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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.