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Light on the Muhammadan Sunnah or Defence of the Hadith

Author(s): Shaykh Mahmud Abu Rayyah

Translator(s): Hasan Muhammad Al-Najafi

Publisher(s): Ansariyan Publications - Qum

www.alhassanain.org/english

Throughout history many false ahadith were ascribed to our holy Prophet (S). The situation got to the point that people who met the Prophet (S) once or not at all transmitted more narrations that the people who actually lived with our beloved Prophet (S).

This book is an amazing attempt to discern what is true and what is false, who is on the right side and who has the truth in their grasp.

The author's endeavour is even more wondrous as studying ahadith is a slow and tiring process of studying dates, characters and many many books.

Miscellaneous information:

Light on the Muhammadan Sunnah or Defence of the Hadith Author: Mahmud Abu Riyyah Translator: Hasan M. Najafi Publisher: Ansariyan Publications No. of Copies: 2000 First Edition 1419 H. - 1999 A.D. ISBN: 964-438-039-8 Ansariyan Publications – Qum Islamic Republic Of Iran

Notice:

This version is published on behalf of www.alhassanain.org/english

The composing errors are not corrected.

Table of Contents

Publisher’s Foreword 13

Dedication 14

Note 14

Dr. Taha Husayn’s Foreword 15

Adwa’ ‘ala al-Sunnah al-Muhammadiyyah 15

The Author’s Response 22

Notes 23

Introduction 24

Definition of the Book 24

Motives behind Compilation of this Book 25

Narrating Hadith through Denotation 27

Hadith of That Who Lied Against Me 28

The Compositions 28

Abu Hurayrah 28

Collecting and Inscribing the Qur’an 28

Inscribing the Hadith 29

Origin of Science of Hadith 29

Scholars’ Stance toward Hadith 29

A General Word 30

Notes 33

Introduction of the Second Edition 34

For Truth and History 35

An Indispensable Explanation 36

Notes 39

Introduction to the Third Edition 40

Al-Sunnah 41

Position of Sunnah in Religion 42

Influence of Messenger’s Speech on Worldly Affairs 44

Obligation Not Necessitated by Messenger’s Order Merely 46

Forbiddance from Writing the Hadith 47

Companions and Hadith Relating 52

Companions’ Strictness in Admitting the Reports 55

To Lie against Messenger of Allah 57

Decisive Correct Evidences on Reality of the Hadith Who Lied Against Me 58

Fabricating a Lie against the Prophet during His Lifetime 61

Fabricating Lies Against The Prophet After His Death 62

Sentence of That Who Lied Against the Prophet 63

To Lie Against the Prophet is a Major Sin 64

Degrees of the Companions 64

Divergence among Companions in Narrating Truthfully 65

Companions’ Reporting From Each Other and From the Followers 65

Reporting from Malik and Yahya al-Ansari 66

The Companions Criticizing Each Other 67

Narration of Hadith after Its Writing Was Forbidden By Prophet 69

Narrating Hadith by Meaning and Disagreement among Scholar 70

Forms Of Tashahhud 74

Word of Monotheism 77

Listening To Hadith Not to Songs 78

Notes 79

Examples On Narrating Hadith By Meaning Hadith Of Islam And Faith 85

Hadith of I Married Her to You with What you Have 86

Hadith of Performing Prayers in Banu Qurayzah 87

An example for this can be seen in al-Nawawi’s saying in the hadith 88

Hadith on Pollinating the Date Palms 88

Hadith of Ali’s Sahifah 88

Notes 91

Disadvantage Of Narrating Hadith Through Meaning 92

First Defect 93

Second Defect 93

Third Defect 94

Fourth Defect 94

Fifth Defect 95

Sixth Defect 96

Seventh Defect 96

Eighth Defect 96

I Am Delegated With the Universal Speech 98

Notes 100

Detriment of Narration Through Meaning Linguistically and Rhetorically 102

Solecism and Mistake in Hadith 102

Advancing, Putting Off, Addition and Omission in Hadith 103

To Narrate Part of Hadith and Shortening It 104

Their Leniency toward Narrations on Virtues and Their Detriment 104

Narration in Islam 105

Stage of Committing Hadith to Writing 107

A Critical Defect of Narration How Were Their Narrations 107

Notes 109

Causes 111

Beginning of Invention in Riwayah and Falsifying the Messenger’s Hadith 111

The Fabricated Hadith 111

Detriment of Tales and Talebearer 115

Mu’awiyah Was Fabricator of Tales 115

Political Fabrication Or For Sake Of Politics 117

Mu’awiyah and Sham 118

Origin of Substitutes Village 119

The Abbasid State 124

Censuring the Turks 125

How Fabrication of Hadith Was Permitted 125

The Righteous Fabricators 126

A Witty Saying 127

Fabrication through Inclusion 127

Can The Fabricated Hadith Be Recognized 128

Whole Heart Has Full Knowledge Of The Fabricated Hadith 129

Liars and Their Slanders against the Prophet 131

Traditions Fabricated By the Jews 131

Ka’b Al-Ahbar 133

Reason behind his embracing Islam 134

Wahb Ibn Munabbih 134

Abd Allah Ibn Sallam 135

How Did They Seize Muslims’ Minds 135

Ka’b And Umar 136

Murder of Umar and Ka’b’s Hand in It 137

Hadith of Istisqa’ 138

Ka’b’s Cunning and Stratagem 140

Jewish Traditions Spread By Ka’b and Wahb 140

Is It Permissible To Narrate Israeliyyat? 143

Some Companions Relating From Jewish Rabbis 145

Companions Disproving Ka’b 145

Story of the Rock between Umar And Ka’b 146

Jewish Traditions on Excellence of Bayt Al-Maqdis 147

Traditions on Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa 148

Jewish Role in Preferring the Sham 148

Investigators' Opinion about Israeliyyat and Their Narrators 150

Political Stratagem 154

Abd Allah Ibn Saba 154

Ka'b and Mu'awiyah 156

Notes 157

Masihiyyat In Hadith 164

Hadith of Jassasah 164

Hadith of Satan's Defaming All Sons of Adam except Jesus and Maryam 166

Ibn Jarih 168

Jesus Christ and His Descension 169

Place of His Descension 169

Length of His Term 169

The Suspicions Raised By Them 170

Abundance of Related Traditions 170

Notes 172

Abu Hurayrah 175

Disagreement about His Name 175

His Growth and Origin 176

His Coming to Medina and Going to Khaybar 176

Reason of His Companionship to the Prophet 176

Shaykh Al-Mudirah 177

Hadith: Visit at Intervals You Increase In Love 178

His Jesting And Nonsense 179

Scorning Him 179

Multiplicity Of His Traditions 180

His Justification for Narrating Abundantly 180

His Imposture (Tadlis) 181

First Narrator Accused in Islam 182

His Reporting From Ka'b Al-Ahbar 184

Memorizing the Two Receptacles 187

Abu Hurayrah Follows the Umayyads 188

Fabrication of Traditions against Ali 190

His Conduct during His Rule 192

His Death 192

A General Word In His Regard 192

Samples of Abu Hurayrah's Narrations 195

Narrations of Great Companions 196

Traditions Reported By Abu Bakr 196

Traditions Reported By Umar 196

Traditions Reported By Ali 197

Ambiguous Traditions 197

Hadith on Dispute in Celestial City 199

The Paradise Bull 200

Prophet's Seeing God Eleven Times, And Isra' Was Reality 200

An Angel Among Throne Bearers 200

The Thunder 200

The Black Stone 200

Favour Of Basmalah 201

One Of Throne Bearers 201

Gabriel Has 600 Wings 201

Our Lord Uncovering His Leg 201

Sheep Being Among Paradise Mounts 201

Foot Of The Almighty Allah 201

A Tree In Paradise 201

The Most Credible Hadith 201

Touba, A Tree In Paradise 202

Traditions On Al-Mahdi 202

The Abbasid Al-Mahdi 202

Al-Mahdi Al-Sufyani 203

The Twelve Caliphs 203

Opinions Of Some Scholars On These Traditions 204

Notes 205

Al-Dajjal (Impostor) 210

Al-Dajjal in Farewell Sermon 210

Age of The World 211

A General Word on Traditions of Provisions of the Hour and Alike 212

Incongruous Traditions 214

Notes 215

Tadwin Al-Qur'an 216

Writing Of Qur'an during Lifetime of the Prophet 216

Revelation Scribes 217

Collection of Qur'an and Its Reason 217

Seeking To Collect the Qur'an 218

A Perplexing Oddity 218

The Qur'an during Reign of Uthman 219

Writing of the Qur'an during Reign of Uthman 219

Difference between Collecting of Abu Bakr and that of Uthman 220

Number of Masahif Sent By Uthman to Metropolises 221

A Meditative Pause 221

A Necessary Commentary 222

The First Ambiguity 222

The Second Ambiguity 223

The Third Ambiguity 224

Notes 226

Tadwin Al-Hadith 228

Writing of Hadith Was Forcibly Done 230

Tadwin of Umayyads Was Not Considered Symmetrical 231

Tadwin during the Abbasid Era 231

Tadwin After 200 (Hijrah) Year 233

Stages of Changeability of Tadwin 234

Effect Of Delay In Tadwin 235

The Shiah and Writing Of Hadith 238

Origination Of Science Of Hadith 238

The First Who Compiled Ilm Al-Hadith 238

Purpose of ‘Ilm Al-Hadith 238

Ascription and Text of Hadith 239

From Whom Hadith Should Be Taken 239

Parts of Khabar 240

Rule of Mutawatir and Ahad 240

Mutawatir Is Not Included In ‘Ilm Al-Isnad 241

Ibn Al-Salah and His Opponents 241

Hadith Including No Mutawatir 242

Ahadith Al-Ahad 243

The Correct Hadith 243

The Good Hadith 244

The Weak Hadith 244

Multiplicity of Hadith Ways Never Reinforces Them 245

Being Self-Decisive Is No Condition for Correct Hadith 245

Best care was given to sanad 246

A Necessary Meditation 246

Some Kinds Of Hadith 248

The Confused Hadith 248

Traditionists Care Not For Errors and Criticism of Texts 249

Defect-Finding in Hadith 251

Misconstructed Kinds of Traditions 252

Kinds of Muharraf Traditions 253

The Reversed Hadith 253

Notes 253

Famous Hadith Books 257

Malik and His Muwatta’ 257

Divergence Of His Narrations 258

Cause And Time Of Its Compilation 259

Criticism Of Ibn Mu’in To Malik 259

Al-Bukhari And His Book 259

Reason behind Compilation of Al-Bukhari’s Book 260

Al-Bukhari Narrating Through Meaning 260

Death Of Al-Bukhari Before Revising His Book 261

Sahih Al-Bukhari Containing Many Dubieties 262

Al-Bukhari’s Traditions And Their Deniers 263

Al-Bukhari And People Of Sham 265

Al-Bukhari and Infliction of Invention of the Qur’an 265

Al-Bukhari’s Narrations Differ In Number 265

Muslim and His Book 266

Views Held About Al-Bukhari and Muslim 267

Estrangement of Riwayah of Men of Opinion 268

Amendment on Al-Bukhari and Muslim 269

An Odd Maxim Narrated By Al-Bukhari and Muslim 269

Who Considered Al-Bukhari And Muslim More Authentic? 270

Abu Dawud 272

Al-Tirmidhi 273

Al-Nasa’i 274

Al-Mustakhrajat 275

Musnad Ahmad 277

Musnad Books Other Than Al-Sihah Al-Sittah 277

Comments on Musnad Ahmad 278

Ahmad Reporting From An Apostate Companion 282

Notes 282

Jarh And Ta’dil 286

Reasons of Jarh 287

Disagreement Regarding Jarh and Ta’dil 287

Jarh Precedes Ta’dil 290

A General Word 290

Notes 292

Reliability of the Companions 293

Who Is The Companion? 294

A Research on Disagreement 296

Adopting Reliability Of All The Sahabah 304

Hypocrites Among Sahabah And Surat Al-Tawbah 305

Preferring Trade and Pastime to Prayers 308

Hypocrisy of Companions during and after Prophet’s Lifetime 308

Attitude of Ulama’ Toward Akhbar Al-Ahad 311

The Mutakallimun 312

The Fuqaha’ 313

Sayings of Madhahib Imitators 314

Opinion of Malik and his companions 315

Al-Awza’i And Abu Hanifah 316

Madhhab Being Altered Religion 317

Points of Disagreement among Fuqaha’ 317

Grammarians and Linguists 318

Opinion Of Al-Imam Muhammad Abduh 322

Sorcery Hadith Is Of Ahad 322

Opinion of Sayyid Rashid Ridha’ 323

Asking For Hadith Without Fiqh 324

Notes 327

Conclusion 331

Verification of Akhbar By Recognizing Tempers Of People 332

Research on Sciences of Hadith 333

The Greatest Calamity Inflicted to Islam 333

Believing In Message of Muhammad 335

Can Anyone Authenticated By Earliers Be Deemed Thiqah? 336

Criticism by Ulama’ of Fiqh Al-Hadith 339

Most of Ahadith Al-Ahad Weren’t Abundant In First Age 339

Can Traditions Be Counted A General Law? 340

What Is Refuting Khabar Al-Wahid 340

State of People during First Era and After It 341

Fiqh during the Prophet’s Lifetime 342

Aspects of Preponderance Contain Contradiction 343

Rules and Principles 344

Original Rules of Rituals and Transactions 349

Notes 352

Bibliography 355

Journals and Newspapers 359

Publisher’s Foreword

Dear reader, the book put forth before you needs not an introduction, as its fame being greater than to be introduced. It is truly a languished journey on a way of tearing asunder the covers that defamed – whether deliberately or unknowingly – the character of our master Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and benediction be upon him and his Progeny). We will never draw the long-bow when claiming that the book ‘Adwa ala al-Sunnah al-Muhammadiyyah’ (Lights on the Muhammadan Sunnah) is a bomb among a bulky heap of falsified and fabricated traditions, which will act to unveil the truth of the greatest man history has ever known of.

This book is, undoubtedly, a brave and intrepid dedication for defending the Messenger of humankind, Muhammad (S). Its author’s position can never be more than a sincere companion undertaking the task of defending his Prophet in the Battle of Uhud or Hunayn.

Throughout course of history many traditions were, wrongfully and against Allah’s Will, ascribed to the Messenger of Allah (S), which he never uttered at all.

Had not that quantity of false and fabricated and even hazardous traditions been there, no one among those having mean and debased morality like Salman Rushdie, would have ever dared speaking ill of the Messenger of Allah (God’s peace and benediction be upon him and his Progeny). And future, undoubtedly, will be brighter, with emergence of new other realities and other pioneer studies, whereat clouds of darkness shall verily disperse and sun of truth shall rise, God-willing.

In this connection, Ansarian Foundation finds it necessary to present its gratitude and veneration to brother Hasan M. Najafi, in recognition of his good efforts and toilsome endeavour in translating, editing and supervising the printing of this book. We implore the Beneficent Allah to reward him for this work, in which he sought nothing but God’s pleasure and favour.

We implore the Omnipotent the Almighty to help him to achieve more and more munificent contributions to the Islamic cause. He is Hearer and He is Responsive.

Ansariyan Foundation

Dedication

My Dear son Mustafa ,1

In your presence lies my bliss, and with your light my life be illuminated. When your full moon set, and your person became out of my sight, the world encompassed me with its misfortunes and calamities, rendering me a stranger though being one of its children.

To you, my darling son, I dedicate this book of whose compilation I never sought but the very truth on which Allah brought you into being, and which you always used to prefer and have confidence in. And also (I should) to render service to the knowledge for which you devoted yourself, and spent whole of your life, doing your utmost to acquire it, giving up the ghost on its way.

O my son, by God I am still keeping the same profound love toward you, the parable of which no one other than you has ever gained, and your position in my heart can never be attained by other than you.

Should you be away of my sight and go too far,

Still in my heart you are present and near,

Your phantom is in my concept and remembrance on my mouth,

And my heart is place of your abode, so where to go?

While grief for you, and feeling sorrowful for you can never be affected by elapse of days, or be calmed down by prolongation of years, as it is neither possible to bear patiently your absence, nor consolation is there for you.

How would I seek recovery of what I have, and nothing,

Is there to cure me except to live in your soil,

Half of my life I spent while the other half is still,

Desiring! And annihilation is of his wishes.

Mahmud Abu Riyyah

Cairo – Jizah

Note

1. He is my darling son Mustafa Sadiq, for whom it was destined to leave this world when he was preparing himself to start new life after graduating from Cairo University, in the field of Electric Engineering. And that was on the dawn of Thursday, first of the Month of Ramadan 1359 H., 3rd of October 1940, after remaining for three years suffering of sickness in Halwan Sanatorium, at the age of 22.

Fate didn't spare me much time after him, when it targeted his mother, who lost one of her eyes out of weeping and lamenting him. Thus she also passed away, and I made for her a special tomb beside her dear son, so as to console each other. They departed and left me alone in a lasting sorrow and painful torment till Allah makes me join them.

Dr. Taha Husayn’s Foreword

“He is not to blame for the slips, to some of which I have referred, since those who are exonerated of defect or deficiency or slips being rarely found nowadays.”

Adwa’ ‘ala al-Sunnah al-Muhammadiyyah

A weighty effort and burden that only very few people can undertake and shoulder nowadays.

This is a book for which its author exerted a toil that can never be exerted but only by a very few people who can be enumerated in the present days, where intellectual laziness prevails, and comfort and good health be preferred to diligence and hardship and labour.

Anyone reading this book attentively and deliberately will verily observe the great deal of effort exerted by the author, who kept on, throughout long years, going through voluminous books and references. The books which the researchers could never endure going through, due to the abundance of chains and their repetition, plurality and mess of narrations, reiteration of khabar al-wahid for numerous times at different occasions.

The least to be said about reading such books is that they cause readers to grow tired and become bored and weary. It is hard enough for man to toil himself in reading the widely-known Sunnah books, making comparison between the traditions reported in them on the nass (text) and the asanid (chains of transmitters) with which this nass was reported, and searching after that for the rijal constituting those asanid through the relevant books.

It is sufficient to mention that the author (of this book) has read ‘al-Muwatta’ of Malik, with Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawud, Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Sunan Ibn Majah and Musnad Ahmad. However he has gone through lengthy expositions (shuruh) for some of these books, and through many other lengthy and short books compiled on interpretation of the hadith texts, rijal of the asanid, and the Prophet’s sirah (conduct) and also the classes (tabaqat) of narrators. At the end of the book he has recorded the titles of the books he has read and investigated attentively, or referred to when writing his book. Enough be for anyone to look at these titles to realize how much forbearance, sufferance and meditation exerted by the author, toward that which he read. This in itself indicates a strenuous effort and heavy burden that can never be undertaken nowadays but only by very few people, as previously said.

This being the first merit to be recorded for the author of this book, which I have read twice, witnessing the author’s stating within the fold of his book all the books he confirmed and referred to. It is quite clear evidence indicating his non-practising exaggeration nor multiplication when he recorded these books among the references, but he in fact has extensively and accurately benefitted from them all.

The theme of this book is really a critical and valuable one that people nowadays shrank from indulging in, and rather be so afraid and scared of it…fearing their pens slip or be a cause for instigating the dissatisfaction of the conservative people who opining that such kind of knowledge is to be sacred or like an inviolable thing liable only for reporting and quotation. This, while criticism, going deeply and giving verdicts all being matters into which no one is entitled to plunge.

Thus, the author has added to the merits of forbearance and tolerance, and exerting oneself for the sake of researching and verification, another advantage which is having courage to seek truth and proclaiming it whenever feeling quite assured of. On this way he never feared any blame or objection, being ready all the time for debating his opinions and defending what is established for him to be the truth.

So the subject is truly critical and valuable, i.e. scrutinizing all the traditions reported to us to be uttered by the Prophet (S), and distinguishing the correct ones from other than them, so as Muslims be assured of whatever is reported to them from the Messenger of Allah (S). The author has persisted in citing utterances ascribed to the Prophet while he has never uttered them, but they were composed and attributed to him for different purposes. Some of them were foisted by a group of Jews showing up Islam and piety, inventing things from their own, ascribing some to the Prophet, and foisting some others into the Torah, while having nothing to do with the Prophet or the Torah.

Some of them were foisted into sermons and stories with the intention of inviting people toward virtues and loving good and abstaining from (committing) sins. So they provoked people’s desires and intimidated them, never disdaining from (falsely) ascribing utterances to the Prophet believing them to have more influence over people than speech of preachers and punishment; beside other things were foisted for flattering the caliphs and rulers, and seeking to find favour with them.

Beside other things invented by those having controversy on kalam and fiqh (jurisprudence), for defending their views in these two sciences, and some other things foisted with the intention of propaganda for some political parties, in the primeval ages. Further, there were individuals indulged extensively in fabricating many traditions to make people in general and the upper class in particular, believe them to be of abundant knowledge and accurate awareness of the Prophet’s sayings and deeds.

All that had its considerable effect in corrupting the minds and causing views of many people to deviate from the straightforwardness in comprehending the religion and conceiving the Prophet as he should be conceived by all Muslims, free from all that absurdity which was falsely ascribed to him while he being totally exempted from it all. Besides, this conduct was a means for opponents and enemies of Islam to find fault with and assault, unjustly and slanderously, the Din and the Messenger who brought it.

The former muhaddithun have taken notice of all that, exerting their utmost to pick out the veracious traditions, cleansing them from the lies of the falsifiers and affectation of the pretenders. The method they followed in this exertion was investigating the biography of the rijal who reported the hadith throughout epochs, till it was written down. They used to follow up every and each one of these rijal, verifying his being of pure conduct, sincere faith in Allah and His Messenger, earnest in telling the truth all the time and in his speech about the Prophet in particular. It is really a commendable and fruitful effort that was exerted by those who are well-versed among the ‘ulama’ of hadith, making their best of the job in the extreme.

This effort, despite its strenuousness and productivity, could never be enough, since the most difficult and complicated job is to study life of people, trying to recognize its details and minute matters. May be you search and investigate without managing to discover any reality about people or their minute mysteries, or what is concealed in their minds, or any sort of weakness in their souls and conduct they insist on hiding.

Another effort to be added to this one is to study the text itself. The man might be sincere and trusted on the outside, in a way that when giving testimony it be accepted by all judges, but Allah alone is aware of all secrets and whatever is concealed in minds and kept inside hearts. The rijal from whom he reported the hadith might be truthful and trustworthy like him, whose testimony is verily approved by judges, but their hearts harbour evil intentions that they hide from people.

Therefore, we have to deeply investigate and verify the hadith that he reports from his likes among the just narrators, to know to what extent it complies with the Qur’an to which doubt can never reach nor suspicion can be ascribed to from any side. That is due to the fact that the Qur’an has never reached us through narrators, individuals or groups, but it was conveyed through generations of the Islamic Ummah, concurring unanimously on reporting it in the form we are acquainted with today.

The Qur’an was never reported by these generations through memory but in its written form, that was inscribed during the Prophet’s lifetime, collected during caliphate of Abu Bakr. Then it was written down on codics and sent abroad to all countries during caliphate of Uthman. Thus in it the written narration and that learnt by heart were brought together with both being identical to each other, leaving no room for any doubt to be raised about each text of the Qur’an, due to the fact that they all reached us through an unequivocal way.

This is true also concerning many of the Prophet’s acts and deeds, which were not reported by some individual or group but rather through the Islamic Ummah, generation from another, like the five ordained prayers which Allah prescribed without details, but were exposed and explained by the Prophet, when he established them with his Companions (as their imam), in the form the Ummah concur today.

This can be applied too in respect of zakat (alms-due), hajj (pilgrimage) and fasting of the month of Ramadan, some of whose rules were elaborated by Allah in the Qur’an and by the Prophet through his way of fasting and teaching his Companions how to fast. So, when any Prophetic tradition being reported to us, we have to investigate (the veracity of) its text to see its being non-contradictory to the Qur’an or incompatible to the Prophet’s Sunnah and acts reported through authentic chain of transmitters (mutawatir). When noticing a bit or much incongruity in it we would reject it, with being at heartease toward rejecting it, since the Prophet was just an interpreter of the Qur’an and demonstrator of its general precepts.

And thus was the practice of A’ishah. As when she was told that some of the Companions were claiming that the Prophet had seen his Lord on the night of ascension (mi’raj), she said to them: I’ve been shocked of what you said. Then she recited the holy verse:

لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ

“Vision perceiveth Him not, and He perceiveth (all) vision; He is the Subtile, the All-Aware.” (6:103).

Again she was told: through some of the Prophet’s Companions that he (S) said: The dead man is tormented because of the lamentation of his family members. But she rejected this hadith, reciting the Almighty’s saying:

وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ

“…and no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another.” (6:164)

The upright among the Prophet’s Companions were feeling so restrained and hesitant of reporting any tradition from the Prophet. Further, Umar used to be so severe against anyone narrating abundantly the Prophet’s traditions, and even he would beat those narrators with his gem (durrah), as he did with Abu Hurayrah, threatening him with exile out of the Medina toward his homeland in Yemen, if he would resume reporting the traditions. It is reported that the Prophet himself has forbidden the writing down of his traditions, never liking other than the Qur’anic verses being inscribed from him.

All this was stated by the author in his book, without contriving it himself, but it being something all ingenious among Muslim scholars used to utter and state in their books, as practised by Ibn Taymiyyah and his disciple Ibn al-Qayyim and others. But the traditionists have forgotten or turned away from this, the fact that caused confusion and misconception among people regarding whatever is related to hadith. The author’s favour in demonstrating this fact, particularly in the present age, lies in creating the opportunity for reading and observing it by those desiring their religion to be ameliorated and be immune against any confusion or miscellany.

However, the author has exceeded proper bounds in some places. It is out of scope here to refer to all of these places and occasions, for sake of brevity and evading extravagance in prolongation, but I suffice with citing some examples.

Let’s take Ka’b al-Ahbar, who was a Jew that embraced Islam during the reign of Umar. We are informed by the narrators that he apprised Umar of his being slain within three nights. When asked by Umar about its proof and evidence, he claimed that it could be found in the Torah. Umar was astonished at hearing that his name be referred to in the Torah. But Ka’b told him that what was mentioned in the Torah was his attribute and not his name.

The next day he came to him saying: Only two days are left (for his murder). On the third day he came to him in the morning exclaiming: Two days have passed and only one is left…and you will be verily killed tomorrow. As that day approached, and during morning prayer, the non-Arab slave came toward him (Umar) and stabbed him while he was arranging the rows for (performing) the prayers. The author affirms that Umar was murdered due to a plot hatched and engineered by Hurmuzan, with collaboration of Ka’b, assuring that this conspiracy was certain in whose certainty no doubt could be raised but only by the ignorant and illiterate people.

I want to assure the author that I am one of those illiterate people, since I doubt this intrigue so intensely, never considering it more than an imagination. As that wretched slave killed himself before questioning him. Ubayd Allah ibn Umar also hastened in slaying Hurmuzan before any investigation. While Ka’b al-Ahbar survived for seven or eight years, without being interrogated or accused by anyone with the charge of collaboration in this plot. He most often used to frequent to Uthman. Then he departed Medina betaking himself toward Hams, residing in it till his death in the 32 Hijrah year. So how could the author emphasize, first of all, the occurrence of this conspiracy, and collaboration of Ka’b in it on the other hand.

However, all Muslims became so furious and displeased at the hasty move of Ubayd Allah ibn Umar in slaying Hurmuzan out of ignorance and calumny against him, without handing him to the Caliph, or establishing the testimony against him, since he has, in a way or another, participated in murdering his father. A group of the Prophet’s Companions insisted on the Caliph (Uthman) to enforce the determined punishment (hadd) against Ubayd Allah, as he killed a Muslim man without introducing him to be tried by the ruler, and without establishing any proof against him confirming that he has slain Umar. Despite all that, Uthman pardoned him, fearing that people would say: Umar was killed yesterday, and today his son is to be killed. This pardon was counted by those who rebelled against Uthman as one of his blunders.

When Ali (a.s.) came to power, he was determined to punish Ubayd Allah for the crime he perpetrated. But the latter escaped Ali and sought shelter with Mu’awiyah, under whose protection he lived in security, till he was killed in the Battle of Siffin. It is known that Uthman has never inquired Ka’b about anything, with no one accusing him with any charge. He departed the Medina toward the Sham where Mu’awiyah was its governor. He, without being questioned by Mu’awiyah about anything, lived there till he died. So what is the source or the evidence for this emphasis, upon which the author has persisted to the extent he damned Ka’b, though he was unfit for that? What is commonly known about Ka’b is that he has embraced Islam, and it is known too that to curse him by Muslims being impermissible.

Another example, is that his (author’s) claim that the motive behind Abu Hurayrah’s keeping the Prophet’s company was not affection toward him, or seeking to acquire the religiosity and guidance he had, but he accompanied him out of the desire to fill and satiate his abdomen, claiming that he (Ka’b) was a destitute and his sustenance was provided by the Prophet (S). For proving this, the author cites a hadith reported by Ahmad ibn Hanbal and al-Bukhari too.

But the same hadith was reported by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah, the text of which being more expressive and clear-cut than the one reported by al-Bukhari and Ibn Hanbal. Abu Hurayrah was claiming that he was serving the Prophet in return for satiating his abdomen (hunger). And there is difference between one who says he was serving, and one saying he was keeping the company of. In such cases, having good opinion of someone is worse than having evil one. And I never surmise that Abu Hurayrah has come forward with those coming from Yemen toward the Prophet (S), neither for declaring allegiance to him nor for learning religion under his hand, but only for filling his abdomen.

This is verily exaggeration in interpretation and evil-mindedness. The author is so severe and stern toward Abu Hurayrah that I am afraid he has gone somewhat to the extreme. As we know that Abu Hurayrah was prolific in reporting the traditions from the Prophet, and that Umar used to be so strict against him in this respect, with some of the Prophet’s Companions disapproving many of the traditions he reported, charging him with depending extensively upon Ka’b al-Ahbar in his reporting. It was feasible for the author to record all those remarks in an objective way, as is said, without plaguing himself into them angrily or rancorously.

Since what he is writing is not a story or literature so as to show off his character with all its components including fury, grudge and rancour. But he is supposedly writing about a scholar and a science linked to religion. And it is known that the most outstanding merit of the scholars, especially in the present age, being self-denial when writing about knowledge and their use of their minds and intellects when researching and determining, not their emotions.

So it is unfair to claim that the only reason behind Abu Hurayrah’s company to the Prophet was to take food from him, while we know that he embraced Islam, prayed behind the Prophet, hearing and taking some of his traditions. Let the author say he has not enjoyed the Prophet’s company but only for three years, while the traditions he reported from him exceeded in number those reported by the Emigrants who accompanied the Prophet in Mecca and Medina, and by the Helpers who kept the Prophet’s company since his migration toward Medina till he was called by Allah. This can be a sufficient factor for taking precaution and being on guard toward all the traditions reported about him.

The other point I want to state here being that the author, in his protracted hadith about Abu Hurayrah, says that he, out of his covetousness to eating and eagerness for dainties, used to eat with Mu’awiyah and perform his prayers behind Ali (a.s.), with pronouncing: Eating with Mu’awiyah is fattier, (or in more precise words: al-murdirah with Mu’awiyah is fattier [murdirah is a kind of sweet]), and to pray with Ali is better.

I want to know how could it be able for Abu Hurayrah to eat with Mu’awiyah and perform prayers with Ali (a.s.) simultaneously, while one of them being in Iraq and the other in the Sham, or one being in the Medina and the other in the Sham, unless this be done during Battle of Siffin. But I never believe him to be safe if doing so during the war, since in that case he would have been accused by one of the two sects with hypocrisy and espionage. While these words being recorded only in some books, the author would have rather investigated and verified the truth before stating them. This being the least and easiest requirement on the part of the scholars.

Further, the author persists on emphasizing the fact concurred unanimously by Muslims that the traditions narrated by individuals and single persons (ahad) as said by the traditionists, can never indicate but only surmise. For this reason the Muslims never take these traditions as inferential evidences for the principles (usul) and doctrines of religion but only for the sub-rules of fiqh and virtuous deeds, besides using them for urging to do good and intimidation and warning against vices. And all the traditions on which the author based his speech about the subjects we cited examples for, being only ahadith reported by individuals and ahad (with no authentic chain), never indicating decisiveness or certainty. So how would he allow himself to abstain from trusting such traditions, depending on them then for accusing people with charges failing to present evidences to their confirmation.

The last remark to conclude my discussion, which I consider brief, though seeming protracted, being that the author, after realizing – seemingly – his failure to gain pleasure of people beside inability to win the hearts of the clergy in particular, embarked on defaming them some time, slaming them another time, and labelling them again with thought inertia once and with marginality another time. Through all this, he seduced these people by his self, calling them to heed only to his book, with imagining that he was detesting them and never counting them fitting and competent for valuable researching and endeavour to discover knowledge realities. Had he tolerated till the coming out of his book, and be read by people, so as to know their opinion and commentary on it, this tolerance and patience would have much better and preservative for him.

Nevertheless, I affirm again my admittance to the author’s strenuous and fertile strival and effort in compiling this book, and his genuine sincerity for knowledge and truth in his searching for hadith.

Hence, no harm will befall him for the slips to some of which we referred previously. Since those who are immune against deficiency, neglect of duty and slips are rarely found. And Bashshar uttered the truth when saying:

If you never drink bitterness over speck,

thirsty you be, and is there anyone of pure drink!

Taha Husayn

The Author’s Response

This was the precious foreword which Dr. Taha Husayn published about the book “Adwa’ ‘ala al-Sunnah al-Muhammadiyyah” after reading it. Had I be obliged to present to him the most sincere and deepest gratitude, for the extreme care he exerted for my book, making him to read it more than once, but which delights me – for which I praise God – being that his lordship, though being the honourable scholar and renowned critic, has never put his hand on anything liable to be censured, from among the book’s topics – that all being critical – which no book had ever contained, except some points that seemed for him “mere slips for which he is not to blame” as he expressed himself in his foreword.1

On the margin of these slips I give the following brief comment, hoping it win his pleasure and approval.

The first of these slips being his raising doubt about the plot to assassinate Umar, and the collaboration of Ka‘b al-Ahbar in it. On reading his words in this respect, I smiled and asked myself, how would the truth of such a thing be unrealized by him while he being the investigating and penetrating scholar. I eagerly awaited the publication of his book al-Shaykhan, so as to see his opinion in regard of murder of Umar. As soon as I read what he stated in this book on this issue, I became rest assured regarding what I referred to in my book, thanking Allah for finding the doubt raised in the mind of Dr. Taha Husayn concerning the intrigue to kill Umar, be vanished, praise be to God.2

The second slip, claiming that I have gone too far in interpretation when saying that Abu Hurayrah has embraced Islam only for filling his abdomen (satiating his hunger). Whereas the fact being that the only reason behind my reference to this matter lies in Abu Hurayrah’s confession to this fact throughout many hadith books. For instance, al-Bukhari has reported from him his saying: I have kept the Prophet’s company only for filling my belly. And again according to Muslim’s narration, he said: I have been at the service of the Prophet in recompense for filling my belly. And confession, as held by men of law and legislation, is the head of evidences.

Thus I have never interpreted or gone to the extreme in this regard, beside the fact that Abu Hurayrah’s biography confirms his confession. As Ibn Sa’d has narrated about him that before embracing Islam he was hired for Ibn Affan and his son Ghazwan with his wage being only food for sustenance. And after his converting to Islam, when he was a lodger at the Siffah, he has done (indecent) things that were demonstrated by al-Bukhari himself and other scholars, which it is out of scope to refer to them here.

Whereas the third and last slip being the Doctor’s doubt regarding what I narrated, that Abu Hurayrah used to eat mudirah with Mu’awiyah and perform his prayers behind Ali, and that how it would be feasible for Abu Hurayrah to behave in this way with being in safe from being accused by any of the two sects with hypocrisy and espionage!

First of all, I would like to tell that references were made to this report in numerous works for eminent historians and scholars like: Shadharat al-dhahab of al-Imad al-Hanbali; al-Sirah al-Halabiyyah of Burhan al-Din al-Halabi; al-Zamakhshari in Rabi’ al-Abrar and Asas al-balaghah; Badi’ al-Zaman al-Hamadani who not only was among renowned writers, but also – as known from his biography – a trustable (thiqah) traditionist having full knowledge in rijal and texts; beside al-Tha’alibi in al-Mudaf wa al-mansub. It is needless to mention all the reference books containing this report, though he who so doing would not fear any loss, since it was commonly known that he (Abu Hurayrah) was neither here nor there (of no use), and was never among the warriors, keeping throughout all his life to be a man of pacifistic nature.

Concerning the harshness in my style (of speech) observed by Dr. Taha, my response is, had he got to know the abundance of slanders and abuses I encountered since the day of publishing some chapters of this book in al-Risalah journal before having the book printed, he would have excused me for what I stated.

However, I have reviewed my writings and revised all the severe statements I made in the book, deleting them from this edition, preferring to repel evil with that which is better, heeding to God’s commandment, passing then by whatever befalling me with dignity (forbearance), with addressing whoever vexing me with the word of peace.

In regard of the severity against Abu Hurayrah, to which the Professor referred, it was never on our part, but it was verily the strength and decisiveness of the proofs encircling him from all sides.

These were brief lines about the slips referred to by Dr. Taha Husayn in his book. I am so delighted that he has never found fault with any of the book’s topics, which being numerous and critical, the likes of which were never published in any all-inclusive book. And also for his calling what he noticed only slips, with expressly saying: “He is not to blame for the slips, to some of which I have referred, since those who are exonerated of defect or deficiency or slips being rarely found nowadays.”

May God preserve him,

Mahmud Abu Riyyah

Notes

1. This foreword was published in al-Jumhuriyyah newspaper, in the issue of Tuesday 25 November 1958.

2. The book al-Shaykhan, pp 256,257