Hadith 146: Love of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib consumes evil deeds just as fire consumes firewood.
Hadith 145: The Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ordered us to present[1] our children to the love of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib.
February 4, 2019Hadith 147: “My name in the Qurʾan is, ‘By the sun and its brightness,’[1] and the name of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib is, ‘And [by] the moon when it follows it,’….
February 4, 2019BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents
Hadith 146
حب علي بن أبي طالب يأكل السيئات، كما تأكل النار الحطب.
Love of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib consumes evil deeds just as fire consumes firewood.
Al Khatib narrates (as does Ibn ‘Asakir and Ibn al Jawzi in a similar manner) — Ahmed ibn Abi Jafar al Qati’i informed me — Abu al Qasim ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al Mu’addal narrated to us — Abu al ‘Abbas Ahmed ibn Shabbawayh ibn Bashshar ibn Humaid al Mawsili narrated to us in the year 316, this is the only narration I possess from him — Muhammad ibn Salamah al Wasiti narrated to us — Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us — Hammad ibn Salamah narrated to us — from Ayub — from ‘Ataʾ — from Ibn ‘Abbas who said, “The Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said…”[1]
This hadith is mawdu’ (fabricated).
Muhammad ibn Salamah is da’if (weak).
Ahmed ibn Shabbawayh is majhul (unknown).
The problem of the hadith stems from one of them, as mentioned by Ibn Hajar.[2]
Al Khatib says, “This hadith is batil (false); it was made up with this chain of transmission.”
Al Suyuti, Ibn ‘Iraq, and al Shawkani concurred with Ibn al Jawzi in ruling the hadith a fabrication.[3]
Al Albani ruled the hadith to be batil (false).[4]
Ibn Taymiyyah truthfully said, “Love of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is greater than the love of ‘Ali. If a man does not perform salah, give Zakat, and commits major sins, then, despite his love for the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, these acts are detrimental for him. How can these acts then not be detrimental to him if he merely has love for ‘Ali?”[5]
In another place, he says, “If (merely) having love for ‘Ali is a good thing such that (committing) a bad deed does not harm him, (this implies) then not reading salah, and fornicating with ‘alawiyyat (female Alawites), and spilling the blood of Banu Hashim for his own personal gains is inconsequential—as long as he loves ‘Ali.”[6]
[1] Al Khatib: Tarikh Baghdad, 4/194.
[2] Ibn Hajar: Lisan al Mizan, 1/185.
[3] Al Suyuti: al Laʾali al Masnu’ah, 1/325; Ibn ‘Iraq: Tanzih al Shari’ah, 1/355; al Shawkani: al Fawaʾid al Majmu’ah, hadith no. 320.
[4] Al Albani: Silsilat al Ahadith al Da’ifah, 3/1206.
[5] Ibn Taymiyyah: Minhaj al Sunnah al Nabawiyyah, 5/74.
[6] Ibid., 3/496.
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Hadith 146
حب علي بن أبي طالب يأكل السيئات، كما تأكل النار الحطب.
Love of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib consumes evil deeds just as fire consumes firewood.
Al Khatib narrates (as does Ibn ‘Asakir and Ibn al Jawzi in a similar manner) — Ahmed ibn Abi Jafar al Qati’i informed me — Abu al Qasim ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al Mu’addal narrated to us — Abu al ‘Abbas Ahmed ibn Shabbawayh ibn Bashshar ibn Humaid al Mawsili narrated to us in the year 316, this is the only narration I possess from him — Muhammad ibn Salamah al Wasiti narrated to us — Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us — Hammad ibn Salamah narrated to us — from Ayub — from ‘Ataʾ — from Ibn ‘Abbas who said, “The Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said…”[1]
This hadith is mawdu’ (fabricated).
Muhammad ibn Salamah is da’if (weak).
Ahmed ibn Shabbawayh is majhul (unknown).
The problem of the hadith stems from one of them, as mentioned by Ibn Hajar.[2]
Al Khatib says, “This hadith is batil (false); it was made up with this chain of transmission.”
Al Suyuti, Ibn ‘Iraq, and al Shawkani concurred with Ibn al Jawzi in ruling the hadith a fabrication.[3]
Al Albani ruled the hadith to be batil (false).[4]
Ibn Taymiyyah truthfully said, “Love of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is greater than the love of ‘Ali. If a man does not perform salah, give Zakat, and commits major sins, then, despite his love for the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, these acts are detrimental for him. How can these acts then not be detrimental to him if he merely has love for ‘Ali?”[5]
In another place, he says, “If (merely) having love for ‘Ali is a good thing such that (committing) a bad deed does not harm him, (this implies) then not reading salah, and fornicating with ‘alawiyyat (female Alawites), and spilling the blood of Banu Hashim for his own personal gains is inconsequential—as long as he loves ‘Ali.”[6]
[1] Al Khatib: Tarikh Baghdad, 4/194.
[2] Ibn Hajar: Lisan al Mizan, 1/185.
[3] Al Suyuti: al Laʾali al Masnu’ah, 1/325; Ibn ‘Iraq: Tanzih al Shari’ah, 1/355; al Shawkani: al Fawaʾid al Majmu’ah, hadith no. 320.
[4] Al Albani: Silsilat al Ahadith al Da’ifah, 3/1206.
[5] Ibn Taymiyyah: Minhaj al Sunnah al Nabawiyyah, 5/74.
[6] Ibid., 3/496.