Light On the Muhammadan Sunnah Or Defence of the Hadith
Parts of Khabar:
Since hadith being the Prophet's utterances and acts, as defined by them, and that who couldn't realize these utterances through senses no way would be left for him to realize them but through khabar, the ulama’ cared for manifesting the parts of khabar in general, dedicating a special research for hadith which is only a part of khabar.
Ulama’ of kalam and usul (principles) divided khabar into two parts: Khabar mutawatir (successive) and khabar ahad. Khabar mutawatir is a khabar reported from some authentic narrator who related it to a large number of people to an extent that it is impossible to charge them with collaboration on falsifying and foisting into it. This kind of khabar is useful for knowledge itself, 511 as it is definitely correct and should be adopted without any hesitation in respect of beliefs (aqa’id), for which it is a guide.
And khabar al-ahad, which is also called khabar al-wahid, is the khabar whose reporters didn't reach that number as in the case of al-khabar al-mutawatir, whether the reporter being one or two or... five, up to a number with which it can never be sensed to be of al-khabar al-mutawatir. 512 This khabar indicates surmise, according to which it is acted in respect of rituals (ibadat) and transactions (mu‘amalat), not in aqa'id.
In his Sharh of Muslim, al-Nawawi says: Khabar is of two sorts: mutawatir and ahad. The mutawatir is that khabar which being transmitted by a number of narrators that usually cannot be charged with falsity, and its two sides equal the central part, who altogether tell of an unsuspected source, and knowledge is established through their utterance. 513 The fact upon which concur most of the researchers is that this khabar cannot be determined by a certain number, and neither Islam nor reliability being a condition for the reporters. Whereas khabar al-wahid is devoid of the provision required in the
mutawatir, whether the narrator being one or more,
Rule of Mutawatir and Ahad:
When the khabar is mutawatir it would definitely denote knowledge (ilm), while if it be khabar ahad it would not denote that. The akhbar al-ahad may sometimes contain things in which the self has confidence.
The Jumhur (Ahl al-Sunnah) hold that: The akhbar al-ahad never indicate cognizancer at all, even if they were recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim. Approving of them by the Ummah verily signify to act according to whatever stated in them, on the basis that the Ummah is commanded to adopt every khabar which is most likely nearer to truth, 515 and does not denote that what they contain is in itself static absolutely. The express example for this is the judge, who is obligated to issue his rule according to the testimony of that who is apparently reliable. And his being duty-bound to do so never indicates that the testimony of a just person should be necessarily agreeable with reality and static in itself, due to the possibility that he might have given witness contrary to truth either due to having a wrong conception if his being just in respect of the same matter, or a falsity not produced by him if he being apparently equitable, according to what the Ahl al-Sunnah hold. A large number of ulama’ of akhbar al-ahad hold that he should act according to them without giving witness that they were uttered by the Prophet.
Ibn Abd al-Barr and his contemporaries hold that: This idea is held by the Jumhur of men of knowledge and prudence.. with some of them adding...reven if accompanied with a context (qarinah), i.e. it doesn't indicate knowledge even if accompanied with a context. Al-Razi, in his Tafsir, says:
narration of wahid (single) only indicates conjecture.
And in his Ma’alam usul al-Din, 516 after enumerating the spontaneous elements contained in the traditional proofs based on oral narration, he writes: "If this is proved, we would come to know that the traditional evidences being only conjectural, and the rational ones being definite, and conjecture can never contradict (or negate) decisiveness."
Mutawatir is not Included in ‘Ilm al-Isnad:
Ibn al-Salah is reported to have said: About the mutawatir it should never be researched in ‘ilm al-athar.
In Tawjih al-nazar al-Jaza'iri writes: What Ibn al-Salah disclosed that it should never be researched about the mutawatir in ‘ilm al-athar, is an indisputable fact.
Some of the ulama hold: The mutawatir does not belong to the school of ‘ilm al-isnad, 517 as it is a science in which the research is made about the veracity and weakness of hadith, in respect of the characteristics of its narrators, and forms of their statements, so as to act according to it or abandon it.
It is said too: It (mutawatir) signifies ‘ilm al-yaqin (certain knowledge), even if produced by unrighteous persons and rather by the infidels. In al-khabar al-mutawatir there should be equivalence between the two parties — i.e. the first class and last class — and the medium, which comes in between them. What is intended by equivalence is the mentioned multiplicity not equivalence in the number that it be equivalent in every class, which can never be harmed by disagreement, if multiplicity is present in every and each number, as when the number of the first class be a thousand and of the second one be nine hundred and of the third one be one thousand and nine
hundred.
Ibn al-Salah and his Opponents.
Al-Nawawi, in al-Taqrib, says: Whey they say, it is sahih and upon it or its veracity there is agreement, they mean the agreement of the Shaykhan (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Al-Shaykh 518 is reported to have said: What is narrated by both or one of them is definitely veracious and regarding which definite knowledge is attained. He was contradicted by the investigators and most of `ulama of hadith, who said: It would denote surmise unless it be mutawatir (reported through chain of authentic narrators).
In his exposition of Sahih Muslim: He said: The words uttered by al-Shaykh in these places never agree with those uttered by the researchers and majority of ulama, who told:
The traditions cited in the two Sahihs that are not mutawatir, only signify conjecture, hence they are ahad, which — as concurred by all — denote only conjecture, with no difference between al-Bukhari and Muslim and others in this regard. The Ummah's approval of these traditions makes us obliged to act according to them... and unanimity of the Ummah 519 to adopt them in life never necessarily indicates their concurrence that they being definitely uttered by the Prophet (S). Ibn Burhan disapproved of that who agreed with al-Shaykh, exaggerating in reproaching him.
Large was the number of both the opposers and supporters of Ibn al-Salah. Those opposing him say that he contradicted the Jumhur, the leaders of kalam and usul who were of the opinion that akhbar al-ahad never signifying certain knowledge but indicating only conjecture, while he believed that akhbar al-ahad cited in al-Sahihayn — with some exceptions — indicated knowledge. If he sufficed with these words, it would be able to say that with
knowledge he intended to mean strong conjecture, whereat disagreement between him and them could be so intense, but he went farther by describing the ilm to be yaqini (certain), leaving thus no room for compromise with them. It is quite known that to contradict `ulama of kalam and usul was not an easy job. The point worth mentioning here is that some of the researchers were of the opinion that akhbar al-ahad may indicate knowledge — with the contexts — differing in regard of whether the contexts signifying the report (khabar) being true or not. Al-Nazzam and Imam al-Haramayn and al-Ghazzali believed in their denoting knowledge while others denied this. 520
Hadith Including no Mutawatir:
Al-Hazimi, in Shurut al-A‘immah al-Khamsah,
Al-Imam al-Shatibi, in the first part of al-I’tisam,
Charging with duties as a whole is based on it, as the command and decree being sent to the mukallaf (duty-bound), from the Book of Allah or Sunnah of His Messenger, or from their ramifications, should revert to them. If it is revealed in the Sunnah (Prophet's traditions), it is known that most of the traditions were reported through ahad, or rather there was rarely one hadith reported as mutawatir from the Messenger of Allah.
Ibn Hayyan al-Basti is reported to have said: The reports (akhbar) are as a whole akhbar al-ahad, as no khabar is available to be reported
through two reliable men, each of whom reported it from two reliable men, each of whom reported it from two reliable men, and so on till reaching the Messenger of Allah (S). The impossibility and voidness of this thing proved to us that all the reports being akhbar al-ahad.
In al-Taqrib al-Nawawi writes: Al-Mutawatir is known in the fiqh and its usul, but to it no reference is made by the traditionists, and it is very rarely mentioned in their narrations.
Ahadith al-Ahad:
I have stated previously that the khabar is of two kinds: mutawatir and ahad, and presented to the reader the definition and ruling of each kind. Herewith I conclude the discussion by referring to what the men of hadith termed as a hadith al-ahad, and whatever is relevant to ilm al-hadith, and all the issues related to the subject we are concerned with.
Hadith, in fact and reality, can either be correct or incorrect. The correct (sahih) one is that whose ascription to the Prophet is confirmed and proved, and the incorrect is that whose veracity is unconfirmed. But the traditionists classify the hadith into sahih, hasan and da'if
The Correct Hadith:
The correct hadith, as was defined, is that which having a consecutive chain of narrators from the beginning to the end, and transmitted
through an accurate reliable narrator from his like being devoid of any oddity and defect.
In al-Taqrib al-Nawawi says: It (correct hadith) is the hadith whose isnad (chain of transmitters) is incessant through exact reliable narrators, without any oddity or defect. By saying it is sahih, it is meant: It is not definitely decisive, and when saying it is incorrect we mean that its isnad in not authentic, while the optional being that in regard of whose isnad it cannot be determined to be the most veracious of chains whatsoever. When saying: It is correct upon which or its veracity there is concurrence, they mean the concurrence of the two Shaykhs.
The most inclusive definition for it may be the following one: "It is the hadith that is reported in a self-assuring way, with immunity against oddity and defect."
Al-Jurjani, in his Ta’rifat, writes: The sahih tradition is that whose wording being safe from poor ones, and meaning from any contradiction to a verse or a successive khabar or unanimity, with its narrator being reliable. Its opposite is the saqim (defective).
The degrees of a sahih tradition differ in respect of strength due to the dissimilarity of the characteristics requiring rectification. When they be meaningful out of the most likely supposition on which the veracity depends, this would necessitate their having degrees differing according to the strong points. If such be the case, whenever the hadith narrators be of high level of reliability and accuracy and other preference — obligating traits, this hadith would be more veracious than that whose narrators be on lower degree of reliability. At the time they made asanid differing from each other, they also classified the narrators into high and low ranks, giving priority to the Madinah narrators over the Basran ones, and making the Sham narrators
lower than the Basran ones, and so on. There are several parts for the sahih traditions, that can be recognized through their books.
The Good Hadith:
There was much disagreement among men of hadith in respect of defining the hasan tradition. The following are some of their words in defining it:
Al-Khitabi says: It is that hadith whose source was recognized, rijal were famous, and upon which revolve most of the traditions, and approved by most of the ulama’, and referred to by the fuqaha’ in general. Ibn al-Salah says: It is of two kinds: One of them is that whose isnad cannot be devoid of some unknown narrator whose credibility could never be ascertained, not ignoring numerous mistakes, nor known to be a deviant, with the hadith being known through an another identical narration or any other way. The second kind is that whose narrator being widely-known of truthfulness and honesty, but could not reach the level of sahih due to failure in memorization and exactitude. It is higher in level than that whose singleness is unacceptable. The hasan tradition, can be used, like the sahih one, in disputation and debate, though it being lower than it in strength.
The Weak Hadith:
The weak (da’if) hadith is that which does not possess the characteristics of the sahih or hasan ones, and its weakness differs in the same way as the veracity of the sahih.
In Sharh Muslim al-Nawawi writes: Its kinds are: al-mawdu’ (composed), al-maqlub (inverted), al-shadhdh (odd), al-munkar (disapproved), al-mudtarib (confused) and other kinds referred to in ilm al-
hadith.
Some of the ulama’ hold that it can be acted according to it in respect of virtuous deeds, but this was prohibited by great religious authorities (imams).
In al-Adab al-Shar’iyyah 527 Ibn Muflih says:
It is reported from al-Imam Ahmad that it is impermissible to act according to the weak hadith in regard of virtues and recommendable acts (mustahabbat).
Al-Shaykh Taqi al-Din (Ibn Taymiyyah) commented on the notion held by the ulama’ to act according to the weak hadith in virtuous deeds, by saying: To act according to it means that the self wishes for that reward (thawab) or fears from that chastisement. The example for this can be found in the temptation and intimidation through the Israeliyyat, dreams, words of the predecessors and ulama’ and events of the world beside other things that can never be used to establish a legal judgement, either a recommendable one or other than this. However, it can be mentioned in cases of temptation and intimidation, regarding what it considered good or abominable through legal evidences, the act that can be of benefit not detriment, whether this be in itself true or false.
One of the eminent ulama’ commented on al-Imam Ahmad's statement "It is impermissible to act according to the weak hadith in respect of the virtues and mustahabbat" by saying: "May God be pleased with Ahmad, what an expansive knowledge and accurate understanding has he ... as his call to act according to the weak hadith and be lenient toward narrating it paved the way for ghuluww (excess) in religion and increasing the constraining rituals (ibadat) that contradict and are incompatible with the easiness of Islam, till making some of them to be among the rites of this Din,
though most of people were negligent in establishing the ordinances (fara’id) and abiding by the obligatory duties. As a consequence to this, the succeeding compiler reported from Taqi al-Din his view of approving the Israeliyyat, dreams and superstitions. The rituals and virtues decisively determined in the Book and Sunnah are quite sufficient for the Ummah, and would that many are there who be committed and heedful to them."
Al-Qadi Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi al-Maliki said: “It is impermissible to act according to the weak traditions at all,” which is verily a right notion. 528
Multiplicity of Hadith Ways Never Reinforces Them:
Al-Allamah al-Sayyid Rashid Rida is reported to have said: "The traditionists claim in some ahadith, even those for which no correct sanad was established: The multiplicity of the ways (turuq) of transmitting the traditions strengthens them. It is a rule made by the traditionists that neither a reference is made to it by God in His Book, nor recorded in any sunnah from the Messenger of Allah, but it is merely a non-successive theoretical issue. As multiplicity of the means regarding an issue the voidness of which is legally determined, like the issue of crowned-cranes, or rationally, is verily of no value whatsoever due to the permissibility of unanimity of those turuq on falsehood.
Being Self-Decisive is no Condition for Correct Hadith:
Al-Hafiz Ibn Salah says: 529
"When they say: "This is a correct hadith' this means that its sanad (chain of transmitters) being attached to the other afore-mentioned attributes,
and for its veracity it is no condition to be decisive in itself... as some of the traditions were reported singly by one reliable narrator, and could not be among the akhbar which were approved unanimously by the Ummah.
Also when they say about a hadith to be not sahih, this never means its being false decisively in itself, as it may be true in fact, but the fact intended is that its isnad could not be proved correct according to the stated condition. In his Fatawa he (Ibn al-Salah) says: The Imams say: Among the traditions there are some whose isnad being sahih but text is not sahih, and some whose isnad is not sahih but text is sahih, or those whose isnad is sahih and text (matn) is sahih, or those whose isnad is unknown and text is unknown, or those whose isnad is weak and text is weak. 530
Al-Zayn al-Iraqi (d.806H) in his Alfiyyah,
When the traditionists say: "This hadith is sahih', they want to say — as it seems through the appearance of isnad — that its veracity is not decisive by itself, due to possibility of inadvertence and forgetfulness on the part of the thiqah. 532 This being the sahih upon which concurred men of knowledge contrarily to those holding that khabar al-wahid necessitating knowledge through the visible exterior. And so also when they say: "This hadith is weak,' they mean: The conditions of veracity were not seen in it, not due to its being false in itself as the liar may tell truth and be free from many errors. He also said: Anything whose origin is correct should not necessarily be sahih. In al-Qawati’ al-Sam'ani writes: The correct hadith cannot be recognized through the narration of trustworthy narrators alone, but this can be done through perception, knowledge, perseverance on hearing and study .
They also said: Veracity of the hadith never obligates its being decisive in itself, because of possibility of inadvertence and forgetfulness on the part of the thiqah. Al-Nawawi, in al-Taqrib, attributed it to the majority
and investigators that they said: It signifies conjecture if not being mutawatir. In his exposition of Muslim he said: This is the case with the ahad, and no difference is there between the Two Shaykhs and others.
The traditionists do not care much for the mistakes in texts and say: Whenever the sanad be correct the matn (text) should be correct.
Best Care Was Given to Sanad:
Al-Dhahabi, in his book Siyar a’lam al-nubala’, when giving the biography of Yahya ibn Sa'id al-Qattan, reported that Yahya said: "Never look at the hadith but look at the isnad, when it be correct the hadith is correct; otherwise never be beguiled by the hadith if the isnad be incorrect."
He also said: The predecessors were averse to going deeply into matters and call disputants as heretics.
Even the mutawatir was not free from suspicion in regard of its relation - ilm al-yaqin - as it is possible to inform some people, who can never be accused of falsification, of situation of so and so, while telling some other people with some news contradicting their report.
Tawjih al-nazar, p. 33.
Many of the usulis declared that there should be contexts for the mutawatir, as otherwise there would be no difference between it and khabar al-ahad which if be sorrounded with contexts, they would obligate knowledge of its being true. And the reason for their difference being the obscurity and exactitude of this research.
Sharh al-Nawawi, vol. I, p. 169.
Can this rule which they determined be commanded by Allah and His Messenger? And can it keep us away of being charged with following the conjecture, to which reference is made in numerous verses of the Qur'an, like: "Most of them follow not but conjecture. Assuredly conjecture can by no means take the place of truth". And the verse: "And they have no knowledge thereof. They follow but a guess, and lo! A guess can never take the place of the truth". And also the saying of the Most High: "…they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture"?
See p. 9.
That is 'ilm al-isnad.
He is Ibn al-Salah.
If they have not agreed on unanimity in itself, it is not admitted here, as many of the Islamic madhahib, like Shi'ah, Zaydiyyah and Ibadiyyah and others do not act according to whatever is cited in Sahih al-Bukhari or other Sunni books, known among the Jumhur. Even leaders of Sunni fiqhi schools (madhahib) held fast in their madhhab to what they took from their leaders, and never deviated from the Sunnah books, but they contradicted most of the traditions stated in them as will be manifested later on.
Whoever desiring to get more information about this subject, is asked to refer to Tawjih al-nazar of al-Jaza'iri, from which I quoted this statement.
Al-Hazimi, Shurut al-A'immah al-Khamsah, p. 37.
Al-I'tisam, vol. I, p. 130.
Al-Hazimi, op. cit., p. 32.
Al-Taqrib, p. 31.
The full text of this hadith is thus: "My pond is (located) between Aden and Oman the piehald. Its water is much whiter than the milk and sweeter than the honey, and its cups numbering the same as the stars in the sky!! Whoever having a drink from it will verily never feel thirst. And the first people to drink of it will be the poor Immigrants, the dishevelled and of polluted clothes who never marry the well-off women, nor the dams will be opened for them!! This hadith was considered by them as the mutawatir; and for it there are several narrations differing in words, and in quantity of its water!!
There being other sorts of hadith to which I haven't referred as they come wihtin the subjects of art of hadith. The first who divided the hadith into three parts: sahih, hasan (good) and da'if (weak), is Abu 'Isa al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 H.), in his Sunan, and no one talked about this division before him. He stated that the hasan is that hadith whose ways of transmission were numerous, but none of them was accused of falsity or has been abnormal. And it is lower in degree than the sahih whose transmitters were known of reliability (adalah) and accuracy. While the da'if is that hadith, the transmitter of which was known to be a liar and of bad memory.
Al-Adab al-Shar'iyyah, vol. II, pp. 313, 314.
Al-Manar Journal, vol. XXXI, p. 128.
Ulum al-hadith, which was known as Muqaddimat Ibn al-Salah, who was called by men of hadith with the title 'al-Shaykh'. He died in 643 H.
See p. 19.
Fath al-mughith bi-Sharh Alfiyyat al-hadith, p. 12.
Let's give an example for this: The hadith reported from the Prophet on his returning to al-Madinah from the Battle of Uhud, after commanding the Muslims to line up behind him, when he said: "Arrange your rows so as to praise my Lord". Then he concluded it by saying: O God, the killer of the infidels to whom the Scripture was sent, God of truth. This hadith was reported by Ahmad and al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-mufrad, with al-Nasa'i and others. In its regard al-Dhahabi said: Despite cleanness of its isnad, it is disregarded, and I am afraid it being fabricated. The books of hadith are replete with such narrations.