Ahadeeth Were
Recorded During The Lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) With His Permission!
You
must also know the difference between recording and compilation!
By:
Shahid Bin Waheed شاهد
بن وحيد
بسم الله
الرحمن
الرحيم
الحمدلله
رب العالمين
والصلوة
والسلام على اشرف
الانبياء
وسيدالمرسلين
نبينا محمد صل
ا لله عليه
وعلى آله
واصحابه
وازواجه
اجمعين -
امابعد
All the praises and
thanks be to Allaah, Sustainer of the Universe, and blessing and salutation to
be the most distinguish of the Messengers and foremost among the
Prophets, our Prophet Muhammad, peace
and blessings of Allaah be on him and on his wives, children and Companions.
This treatise on the misconception about
Ahadeeth will provide readers with the facts about the process how, when and
where the Ahadeeth were recorded and then compiled.
·
Ahadeeth were recorded during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad
(SAW) with his permission.
·
The
Promise to Protect the Glorious Qur’aan Includes the Protection of
Hadeeth.
·
One
who says that Ahadeeth are not absolutely protected is really saying that the
Glorious Qur’aan is not protected.
Orientalists and Christian missionaries’
attacks on the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) are because they fully
realize the importance of the Sunnah in Islaam. Due to the general lack of
knowledge among Muslims regarding the Sunnah and Hadith, they have found this
to be an opening through which they may attack Islaam and create doubts in
Muslims’ mind.
Al-Baghdaadi records a number of Ahadeeth that
show that the Prophet (SAW) explicitly allowed the recording of his
Ahadeeth. Following are some (not all) examples:
1. Al-Daarimi and Abu Dawood in their Sunans recorded that
Abdullah Ibn al-As stated that they used to record everything they heard from
the Prophet (SAW). They were warned against doing so as, it was argued, the
Prophet (SAW) was a human being that may be angry at times and pleased at
times. Abdullah stopped writing his Hadith until they could ask the Prophet
(SAW) about this issue. The Messenger of Allaah (SAW) told him,
“Write [My Hadith] by the One in whose hand is my soul,
nothing leaves it [the Prophet’s (SAW) mouth] save the
truth.”
[That
is, whether he was angry or pleased what he spoke was always the truth]
According to Shaikh-ul-Hadith Al-Albaani,
this Hadith is Saheeh (See Muhammad Naasir al-Deen al-Albaani, Saheeh Sunan
Abi Dawood (
2. Al-Bukhari, in his Saheeh, recorded that Abu
Hurairah (RA) said, “One can find none of the Companions of the
Messenger of Allaah relating more Ahadeeth than I, except Abdullah Ibn Amr
because he used to record the Hadith while I did not do so.” Ibn Hajr, commenting
on this Hadith, explained how Abu Hurairah (RA) could have narrated so many
more Ahadeeth than Abdullah Ibn Amr. [See Ahmad Ibn Hajr, Fath al-Baari (
3. Al-Bukhari recorded that a person from
4. Al-Azami writes, “The Prophet (SAW)
himself sent hundreds of letters. Many of these were very lengthy, containing formulas
for prayers and worship.” These are, in reality, nothing more than
Hadith of the Prophet (SAW). [Al-Azami, Early Hadith, p. 23. Muhammad Ibn Tooloon al-Dimishqi
(880-953 A.H.) complied a number of such letters in a book: Muhammad Ibn
Tooloon al-Dimishqi, Ilaam al-Saaileen an Kutub Sayyid al-Mursaleen
(Beruit: Muassasah al-Risaalah, 1987, passim.]
There is no question, therefore, that the recording
of the Hadith began during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). This
practice of writing of Hadith continued after the death of the Messenger of
Allaah (SAW). Al-Azami, in his work Studies of Early Hadith Literature, has
listed and discussed some fifty
Companions
of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who had recorded Hadith. [Al-Azami, Early Hadith, pp. 34-60.]
Note the following:
Abd Allah B. Abbas [RA] (3 B.H.-68 A.H.): He was so eager for
knowledge that he would ask as many as 30 (Thirty) Companions about a single
incident…It seems he wrote what he heard and sometimes even employed his
slaves for this purpose…The following derived Hadith from him in written
form: Ali b. Abdullah Ibn Abbas, Amr b.
Dinar, Al-Hakam b. Miqsam, Ibn Abu Mulaikah, Ikrimah… Kuraib, Mujahid,
Najdah, Said b. Jubair. [Al-Azami,
Studies of Early Hadith, pp. 40-42 ** in Azami’s word
“b” stands for bin/ibn {son of}]
Abd Allah B. Umar B. al-Khattab [RA] (10 B.H.
– 74 A.H.): He transmitted a large number of Ahadeeth, and was so strict in
relating them that he did not allow the order of a word to be changed even
though it would not have altered the meaning… He had books, One Kitab
(book), which belonged to Umar (RA), and was in his possession, was read to him
by Nafi several times… The following derived Hadith from him in written
form: Jamil b. Zaid al-Tai… Nafi
client of Ibn Umar, Said b. Jubair, Abd al-Aziz b. Marwan, Abd al-Malik b.
Marwan, Ubaid Allah b. Umar, Umar b. Ubaid Allah…[Azami, Studies of Early Hadith,
pp. 45-46]
Al-Azami also compiled a list, discussing each personality, of
forty-nine people of the “first century successors” who recorded
Hadith [Al-Azami, Early
Hadith, pp. 60-74].
Al-Azami goes on to list eighty-seven of “the scholars covering the late first
and early second centuries” 251 people who collected and record Ahadeeth [Ibid., pp. 106-182]. Thus, Al-Azami has
produced a list of 437 scholars who had recorded Ahadeeth, and all of them
lived and died before the years 250 A.H.
To quote al-Azami, “Recent research has
proved that almost all of the Ahadeeth of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was [sic]
written down in the life of the Companions, which stretched to the end of the
first century.” [Al-Azami,
Methodology, p. 30.]
Readers, please note that I have quoted very few
examples out of plethora that is available, as PROOF and excellent
documentation of Islaamic record that no other religion and/or its followers
can even come close to producing something like it.
There are over FIFTY Ayaat in Glorious Qur’aan about the “authority and importance” of the Sunnah.
Following are the references for the readers from the Glorious Qur’aan
according to the order of the Glorious Qur’aan (the Ayaat obliging the
belief in Prophet Muhammad (SAW) are not included in the references:
2:129; 2:151; 2:231; 3:31; 3:32; 3:132;
3:164; 4:13; 4:14; 4:42; 4:59; 4:61; 4:64; 4:65; 4:69; 4:80; 4:1134:115; 5:92;
7:157; 7:158; 8:12-13; 8:20; 8:24; 9:71; 16:44; 24:48-52; 24:54; 24:56; 24:62;
24:63; 27:79; 33:21; 33:34; 33:36; 33:66; 33:71; 36:3-4; 42:3-4; 43:33; 48:10;
48:17; 49:1-2; 53:2-4; 58:5; 58:9; 59:7; 62:2; 64:12 & 72:23.
Let me elaborate the meaning and concept of Sunnah, according to the correct
“Aqeedah” of Muslims, since Murtadd Akbarally Meherally has shown
complete ignorance about it. The shallow knowledge he may have, he uses that to
distort the truth. Often those who are ignorant and/or lack the understanding
of Deen-e-Islaam mix the Seerah with Sunnah and/or pre-Islaam actions of the
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as a rule, which is not correct.
The meanings of the words “Sunnah” and “Hadeeth”!
The scholars of different disciplines use
the word “Sunnah” in different ways. Readers must know that each
discipline defines and uses the word in the manner that is most appropriate for
its needs and purposes. The word “Sunnah” when used in its most
general and common sense, then the word is a reference to the overall teachings
and way of the life of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). However, to be exact,
different types of scholars to connote very different concepts use the word
“Sunnah”. This is because the purpose and goals of the various
disciplines are different. Therefore, in particular, one needs to differentiate
the meaning of the word (Sunnah) as it is used in general parlance and how it
is used as a technical term by the specialists in Aqeedah (creed and
beliefs), jurisprudence, Islaamic legal theory and the scholars of Hadith.
Thus, the definitions of the word “Sunnah” are different as used by
the:
·
Jurists
·
Scholars of Hadith
·
In Islaamic Legal Theory
·
Specialists in Aqeedah
Meaning of the word Hadeeth!
In Glorious Qur’aan and Hadeeth, the word
has been used in reference to a religious communication, a story of a general
nature, a historical story and a current story or communication. As a technical
term, a Hadith is basically any report of the Messenger of Allaah’s (SAW)
saying, action, tacit approval, manners, physical characteristics or
biographical data. In other words, it is any report about the
“Sunnah” as defined by the scholars of Hadeeth.
There are two other important terms that are
closely related. One is Khabar and the other is Athar. The word Khabar
literally means “a report, news.” Some scholars of Hadeeth as a
synonym use it for Hadith. However, others use the word Hadith for what is
attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and what is attributed to other than
the Prophet (SAW) would be called Khabar. Therefore, a person
specializing in the Sunnah is called a Muhaddith, while someone
concerned with history and other narrations is called Ikhbaari.
Al-Suyooti notes that when the word “Hadith” is used by itself,
without any additional adjectives describing its source, it should only be used
in reference to Hadeeth of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Athar literally
means the remnants or remains of something. Technically, it is used for what is
narrated from the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), his Companions, their followers, and
other early scholars. A person who studies these reports and follows them is
referred to as Athari. Al-Suyooti says that Athar should be used
only for what is narrated from the Companions and the followers and not for
what comes from the Prophet (SAW), which should be termed as Hadith. (Cf., Muhammad Dhiyaa
al-Rahmaan al-Adhami, Mujam Mustalabaat al-Hadeeth wa Lataaif al-Asaaneed (
Before rushing to conclusion without knowledge
and understanding one must know the relationship between the Sunnah and Hadeeth.
The Sunnah is the reality or the actual statement, act or tacit approval of the
Prophet Muhammad (SAW)- what he actually did, said or approved of. There is no
such thing as a “weak Sunnah” or a “rejected Sunnah.”
However, that actual Sunnah is captured in the reports that have come down from
the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), which constitute the Hadeeth literature. In that
Hadeeth literature not every report is correct and substantiated. Also Muslims
don’t make any claims to that effect. Indeed, some reports are even
blatant fabrications. Therefore, one must understand that entire Hadeeth
Literature does not represent the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Only the acceptable Hadith represent
and portray the real Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (SAW).
Allaah’s Preservation of the
Sunnah!
The Proofs that Allaah (SWT) preserved the Sunnah
are both i.e. textual and logical. The textual argument is based on the Ayah:
Verily, We, it is
We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the
Qur’ān) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption) {1}
.
{1} (V.15: 9) This Verse
is a challenge to mankind and everyone is obliged to believe in the miracles of
this Qur’ān. It is a clear fact that more than 1400 years have elapsed
and not a single word of this Qur’ān has been changed, although the
disbelievers tried their utmost to change it in every way, but they failed
miserably in their efforts. As it is mentioned in this holy Verse: "We
will guard it." By Allāh! He has guarded it. On the contrary, all the
other holy Books (the Taurāt (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel).) have been corrupted
in the form of additions or subtractions or alterations in the original text.
The word al-dhikr الذِّكْر and it derivatives have
numerous meanings in the Glorious Qur’aan. It is sometimes used for
Qur’aan, as in,
And this is a blessed Reminder (the Qur’ān), which We have
sent down: will you then (dare
to) deny it? {1}
{1} (V.21: 50). a) See (V.10: 37). b) See (V.3: 85).
And sometimes it is used for Sunnah, as in,
With
clear signs and Books (We sent the Messengers). And We have also sent down unto
you (O Muhammad صلى الله
عليه و سلم) the Dhikr (reminder
and the advice (i.e. the Qur’ān)), that you may explain clearly to men
what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought.
Readers must know that
in addition, the word “Dhikr” may be sued to be in reference
to Allaah’s Deen and law as a whole. This is its purport in the
Ayah (verse),
And We
sent not (as Our Messengers) before you (O Muhammad صلى
الله عليه و
سلم) any but
men, whom We sent revelation, (to preach and invite mankind to believe in the
Oneness of Allāh). So ask (you, O pagans of Makkah) of those who know the Scripture (learned men of the Taurāt (Torah) and the
Injeel (Gospel)), if you know not.
The word “Dhikr”
in the above Ayah (verse) means Allaah’s religion, or everything that
Allaah has revealed as the guidance of mankind. Therefore, a priori, it
cannot be stated that that al-dhikr الذِّكْر in,
Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr
(i.e. the Qur’ān) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption) {1}
.
is referring only
to Glorious Qur’aan. It is rather referring to Qur’aan and Sunnah
both. On this point ibn Hazm noted,
“There is no difference of opinion from
anyone among the specialists in language or of the Shariah that all of what
Allaah has revealed is [referred to as] the sent down al-dhikr
الذِّكْر. And all
of the inspiration is preserved with certainty by its preservation by Allaah.
Anything that Allaah preserves with His preservation will not have anything
lost from it. Nor will anything ever by distorted of it except that there would
appear clear proof showing the falsehood [of that distortion]” {Ibn Hazm, Al-Ihkaam fi Usool al-Ihkaam, vol. 1, p. 109.}
The
Promise to Protect the Glorious Qur’aan Includes the Protection of
Hadeeth!
As a matter of
principle, all learned scholars and/or peoples agree that the Glorious
Qur’aan is neither the name of the words of Qur’aan alone, nor that
of its meanings alone, instead, a combination of both is called Qur’aan.
The reason is that Qur’aanic meanings and subjects appear in other books
as well, and as for Islaamic writings, their subjects are essentially
Qur’aanic, but they are not called Qur’aan, because they are not
the words of the Glorious Qur’aan. Similarly, if a person were to borrow
different words and sentences from the Glorious Qur’aan and writes an article
and/or treatise, no one will this too by the name of Qur’aan, even though
there is no word from outside the Qur’aan. This leads to the conclusion
that the Glorious Qur’aan is the exclusive name of the particular
Divinely revealed Book, the words and meanings of which are simultaneously
protected.
It is obvious that
the meanings of the Glorious Qur’aan are the same as the Prophet Muhammad
(SAW) was sent to teach, as we read in the Glorious Qur’aan 16:44,
لِتُبَيِّنَ
لِلنَّاسِ
مَا نُزِّلَ
إِلَيْهِمْ that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them,
We further read in Ayaah 3:164 the following:
Indeed Allāh conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) from among themselves, reciting unto them His Verses (the Qur’ān), and purifying them (from sins by their following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Qur’ān) and Al-Hikmah (the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم (i.e. his legal ways, statements, acts of worship)), while before that they had been in manifest error. {1}
{1} (V.3:164) Following the Sunnah (legal
ways) of the Prophet صلى
الله عليه
وسلم.
And the Statement of Allāh عز
وجل -
"And make us leaders for the righteous." (V.25:74). Mujāhid said,
"(Make us) a community that follows the Muttaqūn (righteous)
people who preceded us, and whom those succeeding may follow." Ibn
‘Aun said, "(There are) three things which I love for myself and for
my brothers, i.e. this Sunnah
(the legal ways of the Prophet صلى الله
عليه وسلم) which they should learn and ask about; the Qur’ān which
they should understand and ask the people about; and that they should leave the
people except when intending to do good (for them)." (Sahih Al-Bukhāri, Vol.9, Chap. 2, P.282) A) Narrated Hudhaifah: Allāh’s
Messenger صلى
الله عليه
وسلم
said to us, "Certainly Al-Amānah
(the trust or the moral responsibility or
honesty, and all the duties which Allāh has ordained) descended from the
heavens and settled in the roots of the hearts of men (faithful believers), and
then the Qur’ān was revealed and the people read the Qur’ān, (and learnt
Al-Amānah from it) and also learnt it from the Sunnah , (Both
the Qur’ān and As-Sunnah
strengthened their (the faithful
believer’s) Amānah
)." (Sahih Al-Bukhāri,
Vol. 9, Hadīth No.381). B) Narrated Abu Hurairah رضي
الله عنه: Allāh’s Messenger صلى
الله عليه
وسلم
said, "All my followers will enter
Since
the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was sent to explain the meanings of the Glorious
Qur’aan and to impart education to the people, then, he used a set of his
saying and/or doing as the medium for his community. This very set of the words
and deeds are known as the Hadeeth.
One who says that Ahadeeth are not absolutely protected is really saying that the Glorious Qur’aan is not protected!
Those who attack Islaam under pretext that Ahadeeth are not trustworthy and/or were complied later are certainly wrong. Later compilation does not means Ahadeeth never existed and/or were documents. Ahadeeth were recorded during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as proved above, later compilation means that they were put together in form of Books. This assumption of Hadeeth rejecters and enemies of Islaam is not correct because the process of protection and documentation of Ahadeeth had already started within the age of Prophethood itself as proved above, though it was compiled later. In addition to that Ahadeeth are really the explanation and the meanings of the Glorious Qur’aan. Thus, their protection is something, which Allaah has taken upon Himself. Therefore, how can it be possible that only the words of the Qur’aan remain protected while the meanings of the Qur’aan (i.e. Ahadeeth) go to waste?
Allaah (SWT)
through humans used many means by which He preserved the Sunnah. Some of these
aspects are unique to Muslim Ummaah. This is a great blessing and bounty from
Allaah (SWT) for which every Muslim should be sincerely grateful to Allaah
(SWT) and grateful to those individuals who sacrificed their time, wealth in
order to preserve the teachings of the best of the creations and last and final
Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Obviously, the means of preservation had to be followed
from the earliest times in order to truly preserve the Hadeeth of Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) few are briefly mentioned here.
□ First,
there was the understanding of the Companions about their responsibility for
conveying the Hadeeth of Prophet Muhammad (SAW); they must have understood that
they must convey the words of the Prophet (SAW) with the utmost accuracy.
□ In the
early years, there began the work of Hadeeth criticism and criticism of the
narrators. This developed into a science known as al-jarh wa
al-tadeel.
□ There was
also the recording or writing down of the Hadeeth of the Prophet Muhammad
(SAW). Obviously, in general, one of the ways of preserving something is to
record it. There have been many claim and misconceptions surrounding the
recording of Hadith. But the proof has been cited above that shows that the
misconceptions are not true.
□ A very
important and unique aspect that worked to preserve the Sunnah was of
the use of Isnaad or chain of narrators, tracing one’s source all
the way back to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
□ Another
unique phenomena that appeared and assisted in preservation of Sunnah was the
traveling in search of Hadeeth, in order to check the sources and gather more
Hadeeth together.
Finally,
I would respectfully remind my Muslim brothers and sisters that when you read
and/or hear something against Islaam; please remember the teachings of Glorious
Qur’aan, which are as follows:
O you
who believe! If a Fāsiq (liar - evil person) comes to
you with any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in
ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful for what you have done.
Also read: Preservation
of the Glorious Qur’aan & Sunnah!
Friday,
September 05, 2003