The Science of Hadith
by Dr. Suhaib Hassan All Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and on his family and companions.
" We have undoubtedly sent down the Reminder,
and We will truly preserve it " [Al-Qur'an 15:9]
The above promise made by Allah is obviously fulfilled in the undisputed purity of the Qur'anic text throughout the fourteen centuries since its revelation. However, what is often forgotten by many Muslims is that the above divine promise also includes, by necessity, the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), for it is the practical example of the implementation of the Qur'anic guidance, the Wisdom taught to the Prophet (s.a.w) along with Scripture, and neither the Qur'an nor the Sunnah can be understood correctly without recourse to the other.
Hence, Allah preserved the Qur'an from being initially lost by the martyrdom of its memorisers, by guiding the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, endorsed by the consensus of the Messenger's Companions, to compile the ayat (signs, miracles, "Verses") of the Qur'an into one volume, after these had been scattered in writing on various materials and in memory amongst many faithful hearts. He safeguarded it from corruption by its enemies: disbelievers, heretics, and false prophets, by enabling millions of believers to commit it to memory with ease. He protected its teachings by causing thousands of people of knowledge to learn from its deep treasures and convey them to the masses, and by sending renewers of His Deen at the beginning of every century.
Similarly, Allah preserved the Sunnah by enabling the Companions and those after them to memorise, write down and pass on the statements of the Messenger (s.a.w) and the descriptions of his Way, as well as the continue the blessings of practising the Sunnah. Later, as the purity of the knowledge of the Sunnah became threatened, Allah caused the Muslim nation to produce outstanding individuals of incredible memory-skills and analytical expertise, who journeyed tirelessly to collect hundreds of thousands of narrations and distinguish the true words of precious wisdom of their Messenger (s.a.w), from those corrupted by weak memories, from forgeries by unscrupulous liars, and from the statements of the enormous number of 'ulama', the Companions and those who followed their way, who had taught in various centres of learning and helped to transmit the legacy of Muhammad (s.a.w) - all of this achieved through precise attention to the words narrated and detailed familiarity with the biographies of the thousands of reporters of Hadith. Action being the best way to preserve teachings, the renewers of Islam also revived the practice of the blessed authentic Sunnah.
Unfortunately however, statements will continue to be attributed to the Prophet (s.a.w) although the person quoting them may have no idea what the people of knowledge of Hadith have ruled regarding those ahadith, thus ironically being in danger of contravening the Prophet's widely-narrated stern warnings about attributing incorrect/unsound statements to him.
Below are some very commonly-quoted ahadith, which actually vary tremendously in their degree of authenticity from the Prophet (s.a.w):
Hadith no. 1
" Allah says, ' I was a hidden treasure, and I wished to be known, so I created a creation (mankind), then made Myself known to them, and they recognised Me' "
Verdict Regarding Hadith no. 1
Ibn Taimiyyah says, "It is not from the words of the Prophet (s.a.w), and there is no known isnad for it, neither sahih nor da'if; al-Zarkashi (d.794), Ibn Hajar, al-Suyuti and others agree with him. Al-Qar says, "But its meaning is correct, deduced from the statement of Allah, I have not created the Jinn and Mankind, except to worship Me, i.e. to recognise / know me, as Ibn Abbas has explained." These statements are mentioned by al-Ijlouni, who adds, "This saying occurs often in the words of the Sufis, who have relied on it and built upon it some of their principles." [Isma'il bin Muhammad al-Ijlouni, Kashf al-Khafa (2 vols. In 1. Cairo / Aleppo, N.D.) no. 2016].
Hadith no. 2
Allah says, ' Were it not for you (O Muhammad),
I would not have created the universe ' "
Verdict Regarding Hadith no. 2
Al-Ijlouni says, "Al-Saghani (d. 650) said: Maudu. I say: But its meaning is correct, even if it is not a hadith." No. 2123. Ali al-Qari says, "But its meaning is correct, for al-Dailami has related from Ibn Abbas as Marfu: 'that Jibril came to me and said: O Muhammad! Were it not for you, the Garden would not have been created, and were it not for you, the Fire would not have been created', and in the narration of Ibn Asakir: 'Were it not for you, the world would not have been created'." Al-Albani also quotes al-Saghani's verdict, and comments on al-Qari's words thus, "It is not appropriate to certify the correctness of its meaning without establishing the authenticity of the narration from al-Dailami, which is something I have not found any of the scholars to have addressed. Personally, although I have not come across its isnad, I have no doubt about its weakness; enough of an indication for us is that al-Dailami is alone in reporting it. As for the narration of Ibn Asakir, Ibn al-Juzi also related it in a long marfu hadith from Salman and said, 'It is maudu, and al-Suyuti endorsed this in al-la ali." [Al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Da'ifah, no. 282].
Hadith no. 3
" Allah says, ' Neither My heaven nor My earth can contain Me,
but the heart of My believing slave can contain Me' "
Verdict Regarding Hadith no. 3
Al-Ijlouni says, "Al-Ghazali mentioned it in Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din with the wording, Allah says, "Neither My heaven nor My earth could contain Me, but the soft, humble heart of my believing slave can contain Me." Al-'Iraqi said in his notes on Al-Ihya'. "I do not find a basis (i.e. isnad) for it", and al-Suyuti agreed with him, following al-Zarkashi. Al-Iraqi then said, "But in the hadith of Abu Utbah in al-Tabarani there occurs: ... the vessels of your Lord are the hearts of His righteous slaves, and the most beloved to Him are the softest and most tender ones." Ibn Taimiyyah said, "It is mentioned in the Israelite traditions, but there is no known isnad from the Prophet (s.a.w) for it." Al-Sakhawi said in Al-Maqasid, following his shaykh al-Suyuti in Al-La ali, "There is no known isnad from the Prophet (s.a.w) for it, and its meaning is that his heart can contain belief in Me, love of Me and gnosis of Me. But as for the one who says that Allah incarnates in the hearts of the people, is more of an infidel than the Christians, who specified that to Christ alone. It seems that Ibn Taimiyyah's mention of Israelite tradition refers to what Ahmad has related in Al-Zuhd from Wahb bin Munabbih who said that Allah opened the heavens for Ezekiel until he saw the Throne, so Ezekiel said, 'How Perfect are You! How Mighty are You, O Lord!' So Allah said, 'Truly, the heavens and the earth were too weak to contain Me, but the soft, humble heart of my believing slave contain Me'." He also quoted from al-Zarkashi's writing that one of the scholars said that it is a false hadith, fabricated by a renegade (from the religion), and that it is most-often quoted by a preacher to the masses, 'Ali bin Wafa, for his own purposes, who says at the time of spiritual rapture and dacne, "Go round the House of your Lord." He further said that al-Tabarani has related from Abu Utbah al-Khawlani as marfu, "Truly, Allah has vessels from amongst the people of earth, and the vessels of your Lord are the hearts of his reghteous slaves, and the most beloved of them to Him are the softest and most tender ones;" in its isnad is Baqiyyah bin al-Walid, a mudallis, but he has clearly stated hearing the hadith [Kashf al-Khafa, no. 2256]." Al-albani rates this last hadith mentioned as hasan. [Sahih al-Jami al-Saghir, no. 2163; Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihah, no. 1691].
Hadith no. 4
" He who knows himself, known his Lord "
Verdict Regarding Hadith no. 4
Al-Nawawi said, "I is not established." Ibn Taimiyyah said, "Maudu." Al-Sam'ani said, "It is not known as marfu, but it is quoted as a statement of Yahya bin Mu'adh al-Razi." Al-Suyuti endorsed al-Nawawi's words, and also said, "this hadith is not authentic." Al-Fairozabadi saod, "It is not Prophetic statement, although most of the people think it is a hadith, but it is not authentic at all. In fact, it is only related in the Israelite traditions: O Man!! Know yourself: you will know your Lord." Ibn al-Gharas said, after quoting al-Nawawi's verdict, "...but the books of the Sufis, such as Shykh Muhi al-Din Ibn 'Arabi and others, are filled with it, being quoted like a hadith." Ibn Arabi also said, "This hadith, although it is not proved by way of narration, is proved to us by way of Kashf (unveiling, while in a trace)." [Kashf al-Khafa, no. 2532; Al-Da'ifah, no. 66]. Regarding this methodology, al-Albani says, "Authenticating ahadith by way of Kashf is a wicked innovation of the Sufis, and depending upon it leads to the authentication of false, baseless ahadith... This is because, even at the best of times, Kashf is like opinion, which may be right or wrong - and that is if no personal desires enter into it! We ask Allah to save us from it, and from everything with which He is not pleased." [Al-Da'ifah, no. 58].
Hadith no. 5
" Love of one's homeland is part of Faith "
Verdict Regarding Hadith no. 5
Maudu', as stated by al-Saghani and others. Scholars differ as to whether its meaning is correct or not, in what way, and to what extent. [Kashf al-Khafa, No. 1102: Al-Da'ifah, no. 36]. It is sometimes used to justify divisive, anti-Islamic nationalism and patriotism!
Hadith no. 6
" I am the City of Knowledge, and 'Ali is its Gage "
Verdict Regarding Hadith no. 6
Related by al-Hakim, al-Tabarani and others. It is also related by al-Tirmidhi with the wording, "I am the House of Wisdom, and Ali is its Door". Al-Daraqutni labelled the hadith as mudtarib, both in isnad and text; al-Tirmidhi said it is gharib and munkar; al-Bukhari said that it has so sahih narration; Ibn Ma'in said that it is a baseless lie. Similar dismissals of the hadith are reported from Abu Zur'ah, Abu Hatim and Yahya bin Sa'd. Al-Hakim declared the orginal hadith as sahih in isnad, but Ibn al-Jauzi regarded both versions as maudu, and al-Dhahabi agreed with him. Several of the later scholars, including Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Ibn Hajar al-Makki and al-Suyuti declared it hasan due to its various routes of narration. Al-Ijlouni says, "...none of this devalues the consensus of the Adherents to the Sunnah from the Companions, the Successors and those after them, that the best of the Companions overall is Abu Bakr, followed by Umar...", and quotes this view from Ibn Umar and Ali himself, as recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari. [Kashf al-Khafa, no. 618]. Al-Albani declares the hadith to be maudu. [Da'if al-Jami al-Saghir, nos, 1410, 1416].
Hadith no. 7
" My companions are like the stars: whichever
of them you follow, you will be guided "
Verdict Regarding Hadith no. 7
A da'if or maudu hadith, as stated by Ahmad bin Hanbal, Ibn Abd al-Barr, al-Bazzar and many others. Ibn Hazm states that not only is the isnad unsound, but the hadith cannot be true for two further reasons: (i) the Companions were not infallible, and hence made mistakes, so it would be wrong to say that following any of them leads to guidance (ii) the comparison with the stars is wrong, for not every star guides one through every journey! There is different, authentic comparison with the stars given in Sahih Muslim: The Prophet (s.a.w) said "The stars are the custodians of the sky, so when the stars depart, there will come to the sky what is promised for it (i.e. on the Day of Judgement). I am the custodian of my Companions, so when I depart, there will come to my Companions what is promised for them (i.e. great trials and tribulations). My Companions are the custodians for my Ummah, so when my Companions depart, there will come to my Ummah what is promised for it (i.e. schisms, spread of innovations, etc)." (4:1961, Eng. Trans. IV: 1344)
Hadith no. 8
" The differing amongst my Ummah is a mercy "
Verdict Regarding Hadith no. 8
No isnad exists for this hadith: al-Subki (d. 756) said, "It is not known to the scholars of Hadith, and I cannot find an isnad for it, whether sahih, da'if, or maudu." It, along with the previous one, is often used to justify the following two extremes: (i) blind following of the views of men, with no reference to the Qur'an and Sunnah; (ii) conveniently following whichever scholar holds the easist view, or that most agreeable to one's desires, again without reference to the fundamental sources.
Hadith no. 9
" Pradise is under the feet of Mothers "
Verdict Regarding Hadith no. 9
The hadith with this wording is da'if, but is meaning is contained in the hadith of Ibn Majah and al-Nasa'I that a man came to the Prophet (s.a.w) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! I intend to go on a (military) expedition, but I have come to ask your advice." He said, "Is your mother alive?" He said, "Yes." He said, "Then stay with her, for the Garden is under her feet." This latter hadith is declared to be sahih by al-Hakim, al-Dhahabi and al-Mundhiri. [Kashf al-Khafa, no. 1078: Al-Da'ifah, no. 593]
Hadith no. 10
" Seeking knowledge is a duty upon every Muslim "
Verdict Regarding Hadith no. 10
This hadith has many chains of narrations of the authority of more than a dozen Companions, including twenty Successors apparently reporting from Ans alone. They are collected by Ibn Majah, al-Bahihaqi, al-Tabarani and others, but all of them are da'if, according to Ahmad bin Hanbal, Ishaq bin Rahuwaih, Ibn Abd al-Barr and others, although some scholars authenticated a few of the chains. Al-Baihaqi said that its text is mashhur while its isnad is da'if, while al-Hakim and Ibn al-Salah regarded it as a prime example of a mashhur hadith which is not sahih. However, it is regarded by later sholars of Hadith as having enough chains of narration to be strengthened to the level of hasan or sahih, a view which is stated by al-Mizzi, al-Iraqi, Ibn Hajr, al-Suyuti and al-Albani. [Kashf al-Khafa, no. 1665: Sahih al-Jami al-Saghir, no. 3913-4].
Hadith no. 11
" Seek knowledge, even if you have to go to China "
Verdict Regarding Hadith no. 11
This additional statement is found in a few of the (weak) narrations of the previous hadith, and is declared as maudu by Ibn Hibban, Ibn al-Jauzi, al-Sakhawi and al-Albani. [Al-Da'ifah, no. 416: Da'if al-Jami al-Saghir, nos. 1005-6].
Hadith no. 12
" The ink of the scholar is holier than the blood of the martyr "
Verdict Regarding Hadith no. 12
Mentioned by al-Manjaniqi is his collection of ahadith of older narrators reporting from younger ones, on the authority of al-Hasan al-Basri. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi said that it is maudu as a narration from the Prophet (s.a.w), but that is a statement of al-Hasan al-Basri. [Kashf al-Khafa, no. 2276].
Hadith no. 13
" We have returned from the lesser Jihad to the greater Jihad "
(i.e., the struggle against the evil of one's soul)
Verdict Regarding Hadith no. 13
Related as marfu by al-Baihaqi with a da'if isnad, according to al-Iraqi. Ibn Hajar said that it is actually a saying of Ibrahim bin Abi Ablah, Successor. [Kashf al-Khafa, no. 1362].
NB: The scholars of Hadith agree that a da'if or maudu hadith must not be attributed to the Prophet (s.a.w), e.g. by saying, "The Prophet said:...", even if the meaning is considered to be correct or if it is actually the saying of a Muslim scholar, for that would be a way of lying about the Prophet (s.a.w).
The methodology of the expert scholars of Hadith in assessing such narrations and sorting out the genuine from the mistaken/fabricated etc., forms the subject-matter of a wealth of material left to us by the muhaddithun (scholars of Hadith, "traditionists"). This short treatise is a humble effort to introduce this extremely wide subject to English readers.
We ask Allah to accept this work, and make it beneficial to its readers.
