Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Alhassanain (p) Network for Islamic Heritage and Thought

A series of ideological researches

A Critical Assessment of Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim

Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Milani

Translated by: Sayyid Abdur Rauf Afzali

www.al-milani.com

www.alhassanain.org/english

In the Name of God the Beneficent the Merciful

Table of Contents

Forward 5

A critical assessment of Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim 7

Part One: A Critical Assessment of Sahih Bukhari 9

Chapter One 10

Bukhari as a Narrator 10

Abu Zar’ah and Abu Hatam on Bukhari 10

A glance at the biography of Abu Zar’ah Razi 11

A glance at biography of Abu Hatam Razi 11

Zuhli and his criticism of Bukhari 12

A glance at Duhli’s life 13

Bukhari and his deviation from the path of Ahl al-Bayt 13

Ibn Dihya’s opinion 13

A glance at Ibn Dihya’s life 15

Bukhari and Ghadir tradition 16

Major Sunni scholars and Ghadir tradition 16

Ibn JAzer and Ghadir tradition 17

Bukhari and his skepticism about Imam Sadiq’s traditions 17

Sunni scholars and issue of loving Prophet’s progeny 18

Are they truthful in making this claim? 19

Qattan and his criticism of Imam Sadiq (a.s) 19

Who is Mujalid bin Sa’eed? 20

Dahabi and Imam Sadiq (a.s) 20

Who is Qattan? 21

Incredible claims 22

The story of Ibn Madini’s al-Ilal 22

Chapter Two 24

Baseless Traditions in Sahih Bukhari 24

The tradition of ‘[Prophet’s] proposing to 'Aisha 24

The tradition of ‘intercession of Ibrahim for Azer’ 24

Fakhr Razi’s opinion 25

Ibn Hajar Asqalani and justification of this tradition 26

Falsity of Ibn Hajar's view 28

The tradition of Prophet's ‘praying on the corpse of Ibn Abu Sulul’ 30

Why this tradition was fabricated? 30

The tradition of ‘three lies told by Prophet Ibrahim’ 31

Fakhr Razi rejects this tradition 31

The tradition of ‘a prophet setting ant’s nest on fire’ 32

Fakhr Razi rejects this tradition 32

The tradition of ‘eating forbidden meat’ 32

Distortion in a fabricated tradition 33

Justification of meaning of tradition 35

Some Sunni scholars accept this false tradition 36

Others are after solution 36

An evacuation of this solution 37

The tradition ‘Prophets do not leave behind inheritance’ 39

The tradition of ‘Ali’s quarrel with Prophet over nightprayer’ 40

A glance at Imam Ali’s excellences 41

Fabricated tradition and the objection of fatalism 44

Falsity of fatalism from the viewpoint of Ibn Taymiyya 44

Ibn Taymiyya and appealing to a fabricated tradition 45

The tradition of Ali's ‘proposing to Abu Jahl’s daughter’ 47

The tradition of 'the cause of the revelation of Quranic verse' 48

The tradition that allows taking wage for reciting from the Holy Quran 51

The tradition of 'asking for rain' narrated by Asbat 51

The tradition 'traditions will increase after me' 52

The tradition that prohibits (playing) musical instruments 53

The tradition 'a believing adulterer does not in fact commit adultery' 54

Three persons take Prophet to Mi'araj 55

Monkey stoned to death for fornication 57

Bukhari and three other fabricated traditions 58

Great Sunni leaders and these fabricated traditions 59

A critique of Asqalani's point of view 60

The Tradition Masruq Narrates from Um Ruman 62

Great memorizers and this fabricated tradition 62

A glance at the life account of some the [said] memorizers 64

An account of the life of 'Alai, a memorizer 64

Ibn Sikkin and the said fabricated tradition 65

An evaluation of the opinion of author of al-Huda 65

Temporary Marriage forbidden in Khaibar year 66

Great Sunni scholars and this fake tradition 67

Ibn Hajar 'Asqalani 69

Dehlavi 69

Imam Shaf'ai 70

Abstract 71

Part Two: An evaluation of Sahih Muslim 72

Ibrahim bin Abdullah Sa'adi and Sahih Muslim 73

Abu Zar'ah Razi and Sahih Muslim 73

Fabricated traditions in Sahih Bukhari 73

A fabricated tradition on Abu Talib 73

Fabricated tradition rejected 73

Tradition indicative of caliphate of Abu Bakr 74

Sunni scholars on this fabricated tradition 75

Umar orders calling to prayer 76

Two contradictory traditions 76

First verse revealed to Prophet 79

Bibliography 81

Notes 84

Forward

With the prophetic mission of Prophet Muhammad (s), the seal of the prophets, the last and the most perfect divine religion was conveyed to humanity and prophethood came to an end.

The religion of Islam emerged in Mecca but after twenty three years of arduous efforts made by the Messenger Allah (s) and a handful of his loyal companions it spread all over the Arabian Peninsula.

The continuation of this divine mission was a task that was entrusted publicly on Dhul Hijja, the eighteenth, by Allah, the Glorious, to Ali (a.s), the commander of the faithful and the first personality after the Holy Prophet (a) in the world of Islam.

With the proclamation of Hazrat Ali’s guardianship and succession on this day, divine blessings were completed and the religion of Islam was perfected, being announced as the only religion chosen by Allah. That was how unbelievers and pagans got disappointed from destroying Islam.

Soon after [the demise of the Messenger of Allah (s)], some of the companions of the Holy Prophet (s) based on their pre-hatched conspiracies, brought deviation in the course of guidance and leadership. They closed the gate of the city of knowledge putting Muslims in perplexity. From the very beginning of their rule, they placed the truths of Islam – that were like shinning sun – behind the dark clouds of doubt and skepticism by putting a ban on recording prophetic traditions, spreading fabricated traditions, casting doubts and using hypocrisy and deception.

Obviously, in spite of all conspiracies hatched by the enemies of Islam, the truths of Islam and noble sayings of the Messenger of Allah (s) were promulgated by the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (a.s.), his successors and a few of his devout companions and those truths kept flowing and manifesting themselves in one way or the other in the course of history. By explaining the truths, they did away with the doubts, hesitation, illusions, and unfounded beliefs inculcated by the enemies of Islam, making truths clear to all.

In this respect, great scholars and men of knowledge such as Sheikh Mufid, Sayyid Murtadha, Khaja Nasir, Allamah Hilli, Qadhi Nurullah, Mir Hamid Husain, Sayyid Sharafuddin, Allamah Amini etc. are like shining stars for they are the ones who defended Islamic truths, explained the realities of the school of Ahlulbayt (a.s.) and dealt with spurious arguments using their tongues and pens.

In our era, one of the of the scholars and researchers who has, with his eloquent pen and expressive writing, explained the truths of the religion of Islam and astutely defended the leadership and wilayah (guardianship) of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (a.s.) is Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Husaini Milani.

The Islamic Truths Center is proud to embark on reviving the fruitful and precious works of that great researcher by reviewing, translating and publishing them in a bid to make them available to students, scientific figures and those who are in search for Islamic truths.

The book in your hand is a translation of one of his works, intended to acquaint the English audience with Islamic truths. It is expected that this humble effort will earn the pleasure of the Remnant of Allah, the Imam of Time [the twelfth Shiite Imam] may Allah hasten his reappearance.

Islamic Truths Center

A critical assessment of Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds and may prayer and peace be upon our master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his pure progeny, and may Allah’s curse be upon all their enemies from the first to the last one.

Sunnis consider the two books of Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim as correct from the beginning to the end, dealing with them like revelation. They have based all their principle beliefs on the basis of their content.

Sunni researchers refrain from considering as fabricated any tradition that has appeared in these two books, for the position of these two books is very high in their eyes.

The present work studies these two books and some of the traditions they contain, in order to make it clear that all the traditions that these two books contain are not authentic (sahih) and that one cannot say that the traditions that have not appeared in these two books are not authentic.

I have, also, made other researches in this area, which are published together with other works of mine. This work, however, includes those researches.

Esteemed readers will find out that this research has cited only the words of great imams and well-known memorizers (of traditions) of Sunnis.

This research consists of two parts:

A critical assessment ofSahih Bukhari

A critical assessment ofSahih Muslim

I ask Allah, the Exalted to make this work a success, benefitting readers as all success lies in His hand.

Ali Husaini Milani

Part One : A Critical Assessment of Sahih Bukhari