Light On the Muhammadan Sunnah Or Defence of the Hadith
His Reporting From Ka'b Al-ahbar:
Ulama’ of hadith state, under the bab "The Companions reporting from the Followers" or "Riwayat al-Akabir 'an al-Asaghir", that Abu Hurayrah, the three Abds, Mu'awiyah and Anas and others used to report from Ka'b al-Ahbar, the Jew who proclaimed Islam delusively, hiding his Jewish belief inside his heart. It seems that Abu Hurayrah was more than other Companions beguiled by him, having confidence in him, and in reporting traditions from him and his (Jew) brothers, as he was more prolific
in relation of hadith. Out of investigation it can be discovered that Ka'b al-Ahbar has imposed his faculty of sagacity upon naivety of Abu Hurayrah so as to seize, and control him, growing him so as to dictate upon him whatever he intended to propagate into Islam; the superstitions and fancies, following in this regard strange means and wonderful methods.
In Tabaqat al-huffaz, al-Dhahabi — under the bab “Tarjumat Abu Hurayrah” — reported that Ka'b said in his regard: I have never met one who had never read the Torah to be having more knowledge of its contents than Abu Hurayrah!!
Thus we come to realize the extent of sagacity of this priest and his artifice against Abu Hurayrah, which is manifest through his biography that shows him to be a man of unawareness and inexperience! As how could Abu Hurayrah be acquainted with what the Torah contained while he never knew about it, and had he known he would have never been able to read it 390 since it was written with the Hebrew language, and he was unable to read his own language — the Arabic as he was illiterate knowing not how to read or write.
The fact that this sagacious pontiff managed to bring Abu Hurayrah under his full control till making him to repeat the same words of this priest rendering them a hadith reported from the Prophet, a portion of which I cite herewith:
Al-Bazzar reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said: The sun and moon are two bulls in the hell on the Day of Resurrection! Al-Hasan said: What is their guilt? He said : While I relate to you a hadith from the Messenger of Allah how do you daresay : What is their guilt?
The same and very words were uttered by Ka'b as reported by Abu Ya'la al-Mousili that Ka'b said: The sun and moon will be brought on the Day of Resurrection like two barren oxen, and they will be pelted into the Hell in a
way that can be seen by those who worshipped them.
Al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, and al-Tabarrani — and his rijal of al-Sahih — reported that Abu Hurayrah said: The Prophet said: Allah permitted me to relate a hadith about a rooster whose legs are on the earth and neck is fixed under the Throne, saying: Glorified are you (O God), how magnificent are You! He said: It will be given the reply, and that is unknown by that who swore with me falsely.
This hadith is related by Ka'b al-Ahbar with its text being thus: Allah has a rooster whose neck is under the Throne and claws at the bottom of the earth ... when it crows the other roosters will crow, saying: Glorified is the Holy One, the Sovereign Lord and the Beneficent, that no god is there other than Him. 392
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah said: The Nile, Sihan, Jihan and Euphratese are the rivers of paradise. The same hadith was reported by Ka'b in this way: Heavens rivers are four that Allah, the Glorified and Mighty, has made on earth: Nile is honey river in paradise, Euphratese is wine river in paradise, Sihan is water river in paradise and Jihan is milk river in paradise.
In his Tafsir, Ibn Kathir said that hadith of Abu Hurayrah on Yujuj and Majuj, whose text as reported by Ahmad from Abu Hurayrah being thus: “Yajuj and Majuj” used to excavate the dam everyday till when they were about to see the sunray, those supervising them said to them: "Go back, you will excavate it tomorrow," then they would return... etc. Ahmad reported this hadith from Ka'b. Ibn Kathir said that Abu Hurayrah may have taken it from Ka'b, as he used to accompany him and relate hadith to him, citing in many places of his Tafsir the traditions that Abu Hurayrah learnt from Ka'b. It is reported in the two Sahihs that Abu Hurayrah narrated that: Allah has created
Adam according to His shape, the same words reported in the first Ishah of the Torah (the Old Testament) as such: Allah created man according to His shape, with His shape He created him.
When Ka'b mentioned the Prophet's attribute stated in the Torah, Abu Hurayrah said about his attribute: He was neither obscene nor indecent nor clamorous throughout markets. That was the full text of Ka'b's saying as cited before.
Muslim reported from Abu Hurayrah as saying: The Messenger of Allah took me with the hand! and said: Allah created the earth on Saturday, creating on it the mountains on Sunday! the trees on Monday! the misfortune on Tuesday, and light on Wednesday! spreading through it the mounts on Thursday! creating Adam, upon whom be peace, in the afternoon of Friday at the end of creation, at the last hour of Friday, the time from afternoon upto night.
The same hadith was reported too by Ahmad and al-Nasa'i from Abu Hurayrah!!
Al-Bukhari and Ibn Kathir and others said that Abu Hurayrah has received this hadith from Ka'b al-Ahbar as it contradicts the text of the Qur'an which indicates that Allah created the heavens and earth within six days.
What is surprising here is that Abu Hurayrah has declared in this hadith that he heard it from the Prophet (S) and he took him by the hand when he related it to him. I challenge those claiming to have knowledge of the science of hadith in our country, and all of their likes in other countries, to be able to solve this problem.
Indisputably this hadith is of correct chain of transmission according to their rules, and was reported by Muslim in his Sahih without declaring his
hearing it only from the Prophet, but claimed that the Messenger of Allah took him with the hand while he was relating hadith to him. Imams of hadith determined that this hadith was taken from Ka'b al-Ahbar and its being contradictory to the holy Book. Undoubtedly this narration is considered a blatant falsity, and slander against the Messenger of Allah, so what would be the position of that relating it? And shall it be subject to the rule stated in the Messenger's hadith: (Whoever lies against me should occupy his abode in Fire)? Or is there an outlet for the narrator of this hadith by itself? I am really in need for benefiting from their knowledge in this hadith alone which undoubtedly lays bare the truth about Abu Hurayrah's narrations of which extreme precaution should be taken in believing them."
Ka'b al-Ahbar's cunning and exploiting of Abu Hurayrah's naivety and unawareness reached an extent that he was dictating on him the superstitions and misconceptions he desired to spread into Islam. When Abu Hurayrah embarked on relating them he would believe him, so as to confirm these Israeliyyat creating credibility in them inside the minds of Muslims, as if the ahadith being reported from Abu Hurayrah while it was in fact reported by Ka'b al-Ahbar.
Herewith I cite an example with which I conclude my quoting of traditions reported by Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet, which being in fact among the Israeliyyat: Al-Imam Ahmad reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah said:
Abu Hurayrah could hardly narrate this hadith till Ka'b rushed saying: He said the truth by Him Who sent down the Torah upon Moses and the Qur'an upon Muhammad, if a man rides a jar or a trunk and revolving round the top of that tree, he will never reach it but only when becoming decrepit! The Almighty Allah has planted it by His hand and breathed into it,
with its branches being for those behind the veils of heavens, and no river is there in heavens but flowing from the root of this tree.
In this way these two collaborate to propagate such kind of superstitions. What raises our wonder is the fact that this report being related by Wahb ibn Munabbih in an odd work, to which can be referred by anyone desiring to. 394 Many examples of this kind can be found in the chapter of Israeliyyat.
When he narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: "Verily if the belly of any of you be filled with pus and blood is much better than to be filled with poetry", A'ishah said: He did not learn by heart, rather he (the Prophet) said: "...than to be filled with poetry with which you are satired." 395
Memorizing the Two Receptacles:
Al-Bukhari reported from Abu Hurayrah as saying: "I learnt by heart from the Messenger of Allah two receptacles,
This hadith is incongruous with another one reported by the Jama'ah (Sunnis), 397 with similar words, from Ali, who when asked: Do you have a (separate) book? said: No, except the Book of Allah or comprehension bestowed to a Muslim man, or what this Sahifah contains.
It is also contradicted with a hadith reported by Abd al-Aziz ibn Rafi' who said: I and Shaddad ibn Ma'qil entered upon Ibn Abbas, to whom Shaddad said: Has the Prophet left (behind) anything? He replied: He left nothing except what is contained between these two covers (Qur'an).
Had there been anything else with which the Prophet(S) would distinguish any of his intimate favorites keeping it from all his other Companions, Ali would verily have been the most entitled among people to
such a merit. That is due to the fact that Ali was his step-son, cousin, the first to embrace Islam and son-in-law, never separating himself from him whether in travel or presence, accompanying him in all the battles, except Tabuk. When the Prophet made him his deputy over al-Madinah, Ali said to him: Do you leave me behind among the women and boys? The Prophet said to him? Aren't you pleased to have near me the position Aron had near Moses?!! But there would be no prophet after me. (This hadith was reported by al-Bukhari and al-Tirmidhi).
Truly, Ali was the best of all people entitled to such a merit, Hadn't he been so, then it would be given to Abu Bakr or Umar or Abu Ubaydah — the most beloved of his wives to him (the Prophet) after Khadijah, or the wise sedate Umm Salamah, or Ibn Mas'ud to whom the Prophet said: I permit you to raise the curtain and hear my private talk. He kept so close to the Prophet (S) that people counted him to be one of his (S) household, and he came to be known among all the Companions with the epithet "Sahib al-Sawad wa al-Wisad", that was never given to any other Companion.
Those were the most entitled people to be distinguished by the Prophet with that which he didn't like to disclose to any other Companion, had there been any secret he intended to confide to any of his intimate favorites.
And who was that Abu Hurayrah to deserve to be confided by the Prophet with a thing that he distinguished him with alone, keeping and hiding it from his bosom friends and beloved and nearest people to him?!
In fact he neither had any merit to bring him near to the Prophet nor counted, after the demise of the Messenger, among any of the classes of Companions, 398 nor he was among the early foremost (in Islam) nor among the Immigrants (Muhajirun) or Helpers (Ansar), nor among those who strove with their wealth or their lives, 399 nor among the poets who defended the
Prophet (against his opponents), nor among the muftis (those giving verdicts), nor among the reciters (qurra') who memorized the Qur'an, nor of those regarding whose merit a hadith from the Messenger was reported. 400 And all that was known about him is that he was one of Ahl al-Siffah, no more no less!
Al-Bukhari reported from Abu Hurayrah as saying: The people of the Scripture used to read the Torah with the Hebrew, interpreting it with the Arabic for followers of Islam. Had he been acquainted with the Hebrew he would have said: I was among those who interpreted the Torah.
Hayat al-hayawan, p. 222.
Al-Nuwayri, Nihayat al-arab, vol. X, p. 220.
In another narration of this hadith: His (i.e. Adam) height is 60 cubits. In another one: He has the shape and complexion of the Beneficent (al-Rahman). This hadith was criticized in one of its respects by Ibn Hajar, in his Fath al-Bari, when he said: What raising doubt against this being the old traces of the precedent nations, like the houses of 'Ad and Thamud which indicate that their statures were not that height, to which referred by Abu Hurayrah. Also this hadith was disapproved and denied by Malik.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir, vol. IV, pp. 513, 514.
Some ignorants have adopted this utterance of Abu Hurayrah as an evidence proving that the Prophet was averse to poetry. This idea spread among the Muslims and non-Muslims, while he (S) used to listen to the poetry, praising it and rewarding for it. Ubayy ibn Ka'b reported that the Messenger of Allah said: Some of the poetry is verily wisdom. Abu Dawud reported from him (S) that he said: "From elocution there is got enchantment, and some of ilm is ignorance, and some of poetry is wisdom." In another rnarration by al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-mufrad, and Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah: "In poetry wisdoms are found." Then he (S) quoted some poetry of Umayyah ibn Abi al-Salt.
In another narration: jiraban (two wallets), and in another version: three jirabs.
Al-Jama'ah means Ahmad and two Shaykhs, and authors of Sunan.
They divided the Companions, in respect of their merit and honour, into twelve classes, in any of which we couldn't find him (Abu Hurayrah)! Who are: (1) The first outstrippers who embraced Islam in Makkah. (2) Those who attended Dar al-Nadwah. (3) Immigrants to Abyssinia. (4) Those who attended the First Aqabah. (5) Those who attended the Second Aqabah (swearing allegiance to the Prophet) (6) First immigrants who joined the Prophet at Quba before he entered al-Madinah (7) Those who participated in Battle of Badr. (8) Immigrants in the period between (Battle of) Badr and (Treaty of) al-Hudaybiyyah. (9) Those who attended the bay'ah of Ridwan. (10) Those who migrated during the period between the Hudaybiyyah and conquest of Makkah. (11) Those who embraced Islam at conquest of Makkah (12) Lads and children who saw the Messenger of Allah on the day of conquest and in time of Hijjat al-Wada', and we can count him among this class of lads (al-Rawd al-basim, of al-Wazir al-Yamani, vol. I, pp. 69, 70.
It is established in history that he fled the Battle of Mu'tah, and when he was reproached with this he couldn't find any answer.
Al-Bukhari and others have reported numerous traditions on honour of a large group of notable Sahabah, among whom the name of Abu Hurayrah is not seen.