There are explanations offered, more than three centuries after the above Hadith was narrated, by scholars like Ramhurmuzi (d. 360 A.H.). Ramhurmuzi writes: Apparently the prohibition was in the beginning to make their attention to the Qur’an only and to distinguish the recording of the Qur’an from the sunnah (traditions) of the Prophet and to keep things safe from any kind of mixture or confusion. However, these explanations are not supported by any sayings of the Prophet or by the verses of the Qur’an. The scholars opening word Apparently conveys a kind of presumption and not an acknowledged reality or a historical fact. “Conjecture can be of no avail against Truth.” (Q. 10:36). Allah alone knows the Truth. May Allah forgive me if I have erred. The Recording of the Qur’an – a Striking Contrast In contrast to the uncertainty surrounding the recording of hadiths, the Prophet not only permitted the recording of the revealed verses of the Quran but also personally dictated the revealed texts to scribes who were good in the art of calligraphy. The pre-recorded verses of the Revealed Texts (the Quran) were collected by the first Caliph of Islam - Abu Bakr, who died within two years of the death of the Prophet. The final compilation of these pre-recorded verses and the making of a definitive canon was undertaken by a commission appointed by the third Caliph Uthman ibn Affan. A well-known scribe named Zayd ibn Thabit headed this formal commission. Within twenty-three years of the death of the Prophet, copies made from the definitive canon established by the Commission and approved by the Caliph were distributed to various Islamic centers. One such is preserved in the former Soviet Union. Allah Himself has undertaken to safeguard the revealed verses of the Glorious Quran. “Verily, We, it is We who have sent down the Qur’an and assuredly, We will guard it (from corruption).” Q. 15:9 The verses of hadiths have no such assurance, neither from Allah nor from the Prophet. In fact the Collection of Hadith has not been safeguarded. 2. The Chaos of Category and Classification Intentional Fabrications It is an undisputed fact that the compilers of the Hadith did reject a large majority of narrations (the figure runs in hundreds of thousands) as being invented, fabricated, faulty or too weak to be recorded. Here are a few of the major reasons or circumstances for these superfluities. a) The fabrications were done in order to glorify the beloved Prophet, the elected successors to the Prophet, the chosen family members of the Prophet, and/or their progeny. The fabricators have been reported as saying We did not speak lies against him (Prophet) but for him instead. 3 . b) Various factions attempted to justify and/or propagate their own schools of philosophical thought in the name of the Prophet, e.g. Sufic Orders, Qadariyah, Jabariyah, Rawafid, Ikhwan-as-safa, Mutazila, etc. The latter had the support of the Abbasid rulers. c) The ongoing rivalries between the supporters of; Hadhrat Ali, Hadhrat Mu’awiyah and Kharijites who opposed both. The latter also remained in constant conflict with the Umayyads. d) To instill and indoctrinate strict piety (taqwa) among the believers. The preachers and local leaders who attributed extraordinary deeds and sayings to the Prophet probably believed that the end justified the means. In Criticism of Hadith among Muslims with reference to Sunan ibn Maja, (p.41) there are names of narrators who invented hadiths on the merits of each Sura of the Qur’an when they found people deserting the Qur’an and occupying themselves with Fiqh (jurisprudence) of Abu Hanifa and Maghazi (battles) of Ibn Ishaq. e) In order to earn greater fame within the community. The higher the number of hadiths a scholar could memorize, the greater the honour and status he could obtain. f) Scholars have also noted that the proverbs were attributed to the Prophet. g) During the advent of Islam there were other tribes living side by side with Muslims whose enmity has been recorded in the Quran. Some of them knew from their own scriptures the coming of a Prophet in Arabia (The Land of Kedar. See Isaiah 42:8-17)). Since the Prophet who had come in Arabia was not a descendant of Isaac, they rejected him. A few bitterly envied him and discredited the Prophet by implanting narrations. Non-Muslim dignitaries, Israelites, produced false documents in the name of Prophet before Caliph Umar bin al-Khattab, in order to obtain exemptions from the Jizyah tax that was levied on non-Muslims. 4 h) In many cases the storytellers were the worst fabricators. They were often caught manufacturing enchanting, highly vivid and totally strange anecdotes (riwayats) of miraculous nature. The narrating storyteller (al-Qussas) would produce these to collect larger rewards from the audiences and earn greater fame in the country. They made an art 3 For details see pg. 41, Criticism of Hadith among Muslims with reference to Sunan ibn Maja by Dr. Suhaib Hasan Abdul Ghaffar, published jointly by Ta-Ha Publishers and Al-Quran Society, London, England, quoting reference to the source document al--Baith al-Hathith by Ibn Kathir pg. 79 4 ‘Introduction to the Science of Hadith by Dr. Suhaib Hasan Abdul Ghaffar (page 50), published by Darussalam, Box 22743, Riyadh 11416, Saudi Arabia. form of the fabrications, manufacturing texts (matn) and chains of narrators. (isnad). When caught in the act, more extravagant lies would often follow. 5 i) The traditionalists knew that reporting lies in the name of the Prophet was a grave sin, and tried to conceal the real identity of those narrators who were known as the big liars. They did this by omitting their fathers names, their grandfathers names or by mentioning them by their nicknames only. (see the complete details and examples on Ibid., pp. 197 to 202, with a long list of source documents). Scholars agree that calling someone a liar is not backbiting as long as it is done in the greater and genuine interest of the Prophet of Allah or to protect Islam. j) Traditionalists would faithfully record the chain of narrators (isnad), but would deliberately hold back or abridge the actual text (matn) of the saying when the subject was controversial and the related texts were not consistent throughout. The text would then read: This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of so and so with a slight variation of wording. The details of the variation and the actual spoken words are not mentioned. One would not find such suppression in any one of over 6200 verses of the Holy Quran. The Classifications One may argue that this wholesale rejection of countless hadiths demonstrates that the early compilers like Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari (d. 256/870), Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri (d. 261/875), Muhammad ibn Isa at-Tirmidhi (d. 279/892), Abu Da’ud as- Sijistani (d. 261/875), Ahmad ibn Shu’ayb an-Nasai (d. 303/915) and Muhammed ibn Majah (d. 273/886) had very strict standards and the majority of dubious or unreliable reports were weeded out. One may further argue that the likelihood of remaining hadiths escaping scrutiny increases as more and more narrations are rejected. The latter rationale is supported by the fact that compiled and published hadiths are classified into various categories, by the scholars who have spent years studying the science of Hadith. Within these classifications, dubious hadiths, which should have been rejected, are not removed but organized. Yet there is no consistent method of classification. Thus on the internet a particular narration classified by one Muslim student or writer under a certain category or class is strongly disputed by another. Even the recorded classifications completed by one learned scholar are revised by a subsequent scholar. There are eighteen classifications within three basic categories of Hadith. Oral Traditions - The oral statements of the Prophet. Physical Traditions - The acts or deeds of the Prophet. 5 Please read ‘Criticism of Hadith among Muslims with reference to Sunan ibn Maja by Dr. Suhaib Hasan, pg. 106 for details, authors source document is Ikhtisar Ulum al-Hadith by Ibn Kathir, pg. 82. Approved Traditions - The acts or deeds that were performed in presence of the Prophet. There is also a sub-category of oral statements made by the companions of the Prophet Below is the list of common classifications used by scholars to identify the various categories of the compiled narrations: 1. Dhaif (weak) A narration which is not accurate enough to be classified as sound or fair and hence cannot be used as a basis for the Islamic tradition. There are eight sub- categories of Dhaif hadith. 2. Majhul (unknown) One of the narrators in the chain is unknown, meaning there is no (jarh or taadil) about him. In other words, he is so unknown that no compiler of the hadiths has passed a judgement about this narrator. 3. Gharib (unfamiliar - strange) The narration sounds unfamiliar and is not reported by others or differs from the versions narrated by others. Even a Sahih (sound) hadith could be Gharib (unfamiliar). 4. Muadal (faulty - perplexing) A narration that omits or misses two or more consecutive narrators in the chain, or the text is perplexing. 5. Maqtu (disconnected - severed) A chain that remains incomplete or ends with someone who claims to have met a Companion of the Prophet, or the text begins with the phrase such as we used to do... 6. Munqati (disconnected - broken) Similar to either number 2 or 5 above. 7. Mudtarib (confounding) There is a disagreement concerning the source or the narration itself. 8. Mauquf (untraceable - stopped) A narration which is related without transmitting the name of a Companion of the Prophet. 9. Muallaq (hanging - faulty) A narrator who omits the entire chain of narrators and quotes the Prophet directly. 10. Mursal (broken chain - hurried) The chain between the first narrator and the Prophet is missing e.g. the first narrator says; The Prophet said... 11. Munkar (denounced) A weak narrator whose report goes against another that seems more authentic. 12. Mudraj (interpolated) A narration that has additions to the text of the report by a narrator. 13. Maudu (fabricated - forged) A report that goes against the norms of the sayings of the Prophet, one of the reporters is a liar, or discrepancies are found in the dates of the incident. 14. Musnad (subjective - supported) The chain reaches the Prophet or the narrated report concurs with others. 15. Hasan (fair) A reliable chain but not considered as a totally sound narration. 16. Muttasil (connected) A connected chain that could go up to a Companion or to the Prophet. 17. Maruf (traceable) A traceable chain that could go up to a Companion of the Prophet. 18. Sahih (sound) A narration with an unbroken chain of narrators and the narrators are regarded as the reliable reporters. After the death of the Prophet even the decisions of the Shahaba (companions of the Prophet) were recorded as hadith, acknowledges Dr. Khalid Mahmood Shaikh in his book, A Study Of Hadith. 6 The term As-Sihah As-Sittah (The Six authentic collections of Hadith), is used for the compilations done by Imams/Scholars named; al-Bukhari, Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, Nasai, Abu Da’ud and Ibn Majah. Today, Muslim scholars have found the collections by the latter scholar (‘Ibn Majah) to have defective narrations. The majority of the Shiah reports are of even later date than the early compilations. For the most part they are from the Buyid period of around 454 Hijri. Companions and Acquaintances It is an accepted traditional norm to classify the narrators upon the basis of their direct and personal contact with the Prophet or upon the basis of their direct and personal contact with someone who had direct contact with the Prophet. Within the revealed verses of the Qur’an, 9:43-50, Allah has given us an eye-opening example from which we must learn two most important lessons: A. The Prophet himself could not discern amongst his own people, amongst the people who were living in the same period in the history, or amongst those who had personally met and spoken with him, those who were sincere and those who were the liars. A group of people who were given consent to stay back and not to join the expedition of Tabuk obtained their exemptions by lying before the Prophet. The Prophet could only detect their lies when the Truth was made manifest by Allah in the above verse. It is fundamentally wrong to place our faith in or to take for granted the prevalent theory that 6 Published by IQRA International Education Foundation, Skokie, IL, 60077, USA (p. 29). One such hadith is quoted later on page 76. each and everyone who lived contemporaneously with the Prophet was an honest and trustworthy companion. B. There were limitations to the knowledge of the Prophet. Events that took place around him and in his own time were unknown to him. So, the Prophet cannot necessarily speak of the past, let alone of the future, unless Allah revealed it to him. Should each and every narration thrown at us be defended because it is allegedly identified as an authentic hadith? I do not think so. Many of these texts are based upon weak narrations or spurious reports, and others can be presented out of context or intentionally distorted as we shall see in the following chapters. A Note on Qudsi (sacred) Hadith The scholars of Hadith say that Qudsi hadiths are from Allah only as far as the meaning of the text is concerned and they are from the Prophet of Allah as to the actual wordings of these messages. It would be erroneous to attribute any of the Qudsi Hadith to Allah and claim e.g.; Allah said... Similarly, appropriately classified Hadith should or could be considered to be from the Prophet as to the meaning of the text, but the re-narrated wordings of the text are from the narrators or from Muslim scholars. It may be erroneous to attribute these hadiths to the Prophet and claim; The Messenger of Allah said:... Since the process of compilation has been similar to the rest of the Hadith, the authenticity of this Qudsi group is also largely dependent upon the continuity of the chain of narrators and most importantly by the credibility and reliability of the narrators. It is a common misconception that the term Qudsi denotes that all the re-narrated reports classified under this Qudsi or sacred group, are one hundred percent authenticated. Scholars have recorded that they could be anything from Daif (weak) to Sahih (sound). In this group the chain of narrations does not stop at the Prophet but goes to Allah. However, the primary narration is a paraphrased narrative. Any hadith that disagrees or is opposed to what has been revealed in the Holy Quran should be discarded, even if it is a Sahih hadith or a Qudsi hadith. No text can supersede the verses of the Qur’an – period. Please read the following recorded Qudsi hadith. 7 I have faithfully reproduced below the text of this dubious hadith number 8 with its commentary. Allahs Messenger said: On the Day of Resurrection, my Ummah (nation) will be gathered into three groups, one sort will enter Paradise without rendering an account (of their deeds). Another sort will be reckoned on easy account and admitted into Paradise. Yet another sort will come bearing on their backs heaps of sins like great mountains. Allah will ask the angels though He knows best about them: Who are these people? They will reply: They are humble 7 From ‘110 Hadith Qudsi’. Hadith No. 8 on page 19/20. Translated by Syed Masood-ul-Hasan, Revision and Commentaries by Ibrahim M. Kunna, published by Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1996/1417H. slaves of yours. He will say: Unload the sins from them and put the same over the Jews and Christians; then let the humble slaves get into Paradise by virtue of My Mercy. The commentary to this hadith reads: This Hadith is sound and mentioned in Mustadrak of Hakim. Below are verses of the Holy Qur’an that speak of the final just and fair judgment by Allah. We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of Judgment so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least. And if there be (no more than) the weight of a mustard seed We will bring it (to account): and enough are We to take account. Q. 21:47 In his commentary, Abdullah Yusuf Ali writes: Allahs knowledge is perfect, and therefore His justice will be perfect also; for He will not fail to take into account all the most intangible things that determine conduct and character. Then on that Day not a soul will be wronged in the least and ye shall but be repaid the meeds of your past Deeds. Q. 36:54 Verily Allah will not deal unjustly with man in aught. Q. 10:44. But the judgment between them will be with justice, and no wrong will be done unto them. Q. 10: 54 And fear the day when ye shall be brought back to Allah. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned and none shall be dealt with unjustly. Q. 2:281 Those who believe (in the Quran) and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures) and the Christians and the Sabians, - any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. Q. 2:62 Allah is the Most Merciful. He can forgive whomever, whenever and whatever He wishes. He does not need a scapegoat to carry mountainous heaps of sin. Allah is also the Most Just, and He does not deal unjustly with anyone of His own creation. Those who ascribe false things to Allah, will never prosper. In such falsehood is but a paltry profit but they will have a most grievous Chastisement. Q. 16:116/117 This last verse applies to those who used to manufacture Hadith Qudsi for earning rewards and/or glory. It may also apply to those today who knowingly propagate by mouth or publish the false narrations in the name of Allah. 3. The Ongoing Debate of Authenticity An Authentic Hadith can be Defective Because of the uncertainty surrounding the categorization of Hadith literature, debate has persisted throughout the centuries concerning the authenticity of many narrations. A hadith recorded in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah is regarded as Malul (defective), by more knowledgeable authorities than Imam Muslim, such as Imam Bukhari and Yahya bin Main. The reported saying is not of the Prophet (s.a.s.) but one of Kab al-Ahbar. This is recorded by Ibn Taimiyyah in Majmu Fatawa. For the complete details of Ibn Taimiyyahs recorded version and the alternative opinion given by scholar Al-Albani read An Introduction to the Science of Hadith by Dr. Suhaib Hasan Abdul Ghaffar (p. 43). Below is the text of the above-mentioned Malul (defective) hadith, downloaded from the web. 8 Book No. 38, Giving Description Of The Day Of Judgement, Paradise And Hell (Kitab Sifat Al-Qiyama WaL Janna WaN-Nar). Hadith Number 6707: Narrated by Abu Hurayrah: Allahs Messenger took hold of my hands and said: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, created the clay on Saturday and He created the mountains on Sunday and He created the trees on Monday and He created the things entailing labour on Tuesday and created light on Wednesday and He caused the animals to spread on Thursday and created Adam (peace be upon him) after Asr on Friday; the last creation at the last hour of the hours of Friday, i.e. between afternoon and night. This day-by-day description comes very close to the creation story in the Torah. Please see the Old Testament, Book of Genesis, Chapter 1. This information does not appear in the Holy Quran. The above Hadith is not a Qudsi hadith. Under the circumstances one may wonder how the Prophet could have narrated this descriptive information to Abu Hurayrah. If the Prophet did not relate this information to Abu Hurayrah, then who was this Kab al-Ahbar, whose saying is alleged to have been an authentic hadith? Kab was a Jewish scholar who had entered Islam. He was a Tabi (one who has met a companion of 8 No. 38:6707; 4:2149; 4:1462 of Sahih Muslim. usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/038.smt.html#038.6707 the Prophet) who was known for quoting verses from the Torah. We also know from hadith 5:17 of Al-Muwatta that Abu Hurayrah had gone to Mount Sinai to meet Kab al Ahbar. During their meeting Kab had quoted texts from the Torah to Abu Hurayrah and Abu Hurayrah had quoted the sayings of the Prophet to Kab. This information indirectly supports the earlier criticism by Imam Bukhari and Yahya bin Main. In the forward of his book, An Introduction to the Science of Hadith, Dr. Suhaib Hasan Abdul Ghaffar has listed twenty-six hadiths that are endlessly repeated by the Sunni and Shiah Alims as well as from members of both sects. Some of these hadiths even belong to the group called Qudsi. They provide just a few examples which show how we keep attributing statements to the Prophet not realizing or acknowledging that learned scholars who have studied the Science of Hadith have ruled that these hadiths actually vary tremendously in their degree of authenticity from the Prophet. The author has also added a critical word of caution for those quoting these twenty-six hadiths; (of) being in danger of contravening the Prophets widely narrated stern warnings about attributing incorrect/unsound statements to him. A saying erroneously attributed to the Prophet The following ‘Question and Answer’ published in the October 1999 issue of a monthly Islamic Journal ‘Renaissance’ 9 tells us that the “Symbols of Bad Luck” attributed erroneously to the Prophet are not his views. Question: I read a Hadith which mentions that a house, horse and a woman are three things that could either prove good or bring bad luck for a man. Can you explain the meaning of this please? How can we label anything as a symbol of bad luck? Answer: ...The Hadith you have mentioned has come in most of the major books of Hadith in the words near to the ones you have quoted. However, the following text of it contained in the sixth volume of Imam Ahmad Ibn Hambal’s Musnad presents the true picture in this regard: Abu-Hassan reports that two people came to A’ishah and said to her that Abu Hurayrah narrates that the Prophet used to say that bad luck is to be found only in women, horses and houses. At this A’ishah replied: By the God who revealed the Qur’an to the Prophet! The Prophet never said this; what he did say was that the People of the Jahilliyyah hold this opinion... It is evident from this text of the Hadith that this saying has been erroneously attributed to the Prophet (sws). He had actually quoted the views held by the people of Jahilliyyah (age of ignorance). 10 9 Published from Lahore, Pakistan, Vol. 9, No: 10, pp:48-49. renaissance.pk/ 10 The answer was given by the editor, Shehzad Saleem. Abu Hurayrah the biggest contributor Less than three years before the passing away of the Prophet, Abu Hurayrah joined Islam. He happens to be the biggest single contributor to the Hadith Literature. He has narrated 5374 narrations. 11 Many of his narrations are to be found in Sahih Al-Bukhari. When Abu Hurayrah was questioned about him quoting so many sayings of the Prophet, his reply was: The people say that Abu Huraira narrates too many narrations. In fact Allah knows whether I say the truth or not. They also ask, Why do the emigrants and the Ansar not narrate as he does? In fact, my emigrant brethren were busy trading in the markets, and my Ansar brethren were busy with their properties. I was a poor man keeping the company of Allahs Apostle and was satisfied with what filled my stomach. So, I used to be present while they (i.e. the emigrants and the Ansar) were absent, and I used to remember while they forgot (the Hadith). (Sahih Bukhari 3: 540, also repeated in 3: 263) Abu Hurayrah also admits that he had a bad memory and used to forget things. But after the under mentioned incident, which he has self-narrated, the situation had changed around. Abu Hurayrah records: I said to Allahs Apostle “I hear many narrations (Hadiths) from you but I forget them.” Allahs Apostle said, “Spread your Rida (garment).” I did accordingly and then he moved his hands as if filling them with something (and emptied them in my Rida) and then said, “Take and wrap this sheet over your body.” I did it and after that I never forgot any thing. (Sahih Al-Bukhari 1: 119, also repeated in 4: 841) Sahih Al-Bukhari Commended and Criticized by Muslim Scholars The Commendation: The most authentic book after the Book of Allah is Sahih Al-Bukhari A prominent Muslim scholar of our times, Dr. Muhammad Muhsin of the Islamic University, Al-Madina Al-Munawwara, Saudi Arabia writes: It is said Imam Bukhari collected over 300,000 hadiths and he himself memorized 200,000 of which some were unreliable. He was born at a time when Hadith was being forged either to please rulers or kings or to corrupt the religion of Islam... So it was a great task for him to sift the forged hadiths from the authentic ones. He laboured day and night and although he had memorised such a large number he only chose approximately 7,275 11 This is recorded in ‘Hadith Literature: Its Origin, Development and Special Feature’ by Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqui. with repetition and about 2,230 without repetition of which there is no doubt about their authenticity... Many religious scholars of Islam tried to find fault in the great remarkable collection, Sahih Al-Bukhari, but without success. It is for this reason, they unanimously agreed that the most authentic book after the Book of Allah is Sahih Al-Bukhari. 12 My Comments: The phrase to “corrupt the religion of Islam” confirms that within the Hadith literature there was deliberate input from non-Muslims. The following text by another Muslim scholar questions the veracity of the last paragraph from the above commendation. The Criticism: A prominent Muslim scholar of our times, Dr. Muhammad Mustafa Azami, M.A., Ph.D. and Professor of Science of Hadith, University of Riyadh, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia writes: Many scholars criticized Bukharis work. The criticism concerns about 80 narrators and some 110 ahadith. 13 The number of questionable narrators mentioned above is very high. Dr. Azami has in the footnote given references of the following two prominent works of the fourteenth century Muslim scholars, based upon which he has made the above statement: 1. Abdur Rahman b. Abu Bakr Suyutis book ‘Tadrib ar-Rawi’, ed. by A. R. Latif, Cairo, 1379, vol. I, page 134. 2. Ibn Hajars book ‘Hadyal-Sari’, Cairo 1383, vol. II, page 106. Upon Which Verses Rests Your Faith (Imaan): Al-Qur’an or Al-Bukhari? Here is what the Revealed Words of Allah tell us about the character of the Prophet: And thou [Muhammad] (standest) on an exalted standard of character. Quran. 68:4 12 Sahih Al-Bukhari’ Arabic-English translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, publishers Darussalam, Vol. 1, pp. 18/19. 13 Quoted from: Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature by M. A. Azami, published by Islamic Book Trust, Kuala Lumpur, page 92. Ye have indeed in the Apostle of Allah a beautiful pattern of (conduct) for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day and who engages much in the praise of Allah. Q. 33:21 We sent thee not but as a mercy for all creatures. Q.21:107 It is part of the Mercy of Allah that thou dost deal gently with them. Wert thou severe or harsh-hearted they would have broken away from about thee; so pass over (their faults) and ask for (Allahs) forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs (of moment). Then when thou hast taken a decision put thy trust in Allah. For Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him). Q 3:159 Here is what the recorded hadith by Imam Bukhari tells us about the character of the Prophet: (Narrated by Anas bin Malik). A group of people from Ukl (or Uraina) tribe--but I think he said that they were from Ukl--came to Medina and (they became ill, so) the Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of (Milch) she-camels and told them to go out and drink the camels urine and milk (as a medicine). So they went and drank it, and when they became healthy, they killed the shepherd and drove away the camels. This news reached the Prophet early in the morning, so he sent (some) men in their pursuit and they were captured and brought to the Prophet before midday. He ordered to cut off their hands and legs and their eyes to be branded with heated iron pieces and they were thrown at Al-Harra (a rocky place near Medina), and when they asked for water to drink, they were not given water... Al-Bukhari 8: 797. The same narration is repeated in Al-Bukhari numbers 8: 794 and 1: 234. This incident is not recorded within the published biographies of the Prophet. Allah has given us Wisdom (Aql) to judge between Truth and Falsehood. May He guide us all to use it wisely and honestly. Ameen. Futuristic Narrations It is not uncommon to read narration after narrations that speak of what will happen in the future, after the death of the prophet. These do not belong to the group classified as Qudsi Hadith as such, the ultimate and final sources of these non-Qudsi narrations appear to terminate with the Prophet. Say: The Unseen is only for Allah (to know)... Qur’an 10:20 Below I have quoted a hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah that is not Qudsi and can be found on the internet at an Islamic website. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The Jews were split up into seventy-one or seventy-two sects; and the Christians were split up into seventy one or seventy-two sects; and my community will be split up into seventy-three sects. (Sunan Abu-Da’ud, Book Number 40, Hadith Number 4579.) Here are a couple of more narrations from Sunan of Abu-Da’ud that even mention the times when the predicted events will take place. Narrated by Abdullah ibn Busr The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The time between the great war and the conquest of the city (Constantinople) will be six years, and the Dajjal (Antichrist) will come forth in the seventh. \ Hadith Number 4283 Narrated by Mu’adh ibn Jabal The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The greatest war, the conquest of Constantinople and the coming forth of the Dajjal (Antichrist) will take place within a period of seven months. Hadith Number 4282 A hadith by Muslim (1372) predicts that the Sun will appear from West and that will be the first sign for the appearance of the Dajjal. Some hadiths even predict what will happen to each group of mankind on the Day of Judgement; in Heaven and Hell, yet many of these re-narrated statements do not belong to the Qudsi Group, but belong to the Sahih Group. The following Revealed verses of the Qur’an raise serious questions about the futuristic hadiths belonging to the Sahih Group and the reliability of those who have narrated them. Say: As to the knowledge of the time, it is with Allah alone: I am but a plain warner. Q. 67:26 Say: I tell you not that with me are the treasures of Allah, nor do I know what is hidden (unseen).... Q. 6:50 Say: “I am no new thing among the messengers (of Allah), nor know I what will be done with me or with you.” Q.46:9 Credible or Credulous? The following hadith and attending commentary exemplify the logistical gymnastics believers must engage in to assert the credibility of certain narratives. One must ask, whose authenticity is in question here, the Prophet’s or the compilers? Under the Book Classification: The Beginning of Creation, Volume 4, Book 59, Chapter 17, Page 322, Hadith No. 3320 appears a Sahih (Authentic) Hadith Narrated by Abu Hurayrah. 14 The text reads: The Prophet said, If a housefly falls in the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (in the drink), for one of its wings has a disease and the other has the cure for the disease. (Hadith No. 4: 537 in CD Alim) The same Hadith is also repeated in Volume 7 – with this very interesting footnote: (1) (H. 5782) Medically it is well-known now that a fly carries some pathogens on some parts of its body as mentioned by the Prophet (s.a.s.), [before 1400 years approx. when the humans knew very little of modern medicine]. Similarly Allah (S.W.T.), created organisms and other mechanisms which kill these pathogens, e.g., Penicillin Fungus kills pathogenic organisms like staphylococci and others etc. Recently experiments have been done under supervision which indicate that a fly carries the disease (pathogens) plus the antidote for those pathogenic organisms. Ordinarily when a fly touches a liquid food it infects the liquid with its pathogens, so it must be dipped in order to release also the antidote for those pathogens to act as a counter balance to the pathogens. Regarding this subject I also wrote through a friend of mine to Dr. Muhammad M. El-Samahy chief of Hadith Dept. in Al-Azhar University, Cairo (Egypt), who has written an article upon this Hadith, and as regards medical aspects, he has mentioned that the microbiologists have proved that there are longitudinal yeast cells living as parasites inside the belly of the fly and these yeast cells, in order to repeat their life cycle, protrude through respiratory tubules of the fly and if the fly is dipped in a liquid, these cells burst in the fluid and the content of those cells is an antidote for the pathogens which the fly carries. The Prophet was an Ummi (unlettered) and there is no Revelation on this subject in the Quran. Could he have given such a Command he should dip it (in the drink) to his followers? If he really knew of these modern medical discoveries 1400 years ago, why was he inaccurate about the location of the antidote? Would the dipping of a fly in a cold 14 The Translation of the Meanings of SAHIH AL-BUKHARI Arabic - English Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, published by DARUSSALAM, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The text of the Hadith and the footnote appear in Volume 7, Book 76 Entitled The Book of Medicine, Chapter 58, Hadith Number 5782, Pg. 372. drink or glass of drinking water burst open the contents of its belly? What about the bursting of other impurities, slimy materials and excretions those are normally stored in the belly of a fly? Would those who profess to believe in this hadith and its attending medical evidence be willing to carry out its instructions? And more importantly, can the faith of a Muslim be questioned if he or she thinks that the above narrations are either unsound or non-authentic and discards the fly or throws out the beverage instead of re-submerging the insect and drinking? There are many Believers and Muslim scholars who very devoutly claim and strongly propagate that each and every hadith of Imam Bukhari is a Sahih hadith, meaning; The Authentic Hadith. To deny the authenticity of any one of Bukharis Hadith means that his entire work is called into question. Anyone who has denied the work of Bukhari has at least undermined the rest of the entire literature of Hadith and as such his Imaan (Faith) as a believing Muslim can be questioned according to the traditionalists. The Need for Caution In effect, each and every published hadith that is identified and enumerated cannot be justly labeled authoritative or sound. Also, the possibility of a weak or faulty hadith falling under the wrong criteria and/or regarded as sound by a compiler, cannot be ruled out with absolute surety. We need to be especially careful in referencing Hadith on the internet, for almost certainly, any text quoted will be taken out of its context and placed in another. Our use of incorrect terminology or classification may end up putting the credibility of the Messenger or the integrity of Islam on the line. Instead it would be preferable to reject the hadiths of a certain narrator or a compiler should the sayings contradict the teachings of the Qur’an. There is a narration that is compiled by Imam Bukhari, whose dedicated, devoted and untiring efforts in the compilation of narrated reports has earned him the unique status, and this authoritative narration speaks of the severe penalty of Hell Fire for attributing any falsehood to the Prophet. Hence, the need to observe caution should be felt most of all by those who devoutly propagate with uncritical confidence narrations by Bukhari or indeed any other compiler. 4. Sectarianism and Faulty Hadith Two Self-contradictory hadiths The above warning is also applicable to all those who knowingly propagate falsely attributed sectarian notions, attested to as sayings of the Prophet, especially concerning what will happen after his death. Most of these are not recorded as Qudsi Hadith. As observed earlier, and attest by the Qur’an, the knowledge of the future is with Allah Alone. Many of the present divisions within the Ummah would not have happened if the narrators and propagators, who want us to obey the Messenger of Allah, had been honest enough and obeyed the Messenger of Allah. The following provides an example of the simultaneous propagation of two self- contradictory hadiths with an accompanying commentary by a Shiah Ithna-Ashri scholar and myself. From the Shi’ah scholar: Now consider this hadith report recorded by Mulla Ali Qari in his Sharh-i- fiqh-i-Akbar, 15 “man mata wa lam y’arif Imam-i-zamanihi, faqad mata meetat-al-Jahiliyya.” (One who dies without knowing the Imam of his time, dies the death of total ignorance). My response: How could the Prophet, have spoken the text of the above hadith, recorded by Mulla Ali Qari or by anyone for that matter, when the actual concepts of the “Imamah and the the Imam of his time were not even known by the Ummah, who lived during the life of the Prophet? The Concepts of the Caliphate and the Imamat were developed after the death of the Prophet. Even at the Gadir-e-Khoom, in accordance with the Shi’ah Traditions and Riwayats, the Prophet did not declare Hadhrat Ali as the Imaam of the Ummah. The Shi’ah scholar responded: The hadith report from the Prophet about the Muslims having twelve Imams is so strongly vouched by Isnaad that it is really impossible to deny it. Consequently, Muslims had to invent at least twelve names to fit that hadith. However, in every century and every generation the list of names has been changing, depending upon who was running the government. It is only the Shi’ah Ithna Asharis who have maintained the list of the twelve Imams from day one and it has not changed. My further response: There is a serious problem of reconciliation within these two hadiths. In the earlier hadith, recorded by Mulla Ali Qari, the Prophet is supposed to have said “one who dies without knowing the Imam of his time dies the death of Jahiliyya”. In the latter, so called strongly vouched hadith, the 15 Mulla Ali Qari is a Sunni Alim and this book is a commentary on Imam Abu Hanifa’s book of Islamic laws FIQH AKBAR. Prophet is supposed to have said “the Muslims having twelve Imams [only]”. These two statements contradict each other. If the Prophet knew the future and he also knew certainly that there were not going to be any more Imams (Leaders) after the twelfth Imam, he could not have made the earlier statement to the Muslim Ummah that it was imperative to know the “Imams of their own times. How could those that were to be born after the twelfth Imam, know the Imams of their own times when there were going to be none during their lifetime? The earlier statement in effect acknowledges the perpetuity of the Imams that the later statement negates. This demonstrates that the hadiths accepted by the Shiah Muslims also have self-contradictions. Sunnah and Hadith Sunnah means the prophetic ways, traditions and orders that have become models to follow by his followers. It is erroneous to interchange the word Hadith with Sunnah or vice versa. There are several hadiths that have nothing in the least to do with the traditions of the prophet. It is not correct to contend that the Sunnah of the Prophet has been communicated to the Ummah by the Hadith literature alone. Historically, the Hadith literature that is in circulation, was non-existent for the first few centuries of Islam. The Prophet’s example has been mostly communicated through the practical examples of the living and practicing Muslim communities. A question asked over and over again by the traditionalists is: How else would I have known how to recite my ritual prayers and how many rakats to recite for each prayer, if not through the compiled Hadith literature, since the Qur’an is silent on these issues? The obvious response would be; In the same manner it was known to the Muslim community for more than two centuries before the compilation of the Hadith literature. If one were to stand up before a congregation in any mosque and ask: “When and how did the worshippers learn to recite their ritual prayers?”. The majority of the Jamaati members would probably answer: i. At an early age when he or she had not or could not read the books of hadiths. ii. In their own homes from the family members or in the Madressahs (religious schools) from the teachers. The reality is that the majority of the Sunnahs of the Prophet have been communicated to the society through the examples of living Muslims. An Honest Proposition from Dr. J. Lang Dr. Jeffery Lang was brought up as a Roman Catholic and educated in a Catholic School. He converted to Islam in the early 1980s. His book Struggling to Surrender - Some Impressions of an American Convert to Islam has been a runaway success since its publication in 1994. 16 The following excerpt from its third printing begins with his personal experience and concludes with an honest proposition. Almost a year had passed since I said the Shahadah, and Mahmoud and I had become much more than friends; we were brothers in Islam. We drove together to Fairfield to hear a lecture sponsored by one of the Muslim student groups at the local masjid, which was a small house that had been converted into a place of prayer. We stood out in the large audience, not only because I was the sole American, but because we were practically the only ones wearing Western clothing. Not long after we had found a space to sit on the floor, the first speaker began. Seeking to remind his listeners of the impotence of their faith as compared to that of the Prophet’s Companions, he told the following story. The Prophet met a bedouin in the desert and invited him to Islam. The bedouin was resistive and demanded proof of his claims. Muhammad then asked if a witness would do. “We’re in the middle of nowhere! There isn’t another man for miles. Who could possibly serve as your witness?” The Prophet pointed to a nearby tree. “This will be my witness.” At that moment the tree tore one side of its trunk out of the ground and took a step toward the two men; then it ripped the other side of its base from the ground and came another step closer. The bedouin watched in terror and then shouted, “I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah!” Mahmoud saw the discomfort in my face and tried to redress the damage after the lecture. Of course, he was correct in saying that the audience was not representative of all Muslims and that the value of such a story lies not in its historicity but in its ability to inspire greater awe and consciousness of God. Indeed, many in the audience had listened transfixed to that and similar stories during the lecture, always following them with outbursts of praise. But I felt that Mahmoud’s argument was more of a Western apology than an Islamic one. In my opinion, such stories violate the Qur’an’s appeal to reason and its de-emphasis on the supernatural in favor of the wonders of nature and creation. However, Mahmoud, with his usual diplomacy, drove home a significant point: who are we to deny the legitimacy of another perspective simply because it disagrees with ours? I now knew that, for my own sake, I needed a better understanding of the place of hadith (the Prophetic traditions) in the life of my new community. I was about to enter a maze of confusion, distortion, suspicion, and dogma, a field to be explored only submissively and superficially, in which there is little room for misgiving. It is to this science that orientalism directs its most formidable criticism. Unfortunately, the literature written by Muslim scholars, whether originally in English or translated from other languages, 16 Amana Publications Beltsville, Maryland, USA. to counteract this attack has been an entirely inadequate response. And the need for an effective response is urgent for Muslims living in the West, because this subject plays an important role in directing and binding the community, and in meeting the challenge of self-maintenance in a radically foreign environment. A convert to Islam quickly discovers the need to adopt a position on the role of the Sunnah and the hadith in his or her life. The problem is that the options presented are so extreme that many converts soon come to feel estranged from the community they have joined. In my opinion, this situation could be avoided if there were a real chance for honest and open discussion on this subject. (pp. 76-78) Doubtless, both lifelong Muslims and the recently converted have had encounters similar to Dr. Lang’s. Perhaps some have feared that open skepticism would ostracize them from their community. At times I have attempted to have honest and open discussions with such speakers (in private) about the dubious narrations. Unfortunately, many would seem to prefer the sacrifice of the prestige of the Prophet (s.a.s.), rather than that of their esteemed narrators and/or compilers, as if they were the infallible ones! Allah alone is Infallible and He alone Knows the Truth behind every re-narrated report. In Islam, qualifying any one besides Allah as an infallible individual would be a Shirk (the unpardonable sin of associating some one as equal to Allah). 5 A Closer Look at Some Dubious Hadiths The Prophet and Knowledge of the Unseen In preparing to examine various narrations, let us consider the following two hadiths from Sahih al-Bukhari: Hadith 9:477 quoted below tells us that the Prophet did not have the knowledge of the unseen. Narrated by Masruq: Aisha said, `If anyone tells you that Muhammad has seen his Lord, he is a liar, for Allah says: “No vision can grasp Him.” [Q.6:103] And if anyone tells you that Muhammad has seen the Unseen, he is a liar, for Allah says: None has the knowledge of the Unseen but Allah. My Comments: The above hadith has valid support from the verses of the Qur’an (10:20; 6:50). Hence, if there are narrations which directly and explicitly contradict the above statement made by Bibi Aisha and have no support from the verses of the Quran, then all such narrations need to be carefully re-examined if not rejected. What could have prompted Bibi Aisha to make the above statement and denounce the narrators, calling the propagators liars? Obviously, there must have been false narrations circulating in the name of the Prophet, promoting the Prophets knowledge of the unseen. Who could be the narrators of such lies? Clearly, some narrators who lived during the life of Bibi Aisha. If for some reason, one is not ready to accept this logic because one has been conditioned to think otherwise, then one has to reject this hadith. And of course, if even one sound hadith is rejected, then all of the others are immediately suspect. We cannot pick and choose the hadiths to believe in as a matter of preference; rather the Qur’an must guide us. If all Muslims were to truly believe; Allah Alone has the knowledge of the unseen, some of the sub-Sects of Islam would lose their holds upon their followings. Hadith 1:277 from Bukhari quoted below tells us otherwise and tells us that the Prophet had knowledge of, unseen, past events. Narrated by Abu Hurayrah. The Prophet said, The (people of) Bani Israel used to take baths naked (all together) looking at each other. The Prophet Moses used to take a bath alone. They said, By Allah! Nothing prevents Moses from taking a bath with us except that he has a scrotal hernia. So once Moses went out to take a bath and put his clothes over a stone and then that stone ran away with his clothes. Moses followed that stone saying, My clothes, O stone! My clothes, O stone! till the people of Bani Israel saw him and said, By Allah, Moses has got no defect in his body. Moses took his clothes and began to beat the stone. Abu Hurayrah added, By Allah! There are still six or seven marks present on the stone from that excessive beating. Abu Hurayrah Narrated: The Prophet said, When the Prophet Job (Aiyub) was taking a bath naked, golden locusts began to fall on him. Job started collecting them in his clothes. His Lord addressed him, O Job! Havent I given you enough so that you are not in need of them. Job replied, Yes! By Your Honor (power)! But I cannot dispense with Your Blessings. My Comments: The above is not Qudsi hadith, that is, its source of knowledge does not go beyond the Prophet. The Qur’an does not reveal the details of what is narrated in this hadith. Anyone who has read biographical material on the Prophet can understand that he was not in the habit of telling his companions the stories of the earlier Prophets and/or their intimate conversations with Allah, unless revealed to him by Allah. The earlier verified hadith tells us that the Prophet had no knowledge of the unseen (future or past). Could the Prophet have narrated these things? How did the narrator Abu Hurayrah know which particular stone ran away, more than a thousand years ago in a distant land with the clothes of Prophet Moses? It is unlikely that Abu Hurayrah could have traveled to the distant land, located the place of Bath,
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 12:57:56 +0000
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