Section Five – Their Methodology in Transmitting the Prophetic Sunnah

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Section Five

Their Methodology in Transmitting the Prophetic Sunnah

 

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam urged the preservation, mastery, and accurate capturing of the Prophetic Sunnah, and then its transmission. This is how the Sunnah would spread, and through it, knowledge would spread. Many texts have been reported on this topic. I will mention only some of them for the sake of clarity and to draw attention to it. Allah alone is the One Whose help is sought.

 

Allah Placed Goodness in Deep Understanding of the Din

Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan radiya Llahu ‘anhuma narrates that he heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying:

 

من يرد الله به خيرا يفقهه في الدين

For whomever Allah intends good, He grants him deep understanding of the din.^[1]

 

This was narrated from several other Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum.^[2]

 

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam Informing us That the Best of people Are Those who Gain Deep Understanding of the Din

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

 

الناس معادن كمعادن الذهب والفضة خيارهم في الجاهلية خيارهم في الإسلام إذا فقهوا

People are like mines, mines of gold and silver; the best of them in the Days of Ignorance are the best of them in Islam, if they gain understanding.^[3]

 

His Encouragement to Preserve and Transmit Knowledge and Supplication for Whoever Conveys it

‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

 

نضر الله عبدا سمع مقالتي فحفظها ووعاها وأداها فرب حامل فقه غير فقيه ورب حامل فقه إلى من هو أفقه منه

May Allah brighten the face of a servant who hears my words, memorises them, understands them, and conveys them, for many a bearer of fiqh is himself not a jurist, and many a bearer of fiqh conveys it to one who is more knowledgeable than he.^[4]

 

Likewise, this was narrated by a large number of Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum because the hadith on this topic is mutawatir.^[5]

 

The Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam Command to Convey His Message

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhuma narrates that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

 

بلغوا عني ولو آية…

Convey from me, even if it is a single verse…^[6]

 

Included in this is his statement:

 

ليبلغ الشاهد الغائب

The one present should convey it to the absent one.

 

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said this on several occasions, as narrated from several Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum in al Sahihayn and other compilations.^[7]

 

His Prohibition Against Concealing Knowledge

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

 

من كتم علما علمه الله ألجمه الله بلجام من نار يوم القيامة

Whoever conceals knowledge that Allah has taught him, Allah will bridle him with a bridle of fire on the Day of Qiyamah.^[8]

 

Conversely, The Prophet Encouraged the Seeking of Knowledge

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

 

من سلك طريقا يلتمس فيه علما سهل الله له به طريقا إلى الجنة

Whoever travels a path seeking knowledge, Allah will ease the path to Jannat for him.^[9]

 

This has been narrated by other Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum.

 

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam Informing us That Knowledge is one of the Things That Remains After its Possessor, and Its Reward Continues Uninterrupted.

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

 

إذا مات الإنسان انقطع عمله إلا من ثلاثة إلا من صدقة جارية أو علم ينتفع به أو ولد صالح يدعو له

When a person passes away, his deeds cease except from three: continuous charity, knowledge that benefits others, or a righteous child who supplicates for him.^[10]

 

There are numerous ahadith on the virtue of knowledge, teaching, and learning. This is not the place to present them all. I have only mentioned a few for awareness.

Thus, the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum were keen to hear, memorise, capture, and perfect Hadith—as discussed in the previous two sections—and then to convey, record, teach, and disseminate it. This is what I will briefly mention in this section, Allah willing.

 

The Sahabah’s Methodology in Narration; Frequently and Sparingly

After the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, two approaches to narration were distinguished among the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum, with respect to narrating frequently and sparingly.

 

1. Narrating Sparingly

At the forefront of these were Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, al Zubair, Talhah, Ibn Mas’ud, and others radiya Llahu ‘anhum.

What prompted them to narrate sparingly—not aversion or dislike—were several factors. Among them are:

A. Caution and fear of altering the Prophetic wording, lest they fall under the ambit of the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam warning, “Whoever intentionally lies upon me…” I will mention some statements regarding this.

‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan radiya Llahu ‘anhu said:

 

ما يمنعني أن أحدث عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن لا أكون أوعى أصحابه عنه ولكني أشهد لسمعته يقول من قال علي ما لم أقل فليتبوأ مقعده من النار

Nothing prevents me from narrating from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, that I be the most knowledgeable of his Sahabah regarding him, except that I testify that I heard him say, “Whoever attributes to me what I did not say should prepare his abode in Jahannam.”^[11]

 

‘Abdullah ibn al Zubair radiya Llahu ‘anhuma states:

 

قلت للزبير رضي الله تعالى عنه إني لا أسمعك تحدث عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كما يحدث فلان وفلان قال أما إني لم أفارقه ولكن سمعته يقول من كذب علي فليتبوا مقعده من النار

I said to al Zubair radiya Llahu ‘anhu, “I do not hear you narrating from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam as so-and-so and so-and-so do.”

He replied, “I never left his side, but I heard him say, ‘Whoever lies upon me should prepare his abode in Jahannam.’”^[12]

 

Anas ibn Malik radiya Llahu ‘anhu said:

 

إنه ليمنعني أن أحدثكم حديثا كثيرا أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال من تعمد علي كذبا فليتبوأ مقعده من النار

What prevents me from narrating many ahadith to you is that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam warned, “Whoever intentionally lies upon me should prepare his place in Jahannam.”^[13]

 

Similar narrations have been reported from several Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum.^[14]

 

B. Their reliance on others to narrate reduced the number of narrators and their ahadith.

Ibn Abi Layla rahimahu Llah states:

 

أدركت في هذا المسجد عشرين ومائة من الأنصار من أصحاب محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم ما منهم من أحد يحدث بحديث إلا ود أن أخاه كفاه إياه ولا يستفتى عن شيء إلا ود أن أخاه كفاه الفتوى

I met one hundred and twenty of the Ansari Sahabah (in this Masjid); none of them would narrate a hadith without wishing that his brother had sufficed him regarding it, nor would anyone be asked for a fatwa without wishing that his brother had sufficed him from giving the fatwa.^[15]

 

C. Fear of confusing and mixing it with the Qur’an.

Qurzah ibn Ka’b radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates:

 

بعث عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله تعالى عنه رهطا من الأنصار إلى الكوفة فبعثني معهم فجعل يمشي معنا حتى أتى صرارا وصرار ماء في طريق المدينة فجعل ينفض الغبار عن رجليه ثم قال أتدرون لم مشيت معكم قال قلنا لحق صحبة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ولحق الأنصار قال لكني مشيت معكم لحديث أردت أن أحدثكم به فأردت أن تحفظوه لممشاي معكم إنكم تأتون الكوفة فتأتون قوما للقرآن في صدورهم هزيز كهزيز المرجل فإذا رأوكم مدوا إليكم أعناقهم وقالوا أصحاب محمد فأقلوا الرواية عن رسول الله وأنا شريككم

‘Umar ibn al Khattab radiya Llahu ‘anhu sent a group of Ansar to Kufah, and he sent me with them. He walked with us until we reached Sarar—a watering place on the road to Madinah—and began to brush the dust from his feet. Then he asked, “Do you know why I walked with you?”

We replied, “Due to the right of companionship of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and due to the right of the Ansar.”

He said, “No, I walked with you because of a hadith that I want to narrate to you. I wanted you to remember it because of my walking with you. You will arrive in Kufah and come across such people that the Qur’an in their hearts will sound like the bubbling of a boiling pot. When they see you, they will crane their necks towards you. They will say, ‘These are the Sahabah of Muhammad.’ So, reduce narrations from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and I am with you in this.”^[16]

 

Al Imam al Darimi rahimahu Llah states:

 

معناه عندي الحديث عن أيام رسول الله ليس السنن والفرائض

Its meaning, in my view, is: (reduce) narrating about the events and accounts of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, not the Sunnah and the obligatory rulings.

 

Ibn ‘Abdul Barr rahimahu Llah elaborated at length on this point. These are some excerpts from it:

The statement of ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu was:

 

لقوم لم يكونوا أحصوا القرآن فخشي عليهم الاشتغال بغيره عنه

نهى عن الحديث عما لا يفيد حكما ولا يكون سنة

نهى عن الإكثار وأمر بالإقلال من الرواية خوف الكذب على رسول الله وخوفا أن يكونوا مع الإكثار يحدثون بما لم يتيقنوا حفظه ولم يعوه لأن ضبط من قلت روايته أكثر من ضبط من كثرت روايته

خوف الاشتغال عن تدبر السنن والقرآن لأن المكثر لا تكاد تراه إلا غير متدبر ولا متفقه

حثه رضي الله تعالى عنه على حفظ السنن كتعلم القرآن ينافي هذا اللفظ قال رضي الله تعالى عنه إياكم والرأي فإن أصحاب الرأي أعداء السنن أعيتهم الأحاديث أن يحفظوها

وقال رضي الله تعالى عنه من سمع حديثا فأداه كما سمع فقد سلم

وقال تعلموا الفرائض والسنن كما تتعلمون القرآن

ثم هو الناشد الناس في غير موقف عمن عنده علم عن رسول الله كما في قصة توريث المرأة من دية زوجها وفي الجنين يسقط ميتا عند ضرب أمه وغير ذلك

نهيه رضي الله تعالى عنه عن الإكثار لا الإقلال خشية التباس السنة بالقرآن وخشية الوقوع في الكذب فكان ذلك كله من باب الاحتياط

• • Directed to a group of people who had not memorised the Qur’an, and he feared that they would become occupied with other matters instead.
  • He forbade narrating anything that was not established as a ruling or a Sunnah.
  • He forbade excessive narration and commanded that narration be limited, fearing that they might falsely attribute to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and fearing that excessive narration might lead to narrating what they were not certain of having memorised or understood, because the accuracy of one who narrates less is greater than that of one who narrates excessively.
  • He feared that people would become occupied with other matters and neglect reflecting upon the Sunnah and the Qur’an, because one who narrates excessively is rarely seen to be one who reflects upon or understands the Qur’an.
  • His encouragement to memorise the Sunnah just as one learns the Qur’an contradicts this statement. He said, “Beware of personal opinion, for people of personal opinions are enemies of the Sunnah. They are exhausted (unable) from memorising ahadith.”
  • He also stated, “Whoever hears a hadith and conveys it exactly as he heard it has been saved.”
  • He also said, “Learn the (rules of) inheritance and the Sunnah as you learn the Qur’an.”
  • Then he was the one who called, on several occasions, for those people who had any knowledge from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as in the incident of a woman inheriting from her husband’s blood money, regarding a foetus that is miscarried when its mother is struck, and other such matters.
  • This was a prohibition against excessive narration, not a command to narrate sparingly, out of fear of confusing the Sunnah with the Qur’an and the fear of falling into lies. All of this was a precautionary measure.^[17]

 

D. The short lifespans of those who followed this path after the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Most of those described as having few narrations passed away early and did not live long after the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu passed away two years and some months after the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ‘Umar passed away in 23 AH, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud in 32 AH, ‘Uthman in 35 AH, Talhah and al Zubair in 36 AH, and the last of them, ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhum, in 40 AH.

E. Their occupation with consolidating the foundations of the state, fighting the apostates, and the conquests.

F. This group was occupied with fighting the apostates, then with consolidating the foundations of the new state, and then they set out for conquests outside the Arabian Peninsula. Therefore, they did not have the opportunity to dedicate themselves to teaching and establishing Hadith gatherings.

There is a psychological aspect, which is their profound love for the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, that they were unable to speak of him.

It has been narrated through many chains about Abu Bakr al Siddiq radiya Llahu ‘anhu that he stood on the pulpit—in some narrations, beside the pulpit—shortly after the demise of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and mentioned the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying:

 

قد علمتم ما قام به رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم

You know what the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam carried out…

 

And he wept. Then he repeated it and wept, then repeated it and wept.^[18]

It is reported about Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma that he would never mention the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam without weeping.^[19]

‘Amr ibn Maymun rahimahu Llah states:

 

كنت لا تفوتني عشية خميس إلا آتي فيها عبد الله بن مسعود رضي الله تعالى عنه فما سمعته يقول لشيء قط قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حتى كانت ذات ليلة فقال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال فاغرورقت عيناه وانتفخت أوداجه فأنا رأيته محلولة أزراره

I would not miss any Thursday evening without going to ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radiya Llahu ‘anhu. I never heard him say about anything, “The Messenger of Allah said,” until one night he said, “The Messenger of Allah said.” His eyes welled up with tears and his veins swelled. I saw him with his buttons open.^[20]

 

G. Younger Sahabah refraining from narrating Hadith in the presence of their elders.

They gave those who came after them two lessons in humility and respect for elders. This was found during the lifetime of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam as well as after him. I will mention an example of each.

Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma narrates:

 

كنا عند رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فأتي بجمار فقال أخبروني بشجرة تشبه أو كالرجل المسلم لا يتحات ورقها ولا ولا ولا ولا تؤتي أكلها كل حين فوقع الناس في شجر البوادي قال ابن عمر فوقع في نفسي أنها النخلة ورأيت أبا بكر وعمر لا يتكلمان وفي لفظ فجعلت أريد أن أقولها فإذا أسنان القوم فكرهت أن أتكلم فلما لم يقولوا شيئا وفي رواية ثم قالوا حدثنا ما هي يا رسول الله قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم هي النخلة فلما قمنا قلت لعمر يا أبتاه والله لقد كان وقع في نفسي أنها النخلة فقال ما منعك أن تكلم قال لم أركم تكلمون فكرهت أن أتكلم أو أقول شيئا قال عمر لأن تكون قلتها أحب إلى من كذا وكذا

We were with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam when a palm-heart was brought to him. He then said, “Tell me about a tree that resembles or is like a Muslim man, whose leaves do not fall, and such and such, and it bears fruit at all times.”

The people began to think of desert trees. It occurred to me that it was the date palm; however, I saw Abu Bakr and ‘Umar not speaking (in another version: I wanted to say it, but then I saw the seniors…) so I was reluctant to speak. When they said nothing (in another narration: they said, “Tell us what it is, O Messenger of Allah.”)

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “It is the date palm.”

When we stood up, I said to ‘Umar, “O my beloved father, by Allah, it had occurred to me that it was the date palm.”

He asked, “What prevented you from speaking?”

I replied, “I did not see you people speaking, so I disliked speaking or saying anything.”

‘Umar said, “Had you said it, it would have been more beloved to me than such and such.”^[21]

 

What prevented him from speaking was the presence of elderly Sahabah, foremost among them Abu Bakr and ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma.

Samurah ibn Jundub radiya Llahu ‘anhu states:

 

لقد كنت على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم غلاما فكنت أحفظ عنه فما يمنعني من القول إلا أن ههنا رجالا هم أسن مني وقد صليت وراء رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم على امرأة ماتت في نفاسها فقام عليها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في الصلاة وسطها

I was a young boy during the time of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and I would memorise what he said. The only thing that prevented me from speaking was the presence of men older than me. I performed Salah behind the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam over a woman who passed away in childbirth. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam stood in the middle (of the body) while performing the Salah.^[22]

 

2. Frequent Narrators

Among these were Abu Hurairah, Ibn ‘Umar, Anas, Jabir, Aisha, Abu Sa’id, and others radiya Llahu ‘anhum. Many factors motivated them to narrate frequently; among them are:

A. Fear of concealing knowledge, which would fall under what is forbidden.

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

 

من كتم علما علمه الله ألجمه الله بلجام من نار يوم القيامة

Whoever conceals knowledge that Allah has taught him, Allah will bridle him with a bridle of fire on the Day of Qiyamah.^[23]

 

B. Fear of falling into sin by coming under the ambit of the prohibition.

‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan radiya Llahu ‘anhu said:

 

By Allah, I am narrating a hadith to you; were it not for a verse in the Qur’an, I would not have narrated it to you. I heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam say, “No Muslim person performs wudu’ and perfects it then performs Salah, except that Allah forgives him for sins committed between that Salah and the next.”^[24]

 

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu states:

 

People say that Abu Hurairah narrates too much. Were it not for two verses in the Qur’an, I would not have narrated a single hadith. Then he recited, “Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of clear proofs…” up to the verse “And I am the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful.”

He continues, “Our brothers from the Muhajirin were occupied with trading in the markets, and our brothers from the Ansar were occupied with working in their lands, while Abu Hurairah stayed attached to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to satisfy his hunger, attending what they did not attend, and memorising what they did not memorise.”^[25]

 

Anas ibn Malik radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam—with Muaz riding behind him on the mount—said:

 

O Muaz ibn Jabal!

Muaz replied, “At your service, O Messenger of Allah.”

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam again said, “O Muaz!”

Muaz replied, “At your service, O Messenger of Allah.”

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said this three times, and then said, “There is no one who testifies that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, sincerely from his heart, except that Allah will forbid him from the fire of Jahannam.”

Muaz asked, “O Messenger of Allah, should I not inform the people of this so that they may rejoice?”

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam replied, “Then they would rely on it.”

Muaz informed them of this at the time of his death, out of fear of sin (by withholding it).^[26]

 

When Abu Ayub radiya Llahu ‘anhu was close to death, he said:

 

I had concealed something from you that I heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. I heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam say, “Were it not that you sin, Allah would have created a creation that sins, and He would forgive them.”^[27]

 

‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu said on the pulpit:

 

O people, I concealed a hadith from you, which I heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, for fear of you dispersing from me. Then it occurred to me that I should narrate it to you, so that each person may choose for himself what he deems appropriate. I heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam say, “A single day spent guarding the frontier in the path of Allah is better than a thousand days in any other place.”^[28]

 

C. Their long lifespans compared to other Sahabah.

The Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum who narrated frequently lived long lives. Most of them passed away between 60 AH and 90 AH. Thus, Aisha passed away in 57 AH, Abu Hurairah in 59 AH, Abu Sa’id in 63, 65, or 74 AH, Ibn ‘Umar in 73 AH, Jabir in 78 AH, and Anas radiya Llahu ‘anhum in 93 AH.

When comparing the ages of the last of the Sahabah to pass away on either side, it reveals a difference of more than fifty years. Undoubtedly, new matters arose, changes took place, and problems emerged, all requiring rulings. Therefore, people fell in dire need of what they possessed.

D. The pressing need for them and the knowledge they possessed.

When many people embraced Islam, and the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum spread to various regions, from the North—in Western Turkistan—to the East—the borders of China and Afghanistan—to the Maghreb (Northwest Africa) and Southeast Africa, in addition to Greater Syria and Iraq, people needed what they possessed, in addition to the responsibility placed on them of conveying the message. Thus, the need arose from both sides; their desire to spread the message and the eagerness of the Tabi’in to acquire the knowledge they possessed.

Especially since most of those lands believed in religions different from Islam and had distinct customs and traditions, this prompted the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum to expound the rulings of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala and His Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam on every matter. Likewise, the people of those lands were extremely eager to learn the rulings of this din.

E. The stability of the political situation after the conclusion of the wars against the apostates and the conquests of Greater Syria and Iraq.

After the suppression of the apostasy turmoil and the conquest of Greater Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and surrounding regions, stability was established, and people devoted themselves to seeking knowledge.

F. Matters that arose after the conquests necessitated that people understand the commandments of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala and His Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, whether concerning beliefs, acts of worship, transactions, specific and general rulings.

G. The emergence of sects, groups, and lies towards the end of the era of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum prompted the sincere and truthful ones—even the infrequent narrators who lived till that time—to defend the Sunnah by narrating what they had heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Thus, their narrations increased.

This is because the Shia emerged during the time of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, as did the Khawarij, who broke away from him after he called for arbitration. The Qadariyyah appeared during the time of Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma, in addition to a group of extremists, most of whom later became part of the Khawarij, some other dissenting groups, and so on. I will mention four ahadith as examples of this.

‘Amr ibn Salamah rahimahu Llah narrates:

 

كنا نجلس على باب عبد الله بن مسعود قبل صلاة الغداة فإذا خرج مشينا معه إلى المسجد فجاءنا أبو موسى الأشعري فقال أخرج إليكم أبو عبد الرحمن بعد قلنا لا فجلس معنا حتى خرج فلما خرج قمنا إليه جميعا فقال له أبو موسى يا أبا عبد الرحمن إني رأيت في المسجد آنفا أمرا أنكرته ولم أر والحمد لله إلا خيرا قال فما هو فقال إن عشت فستراه قال رأيت في المسجد قوما حلقا جلوسا ينتظرون الصلاة في كل حلقة رجل وفي أيديهم حصى فيقول كبروا مائة فيكبرون مائة فيقول هللوا مائة فيهللون مائة ويقول سبحوا مائة فيسبحون مائة قال فماذا قلت لهم قال ما قلت لهم شيئا انتظار رأيك أو انتظار أمرك قال أفلا أمرتهم أن يعدوا سيئاتهم وضمنت لهم أن لا يضيع من حسنتاهم ثم مضى ومضينا معه حتى أتى حلقة من تلك الحلق فوقف عليهم فقال ما هذا الذي أراكم تصنعون قالوا يا أبا عبد الرحمن حصى نعد به التكبير والتهليل والتسبيح قال فعدوا سيئاتكم فأنا ضامن أن لا يضيع من حسناتكم شيء ويحكم يا أمة محمد ما أسرع هلكتكم هؤلاء صحابة نبيكم المتوافرون وهذه ثيابه لم تبل وآنيته لم تكسر والذي نفسي بيده إنكم لعلى ملة هي أهدى من ملة محمد أو مفتتحوا باب ضلالة قالوا والله يا أبا عبد الرحمن ما أردنا إلا الخير قال وكم من مريد للخير لن يصيبه إن رسول الله حدثنا أن قوما يقرؤون القرآن لا يجاوز تراقيهم وأيم الله ما أدري لعل أكثرهم منكم ثم تولى عنهم فقال عمرو بن سلمة رأينا عامة أولئك الحلق يطاعنونا يوم النهروان مع الخوارج

We would sit at the door of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud before Salat al Fajr. When he came out, we would walk with him to the Masjid. Once, Abu Musa al

Ash’ari came to us and asked, “Has Abu ‘Abdur Rahman come out to you yet?”

We replied, “No.”

So, he sat with us until he came out. When he came out, we all stood up to go to him. Abu Musa said to him, “O Abu ‘Abdur Rahman, I saw something in the Masjid a little while ago that I disapproved of, but I saw nothing but good, praise be to Allah.”

He asked, “What was it?”

Abu Musa replied, “If you live, you will see it. I saw people in the Masjid sitting in circles waiting for Salah. In each circle was a man, and they had pebbles in their hands. He would say, ‘Say Allahu Akbar a hundred times,’ and they would say it a hundred times. Then he would say, ‘Say la ilaha illa Allah a hundred times,’ and they would say it a hundred times. Then he would say, ‘Say Subhan Allah a hundred times,’ and they would say it a hundred times.”

Ibn Mas’ud asked, “What did you say to them?”

Abu Musa replied, “I did not say anything to them, waiting for your opinion (or he said: your command).”

He said, “Why did you not tell them to rather count their sins, and guarantee them that none of their good deeds would be lost?”

Then he continued walking, and we went with him until he came to one of those gatherings. He stopped before them and asked, “What is this that I see you doing?”

They replied, “O Abu ‘Abdur Rahman, these are pebbles with which we count our takbir, tahlil, and tasbih.”

He said, “Rather count your sins, for I guarantee that none of your good deeds will be lost. Woe to you, O Ummah of Muhammad! How quickly you are perishing! Here are the Sahabah of your Prophet still present, and his clothes have not yet worn out, nor have his utensils been broken. By Him in Whose Control is my soul, are you following a path more guided than that of Muhammad, or are you opening a door to misguidance?”

They said, “By Allah, O Abu ‘Abdur Rahman, we intended only good.”

He said, “And how many intend good but do not attain it! The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam told us that there will be people who recite the Qur’an, but it will not go beyond their throats. And by Allah, I do not know, perhaps most of them are from among you.”

Thereafter, he turned away from them.

‘Amr ibn Salamah said, “We saw most of those groups fighting against us at the Battle of Nahrawan with the Khawarij.”^[29]

 

‘Abdur Razzaq reported another version which states:

 

فجاء عبد الله متقنعا فقال من عرفني فقد عرفني ومن لم يعرفني فأنا عبد الله بن مسعود …

‘Abdullah came with his face covered and said, “Whoever knows me, knows me. And whoever does not know me, I am ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud…”

 

Masruq rahimahu Llah narrates:

 

جاء إلى عبد الله بن مسعود رضي الله تعالى عنه رجل فقال تركت في المسجد رجلا يفسر القرآن برأيه يفسر هذه الآية يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُبِين  قال يأتي الناس يوم القيامة دخان فيأخذ بأنفاسهم حتى يأخذهم منه كهيئة الزكام فقال عبد الله من علم علما فليقل به ومن لم يعلم فليقل الله أعلم فإن من فقه الرجل أن يقول لما لا علم له به الله أعلم إنما كان هذا أن قريشا لما استعصت على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم دعا عليهم بسنين كسني يوسف فأصابهم قحط وجهد حتى جعل الرجل ينظر إلى السماء فيرى بينه وبينها كهيئة الدخان من الجهد وحتى أكلوا العظام فأتى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم رجل فقال يا رسول الله استغفر الله لمضر وفي رواية لهما فأتاه أبو سفيان فقال أي محمد إن قومك قد هلكوا فادع الله أن يكشف عنهم وفي رواية أخرى عند البخاري يا رسول الله استسق لمضر فإنها قد هلكت فقال لمضر إنك لجريء قال فدعا الله لهم فأنزل الله عز وجل إِنَّا كَاشِفُو الْعَذَابِ قَلِيلًا ۚ إِنَّكُمْ عَائِدُونَ   قال فمطروا وفي رواية للبخاري فاستسقى فسقوا … الحديث

A man came to ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radiya Llahu ‘anhu and said, “I left a man in the Masjid who interprets the Qur’an according to his own opinion. He interprets this verse: The Day when the sky will bring a visible smoke,^[30] saying, ‘On the Day of Qiyamah, smoke will appear by the people and take their breath away until it seizes them like a cold.’”

‘Abdullah said, “Whoever knows something should say it. Whoever does not know should say, ‘Allah knows best.’ It is part of a man’s understanding to say regarding something he does not know, ‘Allah knows best.’ This [the smoke] occurred when the Quraysh disobeyed the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, so he supplicated against them that they should suffer years of famine like those of Yusuf ‘alayh al Salam. They were afflicted with drought and hardship, to the point that a man would look to the sky and see only smoke between himself and it, due to the suffering, and to such an extent that they were even reduced to eating bones. A man came to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and said, “O Messenger of Allah, ask Allah to forgive the people of Mudar.”

According to another narration, Abu Sufyan came to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and said, “O Muhammad, your people are perishing. Supplicate to Allah to relieve them.”

Another narration of al Bukhari states, “O Messenger of Allah, supplicate for rain for Mudar, for they are perishing.”

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Mudar? You are indeed bold!”

Then the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam supplicated to Allah for them, and Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala revealed: Indeed, We will remove the torment for a little. Indeed, you (disbelievers) will return (to disbelief).^[31]

Then it rained.

According to a narration of al Bukhari, “So he supplicated for rain, and then it rained…”^[32]

 

Yahya ibn Ya’mar states:

 

كان أول من قال في القدر بالبصرة معبد الجهني فانطلقت أنا وحميد بن عبد الرحمن الحميري حاجين أو معتمرين فقلنا لو لقينا أحدا من أصحاب رسول الله فسألناه عما يقول هؤلاء في القدر فوفق لنا عبد الله بن عمر بن الخطاب داخلا المسجد فاكتفته أنا وصاحبي أحدنا عن يمينه والآخر عن شماله فظننت أن صاحبي سيكل الكلام إلي فقلت أبا عبد الرحمن إنه قد ظهر قبلنا ناس يقرؤون القرآن ويتقفرون العلم وذكر من شأنهم وأنهم يزعمون أن لا قدر وأن الأمر أنف قال فإذا لقيت أولئك فأخبرهم أني بريء منهم وأنهم براء مني والذي يحلف به عبد الله بن عمر لو أن لأحدهم مثل أحد ذهبا فأنفقه ما قبل الله منه حتى يؤمن بالقدر ثم قال حدثني أبي عمر بن الخطاب قال بينما نحن عند رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ذات يوم إذ طلع علينا رجل شديد بياض الثياب شديد سواد الشعر لا يرى عليه أثر السفر ولا يعرفه منا أحد حتى جلس إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فأسند ركبتيه إلى ركبتيه ووضع يديه على فخذيه وقال يا محمد أخبرني عن الإسلام فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الإسلام أن تشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمدا رسول الله وتقيم الصلاة وتؤتي الزكاة وتصوم رمضان وتحج البيت إن استطعت إليه سبيلا قال صدقت قال فعجبنا له يسأله ويصدقه قال فأخبرني عن الإيمان قال أن تؤمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم الآخر وتؤمن بالقدر خيره وشره قال صدقت قال فأخبرني عن الإحسان قال أن تعبد الله كأنك تراه فإن لم تكن تراه فإنه يراك قال فأخبرني عن الساعة قال ما المسؤول عنها بأعلم من السائل قال فأخبرني عن أماراتها قال أن تلد الأمة ربتها وأن ترى الحفاة العراة العالة رعاة الشاء يتطاولون في البنيان قال ثم انطلق فلبثت مليا ثم قال لي يا عمر أتدري من السائل قلت الله ورسوله أعلم قال فإنه جبريل أتاكم يعلمكم دينكم

The first person to speak about Qadr (predestination) in Basrah was Ma’bad al Juhani. Therefore, Humaid ibn ‘Abdur Rahman al Himyari and I set out on Hajj or ‘Umrah, and we said, “If we meet one of the Sahabah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, we will ask him about what these people say about Qadr.”

We were fortunate enough to meet ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar ibn al Khattab while entering the Masjid. My companion and I flanked him, one of us on his right and the other on his left. I thought that my companion would leave the speaking to me, so I said, “O Abu ‘Abdur Rahman, some people have appeared among us who recite the Qur’an and delve into knowledge …” I mentioned their situation—that they claim there is no Qadr and that all events are sudden.

He said, “If you meet those people, tell them that I am absolved of them and they are absolved of me. By Him by whom ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar takes an oath, even if one of them possessed gold equal to Mount Uhud and spent it all, Allah would not accept it from him until he believes in Qadr.”

Then he said, “My father, ‘Umar ibn al Khattab narrated to me thus:

While we were with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam one day, a man appeared before us, wearing extremely white clothes and with extremely black hair. No effects of travel were visible on him, and none of us recognised him, until he sat down before the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, resting his knees against the Prophet’s knees and placing his hands on his thighs.

He asked, ‘O Muhammad, tell me about Islam?’

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘Islam is to testify that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish Salah, to pay Zakat, to fast in Ramadan, and to perform Hajj to the Ka’bah if you are able to do so.’

He said, ‘You have spoken the truth.’

We were amazed that he asked him and then confirmed the answer.

Then he said, ‘Tell me about iman.’

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in Qadr, both its good and its bad.’

He said, ‘You have spoken the truth.’

Then he said, ‘Tell me about ihsan.’

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam replied, ‘Worship Allah as if you see Him, for even if you do not see Him, He surely sees you.’

He said, ‘Tell me about the Hour (Qiyamah).’

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘The one questioned about it knows no more than the one asking.’

He said, ‘Tell me about its signs.’

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘That a slave woman will give birth to her mistress, and that you will see barefoot, naked, destitute shepherds competing in constructing tall buildings.’

Then he departed. I remained for a while, then the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked me, ‘O ‘Umar, do you know who the questioner was?’

I replied, ‘Allah and His Messenger know better.’

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘It was Jibril. He came to you to teach you your din.’”^[33]

 

I say: This sect of the Qadariyyah has become extinct, and none of them remain, nor does anyone believe in their doctrine. As for the Qadariyyah that existed after that, they believed in this Qadr, contrary to what al Maziri denied. Al Imam al Nawawi rahimahu Llah alerted to this, as I explained in my commentary on this hadith.

Yusayr ibn Jabir rahimahu Llah narrates:

 

هاجت ريح حمراء بالكوفة فجاء رجل ليس له هجيرى إلا يا عبد الله بن مسعود جاءت الساعة قال فقعد وكان متكئا فقال إن الساعة لا تقوم حتى لا يقسم ميراث ولا يفرح بغنيمة ثم قال هكذا ونحاها نحو الشام فقال عدو يجمعون لأهل الإسلام ويجمع لهم أهل الإسلام قلت الروم تعني قال نعم وتكون عند ذلكم القتال ردة شديدة أي عطفة قوية على الكفار فيشترط المسلمون شرطة للموت لا ترجع إلا غالبة فيقتتلون حتى يحجز بينهم الليل فيفيء هؤلاء وهؤلاء كل غير غالب وتفنى الشرطة ثم يشترط المسلمون شرطة للموت لا ترجع إلا غالبة فيقتتلون حتى يحجز بينهم الليل فيفيء هؤلاء وهؤلاء كل غير غالب وتفنى الشرطة ثم يشترط المسلمون شرطة للموت لا ترجع إلا غالبة فيقتتلون حتى يمسوا فيفيء هؤلاء وهؤلاء كل غير غالب وتفنى الشرطة فإذا كان اليوم الرابع نهد إليهم بقية أهل الإسلام فيجعل الله الدبرة أي الهزيمة عليهم فيقتلون مقتلة إما قال لا يرى مثلها وإما قال لم ير مثلها حتى إن الطائر ليمر بجنباتهم فما يخلفهم حتى يخر ميتا فيتعاد بنو الأب كانوا مائة فلا يجدونه بقي منهم إلا الرجل الواحد فبأي غنيمة يفرح أو أي ميراث يقسم فبينا هم كذلك إذ سمعوا ببأس هو أكبر من ذلك فجاءهم الصريخ إن الدجال قد خلفهم في ذراريهم فيرفضون ما بأيديهم ويقبلون فيبعثون عشرة فوارس طليعة قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إني لأعرف أسماءهم وأسماء آبائهم وألوان خيولهم هم خير فوارس على ظهر الأرض يومئذ أو من خير فوارس على ظهر الأرض يومئذ

Once, a red wind blew in Kufah, and a man came whose only cry was, “O ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, Qiyamah has started!”

Ibn Mas’ud sat up—he had been reclining—and said, “Qiyamah will not come until no inheritance is distributed, and no one rejoices with spoils of war.”

Then he pointed towards Greater Syria, and said, “An enemy will gather against the Muslims and the Muslims will gather against them.”

I asked, “Do you mean the Romans?”

He replied, “Yes. At that time there will be a severe resurgence (a strong attack on the disbelievers). The Muslims will form a force ready to die, which will not return except victorious. They will fight until night falls, then both sides will retreat, neither of them being victorious, and the force will be destroyed. Then the Muslims would form another force ready to die, that would not retreat except victorious. They would fight until nightfall separates them, and both sides would retreat, neither of them being victorious, and the force would be destroyed. Then the Muslims would form another force ready to die, that would not retreat except victorious, and they would fight until evening, and both sides would retreat, neither of them being victorious, and the force would be destroyed. On the fourth day, the rest of the Muslims would attack them. Allah would then grant them victory, and they would suffer a massacre—either he said: the likes of which will never be seen, or he said: the likes of which had never been seen—so much so that a bird flying over them would fall dead before passing them. The sons of one father (i.e., members of one family), who had numbered a hundred, would count themselves and find that only one man remained. What spoils can they rejoice for? What inheritance can they distribute?

While they are in this state, they will suddenly hear of an even greater calamity. A cry will come to them, “The Dajjal has appeared behind you, among your families and children!”

They will abandon what they have in their hands and rush forward. They will send ten horsemen as a scouting party.

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “I know their names, the names of their fathers, and the colours of their horses. They will be the best horsemen on the face of the earth on that day, or among the best horsemen on the face of the earth on that day.”^[34]

 

H. Their meticulous care in narrating from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

The best example of this is Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam realised his intense keenness for hadith; therefore, he supplicated for him to have a strong memory and not to forget. Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala answered His Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam supplication for him, and he became the person with the strongest memory among the people of his time. The Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum themselves testified to the strength of his memory and accuracy.

 

The Reason for Abu Hurairah’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu Strong Memory

I will mention evidence for the reason behind his strong memory and accuracy.

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu states:

 

قلت يا رسول الله من أسعد الناس بشفاعتك يوم القيامة قال لقد ظننت يا أبا هريرة أن لا يسألني عن هذا الحديث أحد أول منك لما رأيت من حرصك على الحديث أسعد الناس بشفاعتي يوم القيامة من قال لا إله إلا الله خالصا من قبل نفسه

I asked the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “O Messenger of Allah, who will be the most fortunate person to receive your intercession on the Day of Qiyamah?”

He replied, “O Abu Hurairah, I did not expect anyone to ask me about this hadith before you, because of your eagerness for hadith. The most fortunate person to receive my intercession on the Day of Qiyamah will be the one who says, ‘There is no deity but Allah,’ sincerely from his heart.”^[35]

 

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates:

 

قلت يا رسول الله إني أسمع منك حديثا كثيرا أنساه قال ابسط رداءك قال فغرف بيديه ثم قال ضمه فضممته فما نسيت شيئا بعده

I said, “O Messenger of Allah, I hear many ahadith from you, but I forget them.”

He said, “Spread out your cloak.”

Then he scooped up some with his hands, then said, “Wrap it.”

So, I wrapped it up around me, and I never forgot anything thereafter.^[36]

 

He narrates:

 

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يوما أيكم يبسط ثوبه فيأخذ من حديثي هذا ثم يجمعه إلى صدره فإنه لم ينس شيئا سمعه وفي رواية من يبسط ثوبه فلن ينسى شيئا سمعه مني فبسطت بردة علي حتى فرغ من حديثه ثم جمعتها إلى صدري فما نسيت بعد ذلك اليوم شيئا حدثني به وفي رواية فوالذي بعثه بالحق ما نسيت شيئا سمعته منه

One day, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Which of you will spread out his garment, take from this Hadith of mine, then wrap it around his chest? He will not forget anything he hears.” (Another narration states, “Who will spread out his garment, then he will not forget anything he hears from me.”)

So, I spread out my cloak until he finished his Hadith, then wrapped it around my chest, and I never forgot anything he narrated to me after that day.

According to another narration, he said: By the One Who sent him with the truth, I never forgot anything I heard from him.^[37]

 

This hadith has multiple chains and different wordings; I have sufficed on one.

The word anything is indefinite in a context of negation, and is clear in its generality, indicating that he never forgot anything, whether hadith or otherwise, as al Hafiz rahimahu Llah pointed out.

Furthermore, this hadith and others like it are considered to be miracles of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as Abu Hurairah’s remarkable memory was due to the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam supplication, his pouring it (its effulgence) into his cloak, and the Prophet’s saying amin to it. Thus, Abu Hurairah never forgot anything he heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates that the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

 

ألا تسألني من هذه الغنائم التي يسألني أصحابك قلت أسألك أن تعلمني مما علمك الله قال فنزع نمرة كانت على ظهري فبسطها بيني وبينه حتى كأني أنظر إلى القمل يدب عليها فحدثني حتى إذا استوعبت حديثه قال اجمعها فصرها إليك فأصبحت لا أسقط حرفا مما حدثني

“Why do you not ask me for these spoils of war that your companions ask me for?”

I replied, “I ask you to teach me some of what Allah has taught you.”

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam took off a striped garment that was on my back and spread it out between us, such that I could almost see lice crawling on it. He narrated Hadith to me until I had absorbed everything he narrated. Then he said, “Gather it up and wrap it around you.”

I became such that I never missed a single word of what he narrated to me.^[38]

 

When a man came to Zaid ibn Thabit radiya Llahu ‘anhu asking about something, he said:

 

عليك أبا هريرة فإني بينما أنا وأبو هريرة وفلان في المسجد ذات يوم ندعو الله ونذكر ربنا خرج علينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حتى جلس إلينا فسكتنا فقال عودوا للذي كنتم فيه قال زيد فدعوت أنا وصاحبي قبل أبي هريرة وجعل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يؤمن على دعائنا ثم دعا أبو هريرة فقال اللهم إني أسألك مثل ما سألك صاحباي وأسألك علما لا ينسى فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم آمين فقلنا يا رسول الله ونحن نسأل الله علما لا ينسى فقال سبقكم بها الغلام الدوسي

Go to Abu Hurairah, for one day, while I, Abu Hurairah, and so-and-so were in the Masjid supplicating to Allah and remembering our Lord, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam came out to us and sat with us. We became silent. He said, “Resume what you were doing.”

My companion and I supplicated before Abu Hurairah, and the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Amin,” to our supplication. Then Abu Hurairah supplicated, saying, “O Allah, I ask You for the same as my two companions asked You, and I ask You for knowledge that will not be forgotten.”

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Amin.”

We said, “O Messenger of Allah, we also ask Allah for knowledge that will not be forgotten.”

He said, “The young man from al Daws beat you to it.”^[39]

 

Hence, the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum testified that he was:

• The most devoted to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the one who acquired the most from him.
• The most knowledgeable among them regarding the Hadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
• The one who memorised the Hadith best. They acknowledged this about him.
• Likewise, the Tabi’in testified about him that he was the most knowledgeable of the Sahabah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

 

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma—at the end of the hadith regarding the reward for following funerals, and the agreement of Aisha with Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhuma—said:

 

كنت ألزمنا لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وأعلمنا بحديثه وأحفظنا له

You were the most attached to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, the most knowledgeable of his Hadith, and the most retentive of it.^[40]

 

Malik ibn Abi ‘Amir states:

 

I was with Talhah ibn ‘Ubaidullah radiya Llahu ‘anhu when a man entered and said, “O Abu Muhammad, by Allah, we do not know whether this Yemeni man knows more about the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam or you?”

Talhah replied, “By Allah, we have no doubt that he heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam what we did not hear, and knew what we did not know. We were wealthy people, with homes and families. We would visit the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam at the beginning and end of the day, then return. Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was poor; he had no wealth, no family, and no children. He was always with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, going wherever he went. We do not doubt that he knew what we did not know, and he heard what we did not hear. None of us ever accused him of attributing to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam something he did not say.”^[41]

 

I will mention an incident that indicates to the same meaning, although not as strong as the first.

Muhammad ibn ‘Umarah ibn ‘Amr ibn Hazm rahimahu Llah narrates:

 

أنه قعد في مجلس فيه أبو هريرة وفيه مشيخة من أصحاب النبي كثير بضعة عشر رجلا فجعل أبو هريرة يحدثهم عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بالحديث فلا يعرفه بعضهم ثم يتراجعون فيه فيعرفه بعضهم ثم يحدثهم بالحديث ولا يعرفه بعضهم ثم يعرفه حتى فعل ذلك مرارا قال فعرفت يومئذ أن أبا هريرة أحفظ الناس عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم

I sat in a gathering where Abu Hurairah was present, along with (many of) the elders of the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam Sahabah—more than 10 men. Abu Hurairah began narrating a hadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to them. Some of them would not recognise the hadith. Then they would review it amongst themselves, and then some would recognise it. Then he would narrate a hadith again, and some would not recognise it, then later they would recognise it. He did this repeatedly.

On that day, I realised that Abu Hurairah memorised the most from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.^[42]

 

All of this demonstrates the extent of his memory, accuracy, precision, and certainty of the authenticity of what he attributed to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Therefore, Abu Salih al Samman rahimahu Llah said:

 

أبو هريرة أحفظ أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم

Abu Hurairah is the most retentive from the Sahabah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.^[43]

 

Al Imam al Shafi’i rahimahu Llah said:

 

أبو هريرة أحفظ من روى الحديث في دهره

Abu Hurairah memorised the most from the narrators of Hadith in his time.^[44]

 

Abu Ahmed al Hakim rahimahu Llah said:

 

كان من أحفظ أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وألزمهم له صحبة على شبع بطنه فكانت يده مع يده يدور معه حيث دار إلى أن مات ولذلك كثر حديثه

He had the best memory from the Sahabah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and was the most attached to him, to satisfy his hunger. Thus, his hand was always with the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam hand; he went wherever the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam went, until he passed away. Therefore, his narrations were plentiful.^[45]

 

Abu Nuaim rahimahu Llah said:

 

كان أحفظ الصحابة لأخبار رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ودعا له

He was the most knowledgeable among the Sahabah regarding the narrations of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who had supplicated for him.^[46]

 

It is firmly established and acknowledged that the strength of Abu Hurairah’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu memory is mind-boggling. He narrated Hadith after a whole year—unaware that they were being written—and then repeated what had been transmitted from him, without missing a single word.

Abu Zu’ayza’ah—the scribe of Marwan ibn al Hakam— narrates:

 

أن مروان دعا أبا هريرة فأقعدني خلف السرير وجعل يسأله وجعلت أكتب حتى كان على رأس الحول دعا به فأقعده وراء الحجاب فجعل يسأله عن ذلك فما زاد ولا نقص ولا قدم ولا أخر

Marwan summoned Abu Hurairah, seated me behind the bed, and began questioning him. I wrote it down. After a complete year, he summoned him again, seated me behind the curtain, and began questioning him about it. He neither added nor omitted anything, nor changed the sequence of anything.^[47]

 

Commenting on it, al Hafiz al Dhahabi rahimahu Llah said:

 

هكذا فليكن الحفظ وأين مثل أبي هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه في حفظه وسعة علمه أبو هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه إليه المنتهى في حفظ ما سمعه من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وأدائه بحروفه

This is how memorisation should be. Where can one find anyone like Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu with his memory and vast knowledge? Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was the pinnacle in memorising what he heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and conveying it verbatim.^[48]

 

Their Methodology in Transmission and its Manifestations.

The Prophetic Sunnah was present among all of them; however, a single individual did not encompass all of it. They varied in the amount they collected, some more and some less. Some received it directly from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam—through any of the many ways of receiving—while others heard it from another Sahabi, who heard it from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

The Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum also heard the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam encouragement towards conveying the Sunnah. Some ahadith have already been mentioned, such as:

• You will hear, and others will hear from you, and others will hear from those who heard from you. (Narrated by Ahmed, Abu Dawood, Ibn Hibban, and al Hakim, who authenticated it.)
• The one present should convey it to the absent one. (Narrated by al Bukhari and Muslim from several Sahabah.)
• Convey from me, even if it is a single verse. (Narrated by al Bukhari.)
• May Allah brighten the face of a servant who hears my words, memorises them, understands them, and conveys them. (Narrated by al Shafi’i, al Humaidi, Ahmed, and others. Al Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban deemed it to be sahih.)

So, what was their methodology in transmitting it? And what were the ways that manifested their propagation and transmission?

A careful observer of the biographies of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum and their concern for the Prophetic Sunnah will observe that it manifested in three ways: narration, writing to one another, and compilation. I will highlight these three manifestations:

 

First: Narration

Narration was predominant among them, whether individually, in response to questions, when inquiring about a hadith, enquiring about the Prophet’s action, or through sermons—whether it was by the Khalifas, leaders, or scholars—or through formal lessons or gatherings, whether organised or spontaneous, and so on. I will mention some examples to illustrate this:

 

Asking Each Other About the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam Sunnah Which They Did Not Know

This includes asking each other about what they did not know of the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ahadith so that they might learn them. Sometimes, their questioning might be to find out who had memorised it, or to confirm their memory and accuracy, and so on. There are many texts on this, such as:

‘Umar ibn al Khattab radiya Llahu ‘anhu asked Abu Waqid al Laythi radiya Llahu ‘anhu:

 

“What did the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam recite in ‘Id al Adha and ‘Id al Fitr Salah?”

He replied, “He would recite Surah Qaf and Surah al Qamar.”^[49]

 

Iyas ibn Abi Ramlah rahimahu Llah states:

 

شهدت معاوية يسأل زيد بن أرقم شهدت مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عيدين اجتمعا في يوم قال نعم قال صلى العيد أول النهار ثم رخص في الجمعة فقال من شاء أن يجمع فليجمع

I witnessed Muawiyah asking Zaid ibn Arqam, “Did you witness two ‘Ids [i.e. ‘Id and Jumu’ah] coinciding on the same day with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?”

He said, “Yes. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam performed the ‘Id Salah at the beginning of the day, then gave concession regarding Salat al Jumu’ah, saying, ‘Whoever wishes to perform Salat al Jumu’ah may do so.’”^[50]

 

Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma said:

 

Zaid ibn Arqam arrived. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas asked him to recall, “What did you inform me about a hunted animal’s meat that was gifted to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam while he was in the state of Ihram?”

He said, “A piece of game meat was gifted to him, and he returned it, saying, ‘We do not eat it. We are in the state of Ihram.’”^[51]

 

‘Amir ibn Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma narrates from his father that he heard him ask Usamah ibn Zaid radiya Llahu ‘anhuma:

 

“What did you hear from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam about the plague?”

Usamah said, “The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “The plague is a punishment—or torment—sent upon the Bani Isra’il, or upon those before you. Thus, if you hear of it in a land, do not go there. And if it occurs in a land where you are, do not leave, fleeing from it. ^[52]

 

Rib’i ibn Hirash rahimahu Llah states:

 

قال عقبة بن عمرو لحذيفة ألا تحدثنا ما سمعت من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال إني سمعته يقول إن مع الدجال إذا خرج ماء ونارا فأما الذي يرى الناس أنها النار فماء بارد وأما الذي يرى الناس أنه ماء بارد فنار تحرق فمن أدرك ذلك منكم فليقع في الذي يرى أنها نار فإنه عذب بارد

قال حذيفة وسمعته يقول إن رجلا كان فيمن قبلكم أتاه الملك ليقبض روحه فقيل له هل عملت من خير قال ما أعلم قيل له انظر قال ما أعلم شيئا غير أني كنت أبايع الناس في الدنيا فأجازيهم فأنظر الموسر وأتجاوز عن المعسر فأدخله الله الجنة

فقال وسمعته يقول إن رجلا حضره الموت فلما يئس من الحياة أوصى أهله إذا أنا مت فاجمعوا لي حطبا كثيرا وأوقدوا فيه نارا حتى إذا أكلت لحمي وخلصت إلى عظمي فامتحشت فخذوها فاطحنوها ثم انظروا يوما راحا فاذروه في اليم ففعلوا فجمعه فقال له لم فعلت ذلك قال من خشيتك فغفر الله له قال عقبة وأنا سمعته يقول ذلك وكان نباشا

‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amr said to Hudhayfah, “Will you not tell us what you heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?”

He said, “I heard him say, ‘When Dajjal emerges, he will have water and fire with him. What people perceive to be fire is actually cool water, and what people perceive to be cool water is actually a burning fire. Whoever among you witnesses this should plunge into what appears to be fire, for it is sweet and cool.’”

Hudhayfah further states, “I also heard him say, ‘A man from those who came before you was approached by the angel of death to take his soul. He was asked, ‘Have you done any good deeds?’

He replied, ‘I do not know.’

He was told, ‘Think.’

He said, ‘I do not know anything, except that I would trade with people in this world and recompense them accordingly. I would give respite to the wealthy and overlook the poor.’

Therefore, Allah admitted him into Jannat.’”

Furthermore, Hudhayfah said, “I heard him say, ‘A man was on his deathbed. When he despaired of life, he instructed his family, ‘When I die, gather a great amount of firewood and light a fire. When it has consumed my flesh and reached my bones, and they are reduced to ashes, take them and grind them. Then, on a windy day, scatter the dust into the sea.’ They did as he instructed. Then he was gathered and asked, ‘Why did you do that?’

He replied, ‘Out of fear for You.’

Therefore, Allah forgave him.’”

‘Uqbah commented, “I heard him say that he was a grave thief.”^[53]

 

‘Amir ibn Sa’d narrates that Usamah ibn Zaid informed his father, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, that a man came to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and said:

 

إني أعزل عن امرأتي فقال له رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لم تفعل ذلك فقال الرجل أشفق على ولدها أو على أولادها فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لو كان ذلك ضارا ضر فارس والروم وفي رواية إن كان ذلك فلا ما ضار ذلك فارس ولا الروم

“I practice coitus interruptus with my wife.”

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked him, “Why do you do that?”

The man replied, “Out of concern for her child or children.”

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “If that were harmful, it would have harmed the Persians and Romans.”

According to another narration, he said, “If that were so, then no. It did not harm the Persians or Romans.”^[54]

 

There are many texts on this topic, some of which have already been mentioned.

 

Visiting With the Intention of Hadith Narration and Discussion

Wabisah ibn Ma’bad al Asadi radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates:

 

إني لبالكوفة في داري إذ سمعت على باب الدار السلام عليكم ألج قلت وعليك السلام فلج فلما دخل إذا هو عبد الله بن مسعود قال فقلت يا أبا عبد الرحمن أية ساعة زيارة هذه وذلك في نحر الظهيرة قال طال علي النهار فتذكرت من أتحدث إليه فجعل يحدث عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وأحدثه ثم أنشأ يحدثني فقال سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول تكون فتنة النائم فيها خير من المضطجع والمضطجع فيها خير من القاعد والقاعد فيها خير من القائم والقائم خير من الماشي والماشي خير من الراكب والراكب خير من المجري قتلاها كلها في النار قال قلت يا رسول الله ومتى ذلك قال أيام الهرج قلت ومتى أيام المهرج قال حين لا يأمن الرجل جليسه قال فيم تأمرني إن أدركت ذلك الزمان قال اكفف نفسك وادخل دارك قال قلت يا رسول الله أرأيت إن دخل رجل على داري قال فادخل بيتك قال قلت يا رسول الله أرأيت إن دخل على بيتي قال فادخل مسجدك واصنع هكذا وقبض بيمينه على الكوع وقل ربي الله حتى تموت على ذلك

I was in my house in Kufah when I heard someone at the door say, “Al Salam ‘Alaykum, may I enter?”

I replied, “Wa ‘Alayk al Salam. Enter.”

When he came in, it was ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud. I remarked, “O Abu ‘Abdur Rahman, what time is this for a visit?” (This was at midday.)

He replied, “The day was long, so I thought of someone to narrate Hadith to.”

He began to narrate Hadith from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and I narrated to him. Then he narrated to me saying, “I heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam say, ‘There will be a tribulation in which the one asleep will be better than the one lying down, the one lying down will be better than the one sitting, the one sitting will be better than the one standing, the one standing will be better than the one walking, the one walking will be better than the one riding, and the one riding will be better than the one running. All of those who will be killed will be in Jahannam.’

I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, when will that be?’

He replied, ‘During the days of al Harj (turmoil).’

I asked, ‘And when will the days of al Harj be?’

He replied, ‘When a man cannot trust his companion.’

I asked, ‘What do you command me to do if I live to see that time?’

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘Restrain yourself and stay in your house.’

I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what if a man enters my house?’

He replied, ‘Then go into your room.’

I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what if he enters my room?’

He said, ‘Then go into your Masjid and do this (and he grasped his wrist with his right hand) and say, ‘My Lord is Allah,’ until you die upon that.’”^[55]

 

Gatherings

Some of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum would hold gatherings in the Masjid or in their homes, where they would narrate Hadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, which their students and others who attended would learn.

‘Amr ibn Maymun rahimahu Llah states:

 

كنت لا تفوتني عشية خميس إلا آتي فيها عبد الله بن مسعود رضي الله تعالى عنه فما سمعته يقول لشيء قط قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حتى كانت ذات ليلة فقال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال فاغرورقت عيناه وانتفخت أوداجه فأنا رأيته محلولة أزراره

I would not miss any Thursday evening without going to ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radiya Llahu ‘anhu. I never heard him say about anything, “The Messenger of Allah said,” until one night he said, “The Messenger of Allah said.” His eyes welled up with tears, his veins swelled, I saw him with his buttons open.^[56]

 

As for Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, he had more than one place in the Masjid where he would narrate Hadith from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. ‘Asim ibn Muhammad narrates from his father who said:

 

رأيت أبا هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه يخرج يوم الجمعة فيقبض على رمانتي المنبر قائما ويقول حدثنا أبو القاسم رسول الله الصادق المصدوق فلا يزال يحدث حتى إذا سمع فتح باب المقصورة لخروج الإمام للصلاة جلس

I saw Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu go out on Fridays, grasp the two knobs of the pulpit while standing, and say, “Abu al Qasim, the Messenger of Allah, the truthful and trustworthy, narrated to us…”

He would continue narrating until he heard the enclosure door open for the Imam to come out for Salah, at which point he would sit down.^[57]

 

‘Urwah ibn al Zubair rahimahu Llah narrates that Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha said:

 

ألا يعجبك أبو هريرة جاء فجلس إلى جنب حجرتي يحدث عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يسمعني ذلك وكنت أسبح فقام قبل أن أقضي سبحتي ولو أدركته لرددت عليه إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لم يكن يسرد الحديث كسردكم

Are you not amazed by Abu Hurairah? He came and sat next to my room, narrating Hadith from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, so that I could hear them. I was performing my optional Salah [at the time]. He stood up before I had finished. Had I caught up with him, I would have responded to him. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not narrate Hadith in the manner you do.^[58]

 

Makhul rahimahu Llah states:

 

تواعد الناس ليلة من الليالي قبة من قباب معاوية واجتمعوا فيها فقام فيهم أبو هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه يحدثهم عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حتى أصبحوا

One night, the people arranged to meet at one of Muawiyah’s tents. Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu stood among them and began narrating Hadith from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam until morning.^[59]

 

Abu al Zahiriyyah rahimahu Llah states:

 

كنت جالسا مع عبد الله بن بسر رضي الله تعالى عنه يوم الجمعة فما زال يحدثنا حتى خرج الإمام فجاء رجل يتخطى رقاب الناس فقال عبد الله بن بسر جاء رجل يتخطى رقاب الناس يوم الجمعة ورسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يخطب فقال له اجلس فقد آذيت وآنيت

I was sitting with ‘Abdullah ibn Busr radiya Llahu ‘anhu on a Friday. He continued narrating to us until the Imam came out. Then a man came, stepping over people’s necks. ‘Abdullah ibn Busr remarked, “A man came stepping over people’s necks on a Friday while the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was delivering the sermon. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said to him, ‘Sit down, you have caused harm and delayed.’”^[60]

 

Gatherings in the Masjid

‘Abdul Wahhab al Madani states:

 

بلغني أن رجلا دخل على معاوية بن أبي سفيان فقال مررت بالمدينة فإذا أبو هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه جالس في المسجد حوله حلقة يحدثهم فقال حدثني خليلي أبو القاسم نبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم استعبر فبكى ثم عاد فقال حدثني خليلي أبو القاسم نبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم استعبر فبكى ثم قام

I heard that a man came to Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan radiya Llahu ‘anhu and said, “I passed through Madinah and saw Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu sitting in the Masjid, surrounded by a group of people, narrating Hadith to them. He said, ‘My beloved friend, Abu al Qasim, the Prophet of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam narrated to me.’ He became emotional and wept. He then repeated, ‘My beloved friend, Abu al Qasim, the Prophet of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam narrated to me.’ He became emotional and wept. Thereafter, he stood up and departed.”^[61]

 

‘Uthman ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Mawhab rahimahu Llah narrates:

 

جاء رجل من أهل مصر وحج البيت فرأى قوما جلوسا فقال من هؤلاء القوم فقالوا هؤلاء من قريش قال فمن الشيخ فيهم قالوا عبد الله بن عمر رضي الله تعالى عنهما قال يا ابن عمر إني سائلك عن شيء فحدثني عنه هل تعلم أن عثمان فر يوم أحد قال نعم فقال هل تعلم أنه تغيب عن بدر ولم يشهدها قال نعم قال الرجل هل تعلم أنه تغيب عن بيعة الرضوان فلم يشهدها قال نعم قال الله أكبر قال ابن عمر رضي الله تعالى عنهما تعال أبين لك أما فراره يوم أحد فأشهد أن الله عفا عنه وغفر له وأما تغيبه عن بدر فإنه كانت تحته بنت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وكانت مريضة فقال له رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إن لك أجر رجل ممن شهد بدرا وسهمه وأما تغيبه عن بيعة الرضوان فلو كان أحد أعز ببطن مكة من عثمان لبعثه مكانه فبعث رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عثمان وكانت بيعة الرضوان بعد ما ذهب عثمان إلى مكة فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بيده اليمنى هذه يد عثمان فضرب بها على يده فقال هذه لعثمان فقال له ابن عمر رضي الله تعالى عنهما اذهب بها الآن معك

A man from Egypt came and performed Hajj. He saw some people sitting and asked, “Who are these people?”

They replied, “These are the Quraysh.”

He asked, “Who is the elder among them?”

They said, “‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar.”

He said, “O Ibn ‘Umar, I would like to ask you about something, so tell me about it. Do you know that ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu fled on the Day of Uhud?”

He replied, “Yes.”

The man asked, “Do you know that he was absent from Badr and did not participate in it?”

He replied, “Yes.”

The man asked, “Do you know that ‘Uthman was absent from Bay’at al Ridwan and did not participate in it?”

He (Ibn ‘Umar) replied, “Yes.”

He (the man) exclaimed, “Allahu Akbar (Allah is the greatest).”

Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma said, “Come, let me explain to you. As for his fleeing on the Day of Uhud, I bear witness that Allah pardoned him and forgave him. As for his absence from Badr, the daughter of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was in his wedlock, and she was ill. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said to him, ‘You will have the reward and share of a man who participated in Badr.’ As for his absence from Bay’at al Ridwan, if anyone in Makkah had been more respected than ‘Uthman, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would have sent him in his place. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam sent ‘Uthman. The Pledge of al Ridwan took place after ‘Uthman had gone to Makkah. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, pointing with his right hand, said, ‘This is ‘Uthman’s hand,’ and he struck his other hand with it, saying, ‘This is for ‘Uthman.’”

Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma then said to him, “Take it with you now.”^[62]

 

Abu Idris al Khawlani rahimahu Llah narrates:

 

دخلت مسجد دمشق فإذا أنا بفتى براق الثنايا وإذا الناس حوله وفي رواية فإذا حلقة فيها كهول من أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وفي أخرى فيها اثنان وثلاثون رجلا من أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول الرجل منهم سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيحدث ثم يقول الآخر سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيحدث إذا اختلفوا في شيء أسندوه إليه وصدروا عن رأيه فسألت عنه فقيل هذا معاذ بن جبل فلما كان الغد هجرت فوجدته يصلي فانتظرته حتى إذا قضى صلاته جئته من قبل وجهه فسلمت عليه فقلت له والله إني لأحبك لله فقال آلله فقلت آلله فقال آلله فقلت آلله فأخذ بحبوة ردائي فحبذني إليه وقال أبشر فإني سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول قال الله عز وجل وجبت محبتي للمتحابين في والمتجالسين في والمتزاورين في والمتباذلين في

I entered the Masjid of Damascus, where I saw a young man with shining teeth, and some people had gathered around him. (According to another narration: There was a circle of middle-aged Sahabah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Another version states: There were thirty-two Sahabah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.) One of them would say, “I heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,” and he would narrate. Then another would say, “I heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,” and he would narrate. When they differed on something, they would refer to him and abide by his opinion. I asked about him, and I was told that he is Muaz ibn Jabal. The next day, I went early and found him performing Salah. I waited for him to complete his Salah, then I approached him from the front. I greeted him and said, “By Allah, I love you for the sake of Allah.”

He asked, “By Allah?”

I said, “By Allah.”

He asked again, “By Allah?”

I replied, “By Allah.”

He took hold of the edge of my cloak, pulled me close, and said, “Rejoice, for I heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam say, ‘Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala declared: My love is compulsory for those who love one another for My sake, those who sit together for My sake, those who visit one another for My sake, and those who give to one another for My sake.’”^[63]

 

Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma would hold a gathering in Ta’if when he went there, just as he would hold a gathering in al Masjid al Haram when he came to Makkah. He said:

 

يا أهل مكة تجتمعون علي وعندكم عطاء

O people of Makkah, you gather around me while you have ‘Ata’.^[64]

 

Tawus rahimahu Llah states:

 

 أدركت نحوا من خمسمائة من الصحابة إذا ذاكروا ابن عباس فخالفوه فلم يزل يقررهم حتى ينتهوا إلى قوله

I met about five hundred Sahabah who, when they discussed matters with Ibn ‘Abbas and disagreed with him, he would keep reasoning with them until they agreed with his opinion.^[65]

 

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma states:

 

لما قبض رسول الله قلت لرجل من الأنصار هلم فلنسأل أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فإنهم اليوم كثير فقال واعجبا لك يا ابن عباس أترى الناس يفتقرون إليك وفي الناس من أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من فيهم قال فتركت ذاك وأقبلت أسأل أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وإن كان ليبلغني الحديث عن الرجل فآتي بابه وهو قائل فأتوسد ردائي على بابه يسفي الريح علي من التراب فيخرج فيراني فيقول يا ابن عم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ما جاء بك هلا أرسلت إلي فآتيك فأقول لا أنا أحق أن آتيك قال فأسأله عن الحديث فعاش هذا الرجل الأنصاري وقد اجتمع الناس حولي يسألونني فيقول هذا الفتى كان أعقل مني

When the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam passed away, I said to a man from the Ansar, “Come, let us learn from the Sahabah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for they are numerous today.”

He replied, “How strange you are, Ibn ‘Abbas! Do you think people need you when there are such Sahabah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam among them?”

I left him and began acquiring from the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. If news reached me of anyone who possessed any hadith, I would go to the man’s door; he would be taking a siesta, so I would lie down at the door, using my cloak as a pillow, as the wind blew dust upon me. He would come out, see me, and say, “O cousin of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, what brings you here? Why did you not send for me? I would have come to you?”

I would reply, “No, I am more deserving of coming to you.”

Then I would ask him about the hadith.

This Ansari man lived on. People gathered around me seeking knowledge from me. He said, “This young man was more intelligent than I.”^[66]

 

There are numerous other texts.

 

Abundance of Students

There is no Sahabi—whether he was from the frequent or infrequent narrators—except that he had students, sometimes exceeding hundreds, as with Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, while others—like some who passed away earlier—had less. These students or narrators could be Sahabah or Tabi’in, including their own children and others. Some of these students or narrators wrote down what they narrated, while others listened and transmitted it.

Anyone who examines all the books of Hadith—both primary and subsidiary—will find that they transmitted Hadith with their chains of transmission back to the Sahabah who narrated them. This is also evident in the indexes of collections such as Tuhfat al Ashraf and Ithaf al Maharah. Were it not for these narrators, the Sunnah would not have been transmitted to us.

 

Sermons From the Pulpit by a Scholar or the Khalifah

‘Umar ibn Thabit rahimahu Llah narrates:

 

غزونا مع أبي أيوب الأنصاري رضي الله تعالى عنه فصام رمضان وصمنا فلما أفطرنا قام في الناس خطيبا فقال إني سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول من صام رمضان وصام ستة من شوال كان كصيام الدهر

We went on a military expedition with Abu Ayub al Ansari radiya Llahu ‘anhu. He fasted Ramadan, and we also fasted. When we completed fasting, he stood before the people and lectured them, saying, “I heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam say, ‘Whoever fasts Ramadan and then fasts six days of Shawwal, it is as if he fasted the entire year.’”^[67]

 

Added to this were the sermons of the Khalifas from the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum such as Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, Ibn al Zubair, and Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. They narrated many ahadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam from the pulpit. I will mention only some of these ahadith to highlight the matter.

It has been narrated through many chains regarding Abu Bakr al Siddiq radiya Llahu ‘anhu that he stood on the pulpit—or beside the pulpit—shortly after the demise of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, mentioned the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and said:

 

قد علمتم ما قام به رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وبكى ثم أعادها ثم بكى ثم أعادها ثم بكى ثم قال إن الناس لم يعطوا في هذه الدنيا شيئا أفضل من العفو والعافية فسلوهما الله عز وجل

“You know what the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam carried out.” Then he wept. He repeated it and wept, then repeated it and wept, then said, “People have not been given anything better in this world than forgiveness and well-being, so ask Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala for these two things.”^[68]

 

‘Umar ibn al Khattab radiya Llahu ‘anhu gave a sermon in al Jabiyah and said:

 

قام فينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مقامي هذا فيكم فقال استوصوا بأصحابي خيرا ثم الذين يلونهم ثم الذين يلونهم…

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam stood among us like my standing among you and said, “Treat my Sahabah well, then those who follow them, then those who follow them…”^[69]

 

Suwaid ibn Ghaflah rahimahu Llah narrates that ‘Umar ibn al Khattab radiya Llahu ‘anhu gave a sermon in al Jabiyah saying:

 

نهى نبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن لبس الحرير إلا موضع إصبعين أو ثلاث أو أربع

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam forbade the wearing of silk, except for a space of two, three, or four fingers.^[70]

 

Abu al Zubair rahimahu Llah states:

 

سمعت عبد الله بن الزبير رضي الله تعالى عنهما يخطب على هذا المنبر وهو يقول كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول إذا سلم في دبر الصلاة أو الصلوات لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له له الملك وله الحمد وهو على كل شيء قدير لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله لا إله إلا الله ولا نعبد إلا إياه له النعمة وله الفضل وله الثناء الحسن لا إله إلا الله مخلصين له الدين ولو كره الكافرون

I heard ‘Abdullah ibn al Zubair radiya Llahu ‘anhuma giving a sermon on this pulpit, saying, “The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam—after completing the Salah—or Salahs—would recite, “There is no deity but Allah alone; He has no partner. To Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise. He is competent over everything. There is no power nor might except with Allah. There is no deity but Allah, and we worship none but Him. To Him belongs all favour, all bounty, and all good praise. There is no deity but Allah, sincerely devoting our din to Him, even if the disbelievers dislike it.”^[71]

 

Humaid ibn ‘Abdur Rahman rahimahu Llah narrates that he heard Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan radiya Llahu ‘anhu, during the year he performed Hajj, while he was on the pulpit, and he had taken a lock of hair from a guard’s hand, saying:

 

أين علماؤكم سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ينهى عن مثل هذا ويقول إنما هلكت بنو إسرائيل حين اتخذ هذه نساؤهم

Where are your scholars? I heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam forbid such a thing, saying, “The Banu Isra’il were destroyed when their women adopted this.”^[72]

 

Second: Writing to One Another

This refers to some of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum writing to one another, or they would write down some ahadith for some of the Tabi’in so that they might act upon them, or they would ask the Sahabah about some rulings or ahadith, and they would inform them of what they had heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam; whether it was to practice upon it, or to correct an error some had made, or what they thought was a mistake… and so on. There are many ahadith on this subject; I will suffice on mentioning some of them as evidence.

Anas ibn Malik radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates that Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu wrote this letter to him—when he sent him to Bahrayn:

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم هذه فريضة الصدقة التي فرض رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم على المسلمين والتي أمر الله تعالى بها رسوله فمن سئلها من المسلمين على وجهها فليعطها ومن سئل فوقها فلا يعط … ثم ذكر زكاة الإبل والغنم والفضة وما يؤخذ منها في قضايا كثيرة

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This is the obligatory charity (Zakat) that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam imposed upon the Muslims, and which Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala commanded His Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Whoever among the Muslims is asked for it as required should give it, and whoever is asked for more than that should not give it… He then mentioned the Zakat on camels, sheep, and silver, and what is taken from them, among other issues.^[73]

 

Bahalah ibn ‘Abadah rahimahu Llah states:

 

كنت كاتبا لجزء بن معاوية عم الأحنف فأتانا كتاب عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله تعالى عنه قبل موته بسنة فرقوا بين كل ذي محرم من المجوس ولم يكن عمر أخذ الجزية من المجوس حتى شهد عبد الرحمن بن عوف أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أخذها من مجوس هجر

I was a scribe for al Jaz’ ibn Muawiyah—the uncle of al Ahnaf—when a letter arrived from ‘Umar ibn al Khattab radiya Llahu ‘anhu, a year before his demise. It instructed us to separate all those related by blood from the Magians. ‘Umar would not collect jizyah (tax) from the Magians until ‘Abdur Rahman ibn ‘Awf testified that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had collected it from the Magians of Hajar.^[74]

 

Abu ‘Uthman al Nahdi rahimahu Llah states:

 

كتب إلينا عمر رضي الله تعالى عنه ونحن بآذربيجان يا عتبة بن فرقد إنه ليس من كدك ولا من كد أبيك ولا من كد أمك فأشبع المسلمين في رحالهم مما تشبع منه في رحلك وإياكم والتنعم وزي أهل الشرك ولبوس الحرير فإن رسول الله نهى عن لبوس الحرير قال إلا هكذا ورفع لنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إصبعيه الوسطى والسبابة وضمهما

وفي رواية عنه رحمه الله تعالى قال كنا مع عتبة بن فرقد فجاءنا كتاب عمر أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال لا يلبس الحرير إلا من ليس له منه شيء في الآخرة إلا هكذا

‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu wrote to us while we were in Azerbaijan stating, “O ‘Utbah ibn Farqad, this is not from your earnings, nor from the earnings of your father, nor from the earnings of your mother. So, satisfy the Muslims in their camps with what you satisfy yourself in your own camp. Beware of luxury, the attire of polytheists, and wearing silk, for the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam forbade wearing silk. He said, “Except like this,” and the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam raised his middle and index fingers and joined them.

In another narration from him rahimahu Llah, he said, “We were with ‘Utbah ibn Farqad when a letter from ‘Umar arrived, stating that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘Only that person wears silk who has no share of it in the Hereafter, except this much.’”^[75]

 

Warrad, the scribe of al Mughirah ibn Shu’bah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, states:

 

كتب معاوية إلى المغيرة اكتب إلي بشيء سمعته من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال فكتب إليه سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول إذا قضى الصلاة لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له له الملك وله الحمد وهو على كل شيء قدير اللهم لا مانع لما أعطيت ولا معطي لما منعت ولا ينفع ذا الجد منك الجد

وفي رواية قال كتب معاوية إلى المغيرة اكتب إلي بشيء سمعته من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فكتب المغيرة إلى معاوية سلام عليك أما بعد فإني سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول إن الله حرم ثلاثا ونهى عن ثلاث حرم عقوق الوالد وفي لفظ عقوق الأمهات ووأد البنات ولا وهات وفي لفظ ومنعا وهات ونهى عن ثلاث قيل وقال وكثرة السؤال وإضاعة المال

Muawiyah wrote to al Mughirah, “Write to me something you heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.” So, he wrote to him, “I heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying this after completing his Salah, ‘There is no deity but Allah, alone; He has no partner. To Him belongs the dominion and praise. He is competent over everything. O Allah, there is none to prevent what You give, none to give what You withhold, and no prosperous person can benefit anyone against You.’”

According to another narration, he said: Muawiyah wrote to al Mughirah, “Write to me something you heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.” So, al Mughirah wrote to Muawiyah, “Peace be upon you. After praise and salutations, I heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam say, ‘Indeed, Allah forbade three things and prohibited three: disobedience to parents (or disobedience to mothers), burying daughters alive, and demanding and not giving (or withholding). He prohibited three things: idle talk, excessive questioning, and squandering wealth.’”^[76]

 

‘Abdullah ibn al Fadl narrates that he heard Anas ibn Malik radiya Llahu ‘anhu saying:

 

حزنت على من أصيب بالحرة فكتب إلي زيد بن أرقم وبلغه شدة حزني يذكر أنه سمع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول اللهم اغفر للأنصار ولأبناء الأنصار وشك ابن الفضل في أبناء أبناء الأنصار

I was saddened by those who were killed at al Harrah. Zaid ibn Arqam wrote to me—as he heard of my intense grief—mentioning that he had heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam say, “O Allah, forgive the Ansar and the sons of the Ansar.” Ibn al Fadl was uncertain about “the sons of the sons of the Ansar.”^[77]

 

Some other examples will be mentioned in due course regarding the recording of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum and sending it to some of those who requested it, whether they were Sahabah or Tabi’in.

 

Third: Recording by Some of the Sahabah of What They Heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam

Among the manifestations of their keenness and preservation of the Sunnah of their Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is that some of them recorded the ahadith they heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam or preserved them in separate collections.

The recording of these ahadith began during the lifetime of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not depart from this world until some of the Prophetic Sunnah had been written down, and he permitted the writing of the rest.

The Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum wrote down much of the Prophetic Sunnah during his lifetime, but their concern for writing it down increased after his demise. Those who did not write it down gave permission or approved of it. The senior Tabi’in did the same in the presence of the Sahabah, without any objection from them, except at the beginning of the Rightly Guided Caliphate.

Some of the Sahabah wrote it down themselves as they were literate. Some dictated to other Sahabah and Tabi’in because they were unlettered. Some of them ordered the recording of knowledge. Some had it recorded in their presence without objection. Some of them would write for others because they were far away. Similarly, sometimes a Tabi’i would write from them and then present what was written to them, and they would approve it, etc.

They embarked on this especially after they heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, on the Day of the Conquest of Makkah, ordering that his sermon be written down for Abu Shah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, as mentioned in the hadith of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Likewise, they heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying to them during his final illness, “Bring me a book and pen so I may write for you that over which you will not disagree after me,” in addition to the many rulings he had written, which he sent to Yemen and Bahrain and to his leaders, governors, and commanders.

Included in this is the dictation of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum to their students. This is when a Sahabi—whether literate or illiterate—dictates to his children or students, whether they are Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum or Tabi’in rahimahu Llah.

An example of this is the dictation of Anas radiya Llahu ‘anhu and the writing of his students; the dictation of Ibn Abi Awfa radiya Llahu ‘anhu to his students; the dictation of Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma and the writing of his students… and many others. I will mention only a few for illustration:

Al Hasan ibn ‘Amr ibn Umayyah rahimahu Llah states:

 

تحدث عند أبي هريرة بحديث فأخذ بيدي إلى بيته فأرانا كتبا من حديث النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وقال هذا هو مكتوب عندي

A hadith was narrated in the presence of Abu Hurairah. He took me by the hand to his house and showed us books of Hadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and said, “This is what is written down by me.”

 

However, this statement of his contradicts his following statement:

 

There is none among the Sahabah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam who narrated more Hadith from him than I, except what ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr narrated, for he would write, while I did not.^[78]

 

Al Hafiz Ibn ‘Abdul Barr rahimahu Llah said:

 

حديثه بذلك أصح في النقل من هذا لأنه أثبت إسنادا عند أهل الحديث

His (second) hadith is more authentic in transmission than this (i.e., the first), because it has a more established chain of transmission according to the scholars of Hadith.^[79]

 

Al Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahu Llah said:

 

ويمكن الجمع بأنه لم يكن يكتب في العهد النبوي ثم كتب بعده وأقوى من ذلك أنه لا يلزم من وجود الحديث مكتوبا عنده أن يكون بخطه وقد ثبت أنه لم يكن يكتب فتعين أن المكتوب عنده بغير خطه

It is possible to reconcile these by saying that he did not write during the era of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then wrote afterwards. Stronger than this is that the presence of written Hadith in his possession does not necessarily mean it was in his own handwriting. It has been established that he was unlettered. Therefore, it is clear that what was written in his possession was not his own handwriting.^[80]

 

I say: What indicates to this is the abundance of scrolls from him, as well as the abundance of written records from him. I will mention two texts on this matter:

Bashir ibn Nahik rahimahu Llah states:

 

كنت أكتب ما أسمع من أبي هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه فلما أردت أن أفارقه أتيته بكتابه فقرأته عليه وقلت له هذا ما سمعته منك قال نعم

I would write down what I heard from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. When I wanted to leave him, I brought him his book, read it to him, and asked, “Is this what I heard from you?”

He replied, “Yes.”

 

Al Tahawi narrated it from him, with a sahih chain, stating:

 

كنت آخذ الكتب من أبي هريرة رضى الله تعالى عنه فأكتبها فإذا فرغت قرأتها عليه فأقول الذي قرأته عليك أسمعته من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيقول نعم

I would take books from Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu and copy them. When I finished, I would read them to him and ask, “Did you hear what I read to you from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?”

He would say, “Yes.”^[81]

 

Abu Zu’ayza’ah, the scribe of Marwan ibn al Hakam, narrates:

 

أن مروان دعا أبا هريرة فأقعدني خلف السرير وجعل يسأله وجعلت أكتب حتى كان على رأس الحول دعا به فأقعده وراء الحجاب فجعل يسأله عن ذلك فما زاد ولا نقص ولا قدم ولا أخر

Marwan summoned Abu Hurairah, seated me behind the bed, and began questioning him. I wrote it down. After a complete year, he summoned him again, seated me behind the curtain, and began questioning him about it. He neither added nor omitted anything, nor changed the sequence of anything.^[82]

 

These are examples of what the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum wrote after the demise of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Some ahadith have been mentioned previously, such as Abu Bakr’s writing of the letter of the rulings of Zakat to Anas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma and the letter of ‘Umar to ‘Utbah ibn Farqad radiya Llahu ‘anhuma. Here, I will mention some ahadith that have not been previously mentioned, for the sake of illustration.

Salim Abu al Nadr narrates from a letter of a Sahabi from the Aslam tribe, named ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa radiya Llahu ‘anhu, who wrote to ‘Umar ibn ‘Ubaidullah when he marched against the Haruriyyah, informing him that:

 

أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان في بعض أيامه التي لقي فيها العدو ينتظر حتى إذا مالت الشمس قام فيهم فقال يا أيها الناس لا تتمنوا لقاء العدو واسألوا الله العافية فإذا لقيتموهم فاصبروا واعلموا أن الجنة تحت ظلال السيوف ثم قام النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وقال اللهم منزل الكتاب ومجري السحاب وهازم الأحزاب اهزمهم وانصرنا عليهم

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, on one of the days when he encountered the enemy, waited until the sun passed its zenith. Then he stood among them and said, “O people, do not desire to meet the enemy. Ask Allah for well-being. But if you do meet them, be patient, and know that Jannat lies beneath the shade of swords.” The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam then stood up and supplicated, “O Allah, Revealer of the Book, Controller of the clouds, and Defeater of the confederates, defeat them and grant us victory over them.”^[83]

 

Usayd ibn Zuhayr al Ansari radiya Llahu ‘anhu^[84] narrates that he was the governor of al Yamamah. Marwan ibn al Hakam wrote to him that Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu had written to him thus:

 

أيما رجل سرق منه سرقة فهو أحق بها حيث وجدها قال وكتب بذلك مروان إلي فكتبت إلى مروان أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قضى بأنه إذا كان الذي ابتاعها من الذي سرقها غير متهم يخير سيدها فإن شاء أخذ الذي سرق منه بثمنه وإن شاء اتبع سارقه ثم قضى بذلك بعد أبو بكر وعمر وعثمان قال فبعث مروان بكتابي إلى معاوية قال فكتب معاوية إلى مروان إنك لست أنت ولا أسيد بن ظهير بقاضيين علي ولكني أقضي فيما وليت عليكما فأنفذ لما أمرتك به فبعث مروان إلي بكتاب معاوية فقلت لا أقضي به ما وليت يعني بقول معاوية

“Whoever has something stolen from him has the right to it wherever he finds it.”

He states: Marwan wrote this to me. So, I wrote back to Marwan that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had ruled that if the one who bought it from the thief was not accused (of colluding with the thief), then its owner had the choice: if he wished, he could take that which was stolen from him after paying its price, and if he preferred, he could pursue the thief. Thereafter, Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman ruled accordingly.

Marwan sent my letter to Muawiyah. Muawiyah wrote back to Marwan stating, “Neither you nor Usayd ibn Zuhayr are judges over me. I will judge in the matters I have been appointed to oversee you both, so carry out what I have commanded you to do.”

Marwan sent me Muawiyah’s letter. I replied, “I will not judge in the matters I have been appointed to,” meaning according to Muawiyah’s view.^[85]

 

Yazid ibn Hurmuz rahimahu Llah states:

 

كتب نجدة بن عامر الحروري إلى ابن عباس يسأله عن العبد والمرأة يحضران المغنم هل يقسم لهما وعن قتل الولدان وعن اليتيم متى ينقطع عنه اليتم وعن ذوي القربى من هم فقال ليزيد اكتب إليه فلولا أن يقع في أحموقة ما كتبت إليه اكتب كتبت تسألني هل كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يغزو بالنساء وقد كان يغزو بهن فيداوين الجرحى ويحذين من الغنيمة وأما بسهم فلم يضرب لهن وكتبت تسألني عن قتل الولدان وفي رواية من صبيان المشركين وإن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لم يقتلهم وأنت فلا تقتلهم إلا أن تعلم منهم ما علم صاحب موسى من الغلام الذي قتله

Najdah ibn ‘Amir al Haruri wrote to Ibn ‘Abbas asking him about a slave and a woman who are present at the spoils of war, should they receive a share; about the killing of children; about when an orphan ceases to be an orphan; and about who the relatives are.

He said to Yazid, “Write to him. If it were not for the fear of him falling into some foolish act, I would not have written to him. Write: You wrote asking me whether the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would take women on military expeditions? He did take them on expeditions. They would treat the wounded and be given from the spoils. As for an allotted share, it was not stipulated for them. You wrote to me asking me about the killing of children (and in another narration, the children of the polytheists). Indeed, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not kill them. Therefore, you should not kill them unless you know about them what the companion of Musa knew about the boy he killed…^[86]

 

Anas ibn Malik radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates:

 

Mahmud ibn al Rabi’ narrated to me from ‘Itban ibn Malik: I came to Madinah and met ‘Itban. I said, “A hadith has reached me from you (so narrate it to me).”

He related: My eyesight had been affected a little, so I sent a message to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that I would like him to come and perform Salah in my house, so that I may take it as a place of Salah.

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and whomever Allah willed from his Sahabah came. He entered the house and performed Salah in my house—and his Sahabah were talking amongst themselves. Then, they attributed the seriousness and majority of that matter to Malik ibn Dukhshum. They wished that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had supplicated against him and he perished, and they wished that evil would befall him.

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam completed his Salah and said, “Does he not bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah?”

They replied, “He says that, but it is not in his heart.”

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “No one bears witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah and then enters Jahannam, or is devoured by it.”

Anas said, “I was impressed by this hadith, so I told my son, ‘Write it down.’ So, he wrote it down.”^[87]

 

‘Abdullah ibn al Fadl narrates that he heard Anas ibn Malik say:

 

I was saddened by those who were killed at al Harrah. Zaid ibn Arqam wrote to me—as he heard of my intense grief—mentioning that he had heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam say, “O Allah, forgive the Ansar and the sons of the Ansar.” Ibn al Fadl was uncertain about “the sons of the sons of the Ansar.”^[88]

 

‘Amir ibn Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma said:

 

كتبت إلى جابر بن سمرة مع غلامي نافع أن أخبرني بشيء سمعته من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال فكتب إلي سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يوم جمعة عشية جم الأسلمي يقول لا يزال الدين قائما حتى تقوم الساعة أو يكون عليكم اثنا عشر خليفة كلهم من قريش وسمعته يقول عصيبة من المسلمين يفتتحون البيت الأبيض بيت کسرى أو آل کسرى وسمعته يقول إن بين يدي الساعة كذابين فاحذروهم وسمعته يقول إذا أعطى الله أحدكم خيرا فليبدأ بنفسه وأهل بيته وسمعته يقول أنا الفرط على الحوض

I wrote to Jabir ibn Samurah—with my servant Nafi’—asking him to tell me something he heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

So, he wrote back to me: I heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam— on a Friday evening, the evening the al Aslami man was stoned—say, “The din will continue to be established until Qiyamah comes, or until there are twelve Khalifas over you, all of them from the Quraysh.”

And I heard him say, “A group of Muslims will conquer the white house; the house of Khosrow (or the family of Khosrow).”

And I heard him say, “Before Qiyamah comes, there will be liars, so beware of them.”

And I heard him say, “If Allah grants one of you something good, he should begin with himself and his family.”

And I heard him say, “I will be the forerunner at the Hawd (Pond).”^[89]

 

This text contains five ahadith that were written.

‘Ubadah ibn al Walid ibn ‘Ubadah ibn al Samit radiya Llahu ‘anhum states:

 

خرجت أنا وأبي نطلب العلم في هذا الحي من الأنصار قبل أن يهلكوا فكان أول من لقينا أبا اليسر صاحب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ومعه غلام له معه ضمامة من صحف …

My father and I went out seeking knowledge in this neighbourhood of the Ansar, before they perished. The first person we met was Abu al Yasr, a Sahabi of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. With him was his servant, who had a bundle of scrolls with him…^[90]

 

Nafi’ ibn Jubayr rahimahu Llah narrates:

 

Marwan ibn al Hakam addressed the people, mentioning Makkah, its people, and its sanctity, but he did not mention Madinah, its people, or its sanctity. Rafi’ ibn Khadij radiya Llahu ‘anhu called out to him, saying, “Why do I hear you mentioning Makkah, its people, and its sanctity, but not Madinah, its people, or its sanctity? The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam declared the area between its two lava fields sacred. We have this written on a Khawlani leather scroll; if you wish, I can recite it to you.”

Marwan kept silent, then said, “I heard some of it.”^[91]

 

Added to this is Jabir radiya Llahu ‘anhu writing about the Hajj of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and Zaid ibn Thabit radiya Llahu ‘anhu writing the laws of inheritance and other scrolls, as I will mention shortly.

Some of the Sahabah who would write were mentioned in section three. I referred to the treatise Tadwin al Sunnah Min al ‘Ahd al Nabi Ila Zaman al Tabi’in for this.

 

NEXT⇒ Section 5 continued

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^[1]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on knowledge, chapter on for whomever Allah intends good, He grants him deep understanding of the din; Sahih Muslim, book on leadership, chapter on the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying: A group from my Ummah will always remain victorious upon the truth, Hadith: 175, book on Zakat, chapter on the prohibition of begging, Hadith: 98, 100.

^[2]  Musnad Ahmed, 1/306, 2/234; Sunan al Darimi, 1/65, 2/208; Sunan al Tirmidhi, book on knowledge, chapter on: If Allah intends good for a servant, He grants him understanding of the din, Hadith: 2645, al Nasa’i: Al Sunan al Kubra, 3/423-425; Sunan Ibn Majah, introduction, chapter on the virtue of scholars and the encouragement to seek knowledge, Hadith: 220; Sharh Mushkil al Athar, 2/280; al Mu’jam al Kabir, 10/392; al Mu’jam al Saghir, 2/76-77; Musnad Abi Ya’la, 10/238; Sharh al Sunnah, 1/285; Majma’ al Zawa’id, 1/121.

^[3]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on the prophets, chapter on: Or were you witnesses when death approached Ya’qub; Sahih Muslim, book on righteousness and kinship, chapter on souls are like assembled armies, Hadith: 160.

^[4]  Musnad al Shafi’i, pg. 240; al Risalah, pg. 401-402; Musnad al Humaidi, 1/47; Hadith: 88; Musnad Ahmed, 1/437; Sunan al Tirmidhi: book on knowledge, chapter on the encouragement to convey what he heard, Hadith: 2657, 2658, he deemed it to be sahih; Sunan Ibn Majah, introduction, chapter on one who conveys knowledge, Hadith: 232; Musnad Abi Ya’la, 9/62, 198; Sharh al Sunnah, 1/235-236; Hilyat al Awliya’, 7/331; Sahih Ibn Hibban, 1/143, 144, he deemed it to be sahih; and others.

^[5]  Al Azhar al Mutanathirah, pg. 5-6; Qatf al Azhar al Mutanathirah, pg. 28, Hadith: 2; Laqt al La’ali al Mutanathirah, pg. 161, Hadith: 48; Nazm al Mutanathir, pg. 24-25; Ithaf Dhawi al Fada’il, pg. 52.

^[6]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on the prophets, chapter on what was mentioned about the Bani Isra’il.

^[7]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on knowledge, chapter on the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying: Perhaps the one who conveys it understands it better than the one who hears it, from the hadith of Abu Bakrah, chapter on the one present should convey knowledge to the absent one, from the hadith of Abu Shurayh; Sahih Muslim, book on qasamah, chapter on the severity of the prohibition of bloodshed, Hadith: 29-31, book on Hajj, chapter on the sacredness of Makkah and its hunting animals, Hadith: 446.

^[8]  Narrated by al Tayalisi, Ahmed, Abu Dawood, al Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, al Hakim, Ibn Hibban, and others. It is narrated from a large number of Sahabah. It was mentioned and referenced at the end of the previous section.

^[9]  Sahih Muslim, book on remembrance and supplications, chapter on the virtue of gathering to recite the Qur’an and to remember Allah, Hadith: 38.

^[10]  Sahih Muslim, book on bequests, chapter on the reward a person receives after death, Hadith: 14.

^[11]  Musnad al Tayalisi, pg. 14, Hadith: 80; Musnad Ahmed, 1/65, 70; al Bahr al Zakhkhar, 1/37-38; Sharh Mushkil al Athar, 1/354; Ibn ‘Adi: Al Kamil, 1/17; Musnad al Shihab, pg. 562; Kashf al Astar, 1/113; Majma’ al Zawa’id, 1/143. One may also refer to Ibn al Jawzi: Al Mawdu’at, 1/58-59; Fath al Bari, 1/203; al Asrar al Marfu’ah, pg. 10, he attributed this hadith to Abu Ya’la, al Khatib, and al Hakim in al Madkhal. The chain of this narration is hasan.

^[12]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on knowledge, chapter on the sin of lying upon the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

^[13]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on knowledge, chapter on the sin of lying upon the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

^[14]  One may refer to al Asrar al Marfu’ah, pg. 12-13, 16, 20-22.

^[15]  Ibn al Mubarak: Al Zuhd wa al Raqa’iq, pg. 19, Hadith: 58; Ibn Sa’d: Al Tabaqat al Kubra, 6/110; al Fasawi: Al Ma’rifah wa al Tarikh, 2/817; Abu Khaythamah: Al ‘Ilm, pg. 21; Akhlaq al ‘Ulama’, pg. 102; Ibn ‘Abdul Barr: Jami’ Bayan al ‘Ilm wa Fadlihi, 2/163; al Khatib: Al Faqih wa al Mutafaqqih, 2/12-13; al Bayhaqi: Al Madkhal ila al Sunan al Kubra, 2/266, Hadith: 800.

^[16]  Sunan al Darimi, 1/73; Sunan Ibn Majah, introduction, Hadith: 28; al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 1/102, he authenticated it and al Dhahabi approved it; Ibn ‘Abdul Barr: Jami’ Bayan al ‘Ilm wa Fadlihi, 2/120, 120-121; al Khatib: Sharaf Ashab al Hadith, pg. 88.

^[17]  Jami’ Bayan al ‘Ilm wa Fadlihi, 2/121-124.

^[18]  Musnad al Tayalisi, pg. 3, Hadith: 5; Musnad al Humaidi, 1/65; Ibn Abi Shaybah: Al Musannaf, 10/205; Musnad Ahmed, 1/3-11; al Bukhari: Al Adab al Mufrad, pg. 244, Hadith: 725; Sunan al Tirmidhi, book on supplications, chapter 106, Hadith: 3558; ‘Amal al Yawm wa al Laylah, Hadith: 879-888; Sunan Ibn Majah, book on supplication, chapter on the supplication for forgiveness and well-being, Hadith: 3849; Musnad Abi Bakr al Marwazi, 92-95; Musnad Abi Ya’la, 1/19, 75-77, 86-88, 112, 113; al Bahr al Zakhkhar, 1/92, 146-148; Sahih Ibn Hibban, 3/230-231, 232-233; Al Mustadrak, 1/529; Sharh al Sunnah, 5/178; Majma’ al Zawa’id, 10/ 173.

^[19]  Ibn Sa’d: Al Tabaqat al Kubra, 4/168; Sunan al Darimi, 1/40; Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 3/214.

^[20]  Musnad al Tayalisi, pg. 43; Sunan al Darimi, 1/72; Musnad Ahmed, 1/452; Sunan Ibn Majah, introduction, chapter on caution regarding the Hadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, Hadith: 23, through a sahih chain; Al Mustadrak, 1/111, 3/314, he authenticated it and deemed it to be in accordance to the standards of al Bukhari and Muslim; al Muhaddith al Fasil, pg. 549-550; al Bahr al Zakhkhar, 5/248-249; al Mu’jam al Kabir, 9/129-133, through several chains; Musnad al Shashi, 2/129-131; al Shifa, 2/599-600; Mulla ‘Ali al Qari: Sharh al Shifa; al Ilma’, pg. 176-177; Jami’ Bayan al ‘Ilm, 1/79; Misbah al Zujajah, 1/7.

^[21]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on Tafsir, Surah Ibrahim, chapter on the verse: Like a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed and its branches (high) in the sky? It produces its fruit all the time,” etc.; Sahih Muslim, book on the characteristics of the hypocrites, chapter on the example of the believer is like that of the date palm, Hadith: 63-64.

^[22]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on menstruation, chapter on the Salah for a woman who passed away in postpartum bleeding and its Sunnah, etc.; Sahih Muslim, book on funerals, chapter on where the Imam should stand by the deceased for the Salah, Hadith: 88. The wording is from Muslim.

^[23]  Narrated by al Tayalisi, Ahmed, Abu Dawood, al Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, al Hakim, Ibn Hibban, and others. This has been narrated from a large number of Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. It was mentioned together with its referencing in the previous section.

^[24]  Sahih Muslim, book on purification, chapter on the virtue of wudu’ and Salah after it, Hadith: 5.

^[25]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on knowledge, chapter on preserving knowledge; Sahih Muslim, book on the virtues of the Sahabah, chapter on the virtues of Abu Hurairah al Dawsi, Hadith: 159-160.

^[26]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on knowledge, chapter on one who singles some people for knowledge to the exclusion of others, lest they do not understand; Sahih Muslim, book on iman, chapter on evidence that whoever passes away believing in the oneness of Allah will definitely enter Jannat, Hadith: 48, Muslim narrated it from Anas from Muaz radiya Llahu ‘anhuma without the last sentence.

^[27]  Sahih Muslim, book on repentance, chapter on sins are forgiven through seeking forgiveness, Hadith: 9-10.

^[28]  Musnad al Tayalisi, pg. 15 Hadith: 87; Ibn Abi Shaybah: Al Musannaf, 5/327; Musnad ‘Abd Ibn Humaid, Hadith: 5; Musnad Ahmed, 1/61, 62, 64-65, 65, 66, 75; Sunan al Darimi, 2/13; Ibn Abi ‘Asim: Al Jihad, 2/685, 686; Sunan al Tirmidhi, book on Jihad, chapter on the virtue of guarding the frontier, Hadith: 1667, he deemed it to be sahih; Sunan al Nasa’i, book on Jihad, chapter on the virtue of guarding the frontier, 6/39-40; Sunan Ibn Majah, book on Jihad, chapter on the virtue of guarding the frontier in the path of Allah, Hadith: 2766; al Bahr al Zakhkhar, 2/63; Sahih Ibn Hibban, 10/469-470, he deemed it to be sahih; al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 2/68, 143, he authenticated it; al Bayhaqi: Al Sunan al Kubra, 9/39, 161. One may also refer to Tuhfat al Ashraf, 7/269, and Tahdhib al Kamal, 33/421, both mentioned that al Tirmidhi deemed this hadith to be hasan. This is likely due to different prints.

^[29]  Musannaf ‘Abdur Razzaq, 3/221-222; Ibn Abi Shaybah: al Musannaf, 15/306; Sunan al Darimi, 1/60-61, this is his wording; al Mu’jam al Kabir, 9/133-136, through a chain that makes it hasan; Majma’ al Zawa’id, 1/181.

^[30]  Surah al Dukhan: 10

^[31]  Surah al Dukhan: 15.

^[32]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on Tafsir, Surah al Dukhan, from chapter two to chapter five; Sahih Muslim, book on the characteristics of the hypocrites, chapter on al Dukhan, Hadith: 39, 40.

^[33]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on iman, chapter on Jibril’s question to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam about iman, Islam, ihsan, and knowledge of Qiyamah; Sahih Muslim, book on iman, chapter on the explanation of iman, Islam, ihsan, and the obligation of believing in the divine decree of Allah, Hadith: 1-6. They narrated a similar hadith from Abu Hurairah.

^[34]  Sahih Muslim, book on tribulation, chapter on the advance of the Romans in increasing killing upon the emergence of Dajjal, Hadith: 37.

^[35]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on softening of the hearts, chapter on the description of Jannat and Jahannam.

^[36]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on knowledge, chapter on preserving knowledge.

^[37]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on adherence to the Sunnah, chapter on the argument against those who say that the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam rulings were clear; Sahih Muslim, book on the virtues of the Sahabah, chapter on the virtues of Abu Hurairah al Dawsi, Hadith: 2492.

^[38]  Abu Nuaim: Hilyat al Awliya’, 1/381; Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, 67/328-329, through thiqah narrators; Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/594; Ibn Manzur: Mukhtasar Tarikh Dimashq, 29/187.

^[39]  Al Nasa’i: Al Sunan al Kubra, book on knowledge, chapter on the issue of knowledge that is not forgotten, 3/440-441; al Tabarani: Al Mu’jam al Awsat, 2/54; al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 3/508, through a different chain; Majma’ al Bahrayn, 6/395-396; Majma’ al Zawa’id, 9/361; Tarikh Dimashq, 67/335; Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/606. One may refer to al Isabah, 7/438, where al Hafiz considered al Nasa’i’s narration to be good, thus, it is hasan.

^[40]  Musnad Ahmed, 2/3, through a sahih chain; Sunan al Tirmidhi, book on virtues, chapter on the virtues of Abu Hurairah, Hadith: 3836, he deemed it to be hasan; al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 3/510-511, he authenticated it, and al Dhahabi approved it; Tarikh Dimashq, 67/347; Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/616-617, he stated that its narrators are thiqah; al Isabah; 7/439-440, he deemed its chain to be good. The origin of the hadith is in al Sahihayn.

^[41]  Sunan al Tirmidhi, book on merits, chapter on the merits of Abu Hurairah, Hadith: 3837, he deemed it to be hasan; al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 3/511-512, he authenticated it and al Dhahabi approved it; Tarikh Dimashq, 67/356, 357; al Isabah, 7/438.

^[42]  Al Bukhari: Al Tarikh al Kabir, 1/186-187; al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 3/511; Tarikh Dimashq, 17/339; Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/617.

^[43]  Tarikh Dimashq, 67/339; Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/597; al Isabah, 7/432-433.

^[44]  Tarikh Dimashq, 67/341; Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/589; al Isabah, 7/433.

^[45]  Al Isabah, 7/433.

^[46]  Al Isabah, 7/433.

^[47]  Al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 3/510, he authenticated it, and al Dhahabi approved it; Tarikh Dimashq, 67/340, 341; Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/598; al Isabah, 7/433.

^[48]  Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/609, 619.

^[49]  Sahih Muslim, book on Salat al ‘Id, chapter on what is recited in Salat al ‘Id, Hadith: 14-15.

^[50]  Musnad al Tayalisi, Hadith: 685; Ibn Abi Shaybah: Al Musannaf, 2/188; Musnad Ahmed, 4/372; Sunan al Darimi, 1/316-317; Sunan Abi Dawood, book on Salah, chapter on when Friday coincides with a day of ‘Id, Hadith: 1070; Sunan al Nasa’i, book on the two Salat al ‘Id, chapter on the concession to be absent from Salat al Jumu’ah for one who was present for Salat al ‘Id, 3/194; al Sunan al Kubra, 1/551-552; Sunan Ibn Majah, book on establishing Salah, chapter on what has been narrated regarding if two ‘Ids coincide on one day, Hadith: 1310; al Ma’rifah wa al Tarikh, 1/303; Sharh Mushkil al Athar, 1/186, 187; al Mu’jam al Kabir, 1/238; Sahih Ibn Khuzaimah, 2/359, he deemed it to be sahih; al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 1/288, he authenticated it and al Dhahabi approved it; al Bayhaqi: Al Sunan al Kubra, 3/317; Ma’rifat al Sunan wa al Athar, 5/116; al Talkhis al Habir, 2/88. This hadith has several similar corroborations from Abu Hurairah, Ibn ‘Abbas, and Ibn al Zubair radiya Llahu ‘anhuma.

^[51]  Sahih Muslim, book on Hajj, chapter on the prohibition of hunting for one in the state of Ihram, Hadith: 55.

^[52]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on the prophets, chapter 54, Abu al Yaman narrated to us; Sahih Muslim, book on peace, chapter on plagues, superstition, fortune-telling, etc., Hadith: 92, 95, 97.

^[53]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on the prophets, chapter on what was mentioned about the Bani Isra’il, his wording; Sahih Muslim, book on tribulations, chapter on Dajjal and the description of what he will possess, Hadith: 105-108.

^[54]  Sahih Muslim, book on marriage, chapter on the permissibility of al Ghilah, that is intercourse with a breast-feeding woman, and the reprehensibility of coitus interruptus, Hadith: 143.

^[55]  Musannaf ‘Abdur Razzaq, 11/350-351; Musnad Ahmed, 1/448-449, Ahmed Shakir print, 6/141, 142; Sunan Abi Dawood, book on tribulations, chapter on the prohibition of stirring up discord, Hadith: 4258, concisely with some additions; al Bahr al Zakhkhar, 4/276; al Mu’jam al Kabir, 10/9-10; al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 3/320, 4/426-427, he authenticated it and al Dhahabi approved it; Majma’ al Zawa’id, 7/301-302; al Daraqutni: Al ‘Ilal, 5/280-281, through thiqah narrators. One may refer to Mukhtasar Ashrat al Sa’ah, where I have mentioned a similar hadith of Abu Bakrah from Sahih Muslim and of Abu Hurairah from al Sahihayn.

^[56]  Musnad al Tayalisi, pg. 43; Sunan al Darimi, 1/72; Musnad Ahmed, 1/452; Sunan Ibn Majah, introduction, chapter on caution regarding the Hadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, Hadith: 23, through a sahih chain; al Mustadrak, 1/111, 3/314, he authenticated it and deemed it to be in accordance to the standards of al Bukhari and Muslim; al Muhaddith al Fasil, pg. 549-550; al Bahr al Zakhkhar, 5/248-249; al Mu’jam al Kabir, 9/129-133, through several chains; Musnad al Shashi, 2/129-131; al Shifa, 2/599-600; Mulla ‘Ali al Qari: Sharh al Shifa; al Ilma’, pg. 176-177; Jami’ Bayan al ‘Ilm, 1/79; Misbah al Zujajah, 1/7.

^[57]  Al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 3/512, he authenticated it and al Dhahabi approved it; Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/623.

^[58]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on merits, chapter on the description of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, narrated in his explanatory remarks; Sahih Muslim, book on the virtues of the Sahabah, chapter on the virtues of Abu Hurairah al Dawsi, Hadith: 160, his wording.

^[59]  Al Jami’ li al Akhlaq al Rawi, 2/58; Tarikh Dimashq, 67/341.

^[60]  Musnad Ahmed, 1/188, 190; Sunan Abi Dawood, book on Salah, chapter on stepping over people’s necks on Friday, Hadith: 1118; Sunan al Nasa’i, book on Fridays, chapter on the prohibition of stepping over people’s necks while the Imam is on the pulpit on Friday, 3/103; al Jarud: Al Muntaqa, pg. 110, Hadith: 294; Sahih Ibn Khuzaimah, 3/156, he deemed it to be sahih, his wording; Sahih Ibn Hibban, 7/29-30, he deemed it to be sahih; al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 1/288, he authenticated it and al Dhahabi approved it, his wording. One may refer to Sharh al Sunnah, 4/268; al Targhib wa al Tarhib, 2/88; al Talkhis al Habir, 2/71.

^[61]  Tarikh Dimashq, 67/364; Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/611.

^[62]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on the virtues of the Sahabah, chapter on the merits of ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan.

^[63]  Al Muwatta’, 2/953-954; Musnad al Tayalisi, pg. 78, Hadith: 571; Ibn Abi Shaybah: Al Musannaf, 13/145; Musnad Ahmed, 5/230, 233, 236, 239, 328; Musnad ‘Abd ibn Humaid, pg. 72, Hadith: 125; Sunan al Tirmidhi, book on asceticism, chapter on what has been narrated concerning the love of Allah, Hadith: 2390; Sharh Mushkil al Athar, 10/33-37, through several chains; al Bahr al Zakhkhar, 7/116-118, 143; al Mu’jam al Kabir, 20/78-83, 87-88; Musnad al Shamiyyin, 1/362-363, 423, 2/310, 440, 3/126, 341; Hilyat al Awliya’, 5/121-122, 206; Sahih Ibn Hibban, 2/335, 338; al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 3/269, 4/168-169, 170, 419-420, he authenticated it and al Dhahabi approved it; Musnad al Shashi, 3/277-282; Musnad al Shihab, 2/222, 323; Sharh al Sunnah, 13/49-50; Ibn ‘Abdul Barr: Al Tamhid, 21/125, he deemed it to be sahih; al Bayhaqi: Al Sunan al Kubra, 10/233; Ibn al Mubarak: Al Zuhd, pg. 249, Hadith: 715.

^[64]  Hilyat al Awliya’, 5/311; Tarikh al Islam, deaths 101-120 AH, pg. 422.

^[65]  Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 3/351.

^[66]  Ibn Sa’d: Al Tabaqat al Kubra, 2/367-368; Sunan al Darimi, 1/115; al Fasawi: Al Ma’rifah wa al Tarikh, 1/542; al Tabarani: Al Mu’jam al Kabir, 10/299-300, through a sahih chain; al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 1/106-107, 3/538, he authenticated it and al Dhahabi approved it; al Jami’ li-Akhlaq al Rawi, 1/158-159; Ithaf al Khiyarah al Maharah, 1/267-268; Majma’ al Zawa’id, 9/277; al Matalib al ‘Aliyah, 4/302-303.

^[67]  Sahih Muslim, book on fasting, chapter on the recommendation of fasting the six days of Shawwal after Ramadan, Hadith: 204, without the phrase ‘he stood before the people and lectured them.’ One may refer to Mashru’iyyah Siyam Sittah Ayyam Min Shawwal for the referencing of the hadith. Al Nasa’i, Abu ‘Awanah, al Tahawi, al Tabarani, and others also narrated it.

^[68]  Musnad al Tayalisi, pg. 3, Hadith: 5; Musnad al Humaidi, 1/65; Ibn Abi Shaybah: Al Musannaf, 10/205; Musnad Ahmed, 1/3-11; Sunan al Tirmidhi, book on supplications, chapter 106, Hadith: 3558; ‘Amal al Yawm wa al Laylah, Hadith: 879-888; Sunan Ibn Majah, book on supplications, chapter on the supplication for forgiveness and well-being, Hadith: 3849; al Adab al Mufrad, pg. 244, Hadith: 725; Musnad Abi Bakr al Marwazi, pg. 92-95; Musnad Abi Ya’la, 1/19, 75-77, 89-88, 112, 113; al Bahr al Zakhkhar, 1/92, 146-148; al Mustadrak, 1/529; Sahih Ibn Hibban, 3/231-230, 233-232; Sharh al Sunnah, 5/178; Majma’ al Zawa’id, 10/173.

^[69]  Musnad ‘Abdullah ibn al Mubarak, pg. 148, Hadith: 241; Musnad Ahmed, 1/18; Ibn Abi ‘Asim: Al Sunnah, 2/631; Sunan al Tirmidhi, book on tribulations, chapter on what has been narrated regarding holding on to the community, Hadith: 2165, he deemed it to be sahih; al Nasa’i: Kitab ‘Ishrat al Nisa’, pg. 291; al Sunan al Kubra, 7/91; Sahih Ibn Hibban, 16/239-240, he deemed it to be sahih; al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 1/113-114, he authenticated it and al Dhahabi approved it; Ibn al A’rabi: Kitab al Mu’jam, Hadith: 1036; Ibn Abi Shaybah: Al Musannaf, 12/177; al Diya’: Al Mukhtarah, 1/294-295, through a sahih chain. It has already been mentioned previously with some additions in the referencing.

^[70]  Sahih Muslim, book on clothing, chapter on the prohibition of using gold and silver utensils for men and women, Hadith: 15.

^[71]  Sahih Muslim, book on Masajid, chapter on the recommendation of dhikr after Salah, Hadith: 139-141. He mentioned the first hadith and referred to the second, but did not mention it in full, so I completed it.

^[72]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on clothing, chapter on hair extensions, his wording; Sahih Muslim, book on clothing, chapter on the prohibition of the act of those who extend hair and those who seek to extend, Hadith: 122-124.

^[73]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on Zakat, chapter on Zakat of sheep. Al Bukhari narrated it in ten places in his al Sahih.

^[74]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on Jizyah, chapter on Jizyah and truce with the Ahl al Dhimmah (protected subjects) and the Ahl al Harb (enemy combatants).

^[75]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on clothing, chapter on wearing silk and using it as bedding for men. The wording is Muslim’s.

^[76]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on adherence to the Sunnah, chapter on what is disliked regarding excessive questioning.

^[77]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on Tafsir, Surah al Munafiqun, chapter on the verse: They are the ones who say that do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allah until they disband, his wording; Sahih Muslim, book on the virtues of the Sahabah, chapter on the virtues of the Ansar, Hadith: 172. In Muslim, it is narrated through a different chain than that of Ibn al Fadl, which does not contain the uncertainty.

^[78]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on knowledge, chapter on writing down knowledge.

^[79]  Jami’ Bayan al ‘Ilm, 1/74.

^[80]  Fath al Bari, 1/207.

^[81]  Ibn Abi Shaybah: Al Musannaf, 9/50; al Tabaqat al Kubra, 7/223; Sunan al Darimi, 1/105; al Ma’rifah wa al Tarikh, 2/826; Sharh Ma’ani al Athar, 4/320; al Muhaddith al Fasil, pg. 538; Jami’ Bayan al ‘Ilm, 1/72; Taqyid al ‘Ilm, pg. 101.

^[82]  Al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 3/510, he authenticated it and al Dhahabi approved it; Tarikh Dimashq, 67/340, 341; Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 2/598; al Isabah, 7/433.

^[83]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on Jihad, chapter on if the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not fight at the beginning of the day, he would delay fighting until the sun passed its zenith; Sahih Muslim, book on Jihad, chapter on the dislike of desiring to meet the enemy and the command to be patient when engaging them, Hadith: 20, he also narrated a shorter version in the following chapter, his wording.

^[84]  In a narration from Musnad Ahmed, Marasil Abu Dawood, and al Nasa’i, it appears as Usayd ibn Hudayr, which is an error. This error was pointed out by al Hafiz al Mizzi in Tuhfat al Ashraf, 1/72, 75, and Ibn Hajar in Ithaf al Maharah, 1/370. Furthermore, what indicates to the error is the hadith stating that he was from the Banu Harithah, the clan of Ibn Zuhayr, while Ibn Hudayr’s clan was the Banu ‘Abdul Ashhal. Moreover, Ibn Hudayr passed away during the Caliphate of ‘Umar in the year 20 AH—or 21 AH—thus, he did not witness the Caliphate of ‘Uthman, let alone Muawiyah. As for Ibn Zuhayr, he passed away during the Caliphate of Marwan. Furthermore, the hadith mentions ‘Uthman’s ruling following those of his brothers, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhum. It was Ibn Zuhayr who served Muawiyah, whereas Ibn Hudayr did not live to see him, as he passed away approximately forty years before him. Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala knows best.

^[85]  Musannaf ‘Abdur Razzaq, 10/201; Musnad Ahmed, 4/226; Abu Dawood: Al Marasil, Hadith: 192; Sunan al Nasa’i, book on sales, chapter on a man selling a commodity and someone rightfully claims it, 3/312-313, he deemed it to be sahih; al Mu’jam al Kabir, 1/174; Ibn Qani’: Mu’jam al Sahabah, 141, abridged; Ma’rifat al Sahabah, 1/263-264; al Hakim: Al Mustadrak, 2/35-36, he authenticated it and al Dhahabi approved it; al Mukhtarah, 4/263-265, 283-284; Atraf Musnad al Imam Ahmed, 1/260-261; Ithaf al Maharah, 1/369-370. One may refer to Tahdhib al Kamal, 3/253-254; Tahdhib al Tahdhib, 1/348.

^[86]  Sahih Muslim, book on Jihad and expeditions, chapter on women who participate in battle are given from the spoils but not allotted a portion of the spoils, and the prohibition of killing the children of the enemy, Hadith: 137-141.

^[87]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on Salah, chapter on Masjids in houses; Sahih Muslim, book on iman, chapter on evidence that whoever dies believing in the oneness of Allah will certainly enter Jannat, Hadith: 54, 55, book on Masjids, chapter on the permission to miss congregational Salah due to an excuse, Hadith: 263-265, his wording. Al Bukhari narrated it through another chain. Likewise, this hadith was narrated through another chain of transmission, as mentioned previously.

^[88]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on Tafsir, Surah al Munafiqun, chapter on the verse: They are the ones who say that do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allah until they disband, his wording; Sahih Muslim, book on the virtues of the Sahabah, chapter on the virtues of the Ansar, Hadith: 172. In Muslim, it is narrated through a different chain than that of Ibn al Fadl, which does not contain the uncertainty.

^[89]  Sahih Muslim, book on leadership, chapter on the people are followers of the Quraysh and the Caliphate is in the Quraysh, Hadith: 10.

^[90]  Sahih Muslim, book on asceticism, chapter on the long hadith of Jabir and the incident of Abu al Yasr, Hadith: 74.

^[91]  Sahih Muslim, book on Hajj, chapter on the virtues of Madinah, Hadith: 457.