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Chapter 2

From the Companions to the Tabi’in

 

In this chapter, I will explore the spread of Hadith in Islamic cities. I will specifically study three of them, namely Madinah, Kufah, and Basrah, due to the strength of the successive narrative activity in them, leading up to the six books. Then I will explore the natural aspects of the transmission of Hadith from the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum to the Tabi’in. I will conclude with the critical authority accompanying the movement of narration.

 

Hadith in Islamic Cities

The Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum spread throughout the regions. The desire of the Tabi’in to hear ahadith from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam intensified. Thus, many of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum grew eager to narrate from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Perhaps the two most important elements in the activity of Hadith cities outside the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam city were:

1. The Companion’s eagerness to spread knowledge, his interest in that, and his residence in a specific city, as Ibn Mas’ud radiya Llahu ‘anhu did in the city of Kufah. He settled there and filled it with knowledge due to his strong interest in teaching. On the other hand, the frequent movements of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al ‘As radiya Llahu ‘anhuma between Ta’if, Egypt, and Makkah hindered him from producing students who were comparable to the students of Kufah.^[1]
2. The eagerness of the Tabi’in who learned from the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum. There was a big difference between the senior Tabi’in in Kufah and the seniors in Damascus, as the Kufans paid great attention to Ibn Mas’ud radiya Llahu ‘anhu, drew from his knowledge, and increased their eagerness to his eagerness, whilst Abu al Darda’ radiya Llahu ‘anhu—who was one of the scholars of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum—settled in Damascus. The Tabi’in there were not like the Tabi’in of Kufah in terms of knowledge and attention.^[2] Hence, his knowledge did not spread and his narrations were not given the attention they deserved. The reference here is the eagerness of the Tabi’in, not the eagerness of the Companion himself. Abu al Darda’ radiya Llahu ‘anhu paid attention to teaching, as the narrations suggest.^[3]

Hence, the reason for the Hadith enthusiasm in the cities of Kufah and Basrah becomes clear, as well as its weakness in other cities such as Egypt, Yemen, and Greater Syria, as none of the senior Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum came to Egypt or Yemen and settled there. The situation in Damascus was as I have mentioned.

Therefore, it is natural to find that more than two-thirds of the chains of transmission in the six books are attributed to these three cities, viz., Madinah, then Kufah, and then Basrah. In fact, this interest extended to the Qur’anic Qira’ah (different modes of recitation) also. Thus, we find that four of the Imams of the ten Qira’at are from Kufah, two from Basrah, two from Madinah, one from Makkah, and one from Greater Syria.

Hereunder follow the details of Hadith transmission in these cities.

 

1. Madinah’s School of Hadith

The senior and distinguished Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, the four khalifas, and others lived in Madinah. They spread a great amount of knowledge there. Madinah was distinguished by the abundance of narrations and narrators from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. From amongst the prolific narrators who narrated more than a thousand ahadith from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam—they were seven—five were in Madinah. They were, Abu Hurairah (5374 ahadith), Ibn ‘Umar (2630 ahadith), Aisha, the Mother of the Believers (2210 ahadith), Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (1540 ahadith), and Abu Sa’id al Khudri (1170 ahadith) radiya Llahu ‘anhum.^[4]

Below are their biographies along with the biographies of the Tabi’in who acquired knowledge from them, with constant notification to the reality of narration and its flow in that era and thereafter.

 

1. Abu Hurairah al Dawsi al Yamani, the leader of the Huffaz (preservers of hadith) and Athbat (trustworthy ones) (d. 57 AH)

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu embraced Islam in 7 AH. He narrated from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam such good and blessed knowledge that no one else reached its abundance, even though he had only accompanied him for a few years. Ahadith have been reported on his and his mother’s virtues.

His impact on the school of Madinah can be shown in two ways:

 

a. The nature of his widespread dissemination of ahadith

It is natural that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was one of the most prolific transmitters of Hadith in the Islamic Ummah at that time due to the following reasons:

i. He passed away at a later stage. Details concerning this have passed.

ii. He resided in Madinah, which was the city of knowledge and understanding, to which people from Islamic cities came.

iii. His great keenness to hear Hadith from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and his Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum.

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was distinguished in this aspect from many of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, so much so that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam praised him for it. Al Bukhari narrated from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu who said:

قلت يا رسول الله من أسعد الناس بشفاعتك يوم القيامة قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لقد ظننت يا أبا هريرة أن لا يسألني عن هذا الحديث أحد أول منك لما رأيت من حرصك على الحديث…

I said, “O Messenger of Allah, who will be the most fortunate of people to receive your intercession on the Day of Resurrection?”

The Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “O Abu Hurairah, I knew that no one would ask me about this hadith before you, due to the eagerness for Hadith I see in you‎.”^[5]

Because of his extreme eagerness, he would listen to ahadith from other Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and narrate from those who narrated less than him from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, out of his desire for knowledge. He narrated from Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, Ubayy, Usamah, and Aisha, just as he narrated from Sahl ibn Sa’d al Sa’idi^[6] and others radiya Llahu ‘anhum.

iv. His great dedication to spread Hadith among the people.

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was distinguished by this dedication from most of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, as most of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum would narrate Hadith from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam due to a need that arose. However, Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu would begin narrating Hadith on his own accord. Sometimes, he would narrate Hadith in detail. This shows a great dedication in spreading Hadith, which led some of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum to express their reservations about this method of narration. He once sat near the room of Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha and narrated Hadith. He then said:

 

يا صاحبة الحجرة أتنكرين مما أقول شيئا

O dweller of the room, do you disapprove of anything I say?

 

When she completed her Salah, she did not disapprove of what he narrated, but she said:

 

إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لم يكن يسرد الحديث سردكم

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not narrate Hadith in the manner you do.^[7]

 

There are many narrations about Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu holding Hadith gatherings. Perhaps the most well-known of them is that he would narrate ahadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to the people before Friday Salah until the Imam came out.^[8] This indicates his intense love for spreading the ahadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. It was as if he was waiting for the opportunity for the people to gather so he could begin narrating to them.

His love for spreading knowledge went beyond the borders of Madinah. He travelled and narrated Hadith in Damascus, Kufah, and Bahrain when he was a tax collector for ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu there.^[9]

v. His confidence in his memorisation.

This becomes evident from many texts, including what was mentioned above, that he would narrate to people before the Friday Salah until the Imam came out. No one would dare to take such a stance except one who was completely confident in his memorisation, particularly since Friday Salah at that time was held in one Masjid, which was al Masjid al Nabawi. All the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and senior Tabi’in present in Madinah would attend it. Amongst the Sunnah is to be early (for the Salah). Among them were the senior scholars of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum—those for whom criticism was easy and who would not feel embarrassed by it—as mentioned previously. If he had not been extremely confident in his memorisation and aware that they trusted his memorisation as well, he would not have embarked on narrating Hadith in this place and time.

vi. The Companions’ radiya Llahu ‘anhum confidence in his memorisation.

More than one Companion who heard Hadith from him declared this. Perhaps the most prominent of them were two Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhuma who were among the most critical of others, i.e. Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha—she did not disapprove anything he narrated; however, she disapproved the method and style—and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma who said, “O Abu Hurairah, amongst us, you were the most attached to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and you memorised the most of his ahadith.”^[10]

Among the Companions who also declared their confidence in Abu Hurairah’s memorisation was Abu Ayub al Ansari radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Abu al Sha’tha’ narrates:

 

قدمت المدينة فإذا أبو أيوب يحدث عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه فقلت تحدث عن أبي هريرة وأنت صاحب منزلة عند رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال لأن أحدث عن أبي هريرة أحب إلي من أن أحدث عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم

I came to Madinah and found Abu Ayub narrating from Abu Hurairah. I said to him, “Are you narrating from Abu Hurairah whereas you hold high status with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?”

He said, “To narrate from Abu Hurairah is more beloved to me than narrating directly from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.”^[11]

 

Abu Ayub radiya Llahu ‘anhu is one of the eminent Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam stayed in his house when he arrived in Madinah, as is well known.^[12]

Among the signs of the Companions’ radiya Llahu ‘anhum trust in him is that they narrated ahadith from him. Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma states:

 

ما رأيت شيئا أشبه باللمم مما قال أبو هريرة عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إن الله كتب على ابن آدم حظه من الزنا

I have not seen anything resembling lamam (minor sin) more than what Abu Hurairah narrated from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam: “Allah has prescribed for the son of Adam his share of adultery.”^[13]

 

Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma is one of the distinguished scholars among the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum who holds an opinion and criticism. His narration from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu shows his great trust in narrating Hadith from him. Similarly, Anas ibn Malik, Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, Abu Sa’id al Khudri, and others^[14] radiya Llahu ‘anhum narrated from him. Al Hakim listed them in al Mustadrak and then said:

 

قد بلغ عدد من روى عن أبي هريرة من الصحابة ثمانية وعشرين رجلا

The number of Companions who narrated from Abu Hurairah is twenty-eight.^[15]

 

Some of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum would attend some of his gatherings where he narrated Hadith and ratify the Hadith he narrated. It is reported that Abu Sa’id al Khudri radiya Llahu ‘anhu was sitting and listening to Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrating the hadith of the last person entering Jannat. It is a lengthy hadith. The Tabi’i, ‘Ata’ ibn Yazid, states:

 

وأبو سعيد الخدري جالس مع أبي هريرة لا يغيّر عليه شيئا من حديثه حتى انتهى إلى قوله هذا لك ومثله معه قال أبو سعيد سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول هذا لك وعشرة أمثاله قال أبو هريرة حفظت‏ مثله معه

Abu Sa’id al Khudri was sitting with Abu Hurairah and did not change anything from the hadith until he concluded by saying, “This is for you and its like.”

Abu Sa’id said, “I heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying, ‘This is for you and tenfold its like.’”

Abu Hurairah said, “I memorised ‘its like.’”^[16]

 

vii. The dedication of some senior Tabi’in in learning from him.

Many of the Tabi’in among the people of Madinah, Kufah, Basrah, Greater Syria, and others narrated from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.^[17] Al Bukhari states:

 

روى‏ عنه نحو من ثمانمئة رجل أو أكثر من أهل العلم من الصحابة والتابعين وغيرهم

About eight-hundred or more scholars from the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, Tabi’in, and others narrated from him.^[18]

 

Abu Hurairah’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu students were among the most eminent Tabi’in. Al Hakim said:

 

فأما التابعون فليس فيهم أجل ولا أشهر وأشرف وأعلم من أصحاب أبي هريرة

As for the Tabi’in, none of them are as prominent, famous, honourable, and learned than the students of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.^[19]

 

Among these eminent ones are the ten jurists: Sa’id ibn al Musayyab, Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abdul Rahman, Sulaiman ibn Yasar, Abu Bakr ibn ‘Abdul Rahman, Qabisah ibn Dhu’ayb, ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Abdullah, ‘Urwah ibn al Zubair, Sulaiman, and al Qasim, as mentioned by Yaqub ibn Sufyan al Fasawi.^[20]

It is sufficient to know that amongst them was the most distinguished Tabi’i of Madinah, Sa’id ibn al Musayyab—the son-in-law of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abdul Rahman, and Abu Salih al Samman—all of whom were from Madinah, Ibn Sirin—who was from Basrah, then al A’raj—who was from Madinah.

 

All of this indicates that Abu Hurairah’s abundance of narration and dissemination of Hadith is a natural matter, for what matters in disseminating Hadith is the prolongation in time and eagerness in narrating it, not the intensity of his attachment to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as mentioned previously.

 

b. His impact on the school of Madinah

It was previously mentioned that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu had a great influence on the Tabi’in of Madinah and others. The most prominent of those who learnt from him are:

i. Sa’id ibn al Musayyab (d. 94 AH)

He was the leader of the Tabi’in in his time. He narrated abundantly from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, just as he narrated from Aisha, Ibn ‘Abbas, Umm Salamah, and many others radiya Llahu ‘anhum. The reason for his abundant narration from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu is that he married his daughter, so it was natural for him to be the most knowledgeable of people regarding his narrations.^[21]

Abu Hatim said:

 

ليس في التابعين أنبل من سعيد بن المسيب وهو أثبتهم في أبي هريرة

There is none among the Tabi’in nobler than Sa’id ibn al Musayyab and he is the most trustworthy of them regarding Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.^[22]

 

Ibn al Madini said:

 

لا أعلم في التابعين أحدا أوسع علما من ابن المسيب هو عندي أجل التابعين

I do not know of anyone among the Tabi’in who is more knowledgeable than Ibn al Musayyab. To me, he is the most distinguished of the Tabi’in.^[23]

 

Qudamah ibn Musa states:

 

كان ابن المسيب يفتي وأصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أحياء

Ibn al Musayyab would issue verdicts while the Companions of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam were alive.^[24]

 

Sa’id ibn al Musayyab is distinguished from others by a number of things. Among them are:

• He was a fervent seeker of knowledge. Malik narrates from Sa’id:

إن كنت لأسير الأيام والليالي في طلب الحديث الواحد

I used to walk days and nights in pursuit of a single hadith.^[25]

• He loved to spread knowledge and Hadith. He set up gatherings for teaching. Makhul states:

لما مات سعيد بن المسيب استوى الناس ما كان أحد يأنف أن يأتي إلى حلقة سعيد بن المسيب ولقد رأيت فيها مجاهدا وهو يقول لا يزال الناس بخير ما بقي بين أظهرهم

When Sa’id ibn al Musayyab passed away, the people became equal. No one would hesitate to come to Sa’id ibn al Musayyab’s gathering. I saw Mujahid there saying, “The people will remain righteous as long as he remains among them.”^[26]

• He had a very strong personality and its strength appeared in two ways:

a. He would engage in a lot of scholarly criticism of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and the Tabi’in, as mentioned previously.

b. He often criticised the political authority of his time, the Umayyads. He was one of the most famous opposition of the Umayyads. One of his famous incidents about that is narrated by Maymun ibn Mihran, who said:

 

قدم عبد الملك بن مروان المدينة فامتنعت منه القائلة واستيقظ فقال لحاجبه انظر هل في المسجد أحد من حداثنا من أهل المدينة قال فخرج فإذا سعيد بن المسيب في حلقة له فقام حيث ينظر إليه ثم غمزه وأشار إليه بإصبعه ثم ولى فلم يتحرك سعيد ولم يتبعه فقال أراه فطن فجاء فدنا منه ثم غمزه وأشار إليه وقال ألم ترني أشير إليك قال وما حاجتك قال استيقظ أمير المؤمنين فقال انظر في المسجد أحدا من حداثي فأجب أمير المؤمنين فقال أرسلك إلي قال لا ولكن قال اذهب فانظر بعضا من حداثنا من أهل المدينة فلم أر أحدا أهيأ منك فقال سعيد اذهب فأعلمه أني لست من حداثه فخرج الحاجب وهو يقول ما أرى هذا الشيخ إلا مجنونا فأتى عبد الملك فقال له ما وجدت في المسجد إلا شيخا أشرت إليه فلم يقم فقلت له إن أمير المؤمنين قال انظر هل ترى في المسجد أحدا من حداثي فقال إني لست من حداث أمير المؤمنين وقال لي أعلمه فقال عبد الملك ذاك سعيد بن المسيب فدعه

‘Abdul Malik ibn Marwan came to Madinah. He could not fall asleep during the siesta. He woke up and said to his gatekeeper, “Go and see if there are any of our Hadith narrators from the people of Madinah in the Masjid.”

The gatekeeper went out and saw Sa’id ibn al Musayyab in his gathering. He stood where Sa’id could see him, winked at him, and pointed at him with his finger (i.e. to come). Then he turned back, but Sa’id did not move or follow him. He commented, “I think he understood.” Thereafter the gatekeeper came closer to him, winked, and pointed at him and said, “Did you not see me pointing to you?”

Sa’id asked, “What do you want?”

He said, “The Amir al Mu’minin woke up and said, ‘Go and look for one of our Hadith narrators in the Masjid.’ So answer the call of Amir al Mu’minin.”

Sa’id asked, “Did he send you to summon me?”

He said, “No, but he said, ‘Go and look for one of our Hadith narrators from the people of Madinah,’ and I do not see anyone more prepared than you.”

Sa’id said, “Go and inform him that I am not one of his Hadith narrators.”

The gatekeeper left, saying, “I think this old man is crazy.”

The gatekeeper came to ‘Abdul Malik and said, “I only found an old man. I pointed to him and he did not get up. So I said to him, ‘The Amir al Mu’minin instructed to go and see if there are any of his Hadith narrators in the Masjid.’ He said that he is not one of Amir al Mu’minin’s narrators. He said to me, ‘Inform him about this.’”

‘Abdul Malik remarked, “That is Sa’id ibn al Musayyab, so leave him.”^[27]

 

In fact, when he refused to pledge allegiance to the Banu Marwan, he was whipped and tortured. He was made to stand for people in the sun, wearing underpants made of hair. Even in this situation, he was eager to spread knowledge. Qatadah said:

 

أتيت سعيد بن المسيب وقد ألبس تبان شعر وأقيم في الشمس فقلت لقائدي أدنني منه فأدناني منه فجعلت أسأله خوفا من أن يفوتني وهو يجيبني حسبة والناس يتعجبون

I came to Sa’id ibn al Musayyab whilst he was made to wear hair underpants and stand in the sun. I said to my guide, “Bring me closer to him.”

When he brought me closer to him, I began asking him for fear that I would miss the opportunity, and he kept on giving me calculated answers. People were amazed.^[28]

 

From this biography of Sa’id ibn al Musayyab, a few matters become clear:

a. Ibn al Musayyab’s scholarly and personal strength was due to increased trust in Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Even though Ibn al Musayyab was a scholarly critic, a political dissident, and the most eminent Tabi’i in Madinah in his time, he submitted his knowledge and ahadith to Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, spread them among the people, and did not criticise him despite having the ability to do so. This means that the scholars and senior Tabi’in acknowledged and trusted Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

Similarly, it (his strength) was due to his trust in the ahadith, in general, that were disseminated in Madinah at that time by various Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, as Sa’id, with his knowledge, criticism, strength, and skill, would not accept passing by fabricated ahadith without revealing the truth about them.

b. The political authority was unable to influence many of the scholars in that era. The scholarly and Hadith narration was isolated from the inclinations of the political authority. The example of Ibn al Musayyab is clear in this, as it cannot just be said that he was only not influenced, rather he was critical and a dissident. If forged ahadith spread at the request of the political authority at the time, he would have screamed out openly to deny it as he opposed them in much lesser issues.

His stance on the Umayyad political authority becomes clear in his overwhelming desire to disseminate some of the ahadith pertaining to the virtues of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib radiya Llahu ‘anhu, during the Umayyad era, without caring at all about the political authority. It has been proven from many sources^[29] that he narrated the marfu’ hadith of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas radiya Llahu ‘anhu:

 

أنت مني بمنزلة هارون من موسى إلا أنه لا نبي بعدي

You are to me in the same position as Harun was for Musa, except that there is no prophet after me.^[30]

 

However, when he heard the hadith from ‘Amir ibn Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, he was not satisfied with that. He wanted to hear it directly from the great Companion Sa’d radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Sa’id ibn al Musayyab states:

 

فأحببت أن أشافه بها سعدا فلقيت سعدا فحدثته بما حدثني عامر فقال أنا سمعته فقلت آنت سمعته فوضع إصبعيه على أذنيه فقال نعم وإلا فاستكتا

I wanted to hear it directly from Sa’d. So I met Sa’d and told him what ‘Amir narrated to me. He said, “I heard it.”

I asked, “Did you hear it?”

He put his two fingers on his ears and said, “Yes, otherwise they should become deaf.”^[31]

 

Here, he is emphasising that he definitely heard the hadith from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and supplicated against himself that his ears would become blocked and he would become deaf if he were not truthful in his hearing.^[32] It can be understood from the widespread dissemination of ahadith concerning the virtues of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib radiya Llahu ‘anhu in that era that there was no relationship between the political authority and the dissemination of Hadith, at least in the field of virtues.^[33]

 

ii. Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abdul Rahman ibn ‘Awf al Qurashi al Zuhri (d. 94 AH)

One of the distinguished personalities of Madinah. He narrated a little from his father—he passed away while Abu Salamah was a boy—and from Aisha, Umm Salamah, Abu Hurairah, Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn ‘Umar, and others radiya Llahu ‘anhum. Al Zuhri, Muhammad ibn ‘Amr ibn ‘Alqamah, al Sha’bi, al Maqburi, ‘Amr ibn Dinar, and others narrated from him.

He was of very high calibre. Al Zuhri said:

 

أربعة‏ من قريش وجدتهم بحورا عروة بن الزبير وابن المسيب وأبو سلمة وعبيد الله بن عبد الله بن عتبة بن مسعود

I found four personalities of the Quraysh to be oceans (of knowledge). They were ‘Urwah ibn al Zubair, Ibn al Musayyab, Abu Salamah, and ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utbah ibn Mas’ud.

 

He was a judge in Madinah when Sa’id ibn al ‘As was the governor in the year 48 AH.^[34]

This shows his great calibre. He was appointed judge whilst the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum were present. In fact, his teachers among the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhu were alive, such as Abu Hurairah, Ibn ‘Abbas, and Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhum, which shows his high scholarly calibre. A person of this knowledge and virtue will also not accept passing on scholarly errors or fabricated ahadith without vetting and scrutiny.

 

iii. Abu Salih al Samman (d. 101 AH), Dhakwan ibn ‘Abdullah

The leader, the Hafiz, the authority, and freed slave of Umm al Mu’minin, Juwayriyah radiya Llahu ‘anha. He was one of the senior scholars of Madinah. He used to export oil and butter to Kufah, hence, he was nicknamed al Samman.

He acquired knowledge from Sa’d, Aisha, and Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhum. Most of his acquisition was from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu as he was attached to him. His son Suhayl, al A’mash, ‘Abdullah ibn Dinar, and others studied from him. Al A’mash narrated the most from him. He is reported to have said:

 

سمعت من أبي صالح ألف حديث

I heard a thousand ahadith from Abu Salih.^[35]

 

Perhaps that was during the days of his stay in Kufah for trade.

Ibrahim al Nakha’i also studied from him.

What distinguishes Abu Salih al Samman is his great knowledge of the ahadith of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu and his good acquisition of them, which led him to say:

 

ما أحد يحدث عن أبي هريرة إلا وأنا أعلم صادقا هو أم كاذبا

No one narrates from Abu Hurairah except that I know whether he is truthful or lying.^[36]

 

This is an important text that shows the early beginnings of criticism in the narrations transmitted from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. It also shows that Abu Salih, due to his great knowledge of it, was able to refute some people who fabricated things against Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

Also among Abu Hurairah’s students were ‘Abdul Rahman ibn Hurmuz al A’raj (d. 117 AH), Sa’id ibn Abi Sa’id al Maqburi (d. 123 AH), and others. Many Tabi’in from other cities such as Basrah, Kufah, Greater Syria, Yemen, and Egypt narrated from him. The most prominent of them was Muhammad ibn Sirin al Basri (d. 110 AH). He heard from him in Madinah^[37] and wrote a book from him.

The ahadith of Abu Hurairah’s students ended with Muhammad ibn Shihab al Zuhri, the scholar of Madinah among the junior Tabi’in. From al Zuhri, these narrations reached Imam Malik in al Muwatta’, where he narrated from al Zuhri — from Sa’id ibn al Musayyab — from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

He also narrated from al Zuhri — from Abu Salamah — from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

He also narrated from Suhayl ibn Abi Salih — from his father — from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

He also narrated from Abu al Zinad — from al A’raj — from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

Imam Malik has other chains from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu as well.

A detailed discussion on al Muwatta’ will come in due course due to its importance.

 

2. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar ibn al Khattab radiya Llahu ‘anhuma (d. 73 AH)

He participated in the Conquest (of Makkah) when he was twenty years old and travelled to Greater Syria, Iraq, Basrah, and Persia as a warrior.

He was one of the jurists of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum. Ibn Wahb narrates from Malik — from Yahya ibn Sa’id who said:

 

قلت لسالم أسمعت أباك يقول كذا وكذا فقال ربما سمعته يقول في الشيء أكثر من مئة مرة قلت (القائل ابن وهب)‏ لمالك مئة مرة قال نعم وألف مرة لكثرة السنين فقد أقام ابن عمر بعد النبي ستين سنة يفتي الناس في الموسم وغير ذلك قال مالك وكان ابن عمر من أئمة الدين

I said to Salim, “Did you hear your father say such-and-such?”

He said, “Maybe I heard him say something more than a hundred times.”

I (Ibn Wahb) asked Malik, “A hundred times?”

He said, “Yes, and a thousand times because of the many years. After the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, Ibn ‘Umar spent sixty years issuing verdicts to the people during the Hajj season and out of it.”

Malik states, “Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu was one of the Imams of Din.^[38]

 

The method of Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma was different from the method of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu in narrating Hadith as mentioned previously, as Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu hardly narrated a hadith except out of necessity. There are many narrations regarding this. Mujahid states:

 

صحبت ابن عمر إلى المدينة فلم أسمعه يحدث عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلا حديثا واحدا

I accompanied Ibn ‘Umar to Madinah. I did not hear him narrate from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam except one hadith.^[39]

 

Tawbah al ‘Anbari states:

 

قال لي الشعبي أرأيت حديث الحسن عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وقاعدت ابن عمر قريبا من سنتين أو سنة ونصف فلم أسمعه يحدث عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم غير هذا

Al Sha’bi said to me, “Have you seen the Hadith of Hassan from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam? I stayed with Ibn ‘Umar for close to one and half or two years. I did not hear him narrate anything from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam other than this.”^[40]

 

Despite this, his Hadith spread. In my opinion, this shows the nature of transmission in Hadith narration at that time. This is because most of the narrations transmitted from Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu came through his family and did not come through strangers. Unlike Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, as most of the narrations came from those who had no social connection to him. As for Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu, it came through the paths of Nafi’, his freed slave, and Salim, his son. They were the ones who spread his knowledge among the people. It does not appear to me that he had a significant impact—in terms of transmitting the Hadith—on others, except for ‘Abdullah ibn Dinar, for he narrated a lot from of Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu, but not as much as them.

The aforementioned texts, regarding the scarcity of his ahadith, came from the narrations of al Sha’bi, who is from Kufah, and Mujahid ibn Jabr, who is from Makkah, who were not close to him.

However, I do not see that Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma sat his son and freed slave down and narrated ahadith to them, as that was not Ibn ‘Umar’s radiya Llahu ‘anhuma method. Rather, they accompanied him in most of his situations and witnessed him over the course of decades, as stated previously. He would be asked to issue a verdict or consulted and would cite a hadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. They memorised that from him and narrated it. Hafiz Ibn Hajar, commenting on the aforementioned hadith of Mujahid, states:

 

فيه ما كان بعض الصحابة عليه من توقي الحديث عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إلا عند الحاجة خشية الزيادة والنقصان وهذه كانت طريقة ابن عمر ووالده عمر وجماعة وإنما كثرت أحاديث ابن عمر مع ذلك لكثرة من كان يسأله ويستفتيه

This narration shows that some of the Companions would avoid narrating from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam except when necessary, for the fear of addition or subtraction. This was the method of Ibn ‘Umar, his father ‘Umar, and others. The ahadith of Ibn ‘Umar increased despite that because of the large number of people who would ask and seek fatwa from him.^[41]

 

Al Zuhri’s statement indicates to the fact he would not initiate narrating Hadith in the manner Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu would. He states:

 

قد كان عبد الله بن عمر يجالس فلا يجترئ عليه أحد يسأله عن حديث إلا أن يأتيه إنسان فيسأله عن مسألة فيهيجه على الحديث أو يبتدئ هو الحديث

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar would sit among the people and no one would dare ask him about a hadith, unless someone came to him and asked him about an issue, and this would prompt him to narrate Hadith, or he would start the Hadith.^[42]

 

Therefore, his style differs from the style of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu in narrating Hadith. Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu took the method of caution and restraint while Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu took the path of advancing and looking for opportunities to narrate Hadith. However, this difference in style did not affect, at all, the trustworthiness of each of them in what the other possessed. Narrations have been transmitted of Ibn ‘Umar’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu praise for Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu and providing an explanation for his narrating. Hudhayfah ibn al Yaman states:

 

قال رجل لابن عمر إن أبا هريرة يكثر الحديث عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال ابن عمر أعيذك بالله أن تكون في شك مما يجيء به ولكنه اجترأ وجبنا

A man said to Ibn ‘Umar that Abu Hurairah narrates Hadith excessively from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Ibn ‘Umar said, “I seek refuge in Allah that you should be in doubt about anything that he brings. He was bold and we were weaklings.”^[43]

 

His statement to Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu has passed previously:

 

يا أبا هريرة أنت كنت ألزمنا لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وأحفظنا لحديثه

O Abu Hurairah, you were more attached to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam than us and memorised his Hadith more than we memorised.^[44]

 

Due to this caution, narrators from him, other than his family, were few, and due to that boldness, the narrators from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, other than his family, were numerous. This caution is strengthened by the fact that he was distinguished among the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum for his intense following of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha said:

 

ما رأيت أحدا ألزم للأمر الأول من ابن عمر

I have not seen anyone who adhered more religiously to the first ordinance than Ibn ‘Umar.^[45]

 

Therefore, ahadith associated with practice are found abundantly in his narrations.

The most eminent narrators from him are:

 

a. His freed slave, Nafi’ (d. 117 AH)

The narrator of Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu. He also narrated from Aisha, Abu Hurairah, Abu Sa’id, and Umm Salamah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. In fact, Salim ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar would state that Nafi’ was the most knowledgeable of people regarding the ahadith of Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma. He would say:

 

سلوا نافعا فإنه أعلمنا بحديث ابن عمر

Ask Nafi’, for he is the most knowledgeable of us regarding the ahadith of Ibn ‘Umar.^[46]

 

He was one of the distinguished scholars. ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz sent him to the people of Egypt to teach them the Sunnah.^[47]

Malik ibn Anas, ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Umar, and Ayub al Sakhtiyani narrated from him. His most astute student was Malik, then Ayub, then ‘Ubayd Allah, as stated by al Nasa’i.^[48] Malik and ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Umar had a good relationship with him. ‘Ubayd Allah said:

 

لما نشأت فأردت أن أطلب العلم جعلت آتي أشياخ آل عمر رجلا رجلا فأقول ما سمعت من سالم فكلما أتيت رجلا منهم قال عليك بابن شهاب فإن ابن شهاب كان يلزمه وكان ابن شهاب بالشام حينئذ فلزمت نافعا فجعل الله في ذلك خيرا كثيرا

When I grew up and intended to seek knowledge, I attended the learned elders of the family of ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu. I would go to them one by one and say, “What did you hear from Salim?” Whenever I came to any of them, he would say, “Hold on to Ibn Shihab, because Ibn Shihab used to be attached to him.”

Ibn Shihab was in Greater Syria at the time, so I attached myself to Nafi’. Allah bestowed plenty good in that.”^[49]

 

He also stated:

 

لقد من الله علينا بنافع

Allah has favoured us with Nafi’.^[50]

 

Through them, much of his Hadith spread throughout Madinah.

Nafi’ possessed extensive knowledge about the ahadith of Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma. Therefore, he would correct some of the ahadith for his (Ibn ‘Umar) son, Salim. Abu Bakr ibn Hafs ibn Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas asked Salim ibn ‘Abdullah about one of the rulings of Hajj from Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma and he answered. He then asked Nafi’ who answered differently, so Nafi’ said:

 

وهل سالم

Salim made a mistake.

 

Then he explained the reason for the mistake. The narrator, Abu Bakr ibn Hafs, states:

 

فرجعت إلى سالم فأخبرته فقال صدق نافع هو كما قال وقال سلوه فإنه أعلمنا بحديث ابن عمر

I then returned to Salim and informed him. He said, “Nafi’ is correct.”

He then said, “Ask him, for he is the most knowledgeable among us regarding the Hadith of Ibn ‘Umar.”^[51]

 

b. Salim ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (d. 106 AH)

The ascetic Imam, the Hafiz, and the Mufti of Madinah.

He narrated from his father brilliantly and abundantly, as well as from Aisha and Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhuma. Al Zuhri, Salih ibn Kaysan, and Salim ibn Abi al Ja’d narrated from him. Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma loved him very much. There are well-known incidents regarding that.

Some scholars preferred him to Nafi’ in the narration from Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma while others remain neutral. ‘Abbas al Duri narrates that he asked Yahya ibn Ma’in:

 

سالم أعلم بابن عمرأو نافع قال يقولون إن نافعا لم يحدث حتى مات سالم

“Is Salim or Nafi’ more knowledgeable about Ibn ‘Umar?”

He said, “They say that Nafi’ did not narrate Hadith until Salim passed away.”^[52]

 

When al Zuhri was asked, “They claim that you do not narrate from mawali (freed slaves),” he replied:

 

أخبركم عن ذلك إني كنت لقيت نافعا فسمعت منه ثم لقيت سالما بعده فسألته عما سمعت من نافع فحدثنيه وكان سالم أوثق عندي وأثبت من نافع فتركت نافعا

I will inform you about this. I met Nafi’ and heard from him. Then I met Salim after him. I asked him about what I heard from Nafi’, so he narrated it to me. According to me, Salim was more trustworthy and more credible than Nafi’. Therefore, I left Nafi’.^[53]

 

Nafi’s annoyance with the way al Zuhri behaved was apparent. He would say:

 

من يعذرني من زهرتكم يأتيني فأحدثه عن ابن عمر ثم يذهب إلى سالم فيقول هل سمعت هذا من أبيك فيقول نعم فيحدث به عن سالم ويدعني

Who will excuse me of your Zuhri? He comes to me and I narrate to him from Ibn ‘Umar. Then he goes to Salim and says, “Did you hear this from your father?”

He says, “Yes.”

Then he narrates it from Salim and leaves me.^[54]

 

This shows scrutiny from the young Tabi’in like al Zuhri on accuracy and mastery of their teachers, regardless of the correctness of their stance.

In any case, one of the reasons for Salim’s preference and accuracy may be the statement of Yahya ibn Sa’id who said:

 

قلت لسالم في حديث أسمعته من ابن عمر فقال مرة واحدة أكثر من مئة مرة

I asked Salim regarding a hadith, “Did you hear it from Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu?”

He replied, “Once? In fact (I heard it) more than a hundred times.”^[55]

 

This means more certainty, precision, and mastery.

 

c. ‘Abdullah ibn Dinar (d. 127 AH)

The Imam and Muhaddith. He heard from Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma, Anas radiya Llahu ‘anhu, and Sulaiman ibn Yasar. Shu’bah, Malik, al Thawri, and Ibn ‘Uyaynah narrated from him.^[56]

The ahadith of these narrators also reach Imam Malik in al Muwatta’.

He narrated many ahadith from Nafi’ who narrates from Ibn ‘Umar.

He narrated from al Zuhri — from Salim — from Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

He narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn Dinar — from Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

He narrated from others also — from Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu. The detailed discussion regarding al Muwatta’ will come in due course.

 

3. Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha, the Mother of the Believers (d. 57 AH)

She is the most knowledgeable of the Ummah’s women, absolutely. Transmissions pertaining to that are extensive and well-known. Abu Musa al Ash’ari radiya Llahu ‘anhu states:

 

ما‏ أشكل علينا أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حديث قط فسألنا عائشة إلا وجدنا عندها منه علما

We, the Companions of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, never experienced any difficulty regarding any hadith and we asked Aisha, except finding that she had knowledge of it.^[57]

 

‘Ata’ said:

 

كانت عائشة أفقة الناس وأحسن الناس رأيا في العامة‏

Aisha was the most knowledgeable of the people and had the best opinion regarding the common people.^[58]

 

Al Zuhri said:

 

لو جمع علم الناس كلهم ثم علم أزواج النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لكانت عائشة أوسعهم علما

If the knowledge of all the people was gathered and then the knowledge of the wives of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, Aisha would be the most knowledgeable of them.^[59]

 

Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abdul Rahman stated:

 

ما رأيت أحدا أعلم بسنن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ولا أفقه في رأي إن احتيج إلى رأيه ولا أعلم بآية فيما نزلت ولا فريضة من عائشة

I have not seen anyone more learned about the Sunnah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, nor more knowledgeable in opinion—if his opinion is needed, nor more knowledgeable of when a verse was revealed or an obligation than Aisha.^[60]

 

Due to the strength of her knowledge, she was famous for criticising some of the ahadith narrated by other Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, as mentioned previously.

It is natural in her narration in Madinah that her narrators were also from her family. This is consistent with the social system in Islam, as it was not easy for anyone to enter her home except for someone who is among her relatives or a woman who was close to her. Therefore, the most prolific narrators from her were ‘Urwah ibn al Zubair—Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha was his maternal aunt—then Qasim ibn Muhammad—Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha was his paternal aunt—and then ‘Amrah bint ‘Abdul Rahman, who grew up in the house of Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha. Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah said:

 

كان أعلم الناس بحديث عائشة ثلاثة القاسم بن محمد وعروة بن الزبير وعمرة بنت عبد الرحمن

The most knowledgeable about the ahadith of Aisha were three: Qasim ibn Muhammad, ‘Urwah ibn al Zubair, and ‘Amrah bint ‘Abdul Rahman.^[61]

 

Perhaps her being Umm al Mu’minin (Mother of the Believers) had an impact on the fact that she came after Abu Hurairah and Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhum in Hadith narration, in addition to her long life and death at a later stage after the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. She lived after him for about 46 years, as he married her when she was young. She was the youngest of his wives. Adolescence is the place of memorisation. Details of that have passed previously.

As for her students in Madinah, the most eminent ones are:

a. ‘Urwah ibn al Zubair ibn al ‘Awwam (d. 94 AH)

The distinguished Imam, the scholar of Madinah, and one of the seven Jurists. He is the son of Asma’ radiya Llahu ‘anha, the sister of Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha. He narrated from her, accompanied her, learned from her, and became one of the most knowledgeable people concerning her ahadith. He also narrated from Abu Hurairah and Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhum. His sons, Yahya, Hisham, and Muhammad, Abu Salamah, al Zuhri, and Abu al Zinad narrated from him.

He surpassed other Tabi’in of Madinah by being able to enter the house of Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha. Qabisah ibn Dhu’ayb, the distinguished Tabi’i, states:

 

كنا في خلافة معاوية وإلى آخرها نجتمع في حلقة بالمسجد بالليل أنا ومصعب وعروة ابنا الزبير وأبو بكر بن عبد الرحمن وعبد الملك بن مروان وعبد الرحمن المسور وإبراهيم بن عبد الرحمن بن عوف وعبيد الله بن عبد الله بن عتبة وكنا نتفرق بالنهار فكنت أنا أجالس زيد بن ثابت وهو مترئس بالمدينة في القضاء والفتوى والقراءة والفرائض في عهد عمر وعثمان وعلي ثم كنت أنا وأبو بكر بن عبد الرحمن نجالس أبا هريرة وكان عروة يغلبنا بدخوله على عائشة‏

During the Caliphate of Muawiyah and until its end, we would gather in the Masjid at night, myself, Mus’ab and ‘Urwah, the sons of al Zubair, Abu Bakr ibn ‘Abdul Rahman, ‘Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, ‘Abdul Rahman al Miswar, Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdul Rahman ibn ‘Awf, and ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utbah. We would separate during the day. I would sit with Zaid ibn Thabit, who was the leader in Madinah in judiciary, fatawa, Qira’ah (different modes of recitation), and inheritance during the era of ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, and ‘Ali. Abu Bakr ibn ‘Abdul Rahman and I would sit with Abu Hurairah. ‘Urwah prevailed over us by entering upon Aisha.^[62]

 

This means that his special relationship with Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha was an important factor in his superiority over the rest of the Tabi’in who were keen for knowledge.

Since ‘Urwah was aware of the status of this speciality, he worked extremely diligently to learn from Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha, to a degree that he believed that he collected Aisha’s radiya Llahu ‘anha knowledge. His son, Hisham, narrates that he would say to us when we were young:

 

مالكم لا تعلمون إن تكونوا صغار قوم يوشك أن تكونوا كبار قوم وما خير الشيخ أن يكون شيخا وهو جاهل لقد رأيتني قبل موت عائشة بأربع حجج وأنا أقول لو ماتت اليوم ما ندمت على حديث عندها إلا وقد وعيته

Why is it that you do not learn? If you are the juniors of the nation, soon you will be the seniors of the nation. What good is there for an elder to be an elder if he is ignorant? I saw myself four years before Aisha’s demise saying, “If she passes away today, I would not regret over any hadith that she possesses except that I memorised it.”^[63]

 

This is an important text indicating that his knowledge of the ahadith of Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha was complete, which in turn indicates his ability to criticise reports other than those that were well-known.

His position among the people of Madinah is very high. Al Zuhri said:

 

سألت ابن صعير عن شيء من الفقه فقال عليك بهذا وأشار إلى ابن المسيب فجالسته سبع سنين لا أرى أن عالما غيره ثم تحولت إلى عروة ففجرت به ثبج بحر

I asked Ibn Su’ayr^[64] about some fiqhi issue and he said, “Hold on to him,” pointing to Ibn al Musayyab. I sat in his company for seven years, and I did not recognise any scholar other than him. Then I turned to ‘Urwah and the ocean floor opened up.^[65]

 

‘Abdul Rahman ibn Humaid ibn ‘Abdul Rahman states:

 

دخلت مع أبي المسجد فرأيت الناس قد اجتمعوا على رجل فقال أبي انظر من هذا فنظرت فإذا هو عروة فأخبرته وتعجبت فقال يا بني لا تعجب فوالله لقد رأيت أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وإنهم ليسألونه

I entered the Masjid with my father and saw that people had gathered around a man. My father said, “Go and see who that is.”

I looked and found that it was ‘Urwah. I informed him and expressed my amazement. He said, “My son, do not be surprised. By Allah, I have seen the Companions of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam asking him.”^[66]

 

b. Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al Siddiq (d. 102 AH)

The exemplary Imam, a scholar of his era in Madinah with Salim ibn ‘Abdullah. He was raised in the lap of his aunt, Umm al Mu’minin Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha. He learned from her in abundance.

He narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn ‘Umar, and Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. Al Sha’bi, al Zuhri, Yahya ibn Sa’id, and Abu al Zinad narrated from him. He is reported to have said:

 

كانت عائشة قد استقلت بالفتوى في خلافة أبي بكر وعمر إلى أن ماتت وكنت ملازما لها مع برها بي وكنت أجالس البحر ابن عباس وقد جلست مع أبي هريرة وابن عمر فأكثرت فكان هناك يعني ابن عمر ورع وعلم جم ووقوف عما لا علم له به

Aisha was independently issuing verdicts during the Caliphate of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar until she passed away. I remained attached to her coupled with her kindness to me. I would sit with the ocean (of knowledge), Ibn ‘Abbas. I sat a lot with Abu Hurairah and Ibn ‘Umar, and there was—meaning by Ibn ‘Umar—piety, great knowledge, and restraint from what he had no knowledge of.^[67]

 

Perhaps the reason for ‘Urwah being ahead of him was ‘Urwah’s eagerness or the reason may be that he would not practice Hadith bi al Ma’na (transmission by meaning). Ibn ‘Awn narrated:

 

كان القاسم بن محمد يحدث بالحديث على حروفه

Qasim ibn Muhammad would narrate Hadith verbatim.^[68]

 

Another reason could be that he preferred silence and adhered to piety and asceticism.

 

c. ‘Amrah bint ‘Abdul Rahman ibn Sa’d al Ansariyyah (d. 98 AH)

The Madani Jurist and scholar.

She learned from Aisha, Umm Salamah, and Rafi’ ibn Khadij radiya Llahu ‘anhum. Her nephew, the Judge Abu Bakr ibn Hazm, al Zuhri, Yahya ibn Sa’id, and others learned from her.

Since she was one of the scholars who possessed knowledge of the ahadith of Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz wrote to her nephew, the Judge Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Amr ibn Hazm thus:

 

أن انظر ما كان من حديث رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أو سنة ماضية أو حديث عمرة بنت عبد الرحمن فاكتبه فإني قد خفت دروس العلم وذهاب أهله

See what was from the Hadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, or a passed Sunnah, or the Hadith of ‘Amrah bint ‘Abdul Rahman and write it down, for I fear concerning the extinction of knowledge and the departure of its people.^[69]

 

Qasim ibn Muhammad narrates that he said to al Zuhri:

 

يا‏ غلام أراك تحرص على طلب العلم أفلا أدلك على وعائه قلت بلى قال عليك بعمرة فإنها كانت في حجر عائشة قال فأتيتها فوجدتها بحرا لا ينزف

“Young lad, I see that you are keen on seeking knowledge. Shall I not direct you to its container?”

He replied, “Yes.”

I said, “Hold onto ‘Amrah, for she was in the lap of Aisha.”

He says, “So I came to her and found her to be a never-ending ocean.”^[70]

 

From her knowledge and criticism is that she would correct the mistakes of the judge of Madinah, her nephew, Abu Bakr Ibn Hazm, in front of the people and she did not feel any embarrassment in that.^[71]

Many people other than the people of Madinah narrated from Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha; from Makkah, Basrah, Kufah, Greater Syria, and other places. However, the person most specialised in this was al Aswad ibn Yazid al Nakha’i al Kufi (d. 75 AH), who was one of the senior companions of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radiya Llahu ‘anhu. He had a high position with Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha. His son ‘Abdul Rahman said:

 

كان الأسود عند عائشة زوج النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وأهلها بمكان

Al Aswad held a lofty position by Aisha, the wife of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and her family.^[72]

 

Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha would honour him and say:

 

ما بالعراق رجل أكرم علي من الأسود

There is no one in Iraq more honourable to me than al Aswad.^[73]

 

Perhaps the reason for his many narrations from Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha was his frequent performance of Hajj and visits to Madinah. He would get to hear from her frequently, as if she saw seriousness, diligence, righteousness, and knowledge in him. Hence, she would narrate to him frequently and even confided to him some narrations. Ibn al Zubair relied on him in his narration of the hadith of the demolition of the Ka’bah from her. She was his maternal aunt.

Al Aswad states:

 

قال لي ابن الزبير كانت عائشة تسر إليك كثيرا فما حدثتك في الكعبة قال قالت لي قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يا عائشة لولا قومك حديث عهدهم

Ibn al Zubair said to me, “Aisha used to confide to you a lot, so what did she narrate to you regarding the Ka’bah?”

I replied that she said to me, “The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘O Aisha, if it were not for the fact that your people are recent…’”^[74]

 

Likewise, he would say to him:

 

حدثني بعض ما كانت تسر إليك أم المؤمنين فرب شيء كانت تحدثك به وتكتمه الناس

Narrate to me some of what Umm al Mu’minin confided to you, for she would tell you many things which she concealed from the people.^[75]

 

The Hadith of all of them ended with Imam Malik in al Muwatta’:

He narrated from al Zuhri and Hisham ibn ‘Urwah — from ‘Urwah — from Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha.

He also narrated from al Zuhri, Yahya ibn Sa’id, and Abu al Zinad — from Qasim ibn Muhammad — from Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha.

Similarly, he narrated from Yahya ibn Sa’id and Abu Bakr ibn Hazm — from ‘Amrah — from Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha.

He also narrated from others from Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha.

 

4. Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (d. 78 AH)

5. Abu Sa’id al Khudri (d. 74 AH) radiya Llahu ‘anhum

Their impact was great in Madinah, but it did not reach the level of Abu Hurairah, Ibn ‘Umar, and Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anhum. Therefore, I will not go into the details of their conditions radiya Llahu ‘anhuma.

In any case, we notice through all of this how narrations were transmitted in Madinah till it reached al Muwatta’ of Imam Malik. A detailed discussion of it will come in due course.

 

 

NEXT⇒ 2. Kufah’s School of Hadith

---

^[1]  Ibn Hajar: Fath al Bari, 1/207.

^[2]  Hafiz Ibn Hibban states in his book Mashahir ‘Ulama’ al Amsar, pg. 201:

وإنما وقع جلة أهل اليمن من التابعين بالشام ومصر فسكنوها ثم استوطنوها حتى لقد نزل بحمص وحدها زهاء ألف نفس إلا أن أكثرهم اشتغلوا بالغزوات والعبادات فلم يظهر كثير علم إذا هم أهل سلامة وخير كانوا لا يشتغلون بما يؤدي التنوق (أي المبالغة) من العلم وآثروا العبادة عليه

The majority of the Tabi’in of Yemen went to Greater Syria and Egypt. They lived there and then settled there, to the point that about a thousand people settled in Hims alone. However, most of them were occupied with wars and worship. Thus, much knowledge did not appear, as they were people of peace and goodness. They did not occupy themselves with that which would lead to exaggeration in knowledge. They preferred worship to it.

^[3]  Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, 1/328; al Dhahabi: Tadhkirat al Huffaz, 1/24.

^[4]  This has passed. Refer to Ibn al Jawzi: Talqih Fuhum Ahl al Athar, pg. 263.

^[5]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on knowledge, chapter on eagerness for Hadith, Hadith: 99.

^[6]  As stated by Ibn Khuzaimah. Refer to al Hakim: Al Mustadrak ‘ala al Sahihayn, 2/629.

^[7]  Sahih al Bukhari, Hadith: 3568; Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 2493.

^[8]  Al Hakim: al Mustadrak ‘ala al Sahihayn, book on knowledge of the Companions, mention of Abu Hurairah, Hadith: 6249.

^[9]  Al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/586; Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, pg. 67, 313, 296, 356, 366; Ibn Hajar: al Isabah, pg. 348 onwards.

^[10]  Sunan al Tirmidhi, chapters on virtues from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, chapter on the virtues of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, Hadith: 3836, he declared it a hassan hadith; Musnad Ahmed, Hadith: 4453. According to Imam Ahmed, the wording is أعلمنا (the most learned) instead of أحفظنا and the meaning is the same.

^[11]  Al Hakim: al Mustadrak ‘ala al Sahihayn, book on knowledge of the Companions, mention of Abu Hurairah, Hadith: 6251.

^[12]  Al Hakim: al Mustadrak ‘ala al Sahihayn, book on knowledge of the Companions, mention of Abu Hurairah, Hadith: 6250.

^[13]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on seeking permission, chapter on adultery of the limbs without the private parts, Hadith: 6243.

Sahih Muslim, book on destiny, chapter on it is destined for the son of Adam his share of adultery and other things, Hadith: ‎2657.

^[14]  Refer to ‘Abdul Mun’im Salih al ‘Ali: Difa’ ‘an Abi Hurairah, the third section, those who narrated the Hadith of Abu Hurairah, pg. 325 onwards.

^[15]  Al Hakim: al Mustadrak ‘ala al Sahihayn, book on knowledge of the Companions, mention of Abu Hurairah, 3/630.

^[16]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on aspects that soften the heart, chapter on al Sirat is the bridge of Jahannam, Hadith: 6573; Sahih Muslim, book on faith, chapter on understanding the method of seeing (Allah), Hadith: 182. Refer to an important discussion on Abu Sa’id’s relationship with Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhuma by ‘Abdul Mun’im Salih al ‘Ali: Difa’ ‘an Abi Hurairah, pg. 102.

^[17]  Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, 67/295–296.

^[18]  Al Mizzi: Tahdhib al Kamal, 43/277; Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, 67/311.

^[19]  Al Hakim: al Mustadrak ‘ala al Sahihayn, book on knowledge of the Companions, mention of Abu Hurairah, 3/630.

^[20]  Al Fasawi: al Ma’rifah wa al Tarikh, 1/462.

^[21]  Ibn Sa’d narrated in al Tabaqat, 2/380, from the eminent Tabi’i, Sulaiman ibn Yasar that he said:

كنا نجالس زيد بن ثابت أنا وسعيد بن المسيب وقبيصة بن ذؤيب ونجالس ابن عباس فأما أبو هريرة فكان سعيد أعلمنا بمسنداته لصهره منه

Sa’id ibn al Musayyab, Qabisah ibn Dhu’ayb, and I would sit with Zaid ibn Thabit and Ibn ‘Abbas. As for Abu Hurairah, Sa’id was the most knowledgeable among us regarding his narrations due to being his son-in-law.

^[22]  Al Mizzi: Tahdhib al Kamal, 11/78; al Suyuti: Tabaqat al Huffaz, pg. 25; Ibn Abi Hatim: al Jarh wa al Ta’dil, 4/59 onwards.

^[23]  Al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 4/222.

^[24]  Ibn Sa’d: al Tabaqat, 2/379.

^[25]  Ibn Sa’d: al Tabaqat, 2/381.

^[26]  Ibid., 2/381-382.

^[27]  Ibn Sa’d: al Tabaqat, 5/130.

^[28]  Abu Nuaim: Hilyat al Auliya’, 2/171.

^[29]  At least eight people narrated this hadith from him, some of whom were his eminent students, such as Qatadah and Yahya ibn Sa’id al Ansari. Refer to my research, which will come in due course.

^[30]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on the virtues of the Companions, chapter on the virtues of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hadith: 3706; Sahih Muslim, book on the virtues of the Companions, chapter on the virtues of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hadith: 2404. The wording is Muslim’s.

This hadith is close to being a Mutawatir (consecutively narrated) hadith from Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, as a group of Tabi’in narrated it from him, and a group of their students narrated from them. I have detailed it in another study that I will mention in due course.

^[31]  Sahih Muslim, book on the virtues of the Companions, chapter on the virtues of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hadith: 2404. The origin of the hadith is in Sahih al Bukhari, book on the virtues of the Companions, chapter on the virtues of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hadith: 3706.

^[32]  Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas was Mujab al Da’wah (one whose supplications are answered) as is known from his biography. (Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, 20/294; al Mizzi, Tahdhib al Kamal, 1/312.)

^[33]  This is what I have detailed in a lengthy study, which was included in the Sahih al Bukhari Conference, held at Ibn Khaldun University in Istanbul in 2019. I traced the ahadith pertaining to the virtues of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muawiyah, and ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdul Muttalib and the ways in which those ahadith spread during the Umayyad state, then the Abbasid state, and the stance of the major critics towards them. I concluded that there is no relationship between those authorities and Hadith narration, at least in the chapter of virtues.

^[34]  Study his biography by al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, ‎4/287 onwards.

^[35]  Ahmed ibn Hanbal: al ‘Ilal, 2/433.

^[36]  Ibn Sa’d: al Tabaqat, 5/302.

^[37]  Ahmed ibn Hanbal: al ‘Ilal, 1/240.

^[38]  Al Fasawi: al Ma’rifah wa al Tarikh, 1/491; al Khatib al Baghdadi: Tarikh Baghdad, 1/521.

^[39]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on knowledge, chapter on understanding in knowledge, Hadith: 72; Sahih Muslim, book on the characteristics and rulings of the hypocrites, chapter on the example of a believer is like that of a palm tree, Hadith: 2811.

^[40]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on the information of a single person, chapter on the information of a single woman, Hadith: 7267; Sahih Muslim, book on hunting and slaughtering, chapter on the permissibility of lizards, Hadith: ‎1944.

^[41]  Ibn Hajar: Fath al Bari, 1/165.

^[42]  Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, 55/361, with a strong chain of transmission; al Mizzi: Tahdhib al Kamal, 26/437.

^[43]  Al Hakim: al Mustadrak ‘ala al Sahihayn, Hadith: 6241.

^[44]  Sunan al Tirmidhi, chapters on virtues from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, chapter on the virtues of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu Hadith: 3836, he said that it is a hassan Hadith; Musnad Ahmed, Hadith: 4453.

^[45]  Al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 3/211.

^[46]  Al Fasawi: al Ma’rifah wa al Tarikh, 1/424; Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, 61/429.

^[47]  Ibn Hajar: Tahdhib al Tahdhib, 10/414.

^[48]  Al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 5/99.

^[49]  Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, 61/431.

^[50]  Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, 61/431.

^[51]  Al Fasawi: al Ma’rifah wa al Tarikh, 1/646.

^[52]  Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, 20/56.

^[53]  Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, 55/321.

^[54]  Al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 5/98.

^[55]  Al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 4/465.

^[56]  Al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 5/253.

^[57]  Sunan al Tirmidhi, chapters on virtues, chapter on the virtues of Aisha, Hadith: 3883. He categorised it as hassan sahih gharib.

^[58]  Al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/200.

^[59]  Al Hakim: al Mustadrak ‘ala al Sahihayn, 4/92; al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/185.

^[60]  Ibn Sa’d: al Tabaqat, 2/375.

^[61]  Ibn Abi Hatim: al Jarh wa al Ta’dil, 7/118.

^[62]  Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, 4/248–249.

^[63]  See his biography by al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 4/421; al Fasawi: al Ma’rifah wa al Tarikh, 1/489.

^[64]  He is ‘Abdullah ibn Tha’labah ibn Su’ayr, a teacher of al Zuhri. See his biography by al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 3/503 and Ibn Hajar: al Isabah, 4/28.

^[65]  Al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 4/425. Al Thabaj means ‘the centre’. (Ibn al Athir: al Nihayah fi Gharib al Hadith wa al Athar, 1/206.)

^[66]  Al Mizzi: Tahdhib al Kamal, 2/19.

^[67]  Ibn Sa’d: al Tabaqat, 2/375 – 376.

^[68]  Ibn Sa’d: al Tabaqat, 5/187.

^[69]  Sunan al Darimi, chapter on those who gave permission to write down knowledge, Hadith: 505; Ibn Sa’d: al Tabaqat, 2/387. The wording is Ibn Sa’d’s.

^[70]  Al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 4/507 onwards. The meaning of la yanzifu: its water does not end.

^[71]  Refer to her incident of correcting his mistake publicly by Malik in al Muwatta’, 5/123.

^[72]  Ibn Abi Khaythamah: al Tarikh, 3/65, Hadith: 3848.

^[73]  Ibn Sa’d: al Tabaqat, 6/73.

^[74]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on knowledge, chapter on whoever abandons some of the choices for fear that some people’s understanding of it will fall short and they will fall into a more severe sin than that, Hadith: 126; Sahih Muslim, book on Hajj, chapter on desecrating the Ka’bah and building it, Hadith: 1333. The wording is al Bukhari’s.

^[75]  Ibn Abi Khaythamah: al Tarikh, 3/65, Hadith: 3847; Musnad Ahmed, Hadith: 24709.