Answering the First Claim that Abu Hurayrah was a Staunch Follower of the Umayyads.
`Abd al-Husayn’s Objections Regarding the Hadith: “Allah Created Adam According to His Form.”
December 8, 2015Who is the Grand-Father of Ja`far al-Sadiq?
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Answering the first claim that Abu Hurairah was a staunch follower of the Umayyads.
The scholars are aware that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was an ardent lover of the Ahlul Bayt. He did not, for even a moment, show enmity towards them. He was well-known for holding onto the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Consequently, he loved all those who were loved by the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu is the one who removed the cloth from the stomach of Hassan ibn ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu saying, “Show me so that I can kiss you at the exact place where I saw the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam kissing you.” He then kissed his navel.
It is indeed strange that a person sucks out information from his thumb and then goes on to accuse Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu of disliking ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and his family. How is this possible even after he hears of the discussion that took place between Abu Hurairah and Marwan, when the Muslims wanted to bury Hassan radiya Llahu ‘anhu alongside the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Abu Hurairah said to him:
By the oath of Allah, you are not the governor. Others are more deserving of governance than you so abandon it. You involve yourself in matters that are of no benefit to you, seeking nothing but the pleasure of one who is not even in your presence (i.e. Muawiyah).
However, the one whose heart is filled with hatred for Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu will misinterpret this to be a mere public performance and ploy of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. There are other junctures at which Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu criticised Marwan. Will all of them be misinterpreted to be a planned performance to dupe the masses, as claimed by the author? Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu rebuked him upon seeing pictures of animate objects in his house by saying:
I heard the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying, “Allah says, ‘Who is more oppressive than the one who attempts to create something similar to my creation? He should go ahead and create a seed!”’
On another occasion, when Marwan appeared late for Salat al Jumu’ah, Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu stood up and said to him:
Do you remain in the company of the daughter of so and so, who fans you and gives you cold water to drink whilst the sons of the Muhajirin and Ansar melt away in the heat? I intended to take some action against you.
Thereafter he told the people, “Listen to the discourse of your Amir.”
Can this be the stance of one who is a staunch supporter of the Banu Umayyah, who alters narrations to suit them and calls people to support them, or is it the stance of the one who stands for the truth? He criticised the governor for being late, but at the same time kept his honour by asking the Muslims to listen to him. This is yet another proof of the status of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu among the Muslims. Had he been a downtrodden vagabond, they would not have listened to him and Marwan would not have tolerated him. In spite of all of this, the author still sees this incident in a different light and counts it amongst the ploys of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu to stabilise the Umayyad dynasty. This is in accordance with his ‘academic standards’, ‘professionalism’, ‘deductions’ and ‘analyses.
It would have been more appropriate for the author to claim that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was a staunch supporter of the Ahlul Bayt. He narrates their virtues from Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, which are recorded in the authentic books of hadith[1]. It would have been more appropriate for him to narrate these instead of searching for unauthentic and fabricated narrations attributed to Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu in praise of the Umayyads, especially since the liars and fabricators have been exposed and the matter has become obvious.
Hereunder are some of the virtues that he narrates regarding the Ahlul Bayt:
He narrated so many ahadith regarding the virtues of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu that it is inconceivable that he could have sided with Muawiyah against ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhum. These narrations will be indigestible to the author, just as stones are indigestible to humans. Al Bukhari and Muslim have narrated many of them. The virtues of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu cannot be counted. Books have been compiled specifically on the subject, the likes of al Khasa’is of Imam al Nasa’i. He is unparalleled in the rank of Sahabah as far as the number of sound and authentic ahadith that have been narrated regarding him. This is what we believe in order to please Allah and keep our din and emotions intact. This is also in conformity to the rules of unbiased research, which we have undertaken to adhere to.[2]
He also narrates ahadith regarding the virtues of Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Hereunder is a summary of a few of them:
فعن سعيد بن أبي سعيد قال : كنا مع أبي هريرة جلوساً ، فجاء حسن بن علي بن أبي أبي طالب، فسلّم علينا ، فرددنا عليه وأبو هريرة لا يعلم فمضى . فقلنا : يا أبا هريرة ، هذا حسن ابن علي قد سلّم علينا . فقام فلحقه فقال : يا سيدي . فقلنا له : تقول ياسيدي ؟ قال : إني سمعت رسول الله يقول : “ إنه لسيد “
Sa’id ibn Abi Sa’id related: Hassan ibn ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib walked past whilst we were sitting with Abu Hurairah so he greeted us. We replied to his greeting but Abu Hurairah did not realise so he continued.
We said, “O Abu Hurairah This is Hassan ibn ‘Ali, he is greeting us.”
He then stood up and walked until he reached him saying, “O my leader.”
We inquired, “Why did you say to him, ‘My leader’?”
He replied, “I heard the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying, ‘Indeed he is a leader.’”[3]
وعن محمد بن زياد عن أبي هريرة قال : رأيت النبي حامل الحسن بن علي على عاتقه، ولعابه يسيل عليه
Muhammad ibn Ziyad narrates from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu who said, “I saw Hassan ibn ‘Ali drooling upon the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam whilst he carried him upon his shoulder.”[4]
وعن عمير بن إسحاق قال : رأيت أبا هريرة لقى الحسن بن علي فقال : اكشف لي عن بطنك حيث رأيت رسول الله يقبل منه قال: فكشف له عن بطنه فقبّله
‘Umair ibn Ishaq narrates, “I saw Abu Hurairah meet Hassan ibn ‘Ali… he said to him, ‘Uncover the portion of your stomach which I saw the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam kissing.’ He then uncovered his stomach after which Abu Hurairah kissed him.”[5]
Abu Muzarrid says:
I heard Abu Hurairah saying, “These two ears of mine have heard and these two eyes have seen the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam holding the hands of Hassan or Hussain whilst his feet were on the feet of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam who commanded, ‘Help him to climb!’ The child then climbed until he managed to place his feet upon the chest of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Thereafter the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘Open your mouth!’ Thereafter the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam kissed him saying, ‘O Allah make him your beloved, for indeed I love him.’”[6]
وعن أبي حازم عن أبي هريرة قال : قال رسول الله من أحب الحسن والحسين فقد أحبني، ومن ابغضهما فقد أبغضني
Abu Hazim reports from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, who narrated that the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Whoever loves Hassan and Hussain has indeed loved me, and whoever shows enmity to them has indeed shown enmity towards me.”[7]
وعن أبي حازم عن أبي هريرة قال : نظر النبي إلى علي و الحسن والحسين وفاطمة فقال : أنا حرب لمن حاربكم ، وسلم لمن سالمكم
Abu Hazim reports from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, who narrated, “I saw the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam looking at ‘Ali, Hassan, Hussain, and Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anhum and saying, “I am at war with those who fight with you and at peace with those who are at peace with you.”[8]
وعن أبي حازم عن أبي هريرة عن النبي قال : نزل ملك من السماء فبشرني أن فاطمة سيدة نساء أمتي وأن الحسن والحسين سيدا شباب أهل الجنة
Abu Hazim reports from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, who narrated that the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “An angel descended from the sky and gave me the glad-tidings that Fatimah is the leader of all the ladies of my Ummah and Hassan and Hussain are the leaders of the youth of Jannat.”[9]
وعنه قال : كنا نصلّي مع رسول الله العشاء فكان يصلّي ، فإذا سجد وثب الحسن والحسين على ظهره ، وإذا رفع رأسه أخذهما فوضعهما وضعاً رفيقاً، فإذا عاد عادا ، فلما صلّى جعل واحداً ها هنا وواحداً ها هنا فجئته فقلت : يا رسول الله ألا أذهب بهما إلى أمهما ؟ قال:لا، فبرقت برقة فقال: إلحقا بأمكما، فما زالا يمشيان في ضوئها حتى دخلا
He also narrates, “We were performing ‘Isha’ with the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and when he went into sujud, Hassan and Hussain climbed onto his back. When he lifted his head, he placed them gently on the ground, and when he returned to sujud they got onto him once again.
After completing his salah, he placed one on each side. I went to him and offered, ‘O Rasulullah, should I not take them to their mother?’
He replied, ‘No.’
Shortly thereafter a flash of lightning struck upon which he said to them, ‘Go to your mother.’ They walked in this light until they reached her.”[10]
A third member of the Ahlul Bayt whose virtues are narrated by Abu Hurairah is Jafar ibn Abi Talib radiya Llahu ‘anhu.
فعن عبد الرحمن بن يعقوب عن أبي هريرة قال : قال رسول الله : رأيت جعفرا يطير في الجنة مع الملائكة
‘Abdur Rahman ibn Yaqub reports from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu that the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “I saw Jafar flying in Jannat with the angels.”[11]
وعن عكرمة عن أبي هريرة قال : ما احتذى النعال ولا انتعل ولا ركب المطايا ولا ركب الكور بعد رسول الله أفضل من جعفر بن أبي طالب
‘Ikrimah reports from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu who said, “No one better than Jafar ibn Abi Talib wore a sandal, rode a conveyance and sat on saddle after the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.”[12]
عن سعيد المقبري عن أبي هريرة قال : إن كنت لأسأل الرجل من أصحاب النبي عن الآيات من القرآن أنا أعلم بها منه ، ما أسأله إلا ليطعمني شيئا ، فكنت إذا سألت جعفر ابن أبي طالب لم يجبني حتى يذهب بي إلى منزله فيقول لامرأته : أسماء ، أطعمينا شيئا ، فإذا أطعمتنا أجابني . وكان جعفر يحب المساكين ويجلس إليهم ويحدثهم ويحدثونه ، فكان رسول الله يكنيه بأبي المساكين
Sa’id al Maqburi reports from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, “I would ask a companion of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam regarding a verse of the Qur’an even though I knew it better than him. My intention would be that he offers me something to eat. Whenever I would ask Jafar ibn Abi Talib he would take me to his house and say to his wife Asma’, ‘Give us something to eat.’ Thereafter he would answer my question. Jafar loved the poor. He would sit with them, listen to them and speak to them. That is why the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam gave him the agnomen Abu al Masakin (father of the destitute).”[13]
If Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was a staunch ally of the Umayyads, he would not have narrated the virtues of the Ahlul Bayt, especially the virtues of Amir al Mu’minin ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. However, he did not do this. Abu Hurairah’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu character was far too lofty for him to have concealed the ahadith of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, or to fabricate them and falsely attribute them to him, due to some base desire. Not a single scholar has accused Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu of belonging to the supporters of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu due to these narrations nor have they accused him of being a hater of ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Hence it has become manifest that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was not one who would rally behind any group or follow any of his desires. He is that outstanding Sahabi whose steadfastness, integrity, piety, scrupulousness and trustworthiness is well known to us.
It is only a few of the innovators, whose hearts have been blinded by Allah—the likes of ‘Abdul Hussain—who misconstrue all the virtues and accolades of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu to be the favours of the Umayyads. They believe that this was his recompense for strengthening and supporting their dynasty. The author has either forgotten or ignored the fact that he had a successful business, received many gifts, and he loved earning his own income as much as he loved knowledge. Similarly, he forgot that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was the governor of Bahrain, during the era of ‘Umar ibn al Khattab, to whom he had explained the manner in which he acquired his wealth. Yet the author obstinately asserts that everything that was owned by Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu were gifts showered upon him by the Umayyads.
He goes on to claim that they were the ones who provided him with clothing of silk and fine linen, built him a palace in ‘Aqiq, and married Busrah bint Ghazwan —the sister of the governor, ‘Utbah ibn Ghazwan radiya Llahu ‘anhu—to him. He cites the narration of Mudarib ibn Hazn to prove this. Mudarib says:
I was travelling during the night when suddenly a man said the takbir (Allah Akbar), so I got my camel to catch up with him.
I asked, “Who are you?”
He replied, “Abu Hurairah.”
I asked, “What is this takbir about?”
He replied, “Gratitude!”
I queried, “On account of what?”
He answered, “I was a labourer employed by Busrah bint Ghazwan to clothe and feed myself. When they would ride a conveyance, it was my duty to lead the animals and when they would dismount then I would serve them. Thereafter Allah granted her to me in my marriage, so she is my wife.”[14]
Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was expressing gratitude to Allah upon his bounty and favour that he granted him Busrah as a wife. Is this act worthy of any criticism? It is indicative of nothing more than the pure-heartedness of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, his happiness and gratitude at the decision of Allah regarding him, his humility, and remembrance of his humble beginnings and admitting the favours of Allah upon him. However, the author chose to misinterpret the happiness of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu in order to defame him. All of these positive feelings were seen by him as valuable material to promote his propaganda. He believes that the Umayyads had enslaved him by means of all these bounties. Thus, “they became his ‘owners’ and possessed his hearing, sight and heart. He was their alleged spokesman who promoted their political agenda and excelled at twisting everything to suit their desires.”
‘Abdul Hussain attempted to paint a bleak image of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu through the help of revelation received from his devils and the fabrications of his allies and story-tellers. However, Abu Hurairah’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu abstinence from all types of mischief, adherence to the truth, well-wishing for all Muslims, and his love for the Ahlul Bayt was already well-known to us. Added to that, Allah has chosen to wipe out all the propaganda and doubts that the enemies of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu have raised regarding him. The truth has been revealed so that falsehood may vanish. Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala states:
بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِالْحَقِّ عَلَى الْبَاطِلِ فَيَدْمَغُهُ
Rather, We dash the truth upon falsehood, and it destroys it.[15]
Did Abu Hurairah attribute any Ahadith falsely to the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?
‘Abdul Hussain has accused Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu of such crimes that was neither thought of by any orientalist or enemy. He says:
فتارة يفتئث الأحاديث في فضائلهم ، … وتارة يلفق أحاديث في فضائل الخلفيتي، نزولا على رغائب معاوية وفئته الباغية، إذ كانت لهم مقاصد سياسية ضد الوصي وآل النبي(ص).. وحسبك حديثه في تأمير أبي بكر على الحج سنة براءة – وهي سنة تسع للهجرة – وحديثه في أن عمر كان محدثاً تكلمه الملائكة
وقد اقتضت سياسية الأمويين في نكاية الهاشميين تثبيت هذين الحديثين وإذاعهما بكل ما لمعاوية وأعوانه … من وسيلة أو حيلة … حتى أخرجتهما الصحاح … وتارة يقتضب أحاديث ضد أمير المؤمنين جرياً على مقتضى تلك السياسة كقوله : سمعت رسول الله(ص) يقول: “ لم تحبس الشمس أو ترد لأحد إلا ليوشع بن نون ليالي سار إلى بيت المقدس
At times he would fabricate ahadith regarding their virtues… and at times he would misinterpret ahadith to support the first two khalifas. This was done in compliance to the whims of Muawiyah and his rebellious allies, as they had political agenda against the Wasi and the family of Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam… His hadith regarding the appointment of Abu Bakr as the amir of Hajj in the year of Bara’ah (9 A.H.) and his hadith in which he claims that ‘Umar was a Muhdath—the angels would communicate with him—[16] is sufficient to convince you (regarding that which we stated about him).
The political needs of the Umayyads which centred on hatred for the Hashimis demanded that they establish these two ahadith by means of all possible avenues at the disposal of Muawiyah and his allies … through an intermediary or a ploy… to the extent that they were narrated in the authentic books. On other occasions, he would shorten ahadith in opposition to Amir al Mu’minin, keeping up the demands of their politics. Thus, he narrates, “I heard The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying, ‘The sun was never kept back or returned except for Yusha’ ibn Nun during the nights that he travelled to Bayt al Maqdis.’”
This author has been overtaken by his desires to the degree that he cannot fathom Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu to be anything besides a liar and a fabricator. This led him to straying from the right path and accusing the Sahabah of being liars. He simply ignored that which the reliable historians are unanimous upon, preferring the narrations of the unreliable ones. Thus, the speech of al Tabarsi is seen by him as governing revelation, whilst the authentic books are side-lined.
He attempts to get rid of the truth and distort the facts. I would like to know, how was the sun held back or returned for Amir al Mu’minin ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu? Was it held back from setting so that he could perform his ‘Asr Salah in its prescribed time?’ Indeed, these are miracles that cannot recur and they are only granted to the Prophets. The authentic books have not narrated any of this, so we will leave it to the author to explain to us how the sun was held back and when did this happen? We will learn and benefit from him. Ibn Mutahhar al Hilli beat him to this claim, but he was exposed by Ibn Taymiyyah who highlighted the lies contained in this claim. As for his claim that the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam demoted Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu from being the Imam of Hajj, I will explain its invalidity under the chapter, “The amount of his narrations”.
The author’s portrayal of the reality, as well as the inaccuracy thereof, has been clearly explained. He imagines that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu would move in any direction that the Umayyads desired, fulfil all their requests and fabricate ahadith to support them. To substantiate his claim, he reproduced narrations which cannot be authenticated or confirmed. He says:
قال الإمام أبو جعفر الإسكافي : إن معاوية حمل قوماً من الصحابة وقوماً من التابعين على رواية أخبار قبيحة في علي تقتضي الطعن فيه والبراءة منه ، وجعل لهم على ذلك جعلا يرغب في مثله ، فاختلقوا له ما أرضاه ، منهم أبو هريرة وعمرو بن العاص ، والمغيرة بن شعبة ، ومن التابعين عروة ابن الزبير إلى آخر كلامه
Imam Abu Jafar al Iskafi says, “Muawiyah forced a group of Sahabah and Tabi’in to narrate negative narrations about ‘Ali, which demand defamation of him and detachment from him. He placed before them an enticing reward. Thus, they concocted that which pleased him. Amongst them was Abu Hurairah, ‘Amr ibn al ‘As, Mughirah ibn Shu’bah, and from among the Tabi’in they were ‘Urwah ibn Zubair…”
He goes on to say:
لما قدم أبو هريرة العراق مع معاوية عام الجماعة جاء إلى مسجد الكوفة فلما رأى كثرة من استقبله من الناس جثا على ركبتيه ، ثم ضرب صلعته مراراً !! وقال: يا أهل العراق .. أتزعمون أني أكذب على الله ورسوله وأحرق نفسي بالنار ؟ والله لقد سمعت رسول الله(ص) يقول: “ إن لكل نبي حرماً ، وإن المدينة حرمي ، فمن أحدث فيها حدثاً فعليه لعنة الله والملائكة والناس أجميعن قال: “ وأشهد بالله أن علياً أحدث فيها !! فلما بلغ معاوية قوله أجازه وأكرمه ، وولاه إمارة المدينة
When Abu Hurairah entered Iraq with Muawiyah during the year of Jama’ah, he arrived at the masjid of Kufah. When he saw the large number of people who welcomed him, he went down on his knees, struck his bald head a few times and said, “O people of Iraq! Do you think that I would lie about Allah and His Rasul, thereby hurling myself into the fire? By the oath of Allah, I heard the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying, ‘Every Nabi has a haram (sanctified area) and undoubtedly Madinah is my haram. May the curse of Allah, His angels, and the entire humanity be upon the one who initiates an innovation therein.’” He then added, “I bear testimony that ‘Ali initiated an innovation in it.”’ When Muawiyah heard of this, he awarded him and honoured him. He also appointed him the governor of Madinah.
He adds in the footnotes:
عن سفيان الثوري عن عبدالرحمن بن قاسم عن عمر بن عبدالغفار: أن أبا هريرة لما قدم الكوفة مع معاوية كان يجلس بالعشيات بباب كندة ، ويجلس الناس إليه فجاءه شاب من الكوفة – لعله الأصبغ بن نباته – فجلس إليه فقال: يا أبا هريرة . . أنشدك بالله أسمعت رسول الله يقول لعلي بن أبي طالب : “ اللهم وال من والاه وعاد من عاداه “ ؟ قال : االلهم نعم . قال : فأشهد بالله لقد واليت عدوه عاديت وليه ثم قام عنه وانصرف
Sufyan al Thawri reports from ‘Abdur Rahman ibn al Qasim who narrates from ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul Ghaffar that when Abu Hurairah came to Kufah with Muawiyah, he would conduct nightly gatherings at the door of Kundah and the people would attend his gatherings.
Once a youngster from Kufah, most probably Asbagh ibn Nubatah, attended and posed the following question to him, “I ask you in the name of Allah, did you hear the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying to ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, ‘O Allah befriend the one who befriends him and have enmity for the one who has enmity for him’?”
He replied, “By Allah, yes!”
Asbagh then said, “I make Allah my witness that you have befriended his enemy and opposed his friend.”
Thereafter he stood up and left.
These are the different narrations that ‘Abdul Hussain uses to support his accusation, that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was bought out by the Umayyads and that he would fabricate narrations to support them. However, these narrations neither have any chains nor are their texts verifiable. As for the chain; Ibn Abi al Hadid, the author of Nahj al Balaghah narrated them from his teacher, Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah Abu Jafar al Iskafi (d. 240 A.H), who was from the notables among the Mu’tazili Shia.
The enmity that is harboured by the Mu’tazilah for the scholars of hadith is nothing new. This began at the end of the first century and was passed down through the generations. I will hand you over to Ibn Abi al Hadid, who will introduce you to his teacher, Abu Jafar, and elaborate upon his ‘credibility’. He says:
Our teacher, Abu Jafar al Iskafi rahimahu Llah, who was among the researchers on the topic of befriending ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu as well as those who emphasised his superiority. Even though the view of his superiority was common and wide-spread among our scholars in Baghdad, Abu Jafar was the most vehement regarding this. His conviction in it was unmatched.[17]
This is the testimony of a student regarding his teacher. There can be no doubt regarding it and it cannot be reinterpreted to mean anything else. The teacher was from those who followed their whims and even propagated their deviant beliefs. In fact, he was quite passionate regarding it as well, as attested to by one of his closest associates. Individuals like him have already accused the Sahabah of distorting the Qur’an and hadith, hence, it comes as no surprise that they accuse a person like Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu of such crimes and attribute lies to him as well as others among the Sahabah and Tabi’in.
His narration will be rejected on the basis of two reasons:
Firstly, he is considered unreliable on account of two factors, viz. he is a Mu’tazili, who openly showed enmity for the scholars of hadith and was also a prejudiced Shia. Both these traits were found in him, each of which could be enough of a reason to reject his narrations. It defies logic to accept disparagement, commendation, or a narration from a man who lacks integrity; especially since his narration cannot be established and he is an enemy of the Ahlus Sunnah. It is obvious that his narration does not deserve a second look.
Secondly, these narrations cannot be traced in any authentic book and there are not narrated with a reliable chain. The chain quoted by al Iskafi, if given the benefit of the doubt, would be considered unreliable, if not fabricated.
As far as the text is concerned, it has not been authentically narrated that Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu compelled anyone to insult Amir al Mu’minin ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. None of the Sahabah are reported to have done that. It cannot be proven that any of them fabricated narrations in lieu of a reward. It was below their dignity to resort to such levels of loathsome acts. We seek the protection of Allah from believing that a person who accompanied the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, heard his ahadith and his command to abstain from lies; fabricated ahadith in his name.
All the narrations which indicate that they are guilty of this heinous crime are traced back to those who follow and propagate their whims and fancies. Their greatest priority is to defend their deviant stance. Therefore, they do not give any consideration to the truth and they do not uphold the honour which the Sahabah deserve. They criticise the best of the Sahabah, accusing some of deviation and open transgression and others of kufr. They have levelled accusations against Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhum amongst others.
The scholars of hadith have exposed the prejudiced liars. That is why the scholars of hadith have become the common enemy of many of these groups. They attempted to strip them of their credibility in the eyes of the Ummah. This ploy was adopted by the Mu’tazilah, Rawafid, and some sects of the Shia. Whoever wishes to learn more regarding this should refer to the book on the subject of accepting narrations by al Balkhi.
However, Allah caused the reality of these groups to be exposed. Thus, the veil was removed from the faces of those hiding behind it by the army of Allah, the scholars of hadith. They explained the realities of these people, bringing to the fore their intentions and inclinations. Thus, there is no narration in which a Sahabi is maligned, his beliefs are brought to question, or he is accused of opposing any of the fundamentals of din except that the experts have pinpointed the culprit behind the narration and explained the reason why the narration is unreliable.
The claim of the author will not be given any consideration until it is proven through sound and authentic evidence. How can we accept that Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu would encourage the Sahabah to fabricate ahadith simply to disparage ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu? How can this be the case when a person of the calibre of Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma praised him for his virtue, intelligence, and understanding, as narrated by al Bukhari in his al Sahih? Will ‘Abdul Hussain accuse the great scholar and academic of the Ummah of lying[18] or aligning himself with Muawiyah? This is impossible. Rather, the praise and testimony of Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma was based on the truth, which exposes the lies of this ‘trustworthy’ author.
The accusation cooked-up by ‘Abdul Hussain is indeed baseless. Abu Hurairah, Mughirah, and ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhum were all Sahabah. None of their integrity is doubted by the Ahlus Sunnah. Another noteworthy fact which exposes the lies behind their claim is that the Banu Umayyah were in authority at that time. If they believed that it was permissible to attribute lies to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in order to defame ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, then what stopped them from filling up at least Sahih al Bukhari and Sahih Muslim with narrations against him? Why is it that we cannot find even one authentic narration which clearly condemns ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu or supports Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu?[19]
Al Iskafi has levelled false accusations against the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum in what he has mentioned. Ibn al ‘Arabi has expounded on one dimension of their reality, their position and their piety in al ‘Awasim min al Qawasim, just as their biographies have been explained. The sad reality is that the narrations of the deviant have crept into the books of Islamic history, especially with regards to the Umayyads. This is because these books were written after their fall, which contributed towards darkening their records.
However, History was not deprived of honest and sincere men who compiled all the events along with their chains so that the reader could be afforded the opportunity of distinguishing the truth from falsehood. It is not sufficient for a narration to be classified authentic merely because it appears in some book or the other. Instead, it is necessary to scrutinise each narration according to the guidelines laid down by the Muhaddithin; both the chain as well as the text should be scrutinised.
Furthermore, we regard this narration to be unacceptable.[20] This is because ‘Urwah was born in the year 22 A.H. Consequently, his age at the time of the murder of ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu was merely 13 and at the time of the martyrdom of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu merely 18. Who would believe that a khalifah like Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu would encourage ‘Urwah to fabricate narrations to defame ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu? ‘Urwah was still at the threshold of his learning career, he only became famous later. Hence, if Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu wanted to defame ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, as claimed, then it would have been more sensible for him to ask people who were more senior and famous and not the likes of ‘Urwah.
If anyone objects saying that he encouraged him to forge narrations during his reign as khalifah, after the demise of the fourth Rightly Guided khalifah, then too the claim is quite illogical. At the time of the death of Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, ‘Urwah’s age did not exceed 38. Why would Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu seek his help? There were many others present at that time who were regarded as senior Sahabah and Tabi’in. How then did he ask him for help in fabricating narrations, as claimed by the author?
The Muslims united in the year 40 A.H. (which is referred to as the year of unity or Jama’ah), when Hassan radiya Llahu ‘anhu pledged his allegiance to Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. The matter of leadership had been concluded. Thus, there was no need for the Umayyads to seek avenues through which they could strengthen themselves as all authority already belonged to them. If, for arguments sake, we accept that ‘Urwah did as the author claims, then how is it that the scholars of the Ummah, i.e. the Sahabah—who had many brave and influential persons among them—remained silent?
The Muslims of that era were alert and informed. They were abreast with the happenings of the time and they witnessed it. None of the fine matters were concealed from them. The Muslims were well-aware that their leaders were the Sahabah of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Thus, it would not have been less than a mammoth task for any of the Sahabah or Tabi’in to distort any aspect of the truth, as the author accuses them of doing, to please the khalifah and support his stance.
Whoever attempts to prove this type of narrations has indeed offended the entire Ummah. It is an accusation against all those who lived during those years of being unwary and negligent. They could not recognise the truth and were hoodwinked by false and fabricated narrations. The reality, however, is in complete contrast to this. Therefore, it has been proven that this narration was fabricated and it cannot be regarded as authentic.
As for the second narration, which states that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu entered Iraq, it was also narrated by al Iskafi. We have recognised him and understood his background as well as the value of his narrations. Therefore, we will not accept this narration. Furthermore, this narration defies common sense. How is it possible that he done this when ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was stationed in Iraq, Muawiyah in Syria, and he was in Hijaz? It has been established that after returning from Bahrain, where he served as governor for ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu, he did not leave Hijaz. Ibn ‘Abdul Barr says:
أنه لما عاد من البحرين في عهد عمر ورغب إليه عمر أن يعود والياً عليها مرة أخرى فأبى، لم يزل بالمدينة حتى مات
After he returned from Bahrain, during the era of ‘Umar, ‘Umar requested him to once again take up governance of Bahrain. He refused and thereafter remained in Madinah until his death.[21]
This is the reality.[22]
The only scenario in which this would be possible is if the author believes that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was granted the wind of Sulaiman or the earth was folded up for him. If we have to accept that this narration is correct, then Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was clearing his name from some of the allegations regarding him spread by a group of opponents to the Umayyads. Besides that, the ahadith which are narrated from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu contradict this narration and exposes its falsity.
Imam Muslim reports from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu who narrates from Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam:
المدينةحرم ، فمن أحدث فيها حدثاً أو آوى محدثاً فعليه لعنة الله والملائكة والناس أجميعين لا يقبل منه يوم القيامة عدل ولا صرف
Madinah has been sanctified. Thus, whoever innovates or accommodates an innovator therein, then may the curse of Allah, His angels, and the entire creation be upon him. Neither will his obligatory prayers be accepted on the Day of Qiyamah nor his optional ones.[23]
It does not contain the extra portion added by the fabricators, in which Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu allegedly criticises ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu to earn a reward from Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.
The ‘trustworthy’ author omitted a portion of the narration, i.e. “Every Nabi has a sanctified area and my sanctified area in Madinah is that which lies between ‘Ir and Thawr.” This is because it refutes his claim and narration as it is not established that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu said this. Rather, it is a famous narration of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu as narrated in Sahih Muslim.[24] Al Iskafi chose to attribute it to Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.[25] This is another proof of their evil intentions and hatred for the Sahabah in general and specifically Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.
Over and above this, ‘Abdul Hussain quotes narrations which contradict his beliefs and claims. Earlier (page 25 of his book) he claimed that Busr ibn Artat appointed Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu as the governor of Madinah upon his arrival there. Later (page 39), he says, “When his speech reached Muawiyah, he rewarded him, honoured him, and appointed him as the governor of Madinah.” Which of the two narrations does the author want us to believe? Or will he claim that the second narration was a re-instatement to the post? He is at liberty to go ahead and interpret his contradictions in any way that pleases him.
As for the narration which he quoted in the footnote of the narration of al Thawri, which was narrated to us by Abu Jafar al Iskafi, his lies and fabrications against the Sahabah are well known to us. Therefore, irrespective of who he reports this from, it will not be acceptable. More so, when an authentic narration from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu does not contain this addition and the reply of the youngster, “I make Allah my witness that you have befriended his enemy,” as mentioned by al Iskafi.
Dawood ibn Yazid al Awdi narrates from his father who said:
دخل أبو هريرة المسجد فاجتمع إليه الناس فقام إليه شاب فقال: أنشدك بالله سمعت رسول الله يقول: من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه، اللهم وال من والاه وعاد من عاداه “ رواه أبو يعلى والبزاز بنحوه
Abu Hurairah entered the masjid so people gathered around him. One of the youngsters stood up and asked him, “I ask you in the name of Allah, did you hear the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying, ‘Whoever takes me as a guardian then ‘Ali is his guardian as well. O Allah, befriend those who befriend him and take to task those who have enmity for him.’” Abu Ya’la narrated this and it is corroborated by al Bazzar.[26]
This narration highlights the position of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu in the eyes of the people of Iraq. This is because they enquire from him regarding a narration on the virtue of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. This reveals the falsity of the image created by the author. This version does not include the addition which was included to suit the desires of the one who added it and attempted to deceive the people regarding the reality of the hadith. Thus, the matter of these people, who engrossed themselves in trying to dishonour the Sahabah, and discredit them of their integrity and din, has become manifest. This incident was not a ‘hard slap’ from the youngster to Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, rather, it was a ‘fatal blow’ to the enemies of the truth.[27]
‘Abdul Hussain continues to cast allegations against Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu and accuses him of being a faithful ally of the Umayyads to the extent that he would extemporaneously fabricate ahadith in defence of the ‘hypocrites’ of Banu Umayyah, who were cursed by the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Due to this, he was regarded as a priceless asset by the Banu Umayyah. Thus, “Marwan and his sons used their authority to increase his chains. They did not compromise on their efforts to promote him. Therefore, the authors of sihah[28], sunan[29] and masanid[30] all narrated from him. Marwan and his sons played a pivotal role in elevating Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu above others in the following aspects; memorisation, meticulousness, preservation, and devoutness. The effects of their efforts have remained up until this day.”
Thereafter, ‘Abdul Hussain quotes the story of the scribe of Marwan and Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu on the day that Hassan radiya Llahu ‘anhu passed away and the difference of opinion regarding whether he hid away in the room of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam or not. He narrates that this was a well-planned arrangement aimed at convincing people that he had a phenomenal memory and that he surpassed many other Sahabah in this regard. He further claims that this planning reached its culmination when Marwan surrendered to Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu by acknowledging his virtue and status. In this manner he created a demand for the narrations of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.
التي كان مروان ومعاوية وبنوهما يحاربون بها الحسن والحسين وأباهما وبنيهما وكانت من أنجع الدعايات في تلك السياسات..
Marwan and Muawiyah would use these narrations to wage war with Hassan, Hussain, their father, and their offspring. It was one of the most beneficial strategies used in their politics.
I have already explained the true account of these historic facts; however, the author chooses to view them through black lenses which suits his whims and views. Thus, it is nothing more than a reflection of that which is hidden in his bosom.[31] ‘Abdul Hussain adds a chapter on page 50 titled, “the amount of his narrations’. Here he compares Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu with the al Khulafa’ al Rashidin in respect of their memories and the number of narrations transmitted by them. He states:
وقد نظرنا في مجموع ما روي من الحديث عن الخلفاء الأربعة فوجدناه بالنسبة إلى حديث أبي هريرة وحده أقل من السبعة والعشرين في المائة ..فلينظر ناظر بعقله في أبي هريرة وتأخره في إسلامه وخموله في حسبه وأميته وما إلى ذلك مما يوجب إقلاله ، ثم لينظر إلى الخلفاء الأربعة ! وسبقهم واختصاصهم وحضورهم تشريع الأحكام ….فكيف يمكن والحال هذه أن يكون المأثور عن أبي هريرة وحده أضعاف المأثور عنهم جميعا أفتونا يا اولي الألباب ؟! وليس أبو هريرة كعائشة وان أكثرت أيضا ! ، فقد تزوجها رسول الله قبل اسلام أبي هريرة بعشر سنين
We counted all the ahadith of the four khalifas and we have found that they are not equal to even 27% of the number of narrations transmitted by Abu Hurairah. One should study these facts using his intellect. Take into consideration the late acceptance of Islam by Abu Hurairah, his lack of social standing, the fact that he was illiterate and similar factors, which necessitate a lesser number of narrations. Thereafter, compare that to the four khalifas taking into consideration their early acceptance of Islam, the special attention received by them and the fact that they witnessed the official endorsement of laws. How is it possible that despite all of this, their narrations are only a fraction of his? Pass onto us your verdicts, O people of intelligence! Abu Hurairah was not even matched by Aisha who also narrated excessively. This is notwithstanding the fact that the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam married her ten years before Abu Hurairah accepted Islam.
Our comment: We will pass over to you our verdict, enlightening you of that which you know not. I cannot understand how you have been granted the title ‘Ayat’ (sign), unless it is with reference to your ignorance! Your above-mentioned claim is absolute heresy and a blatant blunder. The following explanation proves this:
- It is indeed a fact that al Siddiq, al Faruq, Dhu al Nurayn, and Abu al Hassan surpassed Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhum as far as companionship of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and accepting Islam are concerned. Despite this, his narrations greatly outnumber theirs. However, the reason behind this is that they were burdened with the responsibility of taking care of the affairs of the caliphate. They are the ones who despatched scholars, qurra’, and judges to different parts of the Muslim lands, who fulfilled their responsibility just as the khalifas fulfilled their responsibilities in seeing to the needs of the Ummah. Thus, we cannot point fingers at Khalid ibn al Walid radiya Llahu ‘anhu for narrating very few narrations as he was engaged in jihad and conquests. Similarly, we cannot question Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu regarding his abundance of narrations as that was his occupation. Is there anyone who can rebuke ‘Uthman and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhum for not being responsible for any of the conquests? Each person excels at that which he was created for.
- Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu distanced himself from politics and occupied himself completely with knowledge and educating others. Over and above that, people continuously referred to him as he was blessed with a long life. Thus, it would be a grave error to compare him to any of the Sahabah who accepted Islam earlier than him, especially the four khalifas. Furthermore, ‘Abdul Hussain disparages him on account of his social standing, lineage, and him being illiterate. Do any of these factors have an effect on the amount of his narrations? None before him made this claim.
Whatever we have stated in refutation of his comparison of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu to the al Khulafa’ al Rashidin, will also apply to his comparison of Abu Hurairah to Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anhuma. Added to that, Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha would pass verdicts from within her home whilst Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu conducted his lessons in al Masjid al Nabawi. Also, Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was much more accessible to people as he was one who would travel a lot. Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha on the other hand, would spend most of her time concentrating upon the womenfolk of the Muslims and it was not easy for the masses to gain entry into her house. Notwithstanding this, the author could not hold back his tongue from commenting negatively regarding her by insinuating that her narrations were also abundant. By doing so, he has contradicted himself.
The author finds it surprising that the narrations of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu outnumber the narrations of Sayyidah Aisha, Umm Salamah, the rest of the Ummahat al Mu’minin, Hassan, Hussain, their noble mother, as well as the four khalifas. I have already presented the answer to this, but I will add the following as well;
- Umm Salamah radiya Llahu ‘anha did not occupy herself with teaching people in the way that Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha
- Hassan and Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhuma were quite young and, thus, counted amongst the junior Sahabah. Along with that, they involved themselves in political affairs. Therefore, it is obvious that their narrations are not going to be many in number.
- Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha—the queen of all women—passed away six months after the demise of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
Thus, the matter is quite apparent. it does not require deciphering from the intelligentsia as the author wishes to believe. Anyway, who would he regard him to be from the intelligentsia, the likes of al Jahiz and al Nizam?
Indeed, a non-biased study will reveal that the narrations of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu do not demand any surprise or confusion. They do not stir up this noise and fuss that is created by those who follow their desires and the enemies of ahadith. His narrations, irrespective of whether he narrates them directly from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam or through the medium of another Sahabi, cannot be doubted on account of the time that he spent in the company of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. In fact, his companionship suggests that he should have narrated even more ahadith. The reason behind this is that he witnessed that period of Islam during the era of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam when the activities of preaching, propagating, and spreading Islam were at their peak.
We would love to know the opinion of this ‘genius’ concerning his Imams and reliable narrators. One of his ‘infallibles’ was asked by a person regarding sixteen thousand ahadith! Al Kashshi narrates:
عن رجل قال سألت أبا عبدالله الصادق(ع) عن ستة عشر ألف حديث فأجاب
A man says, “I asked Abu ‘Abdullah al Sadiq regarding sixteen thousand ahadith and he answered me.”[32]
In fact, the infallible would answer thirty thousand questions whilst he was an immature child. Al Kafi narrates from ‘Ali ibn Ibrahim who narrates from his father:
استأذن على أبي جعفر(ع) قوم من أهل النواحي من الشيعة فأذن لهم فدخلوا فسألوا في مجلس واحد ثلاثين ألف مسألة فأجاب (ع) وله عشر سنين
A group of Shia from the outskirts sought permission to enter the room of Abu Jafar. He granted them permission; they entered, and then asked him thirty thousand questions in one sitting. He answered all the questions, whereas he was only ten years old.[33]
Here is one of the ‘reliable’ narrators of the Shia, who entered the gathering of the infallible and asked him concerning the ahadith of Jabir al Ju’fi, his strange narrations and calamities. Ziyad ibn al Khallal says:
اختلف في جابر بن يزيد وعجايبه وأحاديثه فدخلت على أبي عبدالله وأنا أريد أن أسأله عنه فابتدأني من غير أن أسأله فقال: رحم الله جابر بن يزيد الجعفي فإنه كان يصدق علينا
There was difference of opinion concerning Jabir ibn Yazid, his strange narrations and ahadith, so I went to Abu ‘Abdullah with the intention of enquiring from him, but he spoke before I could even say a word. He said, “May Allah have mercy upon Jabir ibn Yazid al Ju’fi, he would give us his charity.”[34]
وانه روى عن الباقر(ع) سبعين ألف حديث!! كان مأمورا بإظهارها وسبعين ألف حديث كان مأمورا بكتمانها
He narrated seventy thousand ahadith from al Baqir regarding which he was ordered to show the public, and another seventy thousand which he was commanded to conceal.[35]
وفي رواية تسعين ألف حديث…
Another narration states that it was ninety thousand…[36]
Al Tusi states:
وذكر علماء الرجال أن أبان بن تغلب روى عن الباقر(ع) ثلاثين ألف حديث!! وأن محمد بن مسلم روى عنه أيضاً ثلاثين ألف حديث!! وعن الصادق(ع) ستة عشر ألف حديث
The scholars of hadith have mentioned that Aban ibn Taghlib narrated thirty thousand ahadith from al Baqir.[37] They have also mentioned that Muhammad ibn Muslim narrated from him thirty thousand ahadith and sixteen thousand from al Sadiq.[38]
Why was the author ignoring all of this and deceiving us? Why did he not criticise his narrators and mock them the way he mocked Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu? Why did he not bring to question the knowledge that this narrator had which he did not reveal?
The Merits of Abu Hurairah
Notwithstanding the genius of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, it was not possible that he narrated 5374 ahadith verbatim from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam after spending four years in his companionship. Thus, there was definitely some secret behind this amazing phenomenon. What was the secret? Read and express your amazement, O ‘Abdul Hussain. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam supplicated for three of his Companions to be granted three different bounties: understanding, knowledge, and to be protected from forgetfulness. They are Abu Hurairah, ‘Ali, and Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhum.
The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam supplicated for Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu when he complained that he cannot retain the ahadith that he hears. Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates:
I asked the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “O Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, I hear from you many things but I cannot remember them.”
The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Spread your shawl…”
I spread it… thereafter he said many things, but I did not forget anything that I heard from him.[39]
The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam supplicated for ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu when he sent him to Yemen as a judge because ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu complained that he forgets very often. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam also supplicated for Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu to be granted knowledge and understanding.
In this manner, the miracle of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was witnessed as his supplication in respect of these three became a reality. This is the secret, O ‘Abdul Hussain! It was a miracle. It was not a miracle of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, rather it was a miracle of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. From that historic and blessed moment onwards, Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu did not forget any hadith that he heard from the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
Your scholars have also mentioned these as accepted supplications and miracles of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Al Rawandi narrates in his Khara’ij, Shahar Ashub in his Manaqib and al Majlisi in his Bihar:
قال أمير المؤمنين(ع): بعثني رسول الله إلى اليمن فقلت: يا رسول الله بعثتني وأنا حدث السن ولا علم لي بالقضاء ، قال رسول الله: فانطلق فإن الله سيهدي قلبك ويثبت لسانك ، قال علي (ع): فما شككت في قضاء بين اثنين
Amir al Mu’minin said, “The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam sent me to Yemen so I said, ‘O Messenger, you are sending me whereas I am young and I have no knowledge regarding judgement.’
The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘[I have sent you] Go! Allah will guide your heart and strengthen your speech.’
‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu said, ‘Thereafter I could always judge between two people without doubting who was correct.’”[40]
It is reported in Kamal al Din on the authority of Abu al Tufayl from ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu:
أكتب ما أملي عليك، قال: يا نبي الله أتخاف عليّ النسيان ؟ فقال: لست أخاف عليك النسيان ،وقد دعوت الله لك أن يحفظ ولا ينسيك ..
The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Write down that which I am dictating to you.”
I asked, “O Prophet of Allah, do you fear that I will forget?”
He replied, “I do not fear that you will forget as I supplicated to Allah that he should grant you the ability to memorise and that you should not forget.”[41]
Al Khara’ij narrates under the “miracles of our Nabi Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,” and Bihar al Anwar narrates under the chapter, “his miracles and the acceptance of his supplications,”
أنه قال لابن عباس وهو غلام : “ اللهم فقهه في الدين ،وعلمه التأويل فكان فقيهاً ، عالـماً بالتأويل فخرج بحرا في العلم وحبرا للأمة
The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said to Ibn ‘Abbas who was a youngster, “O Allah, grant him a comprehensive understanding of din and teach him the interpretation (of the Qur’an).”
Thus, he became a jurist and a master of interpretation.[42] He became an ocean of knowledge and a guide for the Ummah.
It is reported in Al Khara’ij:
أن أبا هريرة قال لرسول الله: إني أسمع منك الحديث الكثير أنساه . قال : أبسط رداك كلّه وقال: فبسطته، فوضع يده فيه ، ثم قال: ضمّه . فضممته ، فما نسيت حديثا بعده
Abu Hurairah said to the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “I hear from you many ahadith but I forget them.”
The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam replied, “Spread out your upper garment completely.”
I spread it out. Thereafter he placed his hand in it and said, “Wear it.”
I wore it and I did not forget any hadith after that.[43]
It is mentioned in Al Manaqib that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu said:
أبو هريرة : أتيت النبي بتميرات فقلت أدع لي بالبركة فيهن ، فدعا ثم قال: جعلهن في المزود ، قال: فلقد حملت منها كذا وكذا وسقا
I went to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam with a few dates and asked him, “Supplicate for me that I may be granted blessings in them.”
The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam supplicated and then said, “Place them in a container.”
Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu said, “I have used from it so much and so much.”[44]
In Bihar al Anwar it is reported on the authority of Abu Salamah that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu related:
عن أبي سلمة عن أبي هريرة قال: أصابنا عطش في الحديبية ، فجهشنا إلى النبي فبسط يديه بالدعاء فتألق السحاب،وجاء الغيث فروينا منه
We were overpowered by thirst during the expedition of Hudaybiyyah, so we pleaded to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam regarding it. He raised his hands in supplication. Shortly thereafter, a cloud appeared and the rain came down. We satiated ourselves by means of it.[45]
It is reported in Al Manaqib:
وروى أبو هريرة في أصحاب الصفة وقد وضعت بين أيديهم صحفة فوضع النبي يده فيها فأكلوا ويقيت ملأى فيها أثر الأصابع
Abu Hurairah narrates about the people of Suffah, that a platter was placed before them. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam placed his hand in it. Thereafter they ate but it remained full. The only difference was that the fingerprints remained.[46]
Al Manaqib and al Khara’ij report under the chapter relating the miracles of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that Abu Hurairah said:
أتيت إلى النبي بتميرات فقلت له ادع الله لي بالبركة يا رسول الله قال فوضعهن في يده ثم دعا بالبركة قال فجعلتها في جراب فلم نزل نأكل منه ونطعم وكان لا يفارقني
I brought some dates to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and said to him, “O Messenger of Allah, supplicate to Allah to grant me blessings (in it).” He held it in his hand and asked for blessings. Thereafter, I placed it in a container and we continued eating and feeding from it. It would not leave me.[47]
All of these merits have been mentioned by the scholars, and they are not those who merely pretend to be scholars. So why was he acting ignorant? Indeed, this incident reveals to us that there was a divine plan that stood in the way of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu as far as engaging himself in worldly pursuits are concerned. He was divinely selected to free himself completely for that which he engaged himself in.
Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu brought a few dates and requested, “O Messenger of Allah, ask Allah to grant me blessings in them.” Understand the implication of this statement. The person being spoken to, is the greatest of Prophets and the leader of the Messengers. Hence, if it was more appropriate for him to be directed towards making an effort for his livelihood, then most definitely the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would have directed him towards that. However, the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam fulfilled his request.
This is an indication that in the case of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, it was most appropriate for him to be absolved of the difficulty of acquiring his livelihood so that he could spend his time making an effort on something much nobler, i.e. knowledge and the imparting of knowledge. Acquiring livelihood is easier and less demanding than the path of knowledge. The most strenuous path is the path of knowledge. If this was not the case then all ‘paupers’ would have been scholars and Ayatollahs.
The scholars, and not those who just pretend to be scholars, have explained that the knowledge which Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu had, which he did not spread, was not connected to any laws, mannerisms, or any such matter upon which the laws of din are based upon. Rather, it was concerning a few signs of Qiyamah or a few trials that will be faced by the Ummah.[48] His hadith, which was partially quoted by this ‘trustworthy’ author, points out to this. He did not quote the portion in which the narrator clarifies the intended meaning of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.
Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu said, “If I narrate to you all that is within my bosom, you will throw at me the droppings of a camel.” Hassan, the narrator of the hadith from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu explains, “He spoke the truth, by the oath of Allah, if he had to inform us that the House of Allah was going to be demolished or burnt, the people would not have believed him.” Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was not the first person to adopt this practice. The Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam himself would sometimes give advice to one of his Companions, of which others were unaware. One such incident is the conversation of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam with Muaz ibn Jabal radiya Llahu ‘anhu:
ما أحد يشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمداً رسول الله صدقاً من قلبه إلا حرمه الله على النار”. قال: يا رسول الله أفلا أخبر به الناس فيستبشروا ؟ قال: “ إذا يتكلوا “
“If anyone believes sincerely that there is no deity besides Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, he will not be entered into Jahannam.”
Muaz asked, “Should I not inform the people so that they may be delighted?”
The Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam replied, “Then they will become complacent.”[49]
Muaz radiya Llahu ‘anhu conveyed this whilst he was on his death bed, fearing that he would be guilty of the sin of hiding knowledge. He was neither a governor nor was he a khalifah. Why did ‘Abdul Hussain and his likes single out Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu as a target of abuse? ‘Abdul Hussain, who has greatly oppressed Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, should also understand that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu did not keep this knowledge away from the people as a result of fear that they would not listen to him due to his lack of status or that they would pelt him with animal droppings due to him being weak. Instead, his motive behind keeping that knowledge away from the masses was that he wished to speak to people according to their understanding. This was also the advice of Amir al Mu’minin ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu.[50]
As for the statement of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu: “Abu Hurairah does not hide (knowledge), nor does he write it”, this does not contradict the other hadith. This is because he did not conceal any beneficial and necessary knowledge. The knowledge that he withheld from the people was concerning a few battles, trials, and conditions that were to prevail. They were not such matters which were related to any primary or subsidiary laws of Islam.
The author mocks the following statement of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu: “If I were to narrate to you all that is in my bosom, you will hurl camel droppings and stones at me.” I say: if you want to mock him for that, then take a look at the knowledge of the Ahlul Bayt. Ayatollah Mulla Zayn al Gulpaygani—one of their great scholars—quotes in his book, Anwar al Wilayah, a few statements of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu:
وعن أمير المؤمنين (ع) مشيراً إلى صدره: أن هاهنا لعلوماً جمة لو وجدت لها حملة .
He pointed to his chest and said, “There is an enormous amount of knowledge here. If only I could find those who could carry it.”[51]
وقال (ع) أيضاً ما معناه: إنّ في صدري علماً لو أبرزته لكم لاضطربتم كاضطراب الحبل الطويل في بئر الماء العميق
Indeed, my bosom contains such knowledge that if I expose it to you, you will swing in the same manner that a long rope dangles in a deep well.
وعنه (ع) أيضاً: لو فسّرت لكم قوله تعالى{ اللهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَوَاتٍ وَمِنَ الأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ يَتَنَزَّلُ الأَمْرُ بَيْنَهُنَّ } لرجمتموني
If I had to present to you an exegesis of His saying, “It is Allah who created the seven heavens and the Earth in a like manner. He sends commands between them,”[52] you would stone me.
Imam al Sajjad said:
I hide the diamonds of my knowledge, so that the foolish one may not be put to test by means of the truth. This was the way of Abu al Hassan who advised Hussain and before him Hassan. O my Rabb, these are the diamonds of my knowledge. Should I divulge them so that it may be said regarding me, “You are from the idol-worshippers”? Then Muslim men will consider my blood lawful and believe that this horrendous act of theirs is virtuous.
Whatever is your reply will be ours as well. Here is one of your narrators who you have praised in your alleged correspondence. He shamelessly admits that if he had to narrate all that he heard from Jafar al Sadiq then, “The phalluses of (executed) men would inflate upon the wood (on which their bodies would be crucified)!” Further, al Kashshi narrates in his Rijal with his chain from Muhammad ibn Ziyad Abu ‘Umair from ‘Ali ibn ‘Atiyyah from Zurarah who said:
والله لو حدثت بكلّما سمعته من أبي عبد الله(ع) لأنتفخت ذكور الرجال على الخشب
By the oath of Allah, if I narrated all that I heard from Abu ‘Abdullah, the phalluses of men would inflate upon the wood.
He attempts to prove from the statement of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu in which he said, “None of the companions of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam narrate more ahadith from him than me except ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr. He would write and I would not write”, and the fact that Amr’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrations add up to seven hundred seems to support the allegation that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu admitted to forging ahadith. This is because Ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhu collected more ahadith than him, yet his narrations far outnumber the narrations of Ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhuma.
This is a wasted attempt. It is based upon a misunderstanding and an attempt to understand the hadith without looking at the reality. The hadith informs us that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhuma collected more ahadith than Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu as he would write them whilst Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu would not write them. It is also possible that he said this during the lifetime of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, even before the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam supplicated for him. At that time, he would repeat the ahadith as often as possible. However, if we chose not to accept this possibility, then the least that can be said is that whilst ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhu collected more ahadith, he was definitely not able to impart and convey them as much as Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu due to reasons which we will mention.
Ibn Hajar rahimahu Llah has a view which I will reproduce here, he says:
Abu Hurairah proves by means of his statement, “he would write and I would not,” that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al ‘As collected more narrations than him. This also indicates that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was quite certain that none of the other Sahabah had more ahadith from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam than him. This is despite the fact that his narrations are far more in number than ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhuma. Therefore, if we say that his exclusion of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhuma was concerning the fact that he wrote, i.e. his distinguishing act was the fact that he wrote and not that he collected more ahadith, then it leaves no objections. However, if we accept that the exclusion was in reference to the number of ahadith, i.e. only ‘Abdullah had more ahadith, then there are a few reasons why Abu Hurairah’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrations outnumber Amr’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu. They are:
-
- ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhuma engaged more in ‘ibadah and less in teaching. Hence not many narrations were heard from him.
- After the conquests of the different cities, he remained mostly in Egypt and Ta’if, which were not visited by seekers of knowledge as much as Madinah was visited by them. Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu on the other hand, remained therein and dedicated himself to issuing verdicts and narrating ahadith until his death. This is also understood from the amount of people who narrate from him. Al Bukhari has mentioned that eight-hundred Tabi’in have narrated from him. This cannot be said about any other person.
- Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was blessed with the supplication of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that he should not forget the ahadith.
- ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhuma managed to get hold of a camel-load of books of the Jews and Christians. He would read them and quote them. Due to this, many of the Imams from the Tabi’in were hesitant to narrate from him.[53]
I would like to add to this that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhu would travel between Egypt, Syria, and Ta’if. He would visit Ta’if quite often to supervise the grape plantations that belonged to his father. These were the very plantations concerning which Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan radiya Llahu ‘anhu tried negotiating a deal with him and offered him a large sum of money. He refused to sell this at any price. This, according to some, is what led to the mutual aversion that existed between them.
It is necessary at this point for me to emphasise that during the reign of Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu and his son, Yazid, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhu was not afforded freedom to narrate as he did not agree with them on certain matters. Thus, at times, they would prevent him from narrating. Imam Ahmed narrates from Shahr who says:
إن عبدالله بن عمرو دخل على نوف البكالي وهو يحدّث فقال حدث فأنا قد نهينا عن الحديث قال : ما كنت لأحدث وعندي رجل من أصحاب رسول الله ثم من قريش
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr entered the presence of Nawf al Bakkali whilst he was narrating ahadith. He said, “Continue narrating as I have been prohibited from narrating.”
Nawf replied, “I cannot continue when there is a Sahabi of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in my presence who also happens to be from the Quraysh.”
The statement of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhuma: “I have been prohibited from narrating,” refers to the prohibition of Muawiyah and his son Yazid, not a prohibition from the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam as assumed by the enemies of the Sunnah. This is clarified in another narration, in which it is said:
فجاءه رسول يزيد بن معاوية أن أجب فقال: هذا ينهاني ( أن ) احدثكم كما كان أبوه ينهاني
Then a messenger of Yazid ibn Muawiyah came to him summoning him upon which he said, “This one prevents me from narrating to you just as his father would prevent me.”
Yazid would also prevent him from narrating out of fear that he might incite people against the Banu Umayyah. These important factors explain the reasons behind the relatively minute number of narrations from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhuma despite his vast collection. They also disprove the accusations of ‘Abdul Hussain such as, “Abu Hurairah only admitted this in respect of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr during the initial period, after the demise of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. At that time, he did not yet exceed the limits. His exaggeration and abundant narrations escalated under the rule of Muawiyah.”
Our comment: The number of narrations recorded from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhu do not raise any doubts concerning the narrations of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu even though he clearly stated that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhu had a vast collection. This is because we have identified those reasons and occurrences which played a great role in his narrations being so few. ‘Abdul Hussain wishes to reject some authentic narrations of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, by means of his obscure conjecture, he says:
ألم يحدث بنوم النبي ! عن صلاة الصبح ؟ وعروض الشيطان له وهو في الصلاة ليقطعها عليه ؟ ألم يرو انه سهى فصلّى الرباعية ثنائية …ألم يتسور على آدم ونوح وابراهيم وعيسى بما يجب تنزيههم عنه ؟
Did he not narrate that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam overslept and missed Fajr Salah? Did he not narrate that Shaitan interfered with him while he was in salah in order to nullify it? Did he not narrate that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam forgetfully performed two rak’ats instead of four? Did he not say such things regarding Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim, and ‘Isa which were necessary to negate in respect to them?
It seems as if this shrewd author could not find an emergency exit nor an opening in which he could plant his whims. His claims have been refuted by demolishing evidences causing them to wither away in front of a lofty palace in which the integrity of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was protected. His hopeless arrows were turned to smithereens in front of the secured fort which Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu constructed by means of his trustworthiness and steadfastness.
As a final resort, he attempts to create doubts in the minds of people regarding the narrations of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu by using a few narrations—reported by him —that appear in Sahih al Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. By doing so, he also wishes to build a highway in the direction of discrediting all the narrations therein. He wishes from his readers and the rest of the world that they should doubt such a book which the entire Ummah have agreed upon its authenticity and have accepted it.
We wish to ask, “Have you forgotten, O genius, that these narrations were also narrated by your infallible Imams in such books which you have authenticated in your alleged correspondences, or did you pretend that you forgot?” Did they not narrate that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam overslept and missed Fajr Salah? Did they not narrate that Shaitan interfered with him while he was in salah in order to nullify it? Did they not narrate that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam forgetfully performed two rak’ats instead of four? Did they not say such things regarding Prophet Adam, Prophet Nuh, Prophet Ibrahim, and Prophet ‘Isa ‘alayhim al Salam and Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam which were necessary to negate in respect to them such as the following profanity: The Prophets refused to accept the fictional wilayah of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu on account of which they were expelled from Jannat, imprisoned and punished, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam will carry the sins of the Shia, etc., many of them have already passed, and a few more will be reproduced in due time, if Allah wills.
Under the chapter, “the condition of his narrations (pg. 59)”, ‘Abdul Hussain quotes forty ahadith which, according to him are questionable and were narrated by none besides Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. His exact words are:
الأذواق الفنية لا تسيغ كثيرا من أساليب أبي هريرة في حديثه والمقاييس العلمية عقلية ونقلية لا تقرها . وحسبك عنوانا لهذه الحقيقة أربعون حديثا صحت عنه، اتلوها الآن عليك فيها وفيما علقناه عليها متحررا متجردا، ولك بعد ذلك رأيك
Academic standards, mastery of subjects and the laws of transmission do not accommodate the methodology adopted by Abu Hurairah in many of his narrations. It is sufficient for you to examine forty ahadith that are authentically narrated from him to understand this. I will now reproduce them for you along with our comments, which will be distinct. Thereafter you may decide for yourself.
Our comment: ‘Abdul Hussain could not find anything besides such ahadith which deal with matters of the unseen. He tries to judge them in the light of human intellect by comparing them to that which is visible. Among those ahadith is the hadith regarding the creation of Prophet Adam ‘alayh al Salam. He interprets the words using such meanings which cannot be implied and he explains the narration in a way that is neither acceptable according to the intellect, nor does a sound temperament accept it.
He goes on to quote some ahadith regarding some scenarios of the Day of Qiyamah, such as beholding Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala, the speaking of Jannat and Jahannam etc. He also refutes the hadith which states that Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala accepts supplications during the final third of every night. In this hadith he stretches the meanings of the words against their actual usage. The author has become accustomed to undergoing difficulties, strenuous exercises, and exerting himself in trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. However, his arguments melt away when confronted by academic discussions. Rather, they disappear like the debris on the surface of water.
It did not cross the mind of the author that he should go against the trend and mention a few virtues of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, which are many in number. He had ulterior motives behind ignoring all of them. The most ridiculous characteristic of his work is that he cooks up objections and thereafter creates pathways to ensure that they fit the context. It is extremely amazing that whilst he done all of that, he did not have the decency of mentioning the answers offered by the leading scholars to these so-called objections, especially regarding those ahadith which appear in Sahih al Bukhari or Sahih Muslim, which are undoubtedly authentic. In fact, he even omits mentioning them from those whom he considers infallible!
Did this author really forget that the very ahadith which were seen by him as reasons to disparage Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu were narrated by those whom he considers reliable, from such people whom he believes are totally infallible? Therefore, there are two possibilities, none of which are in his favour. Either he is ignorant of that which appears in his hadith books, like the four canonical seminal books and the explanations of his scholars regarding these ahadith, which would be absolute ignorance on his part, or he is simply being deceptive.
The other possibility is that he saw it and realised that it does not correspond to his motives so he preferred to wrap them up and conceal them. This is deception, dissimulation, and a ploy from the devil. I will reproduce the same ahadith which Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrated and this genius found unrealistic by means of his deception. However, I will not quote them from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, instead I will quote them from those whom the author considers infallible as stated by their scholar Kashif al Ghita’ in his book Asl al Shia:
أنهم لا يعتبرون من السنة إلا ما صح لهم من طرق أهل البيت عن جدهم يعني ما رواه الصادق عن أبيه الباقر عن أبيه زين العابدين عن الحسين السبط عن أبيه أمير المؤمنين عن رسول الله سلام الله عليهم جميعاً، أما ما يرويه مثل أبي هريرة وسمرة بن جندب و مروان ابن الحكم وعمران بن حطان الخارجي وعمرو بن العاص ونظائرهم فليس عند الإمامية من الإعتبار مقدار بعوضة
They do not consider anything to be from the Sunnah if it is not authentically traced by them to the Ahlul Bayt from their forefathers, i.e. al Sadiq from his father, al Baqir from his father, Zayn al ‘Abidin from his father, Hussain from his father, Amir al Mu’minin from the Messenger (may the peace of Allah descend upon all of them). As for those narrations which are transmitted by the likes of Abu Hurairah, Samurah ibn Jundub, Marwan ibn al Hakam, ‘Imran ibn Hattan al Khariji, ‘Amr ibn al ‘As etc., they are not even equivalent to a mosquito according to the Imamiyyah.[54]
These ahadith will prove to the Shia first and then to the Ahlus Sunnah, the degree of lies and deception adopted by this author who claims that he exhausted his resources doing research.
NEXT⇒ ‘Abdul Hussain’s Objections Regarding the Hadith: “Allah Created Adam According to His Form.”
[1] These ahadith will be quoted shortly.
[2] Abu Shahbah: Difa’ ‘an al Sunnah, pg. 160.
[3] Al Nasa’i: ‘Amal al Yawm wa l-Laylah, pg. 250.
[4] Musnad Ahmed, 2/447; Sunan Ibn Majah, # 658.
[5] Musnad Ahmed, 2/255, # 493.
[6] Al Bukhari: Al Adab al Mufrad, pg. 249, 270, 3/87 and 1183; Musnad Ahmed, 2/532; Sahih Muslim, 7/129.
[7] Musnad Ahmed, 2/288, 440, 446; Sunan Ibn Majah, # 143; al Nasa’i: Fada’il al Sahabah, pg. 65.
[8] Musnad Ahmed, 2/442.
[9] Al Nasa’i: al Kubra; Tuhfat al Ashraf, 10/13430; al Musnad al Jami’, 18/191-196, Musnad Abi Hurairah.
[10] Mustadrak al Hakim, 3/167; Dala’il al Nubuwwah, pg. 494.
[11] Jami’ al Tirmidhi. Al Tirmidhi comments, “This is a narration of Abu Hurairah which is not known to us except through the hadith of ‘Abdullah ibn Jafar. Ibn Ma’in classified him as unreliable. ‘Abdullah ibn Jafar is the father of ‘Ali ibn al Madini.”
[12] Musnad Ahmed, 2/413; Jami’ al Tirmidhi; al Nasa’i: Fada’il al Sahabah.
[13] Sunan Ibn Majah; Jami’ al Tirmidhi. Al Tirmidhi says, “This is a Gharib hadith. Abu Ishaq al Makhzumi is Ibrahim ibn al Fadl al Madini. Some of the scholars have questioned his memory. He has a few narrations which are not corroborated by others.”
[14] Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/440.
[15] Surah al Ambiya’: 18.
[16] This refers to the hadith of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu which he narrates from Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “There were people from the nations who preceded such individuals who were muhdath. If there is any such person in my ummah, then it is ‘Umar.” Fath al Bari, 8/49.
Muhdath refers to that person who is inspired and his ideas or thoughts correspond to reality. His speech turns out to be accurate. History bears testimony in favour of ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu regarding this. Refer to the refutation of the author under the discussion of the angels speaking to ‘Umar.
[17] Sharh Nahj al Balaghah, 1/467.
[18] Refer to their narrations which were reported by their great scholar al Kashshi in disparagement of Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma due to this.
[19] Al Anwar, pg. 206-207.
[20] Lies and fabrications cannot be considered. There are more narrations, fabricated by them and others, in praise of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu than there are in criticism of him.
[21] Al Isti’ab, 4/209, printed at the bottom of al Isabah.
[22] Difa’ ‘an al Sunnah, pg. 99, 160.
[23] Sahih Muslim, 2/999.
[24] Sahih Muslim, 2/995, 2/1147.
[25] Sharh Nahj al Balaghah, 1/467.
[26] Majma’ al Zawa’id, 9/105.
[27] Musnad Ahmed, 2/447; Sunan Ibn Majah, # 658.
[28] Compilations which only narrate authentic ahadith.
[29] Compilations in which the chapters are based upon jurisprudence.
[30] Compilations in which, each chapter contains the narrations of one specific person.
[31] Refer to Abu Hurairah Rawiyat al Islam, pg. 181-201.
[32] Al Qatrah, 1/208.
[33] Al Qatrah, 1/248.
[34] Dala’il al Imamah, pg. 131.
[35] Al Fawa’id, pg. 262; al Kashshi, pg. 194.
[36] Rawdat al Kafi, pg. 138-139; al La’ali, 2/20; Madinat al Ma’ajiz, 5/44, chapter thirty-three; al Anwar, 3/275; al Qatrah, 1/201; Hilyat al Abrar, 1/13. Refer also to Ilzam al Nasib, 2/265.
[37] Al Fawa’id, pg. 262; al Najashi, pg. 535.
[38] Al Fawa’id, pg. 262; al Kashshi, pg. 163-167.
[39] Sahih al Bukhari.
[40] Ibn Shahar Ashub: Al Manaqib, 1/74, regarding the acceptance of his supplications.
[41] Kamal al Din, 1/199.
[42] Al Khara’ij, 1/75-85, miracles of our Prophet Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam; Bihar al Anwar, 18/18, his miracles and the acceptance of his supplications; al Mahajjat al Bayda’, 2/253, 8/86, 1/93, 5/43; al Manaqib, 1/74, regarding the acceptance of his supplications.
[43] Al Khara’ij, 1/75-85; Bihar al Anwar, 18/13.
[44] Al Manaqib, 1/74.
[45] Bihar al Anwar, 18/5.
[46] Al Manaqib, 1/90, excessive eating and drinking.
[47] Al Manaqib, 1/90; al Khara’ij, 1/55.
[48] Refer to Fath al Bari, 1/227.
[49] Fath al Bari, 1/236.
[50] Fath al Bari, 1/235
[51] Anwar al Wilayah, pg. 372.
[52] Surah al Talaq: 12.
[53] Fath al Bari, 1/217.
[54] Asl al Shia, pg. 79.