The Critical Authority accompanying the Development of Narration

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The Critical Authority accompanying the Development of Narration

 

By critical authority, I mean that the movement of narration was under a permanent scholarly critical authority, which is the authority represented by some of the senior critical scholars who monitor the course of narration and criticise them. In some cases, they even warn the narrators and alert them about mistakes if they were lenient in them. I will establish that the critical authority accompanied the course of the narration in all its stages, and when there was any new development in the narration, the critics created criticism that suited that development through critical scholarly tools appropriate to the scholarly community at that time, reaching till the written books, which controlled the narrations, the narrators, their leniency, and their boldness. The narrator’s mere anxiety and fear of criticism in the scholarly community is important in controlling the general paths of the narrations.

It appears that criticism in the first century was criticism out of necessity, not criticism in a complete, systematic manner. It is criticism stemming from the reality of the scholarly narration at that time. Perhaps the most important aspect that criticism focused on, in the era of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, was criticism of the narrated texts. That is so because the trust between them was established and stable, as mentioned before, but the problem was due to mishearing or misconception in transmission. Therefore, the important statement of Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha is reported in her censure of a hadith narrated by ‘Umar ibn al Khattab and his son ‘Abdullah radiya Llahu ‘anhuma:

 

إنكم لتحدثوني عن غير كذابين ولا مكذبين ولكن السمع يخطئ

You are narrating to me from neither liars nor falsified ones, but sometimes errors occur in hearing.^[1]

 

This confirms that the criticism of the narrated texts was based on a type of error in the Companion’s hearing or memorisation, not in his reliability and trustworthiness. A few aspects can portray the critical authority in the era of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum:

1. Critical authority in the era of the senior Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum.
2. Critical authority in the era of the middle-class Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum.
3. Critical authority in the era of the junior Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum.

 

1. Critical authority in the era of the senior Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum

‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu (d. 23 AH) was one of the most famous people who possessed that authority and warned the people about it. This is because he wanted to control the general paths of the Hadith narrations. Hence, he was strict in some instances with some of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum to show them that the matter of narration was not easy and leniency was not accepted in it.

One of the means of confirming and ensuring the transmission, and demonstrating the critical authority and warning about it is that ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu would sometimes ask for another narrator of the hadith that he wanted to spread, to increase authenticity and certainty. One of the most important narrations in this matter is his famous stance with Abu Musa al Ash’ari (d. 44 AH) in the aforementioned incident of seeking permission. It contains his statement to Abu Musa, “Bring proof of this to me or else I will punish you.”^[2]

This cannot be due to ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu doubting the trustworthiness of Abu Musa al Ash’ari.^[3] Otherwise, if he had doubt about his narrations, he would not have sent him later, far from his sight, to the city of Basrah as a governor and teacher, as this means complete confidence in his knowledge, din, and reliability. This is confirmed by the fact that some of the Companions objected to ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu by saying:

 

يا ابن الخطاب فلا تكونن عذابا على أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم

O Ibn al Khattab, do not be a torment for the Companions of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

 

He said:

 

سبحان الله إنما سمعت شيا فأحببت أن أتثبت

Glory be to Allah, I only heard something and wanted to verify it.^[4]

 

In another narration, it is reported:

 

فقال عمر لأبي موسى أما إني لم أتهمك ولكني خشيت أن يتقول الناس على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم

‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu said to Abu Musa radiya Llahu ‘anhu, “Harken! I did not doubt you. Rather, I was afraid that people would fabricate lies against the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.”^[5]

 

Similar was his stance with Mughirah ibn Shu’bah (d. 50 AH) when he narrated a hadith that ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu did not know. He said:

 

لا تبرح حتى تجيئني بالمخرج فيما قلت قال المغيرة فخرجت فوجدت محمد بن مسلمة فجئت به فشهد معي أنه سمع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم

“Don’t leave until you bring me the source of what you said.”

Mughirah radiya Llahu ‘anhu said, “So I went out and found Muhammad ibn Maslamah. I brought him and he testified for me that he heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.”^[6]

 

It was as if ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu was scrutinising the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and warning them regarding Hadith narration, in order to control the course of the narration from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

One of the methods of ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu was to prohibit excessive narration and warn people about it. Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdul Rahman ibn ‘Awf (d. 96 AH) narrates:

 

بعث عمر بن الخطاب إلى عبد الله بن مسعود وإلى أبي الدرداء وإلى أبي مسعود الأنصاري وإلى أبي ذر فقال ما هذا الحديث الذي تكثرون عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فحبسهم بالمدينة حتى استشهد

‘Umar ibn al Khattab radiya Llahu ‘anhu sent to ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, Abu al Darda’, Abu Mas’ud al Ansari, and Abu Dharr stating, “What is this excessive transmission of Hadith from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?”

Then he prevented^[7] them (from narrating) in Madinah until he was martyred.^[8]

 

It was as though this was a policy of ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu to verify Hadith narration, know the context of the narration, and warn people from being lenient in it.

Imam al Khatib al Baghdadi (d. 463 AH) detailed this topic by saying:

 

إن قال قائل ما وجه إنكار عمر على الصحابة روايتهم عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وتشديده عليهم في ذلك قيل له إنما فعل عمر ذلك احتياطا للدين وحسن نظر للمسلمين لأنه خاف أن ينكلوا عن الأعمال ويتكلوا على ظاهر الأخبار وليس حكم جميع الأحاديث على ظاهرها ولا كل من سمعها عرف فقهها فقد يرد الحديث مجملا وستنبط معناه وتفسيره من غيره فخشي عمر أن يحمل حديث على غير وجهه أو يؤخذ بظاهر لفظه والحكم بخلاف ما أخذ به وكذلك نهى عمر الصحابة أن يكثروا رواية الحديث وفي تشديد عمر أيضا على الصحابة في روايتهم حفظ لحديث رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وترهيب لمن لم يكن من الصحابة أن يدخل في السنن ما ليس منها لأنه إذا رأى الصحابي المقبول القول المشهور بصحبة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قد تشدد عليه في الرواية كان هو أجدر أن يكون للرواية أهيب ولما يلقي الشيطان في النفس من تحسين الكذب أرهب

If someone objects: What was the reason for ‘Umar’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu reproach of the Companions’ radiya Llahu ‘anhum narrations from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and his strictness against them in that?

The reply would be: ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu did that purely out of concern for din and out of concern for the Muslims because he feared that they would abandon actions and rely on the apparent meaning of the transmissions, whereas not all ahadith are on their apparent meanings nor is everyone who heard them aware of its jurisprudence. Sometimes the hadith may be presented concisely and its meaning and interpretation might be deduced from another narration. Thus, ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu feared that a hadith would be understood in a wrong way or understood according to its apparent wording, whilst the ruling was contrary to what was understood. Likewise, ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu forbade the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum from narrating hadith abundantly. In ‘Umar’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu strictness with the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhu regarding their narration, there is also the preservation of the Hadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and a warning for those who were not among the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, lest they include in the Sunnah that which is not from it. This is because when he sees a Companion whose statement is accepted and is well-known for his companionship with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and he is treated stringently in narration, then he should be more fearful in narrating and more afraid of the beautification of lying that Shaitan instils into the soul.^[9]

 

Hafiz Ibn Hibban (d. 354 AH) mentioned a similar statement regarding ‘Umar’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu policy of warning narrators.^[10]

Muawiyah’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu (d. 60 AH) declaration was consistent with ‘Umar’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu policy in establishing a critical authority and warning the people about it. He said in his sermon:

 

إياكم وأحاديث إلا حديثا كان في عهد عمر فإن عمر كان يخيف الناس في الله عز وجل

Beware of ahadith, except for a hadith that was present during the era of ‘Umar, for ‘Umar would warn people regarding Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala.^[11]

 

In fact, one of the methods of ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu was a mere stare with the eye. Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu (d. 57 AH) narrates:

 

أن عمر مر بحسان وهو ينشد الشعر في المسجد فلحظ إليه أي نظر إليه نظرة شديدة فهم منها حسان الإنكار فقال قد كنت أنشد وفيه من هو خير منك ثم التفت إلى أبي هريرة فقال أنشدك الله أسمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول أجب عني اللهم أيده بروح القدس قال اللهم نعم

‘Umar passed by Hassan while he was reciting poetry in the Masjid. The former looked at him, i.e. he stared at him severely, from which Hassan perceived his displeasure. Hassan said, “I would recite it in the presence of one better than you.”

Then he turned to Abu Hurairah and said, “I beseech you in the name of Allah, did you hear the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying, ‘Answer on my behalf. O Allah, assist him with Jibril ‘alayh al Salam?’”

Abu Hurairah replied, “By Allah, yes.”^[12]

 

It is understood from this hadith that ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu—even though he would be severe regarding verification of Hadith—accepted the narration of a single Companion radiya Llahu ‘anhu. In fact, he trusted Hassan ibn Thabit (d. 54 AH) and Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhuma and accepted their narrations.

The matter was not limited to ‘Umar ibn al Khattab radiya Llahu ‘anhu, as transmissions have been narrated from ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib radiya Llahu ‘anhu (d. 40 AH) pertaining to seeking verification.^[13] However, the transmissions from ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu are more famous. Perhaps this was due to his long lifespan, and because the beginnings of Hadith narration were during his era, so he established the regulations of stability for them to remain stable.

 

2. Critical authority in the era of the middle-class Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum

By them, I refer to those who passed away between the years 40 AH and 60 AH. Perhaps the most important Companion of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who represented the critical authority at that time, rather before it also, was Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha. She redressed many of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and criticised their narrations. She did not suffice on the middle-class, but rather criticised the memorisation of some of the senior prominent Companions. Perhaps the greatest and most prominent of them was ‘Umar ibn al Khattab radiya Llahu ‘anhu, who would be strict on the people with regards to narration. She criticised him, as previously mentioned in the hadith that he and his son, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (74 AH), narrated from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that the dead person is punished due to the crying of his family over him, saying:

 

إنكم لتحدثوني عن غير كذابين ولا مكذبين ولكن السمع يخطئ

You are narrating to me from people who are neither liars nor falsified ones, but sometimes errors occur in hearing.^[14]

 

She was clear about the mistake of ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu in his narration of the general prohibition of performing Salah after ‘Asr, when she said:

 

وهم عمر إنما نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يتحرى طلوع الشمس وغروبها

‘Umar is mistaken. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam only forbade intending the rising and setting of the sun.^[15]

 

Thus, according to her, there was a complete difference between the intention and the Salah.^[16]

When Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha had enough courage to criticise ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu, then criticising others was much easier for her. She criticised eminent narrators among the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, including ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu (d. 68 AH) when she said:

 

ليس كما قال ابن عباس

It is not as Ibn ‘Abbas said.^[17]

 

Among them is Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma, as was previously mentioned in the hadith about the punishment for a deceased person due to his family’s crying. She explicitly criticised him specifically by saying:

 

يغفر الله لأبي عبد الرحمن أما إنه لم يكذب ولكنه نسي أو أخطأ

May Allah forgive Abu ‘Abdul Rahman. He did not lie, but rather he forgot or made a mistake.^[18]

 

Similarly, she also clearly stated his error regarding the number of ‘Umrahs the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam performed.^[19] Likewise, she opposed Abu Hurairah (d. 857 AH) in his saying:

 

من أدركه الفجر جنبا فلا يصم

Whoever finds dawn in the state of janabah (major impurity) should not fast.^[20]

 

These are all eminent and well-known Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum. So what will be her condition when she heard a hadith from a Companion who was not well known for his companionship or he heard a hadith from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in specific circumstances and misunderstood it? This is what transpired in her denial of Fatimah bint Qais regarding the incident of her ‘Iddah (waiting period) and her statement about her hadith:

 

أما إنه ليس لها خير في ذكر هذا الحديث

There is no good for her in mentioning this hadith.

 

‘Urwah (d. 94 AH) said:

 

عابت عائشة أشد العيب وقالت إن فاطمة كانت في مكان وحش فخيف على ناحيتها فلذلك أرخص لها النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم

Aisha severely criticised her and said, “Fatimah was in a desolate place, so there was fear for her. Hence, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam made a concession for her.”^[21]

 

One of the manifestations of Aisha’s radiya Llahu ‘anha criticism is that she would test some of the Companions’ memorisation of Hadith. One of the well-known incidents about this is the incident of her testing the memory of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al ‘As radiya Llahu ‘anhu (d. 63 AH). ‘Urwah ibn al Zubair narrates:

 

قالت لي عائشة يا ابن أختي بلغني أن عبد الله بن عمرو مار بنا إلى الحج فالقه فسائله فإنه قد حمل عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم علما كثيرا قال فلقيته فسألته عن أشياء يذكرها عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال عروة فكان فيما ذكر أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال إن الله لا ينتزع العلم من الناس انتزاعا ولكن يقبض العلماء فيرفع العلم معهم ويبقي في الناس رؤوسا جهالا يفتونهم بغير علم فيضلون ويضلون  قال عروة فلما حدثت عائشة بذلك أعظمت ذلك وأنكرته قالت أحدثك أنه سمع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول هذا قال عروة حتى إذا كان قابل قالت له إن ابن عمرو قد قدم فالقه ثم فاتحه حتى تسأله عن الحديث الذي ذكره لك في العلم قال قلقيته فساءلته فذكره لي نحو ما حدثني به في مرته الأولى قال عروة فلما أخبرتها بذلك قالت ما أحسبه إلا قد صدق أراه لم يزد فيه شيئا ولم ينقص

Aisha said to me, “O my nephew, I have been informed that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr is passing by us proceeding for Hajj. Go meet him and ask him, for he had acquired much knowledge from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.”

‘Urwah says, “I met him and asked him about things he remembers from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.”

‘Urwah said, “From amongst what he mentioned is that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘Indeed Allah will not just snatch knowledge away from the people. He will take away the scholars and knowledge will be raised with them. Then ignorant leaders will be left among the people, who will issue verdicts without knowledge. As a result, they will go astray and lead others astray.’”

‘Urwah continues: When I narrated it to Aisha, she regarded it to be grave and disliked it. She asked, “Did he tell you that he heard the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying this?”

The following year she said to me, “Ibn ‘Amr has come. Meet him, then begin the conversation with him and ask him about the hadith he mentioned to you about knowledge.”

He says: I met him and asked him. He narrated it to me in the same way he did the first time. When I informed her of that she said, “I think he is telling the truth. I see that he neither added nor subtracted anything from it.”^[22]

 

It can be noted from this hadith that Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha respected ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radiya Llahu ‘anhuma. Therefore, she advised her nephew to acquire knowledge from him, but she was surprised by one of his ahadith. It remained in her mind for a whole year and she wanted to test his memory. Therefore, she sent her nephew and confirmed it, which means that the criticism methodology was strongly effective in the mind of Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha even for the eminent Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and those she trusted.

Despite her fame and her high methodology in criticism, she was not safe from it, for when she ordered the funeral of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (d. 55 AH) to pass through the Masjid so that the (funeral) Salah could be performed, people disliked it. She then said:

 

ما أسرع ما نسي الناس ما صلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم على سهيل بن البيضاء إلا في المسجد

How quickly people forget. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not perform Salah over Suhayl ibn al Bayda’ except in the Masjid.^[23]

 

Regardless of the correct ruling, the mere denial of it by people—there would definitely be Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum among them in this instance—means that the critical community was vibrant at that time.

 

3. Critical authority in the era of the young Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum

By the era of the young Companions, I refer to the period between 60 AH and 93 AH, the year of the demise of Anas radiya Llahu ‘anhu, the last of the frequent narrators. The critical authority appeared in this era from two angles:

The first angle: The Companions’ criticism of one another.

The second angle: The Tabi’in’s criticism of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum.

 

The First Angle: The Companions’ criticism of one another

Perhaps one of the most important Companions who criticised and represented the critical authority at that time was the frequently narrating and eminent Companion, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma (d. 74 AH). He sometimes denounced the senior Companions and questioned their ahadith, such as his questioning of a hadith of Ibn Mas’ud (d. 32 AH) that the eminent Companion Abu Rafi’ (d. 35 AH) narrated to him from Ibn Mas’ud. They went to Ibn Mas’ud to verify and confirm it.^[24] Likewise, Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma questioned the marfu’ hadith of Abu Hurairah (d. 57 AH) wherein he states:

 

من تبع جنازة فله قيراط من الأجر

Whoever follows a funeral will get a qirat^[25] of reward.

 

Thereafter he asked Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha and she ratified Abu Hurairah. Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma then said:

 

لقد فرطنا في قراريط كثيرة

We squandered plenty qirats.^[26]

 

Likewise, Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma disagreed with the great Companion Anas ibn Malik radiya Llahu ‘anhu (d. 93 AH) in the issue of the Talbiyah^[27] of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam during Hajj. Bakr ibn ‘Abdullah al Muzani al Basri (d. 108 AH) narrates:

 

ذكرت لعبد الله بن عمر أن أنسا حدثه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لبى بالعمرة والحج فقال ابن عمر يرحم الله أنسا وهل أنس وهل خرجنا مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم  إلا حجاجا فلما قدمنا أمرنا أن نجعلها عمرة إلا من كان معه هدي قال فحدثت أنسا بذلك فغضب وقال ما تعدونا إلا صبيانا

I mentioned to ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar that Anas narrated to him that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam read the Talbiyah (i.e. wore the Ihram) for performing ‘Umrah and Hajj. Ibn ‘Umar said, “May Allah have mercy on Anas. Anas has erred. Did we go out with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for anything besides Hajj? When we arrived, he ordered us to make it an ‘Umrah, except for those who had sacrificial animals with them.”

He says, “I told Anas about this. He became angry and said, ‘You only regard us to be children.’”^[28]

 

He disagreed with Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu on another issue regarding Hajj, when some of the Tabi’in asked him in his council, saying:

 

أيصلح لي أن أطوف بالبيت قبل أن آتي الموقف فقال نعم فقال فإن ابن عباس يقول لا تطف بالبيت حتى تأتي الموقف فقال ابن عمر فقد حج رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فطاف بالبيت قبل أن يأتي الموقف‏ فبقول رسول الله أحق أن تأخذ أو بقول ابن عباس إن كنت صادقا

Is it correct for me to perform Tawaf of the Ka’bah (circumambulate) before I reach the Mawqif (plains of ‘Arafat)?

He replied, “Yes.”

The person said, “Ibn ‘Abbas says, ‘Do not perform Tawaf of the Ka’bah until you come to the Mawqif.’”

Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma said, “The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam performed Hajj. He performed Tawaf before coming to the Mawqif. So is it better to practice on the view of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam or the view of Ibn ‘Abbas, if you are truthful?”^[29]

 

Criticism and redress of other Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum was not limited to Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma. Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu and others also participated in it, as detailed at length by our teacher, Dr. ‘Abdul Majid Mahmud, in his book titled al Ittijahat al Fiqhiyyah.^[30] Refer to it.

 

The Second Angle: The Tabi’in’s criticism of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum

It is an important aspect that shows that the scholarly community in that early era was clearly a critical community. Criticism and the request for verification came to some of the ahadith of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum by some of the Tabi’in. They respected the status of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and were aware of the praise by Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala and his Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam upon them. However, that did not prevent them from redressing, criticising, and asking for verification, which means that the scholarly community was paying attention to all those minute details. From the many texts that I have collected, I will suffice on a few examples. They are:

Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu, although he was one of the most eminent Companions who spread knowledge between the years 40 AH and 68 AH (the year of his demise), one of the most knowledgeable of the Companions, and the most influential to the Tabi’in; however, he was well-known—in particular—for being questioned by some of his followers. Sa’id ibn al Musayyab (d. 94 AH)—one of the greatest Tabi’in in Madinah, as will be mentioned—suspected Ibn ‘Abbas of erring in a hadith he narrated relating to his maternal aunt, Maimunah radiya Llahu ‘anha (d. 51 AH). It has been proven from him that he narrated:

 

 أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم تزوج ميمونة وهو محرم

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam married Maimunah while he was in the state of Ihram.^[31]

 

Sa’id ibn al Musayyab criticised this, saying:

 

وهم ابن عباس في تزويج ميمونة وهو محرم

Ibn ‘Abbas was mistaken regarding the marriage of Maimunah while he salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was in Ihram.^[32]

 

Another narration states:

 

وهل‏ ابن عباس وإن كانت خالته ما تزوجها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلا بعد ما أحل

Ibn ‘Abbas has erred even though she was his maternal aunt. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not marry her until after he came out of Ihram.^[33]

 

Some senior critics adopted Sa’id ibn al Musayyab’s statement pertaining to Ibn ‘Abbas’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu mistake.^[34]

Here, Ibn al Musayyab does not object to Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu on a fiqhi issue, but rather objects to his narration and sees him as being mistaken in it. A number of scholars agree with him, even though Maimunah radiya Llahu ‘anha was his maternal aunt, so he ought to be the most knowledgeable about her; however, this did not prevent Ibn al Musayyab or anyone else from pointing out the mistake of Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu. This is not the place for establishing the correct (view) from the incorrect, rather, it is the place to explain that some of the Tabi’in would criticise the memory of some of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and did not see anything wrong with that.

We find the redressing of Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu from some of the Tabi’in in the council of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abdul Rahman (d. 94 AH)—one of the eminent Tabi’in of Madinah—and Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu met by Abu Hurairah and discussed an issue regarding ‘Iddah^[35] (a woman’s waiting period). Ibn ‘Abbas said, “Her ‘Iddah will terminate at the end of the later of the two terms.”

Abu Salamah said, “Her ‘Iddah has terminated.”

They started disputing it and Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu said. “I am with my nephew,” meaning Abu Salamah.

Then they sent Kurayb, Ibn ‘Abbas’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu servant, to Umm Salamah to ask her about the ruling. The answer came from Umm Salamah (d. 62 AH) in agreement with Abu Hurairah and Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abdul Rahman.^[36]

Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abdul Rahman was not embarrassed to disagree with Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu and dispute with him. Respecting a Sahabi is one thing and discussing knowledge is another matter.

‘Urwah ibn al Zubair (d. 49 AH)—who was one of the most eminent Tabi’in of Madinah—also disagreed with Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu and rejected some of his opinions. He said to Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu:

 

أضللت الناس يا ابن عباس

You have misled the people, O Ibn ‘Abbas.

 

He asked:

 

وما ذاك يا عرية

And how is that, O ‘Urayyah?

 

‘Urwah replied:

 

تفتي الناس أنهم إذا طافوا بالبيت فقد حلوا وكان أبو بكر وعمر رضي الله عنهما يجيئان ملبيين بالحج فلا يزالان محرمين إلى يوم النحر

You give people the verdict that if they perform Tawaf of the Ka’bah, they are out of Ihram whereas Abu Bakr and ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma came reciting the Talbiyah for Hajj and remained in Ihram until the Day of Sacrifice (the 10th of Dhu al Hijjah).

 

Ibn ‘Abbas said:

 

بهذا ضللتم أحدثكم عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وتحدّثوني عن أبي بكر وعمر رضي الله عنهما

By this, you have gone astray! I narrate to you from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and you tell me about Abu Bakr and ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma?

 

‘Urwah replied:

 

إن أبا بكر وعمر رضي الله عنهما كانا أعلم برسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم منك

Abu Bakr and ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma were more knowledgeable about the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam than you.^[37]

 

This is an important incident that shows that the relationship between the Tabi’i and the Companion was not one of scholarly courtesy. Rather, believing in virtue is one thing and scholarly discussion is another thing. Therefore, in this incident, ‘Urwah was severe on Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu and used expressions that rather exaggerated the seriousness of Ibn ‘Abbas’s verdict and his practice on the apparent meaning of the hadith and he continued to debate with him until he prevailed over him, as is reported in some narrations.^[38]

The matter was not limited to the class of the Tabi’in in Madinah. Some of the senior Tabi’in of Kufah had a stance against Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu when he invited them to a meal once. Among them were the senior students of Ibn Mas’ud: ‘Alqamah (d. 62 AH) and others. Masruq (d. 63 AH) states:

 

فجعل يسأل فيخطئ ويصيب فيفحش في أنفسنا أن نردّ عليه ونحن على طعامه

He was asked. He would make mistakes (sometimes) and be correct (at times). We felt ashamed to respond to him while we were eating his food.^[39]

 

Perhaps those questions concern fiqh and verdicts more than Hadith; however, despite their reverence for Ibn ‘Abbas, they did not accept everything he mentioned and opined, which clearly displays the existence of a critical scholarly community.

Ibrahim al Nakha’i (d. 96 AH) is reported to have mentioned that Ibn ‘Abbas disagreed with the majority of the other Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum in a ruling regarding inheritance,^[40] which shows more scrutiny of Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

Perhaps the many redresses of Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu and the popularity of objections against him over the rest of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum are due to two things:

a. His young age at the time of the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam demise. He narrated very few ahadith which he heard directly from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Some say ten ahadith, whilst others say nine.^[41] Ibn Hajar preferred the view that it was more than forty ahadith.^[42] The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam passed away when he was thirteen years old, according to the most correct view. Some say he was ten years old.^[43] He acquired most of his narrations from senior Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum. In addition, his incident regarding this is well-known and famous.^[44]

Ma’mar states:

 

عامة علم ابن عباس من ثلاثة عمر وعلي وأبي بن كعب رضي الله عنهم أجمعين

Most of Ibn ‘Abbas’s knowledge is from three people: ‘Umar, ‘Ali, and Ubayy ibn Ka’b radiya Llahu ‘anhum.^[45]

 

When most of the acquisition of the senior Tabi’in was from the senior Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, then, from one point of view, he was among their peers who studied with them, sat in the gatherings of acquisition, asked questions, and was contradicted in the council by other students. So after all that, what reason is there for the senior Tabi’in not to object to his statements and contradict them, as they see him to be more of a friend than a teacher? In fact, among the students of Ibn Mas’ud, there might be those who were years elder than him. Al Aswad ibn Yazid (d. 75 AH) and ‘Alqamah ibn Qais were Mukhadramin, who witnessed the days of Ignorance and Islam,^[46] so they were older than Ibn ‘Abbas. It is reported that they would travel with Abu Bakr and ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma.^[47] Masruq was also among the Mukhadramin^[48] and was of very great stature in his time.

Ibn al Madini states:

 

ما أقدم على مسروق أحدا من أصحاب عبد الله صلى خلف أبي بكر ولقي عمر وعليا ولم يرو عن عثمان

I would not prefer any of ‘Abdullah’s students over Masruq. He performed Salah behind Abu Bakr and met ‘Umar and ‘Ali. He did not narrate from ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhum.^[49]

 

b. Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu was inclined to opinion and Ijtihad and he was abundant and bold in it. The truth is that Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu was the most considerate of the four Companions that we have mentioned—Aisha, Ibn ‘Abbas, Abu Hurairah and Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhum—in applying opinion and paid most attention to meaning. His knowledge of language and poetry and his experience with the methods of the Arabs were the best assistants for him in understanding, sensing, and realising the objective of words and beyond the words.^[50] As for his boldness in issuing verdicts according to the dictates of his Ijtihad, even if he contradicted the common opinion prevailing among the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, it had a great impact that his colleagues who narrated ahadith abundantly did not.^[51] Sulaiman ibn Yasar states:

 

كنت أقسم نفسي بين ابن عباس وابن عمر فكنت أكثر ما أسمع ابن عمر يقول لا أدري وابن عباس لا يرد أحدا فسمعت ابن عباس يقول عجبا لابن عمر ورده الناس ألا ينظر في ما يشك فإن كانت مضت به سنة قال بها وإلا قال برأيه

I would divide myself between Ibn ‘Abbas and Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma. I often heard Ibn ‘Umar say, “I do not know.”

Ibn ‘Abbas would not reject anyone. I heard Ibn ‘Abbas saying, “It is astonishing that Ibn ‘Umar rejects the people. Does he not ponder into what he doubts? If a Sunnah has been transmitted regarding it, he should practice on it. Otherwise, he should practice on his opinion.”^[52]

 

This confirms his method concerning opinion and ijtihad. Thus, Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu was closer to giving verdicts based on the text and Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu was more inclined to ijtihad and opinion.^[53]

Comparing ijtihad with ijtihad is easy, unlike comparing ijtihad with text, in which case the approach is more difficult. Therefore, there was more scholarly competition with Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu and not with Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu, due to his extreme caution and prudence in issuing verdicts based on opinion.

Despite all that, Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu—despite his caution and vigilance—was not spared from redress. Sa’id ibn al Musayyab redressed some of his narrations from ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu. That was when Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma was asked about (reciting) Qunut in Salat al Fajr and he said:

 

ما شعرت أن أحدا يفعله

I did not see anyone doing it.^[54]

 

Sa’id objected to that by saying:

 

أما‏ إنه قد قنت مع أبيه ولكنه نسي

He recited it with his father, but he forgot.^[55]

 

However, I do not find much evidence like that found regarding Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma.

A third junior Companion remains, who narrated frequently, but redresses against him are less than Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma—from what I have seen—and he is Anas ibn Malik radiya Llahu ‘anhu (d. 93 AH).^[56] Hassan al Basri (d. 110 AH) redressed him in the hadith of intercession when a group of Tabi’in passed by him. They had left the house of Anas ibn Malik radiya Llahu ‘anhu after hearing the hadith from him and mentioned it to Hassan al Basri. He found it to be incomplete, so he said:

 

لقد حدثني وهو جميع أي قوي الذاكرة والحفظ منذ عشرين سنة فلا أدري أنسي أم كره أن تتّكلوا

He narrated it to me when he was complete, i.e. he had a strong memory, for twenty years. I do not know whether he forgot or disliked that you may become contented.^[57]

 

Some of the Tabi’in would compare him with Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu, preferring Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu over him in Fiqh and disapproving those who equated the two.^[58] This means that there was a precise distinction among the Tabi’in of scholarly ranks in the class of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum.

In fact, some of the Tabi’in rose in rank and verified ahadith of some of the senior Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum. ‘Ubaydah al Salmani—the eminent Kufi Tabi’i—made ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib radiya Llahu ‘anhu take an oath, when he mentioned the hadith of the Khawarij while marching in the army to fight them. ‘Ubaydah said to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu:

 

يا أمير المؤمنين آلله الذي لا إله إلا هو لسمعت هذا الحديث من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم

O Amir al Mu’minin! By Allah, besides Whom there is no deity, have your heard this hadith from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?

 

He said:

 

إي والله الذي لا إله إلا هو

Yes, by Allah, besides Whom there is no deity.

 

He made ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu take an oath three times and he did it.^[59]

There are multiple manifestations of the Tabi’in’s redress of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum found in many texts. I have an independent study on it. I have summarised what was mentioned above from it, so refer to it.^[60]

In any case, some of the Tabi’in surpassed many of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhu in terms of knowledge and Ijtihad. The virtue of Companionship is different from the virtue of knowledge. Hence, many texts have been narrated that show the scholarly ability of some of the Tabi’in, that they used to issue verdicts while the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum were available and that some of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum would refer to them in some cases and rulings. A man reportedly came to Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma and asked him about an obligation. He said:

 

ائت سعيد بن جبير فإنه أعلم بالحساب مني وهو يفرض منها ما أفرض

Go to Sa’id ibn Jubayr, for he is more learned about accounting than I am and he imposes what I impose on it.^[61]

 

Ibn ‘Umar praised another Tabi’i, ‘Amir al Sha’bi (d. 104 AH), when he passed by him while he was narrating about battles. Ibn ‘Umar said:

 

شهدت القوم ولهو أحفظ بها وأعلم مني

I have witnessed the people. He definitely has the best memory of them and is more knowledgeable than I am.^[62]

 

Al Sha’bi was among those who would be asked to issue verdicts while Companions of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam were in Kufah.^[63]

Likewise, Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu trusted Sa’id ibn al Musayyab (d. 94 AH) and praised him saying:

 

هو والله أحد المفتين

By Allah, he is one of the Muftis.^[64]

 

Sa’id was a specialist in the judgements of ‘Umar ibn al Khattab radiya Llahu ‘anhu and was called ‘Umar’s narrator. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma would send to Sa’id ibn al Musayyab asking him about the judgements of ‘Umar ibn al Khattab radiya Llahu ‘anhu, as narrated by Imam Malik.^[65] Ibn al Musayyab’s redress of Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma has passed previously.

Anas ibn Malik radiya Llahu ‘anhu would trust Hassan al Basri in Basrah and refer others to him. It is reported that when he was asked about a ruling he said:

 

عليكم مولانا الحسن فسلوه

Hold on to our master, al Hassan, and ask him.

 

They said:

 

يا أبا حمزة نسألك وتقول سلوا مولانا الحسن

O Abu Hamzah, we ask you and you say, “Ask our master al Hassan?”

 

He said:

 

سمعنا وسمع فحفظ ونسينا

We heard and he heard, but he memorised and we forgot.^[66]

 

Hassan himself was one of those who would redress Anas radiya Llahu ‘anhu as mentioned previously.

 

Result and Analysis: Narrations in the Critical Society

From all of the above, it is possible to extract an important issue, which is that the scholarly community at that time was a critical community, and it was not easy for well-known errors to pass through it, let alone significant lies and forgeries. This is because the above shows us the existence of a critical community capable of objection, scrutiny, and discussion, not merely accepting every statement that was made and every narration that was transmitted. This became very clear during the time of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, from their seniors like ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu, to the middle-class like Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha, and to their juniors like Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma.

In fact, that critical community sometimes accepted criticism from the Tabi’in class who were not on the same level in virtue as the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and did not see anything wrong with that. Rather, the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum did not condemn this. ‘Urwah’s denial of Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu demonstrates this clearly, as Ibn ‘Abbas did not say to him, “I am a Sahabi and I cannot be described as misleading the people.” Rather, he engaged in a scholarly discussion with him to the point that ‘Urwah defeated him in the dispute, as expressed by the Tabi’i who witnessed the incident.

Accordingly, scholarly relations at that time were not based on the level of virtue and righteousness as much as they were based on scholarly Ijtihad. This created a coherent, scholarly community wherein everyone was treated according to his status. Moreover, a distinction was made between righteousness, piety, and religious virtue on one hand and knowledge, education, accuracy, and mastery on the other hand.

All of this indicates to the fact that the scholarly status of the Tabi’in was high at that time and they did not have absolute subordination to the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, despite their superiority. The Companions’ radiya Llahu ‘anhum referral to them, referring other people to them, and their acceptance of their disagreements and scrutiny are all clear indications of this.

When the status of the Tabi’in was like this, then this confirms the status of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum. This is because the aforementioned picture indicates that the scholarly community at that time was a critical community wherein there was neither sanctification for any saying without evidence nor exaggerated reverence. Thus, opinions of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum were open to scrutiny and objection, and so were their narrations. In fact, even their specific narrations, as was the case in the story of Ibn ‘Abbas and Maimunah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. All this indicates to a strong critical community that would scrutinise, track, criticise, and analyse. Therefore, the spread of errors and mistakes was not easy in it, let alone the spread of lies and fabrications. When they objected to two, three, or ten ideas, this means they generally accepted the rest, which confirms the strength of the heritage of Fiqhi and Hadith transmission. When Ibn al Musayyab found an error of Ibn ‘Abbas pertaining to his maternal aunt’s marriage, this would mean that he reviewed and probed his narrations, which in turn means that he was capable of criticising him in matters other than that. Similar was the case with Abu Salamah, who opposed Ibn ‘Abbas jurisprudentially and debated with him about it exaggeratedly, which means that the idea of exaggerated reverence is dismissed here, which indicates to the strength of criticism in the scholarly community at that time.

This leads us to doubt the statements of many researchers in the East and West who see the possibility that some of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum lied about the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for political or social purposes or that the Tabi’in who followed them lied, looking at the scholarly community at that time with a cursory glance, as if the entry of these scholarly problems was easy. An observer into these examples will realise the error in that, as the scholarly community at that time was at this level of criticism and scrutiny of those who, in their view, were people of honour and virtue due to their companionship with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. What would be their stance if there were those who make up Hadith or fabricated rulings? Moreover, what will be their stance regarding those who are below them in virtue and honour?

It also leads us to reject the idea of not trusting some of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum who narrated ahadith from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam due to the possibility that they were unknown hypocrites, as the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam passed away without exposing the names of the hypocrites. This idea would be rejected by what I have mentioned previously, that these Tabi’in—who were on this level of knowledge, criticism, research, reviewing, and turning away from some of the junior Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, sufficing with the seniors ones—would never resort to narrating Hadith from any person regarding whom and in whose ahadith they did not have complete confidence, especially if he was ‘immersed in hypocrisy’, as stated in the famous hadith of Ka’b ibn Malik.^[67] Rather, they usually selected the senior, well-known, famous Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum. This is indicated by what I presented regarding the number of frequently narrating Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and the fact that the senior Tabi’in did not usually narrate from an unknown Companion.

This is in addition to the fact that the hypocrites were known at that time according to what some scholars believe, such as Imam al Mizzi (d. 742) who said:

 

لم يوجد قط رواية عمن لمز بالنفاق من الصحابة

There has never been a hadith of any Companion who was accused of hypocrisy.^[68]

 

Our teacher, Sheikh Muhammad ‘Awwamah, commented on it by saying:

 

ولقائل أن يقول إن هذا النفي مبني على معرفة أسمائهم أولا وجوابه نعم أسماؤهم معروفة أحصاها البلاذري في أنساب الأشراف عددهم ‎٣٤‏ رجلا ‎٩‏ من الخزرج و ٥‏٢ من الأوس والإمام المزي من أهل التتبع والاستقراء في هذا الباب رحمه الله تعالى

Someone might object that this denial is firstly based on knowing their names. The answer to it would be: Yes, their names are known. Al Baladhuri listed them in Ansab al Ashraf,^[69] numbering 34 men, 9 from the Khazraj (tribe) and 52 of the Aws (tribe), and Imam al Mizzi is one of the experts of research and exploration in this field. May Allah have mercy on him.^[70]

 

NEXT⇒ Chapter 2 – From the Companions to the Tabi’in – Hadith in Islamic Cities – 1. Madinah’s School of Hadith 

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^[1]  Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 928; Sahih al Bukhari, Hadith: 1288.

^[2]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on being steadfast, chapter on the evidence against those who say that the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam rulings were apparent, Hadith: 7353; Sahih Muslim, book on etiquettes, chapter on seeking permission, Hadith: 2153.

^[3]  Al Khatib al Baghdadi states in Sharaf Ashab al Hadith, pg. 92-93:

لم يطلب عمر من أبي موسى رجلا يشهد معه بهذا الحديث لأنه كان لا يرى قبول خبر الواحد العدل وكيف يقول ذلك وهو يقبل رواية عبد الرحمن بن عوف عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في أخذ الجزية من المجوس ويعمل به ولم يروه غير عبد الرحمن وكذلك حديث الضحاك بن سفيان الكلابي في توريث امرأة أشيم الضبابي من دية زوجها ولا فعل عمر أيضا ذلك لأنه كان يتهم أبا موسى في روايته لكن فعله على الوجه الذي بيناه من الاحتياط لحفظ السنن والترهيب في الرواية والله أعلم

‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu did not ask Abu Musa radiya Llahu ‘anhu for another person as witness to this hadith because he did not believe in accepting the information of one reliable person. How is this possible, whereas he accepted the narration of ‘Abdur Rahman ibn ‘Awf radiya Llahu ‘anhu from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam regarding taking Jizyah (tax) from the fire worshippers and practiced upon it, while no one except ‘Abdur Rahman narrated it? Likewise, (he accepted) the hadith of Dahhak ibn Sufyan al Kilabi regarding the inheritance of the wife of Ashyam al Dababi from her husband’s blood money. Similarly, ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu did not do that because he was accusing Abu Musa regarding his narration, but he did it—as we have explained before—out of caution to preserve the Sunnah and as a warning in narration. And Allah knows best.

Hafiz Ibn Hajar said:

إن أبا موسى رضي الله عنه أخبره بذلك الحديث عقب إنكاره عليه رجوعه فأراد عمر الاستثبات في خبره لهذه القرينة

Abu Musa, radiya Llahu ‘anhu informed him about that hadith after his rebuke for returning, so ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu wanted to verify his transmission due to these reasons (Ibn Hajar: al Nukat ‘ala Muqaddamah Ibn al Salah, 1/264.)

^[4]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on being steadfast, chapter on the evidence against those who say that the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam rulings were apparent, Hadith: 7353; Sahih Muslim, book on etiquettes, chapter on seeking permission, Hadith: 2154.

^[5]  Malik: al Muwatta’, book on seeking permission, chapter on seeking permission, Hadith: 775.

^[6]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on holding fast to the Qur’an and Sunnah, chapter on what is narrated regarding the Ijtihad of judges according to what Allah has revealed, Hadith: 7317; Sahih Muslim, book on al Qasamah, chapter on the blood money for the foetus, Hadith: 1683. The wording is al Bukhari’s.

^[7]  Al Ramhurmuzi mentioned in al Muhaddith al Fasil, pg. 553, from his Sheikh, who narrates from Abu ‘Abdullah ibn Barri, the explanation of Habs. He states:

يعني منعهم من الحديث ولم يكن لعمر حبس

It means preventing them from narrating (as oppose to imprisonment), as ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu did not have prisons.

Dr. ‘Ajaj al Khatib states:

فقد فسر ابن البري الخبر تفسيرا جيدا وإن جاء مقتضبا فهو يريد أنه منعهم كثرة الحديث خوفا من أن لا يتدبر السامعون كلام رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا كثر عليهم

Ibn al Barri interpreted the transmission perfectly, albeit briefly. He means that ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu prevented them from narrating excessively, for fear that the listeners would not reflect on the words of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam if it became too much for them. (Al Sunnah Qabl al Tadwin, pg. 111.)

Sharif Hatim al ‘Awni states:

تنبيه حسن ظاهر أن معنى حبسهم‏ أي منعهم الخروج من المدينة

A beneficial point: It appears that the meaning of ‘he stopped them’ is preventing them from leaving Madinah. (Al Manhaj al Muqtrah, pg. 19.)

^[8]Imam Ahmed: al ‘Ilal, 1/285; Ibn Sa’d: al Tabaqat, 2/336; Ibn Abi Shaybah: al Musannaf, 13/374, Hadith: 26753. There is a difference of opinion regarding the authenticity of this narration. Al Jurqani’s view in al Abatil, 1/361 is that it is da’if (weak).

He states:

هذا حديث منكر شبيه بالباطل وسعد بن إبراهيم لم يسمع من عمر شيئا ولم يره

This is a munkar (unacceptable) hadith, similar to being false. Sa’d ibn Ibrahim did not hear anything from ‘Umar, nor did he see him.

Likewise, al Haythami regarded it as weak in Majma’ al Zawa’id, 1/149, saying:

هذا أثر منقطع وإبراهيم ولد سنة عشرين ولم يدرك من حياة عمر إلا ثلاث سنين وابن مسعود كان بالكوفة ولا يصح هذا عن عمر

This is a munqati’ (broken chain of transmission) narration. Ibrahim was born in the year 20 AH, and only witnessed three years of ‘Umar’s life. Ibn Mas’ud was in Kufah. This is not authentic from ‘Umar.

Ibn Hazm strongly weakened this narration in al Ahkam, 2/139-140, and this is the view of Dr. ‘Ajaj al Khatib in al Sunnah Qabl al Tadwin, pg. 106-110. However, al Sharif Hatim al ‘Awni strongly defended the authenticity of the hadith in al Manhaj al Muqtarah, pg. 19-21. Refer to it there.

^[9]  Al Khatib: Sharaf Ashab al Hadith, pg. 88 – 91.

^[10]  Ibn Hibban: al Majruhin, 1/34 – 38; al Sharif Hatim al ‘Awni: al Manhaj al Muqtarah, pg. 22 – 26.

^[11]  Sahih Muslim, book on Zakat, chapter on the prohibition of asking, Hadith: 1037.

^[12]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on the beginning of creation, chapter on the angels, Hadith: 3212; Sahih Muslim, book on the virtues of the Companions, chapter on the virtues of Hassan ibn Thabit radiya Llahu ‘anhu, Hadith: 2485. The wording is Muslim’s.

^[13]  Jami’ al Tirmidhi, chapters on Salah, chapter on what is narrated about Salah at the time of repentance, Hadith: 406. Al Bukhari is reported to have denied the matter of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu taking oaths and verifying narrations in this way. Al Mizzi debated and disagreed with him in Tahdhib al Kamal, 2/533–535. Refer to Ibn Hajar: al Nukat ‘ala Muqaddamat Ibn al Salah, 1/246-247.

^[14]  Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 928; Sahih al Bukhari, Hadith: ‎1288.

^[15]  Sahih Muslim, book on travellers’ Salah and shortening it, chapter on do not intend through your Salah the rising or setting of the sun, Hadith: 833.

^[16]  Al Nawawi: Sharh Sahih Muslim, 6/119.

^[17] Sahih al Bukhari, book on Hajj, chapter on the one who ties (the necklace around the) sacrificial animal with his hand, Hadith: 1700; Sahih Muslim, book on Hajj, chapter on the recommendation to send a sacrificial animal, Hadith: 1321. The wording is al Bukhari’s.

^[18]  Sahih Muslim, book on funerals, chapter on the dead person is punished due to his family crying over him, Hadith: 932.

^[19]  Sahih al Bukhari, chapters on ‘Umrah, chapter on how many ‘Umrahs the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam performed, Hadith: 1776; Sahih Muslim, book on Hajj, chapter on the number and time of the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ‘Umrahs, Hadith: 1255.

^[20]  Sahih Muslim, book on fasting, chapter on the validity of the fast of one upon whom dawn has broken and he is impure, Hadith: 1109; Sahih al Bukhari, book on fasting, chapter on the fasting person becoming impure, Hadith: 1926.

^[21]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on divorce, chapter on the incident of Fatimah bint Qais, Hadith: 5356; Sahih Muslim, book on divorce, chapter on there is no maintenance for the one given three divorces, Hadith: 1481. The wording is al Bukhari’s.

^[22]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on holding fast to the Qur’an and Sunnah, chapter on what is mentioned regarding the condemnation of opinion and the exertion of analogy, Hadith: 7307; Sahih Muslim, book on knowledge, chapter on removal of knowledge, Hadith: ‎2673. The wording is Muslim’s. Al Bukhari’s wording is:

والله لقد حفظ عبد الله بن عمرو

By Allah, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr has preserved it.

^[23]  Sahih Muslim, book on funerals, chapter on performing funeral Salah in the Masjid, Hadith: 973.

^[24]  Sahih Muslim, book on faith, chapter on the explanation that forbidding evil is part of faith, Hadith: 50.

^[25]  Unit used for weighing in ancient time.

^[26]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on funerals, chapter on the virtue of following the funeral, Hadith: 1324; Sahih Muslim, book on funerals, chapter on the virtue of Salah for funerals and following it, Hadith: 945. The wording is his.

^[27]  Specific designated words recited by those intending to perform Hajj.

^[28]  Musnad Ahmed, Hadith: 5509; Sahih Muslim, book on Hajj, chapter on Ifrad and Qiran in Hajj and ‘Umrah, Hadith: 1232.

^[29]  Sahih Muslim, book on Hajj, chapter on what is required of one who dons the Ihram for Hajj, Hadith: 1233.

^[30]  ‘Abdul Majid Mahmud: al Ittijahat al Fiqhiyyah ‘Ind Ashab al Hadith fi al Qarn al Thalith al Hijri, pg. 150-184.

^[31]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on marriage, chapter on the marriage of a person in Ihram, Hadith: 5114; Sahih Muslim, book on marriage, chapter on the prohibition of marriage of a person in Ihram and the dislike of proposing to him, Hadith: 1410.

^[32]  Sunan Abi Dawood, book on the rituals of Hajj, chapter on a person in Ihram getting married, Hadith: 1845.

^[33]  Al Bayhaqi: al Sunan al Kubra, Hadith: 14210; al Bayhaqi: Dala’il al Nubuwwah, 4/336, third narration from Sa’id.

^[34]  Ibn Hajar: Fath al Bari, ‎9/65; Ibn ‘Abdul Barr: al Tamhid, ‎3/153.

^[35]  I.e. Ruling pertaining to a pregnant woman whose husband passes away. Will the ‘Iddah end when she gives birth or at the termination of four months and ten days?

^[36]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on the commentary of the Qur’an, Surah al Talaq, chapter on the verse: As for those who are pregnant, their waiting period ends with delivery, Hadith: 4909; Sahih Muslim, book on divorce, chapter on the expiry of the waiting period for a widow and others by giving birth, Hadith: 1485. The wording is Muslim’s.

^[37]  Al Tahawi: Sharh Ma’ani al Athar, Hadith: 3872; Musnad Ahmed, Hadith: 2277.

^[38]  Al Tabarani added in al Awsat:

قال ابن أبي مليكة فخصمه عروة

Ibn Abi Mulaykah said, “‘Urwah beat him in the debate.”

^[39]  Abu Zur’ah al Dimashqi: al Tarikh, pg. 654.

^[40]  ‘Abdur Razzaq: al Musannaf, Hadith: 19018; Ibn Abi Shaybah: al Musannaf, Hadith: 31705; al Darimi: al Sunan, book on inheritance, chapter on husband and parents and wife and parents, Hadith: 2920. His wording is:

خالف ابن عباس أهل القبلة

 Ibn ‘Abbas contradicted the people of the Qiblah.

^[41]  Ibn Hajar: Tahdhib al Tahdhib, 5/279 onwards.

^[42]  Ibn Hajar: Fath al Bari, 11/383.

^[43]  This is the preferred opinion of Ibn Hajar al ‘Asqalani in al Fath, 11/90. Here he discussed the narrations that make mention of ten years and fifteen years and their interpretation. Refer to al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 3/335.

^[44]  Ibn Sa’d narrated in al Tabaqat, 2/367-368 and al Hakim authenticated it, Hadith: 6376, from ‘Ikrimah, that Ibn ‘Abbas narrated:

لما توفي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قلت لرجل من الأنصار هلم نسأل أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فإنهم اليوم كثير فقال واعجبا لك يا ابن عباس أترى الناس يحتاجون إليك وفي الناس من أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من ترى فترك ذلك وأقبلت على المسألة فإن كان ليبلغني الحديث عن الرجل فآتيه وهو قائل فأتوسد ردائي على بابه فتسفي الريح علي التراب فيخرج فيراني فيقول يا ابن عم رسول الله ألا أرسلت إلي فآتيك فأقول أنا أحق أن آتيك فأسألك قال فبقي الرجل حتى رآني وقد اجتمع الناس علي فقال هذا الفتى أعقل مني

When the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam passed away, I said to a man from the Ansar, “Come, let us seek (knowledge from) the Companions of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for they are many today.”

He said, “I am amazed at you, Ibn ‘Abbas. Do you think people need you whilst the Companions of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam are amongst them?” So he left that and I proceeded to seek knowledge. If I learnt of any hadith by a person, I would come to him. He would be taking a siesta so I would spread my cloak at his door (and wait for him). The wind would blow dust on me. When he would come out and see me he would say, “O cousin of the Prophet of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, why did you not send for me so that I could come to you?”

I would say, “I am more worthy of coming to you to learn from you.”

Thus, the man remained like this until he saw me when the people had gathered around me. He remarked, “This youngster was wiser than me.”

Tawus narrates from Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu:

إن كنت لأسأل عن الأمر الواحد ثلاثين من أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم

I would ask thirty of the Companions of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam about one matter. (Its chain is authentic. Al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 3/344.)

^[45]  Al Bayhaqi: al Madkhal ila Kitab al Sunan, 2/572.

^[46]  See their biographies by al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 4/50–54.

^[47]  Al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 4/57.

^[48]  Al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 4/64.

^[49]  Al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 4/67.

^[50]  ‘Abdul Majid Mahmud: al Ittijahat al Fiqhiyyah ‘Ind Ashab al Hadith, pg. 163.

^[51]  ‘Abdul Majid Mahmud: al Ittijahat al Fiqhiyyah ‘Ind Ashab al Hadith, pg. 167.

^[52]  Al Dhahabi: Tadhkirat al Huffaz, 1/32; al Bayhaqi: al Madkhal, 2/569, narrating from Malik that Nafi’ said:

كان عبد الله بن عمر وعبد الله بن عباس يجلسان للناس عند قدوم الحاج قال كنت أجلس إلى هذا يوما وإلى هذا يوما فكان ابن عباس يجيب ويفتي في كل ما‎ ‏يسأل عنه وكان ابن عمر يرد أكثر مما‎ يفتي

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas would sit for the people when the pilgrims arrived. He said, “One day, I used to sit by this one and the next day, by the other one. Ibn ‘Abbas would answer and issue verdicts on everything he was asked about and Ibn ‘Umar would abstain more than issue verdicts.”

^[53]  Refer to the study of our professor, Dr. ‘Abdul Majid Mahmud: al Ittijahat al Fiqhiyyah ‘Ind Ashab al Hadith, for its importance in comparing him and Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu, pg. 176-184.

^[54]  ‘Abdur Razzaq: al Musannaf, 3/107, Hadith: 4954.

^[55]  Al Tahawi: Sharh Ma’ani al Athar, 1/250, Hadith: 1483.

^[56]  Refer to some details related to the status of Anas radiya Llahu ‘anhu in Basrah in my research, Madinat Riwayah la Madinat Fiqh wa ‘Amal Mutawarith: Dirasah fi Athar Anas ibn Malik al Hadithi wa al Fiqhi fi Basrah (A city of narration, not a city of jurisprudence and inherited practice: A study of the Hadith and Fiqhi impact of Anas ibn Malik in Basrah), pg. 1509–1516.

^[57]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on Tawhid, chapter on the speech of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala on the Day of Resurrection with the prophets and others, Hadith: 751; Sahih Muslim, book on faith, chapter on the people of Jannat with the lowest in status therein, Hadith: 193. The wording is al Bukhari’s.

^[58]  Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, 31/117; al Bayhaqi: Shu’ab al Iman, 8/268.

^[59]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on seeking repentance from the apostates, chapter on killing the Khawarij and Atheists after establishing evidence against them, Hadith: 6930; Sahih Muslim, book on Zakat, chapter on incitement to kill the Khawarij, Hadith: 1066. The wording is Muslim’s.

^[60]  Ahmed Snubar: al Tanafus al ‘Ilmi Bayn Tabaqat Sighar al Sahabah wa Tabaqat al Tabi’in: Dirasah Tahliliyyah li al Munaqashat al ‘Ilmiyyah Bayn Ibn ‘Abbas wa Ba’d al Tabi’in (Scholarly competition between the Junior Companions and the class of the Tabi’in: An analytical study of the scholarly discussions between Ibn ‘Abbas and some of the Tabi’in), printed in the proceedings of the Conference of the Companions, Sakarya University.

^[61]  Ibn Sa’d: al Tabaqat, 6/285.

^[62]  Al Khalali: al Irshad, 2/555.

^[63]  Al Khalali: al Irshad, 2/556.

^[64]  Al Fasawi: al Ma’rifah wa al Tarikh, 1/469.

^[65]  Ibn Sa’d: al Tabaqat, 5/121 onwards; Ibn Abi Khaythamah: al Tarikh, 2/112; al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 4/225.

^[66]  Ibn Sa’d: al Tabaqat, 7/172; Ibn Abi Shaybah: al Musannaf, 19/472, Hadith: 36745.

^[67]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on the battles, chapter on the hadith of Ka’b ibn Malik, and the saying of Allah: And (Allah has also turned in mercy to) the three who had remained behind, Hadith: 4418; Sahih Muslim, book on repentance, chapter on the hadith of the repentance of Ka’b ibn Malik and his two companions, Hadith: 2769. Previous wording is al Bukhari’s.

^[68]  Al Zarkashi: al Bahr al Muhit, 3/358.

^[69]  Al Baladhuri: Ansab al Ashraf, 1/325.

^[70]  Refer to the comments on al Suyuti: Tadrib al Rawi, 5/185.