik was not a mu1;laddith, a claim that is false and contrary
to what scholars agree upon. Imam Miilik was one of the great
scholars of Hadith during his time; students and scholars alike would
come to him from far-off lands to learn those hadiths that he had
gathered.
But he was not only an Imam in Hadith: he was an Imam in fiqh as
well. The fiqh scholars of the Tabi 'oon wonld, for the most part,
combine fiqh and Hadith. The argmnent that he wonld practice
ijtihad when he found no revealed text is one that stems from
ignorance, for Ibn Mas'ood ~ , one of the greatest narrators of
Hadith, wonld make ijtihad in the same situation. On the other hand,
Ibn 'Vmar ~ , also one of the great narrators of Hadith, was known
for not going beyond revealed texts. At any rate, the point here is this:
not all who use ijtihad are deprived of having the ranking of a
mu1;laddith; likewise, not every mu1Jaddith abstains from using
deduction for those narrations of which he has knowledge. From
among the Tabi'oon, one needs only look at Ath-Thawri and Al-
Awza'ee, both of whom were scholars of Hadith and fiqh. Yes, there
are those to whom Allah ~ gives both sound memory and
understanding.
Dr. 'Ali argnes that Imam Miilik related mursal narrations, yet he
only did so because his view is that mursal narrations are acceptable
proofs, and not because he was heedless of chains of narrators. Imam
Miilik himself said, "Perhaps a Shaykh sits with us, narrating hadiths
for the greater part of the day, yet we do not take from him a single
hadith."
532 Imam Malik
Furthennore, the contemporaries ofMiilik attest to his being an Imam
in Hadith. Sufiyiin ibn 'Uyainab said, "Miilik wonld convey only
authentic narrations of Hadith, and he wonld only relate from
trustworthy people." y a4yii ibn Sa'eed al-Qaniin said, "Miilik was an
Imam in Hadith." And Ibn Qudamab said, "In his time, Malik had
memorized the most."
2. That al-Muwanii' is not a book of Hadith, a claimthat is refuted by
the scholars of the diffetent schools, all of whomhave held it in great
regard over the centuries. Muhammad ibn al-I:Iasan, best known for
being a student of Abu I:Ianeefab, took great pains in relating al-
Muwanii'. Al"Awzii'ee, the Imam of a famous school, also related it
from Imam Miilik. And Imam Shill'ee related it from Malik. Thus
we see both I:Ianafi and Shill 'ee scholars alike explaining or
summarizing al-Muwanii '. And Malikee scholars obviously held it in
even higher regard, for it is the book of their Imam.
Were al-Muwanii' merely a book of fiqh, it wonld not have achieved
acclaim from adherents of the different schools. That it is arranged in
chapters according to topics of fiqh does not mean that it is not a book
of Hadith, for Imam Bukhari did the same in his $aiJeeiJ. And the
claim that Imam Miilik mentioned the rulings of the Imams does not
hold either, for Tinnidhi and Abu Diiwood did the same as well.
ImamMiilik' s al-Muwanii' does not achieve a ranking as high as that
of the Six Books simply because of the many mursal narrations that
he related: he rnled that they were acceptable proofs while other
Hadith scholars did not agree. So that is what prevented his book
from being included among the Six Books. But let us consider the
Musnad of ImamAl;unad: all agree that it is a book of Hadith, yet the
scholars of Hadith did not rank it as highly as they did the Six Books.
Dr. 'Ali then confuses the issue, saying that it was the piety of
contemporary scholars that led them to include al-Muwanii' in the
list of authentic books. Orientalists often phrase their arguments in
this fashion, for what does piety mean in this context? Were not the
scholars of the earlier centuries pious? And what does piety have to
do with this issue in the first place? And how does that claim hold
true when we know that Shiifi 'ee said, "I do not know of a book of
knowledge that is more authentic that the book of Mill." (This is
not to put down Bukhari and Muslim, for Ibn ~ a l i i l mentions that
Shiifi'ee had said that before Bukhari's and Muslim's books
appeared.) Shiifi'ee's statement clearly shows the high opinion that
the scholars of the early generations had for al-Muwarrii'.
3
Imam Ash-Shafi;ee
(150 H - 204 H)
His life and sta.tus as a scholar
::Jeeis Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idrees ibn al- 'Abbiis
ibn Shiifai'; his lineage leads to u ~ and coincides with the Prophet
(Ji!) at 'Abd-Maniif. In the year 150 H, he was born in Gaza, a city in
Palestine.
When he was only two years of age, his mother took him to
Makkah, where he grew up and studied the Qur' an. He stayed with
the tribe of Hudbayl for approximately ten years, studying language
and poetry from them, until he eventually became one of the most
knowledgeable of people regarding the poetry of Hudbayl. He first
studied fiqh with Mnslimibn Khillid az-Zinjee, the Mufti of Makkah;
he then traveled to Madinah, where he studied under Millik, reading
al-Muwarra' in its entirety under his tutelage. At a very early point,
Millik developed an appreciation for Imam Shati'ee's intelligence
and precocious understanding.
Thereafter Imam Shati'ee was appointed to work in one of the
states in Yemen, and it was there that he was led to Haroon ar-
536 Imam ash-SMfi'ee
Rasheed, accused of giving more than proper preference to the
Prophet's family - this happened in 184 H. It was Muhammad ibn
al-J::Iasan who interceded for him, and finally, Ar-Rasheed was
convinced of Imam Shiifi'ee's innocence. Here Imam Shiifi'ee had
the opportunity of learniug from Muhammad ibn al-J::Iasan, so much
did he learn from himthat he later said, "I left Baghdad, carrying with
me a camel-load of knowledge that I received from Muhammad ibn
al-J::Iasan." He then returned to Makkah, but continued to travel
between Iraq and the l;:!ij4, until he finally settled in Egypt, in 199 H.
In Egypt, he established his new school of thought, and continued to
expand on it until he died in the year 204 H, after having filled the
world with knowledge. He had a number of students in both Iraq and
Egypt, and after his death, he was acknowledged as an Imam by the
hearts of people, acknowledged because of his profound knowledge,
intelligence, and understanding - especially regarding Allah's
Book, the Prophet's Sunnah, and the sciences and arts of the Arabic
language.
His role in defending the Sunnah
Other than his high standing in fiqh, Imam Shiifi'ee is also
ranked high by the scholars of Hadith, for it was he who put together
the principles and rules regarding the narration of hadiths. He also
proclaimed an important view in which he differed with Miilik and
Abu J::Ianeefah: that whenever a hadith is authentic, its chain being
linked until it reaches the Prophet ~ , it is obligatory to apply it
unconditionally, as opposed to the opinion of Miilik, who stipulated
that the hadith be in concordance with the practice of Madinah's
inhabitants, and of Abu J::Ianeefah, who stipulated many conditions.
That is why the people of Hadith gave him the title, N(4ir-us-SunlUlh,
or 'Supporter of the Sunnah'. ill all truth and fairness, his books, ar-
Rislilah and al-Umm, are among the most valuable of scholarly
works written regarding the Snnnah and its role in Islamic legislation.
His style was eloquent and forceful, while his proofs were irrefutable.
All who write in the sciences of the Sunnah agree that they owe mnch
to Imam Shiifi'ee for what he wrote. Az-Za'farfuri said, ''The people
of Hadith were sleeping until Shiifi'ee woke them up." Hence the
scholars ofHadith venerated Imam Shiifi're, acknowledging his high
status as a scholar. AJ:unad ibn I:Ianbai said, "Upon the neck of every
person whose hand tOuehes an inkstand or pen is the favor of
Shiifi'ee." He also said, 'We did not know ... the abrogating hadith
from the abrogated hadith until Shiifi'ee sat with us." And 'Abdur-
RaJ:uniin ibn Mahdee said, "When I saw ar-Rislilah by Shiifi'ee, it
amazed me, because I saw the speech of an understanding, eloquent,
and sincere man, and so I supplicate for him frequently."
The foundations of his school
His school is founded on the same proofs as those of the other
Imams: applying the Qur' an, the Suunah, consensus, and analogy,
except that his application of the Sunnah was comprehensive of more
hadiths than either Malik or Abu I:Ianeefah in regard to Al;tiid
narrations, and was more restrictive in regard to applying mursal
narrations; he rejected their validity as proofs, unless they were
related by the greater Tiibi'oon scholars - for instance, Sa'eed ibn
a1-Musayib. Among his other proofs is s t ~ l } 30.
There is no separate hadith compilation related from Imam
Shilfi'ee other than Musnad Shlifi'ee, related by Abul-'Abbiis a1-
30 It is a proof which involves a presumption of continuity. For instance, based
on isti-r!;ab, once a contract of sale is concluded, it is presumed to remain in
force until there is a change established by evidence.
538 Imam ash-Shiifi'ee
A{;arnm, and Sunan ash-Shfiji'ee, related by Al-Ta1.lawi. It appears
that, as is the case with Abu I;laneefab, they are the compilatious of
his studeuts (of what they learned) from him, and not his own
compilations. Unlike scholars of Hadith, he did not sit to relate
different narrations, nor did he spend all of his time gathering the
different chains of narrations; rather, he was an 'Imam Mujtabid',
who scrutinized the Sunnab, searching for anything that could serve
as a basis for legislation. He studied Hadith not to fill books, but to
serve as a basis for his ijtihad and fiqh, and that is the difference
between Hadith scholars who specialized in gathering hadiths and its
chains and the Imams, who were concerned with fiqh and legislation.
4:
Imam Ahmad
(164 H - 281 H)
His life and status as a scholar
:fJ-ee is Abu 'Abdulliih AJ:unad ibn I;!anbal ash-Shaybiini.
He was born in Baghdad in the year 164 H, and it was in Baghdad
tbat he grew up and spent his formative years. As a beginner student
of knowledge, he attended the gathering of Abu Yoosuf, Abu
I;!aneefah's student, and then he moved on to seek out the knowledge
of Hadith, the field in which he continued to excel until his
memorization of the Sunnah became truly remarkable, and until he
became the undisputed Imam of the Sunnah during his time. Imam
AJ:unad first studied fiqh from Shafi'ee, and then it was Shafi'ee who
studied Hadith from Imam AJ:unad. Also, both Bukhari and Muslim
were his students.
Trustworthiness, piety, the renunciatIOn of material
possessions and pleasures, and a steadfast devotion to the truth
.- ImamAJ:unad was known for all of those qualities. Because of his
unwavering adherence to pure Islamic beliefs, he was persecuted by
those in authority from the reign of the Caliph Al-Ma'moon until the
540 Imam AiJrnad
reign of Al-Mutawakkil; his noble stance served to inspire the masses
during his time, and especially during the centuries that followed.
Through Imam AJ;unad's trials, Muslims began to revere him even
more and they acknowledged him as an Imam. There are many
scholars that testified to Imam Al;lmad's knowledge and status, but
the following saying of Shati 'ee should perhaps suffice here: "I left
Baghdad, leaving behind no man who was better, more
knowledgable, more pious, and more righteous than AJ:unad ibn
J.Ianbal." He died in Baghdad in the year 241 H, and a great number
of people attended his funeral.
The principles upon which his school was built
The basic proofs that he recognized are the same as those that
the other Imams recognized: The Qur' an, the Sunnah, consensus, and
analogy. He would take a great deal from the Sunnah, and this is clear
from his own saying: "With me, a qa'eef hadith is more preferable
than the opinion of men." He would follow the views of the
Companions to such a great degree that ifthey had two or three views
in a given issue, he would also have two or three views regarding that
same issue, and because of that, some scholars did not rank him
among the faqeeh Imams - for example Ibn 'Abdul Barr, in al-
Intiqfi', and Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree, in Ikhtilfif al-Fuqahfi'. But the
truth about which there is no doubt is that Imam AJ;unad was an
Imam, mujtahid, and faqeeh,.even though he was best known for his
knowledge of Hadith.
The Musnad: Its ranking and hadiths
The greatest and most beneficial remnant we have of Imam
AJ:unad is his compilation, al-Musnad, in which he related
approximately 40,000 hadiths, among which 10,000 are repetitions.
The hadiths in al-Musnad were chosen from the 750,000 hadiths that
he had memorized.
His book was organized into chapters, each chapter consisting
of those hadiths that were related by the same Companion. So for
example, in spite of the different subjects of various hadiths, he
brought together into one chapter all that he related from Abu Bakr
(.).
Scholars differed regarding the status of al-Musnad. Some,
such as Abu Moosa ai-Madani, hold that every single hadith in it is
authentic and valid as a proof. His view is based on what Imam
AI:unad said in al-Musnad: "As for that which you have differed
about concerning the Messenger of Allah's Hadith, resort to it (i.e., to
al-Musnad); if you find it there, (then it is a valid proof); otherwise, it
is not a valid proof."
Other scholars hold that it consists of "the authentic, the weak,
and the fabricated". Ibn aI-Jawzi is one such scholar, for he
mentioned twenty-nine hadiths from al-Musnad that he ruled to be
fabricated. AI-I;Hifidh aI-'Iraqi added nine more hadiths to that list.
When others said that ImamAJ:uuad stipulated authenticity to include
a hadith in his compilation, AI-I.Iiifidh aI- 'Iraqi argued that Imam
Al.imad's previously quoted saying had a different meaning: that
whatever is not fouod in his compilation, is not an authentic proof,
not that everything in it is an authentic proof.
There is a group of scholars - Adh-Dhahabi, Ibn I.Iajr, Ibn
Taymiyah, and As-Suyoop - that have a view between the previous
two: that al-Musnad contains authentic and weak narrations that, if
anything, are close to being lJasan (acceptable). They argued against
the view of Ibn aI-Jawzi and AI- 'Iraqi, mentioning supporting and
strengthening narrations for those hadiths that are claimed to be
542 lmamAl;zmad
fabrications. They defended al-Musnad with a great deal of vigour,
and many of their arguments seem like mere excnses: Ibn l:;lajr even
had to admit in the end that there were perhaps three or four hadiths
in al-Musnad that had no basis. Ibn l:;lajr excnsed Imam Al,nnad,
saying that they were among those hadiths that ImamAl,nnad ordered
to be expurgated shortly before he died; however, they were
mistakenly kept in the compilation.
If one knows that ImamAJ.nnad was lenient in hadiths that had
to do with virtues and that his son (' AbdnIHih) and his main narrator
(Abn Bakr aJ-Qaji 'ee) added weak narrations to al-Musnad, then one
shonld know that the correct opinion in this issne has been stated by
Ibn aJ-Jawzi and AJ- 'Iraqi. They were from the most skilled ofhadith
critics, going beyond the chain in their criticism, delving into other
fine details. Ibn l:;lajr and As-Snyooji's defence of Imam Al,nnad
seems more like religions partisanship than anything else, for they
were trying to defend the Imam of the Snnnah ~ . Either way,
Imam Al,lmad' s status is not rednced in the least. Io Minhfij as-
Sunnah, Ibn Taymiyah said:
"Al,nnad's position in al-Musnadwas not to relate from those whom
he knew to be liars, even thongh that consisted of the fja'eef Then
'AbdnJliih ibn Al,lmad added weak narrations to al-Musnad; Abn
Bakr aJ-Qaji 'ee did the same. Many of those additions were
fabricated hadiths, and so the uninitiated may think that these were
the narrations of Al,lmad in his Musnad."
5
Imam Bukhari
(194 H - 256 H)
:!l-ee is Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad ibn Isma'eel ibn
Ibraheem ibn al-Mugheerah ibn Burdazbah al-Ja'fee, the Imam of
Hadith scholars and the undisputed Shaykh of Hadith scholars during
his time. On Friday, the 13th of Shaw31, 194 H, he was born in
Bukhara
31
. Still not ten years of age, he began to memorize hadiths,
and he continued to pursue that line of study, traveling to the most
famous of Islamic centres known for Hadith studies. He said about
himself, "I went to Syria, Egypt, and the Arabian Peninsula two times
each; to Basra four times; I stayed in the J::!ijaz for six years, and I
cannot count the number of times I entered Baghdad and Kufa with
the scholars of Hadith."
Whenever Imam Bukhari heard of anotljer Hadith scholar, he
would travel to him, test his knowledge, and leam from him; his
memory and piercing insight into the defects of chains and texts were
remarkable. Mal;imood ibn an-Nadhir ibn Sahl Shiifi'ee said, "I met
with the scholars of Basra, Syria, the J::!ijaz, and Kufa, and whenever
Muhammad ibn Isma'eel al-Bukhari was mentioned, they would
raise his status above their own."
31 In what is now known as Uzbekistan. (Editor)
544 Imam Bukhari
Bukhari once heard his Shaykh Is-l;1ilq ibn Riihawai say to his
students, "Would that you compiled a summarized book containing
the authentic Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ~ ) . Bukhari later
said, "That appealed to my heart, and I began to gather the
compilation of the authentic." And he continued to compile and
refine that book for sixteen labor-filled years - he would add a
hadith that compilation ouly after taking a ritual shower, performing
two units of prayer, then performing Istikhfirah 32. That the chain of
narrators was linked, that the narrators were knowu for both their
trustworthiness and their sound memory, and that each narrator is
established to have met the one he related from (it was not enough for
the two to have lived at the same time; their meeting had to be
established) - all of these conditions had to be fulfilled. And as
such, it became the first book of Sunnah to lay down so many precise
and stringent conditions. Not ouly did he discard the weak hadith
from his compilation, but the 1}asan (acceptable) one as well,
Imam Bukhari organized the chapters of his book according to
subjects in fiqh; he would often break up a hadith into two sections,
mentioning each section in the appropriate chapter. With repetitions,
Ibn I;Iajr (Ji'atl; al-Bliri) counted 7398 hadiths. And without those
hadiths that were mu'alliq, mutlibi', mawqooj,33 or repetitions, he
counted 2602 hadiths. After having completed and refined his
compilation, Imam al-Bukhari presented it to AI;1mad, Ibn Mu'een,
Ibn al-Madeeni, and other Imams of Hadith; with the exception of
four hadiths (in it), they all bore wituess to its authenticity. And even
regarding those four hadiths, Al- 'Uqaylee said, "The opinion to be
32 Asking Allah to guide him in making the correct decision.
33 Mu'alliqat, mutiibi'at, and mawqoo[fit, are three kinds of narrations that are
not always considered to be independent, integral entries of Imam Bukhari's
$alj,eel). A mawqoof narration, for instance, consists of a saying that is
ascribed, not to the Prophet (bpuh), but to a Companion. (Translator)
taken in this matter is that of Bukhari." When he allowed for the
(compilation of the) book to be made known, it was instantly
received with praise; as many as 100,000 people heard it from him,
and so copies of it were distributed throughout Muslim lands.
Scholars dedicated their time to studying it, explaining it, and
sunuruuizing it. Adh-Dhahabi said, "As for the authentic compilation
of Bukhari, itis the noblest and best ofIslarnic books, corning second
only to Allah's Book. .."
Al-I:Iiifidh ibn I:Iajr criticized 110 of the hadiths in $alJeelJ
Bukhari; those criticisms, however, even ifthey were justified, do not
in any way decrease those hadiths to a level lower than authentic
For example, some scholars say that one of Bukhari's
hadiths is mursal, when it is mursal in appearance only; in reality, the
scholars of Hadith know it to be connected. 1ms is an example of the
kind of hadith from $alJeelJ al-Bukhari that is criticized.
The scholars ofhadith have ruled that approximately 80 of the
narrators found in $alJeelJ al-Bukhari are weak; yet they were Imam
Bukhari's teachers - he was the one who sat with them and knew
their qualities as well as their hadiths. One realizes that any criticism
of Bukhari - whether in the text or the chains - has no effect
whatsoever on the value of the book, for consensus has been
established - the scholars have received it with acceptance, the
majority of them agreeing that it is the most authentic book after
Allah's Book.
Imam Bukhari died in the year 256 H. Scholars of Islam have
paid attention to no book - except the Qur' an - as they have to
$alJeelJ al-Bukhari. Commentaries, summaries, biographies of its
narrators - countless such books have been written. As the author of
Kash! adh-Dhunoon said, the number of commentaries alone is
eighty two. The most famous of those commentaries are four: At-
TanqeelJ, by Imam Badr-ud-Deen az-Zarkashee (794 H); the best,
546 Imam Bukhari
most complete, and most famous of those commentaries, Fatl; al-
Bari, by Ibn I;lajr (852 H); 'Umdat ul-Qaree, by Al-'Alliimab al-
'Uyainee al-I;lanafee (855 H); and at-Tawsheel;, by JalaI-ud-Deen as-
Suyoo(i (911 H).
6
Imam Muslim
(204 H - 261 H)
f}ne of the most famous Imams of hadith, he is Muslim ibn
al-I;!ajjaj al-Qushayri an-Naysaboori, born in 204 H, in Nishapur.
34
As is the custom with most great scholars, he began his studies when
he was young and traveled to many lands to seek knowledge - Iraq,
the I;lijiiz, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. He studied under the scholars
of those lands, among whom were the teachers of Bnkhari. He had a
great love for Bnkhari, holding him in high regard, which is perhaps
why he emulated him in writing a compilation of authentic hadiths;
however, there occurred an estrangement between the two in their
final years. Imam Muslim died in Nishapur in 261 H.
He authored Saf;eef; Muslim, which, along with Saf;eef; al-
Bukhari, ranks as the most authentic book - after the Qur' an. Yet
most scholars give preference to the compilation of Bnkhari, and for
a number of reasons:
1. Bnkhari stipulated that a narrator had to have met the one he
narrated from; it was not enough that they merely be contemporaries,
whereas that was enough for Mnslim.
34 A city in Khorasan, Persia (now Iran). (Editor)
548 Imam Muslim
2. The precision of Imam Bnkhari, for his book contains many
deductions in jurisprudence, deductions that are not found in Imam
Muslim's compilation.
3. Bnkhari's circumspection when it came to accepting narrators; the
scholars of Hadith have criticized only eighty of his narrators, and
even the ruling regarding them is open to argument. The scholars of
hadith have criticized 160 of Muslim's narrators. Regarding the
eighty narrators criticized in Sal;eel; al"Bukhari, Imam Bnkhari did
not relate hadiths from them often; furthermore, most of them were
his teachers, about whom he knew more than did those that came
after him.
4. Compared to Muslim, very few of Bnkhari's hadiths were
criticized for having hidden defects. In this regard, the former was
criticized regarding 130 hadiths, while the latter was criticized
regarding only seventy-eight.
For the above-mentioned reasons, most scholars rank Sal;eel;
al-Bukhari above Sal;eel; Muslim, and yet they all agree that Imam
Bnkhari holds a higher status than Imam Muslim in the science of
Hadith - even Imam Muslim acknowledged that. Muslim related
from Bnkhari, while Bnkhari did not relate anything from Muslim.
It is true, however, that Muslim's book is superior to that of
Bnkhari in certain aspects - aspects that have more to do with the
design of the book than anything else. For example, Muslim would
not separate a hadith into two parts, nor wonld he repeat the mention
of a chain; rather, he mentioned all that was related about a hadith
together in a single chapter, and that makes it an easier study for a
student than Sal;eel; al-Bukhari. Also, Imam Muslim wrote an
invaluable introduction in which he explained both the reasons that
prompted him to compile Sal;eel; Muslim and the methodology he
followed in doing so.
Not counting repetitions, Sa!;ee!; Muslim contains 4000
hadiths; counting repetitions, it contains 7275 hadiths. Many notable
scholars wrote commentaries on Sa!;ee!; Muslim. The author of Kashf
adh-Dhunoon mentioned fifteen commentaries, the most famous of
them having been authored by Imam Al-I.Iiifidh Abu Zakariyah
Yal;1yii ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi ash-Shiifi'ee (676 H). A number of
scholars summarized Sa!;ee!; Muslim, the most famous of those
summaries are l k h e e ~ Kitiib Muslim wa-Sharl;ihi, by Alpnad ibn
'Vmar al-Ququbee (656 H); and the summary of Al-I.Iiifidh Zaki ad-
Deen 'Abdul-'Adheem al-Mundhiree (656 H).35
35 Tahdheeb al-AsmiJ', by An-N.w.wi, 2/89; and Miftiil; as-Sunnah, p. 46.
7
Imam An-Nasa'i
and his Sunan
(215 H - 303 H)
::Jee is Abu 'Abdur-RaJ:uniin A!.Jmad ibn Shu'ayb al-
Khurasiini, Al-J:.Iiifidh. During his time, he was an Imam both in
Hadith and in judging the character and reliability of narrators. In the
year 215 H, he was born in Nasa, a famous city in Khorasan. He
studied under the scholars of hadith in Khorasan, the I,Iijiiz, Iraq,
Egypt, Syria, Palestine and the Arabian Peninsula. He was not only
skilled in the sciences of hadith, but he was also pious and dutiful in
his own life. So knowledgeable was he in hadith, Adh-Dhahabi said
that he had memorized more than even Imam Muslim. In 303 H, he
died - may Allah have mercy upon him - in Rarnlah, Palestine.
Nasa'i fIrst authored Sunan al-Kubrah, a book that consisted
both of authentic and defective narrations. He then shortened its
length (Sunan calling it al-Mujtabfih, a compilation that
has no superior in ranking other than Sal;teel;t al-Bukhari and Sal;teel;t
Muslim. From among the different Sunan compilations, it contains
the smallest number of weak narrations. In a short volume entitled
Zahr ar-RiM 'Alal-Mujtabfi, AI-Jaliil as-Snyooti explained Nasa'i's
Sunan. A J:.IanafI scholar, Muhanunad ibn 'Abdul-HOOi as-Sindee
552 Imam an-Nasa'i and his Sunan
(1138 H), also wrote a commentary, limiting himself to explaining
only that which the reader and student needed in order to pronounce
each word correctly and to understand difficnlt vocabnlary.
8
Imam Abu Dawood
and his Sunan
(202 H - 275 H)
::lee is Sulayman ibu al-Ash'ath ibu Is-\:laq al-Asdee as-
Sijjistiiui.
36
He was born in 202 H and in order to seek out
knowledge, he traveled to Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and
Khorasan. He wrote hadiths from the scholars of those regions,
taking from the teachers of Bukhari and Muslim - for example,
Imam A\:lrnad, Ibn Abi Shaybah, Qutaybah ibn Sa'eed, and others.
Among others, he also studied from An-Nasa'i. The scholars praised
him for his memory, knowledge, understanding, piety, and
righteousness. AI-J:Iiikim Abu 'Abdulliih said of him, "Without a
doubt, Abu Dawood was the Imam of the people of Hadith in his
time'" In 275 H, he died in Basra - may Allah have mercy on him.
He had to choose which hadiths to put in his Sunan, and from his
stock of 500,000 hadiths, he ended up selecting 4800. He limited
them to those hadiths that had to do with jurisprudence, thus making
him the first compiler from the authors of the Sunan and the two
fjal}.eel} collections to compile a book specifically for rulings in
jurisprudence. His Sunan comprises of those hadiths upon which
36 His name means that he came from Sagestan, in Afghanistan. (Editor)
554 Imam Abu Dfiwood aud his Sunan
Junsts based their rulings, which is perhaps why Sulayrnan al-
KhaWibi said in Ma 'filim as-Sunan:
"Know - may Allah have mercy on you - that the Sunan of Abu
Dawood is a noble book - no book like it has been written regarding
the knowledge of our Religion. It has been received with acceptance
by the people and has become a judge, ruling between the different
groups of scholars... Most of the people of Khorasan are attached to
the book of Muhammad ibn Isma'eel (Bukhari) and that of Muslim
ibn al-J::Iajjaj, and those who follow them, in terms of gathering the
authentic based on their conditions ... except that the book of Abu
Dawood paves the way better (for students and scholars) and
contains more fiqh. And the book of Abu 'Eesa (Tirmidhi) is also a
good book."
Ibn a1)-Salii1:) related the following, in which Abu Dawood
himself explained the principles upon which he compiled his book:
"I mentioned in it that which is authentic, or similar to it, or close to
it. Whenever my book contains something that is extremely weak, I
have pointed that out. If I say nothing, then the hadith is acceptable,
and some of the hadiths are more authentic than others."
Ibn Mundah said, "If there was a chapter for which he could find
nothing else, he wouJd relate a narration that had a weak chain,
because he considered that to be stronger than the opinions ofpeople."
Many scholars have explained his Sunan, such as Al-Khartiibi
(388 H), Qurb-ud-Deen al-Yamanee Shiifi'ee (752 H), Shibab-ud-
Deeu ar-Ramlee (844 H). A1-J::Iiifidh al-Mundharee (656 H)
summarized Sunan Abu Dfiwood, and then Ibn al-Qayyim (751 H)
refined that summary. Sharaf-uJ-J::Iaqq al- 'Adheem Abiidi also
explained the Sunan, calling his explanation, 'Awn al-Ma 'bood. A
contemporary scholars, MaJ:unood Kharrab as-Sabkee wrote an
explanation of Sunan called SharlJ Mustafeetj.
9
Imam At-Tirmidhi
and his
(209 H - 270 H)
:!leeis Abu 'Eesa Muhammad ibn 'Eesa ibn Soorah ibn as-
Salamee at-Tirmidhi. He was born in Terrnez
37
in the year 209 H. In
Muqaddimah Tayseer al- Ibn ad-Dabee' ash-Shaybani stated
that Tirmidhi was born in the year 200 H. He studied hadith from
many scholars, among whom were the following: Qutaybah ibn
Sa'eed, Is-1;laq ibn Moosa, Sufiyan ibn Wakee" and Muhammad ibn
Isma'eel al-Bukhari.
He traveled throughout the Muslim lands, leaming from
scholars in Khorasan, Iraq, and the l;lijaz, until he became an Imamin
Hadith; and in terms of his character, he was known for his piety,
righteousness, and trustworthiness. Abu Ya'la al-Khaleeli stated,
"It is agreed upon that he is trustworthy, and enough to establish his
trustworthiness is the fact that the Imam of the Hadith scholars,
Muhammad ibn Ismii'eel al-Bukhari, would depend on him and
accept (hadiths) from him." In the year 279 H, he died - may Allah
have mercy on him - in Terrnez.
37 A city in Uzbekistan. (Editor)
556 Imam at-Tirmidhi and his Jiimi'
Tirmidhi authored his compilation, aI-Jami', orgamzmg it
according to the different chapters of fiqh; it consists of the authentic,
the acceptable, and weak (hadiths). Each hadith is graded, and if a
hadith is weak, he explains why. In each issue for which he
establishes a chapter, he clarifies the views of the Companions and
the prominent scholars of different regions.
Many scholars have written commentaries on aI-Jami " such
as Abu Bakr ibn al- 'Arabi (543 H), Al-JalaJ as-Suyooji, Ibn Rajab al-
I;!anbali (795 H), and 'Abdur-Ral:tman al-Mubiirakfoori al-Hindee
(1353 H), who titled his commentary, Tul;fatuI-Al;wadhee.
10
Imam Ibn Majah
and his Sunan
(207 H - 273 H)
tJee is Al-I:liifidh Abu 'Abdulliih ibn Yazeed ibn Majah.
He was born in 207 H. He continued to seek out the knowledge of
hadith, learning from the companions of Miilik and Layth ibn Sa'd.
Many are those who related from him. Abu Ya'la al-Khaleeli al-
Qizweeni said: "He was a scholar in this matter and the author of
many books, such as at-Tareekh and as-Sunan. He traveled to the
two Iraq's, Egypt, Syria and Palestine." Ibn Katheer said, "He is the
author of the famous Sunan, a book that points to his knowledge,
practice, depth, research, and to his following of the Sunnah, both in
the foundations of Islam and in jurispmdence." His compilation,
Sunan, consists of 4000 hadiths; all of them, save a few, are
acceptable. He died - may Allah have mercy on him - in the year
273 H.
The ranking of his Sunnah
Many of the earlier scholars, as well as some of the later ones,
considered there to be five principal compilations of the Hadith:
Bukhari, Muslim, Nasa'i, Abu Dawood, and Tirmidhi; however,
558 Imam Ibn Mlijah and his Sunan
seeing the benefit of Ibn Miijah's book (especially in fiqh), some of
the later scholars added Ibn Majah to that list. The first to do so was
Al-I:Iiifidh Abu a1-FaQl Muhammad ibn Tahir a1-Maqdasee (507 H);
some demnrred, expressing their view that the sixth book should be
that of ad-Dfuimee. They argued that Ibn Majah related some hadiths
that were narrated by men who had been accused of lying and
stealing hadiths. Meanwhile, others held that the sixth book should
be al-Muwarrd', because of its authenticity and importance. Of the
four Sunan, that of Ibn Majah is the lowest in status.
Many have explained his Sunan: two notable examples being
Mnbammad ibn ad-Dnmayri (808 H), for example, and As-Suyoo(i
in az-Zujdjah 'Aid Sunan Ibn Mdjah.
This is what Allah helped me to write; to Him belongs all
praise, in the beginning and at the end. 0 Allah, send prayers and
salutations upon Muhammad, his family, and his Companions, And
all praise is for Allah, Lord of all that exists.
Glossary of Islamic terms
l
'Ajwah
Atlu'ir
,1.>1 A category of hadith describing
narrations that are related by one or
two narrators who in tum related it
from one or two narrators until the
chain ends at the Prophet ~ , or a
narration that is related by a group of
narrators who constitute a number that
is still fewer than the minimum
requirement for the mutawatir
narration
;~ A specific variety of dates that come
from Madinah
.r- Mid-afternoon; the obligatory prayer
at that time
).iT Lit. remains, traces, all narrations,
regardless of whether they are related
from the Prophet ~ , from the
Companions, or from the tiibi'oon
I This Arabic words are transliterated according to the conventions of the
Transliteration Chart found in this book. If a word has become part of the
English language (i.e. is found in a dictionary of Standard English), that
spelling is used in this book and appears first in this Glossary, with the
transliterated fann in brackets after it.
560 Glossary
Bait al- .illl ..::... The Islamic tenn for Jerusalem
.r -.
Maqdis
Bid'ah

Innovation
l)a'eef

A grade of hadith: weak
Da'wah Calling people to accept and embrace
Islam
Dinar (deenar)

A gold coin; a unit of currency
Dirham
I""J'
A silver coin; a unit of currency
Eeman
.:>\.<1
Faith; belief in all the six pillars of the
creed of Islam
Faqeeh

Scholar of jurisprudence
Fatwa
<.SP
Religious decision or decree
Fiqh
,..;
Jurisprudence
Ghareeb

A grade of hadith: Lit. 'strange' or
'unusual'
Hadith

The collected sayings and actions of
Prophet Muhammad that with the
Qur' an fonn the basis of Islamic law
hadith (iJadeeth)

A saying or action of Prophet
Muhammaq that was remembered and
recorded by his Companions and
followers
lfafidh
Jo;b- The one who has memorized (the
Qur' an)': an honorific title
Hajj (iJajj)
rt:"
The major pilgrimage to the Sacred
Mosque, site of the Kaaba at Makkah,
to be undertaken by every able Muslim
once in hislher lifetime
Halal (iJalal)
J')\.,. Permitted according to Islamic law
HariJm (J:!arlim)
r'.r-
Forbidden according to Islamic law
lfasan
A grade of hadith: acceptable

lfikmah Lit. wisdom; here it refers to the
Smmah of Prophet Muhammad
Ijmli'
tt.:-l
Couseusus: a method of deriving
ruliugs in jurisprudeuce
Inshli' Allah illl .w. ,,1 Allah willing
Ijtihlid

To use one's knowledge of the Qur' an
and the Smmah to derive rnlings on
matters not specifically mentioned in
either source of Islamic law
Isnlid The chain of narration through which a
hadith can be traced back to the
Prophet
Jayyid
k
A grade of hadith: good
Jibreel
-l'..$
The Angel Gabriel
Jihad (jihdd) Struggle or striving for the cause of
Allah or His religion
Jizyah

A tax levied on the people of the
Scriptures when they are under the
protection of a Muslim government
Kaaba

The House of Allah in Makkah,
(ka'bah) origiually built by Prophets Ibriiheem
and Isma'eel
Khabr
P.-
Lit. uews, report: a narration of any
kind
Maghrib

Sunset; the obligatory prayer at that
time
Mihriis

tL"..
al-Mursalah :u...}1
Al-Masjid
-":--ll
al-lfardm
il.r
l
Mawqoof ..:.,;.,.
562 Glossary
Mahr .* Obligatory marriage gift presented by
the groomto the bride, and a necessary
stipnlation of the marriage contract
Ma'roof Lit. act(s) of kindness; in Islamic
discourse it refers to all that Islam
ordains
Actions introduced in order to
safeguard the rights of the majority of
the people in a community
The Sacred Mosque in Makkah where
the Kaaba is situated
Lit. 'restricted': a category of hadith
that is actually not concerning a saying
or action of the Prophet but rather
concerns sayings or actions of the
Companions
..,...1.* Originally, a large rock hollowed out
so as to fonn a basin to hold water
Mu'aq,q,al
Muq,rarib
j.1..... A category of hadith: a narration
whose chain is missing two narrators
or more
..,.,.M A category of hadith in which the
different narrations of the same hadith
differ, either in the text or the chain,
without the possibility of preferring
one narration to the others, simply
because they are all equal in their
authenticity and in the fact that they
are related by trustworthy narrators
Mufassir
One who engages in tafseer, i.e., one

who (pI: mufassiroon) interprets the
Qur'an
Mufti
A learned person qualified to issue a

derived ruling from revealed sources
Mul}addith ':"J.: One who memorizes and relates
hadiths; one who studies hadiths
Mujtahideen

Scholars who use their knowledge of
the Qur' an and the Sunnah to derive
rulings on matters not specifically
mentioned in either source of Islamic
law; i.e., they practice ijtihfuI
Al-Munkar (1)
.f.:ll
Lit. something disavowed; abominable
act(s); in Islamic discourse it refers to
all that Islam has forbidden
Munkar (2) >::.. A category of hadith which is related
.r
by only one narrator, who is neither
upright nor precise
Munqa{i'
A category of hadith: a narration in

which one narrator - who is not a
Companion - is missing, or if an
obscure narrator is mentioned
Mursal
J.-r
A category of hadith: a narration that a
tiibi' ee ascribes to the Prophet
A
without mentioning the Companion
that he took it from
Musnad .l:......o A compilation (made by his student)
of the hadiths related by an Imam

Hadith criticism
ul-Hadeeth

564 Glossary
Mutawiitir
Qeeriit
Qiblah
(qiblah)
Qiyiis
Sii'
Sal;eel;
ShOOh
Shaykh
Sharia
(shari'ah)

Sunnah
i1p A category of hadith describing
narrations that are related by a group
of npright and trustworthy narrators
who also related from a group of
upright and trustworthy narrators, and
so on, until the narration ends at the
Prophet
J,1;.:i Lit., an amount of gold equal to three
grains of wheat (i.e., a carat)
:u.,; The bearing from the Kaaba to any
point on Earth; the direction that all
Muslims must face in prayer
,-,,",I,; Analogy: a method of deriving rulings
in jurisprudence
t.l.p A measurement roughly equivalent to
3 kg
A grade of hadith: sound or authentic
; w, A category of hadith in which a
trustworthy narrator contradicts the
narration of one who is more
trustworthy
6-l' Teacher, mentor; scholar
:t...-r' Islamic law derived from the Qur'an
and the Sunnah
A section of the Prophet's Mosque
made into a 'hostel' for poor, single
Muslim men and youths
S The practice and collected sayings of
Prophet Muhammad, that together
with the Qur' an forms the basis of
Islamic law
Tabi'oon
. \;
Those who knew or met any of the
~
(sing. tabi'ee) Companions and transmitted hadiths
from them
Tadlees ..,..,J.l:> Any fonn of deception, whether
innocent or otherwise, when relating a
narration
Tafseer
~
Interpretation, explanation or exegesis
(usu. of the QUI'an)
Tai]iyfit
~ ~
Lit. greeting: a fonnula recited in the
sitting position of the prayer that
contains words that indicate the
glorification of Allah, His eternal
existence, His perfection, and His
sovereignty
Tasbeei]
~
The recitation of phrases glorifying
Allah; saying SubiJ[in Allah
Tashahhud
-4-:J
The testimony that states that there is
none worthy of worship other than
Allah, He has no partners, and that
Mnhannnad ~ is His Slave and His
Messenger
Tawi]eed
J..>
The Oneness of Allah: that He alone
.J'
deserves to be worshipped and that He
has no partners
'Umrah
;.!""
A minor, non-obligatory pilgrimage to
Makkah
U ~ o o l al-jiqh
.wJI J"""I
Principles of Islamic jurisprudence
Zaldit (zaldih i\S'j Obligatory charity: an 'alms tax' on
or zakat) wealth payable by Muslims and to be
distributed to other Muslims who
qualify as recipients
Index
'Abbiisiyoon, 262, 352
abrogated hadiths, 168
abrogating hadiths, 168
Abu Hurayrah, 34, 42, 43, 57,
59,66,70,88,93,96-99,108,
111, 197,225,258,271,289,
301, 305, 336, 349, 363-440,
476, 477, 481, 482, 515, 516
Abu Rayyah, 33, 34, 36-40, 43,
50, 55-59, 61, 62, 65-69, 399-
404, 408-429, 436-441, 480"
484
A1)ad narrations, 192, 193, 226,
236-238, 240, 241, 248-250,
367, 436, 449, 515-517, 537
Ameen, Ahmad, 48, 62, 253,
254, 301-304, 306, 310, 313,
315, 318-320, 322, 324, 349,
357, 360, 365, 369, 376, 427,
476
analogy, 196, 202, 219, 239,
330-332, 377, 395-397, 464"
466, 489, 493, 500, 508-511,
513, 522, 524, 537, 540
iithiir, 315, 316, 505
Az-Zuhri, 45, 48, 48, 113, 136,
147, 148, 224, 226, 255-257,
262, 263, 265, 266, 271-286,
288-295, 297, 298, 306, 496,
523
Bayt al-Maqdis, 289, 290, 327,
470
Caliphate, 40, 41, 98, 99, 106,
109, 113, 117, 143, 183-185,
187, 189, 199, 224, 246, 273,
298, 405, 478, 506
caliphate, 'Ali, 113
caliphme, 'Umm, 99, 106, 506
caliphate, 'Uthman, 113, 184,
185
caliphate, Abu Bakr, 224
Cambridge, University, 43, 46,
47
chain of narration, 226, 279,
280, 561
consensus, 132, 141, 162, 184,
192, 196, 211, 213, 219, 229,
234, 236, 238, 239, 313, 332,
334, 347, 386, 397, 416, 418,
427, 438, 454, 502, 510, 512,
524, 530, 537, 540, 545
<;Ia'eef hadith, 134, 135, 137,
145,153,510,511,540,542,
560
Discord, 108, 128, 146, 185-
188, 190, 268, 296
568 Index
fabrication, 61, 99, 109, 113-
115, 118, 119, 122, 124, 125,
137, 139, 142, 144, 174, 188,
189, 226, 229, 231, 259, 262,
266, 268-270, 301, 304, 349-
353, 355, 358, 360-364, 372,
449, 492, 516
fabrications, 18, 26, 30, 41, 58,
97, 109, 110, 113, 114, 118,
124-126, 129, 146, 152, 172-
175,223,229,255,257,266-
270, 283, 293, 301, 304-306,
309, 310, 322, 328-330, 351,
353,354,365,398,415,423,
428, 477, 481, 492, 515, 542
faqeeh, 74, 279, 280, 377, 381,
395-397, 427, 513, 516, 540
fiqh, 55, 73, 74, 76, 123, 124,
135, 152, 159, 199, 200, 253,
312, 329, 330, 332, 376, 488,
499-504, 507, 514, 524, 529-
532, 535, 536, 538, 539, 544,
554, 556, 558
Goldziher, Ignaz, 44-49, 55,
254, 255, 258-272, 281, 284-
290, 292-302, 329, 366, 370,
372, 377, 398, 439, 440
(hadith) categories, 125, 130,
131, 133-135, 137, 152, 153,
166, 167, 169, 170, 172, 191,
207, 210, 229, 232, 235, 312,
367, 386, 428, 450, 452
hadith compilations, 365, 526
Hadith criticism, 153-155, 189,
300, 341, 342, 345, 348, 349,
360, 366, 427, 563
\.lasan hadith, 134, 135
1;ikmah, 78, 79, 203-205, 561
ijrn/i', 141, 197, 198, 211, 219,
234, 239, 524
ijtihfid, 74, 186, 227, 239, 332,
397, 489, 500-502, 517, 520,
531, 538, 563
Imam AJ:rmad, 32, 150, 173,
174,236,280,281,307,310,
313, 314, 315, 317, 322, 416,
441, 459, 464, 486, 499-501,
522, 532, 539-542, 553
Imam Bukhari, 153, 174, 304,
315, 328, 372, 532, 543-545,
548
Imam Mill, 32, 131, 148, 153,
156,276,277,281,323,486,
491,494,498, 504, 505, 523,
525-532
Imam Muslim, 128, 135, 150,
153,174,279,280,300,321,
359, 547, 548, 551
Imam Shiifi'ee, 202"209, 212-
214, 219, 222, 241, 247-250,
281, 332, 471, 499, 505, 525,
532, 535-537
innovation, 74, 88, 128, 132,
162, 193, 194, 196, 198, 268,
269, 331, 342, 343, 560
Islamic jurisprudence, 34, 188,
227,236,241,356,469,490,
498,565
jizyah, 141, 142,247,350,515,
561
jurisprudence, principles, 76,
227, 236
Magian, 247, 515
Ma'roof, 80, 195, 562
al-ma:,alifJ al-mursl1lah al-
masjid al-haram, 524
masaneed, 149, 503, 504
munkar, 80, 135, 136, 144,565
Mu'tazilah, 37, 39, 57, 61, 67,
68, 132, 178, 191-200, 208,
236, 310, 334, 399, 436, 522
mufJaddith, 258, 513, 523, 530,
531, 563
mujtahideen, 32, 76, 332, 563
MUlji'ah, 142, 500
Musnad, 111, 150, 173, 281,
313, 315, 317, 363, 373, 416,
421,441,504,505,532,537,
540-542, 563
mutawatir narration, 65, 87, 110,
141,143, 191, 193, 198,201, ,
224, 226, 231,235, 236, 240,
241,245,366,367,445,446,
469, 472, 473, 559, 564
narrations, 18, 26, 37, 56-59,
61,62,64,65,67,69,92,94,
96, 98, 100-103, 105, 106,
112, 115-118, 122, 124, 126-
133, 135-138, 141-144, 146,
148, 150, 152, 153, 157, 160-
175, 178, 187-193, 196-198,
201-203, 206, 208-211, 213,
214, 217, 218, 222, 223-232,
234-241, 248-250, 255, 258,
259 262-270, 273, 277, 279- ,
280, 287-293, 300, 301, 304,
305, 307-320, 322, 323, 327-
330, 333-337, 339-341, 343-
345, 347, 348, 351-360, 365,
367, 375, 377-380, 383-394,
396,399,403,407,409,412,
415, 419-424, 426-431, 433,
434, 436, 438, 439, 446-450,
459, 487, 489, 492, 496-498,
502, 505, 506, 508, 510-512,
515-517, 519, 520, 523, 527-
532, 538, 541, 542, 544, 551,
559, 562, 564
narrator criticism, 155, 159, 166,
279,286,292,322,323,341-
344
Nidham, 194, 196-199, 213,
360, 368,
Nidhiimryah, 193, 196
Orientalists, 17, 30, 31, 35-38,
43-50, 52-55, 62, 144, 178,
190, 199, 251-254, 259, 271,
303, 306, 324, 329, 346, 356,
357, 360, 366, 368, 371-374,
377, 398, 399, 424, 439, 476,
533
people of desires, 52, 114, 115,
119, 132, 133, 253, 255, 259,
271, 281, 331, 353, 357, 420
people of opinion, 159
570 Index
people of the Sunnah, 40-43,67,
114-116, 128, 142, 179, 188,
192, 194, 199, 208, 268, 269,
341-343, 367
qiblah, 243, 470, 564
qiyfis, 197, 198, 219, 489, 524
RfifitJah, 114-116, 132, 133,
143, 212, 236, 237, 336, 367,
399
hadith, 134, 135, 137,
145, 150, 153, 545
Schacht, Josef, 44, 45, 46, 47
Shaykh, 18, 20, 24, 118, 131,
134, 138, 143, 151, 154, 155,
164, 174, 176, 208, 254, 280,
281, 289, 291, 295-297, 302,
317,326,350,386,414,482,
488,491, 527, 529, 531, 543,
544,564
Sharia,27, 29, 33,51,62,69, 70,
77, 79, 101, 110, 126, 131,
140, 145, 155, 161,214,219,
221, 222, 230, 231-233, 263,
266, 299, 304, 333, 419, 449,
456, 457, 466, 515, 564
368, 406, 407, 410
Sunnah, definitiOn, 73
Tabi'oon, 35, 57, 95, 103, 108,
113, 128, 129, 136, 145, 146,
148-150, 156, 166, 170, 216,
217, 225, 226, 271-273, 280,
294-296, 300, 304, 311, 315-
317, 334, 372, 375, 384, 390,
391,397,399,419,420,422,
433,440,448,514,526,528,
529, 531, 537, 565
Umawiyoon, 255-257, 261-264,
266-268, 271, 281, 284, 285,
298, 300, 352
al-Fiqh, 73, 386
193-195, 197, 198
193
zakat, 77, Ill, 203, 207, 220-
223, 227, 233, 258, 301, 448,
450, 463, 467, 565
Zaniidiqah, 117-121, 126, 133,
145, 196, 200, 229

The Sunnah and Its Role in Islamic Legislation

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\JLbe

(as a long vowel) ee

(Omitted in initial position)

'_""') .,. jl15::Ji ..L.J

~ e scholars of hadith have classified narrations into two

A grade of hadith: acceptable

One who engages in tafseer, i.e., one

A learned person qualified to issue a

A category of hadith: a narration in

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