Al-Manaqib of Ibn al-Maghazli

The Isnad al-Humaydi
October 1, 2015
Sunan al-Kubra
October 1, 2015

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Al Manaqib of Ibn al Maghazili

 

He is Abu al Hassan ‘Ali ibn Muhammad al Tayyib al Jullabi (d. 483 A.H).

 

The First Narration

 

اخبرنا ابو غالب محمد بن احمد بن سهل النحوى المعروف بابن بشران ثنا ابو عبدالله محمد بن على السقطى ثنا ابو محمد عبدالله بن شوذب ثنا محمذ بن ابى العوام الرياحى ثنا ابو مامر العقدى عبدالملك بن عمرو ثنا محمد بن طلحة عن الاعمش عن عطية بن سعد عن ابى سعيد الخدرى ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قال انى اوشك ان ادعى فاجيب و انى قد تركت فيكم الثقلين كتاب الله حبل ممدود من السماء الى الارض وعترتى اهل بيتى ولن يتفرقا حتى يردا عللى الحوض فانظرو كيف تخلفونى فيهما

Abu Ghalib Muhammad ibn Ahmed ibn Sahl al Nahwi (known as ibn Bishran) — Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al Saqti — Abu Muhammad ‘Abdullah ibn Shudhab —Muhammad ibn Abi al ‘Awwam al Rayahi — Abu Mamir al ‘Aqdi — ‘Abdul Malik ibn ‘Amr — Muhammad ibn Talhah — al A’mash — ‘Attiyah ibn Sa’dAbu Sa’id

 

The Second Narration

 

اخبرنا الحسن بن احمد بن موسى غندجاني ثنا احمد بن محمد ثنا علي بن محمد المقري (المصري) ثنا محمد بن عثمان ثنا مصرف بن عمر ثنا عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن طلحة عن ابيه عن الاعمش عن عطية عن ابي سعيد قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم…

Hassan ibn Ahmed ibn Musa al Ghandajani — Ahmed ibn Muhammad — ‘Ali ibn Muhammad al Muqri (al Misri) — Muhammad ibn ‘Uthman — Musarrif ibn ‘Umar — ‘Abdul Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Talhah — (his father) Muhammad ibn Talhah — al A’mash — ‘AttiyahAbu Sa’id

 

Ibn al Maghazili also authored the book al Manaqib. In it he mentioned five asanid for this hadith, as explained in ‘Abaqat. Up until now, we are unable to secure a copy of his book, by means of which we could have learned his position and status. Is he one who collects all sorts of narrations, or does he choose the authentic ones only? We could not find any details regarding him in our books. However, after searching through Shia books, we found that Sheikh ‘Abbas al Qummi mentions him in Tatimmat al Muntaha[1]. We will only be able to guess his position by examining his reports in the light of principles. Therefore, we will present each isnad along with revealing the status thereof, i.e. whether authentic or unauthentic.

The readers should be aware that the first amongst the five asanid of Ibn al Maghazili, which is narrated through Ibn Bishran al Nahwi contains ‘Attiyah al ‘Aufi al Jadali al Kufi. Similarly the second sanad which is narrated through Abu Muhammad al Ghandajani also includes ‘Attiyah, who portrays himself to be a student of Abu Sa’id al Khudri radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

We have already explained the position of ‘Attiyah al ‘Aufi and Abu Sa’id (whose actual name is Muhammad ibn al Sa’ib al Kalbi) on numerous occasions. Under the narration of Tabaqat ibn Sa’d, a complete list of references of the criticism was also included. If further clarification is required, one may refer to it there. The crux of it is that al ‘Aufi was a extremist Shia. He would spread the narrations of his teacher, Muhammad ibn al Sa’ib al Kalbi (the infamous liar) by giving him the agnomen Abu Sa’id and thereafter adding al Khudri. The listener would get the impression that he is referring to the famous Sahabi and would thus accept the narration without any hesitation.

All the scholars have mentioned this deceptive ploy of his in full detail. Therefore his narrations cannot be used in those matters which the Ahlus Sunnah and Shia differ. Refer to Tahdhib al Tahdhib (vol. 6 pg. 225 Hydrabad Dakkan print) of Hafiz Ibn Hajar al ‘Asqalani as well as Qanun al Mawdu’at (pg. 278 Egyptian print) of Tahir al Fattani. From the Shia books, refer to Tanqih al Maqal of al Mamaqani. This book will be sufficient in revealing the condition of ‘Attiyah al ‘Aufi. He was counted amongst the companions of Imam Muhammad al Baqir in this book.[2]

The above-mentioned details serve as sufficient guidelines regarding the reliability and acceptance of his narrations. There is no need for further deliberation. We will now present the third and fourth narrations of Ibn al Maghazili, along with their asanid, directly from ‘Abaqat. Thereafter we will discuss their asanid.

 

The Third Narration

 

اخبرنا ابو طالب محمد بن احمد بن عثمان المعروف بابن الصيرفى البغدادى قدم علينا واسطا (سنة 440) قال ثنا ابو الحسين عبيدالله بن احمد بن يعقوب بن البواب ثنا محمد بن محمد بن سليمان الباغندى ثنا وهبان وهو ابن بقية الواسطى ثنا خالد بن عبدالله عن الحسن بن عبدالله عن ابى الضحى عن زيد بن ارقم  قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم انى تارك فيكم الثقلين  كتاب الله وعترتى اهل بيتى وانهما لن يتفرقا حتى يردا عللى الحوض

Abu al Talib Muhammad ibn Ahmed ibn ‘Uthman (Ibn al Sayrafi al Baghdadi) — Abu al Hussain ‘Ubaidullah ibn Ahmed ibn Ya’qub ibn al Bawwab — Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Sulaiman al Baghandi — Wahban (Ibn Baqiyyah al Wasiti_ — Khalid ibn ‘Abdullah — al Hassan ibn ‘Abdullah — Abu al Duha — from Zaid ibn Arqam — Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam[3]

 

The Fourth Narration

 

اخبرنا ابو طالب محمد بن احمد بن عثمان ابو الحسين محمد بن المظفر بن موسى بن غيسى الحافظ اذنا ثنا محمد بن محمد بن سليمان الباغندى ثنا سويد ثنا على بن مسهر عن ابن حيان التيمى ثنا يزيد بن حيان قال سمعت زيد بن ارقم  يقول قام فينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فخطبنا فقال اما بعد ايها الناس انما انا بشر يوشك ان ادعى فاجيب و انى تارك فيكم الثقلين كتاب الله فيه الهدى و النور فخذوا بكتاب الله و استمسكوا به فحث على كتاب الله و رغب فيه ثم قال و اهل بيتى اذكركم الله تعالى فى اهل بيتى ثلالث مرات

Abu Talib Muhammad ibn Ahmed ibn ‘Uthman Abu al Hussain Muhammad ibn al Muzaffar ibn Musa ibn ‘Isa al Hafiz — Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Sulaiman al Baghandi — Suwaid — ‘Ali ibn Mushir — Abu Hayyan al Taymi — Yazid ibn Hayyan — that Zaid ibn Arqam radiya Llahu ‘anhu said:

Once Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam stood up to deliver to us a sermon. He said, “O people, Indeed I am only a human. Soon I will be called and I will depart. Indeed I will leave amongst you al Thaqalayn, the Book of Allah, in it is guidance and illumination, so hold onto the Book of Allah and never let it go!” He continued to encourage and explain regarding the Book of Allah. Then he added, “And my Ahlul Bayt, I remind you to fear Allah regarding my Ahlul Bayt!” he said this thrice.[4]

 

The readers should be aware that this narration is reported through Muhammad ibn Muhammad al Baghandi. Due to the criticism levelled against him by the ‘ulamaʼ, this narration cannot be accepted as sahih. Now we will systematically present the criticism that is found against him.

 

Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Sulaiman al Baghandi

1. Khatib al Baghdadi notes in his Tarikh Baghdad:

 

قال الخطيب فى تاريخه بغداد…قال ابو بكر بن عبدان انه كان يخاط و يدلس …قال حمزة قال الدارقطنى كان كثير التدليس يحدث بما لم يسمع و ربما سرق …قال ابو بكر الاسماعيلى لا اتهمه فى قصد الكذب ولكنه خبيث التدليس و كثير التصحيف

Abu Bakr ibn ‘Abdan said, “He would get confused and he would leave out his sources.” Hamzah quotes Daraqutni, “He would hide his sources excessively, he would narrate that which he didn’t hear and he would forge asanid for his narrations.” Abu Bakr al Ismaili said, “I do not suspect him of lying intentionally, but he would leave out his sources in a terrible manner and he would make many mistakes.”[5]

 

2. Al Dhahabi describes Baghandi in his books, Mizan al I’tidal and Tadhkirat al Huffaz in the following manner:

 

كان مدلسا و فيه شيئ …قال السلمى سالت الدارقطنى عن محمد بن محمد الباغندى فقال مخلط مدلس يكتب عن بعض اصحابه ثم يسقط بينه و بين شيخه ثلاثة وهو كثير الخطء

He would not mention his sources and he had some disliked qualities. Al Sulami said, “I asked al Daraqutni regarding Muhammad ibn Muhammad al Baghandi and he said, ‘He would get confused and he would leave out his sources. He would narrate from some of his companions and thereafter leave out three of the narrators between himself and another narrator. He would commit many errors.’”[6]

 

3. Ibn Hajar says:

قال الددارقطنى …مخلط مدلس يكتب عن بعض اصحابه ثم يسقط بينه و بين شيخه ثلاثة وهو كثير الخطء…قال ابن عدى وله اشياء انكرت عليه

Al Daraqutni said, “He would get confused and he would leave out his sources. He would narrate from some of his companions and thereafter leave out three of the narrators between himself and another narrator. He would commit many errors.” Ibn ‘Adi said, “He narrated some Munkar narrations.”[7]

 

Although there is some praise regarding him, however, in the light of the principle “Disparagement is given preference over commendation,” this narration cannot be accepted.

The fourth narration of al Baghandi along with its isnad has been presented above. We wish to comment on it. However, before we comment on it, it should be noted that this narration is also narrated by al Baghandi, regarding whom explicit criticism has been mentioned above. Therefore this narration cannot be accepted as sahih.

If, for arguments sake, we have to concede that this narration is sahih, then too there is a reply. The words “ثم قال” (then he said) are a clear indication towards this. The details of this argument have been presented under the narration of Musnad Darami and Muslim, to which the readers can refer. Thus, our ‘friends’ cannot substantiate their view from this narration.

 

Note:- The author of ‘Abaqat added another narration under the year 279 A.H. (vol. 1 pg. 194)

 

محمد بن المظفر بن موسى بن عيسى الحافظ اذنا ثنا محمد بن محمد بن سليمان الباغندى ثنا سويد ثنا على بن مسهر عن ابن حيان التيمى ثنا يزيد بن حيان قال سمعت زيد بن ارقم  يقول قام فينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم

Muhammad ibn al Muzaffar ibn Musa ibn ‘Isa al Hafiz — Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Sulaiman al Baghandi — Suwaid — ‘Ali ibn Mushir — Abu Hayyan al Taymi — Yazid ibn Hayyan — Zaid ibn Arqam radiya Llahu ‘anhu

 

This is no separate narration from another Muhaddith.it is the exact same as the above quoted narration of Ibn al Maghazili and the isnad is also the same. Therefore, there is no need to discuss it separately. Whatever was written above is sufficient. In order to increase the volume of the book, Mir Hamid presents one narration which was narrated through one isnad, as different chains through different Muhaddithin. This contradicts the reality. Glory be to Allah, what an amazing manner of authoring a book!

 

The Fifth Narration

We quote the fifth narration of Ibn al Maghazili with its isnad. Merely studying the isnad will reveal whether this narration is sahih or not. There is no need for deep contemplation. The author of ‘Abaqat says:

Ibn al Maghazili states in Kitab al Manaqib as quoted by ‘Allamah Ibn Bitriq in his book al ‘Umdah:

 

اخبرنا ابو يعلى على بن بن ابى عبدالله بن العلاف البزالر اذنا قال اخبرنى عبد السلام بن عبد الملك بن حبيب البزار قال اخبرنى عبدالله محمد بن عثمان قال حدثنى محمد بن بكر بن عبد الرزاق حدثنى ابو حاتم مغيرة بن محمد بن المهلبى قال حدثنى مسلم بن ابراهيم قال نوح بن قيس الجدامى حدثنى وليد بن صالح عن امراة زيد بن ارقم قالت قال لقبل النبى صلى الله عليه و سلم من مكة فى حجة الوداع حتى نزل بغدير الجحفة بين مكة والمدينة فامر بدوحات ….قال لو تشكون ان تردوا على الحوض و اسئلكم حين تلقونى عن ثقلانى كيف خلفتمونى فيهما فاعتل علينا ما ندرى ما الثقلان حتى قام رجل من المهاجرين فقال بابى انت و امى يا نبى الله ما الثقلان قال الاكبر منهما كتاب الله سبب طرفه بيد الله تعالى وطرف بايديكم فتمسكوا به ولا تولوا ولاتضلوا والاصغر منهما عترتى

Abu Ya’la ‘Ali ibn Abi ‘Abdullah ibn al ‘Allaf al Bazzar — ‘Abdul Salam ibn ‘Abdul Malik ibn Habib al Bazzar — ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Uthman — Muhammad ibn Bakr ibn ‘Abdul Razzaq — Abu Hatim Mughirah ibn Muhammad ibn al Muhallabi — Muslim ibn Ibrahim — Nuh ibn Qais al Judhami — Walid ibn Salih — the wife of Zaid ibn Arqam said:

Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam whilst returning from Makkah after Hajjat al Wada’, stopped at the pond al Juhfah which lies between Makkah and al Madinah. He ordered that the leaves should be trimmed… He then said, “If you doubt that you will meet me at the pond? And I will ask you about how you succeeded me regarding my Thaqalayn.” We were confused until a man from the Muhajirin stood up and asked, “May my parents be sacrificed for you, O Nabi of Allah, what are the Thaqalayn?” He replied, “The greater one of the two is the Book of Allah, one end is by Allah and the other end is in your hands. Hold onto it, do not turn away and do not deviate.  The lesser of the two is my Ahlul Bayt.”

 

The isnad of this lengthy hadith has one such narrator whose appearance renders the entire hadith unacceptable. He is Nuh ibn Qais. Have a look at what Hafiz ibn Hajar in Taqrib al Tahdhib and al Dhahabi in Mizan wrote regarding him:

 

رمى بالتشيع…بلغنى عن يحيى انه ضعفه وقال مرة يتشيع …قال ابو داود كان يتشيع …يحيى ضعفه

He has been criticised with being a Shia… It has reached me from Yahya that he has called him da’if and he once said that he was a Shia … Abu Dawood said, “He was a Shia.” … Yahya regarded him as da’if.[8]

 

NEXT⇒ The Isnad al-Humaidi 


[1]  pg. 344 Iranian print.

[2]Tanqih al Maqal of al Mamaqani vol. 2 pg. 253.

[3]‘Abaqat al Anwar vol. 1 pg. 227

[4]‘Abaqat al Anwar vol. 1 pg.227-228

[5]Tarikh Baghdad vol. 3 pg. 212-213

[6]Mizan al I’tidal vol. 3 pg. 129 and Tadhkirat al Huffaz vol. 2 pg. 272-273

[7]Lisan al Mizan vol. 5 pg. 360-361

[8]Taqrib al Tahdhib pg. 527 , Tahdhib al Tahdhib vol. 2 pg. 485-486, Mizan al I’tidal vol. 2 pg. 542