Who is a Sahabi and why do some of them narrate frequently while others do not?

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Who is a Sahabi and why do some of them narrate frequently while others do not?

In this discussion, I will present the definition of a Sahabi and explain the reasons for some of them narrating frequently while others did not, and the natural manifestations in narrating frequently and occasionally.

 

1. Who is a Sahabi?

Scholars have differed in defining a Sahabi. One of the clear definitions according to the former scholars is the view of Imam al Bukhari rahimahu Llah (d. 256 AH) which he mentioned at the beginning of the book on the virtues of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum in his al Sahih:

 

ومن صحب النبي  صلى الله عليه وسلم أو رآه من المسلمين فهو من أصحابه

Whoever accompanied or saw the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam from amongst the Muslims is from his Companions.^[1]

 

Thus, whoever saw the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is included in this definition without the requirement of the length of companionship. This is the definition the latter scholars have settled on. Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahu Llah (d. 852 AH) states:

 

الصحابي هو من لقي النبي  صلى الله عليه وسلم مؤمنا به ومات على الإسلام

A Sahabi is he who met the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam believing in him and passed away on Islam.^[2]

 

His statement ‘one who met’ is more encompassing than ‘one who saw’ as this includes eminent Companions like ‘Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum radiya Llahu ‘anhu for he was blind. His statement ‘believing in him’ excludes those who met him as disbelievers, then accepted Islam and did not meet the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam after accepting Islam like the messenger of Heraclius. The hadith regarding him is mentioned in Musnad Ahmed.^[3]

However, this definition is not agreed upon. Majority of the Usuliyyin stipulated lengthy companionship as a condition, citing ‘urf (custom). It has been mentioned that Sa’id ibn al Musayyab stipulated fighting alongside the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in battle to be a condition.^[4] Majority of the Muhaddithin (scholars of Hadith) hold the first view citing linguistics, for the word ‘companion’ applies to anyone who accompanies, regardless of a long or short period.^[5]

Some scholars believe that there are two separate definitions:

First: Those who may be counted among the general Companions. For this, seeing and meeting is sufficient.

Second: Those who are amongst the Companions of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for whom great virtues are mentioned and they were blessed with assisting the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. For this, the custom companionship is required. Thus, those who refute the companionship of those regarding whom seeing (the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is proven, refute it according to this definition.^[6]

This is a strong distinction because the requirement for a hadith to be continuous in its chain, according to the Muhaddithin, is the meeting of the narrator with the one from whom he narrated. They would scrutinise the meeting between the Companion and the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Those for whom mere meeting was established, they counted them amongst the Companions and regarded their chain (of narration) to be continuous; however, the virtues mentioned in the ahadith cannot be established by mere meeting. In the past, the Muhaddithin have distinguished between the classes of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum in terms of virtues.^[7] Accordingly, there is a great distinction between the ten promised Jannat and those who accepted Islam after the Conquest of Makkah. However, the title Sahabi—in terms of meeting—includes all of them in honour of the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam status.^[8]

The statement of ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu regarding the Bedouin who ridiculed the Ansar during his era confirms that the title Sahabi includes anyone who accompanied the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, even for a short while. He stated:

 

 لولا أن له صحبة من رسول الله  صلى الله عليه وسلم ما أدري ما نال فيها لكفيتكموه ولكن له صحبة من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم

Were it not for the fact that he had companionship with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam—I don’t know what he achieved in that—I would have dealt with him for you; however, he enjoyed the companionship of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.^[9]

 

2. Why do some Companions narrate frequently and other do not?

This issue leads us to detail the categorising of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum from two angles:

 

Angle 1: Categories of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum in terms of the precedence of their deaths and the era of narrating ahadith

There are five categories:

1. Those who narrated, issued verdicts, taught, and then passed away during the era of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma such as Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al Jarrah, Bilal ibn Abi Rabah, Muaz ibn Jabal, Abu Malik al Ashja’i, and Saudah bint Zam’ah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. They are the older companions.
2. Those who passed away during the era of ‘Uthman and ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhuma such as ‘Abdul Rahman ibn ‘Awf, Talhah, Zubair, Ibn Mas’ud, Ubayy ibn Ka’b, Abu al Darda’, and Abu Dharr radiya Llahu ‘anhum.
3. Those who passed away during the era of Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu such as Abu Musa al Ash’ari, Abu Hurairah, and Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anhum. They are regarded as the medium Companions as far as age is concerned.
4. Those who passed away during the era of Yazid and ‘Abdullah ibn al Zubair till leadership was established for ‘Abdul Malik such as Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn ‘Umar, Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah, Jabir ibn Samurah, Zaid ibn Arqam, and Abu Sa’id al Khudri radiya Llahu ‘anhum. These are the junior Companions.
5. Junior Companions in various cities such as Anas ibn Malik, Sahl ibn Sa’d, Abu Umamah al Bahili, ‘Abdullah ibn Busr, and Abu al Tufayl al Kinani radiya Llahu ‘anhum.^[10]

This is an important categorisation in the science of Hadith which exhibits the reason for some Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, who passed away later, narrating hadith frequently and those who passed away earlier narrating rarely. This categorisation leads us to the upcoming category.

 

Angle 2: Companions who narrate frequently and those who narrate rarely.

The Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, in terms of narrating ahadith, are divided into those who narrate frequently and those who narrate rarely.

As for those who narrate frequently, experts of hadith usually list seven of them who narrate thousands of narrations, according to their narrations in Musnad Baqi ibn Makhlad. They are:

1. Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu: He narrated 5364 ahadith.
2. Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma: He narrated 2630 ahadith.
3. Anas radiya Llahu ‘anhu: He narrated 2286 ahadith.
4. Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha: She narrated 2210 ahadith.
5. Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma: He narrated 1660 ahadith.
6. Jabir radiya Llahu ‘anhu: He narrated 1540 ahadith.
7. Abu Sa’id al Khudri radiya Llahu ‘anhu: He narrated 1170 ahadith.

Thereafter comes Ibn Mas’ud radiya Llahu ‘anhu. In Musnad Baqi ibn Makhlad, he narrated 848 ahadith. Then ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al ‘As: He narrated 700 ahadith.^[11]

 

From amongst those who rarely narrate are:

Abu Bakr and Khalid ibn al Walid radiya Llahu ‘anhuma.^[12]

The reasons for this disparity could be attributed to several matters, such as time, place, and personal conditions.^[13]

 

A. Time

When we review the date of deaths of the frequently narrating Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, we find that majority of them passed away at a later stage and the masses were in need of their knowledge. Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu passed away in 57 AH, Ibn ‘Umar in 74 AH, Anas in 93 AH, Aisha in 57 AH, Ibn ‘Abbas in 68 AH, Jabir in 78 AH, and Abu Sa’id in 74 AH radiya Llahu ‘anhum. As for Ibn Mas’ud, he passed away in 32 AH and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al ‘As in 63 AH, unlike the older Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum who passed away early.

Therefore, it would be natural for Aisha’s radiya Llahu ‘anha (d. 57 AH) narrations to be more than Fatimah’s radiya Llahu ‘anha (d. 11 AH) and Anas ibn Malik’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu (d. 93 AH) to be more than Abu Bakr’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu (d. 13 AH) as the people were more in need of their knowledge after the demise of most of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and the interest in learning hadith increased.^[14]

 

B. Place

A Sahabi’s place of residence after the demise of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had a great effect in the frequency of his narration. Those who lived in Madinah narrated more than others due to the abundance of delegations, as Madinah was the cradle of knowledge in that era. Similar to Madinah is the condition of the city of Kufah, for it was a strong scholarly city. Thereafter, came the cities of Makkah and Basrah. Meanwhile, we do not see a great effect of Sham and Egypt during that era. Details will follow in due course.

 

C. Personal Conditions

The Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum varied in dealing with Hadith and imparting knowledge. Their circumstances were diverse in this. This can be summarised in several aspects:

1. Their occupation with teaching and presiding for it. Therefore, there is a difference between the senior Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum of the generation that were occupied with conquests, as those were days of political turmoil, and those who presided for teaching during the era of Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, for the political issues were on the path of stability and the conquered cities were stabilising slowly. Similarly, wealth and prosperity increased, which resulted in many people turning to studying and teaching with interest and dedication.

An example of this can be Abu Musa al Ash’ari radiya Llahu ‘anhu (d. 44 AH). Although he was one of the scholars among the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, his occupation with conquests affected his imparting of knowledge and narrating ahadith in Basrah while he was the governor. However, when he relocated to Kufah after 30 AH, he imparted a vast amount of knowledge there.^[15]

Likewise, there is a difference between those Companions who were engaged in worship and those occupied with teaching. It is mentioned about ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al ‘As radiya Llahu ‘anhuma that worship occupied him from teaching.^[16] Thus, it is natural for his narrations to be less than that of Abu Hurairah, even though he wrote and Abu Hurairah did not.

2. Reservation of many senior Companions from narrating ahadith. The method of most of the senior Companions who passed away during the era of the Khulafa’ Rashidin was to answer a question, educate a needy student, or teach without mentioning the hadith. In fact, ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu (d. 23 AH) prevented some of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum from narrating ahadith for some sound reasons which he perceived,^[17] contrary to the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum after them who dedicated themselves to narrating ahadith and did it frequently like Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

3. Close attachment to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Thus, there is a difference between Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha (d. 57 AH)—the wife of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu—who was always attached to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam as is well known—and Anas ibn Malik radiya Llahu ‘anhu (d. 93 AH)—who served the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for ten years, as reported in Sahihayn on one hand and a Sahabi who accepted Islam later, or came to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in a delegation, or was engaged in Jihad such as Khalid ibn Walid radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

4. Method of narrating ahadith. Perhaps Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu is the most famous Sahabi that held special gatherings for narrating ahadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This surprised Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha and she expressed her astonishment openly; however, she did not reject his ahadith. She was merely surprised with his method and stated:

 

لم يكن النبي  صلى الله عليه وسلم يسرد الحديث كسردكم هذا

The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would not narrate Hadith in the manner you are doing.^[18]

 

This means that Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu would hold gatherings for narrating ahadith. He would narrate ahadith one after the other and the Tabi’in (Successors) would memorise them. Many of the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam Companions did not narrate ahadith in this manner. It is thus natural that his narrations would be much more.

5. Confidence in memory. Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu was the most famous Companion in this due to the supplication of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for him. Therefore, he never feared forgetfulness. Thus, his gatherings and narrations were abundant. More details regarding this will follow.

 

 

NEXT⇒ Why do we trust a Sahabi’s narration?

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^[1]  Sahih al Bukhari, 5/2.

^[2]  Ibn Hajar: Nuzhat al Nazar, pg. 111.

^[3]  Refer to Musnad Ahmed, Hadith: 15655. Sa’id ibn Abi Rashid states:

لقيت‏ التنوخي رسول هرقل إلى الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم بحمص وكان جارا لي شيخا كبيرا قد بلغ الفند أو قرب فقلت ألا تخبرني عن رسالة هرقل إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ورسالة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى هرقل فقال بلى قدم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم تبوك فبعث دحية الكلبي إلى هرقل فلما أن جاءه كتاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم دعا قسّيسي الروم وبطارقتها ثم أغلق عليه وعليهم بابا… ‏ الحديث

I met al Tannukhi, the messenger of Heraclius to the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in Hims. He was my neighbour, an old man who reached or was close to senility. I said to him, “Will you not inform me of the epistle of Heraclius to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the epistle of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to Heraclius?”

He replied, “Yes. The Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam came to Tabuk and sent Dihyah al Kalbi to Heraclius. When he received the epistle of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, he called the priests and patriarchs of Rome. He then closed the door on him and them…” till the end of the hadith.

^[4]  This view, despite being well-known and widely circulated in the books of terminologies, is unauthentic. It is a weak narration from Sa’id ibn al Musayyab. (Refer to Tadrib al Rawi, 5/163.)

^[5]  Al Laknawi: Zafar al Amani, pg. 529.

^[6]  Ibn al Jawzi: Talqih Fuhum Ahl al Athar, pg. 72; Muhammad Taqi al ‘Uthmani: Takmilat Fath al Mulhim Sharh Sahih Muslim, 5/48; refer to Ibn ‘Abdul Barr’s discussion in al Isti’ab, 3/916, regarding ‘Abdullah ibn Sarjis al Muzani and his biography in Ibn Hajar: al Isabah, 4/92-93.

^[7]  Al Suyuti: Tadrib al Rawi, 5/198–211, with the comments of our teacher Sheikh Muhammad ‘Awwamah, 5/157, first footnote.

^[8]  Al Zarkashi: al Bahr al Muhit fi Usul al Fiqh, 3/359, as the Muhaddithin broaden the title of a Sahabi contrary to the Usuliyyin, citing the above reason (out of honour for the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). Our teacher Sheikh Muhammad ‘Awwamah commented on it in his research on al Tadrib by saying:

فمذهب المحدثين إثبات الصحبة لمن حصل له شرف أي لقاء بالنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لكنهم لا يغفُلون عن الفرق بين محمد بن أبي بكر الصديق مثلا وبين من زاد على ذلك بإدراكه عدة سنوات من أول عمره مع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كالحسن والحسين وابن الزبير وابن عباس وهم أحداث السن أو صحب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فترة قصيرة أو لعدة سنوات لكنه كان مكتمل الرجولة وما شابه هذه الصور والوقائع فإن الأئمة يقدرون لكل ظرفه وحاله بموازين دقيقة لا تختلط عليهم الفضيلة والشرف بالسن والصحبة والملازمة ولا إرسال صحابي بموصوله ومسموعه وما إلى ذلك من الاعتبارات التي تتفاوت بها موازين الترجيح وانظر كلاما هاما للحافظ ابن حجر في هذا المعنى في فتح الباري ‎٧:٧‏

The stance of the Muhaddithin is to affirm companionship for one who had the honour of meeting the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. However, they do not ignore the difference between Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al Siddiq, for example, and those who acquired more than him, having spent several years from the beginning of their lives with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, such as Hassan, Hussain, Ibn al Zubair, and Ibn ‘Abbas, who were young in age, or who accompanied the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for a short period or for several years being fully matured, and aspects similar to these situations and facts. The imams evaluate each of his circumstances and conditions with precise criteria. They do not confuse virtue and honour with age, companionship, association, nor a mursal narration of a Companion with what he attributed and heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and other considerations through which the criteria for preference vary. See an important discussion by Hafiz Ibn Hajar regarding this in Fath al Bari, 7/7.

^[9]  Ibn al Ja’d narrated this incident in al Musnad, Hadith: 2657; Ibn ‘Asakir: Tarikh Dimashq, 59/205-206; Ibn Hajar: al Isabah, 1/164-165. He states:

رجال هذا الحديث ثقات وقد توقف عمر رضي الله عنه عن معاتبته فضلا عن معاقبته لكونه علم أنه لقي النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وفي ذلك أبين شاهد على أنهم كانوا يعتقدون أن شأن الصحبة لا يعدله شيء

Narrators of this hadith are reliable. ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu abstained from admonishing him let alone punishing him as he knew that he met the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This is the greatest evidence that they believed that nothing can equate the honour of companionship.

From the text of the narration, it becomes apparent that the meeting with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was on a journey and some things occurred on that journey that Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu disliked. Despite that, ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu counted him amongst the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum. “He is who he is in the decree of Allah. This Bedouin’s evil action was proven to him, yet he took into consideration the honour Allah awarded him and the honour he achieved in meeting the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Hence, he left him.” As mentioned by our teacher Muhammad ‘Awwamah in his commentary on Tadrib al Rawi, 5/188.

^[10]  As’ad Salim Taym: ‘Ilm Tabaqat al Muhaddithin, pg. 16.

^[11]  Ibn Hazm: ‘Adad ma li kulli Wahid min al Sahabah min al Hadith, pg. 79-80; Ibn al Jawzi: Talqih Fuhum Ahl al Athar, pg. 263 onwards; al Suyuti: Tadrib al Rawi, 5/188-191. These numbers include ahadith that are repeated in the books and they include authentic and weak narrations. If they were compiled without these, it would be much less.

^[12]  It is reported in Juz’ Ibn Hazm, pg. 82, that the number of ahadith narrated by Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu is 142, which includes repeated, authentic, and weak narrations. In fact, some texts of critics indicate to the fact that all those narrations are not authentically proven from Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Waki’ ibn al Jarrah stated:

لا يصح عن أبي بكر عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ولا حديث واحد

Not a single hadith on the authority of Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is authentic.

Al Qurtubi quoted this in his Tafsir, 6/343. This statement, in its generality, is incorrect. Researchers have debated it in the past as reported by al Qurtubi himself. Our teacher, Sheikh Muhammad ‘Awwamah, debated it in two instances in his commentary on Tadrib al Rawi, 2/240 and 5/192. Nevertheless, this indicates to the fact that authentic ahadith established from Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu are very few.

^[13]  I acquired this categorisation from Professor Dr. Bakr Quzudishli while writing the draft of this book, between the years 2012-2015, during my extensive discussions with him. He later included it in his book, History of the Hadith printed in Turkish. (Bekir Kuzudişli: Hadis Tarihi, s. 89-92.)

^[14]  Ibn Hajar: Fath al Bari, 1/201. He states therein the rarity of hadith from Zubair ibn al ‘Awwam radiya Llahu ‘anhu:

 فمن‏ ثم توقف الزبير وغيره من الصحابة عن الإكثار من التحديث وأما من أكثر منهم فمحمول على أنهم كانوا واثقين من أنفسهم بالتثبت أو طالت أعمارهم فاحتيج إلى ما عندهم فسئلوا فلم يمكنهم الكتمان رضي الله عنهم

It was due to this that Zubair and other Companions abstained from narrating hadith frequently. As for those who narrated frequently, it is attributed to the fact that they were confident in themselves of ascertainment or their lives were prolonged and there was a need for what they knew, so they were asked and could not conceal what they had. May Allah be pleased with them.

In another hadith, while commenting on Anas ibn Malik’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu declaration of his caution in narrating, he states:

ومع ذلك فأنس من المكثرين لأنه تأخرت وفاته فاحتيج إليه كما قدمناه ولم يمكنه الكتمان ويجمع بأنه لوحدث بجميع ما عنده لكان أضعاف ما حدث به

Despite that, Anas radiya Llahu ‘anhu is from amongst those who narrated frequently because he passed away later and there was a need (for his knowledge) as we mentioned before and he thus could not conceal. It is certain that if he narrated all that he knew, it would be much more than what he already narrated.

^[15]  Ahmed Snubar: Madrasat al Basrah al Hadithiyyah fi al Nisf al Awwal min al Qarn al Awwal al Hijri, research on the reasons for the scholarly underdevelopment compared to the school of Kufah, published in the magazine Tasawwur, volume 6, edition 1, pg. 339–453.

^[16]  Ibn Hajar: Fath al Bari, 1/207.

^[17]  See details of it in Ibn ‘Abdul Barr: Jami’ Bayan al ‘Ilm, 2/1004 onwards; al Bayhaqi: al Madkhal Ila Kitab al Sunan, 1/322 onwards. More details will follow when discussing the critical authority during the senior Companions’ radiya Llahu ‘anhum era.

^[18]  Sahih al Bukhari, book on virtues, chapter on the description of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, Hadith: 3568; Sahih Muslim, book on the virtues of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, chapter on the virtues of Abu Hurairah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, Hadith: 2493.