Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

2) Hadith Al-Wilayah, Investigating Its Authenticity

Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 H) states about Hadith al-Wilayah:

و كذلك قوله هو ولي كل مؤمن بعدي كذب على رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم

And similarly his statement “he is the wali of every believer after me”, it is a lie upon the Messenger of Allah.1

The implication of Shaykh’s words is that the hadith is mawdu’. It does not have a single sahih, hasan or even dha’if chain. Rather, each of its chains contains at least one known or suspected liar or hadith fabricator. But, is this submission of Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah true? Is the hadith really mawdu’?

Hadith al-Wilayah is a report from the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, concerning Amir al-Muminin ‘Ali, ‘alaihi al-salam, in which he declares the latter to be the wali of every believer after him. What does wali mean in the hadith? What did the Prophet intend by saying “after me”? These are questions that need answers – but only if the hadith is first confirmed to be authentic. Since Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah has graded it to be mawdu’, it is therefore necessary to confirm or refute this first before embarking upon any exegetical exercise about its matn (content).

Imam Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi (d. 204 H) records:

حدثنا أبو داود قال حدثنا جعفر بن سليمان الضبعي حدثنا يزيد الرشك عن مطرف بن عبد الله بن الشخير عن عمران بن حصين: أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم بعث عليا في جيش فرأوا منه شيئا فأنكروه فاتفق نفر أربعة وتعاقدوا أن يخبروا النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم بما صنع علي قال عمران وكنا إذا قدمنا من سفر لم نأت أهلنا حتى نأتي رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم وننظر إليه فجاء النفر الأربعة فقام أحدهم فقال يا رسول الله ألم تر أن عليا صنع كذا وكذا فأعرض عنه ثم قام الثاني فقال مثل ذلك فأعرض عنه ثم قام الثالث فقال مثل ذلك فأعرض عنه ثم قام الرابع فقال مثل ذلك فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم ما لهم ولعلي إن عليا مني وأنا منه وهو ولي كل مؤمن بعدي

Abu Dawud – Ja’far b. Sulayman al-Dhab’i – Yazid al-Rishk – Mutarrif b. ‘Abd Allah b. al-Shikhir – ‘Imran b. Hasin who said:

The Messenger of Allah, peacebe upon him, appointed ‘Ali as part of an army expedition. They (his co-soldiers) saw something in him that they hated, and a small band of four people (among them) therefore agreed and vowed to inform the Prophet, peace be upon him, about what ‘Ali did. It was our custom back then that whenever we returned from any journey, we would not go to our families until after visiting the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and looking at him.

So, the small band of four people came (to the Prophet immediately they returned), and one of them stood up and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Have you not seen that ‘Ali did so and so?” So, he (the Prophet) turned away from him. Then, the second stood up and said the same thing. So, he (the Prophet) turned away from him (too). Then the third stood up and said the same thing. So, he (the Prophet) turned away from him (as well). Then the fourth stood up and said the same thing. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah, peacebe upon him, said: “What is it with them and ‘Ali? Verily, ‘Ali is from me and I am from him, and he is the wali of every believer after me.”2

‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) says about this riwayah:

أخرجه ....الطيالسي في " مسنده " (829) من طريق جعفر بن سليمان الضبعي عن يزيد الرشك عن مطرف عن عمران بن حصين رضي الله عنه ....وقال الترمذي: "حديث حسن غريب، لا نعرفه إلا من حديث جعفر بن سليمان ". قلت: وهو ثقة من رجال مسلم وكذلك سائر رجاله ولذلك قال الحاكم: " صحيح على شرط مسلم "، وأقره الذهبي

Al-Tayalisi recorded it in his Musnad (829).... from the route of Ja’far b. Sulayman al-Dhab’i, from Yazid al-Rishk, from Mutarrif, from ‘Imran b. Hasin,may Allah be pleased with him And al-Tirmidhi said: “A hadith that is hasan gharib (i.e. with a hasan [good] chain), we do not know it except through the hadith of Ja’far b. Sulayman”. I (al-Albani) say: and he (Ja’far b. Sulayman) is thiqah (trustworthy), from the narrators of (Sahih) Muslim, and so are the rest ofits (i.e. the hadith’s) narrators. This is why al-Hakim said, “Sahih upon the standard of (Imam) Muslim. And al-Dhahabi concurred with him.3

All the narrators are thiqah (trustworthy), and are relied upon in Sahih Muslim. Imam al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 H) declares the chain to be hasan, while both al-Hakim (d. 403 H) and al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) grade it as sahih. ‘Allamah al-Albani approvingly cites their consensus opinion, which shows that he too holds the same view about the chain.

Al-Tayalisi further records another chain for the hadith:

حدثنا يونس قال حدثنا أبو داود قال حدثنا أبو عوانة عن أبي بلج عن عمرو بن ميمون عن بن عباس ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قال لعلي: أنت ولي كل مؤمن بعدي

Yunus – Abu Dawud – Abu ‘Awanah – Abu Balj – ‘Amr b. Maymun – Ibn ‘Abbas:

The Messenger of Allah, peacebe upon him, said to ‘Ali: “You are the wali of every believer after me.”4

‘Allamah al-Albani says about it:

. وأما قوله: "وهو ولي كل مؤمن بعدي " فقد جاء من حديث ابن عباس، فقال الطيالسي (2752) : حدثنا أبو عوانة عن أبي بلج عن عمرو بن ميمون عنه " أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال لعلي: " أنت ولي كل مؤمن بعدي ". وأخرجه أحمد (1 / 330 - 331) ومن طريقه الحاكم (3 / 132 - 133) وقال: " صحيح الإسناد "، ووافقه الذهبي، وهو كما قالا

As for his statement “and he is the wali of every believer after me”, it has been narrated in the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas, for al-Tayalisi (2752) said: Abu ‘Awanah – Abu Balj – ‘Amr b. Maymun, from him (i.e. Ibn ‘Abbas), “that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to ‘Ali: ‘You are the wali of every believer after me.’” Ahmad (1/330-331) recorded it, and from his route al-Hakim (3/132-133), and he (al-Hakim) said, “a sahih chain” and al-Dhahabi concurred with him, and it is indeed as both have stated.5

So, Imam al-Hakim6 , Imam al-Dhahabi7 and al-Albani again grade this second chain of the hadith to be sahih. Imam al-Busiri also states:

وعن ابن عباس , رضى الله عنهما , أن رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيه وسَلَّم قال لعلي : أنت ولي كل مؤمن بعدي. رواه أبو داود الطيالسي بسند صحيح

Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to ‘Ali: “You are the wali of every believer after me.”

Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi has recorded it with a sahih chain.8

Closely following al-Tayalisi is Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah (235 H)9 . Imam al-Shami (d. 942 H) says:

وروى ابن أبي شيبة وهو صحيح عن عمران - رضي الله تعالى عنه - قال: قال رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم -: " علي مني وأنا منه، وعلي ولي كل مؤمن من بعدي ."

Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated, and it is sahih, from ‘Imran, may Allah be pleased with him, saying: The Messenger of Allah, peacebe upon him, said: “Ali is from me and I am from him, and ‘Ali is the wali of every believer after me.”10

Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal (d. 241 H) too has documented the hadith:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا عبد الرزاق وعفان المعنى وهذا حديث عبد الرزاق قالا ثنا جعفر بن سليمان قال حدثني يزيد الرشك عن مطرف بن عبد الله عن عمران بن حصين قال: بعث رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم سرية وأمر عليهم علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله تعالى عنه فأحدث شيئا في سفره فتعاهد قال عفان فتعاقد أربعة من أصحاب محمد صلى الله عليه و سلم ان يذكروا أمره لرسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قال عمران وكنا إذا قدمنا من سفر بدأنا برسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فسلمنا عليه قال فدخلوا عليه فقام رجل منهم فقال يا رسول الله ان عليا فعل كذا وكذا فأعرض عنه ثم قام الثاني فقال يا رسول الله ان عليا فعل كذا وكذا فأعرض عنه ثم قام الثالث فقال يا رسول الله ان عليا فعل كذا وكذا فأعرض عنه ثم قام الرابع فقال يا رسول الله ان عليا فعل كذا وكذا قال فأقبل رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم على الرابع وقد تغير وجهه فقال دعوا عليا دعوا عليا ان عليا مني وأنا منه وهو ولي كل مؤمن بعدي

‘Abd Allah – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – ‘Abd al-Razzaq and ‘Affan al-Ma’ni – Ja’far b. Sulayman – Yazid al-Rishk – Mutarrif b. ‘Abd Allah – ‘Imran b. Hasin:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, deployed a small army and made ‘Ali b. Abi Talib,may Allah be pleased with him, their commander. He did something during his journey and they made a covenant. Four of the Sahabah of Muhammad, peace be upon him, made a covenant to report him to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. We, when we returned from any journey, used to start (our return) with the Messenger of Allah, peacebe upon him, to greet him.

So, they went to him, and one of them stood up and said, “O Messenger of Allah, ‘Ali did such-and-such.” So, he (the Prophet) turned away from him. Then the second stood and said, “O Messenger of Allah, ‘Ali did such-and-such.” So, he (the Prophet) turned away from him (too). Then the third rose and said, “O Messenger of Allah, ‘Ali did such-and-such.” So, he (the Prophet) turned away from him.

Then the fourth stood and said, “O Messenger of Allah, ‘Ali did such-and-such”. So, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, faced him, and his face had changed, and said, “Leave ‘Ali alone! Leave ‘Ali alone! Verily, ‘Ali is from me and I am from him, and he is the wali of every believer after me.”11

Imam al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 H) has a similar riwayah:

حدثنا قتيبة حدثنا جعفر بن سليمان الضبعي عن يزيد الرشك عن مطرف بن عبد الله عن عمران بن حصين قال: بعث رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم جيشا واستعمل عليهم علي بن أبي طالب فمضى في السرية فأصاب جارية فأنكروا عليه وتعاقد أربعة من أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فقالوا إذا لقينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم أخبرناه بما صنع علي وكان المسلمون إذا رجعوا من السفر بدءوا برسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فسلموا عليه ثم أنصرفوا إلى رحالهم فلما قدمت السرية سلموا على النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم فقام أحد الأربعة فقال يا رسول الله ألم تر إلى علي بن أبي طالب صنع كذا وكذا فأعرض عنه رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم ثم قام الثاني فقال مثل مقالته فأعرض عنه ثم قام الثالث فقال مثل مقالته فأعرض عنه ثم قام الرابع فقال مثل ما قالوا فأقبل رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم والغضب يعرف في وجهه فقال ما تريدون من علي ؟ ما تريدون من علي إن عليا مني وأنا منه وهو ولي كل مؤمن بعدي

Qutaybah – Ja’far b. Sulayman al-Dhab’i – Yazid al-Rishk – Mutarrif b. ‘Abd Allah – ‘Imran b. Hasin:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, deployed an army unit under the command of ‘Ali b. Abi Talib. So, he departed with the army unit and gained a female slave (from the war booty). But, they opposed him over it and four of the Sahabah of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, vowed and said, “When we meet the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, we will inform him of what ‘Ali has done”. When Muslims returned from the journey, they used to start (their arrival) with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and would greet him. Then they would go to their various destinations. S

o , when the military unit arrived, they greeted the Prophet, peace be upon him, and one of the four people rose and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Have you not seen that ‘Ali b. Abi Talib did so-and-so?” So, he (the Prophet), peace be upon him, turned away from him. Then the second stood up and said the same thing, and he (the Prophet) turned away from him (too). Then the third stood up and said the same thing. So, he (the Prophet) turned away from him (as well). Then the fourth stood up and said what they (i.e. the other three) said. So, the Messenger of Allah, peacebe upon him, turned to him, and anger was visible on his face, and he said, “What do you want from ‘Ali? What do you want from ‘Ali? Verily, ‘Ali is from me and I am from ‘Ali, and he is the wali of every believer after me.”12

Al-Tirmidhi says about it:

هذا حديث حسن غريب

This hadith is hasan gharib (i.e. has a hasan chain).13

Meanwhile, ‘Allamah al-Albani has a simple verdict on the hadith:

صحيح

Sahih14

Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani (d. 852 H) also states:

أخرج الترمذي بإسناد قوي عن عمران بن حصين في قصة قال فيها قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ما تريدون من علي إن عليا مني وأنا من علي وهو ولي كل مؤمن بعدي

Al-Tirmidhi records in a narrative with a strong (qawi) chain from ‘Imran b. Hasin: “The Messenger of Allah, peacebe upon him, said: ‘What do you want from ‘Ali? Verily, ‘Ali is from me and I am from ‘Ali, and he is the wali of every believer after me.’”15

Also commenting on the same hadith, Shaykh Nazir Hamadan says:

إسناده قوي، وأخرجه الترمذي) ٣٧١٢ (في المناقب: باب مناقب علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنه، وحسنه، وهو في " المسند ٤٣٨ ،٤٣٧ / ٤

Its chain is strong, and al-Tirmidhi (3712) recorded it under al-Manaqib: Chapter on the Merits of ‘Ali b. Abi Talib,may Allah be pleased with him, and he declared it hasan. And it is recorded in al-Musnad 4/437, 438.16

The hadith is recorded by Imam Ibn Abi ‘Asim (d. 287 H) as well:

ثنا عباس بن الوليد النرسي وأبو كامل قالا ثنا جعفر بن سليمان، عن يزيد الرشك، عن مطرف، عن عمران بن حصين قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: علي مني، وأنا منه، وهو ولي كل مؤمن من بعدي

‘Abbas b. al-Walid al-Narsi and Abu Kamil – Ja’far b. Sulayman – Yazid b. al-Rishk – Mutarrif – ‘Imran b. Hasin, who said:

The Messenger of Allah, peacebe upon him, said: “Ali is from me, and I am from him, and he is the wali of every believer after me.”17

‘Allamah al-Albani comments about it:

إسناده صحيح. رجاله ثقات على شرط مسلم

Its chain issahih, its narrators are thiqah (trustworthy), upon the standard of (Imam) Muslim (in his Sahih).18

Dr. al-Jawabirah also says:

إسناده صحيح. رجاله رجال مسلم

Its chain is sahih. Its narrators are narrators of (Sahih) Muslim.19

Abu Ya’la al-Mawsili (d. 307 H) has equally narrated this version of al-Tirmidhi in his Musnad20 . Shaykh Dr. Husayn Asad Salim grades the hadith with these words:

رجاله رجال الصحيح

Its narrators are narrators of the Sahih.21

Imam Ibn Hibban (d. 354 H) has documented the same version in his Sahih22 . Shaykh al-Arnaut, the annotator, says about the riwayah:

إسناده قوي

Its chain is strong.23

Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (d. 310 H) narrated this hadith as well. ‘Allamah al-Hindi (d. 975 H) quotes al-Tabari’s version and authentication in his Kanz:

عن عمران بن حصين قال : بعث رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم سرية واستعمل عليهم عليا فغنموا فصنع علي شيئا أنكروه - وفي لفظ : فأخذ علي من الغنيمة جارية - فتعاقد أربعة من الجيش إذا قدموا على رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم أن يعلموه وكانوا إذا قدموا من سفر بدؤا برسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فسلموا عليه ونظروا إليه ثم ينصرفون إلى رحالهم فلما قدمت السرية سلموا على رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فقام أحد الأربعة فقال : يا رسول الله ألم تر أن عليا قد أخذ من الغنيمة جارية ؟ فأعرض عنه ثم قام الثاني فقال مثل ذلك فأعرض عنه ثم قام الثالث فقال مثل ذلك فأعرض عنه ثم قام الرابع فأقبل إليه رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم يعرف الغضب في وجهه فقال : ما تريدون من علي ؟ علي مني وأنا من علي وعلي ولي كل مؤمن بعدي

( ش ) وابن جرير وصححه

Narrated ‘Imran b. Hasin:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, deployed an army unit and appointed ‘Ali as their commander. Then, they captured war booties, and ‘Ali did something that they hated – and in another version: ‘Ali took a slave-girl from the war booty. So, four of the soldiers vowed that when they would meet the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, they would inform him. It was their custom then that whenever they returned from any journey, they would first visit the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and would greet him and would look at him.

Then they would go to their various destinations. When the army unit arrived, they greeted the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and one of the four (soldiers) stood up and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Have you not seen that ‘Ali took a slave-girl from the war booty?” So, he (the Prophet) turned away from him. Then the second stood up and said the same thing, and he (the Prophet) turned away from him. Then the third stood up and said the same thing. So, he (the Prophet) turned away from him. Then the fourth stood up. So, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, faced him and anger was visible on his face, (the Prophet) and said, “What do you want from ‘Ali? ‘Ali is from me and I am from ‘Ali, and ‘Ali is the wali of every believer after me.”

(Comment) Ibn Jarir (recorded it) and he declared it sahih.24

Al-Hindi himself concurs with al-Tabari:

علي مني وأنا من علي وعلي ولي كل مؤمن بعدي

(ش عن عمران بن حصين صحيح)

‘Ali is from me and I am from ‘Ali, and ‘Ali is the wali of every believer after me.

(Comment: narrated by ‘Imran b. Hasin. It is sahih).25

A further report of the hadith is documented by Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal in his Musnad:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا بن نمير حدثني أجلح الكندي عن عبد الله بن بريدة عن أبيه بريدة قال: بعث رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم بعثين إلى اليمن على أحدهما علي بن أبي طالب وعلى الآخر خالد بن الوليد فقال إذا التقيتم فعلي على الناس وان افترقتما فكل واحد منكما على جنده قال فلقينا بنى زيد من أهل اليمن فاقتتلنا فظهر المسلمون على المشركين فقتلنا المقاتلة وسبينا الذرية فاصطفى علي امرأة من السبي لنفسه قال بريدة فكتب معي خالد بن الوليد إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم يخبره بذلك فلما أتيت النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم دفعت الكتاب فقرئ عليه فرأيت الغضب في وجه رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فقلت يا رسول الله هذا مكان العائذ بعثتني مع رجل وأمرتني ان أطيعه ففعلت ما أرسلت به فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم لا تقع في علي فإنه منى وأنا منه وهو وليكم بعدي وانه منى وأنا منه وهو وليكم بعدي

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad b. Hanbal) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Ibn Numayr – Ajlah al-Kindi – ‘Abd Allah b. Buraydah – his father, Buraydah:

The Messenger of Allah, peacebe upon him, deployed two army units to Yemen. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib was the commander of one of them while Khalid b. al-Walid was that of the other. So, he said, “When you combine your forces, then ‘Ali shall be the overall commander. But when you disperse, then each of you shall be the commander of his own troops.”

We then battled Banu Zayd from the people of Yemen, and we fought, and the Muslims triumphed over the idolaters. We killed the combatants and captured the offspring. ‘Ali chose one of the captives, a slave-girl, for himself. So, Khalid and I wrote jointly to the Messenger of Allah, peacebe upon him, to inform him of it. When I (later) came to the Prophet, peacebe upon him, and I handed over the letter, and it was read to him, I saw anger on the face of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.

Then, I said, “O Messenger of Allah! This is the place for the refuge-seeker. You sent me with a man (i.e. ‘Ali) and ordered me to obey him, and I did what you sent me with.” Then, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “Do not attack ‘Ali, for he is from me and I am from him, and he is your wali after me; and he is from me and I am from him, and he is your wali after me.”26

‘Allamah al-Albani says:

" لا تقع في علي، فإنه مني وأنا منه وهو وليكم بعدي وإنه مني وأنا منه وهو وليكم بعدي ".

أخرجه أحمد (5 / 356) قلت: وإسناده حسن

“Do not attack ‘Ali, for he is from me and I am from him, and he is your wali after me, and he is from me and I am from him, and he is your wali after me.”

Ahmad (5/356) recorded it. I say: and its chain is hasan.27

Simply put, there are several distinct reliable chains for the hadith from three different Sahabah. As such, Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah’s grading of the hadith as mawdu’ is completely baseless and a clear distortion of reality. This is why ‘Allamah al-Albani is so surprised at his action. In his closing remarks about Hadith al-Wilayah, the ‘Allamah wonders:

فمن العجيب حقا أن يتجرأ شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية على إنكار هذا الحديث وتكذيبه في " منهاج السنة " (4 / 104)

Of the truly unbelievable is Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah’s denial of this hadith, and his calling it a lie in Minhaj al-Sunnah (4/104).28

Notes

1. Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad b. ‘Abd al-Halim b. Taymiyyah al-Harrani, Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah (Muasassat Qurtubah; 1st edition, 1406 H) [annotator: Dr. Muhammad Rashad Salim], vol. 7, p. 391

2. Abu Dawud Sulayman b. Dawud b. al-Jarud al-Farisi al-Basri al-Tayalisi, Musnad (Beirut: Dar al-Ma’rifah), p. 111, # 829

3. Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihahwa Shayhun min Fiqhihah wa Fawaidihah (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma’arif li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1415 H), vol. 5, p. 261, # 2223

4. Abu Dawud Sulayman b. Dawud b. al-Jarud al-Farisi al-Basri al-Tayalisi, Musnad (Beirut: Dar al-Ma’rifah), p. 360, # 2752

5. Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihahwa Shayhun min Fiqhihah wa Fawaidihah (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma’arif li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1415 H), vol. 5, p. 263, # 2223

6. Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1411 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata], vol. 3, p. 143, # 4652

7. Ibid

8. Ahmad b. Abi Bakr b. Isma’il al-Busiri, Itihaf al-Khiyarah al-Maharah bi Zawaid al-Masanid al-‘Ashara (Riyadh: Dar al-Watan; 1st edition, 1420 H), vol. 7, p. 184, # 6630

9. ‘Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Abi Shaybah Ibrahim b. ‘Uthman b. Abi Bakr b. Abi Shaybah al-Kufi al-‘Ubsi, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah fi al-Ahadith wa al-Athar (Dar al-Fikr; 1st edition, 1409 H) [annotator: Prof. Sa’id al-Laham], vol. 7, p. 504, # 58

10. Muhammad b. Yusuf al-Salihi al-Shami, Subul al-Huda al-Rashad fi Sirah Khayr al-‘Ibad (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1414 H) [annotators: ‘Adil Ahmad ‘Abd al-Mawjud and ‘Ali Muhammad Ma’ud], vol. 11, p. 296

11. Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 4, p. 437, # 19942

12. Abu ‘Isa Muhammad b. ‘Isa al-Sulami al-Tirmidhi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih Sunan al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 5, p. 632, # 3712

13. Ibid

14. Ibid

15. Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, al-Isabah fi Tamyiz al-Sahabah (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1415 H) [annotators: Shaykh ‘Adil Ahmad b. ‘Abd al-Mawjud and Shaykh ‘Ali Muhammad Ma’udh], vol. 4, p. 468

16. Shams al-Din Muhammad b. Ahmad b. ‘Uthman al-Dhahabi, Siyar A’lam al-Nubala (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 1413 H) [annotators of the eighth volume: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut and Nazir Hamadan], vol. 8, p. 199, # 36

17. Abu Bakr b. Abi ‘Asim, Ahmad b. ‘Amr b. al-Dhahhak b. Mukhlid al-Shaybani, Kitab al-Sunnah (al-Maktab al-Islami; 1st edition, 1400 H) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 2, p. 564, # 1187

18. Ibid

19. Abu Bakr b. Abi ‘Asim, Ahmad b. ‘Amr b. al-Dhahhak b. Mukhlid al-Shaybani, Kitab al-Sunnah (Dar al-Sami’i li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’) [annotator: Dr. Basim b. Faysal al-Jawabirah], vol. 1, p. 799, # 1221

20. Abu Ya’la Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Muthanna al-Mawsili al-Tamimi, Musnad (Damascus: Dar al-Mamun li al-Turath; 1st edition, 1404 H) [annotator: Dr. Husayn Salim Asad], vol. 1, p. 293, # 355

21. Ibid

22. Abu Hatim Muhammad b. Hibban b. Ahmad b. Hibban b. Mu’adh b. Ma’bad al-Tamimi al-Darimi al-Busti, Sahih Ibn Hibban bi Tartib Ibn Balban (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 2nd edition, 1414 H) [annotators: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani and Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 15, pp. 373-374, # 6929

23. Ibid, vo. 15, p. 374, # 6929

24. ‘Ali b. Husam al-Din al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-‘Ummal fi Sunan al-Aqwalwa Af’al (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 1989 H), vol. 13, p. 122, # 36444

25. Ibid, vol. 11, p. 907, # 32941

26. Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 5, p. 356, # 23062

27. Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihahwa Shayhun min Fiqhihah wa Fawaidihah (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma’arif li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1415 H), vol. 5, p. 262, # 2223

28. Ibid, vol. 5, p. 264, # 2223

3) Hadith Al-Wilayah, Al-Arnaut’s Rescue Attempts

Shaykh al-Arnaut is a hard-line follower of his “Shaykh al-Islam” Ibn Taymiyyah. Seeing the latter’s helplessness on Hadith al-Wilayah, he decides to come to his rescue. Although he falls short of calling the hadith “a lie” like Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 H), Shaykh al-Arnaut nonetheless makes frantic but fragile efforts to cast a shadow of doubt over its head.

Imam Ibn Hibban (d. 354 H), in his Sahih, records the hadith:

إن عليا مني وأنا منه وهو ولي كل مؤمن بعدي

Verily, ‘Ali is from me and I am from ‘Ali, and he is the wali of every believer after me.1

The riwayah is through this chain:

أخبرنا أبو يعلى حدثنا الحسن بن عمر بن شقيق حدثنا جعفر بن سليمان عن يزيد الرشك عن مطرف بن عبد الله بن الشخير عن عمران بن حصين

Abu Ya’la – al-Hasan b. ‘Umar b. Shaqiq – Ja’far b. Sulayman – Yazid al-Rishk – Mutarrif b. ‘Abd Allah b. Shikhir – ‘Imran b. Hasin.2

Shaykh al-Arnaut says about the hadith:

إسناده قوي

Its chain is strong.3

This indicates the reliability of all the narrators. ‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) confirms this when he says about the very same report, with the same chain:

صحيح

Sahih4

The hadith is also recorded in Musnad Ahmad with this chain:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا عبد الرزاق وعفان المعنى وهذا حديث عبد الرزاق قالا ثنا جعفر بن سليمان قال حدثني يزيد الرشك عن مطرف بن عبد الله عن عمران بن حصين قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم دعوا عليا دعوا عليا ان عليا مني وأنا منه وهو ولي كل مؤمن بعدي

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – ‘Abd al-Razzaq and ‘Affan al-Ma’ni, and this is the hadith of ‘Abd al-Razzaq – Ja’far b. Sulayman – Yazid al-Rishk – Mutarrif b. ‘Abd Allah – ‘Imran b. Hasin:

.... The Messenger of Allah, peacebe upon him, said: “.... Leave ‘Ali alone! Leave ‘Ali alone! Verily, ‘Ali is from me and I am from ‘Ali and he is the wali of every believer after me.”5

Al-Arnaut already testifies to the reliability of Ja’far, Yazid and Mutarrif above. So, we are left with only ‘Abd Allah, son of Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal; and both of them are highly authoritative hadith scientists and compilers in the eyes of the Ahl al-Sunnah. Like his father, Ahmad b. Hanbal, ‘Abd Allah needs no introduction and his trustworthiness is absolutely beyond question. ‘Abd al-Razzaq too is like that. His Musannaf is a prominent hadith source among Sunni ‘ulama, and he is a major narrator in Sahih al-Bukhari. So, ordinarily, Shaykh al-Arnaut should have absolutely no problem with the sanad. However, he does:

إسناده ضعيف

Its chain is dha’if (weak).6

He gives no excuse at all, apparently because there is none! Or, is it that he has problem with ‘Abd Allah, his father Ahmad b. Hanbal (d. 241 H) or ‘Abd al-Razzaq (d. 211 H)? Elsewhere in the same Musnad, this is how al-Arnaut comments about another chain of theirs:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبى ثنا عبد الرزاق قال ثنا سفيان عن الأعمش عن أبى وائل عن أم سلمة

إسناده صحيح على شرط الشيخين

‘Abd Allah – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – ‘Abd al-Razzaq – Sufyan – al-A’mash – Abu Wail – Umm Salamah....

Its chain is sahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs (i.e. al-Bukhari and Muslim).7

So, even Shaykh al-Arnaut is well-aware that the chain of Hadith al-Wilayah in Musnad Ahmad is reliable. Yet, he does what he does!

Or, wait a minute! Is there not a break in the chain between ‘Abd al-Razzaq and Ja’far? It is one thing for all the narrators of a chain to be trustworthy and truthful. It is another for it to be well-connected, such that each narrator transmits from the one he really met. If there is a break in the chain, then it is indeed weak. Shaykh al-Arnaut has authenticated the transmission from ‘Abd Allah – Ahmad b. Hanbal – ‘Abd al-Razzaq. He has equally authenticated the transmission from Ja’far – Yazid – Mutarrif. As such, there is only the question of the link between ‘Abd al-Razzaq and Ja’far.

In the riwayah of Hadith al-Wilayah in Musnad Ahmad above, two people have narrated from Ja’far: ‘Abd al-Razzaq and ‘Affan al-Ma’ni. If only one of them is reliable and is fully connected to Ja’far, then the entire sanad is impeccable. But, look at this chain and al-Arnaut’s comment on it:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا عفان ثنا جعفر بن سليمان ثنا ثابت عن أنس بن مالك

إسناده صحيح على شرط مسلم رجاله ثقات

‘Abd Allah – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – ‘Affan – Ja’far b. Sulayman – Thabit – Anas b. Malik ....

Its chain is sahih upon the standard of (Imam) Muslim, its narrators are trustworthy.8

Similarly, Shaykh al-Arnaut says about another chain:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا عبد الرزاق ثنا جعفر بن سليمان قال حدثني ثابت البناني عن أنس بن مالك

إسناده صحيح على شرط مسلم , رجاله ثقات

‘Abd Allah – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – ‘Abd al-Razzaq – Ja’far b. Sulayman – Thabit al-Banani – Anas b. Malik ....

Its chain is sahih upon the standard of (Imam) Muslim, its narrators are trustworthy.9

Obviously, two trustworthy narrators have narrated Hadith al-Wilayah from Ja’far b. Sulayman. Moreover, all its narrators are trustworthy, and the sanad is fully-connected. Therefore, it is a doubly sahih chain without any doubt, even by the standards of Shaykh al-Arnaut! Yet, he knowingly grades the sanad as dha’if without any justification! However, Allah has made him admit the truth about the noble hadith in his tahqiq of Sahih Ibn Hibban. So, his own words will continue to refute him till the Hour!

The second version of Hadith al-Wilayah, narrated by Buraydah, is equally documented in Musnad Ahmad:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا بن نمير حدثني أجلح الكندي عن عبد الله بن بريدة عن أبيه بريدة قال فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم لا تقع في علي فإنه منى وأنا منه وهو وليكم بعدي وانه منى وأنا منه وهو وليكم بعدي

‘Abd Allah – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Ibn Numayr – Ajlah al-Kindi – ‘Abd Allah b. Buraydah – his father Buraydah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peacebe upon him, said: “Do not attack ‘Ali, for he is from me and I am from him, and he is your wali after me; and he is from me and I am from him, and he is your wali after me.10

Shaykh al-Arnaut comments:

إسناده ضعيف بهذه السياقة من أجل أجلح الكندي

Its chain is dha’if (weak) with this context due to Ajlah al-Kindi.11

Really?! But, this is what this same al-Arnaut says about the same Ajlah in the same book:

الأجلح - وهو ابن عبد الله الكندي - فقد روى له البخاري في " الأدب " وأصحاب السنن وهو صدوق

Al-Ajlah – and he is Ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Kindi – al-Bukhari has narrated from him in al-Adab, and the authors of the Sunan too (i.e. al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and al-Nasai). And he is saduq (very truthful).12

How then can anyone grade his hadith as dha’if? Interestingly, elsewhere, al-Arnaut’s verdict changes:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا مصعب بن سلام سمعته من أبي مرتين ثنا الأجلح عن الذيال بن حرملة عن جابر بن عبد الله

صحيح لغيره وهذا إسناد حسن

‘Abd Allah – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Mus’ab b. Salam – my father – al-Ajlah – al-Zayal b. Harmalah – Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah....

Sahih li ghayrihi, and this chain is hasan.13

Therefore, the version of Hadith al-Wilayah narrated by Ajlah is actually hasan by the standards of Shaykh al-Arnaut.

Notes

1. Abu Hatim Muhammad b. Hibban b. Ahmad b. Hibban b. Mu’adh b. Ma’bad al-Tamimi al-Darimi al-Busti, Sahih Ibn Hibban bi Tartib Ibn Balban (Beirut: Muasassat al-Risalah; 2nd edition, 1414 H) [annotators: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani and Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 15, pp. 373-374, # 6929

2. Ibid, vol. 15, p. 373, # 6929

3. Ibid, vo. 15, p. 374, # 6929

4. Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Ta’liqat al-Hisan ‘ala Sahih Ibn Hibban (Jeddah: Dar Ba Wazir li al-Nashrwa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1424 H), vol. 10, p. 67, # 6890

5. Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurtubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnaut], vol. 4, p. 437, # 19942

6. Ibid

7. Ibid, vol. 6, p. 322, # 26782

8. Ibid, vol. 3, p. 267, # 13847

9. Ibid, vol. 3, p. 164, # 12698

10. Ibid, vol. 5, p. 356, # 23062

11. Ibid

12. Ibid, vol. 3, p. 305, # 14313

13. Ibid, vol. 3, p. 310, # 14372