Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

‘Ali: The Best of the Sahabah

Explicit Testimonies of Sahih Sunni Ahadith

This book is an in-depth academic critique, and a thoroughly investigative refutation, of Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah’s Minhaj al-Sunnah on the specific question of Abu Bakr’s alleged superiority overAmir al-Muminin ‘Ali b. Abi Talib. The shaykh has adopted a two-pronged approach in his Minhaj. He presents arguments and proofs to support Abu Bakr’s superiority and discredits all arguments and proofs in favour of ‘Ali’s superiority. Toyib Olawuyi has however placed all the primary submissions, evidences and denials of Ibn Taymiyyah under the microscope and punctured every single one of them severely using the Book of Allah, thesahih ahadith of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah, and their strictestrijal verification methods. Full transparency, accuracy and accountability are strictly observed throughout our book, and we hope it will ease the way for every soul seeking to find out the real truth.

Author(s):  Toyib Olawuyi

Miscellaneous information:

Copyright © 2014 Toyib Olawuyi All rights reserved. ISBN-13: 978-1492390497 ISBN-10: 1492390496

Table of Contents

Dedication. 3

Acknowledgments 4

Preface 5

1. Hadith Al-Qadha, Investigating Its Authenticity. 10

2. Hadith Al-Qadha, Confessions Of The Sahabah. 14

3. Hadith Al-Qadha, ‘Ali’s Superior Knowledge Of The Qur’an And Sunnah  17

4. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice I 20

5. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice II 24

6. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice III 29

7. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice IV. 33

8. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice V. 37

9. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice VI 42

10. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice VII 50

11. Hadith Al-Qadha, ‘Ali Versus ‘Umar 52

12. Hadith Al-Tafdhil, Investigating Its Authenticity. 57

13. Hadith Al-Tafdhil, Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah Raises Objections 62

14. Hadith Al-Tafdhil, is ‘Aishah Really the best of the Ummah?. 67

15. Hadith Saluni, Investigating Its Authenticity. 70

16. Hadith Saluni, Implications Of The Reports 75

17. Hadith Saluni, Did The Sahabah Ask ‘Ali?. 80

18. Hadith Al-‘Ilm, Establishing Its Authenticity. 84

19. Hadith Al-‘Ilm, Proving Its Tawattur 90

20. Hadith Al-‘Ilm, Some Further Shawahid. 97

21. Hadith Al-Istislam, Investigating Its Authenticity. 100

22. Hadith Al-Zuhd, Correcting An Exaggeration. 107

23. Verse Of Al-Najwa, A Real Eye-Opener 114

24. Hadith Al-Rayat, A Truly Messy One 119

25. Hadith Al-Rayat, Investigating Its Authenticity. 125

26. Hadith Al-Tair, Investigating Its Authenticity. 133

27. Hadith Al-Tair, Examining Some Shawahid. 136

28. Hadith Al-Ta’rif, Understanding Its Background. 143

29. Hadith Al-Ta’rif, Proving Its Authenticity. 150

30. Hadith Al-Tashbih, Establishing Its Authenticity. 154

31. Hadith Al-Tashbih, Instances Of Equality. 159

32. Hadith Al-Ikhtiyar, Examining The Verse Of The Cave 164

33. Hadith Al-Ikhtiyar, ‘Ali: The True Second Of Two. 176

Bibliography. 184

Endnotes 189

Dedication

This research is dedicated toAmir al-Muminin ‘Ali b. Abi Talib,salawatullah wa salamuhu ‘alaihi , who is mymawla and themawla of all believers.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the following brothers and sisters for their encouragement: Shaykh Muhammad Nura Dass, Ahmad Olawuyi, Ali Baker, Tural Islam, Syed Jarry Haider, Syed Mansab Ali Jafri, Jaffer Abbas, Agbonika Salihu, Jibreel Ibn Mikael, Syeda Umme Rabab Bukhari, Aneela Sultan, Nasir Hasan, and Hassan Bokhari. May Allah bless them all and all our loving brothers and sisters from the Shi’ah Imamiyyah and the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah.

Preface

The question of who the best of the Sahabah,radhiyallah ‘anhum , was has always been a thorny issue within theUmmah , especially among the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah. Even the Sahabah disputed with one another over the topic. Specifically, the debate often revolves around Abu Bakr and ‘Ali,‘alaihi al-salam , only. It is very difficult to see anyone - whether Sunni or Shi’i – arguing that ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, Talhah, Zubayr or some other Sahabi – was the best of the Sahabah. Rather, the exact point of contention is, and always was: was Abu Bakr their best or ‘Ali?

Expectedly, most of the Ahl al-Sunnah consider Abu Bakr to have been the best of the Sahabah, then ‘Umar, then ‘Uthman, and then ‘Ali. By contrast, the Shi’ah believe thatAmir al-Muminin ‘Ali was the best, then al-Hasan, then al-Husayn, and then Sayyidah Faṭimah,‘alaihim al-salam . There is a minority among Sunnis – including some Sahabah and a lot of Sufis – who share the Shi’i view on the matter.

Ordinarily, the debate over who was the best should have been a mere, healthy academic exercise. However, it is linked withImamah andkhilafah in theUmmah . So, it is a very big issue, and provokes the deepest emotions of some people. In fact, countless Shi’is and others have been murdered for more than a millenium by Sunni extremists, only for their belief in the superiority of ‘Ali. The best of theUmmah at each point in time is the only one qualified for thekhilafah . This is the Command of Allah and His Messenger,sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi . Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 H) confirms:

ففي هذا الخبر إخبار عمر بين المهاجرين والأنصار أن أبا بكر سيد المسلمين وخيرهم وأحبهم إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم ذلك علة مبايعته فقال بل نبايعك أنت فأنت سيدنا وخيرنا وأحبنا إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم ليبين بذلك أن المأمور به تولية الأفضل وأنت أفضلنا فنبايعك

In this report is the declaration of ‘Umar among the Muhajirun and the Ansar that Abu Bakr was thesayyid of the Muslims and the best of them, and the most beloved of them to the Messenger of Allah. This is the reason for following him. So, he (‘Umar) said, “Rather, we will follow you because you are oursayyid , and the best of us, and the most beloved of us to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him”. He wanted to make clear through it that:WHAT IS ORDAINED IS TO GIVE AUTHORITY TO THE BEST , and you are the best of us. So, we will follow you.1

The bottomline here is thatkhilafah by anyone who is not the best of his time is contrary to the Order of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, and is therefore both illegal and abid’ah . That makes thekhalifah himself and all his supporters ringleaders of abid’ah , as long as they are aware of his deficiency and still uphold hiskhilafah . In that way, they would be guilty of creating a new provision in the religion to supplant that of Allah. The grave danger of all this is captured perfectly in these words of the Messenger of Allah, documented by Imam al-Nasai (d. 303 H):

شر الأمور محدثاتها وكل محدثة بدعة وكل بدعة ضلالة وكل ضلالة في النار

The worst of the (religious) affairs are their innovations, and every innovation is abid’ah , andevery bid’ah is misguidance, and every misguidance ends to the Fire .2

‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) comments:

صحيح

Sahih 3

The Command of Allah and His Messenger is that the best of theUmmah should always be theirkhalifah , as testified by ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭab. Meanwhile, the innovation in this matter is to make or allow any inferior individual as thekhalifah . This innovation is abid’ah , and will land whosoever leads, practices or recognizes it in Hellfire. It is understandable then why some of our Sunni brothers are so hell-bent upon emphasizing the superiority over Abu Bakr over the wholeUmmah , followed by ‘Umar and ‘Uthman, by all means – even to the extent of committing massacres. The survival of theirSahih depends very heavily on it. Should Abu Bakr, ‘Umar or ‘Uthman fall, Sunnism itself ceases to exist as a valid entity!

So, certain drastic steps were taken to address the challenge. First, a very wide re-definition was issued for Shi’ism. This, apparently, was to scare Sunnis away from researching into the issue. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani (d. 852 H) takes the podium:

والتشيع محبة على وتقديمه على الصحابة فمن قدمه على أبى بكر وعمر فهو غال في تشيعه ويطلق عليه رافضي وإلا فشيعي فإن انضاف إلى ذلك السب أو التصريح بالبغض فغال في الرفض وإن اعتقد الرجعة إلى الدنيا فأشد في الغلو

Shi’ism is love of ‘Ali and the placing of him over the Sahabah (except Abu Bakr and ‘Umar only). Whoever places him above Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, such is an extremist in his Shi’ism, and he is called a Rafidi.

If he does not (place ‘Ali over the two), then he is only a Shi’i. If he added to that (i.e. preference of ‘Ali over Abu Bakr and ‘Umar) abuse, cursing or open hatred (of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar), he is then an extremist inRafdh . If he believes in Raj’ah into this world, then he is severe in (Rafidhi) extremism.4

Therefore, a Sunni is only someone who considers ‘Ali as inferior to Abu Bakr, ‘Umar AND ‘Uthman. Whosoever places him above ‘Uthman is a Shi’i, and whosoever views him as superior to Abu Bakr or ‘Umar is a Rafidhi. In the Sunni creed, being a Shi’i is abid’ah . Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) says:

أن البدعة على ضربين: فبدعة صغرى كغلو التشيع، أو كالتشيع بلا غلو ولا تحرف، فهذا كثير في التابعين وتابعيهم مع الدين والورع والصدق. فلو رد حديث هؤلاء لذهب جملة من الآثار النبوية، وهذه مفسدة بينة. ثم بدعة كبرى، كالرفض الكامل والغلو فيه

Bid’ah has two types:

The minor bid’ah: like extreme Shi’ism, or like moderate Shi’ism , for this was widespread among the Tabi’in and their followers, despite their

devotion, piety and truthfulness. If theahadith of these people were rejected, part of teachings of the Prophet would be lost, and that would be a clear evil.

Thenthe major bid’ah: like complete rafdh and extremism in it.5

By classifying the placing of ‘Ali above ‘Uthman as abid’ah – which leads to Hellfire – the classical Sunni‘ulama hoped to put a firm lid on all threats to theirSahih . However, their action has produced some horrible unintended consequences. Many of the Sahabah were Rawafidh by Sunni definition, and therefore heretics who will burn forever in the Fire! Imam Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (d. 463 H) identifies some of these Rafidhi Sahabah:

وروى عن سلمان وأبي ذر والمقداد وخباب وجابر وأبى سعيد الخدري وزيد بن الأرقم أن علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنه أول من أسلم وفضله هؤلاء على غيره

Salman, Abu Dharr, al-Miqdad, Khabab, Jabir, Abu Sa’id al-Khudri and Zayd b. Arqam narrated that ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, was the first to accept Islam,and they considered him the most superior (among the Sahabah) .6

These senior Sahabah considered ‘Ali as superior to Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman! By Sunni standards, theirbid’ah , therefore, was of the major type! They were complete Rafidhis. Another well-known Sahabi like them was Abu al-Tufayl, radhiyallah ‘anhu. Imam al-Dhahabi states about him:

واسم أبي الطفيل، عامر بن واثلة بن عبد الله بن عمرو الليثي الكناني الحجازي الشيعي. كان من شيعة الإمام علي.

The name of Abu al-Tufayl was ‘Amir b. Wathilah b. ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Amr al-Laythi al-Kanani al-Hijazi, the Shi’i. He was from the Shi’ah of Imam ‘Ali.7

Imam Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr adds:

وكان متشيعا في علي ويفضله ويثني على الشيخين أبي بكر وعمر ويترحم على عثمان

He was a Shi’i of ‘Ali and considered him the most superior. He used to extol the two Shaykhs, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, and would ask for Allah’s mercy upon ‘Uthman.8

Al-Hafiz explains the words of Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr above:

قال أبو عمر كان يعترف بفضل أبي بكر وعمر لكنه يقدم عليا

Abu ‘Umar said: He accepted the merit of Abu Bakr and ‘Umarbut he considered ‘Ali to be the most superior. 9

This creates an impossible dilemma for Sunni Islam. If Sunnis stick with their view that Shi’ism – as defined by them – is abid’ah , then they must agree that all these fine Sahabah were heretics with no hope of salvation in the Hereafter. By contrast, if they free the Shi’i Sahabah, then they must equally free all other Shi’ah and Rawafidh! What is good for the goose is equally good for the gander. Besides, the Sahabah, who met the Prophet, are in an even more accountable position on any Islamic matter than all the generations after them. It gets scary when one considers the possibility that the Messenger of Allah could have been of the same opinion as the Shi’i Sahabah! If he did, then it would have been Sunnah to place ‘Ali over Abu

Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman. In that case, the majority view of the Ahl al-Sunnah on the matter would have been abid’ah - in fact, a compoundedbid’ah .

The other step taken by the Sunni‘ulama was to confuse their followers on the status and meanings of explicitahadith indicating the overall superiority ofAmir al-Muminin ‘Ali b. Abi Talib over all Sahabah. The most guilty individual in this regard was none other than “Shaykh al-Islam” Ibn Taymiyyah. Others, such as Imam al-Mubarakfuri (d. 1282 H), ‘Allamah al-Albani, Shaykh al-Arnauṭ and others, have also followed his steps, albeit at a much lower level. In this book, we will be examining some of suchahadith , proving their authenticity absolutely, and analyzing their texts in the light of the Qur’an andmutawatir Sunnah. Ourmanhaj in this regard is open, transparent, mathematical and precise. For instance, we have relied very heavily upon the verdicts concerning the individual narrators by al-Hafiz al-‘Asqalani in his legendary reference work,al-Taqrib . The reasons for this approach are two. First, al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, often fondly referred to simply as al-Hafiz, is one of the greatest Sunni scholars ofrijal andhadith . ‘Allamah al-Albani says about him:

لكن من كان في ريب مما أحكم أنا على بعض الأحاديث فليعد إلى فتح الباري فسيجد هناك أشياء كثيرة وكثيرة جداً ينتقدها الحافظ أحمد بن حجر العسقلاني الذي يسمى بحقٍ أمير المؤمنين في الحديث والذي أعتقد أنا وأظن أن كل من كان مشاركاً في هذا العلم يوافقني على أنه لم تلد النساء بعده مثله.

But, whoever is in doubt concerning the verdicts I have given concerning someahadith (inSahih al-Bukhari ), let him refer to Fath al-Bari, and he will find there lots and lots of things (inSahih al-Bukhari ) which have been criticized byal-Hafiz Ahmad b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, who is rightly named the Amir al-Muminin in Hadith, and whom I believe – and I suppose that anyone who has this knowledge (i.e. science of hadith) would agree with me – that no woman has ever given birth to anyone like him after him. 10

The phrase “amir al-muminin” is of course a reference to the supreme master.

Secondly, al-Hafiz himself states in the Introduction toal-Taqrib :

أنني أحكم على كل شخص منهم بحكم يشمل أصح ما قيل فيه، وأعدل ما وصف به

I have graded every individual among them with a verdict that contains the most correct of what is said about him, and the most just of the descriptions given for him.11

In other words, a lot of things have been said about each of the narrators. But, not everything said about them is authentically transmitted, correct or accurate. So, al-Hafiz, who is a king in the Sunni science ofhadith , has compiled only “the most correct” and “the most just” of the statements made about them. No wonder, top Sunnihadith scientists like ‘Allamah al-Albani and others have relied very heavily upon thisal-Taqrib in all their works. We will be doing the same throughout this book and others. There are two clear advantages in doing this. One, it would ensure the accuracy of our conclusions on the various narrators. Two, it would keep our book

concise and neat. As such, we will firstly quote the criticisms of a Sunni scholar, mostly Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah, against a particularhadith - which establishes ‘Ali’s superiorty over all the Sahabah – and then examines the trustworthiness of all its narrators, primarily throughal-Taqrib . Where the name of the narrator is not present inal-Taqrib , then we go for the books of Imam al-Dhahabi, who is equally a superweight in Sunnihadith sciences, as well as others like ‘Allamah al-Albani and Shaykh al-Arnauṭ.

This humble author has adopted a very stricttakhrij style throughout the book. This is why he has excludedahadith which he believes to be true, but which do not meet the strict standards of authenticity in the Sunnihadith sciences. In particular, we focus on the reliability of the narrators and the full connectivity of the chains. We also seek if there are corroborative supports for either the chains or the texts of theahadith . Most importantly, we also investigate any possible hidden defects in the chains, such astadlis , poor memory andirsal of the narrators and present detailed researches to make clarifications wherever necessary. Sometimes, in order to save space, we do simply rely upon explicit authentications of chains andahadith by the topmost Sunnihadith scientists. Through this methodology, we hope to give the full opportunity to whoever is researching the topic in order to determine the real truth.

Meanwhile, we do not neglect Sunni arguments and reports in favour of the superiority of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar either. We query their authenticity too, in line with strict standards of Sunnirijal and further test their compatibility with the Qur’an and undisputed history. The full details of our investigations are provided in our book, so that our esteemed reader can verify, reason and make his independent conclusions too.

Throughout our book, we have relied upon Sunni books only, and specifically those of the highest standing in their respected categories. This way, we aim ensure full accuracy in everything. We implore Allah to forgive us all our mistakes, and to accept this as a worthy act ofirsal .

1. Hadith Al-Qadha, Investigating Its Authenticity

Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 H) states:

و إما قوله قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم لاقضاكم علي والقضاء يستلزم العلم و الدين فهذا الحديث لم يثبت و ليس له إسناد تقوم به الحجة لم يروه أحد في السنن المشهورة و لا المساند المعروفة لا بإسناد صحيح و لا ضعيف و إنما يروي من طريق من هو معروف بالكذب

As for his statement, “The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:‘The best judge among you is ‘Ali’” , and justice dispensation requires knowledge and religious devotion.But, this hadith is not authentic , and it has no chain of transmission which makes it a valid proofIt is not recorded by anyone in the famous Sunan books, and not (by anyone) in the well-knownMusnad books – not with asahih chain, nor with adha’if chain.It is only narrated through the route of notorious liars. 12

Meanwhile, Imam Ibn Majah (d. 273 H) records in hisSunan :

حدثنا محمد بن المثنى ثنا عبد الوهاب بن عبد المجيد ثنا خالد الحذاء، عن أبي قلابة، عن أنس بن مالك، أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال :أرحم أمتي بأمتي أبو بكر وأشدهم في دين الله عمر وأصدقهم حياء عثمان وأقضاهم علي بن أبي طالب.

Muhammad b. al-Muthanna – ‘Abd al-Wahhab b. ‘Abd al-Majid – Khalid al-Haza – Abi Qilabah – Anas b. Malik:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “The most merciful of myUmmah to myUmmah is Abu Bakr. The most severe of them in the religion of Allah is ‘Umar. The most shy of them is ‘Uthman.And the best judge among them is ‘Ali b. Abi Talib.” 13

This report cancels out the first leg of our Shaykh’s claims: that thehadith is not documented in any of the authoritativeSunan andMusnad books – whether with asahih chain or even adha’if one!

So, the next question is: has thehadith truly been narrated by a liar or liars?

The first narrator, Muhammad b. al-Muthanna isthiqah (trustworthy) without absolutely any doubt. Al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) for instance says about him:

محمد بن المثنى بن عبيد العنزي بفتح النون والزاي أبو موسى البصري ….ثقة ثبت

Muhammad b. al-Muthanna b. ‘Ubayd al-‘Unaza, Abu Musa al-Basri....Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate ).14

Elsewhere, he adds about him:

روى عنه) خ (مائة حديث وثلاثة أحاديث ومسلم سبعمائة واثنتين وسبعين حديثا

Al-Bukhari narrated 103ahadith from him (in hisSahih ), and Muslim also narrated 772ahadith (from him in hisSahih ).15

Apparently, he was a super-weight in Sunniahadith .

Al-Hafiz also says about the second narrator:

عبد الوهاب بن عبد المجيد بن الصلت الثقفي أبو محمد البصري ثقة تغير قبل موته بثلاث سنين

‘Abd al-Wahhab b. ‘Abd al-Majid b. al-Salt al-Thaqafi, Abu Muhammad al-Basri:Thiqah (trustworthy). He changed (i.e. his memory weakened) 3 years before his death.16

In his Lisan, he gives further, crucial information about him:

لكنه ما ضر تغيره حديثه فإنه ما حدث بحديث في زمن التغير

But, his change (in memory) does not harm hisahadith , for he never narrated a singlehadith during the period of the change.17

So, what about the remaining narrators? Shaykh al-Arnauṭ saves us a lot of time with thistahqiq :

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا عفان ثنا وهيب ثنا خالد الحذاء عن أبي قلابة عن أنس بن مالك عن النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم إسناده صحيح على شرط الشيخين

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – ‘Affan – Wuhayb– Khalid al-Haza – Abu Qilabah – Anas b. Malik – the Prophet, peace be upon him Its chain issahih UPON THE STANDARD OF THE TWO SHAYKHS. 18

We understand from this that both Khalid al-Haza and Abu Qilabah arethiqah (trustworthy) narrators of bothSahih al-Bukhari andSahih Muslim , like Muhammad b. al-Muthanna.

Interestingly, Imam al-Hakim (d. 403 H), Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) and ‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) also confirm that the second narrator is like the others too in this regard. The ‘Allamah writes:

أخرجه الترمذي (2 / 309) وابن ماجه (154) وابن حبان (2218) و (2219) والحاكم (3 / 422) من طريق عبد الوهاب بن عبد المجيد الثقفي حدثنا خالد الحذاء عن أبي قلابة عن أنس قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: فذكره، وقال الترمذي: " حديث حسن صحيح ". وقال الحاكم: " هذا إسناد صحيح على شرط الشيخين ". ووافقه الذهبي وهو كما قالا.

Al-Tirmidhi (2/309), Ibn Majah (154), Ibn Hibban (2218) and al-Hakim (3/422) narrated it through the route of‘ABD AL-WAHHAB B. ‘ABD AL-MAJID AL-THAQAFI – Khalid al-Haza – Abu Qilabah – Anas – the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. Al-Tirmidhi said: “Thehadith ishasan sahih ”. Al-Hakim (also) said,“This chain is sahih UPON THE STANDARD OF THE TWO SHAYKHS”. Al-Dhahabi concurred with him, andit is (indeed) as they both have stated. 19

In a simple summary,Hadith al-Qadha – as documented by Imam Ibn Majah – has a chain of transmission that issahih upon the standard of al-Bukhari (d. 256 H) and Muslim (d. 261 H). All its narrators are relied upon in bothSahih al-Bukhari andSahih Muslim , and there is no disconnection anywhere in the chain. Apparently, Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah’s weird,

unfounded claim that thehadith is narrated only by notorious liars is itself a sickening rape of the truth!

There is equally amutaba’ah for Muhammad b. al-Muthanna copied by Imam al-Haythami (d. 807 H):

أخبرنا أحمد بن مكرم بن خالد البرتي، حدثنا علي بن المديني، حدثنا عبد الوهاب الثقفي، حدثنا خالد الحذاء، عن أبي قلابة عن أنس بن مالك قال: قال رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم :ارحم أمتي بأمتي أبو بكر، وأشدهم في أمر الله عمر، وأصدقهم حياء عثمان، وأقضاهم علي

Ahmad b. Makram b. Khalid al-Birti – ‘Ali b. al-Madini – ‘Abd al-Wahhab al-Thaqafi – Khalid al-Haza – Abu Qilabah – Anas b. Malik:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “The most merciful of myUmmah to myUmmah is Abu Bakr. The most severe of them concerning the Command of Allah is ‘Umar. The most shy of them is ‘Uthman.And the best judge among them is ‘Ali .20

We already know that the last four narrators – including Anas – arethiqah narrators of bothSahih al-Bukhari andSahih Muslim . So, we only have to find out the status of the first two narrators. Once again, Shaykh al-Arnauṭ saves us time. Imam Ibn Hibban (d. 354 H) records this chain in hisSahih :

أخبرنا أحمد بن مكرم بن خالد البرتي قال حدثنا علي بن المديني قال حدثنا معن بن عيسى قال حدثنا مالك بن أنس عن صفوان بن سليم عن عطاء بن يسار عن أبي سعيد الخدري

Ahmad b. Makram b. Khalid al-Birti –‘Ali b. al-Madini – Ma’n b. ‘Isa – Malik b. Anas – Safwan b. Sulaym – ‘Aṭa b. Yasar – Abu Sa’id al-Khudri21

Al-Arnauṭ says:

إسناده صحيح على شرط البخاري رجاله ثقات رجال الصحيح غير علي بن المديني فمن رجال البخاري

Its chain is sahih upon the standard of al-Bukhari. Its narrators are thiqah (trustworthy), narrators of theSahih , except ‘Ali b. al-Madini because he is from the narrators of (Sahih )al-Bukhari (only).22

So, both al-Birti and ‘Ali b. al-Madini arethiqah (trustworthy) narrators ofSahih al-Bukhari too. As such, themutaba’ah of ‘Ali b. al-Madini to Muhammad b. al-Muthanna inHadith al-Qadha issahih as well, upon the standard ofSahih al-Bukhari !

Thehadith has equally been transmitted from other Sahabah, apart from Anas. Imam al-Haythami for instance records:

عن جابر بن عبد الله الأنصاري قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم : أرحم أمتي بأمتي أبو بكر وأرفق أمتي لأمتي عمر وأصدق أمتي حياء عثمان وأقضى أمتي علي بن أبي طالب

NarratedJabir b. ‘Abd Allah al-Ansari :

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “The most merciful of myUmmah to myUmmah is Abu Bakr. The kindest of myUmmah to myUmmah is ‘Umar. The most shy of myUmmah is ‘Uthman. The best judge of myUmmah is ‘Ali b. Abi Talib”.23

He comments:

رواه الطبراني في الأوسط وإسناده حسن

Al-Tabarani narrated it in al-Awsaṭ,and its chain is hasan .24

In modern prints ofMu’jam al-Awsaṭ of Imam al-Tabarani (d. 360 H), thishadith , unfortunately, is no longer present! The previous existence of this report inal-Awsat is further confirmed by Imam al-Haytami (d. 974 H):

و في رواية الطبراني في الأوسط أرحم أمتي بأمتي أبو بكر وأرفق أمتي لأمتي عمر وأصدق أمتي حياء عثمان وأقضى أمتي علي بن أبي طالب

In the report of al-Tabaraniin al-Awsat , it is recorded: “The most merciful of myUmmah to myUmmah is Abu Bakr. The kindest of myUmmah to myUmmah is ‘Umar. The most shy of myUmmah is ‘Uthman.The best judge of my Ummah is ‘Ali b. Abi Talib” 25

It has gone missing in the sameal-Awsat after the time of al-Haytami.

Finally, ‘Allamah al-Albani has copiedHadith al-Qadha from yet another Sahabi, namely Ibn ‘Umar:

أرأف أمتي بأمتي أبو بكر وأشدهم في دين الله عمر وأصدقهم حياء عثمان وأقضاهم علي

The most compassionate of myUmmah to myUmmah is Abu Bakr, and the most severe of them in the religion of Allah is ‘Umar. The most shy of them is ‘Uthman andthe best judge among them is ‘Ali. 26

The ‘Allamah says:

(صحيح) [ع] عن ابن عمر.

Sahih ... (Narrated) byIbn ‘Umar 27

2. Hadith Al-Qadha, Confessions Of The Sahabah

The companions of the Messenger of Allah,sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi , used to admit, unanimously, thatAmir al-Muminin ‘Ali b. Abi Talib,‘alaihi al-salam , was indeed the best judge among them. Imam Ahmad (d. 241 H), for instance records:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا وكيع ثنا سفيان عن حبيب بن أبي ثابت عن سعيد بن جبير عن بن عباس قال قال عمر رضي الله عنه: علي أقضانا وأبي أقرؤنا

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad b. Hanbal) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Waki’ – Sufyan – Habib b. Abi Thabit – Sa’id b. Jubayr – Ibn ‘Abbas:

‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said:“‘Ali is the best judge among us , and Ubayy is the best reciter among us.”28

Shaykh al-Arnauṭ says:

إسناده صحيح على شرط الشيخين

Its chain issahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.29

Imam Ahmad further records:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا يحيى بن سعيد عن سفيان حدثني حبيب يعنى بن أبي ثابت عن سعيد بن جبير عن بن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: قال عمر علي أقضانا وأبي أقرؤنا

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad b. Hanbal) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Yahya b. Sa’id – Sufyan – Habib b. Abi Thabit – Sa’id b. Jubayr – Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both:

‘Umar said:“‘Ali is the best judge among us , and Ubayy is the best reciter among us.”30

Al-Arnauṭ again comments:

إسناده صحيح على شرط الشيخين

Its chain issahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.31

This is the thirdathar recorded on the same matter by Ahmad b. Hanbal:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا سويد بن سعيد في سنة ست وعشرين ومائتين ثنا علي بن مسهر عن الأعمش عن حبيب بن أبي ثابت عن سعيد بن جبير عن بن عباس قال خطبنا عمر رضي الله عنه على منبر رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فقال: علي رضي الله عنه أقضانا وأبي رضي الله عنه اقرؤنا

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad b. Hanbal) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Suwayd b. Sa’id – ‘Ali b. Mashar – al-A’mash – Habib b. Abi Thabit – Sa’id b. Jubayr – Ibn ‘Abbas:

‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, delievered a sermon on the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and said:“‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, is the best judge among us, and Ubayy, may Allah be pleased with him, is the best reciter.” 32

Shaykh Shu’ayb al-Arnauṭ has a simple verdict on it:

صحيح

Sahih 33

Notably, ‘Umar mentioned this publicly and none among the Sahabah present – including the most senior ones - objected. This evidences their unanimous concurrence with him on the matter.

Imam al-Bukhari (d. 256 H) records the sameathar in hisSahih :

حدثنا عمرو بن علي حدثنا يحيى حدثنا سفيان عن حبيب عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس قال قال عمر رضي الله عنه: أقرؤنا أبي وأقضانا علي

‘Amr b. ‘Ali – Yahya – Sufyan – Habib – Sa’id b. Jubayr – Ibn ‘Abbas:

‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “The best reciter among us is Ubayy,and the best judge among us is ‘Ali.” 34

Apart from ‘Umar, all the other Sahabah also explicitly declared that the best judge among them – including their most senior ones living in Madinah - was none other thanAmir al-Muminin . Imam al-Hakim (d. 403 H) records:

أخبرني عبد الرحمن بن الحسن القاضي بهمدان ثنا إبراهيم بن الحسين ثنا آدم بن أبي إياس ثنا شعبة عن أبي إسحاق عن عبد الرحمن بن يزيد عن علقمة عن عبد الله قال كنا نتحدث أن أقضى أهل المدينة علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنه

‘Abd al-Rahman b. al-Hasan al-Qadi – Ibrahim b. al-Husayn – Adam b. Abi Iyas – Shu’bah – Abu Ishaq – ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Yazid – ‘Alqamah – ‘Abd Allah (b. Mas’ud):

“We used to SAY that the best judge among the people of Madinah was ‘Ali b. Abi Talib , may Allah be pleased with him.”35

Al-Hakim says:

هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين

Thishadith issahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.36

Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H), on his part, keeps silent about it. The reason is unclear since theathar has a perfectlysahih chain. Meanwhile, he has personally authenticated thesanad and all its narrators in the same book in otherahadith ! For example, al-Hakim records this chain:

أخبرنا عبد الرحمن بن الحسن القاضي ثنا إبراهيم بن الحسين ثنا آدم بن أبي إياس ثنا شعبة عن منصور عن إبراهيم عن علقمة عن عبد الله رضي الله عنه

‘Abd al-Rahman b. al-Hasan al-Qadi – Ibrahim b. al-Husayn – Adam b. Abi Iyas – Shu’bah – Mansur – Ibrahim –‘Alqamah – ‘Abd Allah (b. Mas’ud) , may Allah be pleased with him.37

The only differences in thissanad from that of theathar are Mansur and Ibrahim. Al-Hakim declares:

هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين

Thishadith issahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.38

Interestingly, al-Dhahabi confirms the verdict:

على شرط البخاري ومسلم

(Sahih ) upon the standard of al-Bukhari and Muslim.39

This proves that ‘Abd al-Rahman b. al-Hasan al-Qadi, Ibrahim b. al-Husayn, Adam b. Abi Iyas, Shu’bah and ‘Alqamah arethiqah (trustworthy) narrators!

But, what is the status Abu Ishaq and ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Yazid – the only remaining narrators of Ibn Mas’ud’sathar ? Note this chain documented by Imam al-Hakim:

أخبرنا أبو زكريا العنبري ثنا محمد بن عبد السلام ثنا إسحاق أنبأ يحيى بن آدم ثنا إسرائيل عن أبي إسحاق عن عبد الرحمن بن يزيد عن عبد الله رضي الله عنه

Abu Zakariyah al-‘Anbari – Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Salam – Ishaq – Yahya b. Adam – Israil –Abu Ishaq – ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Yazid – ‘Abd Allah (b. Mas’ud), may Allah be pleased with him.40

Al-Hakim comments:

هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين

Thishadith issahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.41

Al-Dhahabi also reiterates:

على شرط البخاري ومسلم

(Sahih ) upon the standard of al-Bukhari and Muslim.42

As such, all the narrators of theathar arethiqah (trustworthy).

But then, is there any break between Shu’bah and Abu Ishaq? We have seen the unbroken connection between all the other narrators except these two. This chain, recorded by al-Hakim, puts the seal on things:

حدثني محمد بن صالح بن هانئ ثنا المسيب بن زهير ثنا عاصم بن علي ثنا شعبة عن أبي إسحاق قال : سمعت وهب بن جابر يحدث عن عبد الله بن عمرو رضي الله عنهما

Muhammad b. Salih b. Hani – al-Musayyab b. Zuhayr – ‘Asim b. ‘Ali –Shu’bah – Abu Ishaq – Wahb b. Jabir – ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Amr, may Allah be pleased with them both43

Al-Hakim states:

هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين

Thishadith issahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.44

Al-Dhahabi agrees:

على شرط البخاري ومسلم

(Sahih ) upon the standard of al-Bukhari and Muslim.45

Simply put, the chain of theathar of Ibn Mas’ud issahih . All the narrators arethiqah (trustworthy), and there is no disconnection whatsoever in thesanad .

3. Hadith Al-Qadha, ‘Ali’s Superior Knowledge Of The Qur’an And Sunnah

There is no dispute about the fact thatAmir al-Muminin ,‘alaihi al-salam , was the most competent in justice dispensation among all the Sahabah. In fact, he is the best judge in our wholeUmmah till the Day ofal-Qiyamah after its Prophet,sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi . On a specific level, he was better - in terms of justice dispensation - than Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman. So, what is the direct implication of this?

In Islam, justice dispensation is based squarely upon the Qur’an and Sunnah:

فاحكم بينهم بما أنزل الله

So, judge between themby what Allah has revealed .46

The Qur’an itself, in its entirety, is described as “a judgment” by its Master:

وكذلك أنزلناه حكما عربيا

And thus We have sent it down asa judgment in Arabic47

As such, complete knowledge of everything in it is required for effective justice dispensation.

Moreover, the Sunnah is the divinely inspired explanations of this “judgment” called al-Qur’an:

وأنزلنا إليك الذكر لتبين للناس ما نزل إليهم

And We have sent down unto you (Muhammad)al-Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’an)that you may explain clearly to mankind what is sent down to them.48

Apparently, a person does not know the Book of Allah until he has known its explanations by the Messenger of Allah. These explanations, according to the same Book, only originated from the Lord as well:

وما ينطق عن الهوى إن هو إلا وحي يوحى

He (Muhammad) never speaks of (his own) desire or caprice.It is nothing but a wahy that is revealed (to him) .49

It is obvious. If anyone were more knowledgeable of the Qur’an and Sunnah than ‘Ali in thisUmmah , he (‘Ali) would not have been its best judge. It is simply unfathomable that Allah and His Messenger would have conferred upon him such a rank while there was/is another – in theUmmah as a whole - who was/is more competent with the tools of justice dispensation than he was!

It is noteworthy that knowledge of the revelations of Allah surpasses mere knowledge ofal-halal (the permissible) andal-haram (the prohibited). It covers everything from the Lord to humanity. Most importantly, merely knowing the legal status of a thing is not enough for justice dispensation. The judge must equally be fully aware of the penalties (if any) prescribed for it, and the best ways and circumstances to exercise personal discretion in different cases in line with the Wish of Allah. None, apparently, is as competent in these fields as ‘Ali.

At this point, it is apposite to quote this groundbreakingriwayah referenced by al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir (d. 774 H):

قال شعبة بن الحجاج ، عن سِمَاك ، عن خالد بن عَرْعَرَة أنه سمع عليا وشعبة أيضًا ، عن القاسم بن أبي بزَّة ، عن أبي الطُّفَيْل ، سمع عليًا. وثبت أيضًا من غير وجه ، عن أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب : أنه صعد منبر الكوفة فقال : لا تسألوني عن آية في كتاب الله ، ولا عن سنة عن رسول الله ، إلا أنبأتكم بذلك.

Shu’bah b. al-Hajjaj, from Simak, from Khalid b. ‘Ar’arah that he heard ‘Ali; and Shu’bah again narrated from al-Qasim b. Abi Barrah from Abu al-Tufayl that he heard ‘Ali; and IT IS ALSO AUTHENTICALLY TRANSMITTED through many chains thatAmir al-Muminin ‘Ali b. Abi Talib climbed the pulpit of Kufah and said,“You will not ask me about ANY verse in the Book of Allah, or about ANY Sunnah from the Messenger of Allah, except that I will inform you about that.” 50

None of the Sahabah was ever able to make a similar claim!

Secondly, justice must be administered with utmost fairness and equity:

وإن حكمت فاحكم بينهم بالقسط

If you judge, judge between them with fairness and equity.51

This verse allows the use of personal discretion in the administration of justice, especially in all cases where no divinely fixed penalties or judgments are available. But even then, it also reiterates the notion that the judge must know everything in the Qur’an and the Sunnah! Full knowledge of both is required to determine whether or not there is a fixed penalty or judgment concerning a particular case. If there is none, then the judge uses his discretion. Where the judge does not know whether Allah has already fixed the judgment for the issue before him – due to an insufficient knowledge of the Book and the Tradition - he is most likely to effect a miscarriage of justice, without even realizing it!

Moreover, the judge must give his judgments with the best interests of fairness and equity at heart. This is the second message of the above verse. Where there is a divinely fixed penalty or judgment, he must apply it in the fairest and most equitable manners. Where there is no such fixed penalty or judgment, then he equally must adopt his personal discretion in ways that best ensure a completely fair and equitable dispensation of justice.

Amir al-Muminin has been declared the best judge by Allah and His Messenger. Apparently, he is the one, within Islam, with the best knowledge and practice in justice dispensation. Most importantly, he is the fairest and the most equitable among us all – including the Sahabah - in the application of Allah’s Fixed Verdicts and in the just administration of personal discretion.

The most crucial part of this discourse, probably, is stated in this verse:

يا داوود إنا جعلناك خليفة في الأرض فاحكم بين الناس بالحق

O Dawud! We have appointed you akhalifah over the earth. Therefore, judge between mankind with the truth.52

First and foremost, it is clear from this verse that justice dispensation is the job of thekhalifah , to the exclusion of all others. He is the judge of “mankind”. Every single other human beings comes under his juridical authority. Of course, he might appoint subordinate judges to assist him, under his close supervision. However, the job belongs to him alone. Therefore, whoever is the most qualified to be judge is also the most qualified for thekhilafah !

Besides, the competent judge is he who is able to discern the truth, and who judges with the truth. Judgment with the truth involves the objective application of Allah’s Fixed Verdicts over relevant issues, as well as the selfless administration of personal discretion in deserving cases. The judge therefore must be very intelligent and completely truthful. Application of personal discretion to reach true justice requires an extremely high level of intelligence, selflessness, sincerity and honesty. An unintelligent person cannot be expected to skillfully detect the truth from a clog of complex arguments and proofs before him. Moreover, a corrupt or self-serving fellow cannot be expected to judge others with the truth, or to apply his personal discretion fairly. With these facts in mind, one can then safely conclude and proclaim thatAmir al-Muminin - being the best judge in thisUmmah - was the most qualified for thekhilafah immediately after the Prophet. In addition, he is the most truthful, the most intelligent, the most selfless, the most sincere, the most honest, and the best in recognizing and applying the truth in thisUmmah after the Messenger.

4. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice I

Thekhalifah of Muslims is also their sovereign judge:

يا داوود إنا جعلناك خليفة في الأرض فاحكم بين الناس بالحق

O Dawud! We have appointed youa khalifah over the earth. Therefore,judge between mankind with the truth.53

Since ‘Umar was recognized by most Muslims of his time as theirkhalifah , it follows naturally that he was also their sovereign judge. The question is: was ‘Umar a competent judge? To find the answer, we must look at some iconic cases decided by ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭab.

Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (d. 311 H) records about an interesting case:

ثنا يونس بن عبد الأعلى و محمد بن عبد الله بن الحكم قالا ثنا ابن وهب أخبرني جرير بن حازم عن سليمان بن مهران عن أبي ظبيان عن ابن عباس قال: مر علي بن أبي طالب بمجنونة بني فلان قد زنت أمر عمر برجمها فردها علي و قال لعمر : يا أمير المؤمنين أترجم هذه ؟ قال: نعم قال : أما تذكر أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قال: رفع القلم عن ثلاثة عن المجنون المغلوب على عقله و عن النائم حتى يستيقظ و عن الصبي حتى يحتلم قال : صدقت فخلى عنها

Yunus b. ‘Abd al-A’la and Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah b. al-Hakam – Ibn Wahb – Jarir b. Hazim – Sulayman b. Mihran – Abu Zibyan – Ibn ‘Abbas:

‘Ali b. Abi Talib passed bya lunatic woman from so-and-so tribe, and she had committed adultery.‘Umar ordered that she be stoned to death . So, ‘Ali returned her and said to ‘Umar, “OAmir al-Muminin ! Do you want to stone this (woman)?” He (‘Umar) replied, “Yes”. He (‘Ali) said, “Do you remember that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: ‘The pen has been lifted about three people: the mentally ill, the person sleeping until he wakes up, and the child until he becomes an adolescent.” He (‘Umar) responded, “You have said the truth”. So, ‘Umar freed her (i.e. the lunatic woman).54

‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) comments:

حديث صحيح رجاله ثقات

It is asahih hadith . Its narrators arethiqah (trustworthy).55

Elsewhere, Imam Ibn Khuzaymah also records:

أنا أبو طاهر نا أبو بكر نا يونس بن عبد الأعلى و محمد بن عبد الله بن عبد الحكم قالا أخبرنا ابن وهب أخبرني جرير بن حازم عن سليمان بن مهران عن أبي ظبيان عن ابن عباس قال: مر علي بن أبي طالب بمجنونة بني فلان قد زنت أمر عمر برجمها فرجعها علي وقال لعمر : يا أمير المؤمنين ترجم هذه ؟ قال : نعم قال : أو تذكر أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قال : رفع القلم عن ثلاث عن المجنون المغلوب على عقله وعن النائم حتى يستيقظ وعن الصبي حتى يحتلم قال : صدقت فخلى عنها

Abu Tahir – Abu Bakr Yunus b. ‘Abd al-A’la and Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah b. al-Hakam – Ibn Wahb – Jarir b. Hazim – Sulayman b. Mihran – Abu Zibyan – Ibn ‘Abbas:

‘Ali b. Abi Talib passed by a lunatic woman from so-and-so tribe, and she had committed adultery. ‘Umar ordered that she be stoned to death. So, ‘Ali returned her and said to ‘Umar, “OAmir al-Muminin ! Do you want to stone this (woman)?” He (‘Umar) replied, “Yes”. He (‘Ali) said, “Do you remember that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: ‘The pen has been lifted about three people: the mentally ill, the person sleeping until he wakes up, and the child until he becomes an adolescent.” He (‘Umar) responded, “You have said the truth”. So, he freed her (i.e. the lunatic woman).56

‘Allamah al-Albani rules:

إسناده صحيح

Its chain issahih 57

The exact narration above is documented by Imam Ibn Hibban (d. 354 H) in hisSahih through the route of his teacher, Imam Ibn Khuzaymah, with the same chain.58 ‘Allamah al-Albani again says:

صحيح

Sahih 59

Shaykh al-Arnauṭ also comments:

رجاله ثقات رجال مسلم

Its narrators arethiqah (trustworthy), narrators of (Sahih ) Muslim.60

Imam al-Hakim (d. 403 H), a student of Ibn Hibban, records thehadith as well:

حدثنا أبو بكر بن إسحاق الفقيه وعبد الله بن محمد بن موسى قالا : أنبأ أحمد بن عيسى المصري أنبأ ابن وهب أخبرني جرير بن حازم عن سليمان بن مهران عن أبي ظبيان عن ابن عباس قال مر علي بن أبي طالب بمجنونة بني فلان وقد زنت وأمر عمر بن الخطاب برجمها فردها علي وقال لعمر : يا أمير المؤمنين أترجم هذه ؟ قال : نعم قال : أو ما تذكر أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : رفع القلم عن ثلاث : عن المجنون المغلوب على عقله وعن النائم حتى يستيقظ وعن الصبي حتى يحتلم قال صدقت فخلى عنها

Abu Bakr b. Ishaq al-Faqih and ‘Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Musa – Ahmad b. Isa al-Misri - Ibn Wahb – Jarir b. Hazim – Sulayman b. Mihran – Abu Zibyan – Ibn ‘Abbas:

‘Ali b. Abi Talib passed bya lunatic woman from so-and-so tribe, and she had committed adultery.‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭab ordered that she be stoned to death . So, ‘Ali returned her and said to ‘Umar, “OAmir al-Muminin ! Do you want to stone this (woman)?” He (‘Umar) replied, “Yes”. He (‘Ali) said, “Do you remember that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: ‘The pen has been lifted about three people: the mentally ill, the person sleeping until he wakes up, and the child until he becomes an adolescent.”

He (‘Umar) responded,“You have said the truth” . So, he freed her (i.e. the lunatic woman).61

Al-Hakim says:

هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين

Thishadith issahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs62

Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) concurs:

على شرطهما

(Sahih ) upon the standard of both of them63

Imam Abu Dawud (d. 275 H) documents a fuller version of thehadith that gives some disturbing details:

حدثنا عثمان بن أبي شيبة ثنا جرير عن الأعمش عن أبي ظبيان عن ابن عباس قال: أتي عمر بمجنونة قد زنت فاستشار فيها أناسا فأمر بها عمر أن ترجم فمر بها على علي بن أبي طالب رضوان الله عليه فقال ما شأن هذه ؟ قالوا مجنونة بني فلان زنت فأمر بها عمر أن ترجم قال فقال ارجعوا بها ثم أتاه فقال يا أمير المؤمنين أما علمت أن القلم قد رفع عن ثلاثة عن المجنون حتى يبرأ وعن النائم حتى يستيقظ وعن الصبي حتى يعقل ؟ قال بلى قال فما بال هذه ترجم ؟ قال لا شىء قال فأرسلها قال فأرسلها قال فجعل يكبر

‘Uthman b. Abi Shaybah – Jarir – al-A’mash – Abu Zibyan – Ibn ‘Abbas:

A lunatic woman, who had committed adultery, was brought to ‘Umar.So, he consulted with some people about her, and therefore ordered that she be stoned to death . But, ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, ridwanullah ‘alaihi, passed by her and said, “What is the issue with this (woman)”? They replied, “She is a lunatic woman from so-and-so tribe. She committed adultery and ‘Umar ordered that she be stoned to death.” So, he (‘Ali) said, “Return with her (to ‘Umar).” Then he (‘Ali) came to him (‘Umar), and said, “OAmir al-Muminin ! Do you know that the pen has been lifted in the case of a lunatic until he is cured, and of someone sleeping until he wakes up, and in the case of a child until he becomes mentally mature?” He (‘Umar) replied, “Yes, I do”.He (‘Ali) asked, “So, why do you want to stone this (woman)?” He (‘Umar) replied, “There is NOTHING! ” He (‘Ali) said, “Free her”. So, he (‘Umar) freed her, sayingAllahu Akbar !64

‘Allamah al-Albani says:

صحيح

Sahih 65

Reading all the narrations together, one gets the full picture of what happened:

1. A lunatic woman was charged with adultery, which she apparently committed in her still extant state of insanity.

2. TheShari’ah provides that crimes committed in a state of insanity are not justiciable.

3. ‘Umar was well aware of this rule, and was fully convinced that the lunatic woman truly committed the adultery in a state of insanity. He

nonetheless consulted with his team of judicial advisers (which excluded ‘Ali) on the matter, and eventually made up his mind to execute her.

4. While convicting the lunatic woman and passing the death sentence against her, ‘Umar fully remembered the above-mentioned rule of theShari’ah .

5. Nonetheless, ‘Umar ordered the execution of the lunatic woman for “nothing”, in his own words.

6.Amir al-Muminin ‘Ali saw a clear miscarriage of justice in the judgment of ‘Umar, and stood against the order of the commander-in-chief, at great personal risks. He prevented ‘Umar’s executioners from carrying out their illegal orders.

7. ‘Ali asked ‘Umar if the latter knew theShari’ah ruling concerning lunatic people. ‘Umar replied: “Yes, I do”. Surprised, he further asked the latter why he wanted to execute the lunatic woman in that case. ‘Umar made no secret of his intention. There was simply “nothing”! There was no reason. He only wished to kill the woman, and that was it!

8. ‘Ali reminded him of thehadith of the Prophet on the matter. Perhaps, ‘Umar had forgotten the source of the Shari’i ruling. Luckily, ‘Umar admitted to the truth of thehadith .

9. At this point, ‘Ali advised him to free the innocent lunatic woman. Fortunately for her, ‘Umar accepted ‘Ali’s advice and allowed her to go free.

Without ‘Ali’s timely intervention, ‘Umar would have deliberately executed the innocent woman for “nothing”!

5. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice II

Imam Ibn Abi Hatim (d. 327 H) records about another iconic judgment delivered by ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭab in his capacity as thekhalifah over theUmmah :

أخبرنا أبي ، ثنا أبو بكر محمد بن بشار ، ثنا إبن أبي عدي ، عن سعيد ، عن قتادة عن أبي حرب ، يعني : ابن أبي الاسود الديلي ، عن أبيه ، ان عمر بن الخطاب ، رفعت اليه امراة ولدت ستة اشهر ، فهم برجمها ، فبلغ ذلك عليا فقال : ليس عليها رجم ، قال الله تعالى : والوالدات يرضعن اولادهن حولين كاملين وستة اشهر ، ذلك ثلاثون شهرا .

My father (Abu Hatim) – Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Bashar – Ibn Abi ‘Adi – Sa’id – Qatadah – Abu Harb b. Abi al-Aswad al-Dili – his father (Abu al-Aswad al-Dayli):

A woman was brought to ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭab.She had delivered after (only) six months of pregnancy. So, he (‘Umar) resolved to stone her to death . This (decision) reached ‘Ali. Therefore, he (‘Ali) said, “She does not deserve any penalty of stoning to death. Allah says: ‘The mothers shall give suck to their children for two whole years (2:233)’. This (period) plus six months equals thirty months (mentioned in 46:15 as the total for both pregnancy and suckling)’”.66

Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) submits about the first narrator:

أبو حاتم الرازي محمد بن إدريس بن المنذر بن داود بن مهران: الامام الحافظ، الناقد، شيخ المحدثين

Abu Hatim al-Razi, Muhammad b. Idris b. al-Mundhir b. Dawud b. Mihran:al-imam (the leader in Hadith), al-hafiz (the hadith scientist) , al-naqid (thehadith critic),shaykh al-muhadithin (teacher of thehadith scientists and narrators).67

About the second narrator, al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) says:

محمد بن بشار بن عثمان العبدي البصري أبو بكر بندار ثقة

Muhammad b. Bashar b. ‘Uthman al-‘Abdi al-Basri, Abu Bakr Bandar:Thiqah (trustworthy) .67

What of the third narrator? Al-Dhahabi submits:

محمد بن إبراهيم بن أبي عدي أبو عمرو، بصري، ثقة

Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. Abi ‘Adi, Abu ‘Amr, from Basra:Thiqah (trustworthy) 66

Al-Hafiz agrees:

محمد بن إبراهيم بن أبي عدي وقد ينسب لجده وقيل هو إبراهيم أبو عمرو البصري ثقة

Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. Abi ‘Adi.... Abu ‘Amr al-Basri:Thiqah (trustworthy) .67

The fourth narrator is Sa’id, and al-Hafiz comments on him in this manner:

سعيد بن أبي عروبة مهران اليشكري مولاهم أبو النضر البصري ثقة حافظ له تصانيف لكنه كثير التدليس واختلط وكان من أثبت الناس في قنادة

Sa’id b. Abi ‘Arubah Mihran al-Yashkiri, their freed slave, Abu al-Nadhar al-Basri:Thiqah (trustworthy), hafiz (a hadith scientist) , he wrote books. However, he did a lot oftadlis , and became confused.He was one of the most authoritative narrators from Qatadah .68

Concerning the fifth narrator, al-Hafiz further submits:

قتادة بن دعامة بن قتادة السدوسي أبو الخطاب البصري ثقة ثبت

Qatadah b. Da’amah b. Qatadah al-Sudusi, Aboo al-Khaṭṭaab al-Basri:Thiqah (trustworthy) , thabt (accurate).69

Like the fourth narrator, he too is accused oftadlis , as proclaimed by al-Hafiz:

قتادة بن دعامة السدوسي البصري صاحب أنس بن مالك رضي الله تعالى عنه كان حافظ عصره وهو مشهور بالتدليس وصفه به النسائي وغيره

Qatadah b. Da’amah al-Sudusi al-Basri, the companion of Anas b. Malik, may Allah the Most High be pleased with him. He was thehafiz (hadith scientist) of his time,and he is famous for tadlis . Al-Nasai and others described him with it.70

The sixth narrator is trustworthy as well, as affirmed by al-Hafiz:

أبو حرب بن أبي الأسود الديلي البصري ثقة

Abu Harb b. Abi al-Aswad al-Dili al-Basri:Thiqah (trustworthy) 71

With regards to the last narrator, al-Hafiz states:

أبو الأسود الديلي ….ثقة

Abu al-Aswad al-Dili....:Thiqah (trustworthy) 72

In a word, all the narrators are trustworthy. But, there are three issues with the chain. The fourth narrator (Sa’id) didtadlis a lot and also became confused. The question is: does histadlis affect his narrations from Qatadah, especially as he has narrated in an‘an-‘an manner? Moreover, did the third narrator (Ibn Abi ‘Adi) hear from him before or during his confusion? Lastly, Qatadah himself was famous fortadlis . So, does histadlis affect his‘an-‘an reports from Abu Harb?

Some of these questions are answered in the following isnad documented by Imam al-Bukhari (d. 256 H) in hisSahih :

حدثنا محمد بن بشار حدثنا يحيى وابن أبي عدي عن سعيد عن قتادة عن أنس بن مالك

Muhammad b. Bashar – Yahya andIbn Abi ‘Adi – Sa’id – Qatadah – Anas b. Malik73

Interestingly, this chain is almost identical to the one we are investigating! We see that Sa’id has narrated‘an-‘an from Qatadah, and al-Bukhari considers thesanad to besahih . This proves that Sa’id’stadlis does not affect his‘an-‘an reports from Qatadah. It is noteworthy that Qatadah’s‘an-‘an reports from Anas are also accepted assahih , as in the above chain.

In thissanad of al-Bukhari, Ibn Abi ‘Adi is conjoined with Yahya. However, in another chain in the sameSahih , he stands alone:

حدثني محمد بن بشار حدثنا ابن أبي عدي عن سعيد عن قتادة عن أنس رضي الله

Muhammad b. Bashar – Ibn Abi ‘Adi – Sa’id – Qatadah – Anas b. Malik74

As such, Ibn Abi ‘Adi authentically transmitted from Sa’id. He apparently narrated from the Sa’id before the latter’s confusion. Moreover, this isnad reiterates the fact that Sa’id’s‘an-‘an reports from Qatadah aresahih . In other words, histadlis does not affect them.

‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) confirms all our words:

حدثنا ابن المثنى: ثنا ابن أبي عدي عن سعيد عن

قتادة قلت: وهذا إسناد صحيح على شرط الشيخين.

Ibn al-Muthanna –Ibn Abi ‘Adi – Sa’id – Qatadah .... I (al-Albani) say:This chain is sahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs. 75

Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (d. 311 H) also records:

حدثنا محمد بن بشار و أبو موسى قالا : حدثنا ابن أبي عدي عن سعيد عن قتادة عن أبي تميمة عن الأشعري ـ يعني أبا موسى

Muhammad b. Bashar and Abu Musa –Ibn Abi ‘Adi – Sa’id – Qatadah – Abu Tamimah – Abu Musa al-Ash’ari.76

Dr. Al-A’zami declares:

إسناده صحيح

Its chain issahih 77

Needless to say, Ibn Khuzaymah also considers thesanad to besahih , and has therefore included it in hisSahih .

The bottom-line is as follows:

1. Ibn Abi ‘Adi authentically narrated from Sa’id, before the latter’s confusion.

2. The‘an-‘an reports of Sa’id from Qatadah aresahih . The former’stadlis does not affect them.

3. Some‘an-‘an reports of Qatadah – like those from Anas and Abu Tamimah – are alsosahih . Qatadah’stadlis has no effect on them.

The big question, at this point, is: what is the status of Qatadah’s‘an-‘an narrations from Abu Harb? According to high-ranking Sunnimuhadithun , such narrations aresahih . For instance, ‘Allamah al-Albani states:

حدثنا مسدد: نا يحيى عن ابن أبي عَرُوبة عن قتادة عن أبي حَرْب

ابن أبي الأسود عن أبيه عن علي.

قلت: وهذا إسناد صحيح

Musaddad – Yahya –(Sa’id) b. Abi ‘Arubah – Qatadah – Abu Harb b. Abi al-Aswad – his father – ‘Ali.

I say: This chain issahih .78

This chain, like some others, is almost identical with that of the report from Ibn Abi Hatim. Here, the ‘Allamah confirms that the‘an-‘an reports of

Sa’id from Qatadah aresahih , as well as Qatadah’s‘an-‘an narrations from Abu Harb. Shaykh al-Arnauṭ too backs him:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا عبد الصمد بن عبد الوارث ثنا هشام عن قتادة عن أبي حرب بن أبي الأسود عن أبيه عن علي رضي الله عنه إسناده صحيح على شرط مسلم

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad b. Hanbal) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) - ‘Abd al-Samad b. ‘Abd al-Warith – Hisham –Qatadah – Abu Harb b. Abi al-Aswad – his father – ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him.... Its chain is sahih upon the standard of Muslim .79

Imam Abu Ya’la further records:

حدثنا عبيد الله حدثنا معاذ بن هشام حدثني أبي عن قتادة عن أبي حرب بن الأسود الديلي عن أبي الأسود عن علي بن أبي طالب

‘Ubayd Allah – Mu’adh b. Hisham – my father –Qatadah – Abu Harb b. al-Aswad al-Duli – Abu al-Aswad – ‘Ali b. Abi Talib.80

Shaykh Dr. Asad comments:

إسناده صحيح

Its chain issahih 81

In a simple summary, theathar from Ibn Abi Hatim about how ‘Umar sentenced a woman to death for delivering the baby only after six months of pregnancy has an impeccablysahih chain. All the narrators arethiqah (trustworthy), and thesanad is fully connected.

There are some serious substantive and procedural problems with the judgment of ‘Umar, which reveal a lot about him. He sentenced the woman to death by stoning. This suggests that he had convicted her of adultery. His only proof against her was that she delivered her baby only after six months of her known pregnancy. In the obviously invalid view of ‘Umar, a six-month pregnancy was absolutely impossible. As such, the woman must have been secretly pregnant before her husband started counting the days of her pregnancy – apparently, from the date of their last successful encounter (by his calculations). In other words, while her husband was having sexual intercourse with her (and most probably, it was their first time), she was already secretly pregnant for another man.

The Book of Allah has laid down the procedural law in all cases ofzina :

والذين يرمون المحصنات ثم لم يأتوا بأربعة شهداء فاجلدوهم ثمانين جلدة ولا تقبلوا لهم شهادة أبدا وأولئك هم الفاسقون

Those who accuse chaste women,and do not produce four witnesses , flog them with eighty stripes, and reject their testimony forever,they indeed are the liars. 82

So, in order to establish the charge ofzina against anyone, four witnesses who saw the crime with their own eyes must be called upon to testify. Without the production of those four witnesses, the accuser himself must be penalized, and declared an eternal liar whose future testimonies must always be rejected.

Was ‘Umar aware of the above verse? The answer is not clear. What is undeniable however is that he paid absolutely no attention to it. He never demanded the testimony of four eye-witnesses to support his charge ofzina against the woman. He simply convicted her based upon his mere suspicion. This singular incident casts a huge dark cloak over ‘Umar till the Hour.

Firstly, ‘Umar had wrongly convicted the woman of adultery without evidence. He never demanded or presented four witnesses to support his conviction (which in essence is also an accusation). Therefore, he himself deserved to be flogged with eighty stripes and declared a persona non grata within the IslamicUmmah . The other persons who dragged the woman to him also needed to be investigated. If they too had accused her ofzina without calling four eye-witnesses to testify, then each of them must also be punished in the same manner as ‘Umar.

Secondly, let us assume that ‘Umar did not merely rely upon unfounded suspicion in convicting the woman. Rather, four eye-witnesses who saw her in the middle of the adultery were summoned, and they testified. Therefore, she was indeed guilty and truly deserved the stoning penalty. Where then was her partner in the crime? What sentence did ‘Umar hand down upon him? If two people committedzina , is it only the woman that can be punished? Are men supposed to go scotfree for their crimes of adultery? It is extremely strange that ‘Umar was itching to send the woman to her grave, without asking a single question about her accomplice!