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Thursday, September 30, 2010
AUTHENTICITY OF THE HADITH ABOUT THE BLIND MAN REGARDING WASEELA
AUTHENTICITY OF THE HADITH ABOUT THE BLIND MAN REGARDING WASEELA
حدثنا أحمد بن منصور بن سيار حدثنا عثمان بن عمر حدثنا شعبة عن أبي جعفر المدني عن عمارة بن خزيمة بن ثابت عن عثمان بن حنيف أن رجلا ضرير البصر أتى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال ادع الله لي أن يعافيني فقال إن شئت أخرت لك وهو خير وإن شئت دعوت فقال ادعه فأمره أن يتوضأ فيحسن وضوءه ويصلي ركعتين ويدعو بهذا الدعاء اللهم إني أسألك وأتوجه إليك بمحمد نبي الرحمة يا محمد إني قد توجهت بك إلى ربي في حاجتي هذه لتقضى اللهم شفعه في
The Hadith states: It was narrated from 'Uthman bin Hunaif that a blind man came to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and said: "Pray to Allah to heal me." He said: "If you wish to store your reward for the Hereafter, that is better, or if you wish, I will supplicate for you." He said: "Supplicate." So he told him to perform ablution and do it well, to pray two Rak'ah, and to say this supplication: "Allahumma lnni as'aluka wa atawajjahu ilaika bimuhammadin nabiyyir-rahma. Ya Muhammadu inni qad tawajjahtu bika ila rabbi fi hajati hadhihi lituqda. Allahumma fashaffi ’hu fiya (O Allah, I ask of You and I turn my face towards You by virtue of the intercession of Muhammad the Prophet of mercy. O Muhammad, I have turned to my Lord by virtue of your intercession concerning this need of mine so that it may be met. O Allah, accept his intercession concerning me) ".
References ►Ibn Majah transmitted it in his Sunan, book of Iqamat al-salat wa al-sunnat (establishing prayer and its sunnahs)[Page 197, Hadith No#1385)
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In Sunnan Ibn Majah then it says: قال أبو إسحق هذاحديث صحيح Translation: Imam Abu Ishaaq (rah) said: This hadith is "SAHIH" [ibid] ►Tirmidhī in al-Jami-us-sahīh, book of da‘awat (supplications) ch.119 (5:569#3578) where he declared it "HASAN SAHIH GHARIB" ►Nasa'i, ‘Amal-ul-yawm wal-laylah (p.417#658-659) ►Ahmad bin Hambal in his Musnad (4:138 #17246-17247) ►Hākim, al-Mustadrak (1:313,519) where he declared it "SAHIH" ►Nawawī, al-Adhkār (p.83) ►Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāyah wan- nihāyah (4:558) ►Ibn Hajar Haythamī, al-Jawhar- ul-munazzam (p.61) ►Ibn Mājah, Hākim and Dhahabī have declared it a sound (sahīh) tradition while Tirmidhī graded it hasan (fair) sahīh, gharīb (unfamiliar or rare)
Similarly, another tradition narrated by Imam Hākim is present in different words. In this tradition, ‘Uthmān bin Hunayf says that he was present in the Prophet ’s company. A blind person called on the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ) and complained about the loss of his eyesight. He added: ‘O Messenger of Allah, there is no one to guide me and I am in great trouble. ’ On hearing his complaint, the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ) said: Bring an earthen pot for ablution, then perform the ablution and offer two cycles of optional prayer. Then say: “O Allah, I appeal to You, and submit to You through the mediation of Your merciful Prophet Muhammad ( صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). O Muhammad, through your mediation I submit myself to your Lord that He should give light to my eyes. O Allah, acknowledge his intercession in my favour and accept my supplication also in my favour. ” ‘Uthmān bin Hunayf says: I swear by Allah that we had neither left the company nor had we carried on a long conversation that the man entered (with his sight fully restored) and it seemed as if he had never been blind.
Qadhi Shawkani, the leading authority for Salafis, he while authenticating Tawassul said: قوله ويتوسل إلى الله سبحانه بأنبيائه والصالحين أقول ومن التوسل بالأنبياء ما أخرجه الترمذي وقال حسن صحيح غريب والنسائي وابن ماجة وابن خزيمة في صحيحه والحاكم وقال صحيح على شرط البخاري ومسلم من حديث عثمان بن حنيف رضي الله عنه أن أعمى أتى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال يا رسول الله ادع الله أن يكشف لي عن بصري قال أو أدعك فقال يا رسول الله أني قد شق علي ذهاب بصري قال فانطلق فتوضأ فصل ركعتين ثم قل اللهم أني أسألك وأتوجه إليك بمحمد نبي الرحمة الحديث وسيأتي هذا الحديث في هذا الكتاب عند ذكر صلاة الحاجة وأما التوسل بالصالحين فمنه ما ثبت في الصحيح أن الصحابة استسقوا بالعباس رضي الله عنه عم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وقال عمر رضي الله عنه اللهم إنا نتوسل إليك بعم نبينا Translation: Qadhi Shawkani explains the saying of Imam Ibn al-Jarzi i.e. One should ask Allah through the intermediary of Anbiya and Pious servants of Allah: I (Qadhi Shawkani) say that to seek Intercession with Allah through Prophets and Righteous (is proven) as is narrated by Tirmidhi who called it Hassan Sahih Gharib, also narrated by Nasai’i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Khuzayma in his “Sahih” Hakim who said: It is Sahih on the criteria of Bukhari and Muslim, the Hadith of Uthman bin HUNAIF (ra) that a blind man came to the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) and said: “I've been afflicted in my eyesight, so pray to Allah for me". The Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Go perform ablution (Wudu), perform two rak'at Salat and then say: “O Allah! I ask you and turn to you through my Prophet Muhammad. This hadith is mentioned in the book (with chapter) of Salaat al Hajah. And regarding Tawassul through righteous people, It is proven from Sahih (Bukhari) that Sahaba used to seek rain through Abbas (ra) the uncle of Prophet (Peace be upon him). Umar (ra) said: O Allah we turn to you through the means of Prophet's uncle [Tuahfa tul Dhakireen, Page No. 48]
He also said: وفي الحديث دليل على جواز التوسل برسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى الله عز وجل مع اعتقاد أن الفاعل هو الله سبحانه وتعالى وأنه المعطي المانع ما شاء كان وما يشأ لم يكن Translation: And in this hadith is the Proof on permissibility of seeking intercession to Allah through Prophet (Peace be upon him) but with the belief that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’la is the one who grants or takes , whatever he wills happens and whatever he does not will cannot happen. [Tuhfa tul Dhakireen, Page No. 138]
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I THINK THAT THIS MUCH AUTHENTICITY AND THE MEANING OF THE HADITH WOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR YOU! BUT LET ME CLARIFY THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE HADITH OF THE BLIND MAN AND ITS MEANING MORE AND MORE..
Tirmidhi has stated that the hadith of the blind man is "a hadith that is well or rigorously authenticated but singular, being unknown except through his chain of narrators, from the hadith of Abu Ja'far, who is not Abu Ja'far Khatmi," which means that the narrators of this hadith, despite Abu Ja'far being unknown to Tirmidhi, were acceptable to the degree of being well or rigorously authenticated in either case.
But scholars before Tirmidhi established that Abu Ja'far, this person unknown to Tirmidhi, was Abu Ja'far Khatmi himself. Ibn Abi Khaythama said: "The name of this Abu Ja'far, whom Hammad ibn Salama relates from, is 'Umayr ibn Yazid, and is the Abu Ja'far that Shu'ba relates from," and then he related the hadith by the channel of transmission of 'Uthman from Shu'ba from Abu Ja'far.
Ibn Taymiya, after relating the hadith of Tirmidhi, said: "All scholars say that he is Abu Ja'far Khatmi, and this is correct." MY FRIENDS PLEASE REFLECT ON THIS. The hadith master, Ibn Hajar, notes in "Taqrib al-tahdhib" that he is Khatmi, and that he is reliable (saduq). Ibn 'Abd al-Barr likewise says that he is Khatmi, in "al-Istii'ab fi ma'rifa al-ashab."
Moreover, Baihaqi related the hadith by way of Hakim and confirmed that it was rigorously authenticated (SAHIH), Hakim having related it by a chain of transmission meeting the standards of Bukhari and Muslim, which the hadith master Dhahabi confirmed, and Shawkani cited as evidence. Dhahabi and Shawkani, who are they? The meaning of this is that all the men of the hadith's chain of transmission are known to top Imams of hadith such as Dhahabi (and who is severer than he?), Ibn Hajar (and who is more precise, learned, or painstaking than he?), Hakim, Baihaqi, Tabarani, Ibn 'Abd al- Barr, Shawkani, and even Ibn Taymiya.
This hadith was recorded by Bukhari in his "al- Tarikh al-kabir", by Ibn Majah in his "Sunan", where he said it was rigorously authenticated (SAHIH), by Nasa'i in "Amal al- yawm wa al-layla", by Abu Nu'aym in "Ma'rifa al-Sahaba", by Baihaqi in "Dala'il al- nubuwwa", by Mundhiri in "al- Targhib wa al-tahrib", by Haythami in "Majma' al zawa'id wa manba' al-fawa'id", by Tabarani in "al-Mu'jam al-kabir", by Ibn Khuzayma in his "Sahih", and by others. Nearly 15 hadith masters ("huffaz", hadith authorities with more than 100,000 hadiths and their chains of transmission by memory) have explicitly stated that this hadith is rigorously authenticated (sahih).
As mentioned above, it has come with a chain of transmission meeting the standards of Bukhari and Muslim, so there is nothing left for a critic to attack or slanderer to disparage concerning the authenticity of the hadith.
Consequently, as for the permissibility of supplicating Allah (tawassul) through either a living or dead person, it follows by human reason, scholarship, and sentiment, that there is flexibility in the matter. Whoever wants to can either take tawassul or leave it, without causing trouble or making accusations, since it has been this thoroughly checked ("Adilla Ahl al-Sunna wa al- Jama'a , 79-83)
The hadith explicitly proves the validity of supplicating Allah (tawassul) through a living intermediary, as the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was alive at the time. The hadith implicitly shows the validity of supplicating Allah (tawassul) through a deceased intermediary as well, since: The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) told the blind man to go perform ablution (wudu) pray two rak'as, and then make the supplication containing the words, "O Muhammad, I seek your intercession with my Lord for the return of my eyesight," which is a call upon somebody physically absent, a state of which the living and the dead are alike.
Supplicating Allah (tawassul) through a living or deceased intermediary is "not tawassul through a physical body, or through a life or death, but rather through the positive meaning attached to the person in both life and death, for the body is but the vehicle that carries that significance.
And perhaps the most telling reason is that everything the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) ordered to be done during his lifetime was "legislation" valid for all generations until the end of time unless proven otherwise by a subsequent indication from the Prophet himself (Allah bless him and grant him peace), the tawassul he taught during his lifetime not requiring anything else to be generalized to any time thereafter.
LET ME EXPLAIN THE MATTER MORE AND MORE TO YOU...
You hand over this tradition to somone who is acquainted with Arabic language and a person whose mind is completely free from the controversies of the Wahhabis in the matter of tawassul and ask him what the Holy Prophet (s) has commanded him in the du'a which he taught the blind man and how he guided him as to how one's ‘Duas’ are easily answered! He will immediately reply: “The Holy Prophet (s) has taught him to consider the blessed Prophet as a channel and to seek tawassul from him and ask God to fulfil his wish. This matter can easily be understood from the following sentences:
( Arabic version of the text is here in image form http://www.al-islam.org/wahhabism/Wahhabism%20Final_files/image219.jpg )
O lord, I ask Thee and turn towards Thee through the channel of your Prophet.
In clearer terms, he asks from God through the channel of ‘Nabi’ and also turns to God through him. Moreover by ‘Nabi’ is meant Nabi himself and not the ‘Dua’ of Nabi; to imagine that it means the du'a of Nabi is deficieint of any reason. Anyone who predetermines the word of du'a has no reason other than pre-judgement since, the one who commends such a word and does not think Tawassul to people to be correct forcibly strives to predetermine the word of ‘Dua’ so that nobody opposes his idea and eventually he may say: “It means tawassul to the ‘Dua’ of the Prophet (s) and not the Prophet himself and tawassul to the ‘Dua’ of someone is proper.
Click here to see the image of the arabic version of the sentence http://www.al-islam.org/wahhabism/Wahhabism%20Final_files/image223.jpg
The sentence ( click here to get the image of the arabic version of the text http://www.al-islam.org/wahhabism/Wahhabism%20Final_files/image225.jpg ) shows that he (i.e. the blind man) is referring to Prophet Muhammad himself and not his du'a.
The sentence means O God make him as my intercessor and accept his intercession towards me. In all of these sentences what is said and explained is the very personality of the Holy Prophet (s) and his great position and there is no talk of the du'a of the Holy Prophet.
The sentence means O God make him as my intercessor and accept his intercession towards me. In all of these sentences what is said and explained is the very personality of the Holy Prophet (s) and his great position and there is no talk of the du'a of the Holy Prophet.
With this explanation all of yours objections and the objections which the Wahhabi writer al-Rifa'i has mentioned in the book al-Tawassul ila haqiqat al-tawassul is done away with and MORE details of the objections and their reply can be found in the book, al- Tawassul. Interested readers can refer to them on pages 147 to 153.
Some people object to the above hadith and say that it only proves Tawassul through Prophet (Peace be upon him) during his life, although their self cooked up taweel is false which goes against the teaching of Prophet (Peace be upon him) but still we would like to present another "SAHIH" hadith to establish that Sahaba took the waseela of Prophet (Peace be upon him) even after his passing away وَهُوَ أَنَّ رَجُلاً كَانَ يَخْتَلِفُ إلَى عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي حَاجَةٍ لَهُ، وَكَانَ عُثْمَانُ لاَ يَلْتَفِتُ إلَيْهِ، وَلاَ يَنْظُرُ فِي حَاجَتِهِ، فَلَقِيَ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ حُنَيْفٍ فَشَكَا ذلِكَ إلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ حُنَيْفٍ: ائْتِ الْمِيضَأَةَ فَتَوَضَّأْ، ثُمَّ ائْتِ الْمَسْجِدَ فَصَلِّ فِيهِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ قُلِ: اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ، وَأَتَوَجَّهُ إلَيْكَ بِنَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ نَبِيِّ الرَّحْمَةِ، يَا مُحَمَّدُ! إنِّي أَتَوَجَّهُ بِكَ إلَى رَبِّي فَيَقْضِي حَاجَتِي، وَتَذْكُرُ حَاجَتَكَ وَرُحْ إلَيَّ حَتَّى أَرُوحَ مَعَكَ، فَانْطَلَقَ الرَّجُلُ فَصَنَعَ مَا قَالَ لَهُ، ثُمَّ أَتَى بَابَ عُثْمَانَ فَجَاءَ الْبَوَّابُ حَتَّى أَخَذَ بِيَدِهِ، فَأَدْخَلَهُ عَلَى عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ فَأَجْلَسَهُ مَعَهُ عَلَى الطُّنْفَسَةِ، وَقَالَ: مَا حَاجَتُكَ؟ فَذَكَرَ حَاجَتُهُ فَقَضَاهَا لَهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: مَا ذَكَرْتُ حَاجَتَكَ حَتَّى كَانَتْ هذِهِ السَّاعَةُ، وَقَالَ: مَا كَانَتْ لَكَ مِنْ حَاجَةٍ فَائْتِنَا، ثُمَّ إنَّ الرَّجُلَ خَرَجَ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ فَلَقِيَ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ حُنَيْفٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ: جَزَاكَ اللَّهُ خَيْراً، مَا كَانَ يَنْظُرُ فِي حَاجَتِي، وَلاَ يَلْتَفِتُ إلَيَّ حَتَّى كَلَّمْتَهُ فِيَّ، فَقَالَ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ حُنَيْفٍ: وَاللَّهِ مَا كَلَّمْتُهُ، وَلَكِنْ شَهِدْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، وَأَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ ضَرِيرٌ فَشَكَا إلَيْهِ ذَهَابَ بَصَرِهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ: »أَوْ تَصْبِرُ«، فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إنَّهُ لَيْسَ لِي قَائِدٌ، وَقَدْ شَقَّ عَلَيَّ؟ فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ: »ائْتِ الْمِيضَأَةَ فَتَوَضَّ Translation: Imam Tabrani has narrated an incident that a person repeatedly visited Uthman bin Affan (ra) concerning something he needed but Uthman paid no attention to him. The man went to Uthman bin Hunaif (ra) and complained to him about the matter- [Note: this was after the death of the Prophet and after the caliphates of Abu Bakr and Umar ] so Uthman bin Hunaif said : “Go to the place of Wudu, then come to the Masjid, perform two Rak'ats and then say : “O Allah!, I ask you and turn to you through our Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy. O Muhammad! I turn through you to my lord, that He fulfil my need” and mention your need. Then come so that I can go with you [to the caliph Uthman] So the man left and did as he had been told, then went to the door of Uthman ibn Affan (Allah be pleased with him), and the doorman came, took him by the hand, brought him to Uthman ibn Affan, and seated him next to him on a cushion. 'Uthman asked, "What do you need?" and the man mentioned what he wanted, and Uthman accomplished it for him ...(till the end of hadith)
References: Imam al-Mundhiri (rah) said: Imam Tabarani after narrating it said "THIS HADITH IS SAHIH" [At-Targheeb wa Tarheeb, Page No. 129 in the chapter of Salaat al Hajah]
Note: Imam al-Haythami (rah) also accepted the authentication of Imam Tabrani in his Majma az Zawaid Volume No. 2, Hadith # 3668, even Ibn Taymiyyah declared it "SAHIH" in his Qa'ida al Jaleela fit Tawassul wal Waseela (Page No. 156)
Imam Muhammad bin Yusuf al- Salihi (rah) has actually put the final nail in coffin of Munkareen by setting a whole chapter on this issue: الباب الخامس في ذكر من توسل به - صلى الله عليه وسلم - بعد موته روى الطبراني والبيهقي - بإسناد متصل ورجاله ثقات - عن عثمان بن حنيف أن رجلا كان يختلف إلى عثمان بن عفان في حاجة Translation: Chapter 5: Regarding Tawassul through the Prophet (Peace be upon him) "AFTER HIS DEATH". It is narrated by At-Tabrani and al-Bayhaqi "WITH CONTINEOUS CHAIN ( بإسناد متصل ) HAVING THIQA NARRATORS" the hadith of Uthman bin Hunaif (ra) that a man came to Uthman bin Affan (ra) regarding his Hajah .. until the end of same hadith [Muhammad bin Yusuf al-Salihi in Sabl al Hadi, Volume No.12, Page No. 407]
NOW IT IS TOTALY PROVEN THAT THE ABOVE HADITH IS AUTHENTIC WHICH FURTHER PROVES THAT WASEELA IS PERMISSIBLE EVEN AFTER PROPHET MUHAMMED PBUH!!!
BUT SOME PEOPLE WHO DO NOT WANA TO FOLLOW THE TRUTH, QUOTE THE MISGUIDED SO CALLED SCHOLARS.. Now let me give u the refutation of the objections raised by Sh. al-Albani RH and his follower Albaniites.
To get to the point, I declare that Shaikh Al-Albani, may Allah forgive him, is a man who is motivated by ulterior purposes and desire. If he sees a hadith 6 or a report ( athar7 ) that does not accord with his persuasion8 he straightway proceeds to foist it off as weak (da ‘if) . By using guile and deception he prevails upon his readers that he is right; whereas, he is wrong. Rather, he is a sinner and a hoodwinker. By such duplicity he has succeeded in misguiding his followers who trust him and think that he is right. One of those who has been deceived by him is Hamdi al-Salafi9who edited al-Mu ‘jam al-Kabir 10. He had the impudence to declare a rigorously authentic hadith weak (da ‘if / 11) because it did not go along with his sectarian dogmas just as it did not concur with the persuasion of his teacher (Shaikh) . The proof of that is that what he says about the hadiths being weak is just what his Shaikh says.12 This being the case, I wished to present the real truth of the matter and to expose the falsity of the claims of both the deceiver [Al-Albani] and the deceived [Hamdi al-Salafi] .
Al-Tabarani 13 reported in his al- Mu ‘jam al-Kabir 14 From Ibn Wahb from Shabib from Rauh ibn al-Qàsim from Abu Ja ‘far al-Khatami al-Madani from Abu Umamah ibn Sahl ibn Hunaif: ‘ Uthmàn ibn Hunaif A man was going to ‘Uthmàn ibn ‘Affàn 15 trying to get something done for himself. However, ‘Uthman didn’t pay any attention to him, nor did he look after his need. That man went to ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif and complained about that to him. ‘ Uthmàn ibn Hunaif said to him, “Go and perform ablution (wudu), then go to the mosque and pray two cycles (rak ‘ah) of prayer, then say: ‘O Allah, I ask You and I approach You through your Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy. O Muhammad, I approach my Lord through you that my need be fulfilled, ’ then mention your need. Thereafter come to me that I might go with you. ” Then the man went away and did what he was told. After that he went to the door of ‘Uthmàn ibn ‘Affàn; whereupon the doorkeeper took him by the hand and ushered him into ‘ Uthmàn ibn ‘Affàn who sat him down beside him on his mat and said to him, “What can I do for you?” He told him what he needed and ‘Uthmàn had that done for him and then he said to him, “I didn’t remember your problem until now. Whenever you need anything come to me. ” Thereupon the man left him and went to ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif and said, “May Allah bless you, ‘Uthmàn wouldn’t look after me, nor even pay attention to me until you spoke to him about me. ”
‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif replied, “I swear by Allah that I didn’t speak to him. Actually, I saw a blind man come to the Messenger of Allah [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] and complain to him about losing his sight. The Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] said to him, “Wouldn’t you rather show patience?” He replied, “O Messenger of Allah, I don’t have a guide and the matter has become an ordeal for me. ” The Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] saidto him, “Go and make ablution (wudu), then pray two cycles (rak ‘ah) of prayer, then make this supplication (du‘a’) . I swear by Allah, we hadn’t gone away, nor had we remained long time talk when the man returned as if he had never suffered any affliction. Al-Tabarani declared this report to be rigorously authentic (sahih / 16 ) ; whereas,
Hamdi al-Salafi contradicted him saying:
" There is no doubt about the authenticity of that part of the hadith [concerning the story of the blind man]17; the doubt concerns the [first part of] the story [concerning ‘Uthman ibn Hunaif’s instructions to the man who sought the help of ‘Uthmàn ibn ‘Affan] which heretics (mubtadi‘ah) adduce attempting to prove the legitimacy of their heretical practice of calling the Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] for his intercession. [That part of the story is in doubt for the reasons which we will explain.] Firstly, as al-Tabarani mentioned, Shabib [who is one of the narrators mentioned in the report ’s chain of narration (sanad) is alone in reporting this hadith. Then, Shabib’s narrations are not bad (la ba’sa bihi) on two conditions: first, that his son Ahmad be the one who narrates from him; second, that Shabib ’s narration be from Yunus ibn Yazid. However, in the present case, Shabib ’s narration is reported by [three persons]: Ibn Wahb, and Shabib ’s two sons Ismà‘il and Ahmad. As for Ibn Wahb, extremely reliable narrators (al-thiqah) criticized Ibn Wahb ’s narrations from Shabib, as they criticized Shabib himself. And as for Shabib ’s son, Isma‘il, he is unknown. Although Ahmad also reports this hadith from Shabib, it is not Shabib ’s report from Yunus ibn Yazid [which (as Hamdu pretends) is what the experts in narration stipulated as the condition for the correctness of Shabib ’s narrations]. Furthermore, the experts in narration (al-muhaddithun) are at variance concerning the text of this hadith which they narrate from Ahmad [ibn Shabib]. Ibn al-Sunni reported the hadith in his ‘Amal al-Yaumwa ’l-Lailah and al-Hakim reported it with three different chains of narration (sanad) neither of them mentioning the story [of ‘ Uthman ibn Hunaif and the man who wanted to see ‘Uthmàn]. Al-Hakim reported the hadith by way ‘Aun ibn ‘Amàrah al- Basri from Rauh ibn al-Qasim. My teacher (Shaikh) Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani: “Even though ‘Aun is weak (da‘if), still his version of the hadith (riwàyah) [without the story of ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif] is preferable to Shabib’s since Rauh’s narration agrees with the narrations of Shu‘bah and Hamàd ibn Salamah through Abu Ja ‘f`ar al-Khatmi [without the story of ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif]. "
THE FOREGOING DISCUSSION IS MISLEADING AND DISTORTED IN SEVERAL WAYS.. LET ME CLARIFY IT POINT BY POINT....
FIRST POINT: The story [of ‘Uthman ibn Hunaif and the man who wanted to see ‘ Uthman] was reported by al- Bayhaqi in Dalà ’ilu’l-Nubuwah19 by way of: Ya‘qub ibn Sufyan who said that Ahmad ibn Shabib ibn Sa‘id reported to me that his father reported to him from Rauh ibn al-Qàsim from Abu Ja‘far al-Khatami from Abu Usamah ibn Sahl ibn Hunaif that a man was going to ‘Uthmàn ibn ‘Affàn and he mentioned the story in its entirety.
Ya‘qub ibn Sufyàn is [Abu Yusuf] al-Fasawi (d. 177 h) 20, the Hàfiz,21 the Imàm,22 the utterly reliable transmitter (al- thiqah) 23rather, he is better than utterly reliable (thiqah) .
The chain of narration (sanad) of this hadith is utterly reliable (sahih /24)Thus the story [about ‘ Uthmàn ibn Hunaif] is quite authentic. Other [spe******ts in the science of hadith and its narrators] also proclaimed the hadith to be rigorously authentic (sahih) .
Hàfiz al- Mundhiri25 mentioned in his al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib: p. 606, vol. 2;26 and Hafiz al-Haithami27 mentioned it in his Majma ‘ al-Zawà’id: p. 179, vol. 2.28
Ahmad ibn Shabib is one of the narrators that al-Bukhari29 depended on; al-Bukhàri reported hadith from Ahmad ibn Shabib both in his Sahih and in his al-Adab al-Mufrad. Abu Hàtim al-Ràzi30 also declared him to be utterly reliable (thiqah) , and both he and Abu Zur ‘ah wrote down his hadith.31 Ibn ‘Adi32 mentioned that the people of Basrah [that is, the experts in the science of hadith and criticism] considered him to be utterly reliable (thiqah) and ‘Ali al-Madini33 wrote down his hadith.
Ahmad’s father, Shabib ibn Sa‘id al-Tamimi al-Habati al- Basri34 is also one of the narrators whom al-Bukhari depended on in both his Sahih and his al-Adab al-Mufrad.
Those who considered Shabib to be thiqah include: Abu Zur ‘ah, Abu Hatim, al-Nisà’i, al-Dhuhali, al- Dàraqutni , and al-Tabarani35.
Abu Hatim related that Shabib had in his keeping the books of Yunus ibnYazid, and he said that Shabib was reliable (salih) in hadith and that there was nothing wrong with him (là ba ’sa bihi / 36 ) .
Ibn ‘Adi said: “Shabib had a copy of the book37 of al-Zuhri. He had in his keeping sound hadith which Yunus related from al-Zuhri. ” 38 [‘Ali] ibn al-Madini said about Shabib: “He was utterly reliable (thiqah). He used to go to Egypt for trade. His book was authentic (sahih). ” 39 The foregoing relates to the authentication (ta ‘dil) of Shabib.40 As you notice there is no stipulation that his narration be from Yunus ibn Yazid in order to be authentic (sahih) .
Rather, Ibn al-Madini affirms that his book was authentic,41 while Ibn ‘Adi confined himself to commenting about Shabib’s copy of al-Zuhri’s book not intending to intimate anything about the rest of Shabib ’s narrations. So what Al-Albàni claims [namely, that Shabib ’s narrations are authentic on the condition that he narrate from Yunus ibn Yazid] is deception and a breach of academic and religious trust. What I have said [about Shabib’s unconditional reliability] is further corroborated by the fact that [another hadith which Shabib related; namely] the hadith about the blind man [who came to the Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]to plead him to pray for him] was declared to be authentic by the hadith experts (huffaz /42) although Shabib did not narrate this hadith from Yunus by way of al-Zuhri. Rather, he related it from Rauh ibn al-Qàsim.
Furthermore, al-Albani claims that since some narrators whose hadith are mentioned by Ibn al- Sunni and al-Hakim did not mention the story [about ‘ Uthmàn ibn Hunaif], the story is doubtful (da‘if ) . This is another example of Al-Albàni’s trickery. People who have some knowledge about the principles of the science of hadith know that some narrators report a given hadith in its entirety, while others may choose to abridge it according to their purpose at hand.
Al-Bukhari, for example, does that routinely in his Sahih where he often mentions a hadith in abridged form while it is given by someone else in complete form. Moreover, the person who has related the story [about ‘ Uthmàn ibn Hunaif] in al- Bayhaqi’s report is an extraordinary Imàm: Ya‘qub ibn Sufyàn. Abu Zur‘ah al-Dimashqi says about him: “Two men from the noblest of mankind came to us; one of them, Ya ‘qub ibn Sufyàn the most widely-traveled of the two, defies the people of Iraq to produce a single man who can narrate [as well] as he does. ”
Al-Albàni ’s declaring the narration of ‘Aun, which in fact is weak, to be better than the narration of those who narrated the story [of ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif] is a third aspect of Al-Albani’s duplicity and fraud because when al-Hakim related the hadith of the blind man in an abridged form by way of ‘Aun, he remarked : Shabib ibn Sa‘id al-Habati has given the same hadith by way of Rauh ibn al-Qàsim with some additions to the text (matn ) and the chain of narrators (isnàd) . The decision in the matter is Shabib ’s since he is utterly reliable (thiqah) and trustworthy (ma ’mun) . What al-Hakim says emphasizes a precept which is universally recognized by the experts in the science of hadith (al- muhaddithun) and the principles of the holy law (usul al-fiqh) ; namely, that additional wording related by a narrator who is utterly reliable (thiqah) is acceptable (maqbulah ) , and, furthermore, someone who remembered something is a proof against someone who didn ’t remember it.
Al-Albani saw al-Hakim’s statement but he didn’t like it, so he ignored it, and obstinately and dishonestly insisted on the superiority of ‘Aun’s weak narration. It has been made clear that the story [about ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif] is rigorously authentic (sahih) in spite of Al-Albàni ’s [and Ibn Taimiyah’s] deceitful attempts to discredit it. The story shows that seeking the Prophet ’s [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]intercession after his passing away is permissible since the Companion43 who reported the hadith understood that it was permissible and the understanding of the narrator is significant in the view of the holy law (shari ‘ah) , for it has its weight in the field of deducing (istinbat ) the detailed rules of the holy law (shari ‘ah) .
We say according to the understanding of the narrator for the sake of argument; otherwise, in actuality, ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif’s instructing the man to seek the intercession of the Prophet was according to what he had heard from the Prophet as the hadith of the blind man [which ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif himself related] establishes.
Ibn Abi Khaithamah stated in his Tàrikh [which is a genre of writing which deals with the history and reputation of narrators of hadith] : Muslim ibn Ibràhim related to me that Hammàd ibn Salamah said: Abu Ja ‘far al-Khatami related to me from ‘Amarah ibn Khuzaimah from ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif : A blind man came to the Prophetand said: “I have lost my sight. Pray to Allah for me.” He answered: “Go and make ablution and then pray two cycles (rak ‘ah) of prayer, and then say: ‘O Allah, I ask You and I approach you through my Prophet Muĥammad, The Prophet of Mercy. O Muhammad, I seek your intercession with Allah that my sight should be restored. O Allah, accept my intercession for myself and accept the intercession of my Prophet for the restoration of my sight. ’ If ever you have any need do like that. ”
The chain of narration (isnàd) of this hadith is rigorously authentic (sahih). The last clause of the hadith constitutes the express permission of the Prophet to seek his intercession whenever there occurred any need.
Not withstanding, Ibn Taimiyah objected on feeble grounds that this last clause comprehended some covert technical defect (‘ illah) [which prejudices the authenticity of the hadith or at least its last clause]. I have demonstrated the invalidity of those grounds elsewhere.44 Indeed, Ibn Taimiyah is characteristically audacious in rejecting hadith which do not conform with his purpose at hand even if those hadith are rigorously authentic (sahih) .
A good example of that is the following case: Al-Bukhari reported in his sahih: “Allah existed and there was nothing other than Him.” This hadith is in agreement with the [clear-cut] evidence of the Qur`an, the sunnah, reason, and certain consensus (al-ijmà ‘ al- mutayaqqan). However, since it conflicts with his belief in the eternity of the world,45 he turned to another version of this hadith which al-Bukhàri also reported: “Allah existed and their was nothing before Him.” And he rejected the first version in favor of the second on the grounds that the second conforms with another hadith: “ You are the first; there is nothing before You.” [He held that the implication was that created things always existed along with Allah] .
Hafiz Ibn Hajr remarked concerning the correct manner of reconciling the apparent contradiction in the above- mentioned hadiths: “In fact the way to reconcile the two versions of the hadith is to understand the second in light of the first, and not the other way around. Moreover, there is consensus on the principle that reconciliation of two apparently contradictory versions of a text (nass) takes precedence over endorsing one version at the expense of revoking the other. ”
Actually, Ibn Taimáyah’s prejudice blinded him from understanding the two versions of the hadith which, in fact, are not mutually contradictory. That is because the version “Allah existed and there was nothing before Him.” has the meaning which is contained in His name the First; whereas, the version “Allah existed and there was nothing other than Him. ” has the meaning contained in His name the One.
The proof of this is still another version of the hadith with the wording “Allah existed before everything. ” 47
Another example of Ibn Taimiyah ’s audacity in rejecting hadith is the case of the hadith: “The Messenger of Allah [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]ordered the doors which opened on the mosque from the street to be sealed, but he left ‘ Ali’s door [open].” This hadith is rigorously authentic (sahih). Ibn al-Jauzi 48 was mistaken by mentioning it in his collection of forged hadiths, al-Maudu ‘àt. Hafiz [Ibn Hajr] corrected him in his al-Qaul al-Musaddad: “Ibn Taimiyah because of his well- known bias against ‘Ali was not content with Ibn al-Jauzi’s declaration that the hadith was forged, but took the initiative to add from his own bag [of fraud] thepretence that the hadith experts (al-muhaddithun) are agreed that the hadith is forged.
Ibn Taimiyah has rejected so many hadith simply because they are irreconcilable with his opinions that it is hard to keep track of the instances.
FOURTH POINT:
In order to conciliate al-Albàni, let us suppose that the story [about ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif] is weak, and that the Ibn Abi Khaithamah ’s version of the hadith [with the addition: Wheneveryou have any need do like that.] is defective (mu ‘allal) as Ibn Taimiyah would have it; still the hadith of the blind man is quite enough to prove the permissibility of seeking the intercession of the Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]since the fact that the Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]taught the blind man to seek his intercession on that occasion shows the propriety of seeking it in all circumstances.
Moreover, it is not allowable to refer to such intercession as a heretical departure (bid ‘ah ), nor is it allowable to arbitrarily restrict such intercession to the lifetime of the Prophet .
Indeed, whoever restricts it to his lifetime is really a heretic because he has disqualified a rigorously authentic hadith and precluded its implementation, and that is unlawful (haram).
Al-Albàni, may Allah forgive him, is bold to claim conditionality an abrogation simply because a text prejudices his preconceived opinions and persuasion. If the hadith of the blind man was a special dispensation for him, the Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]would have made that clear as he made it clear to Abu Burdah that the sacrifice of a two year old goat would fulfill his duty; whereas, it would not suffice for others.
Furthermore, it is not admissible to suppose that the Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] might have delayed explaining a matter in detail when his followers needed that knowledge at that time.
A SUBTERFUGE AND ITS PRECLUSION
Suppose somebody says that the reason we have to restrict the application of this hadith to the lifetime of the Prophet is that it involves calling (nidà ’) the Prophet[whereas, it is not possible to call him after his death.] We reply that this objection is to be rejected because there are numerous reports (mutawatir) from the Prophet concerning his instruction about what one should recite during the tashahhud 51of prayer, and that contains the greeting of peace (salàm) for him with mention of him in the vocative form: Peace be upon you, OProphet! 52 That is the very formula which Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, Ibn Zubair, and Mu‘àwiyah taught the people from the mimbar53.
Thereafter, it became an issue on which there was consensus (ijmà ‘) as Ibn Hazm 54 and Ibn Taimiyah affirmed.
Al-Albàni, because he is prone to schism (ibtidà ‘ ), violated the consensus and insisted on following an opinion reported of Ibn Mas ‘ud: “Then when he died we said: Peace be on the Prophet (al-salàmu ‘alà al- nabiyu).” Indeed, violating the hadith and consensus isthe essence of heresy (ibtidà ‘ )
Furthermore, there are authentic reports from the Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]which inform us that our deeds are presented to the Prophet [in his blessed grave] as are our supplications for his peace (al-salàm ) and honor (al- salah / 55 ) .
There are also authentic reports about angels which travel about the earth in order to convey to the Prophet any greetings of peace and honor that anyone of his people might happen to make for him.
Also definitive texts (tawàtur / 56 and consensus ( ‘ijmà’ ) establish that the Prophet is alive in his grave, and that his blessed body does not decay.
After all that, how can anybody dare to claim that it is not allowable to call the Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]in seeking his intercession?
After all, is that in any different than calling him in tashahhud? Unfortunately, Al-Albàni is perversely obstinate and opinionated, as are the Albani ’ites, [that is, his blind, fanatic followers].
So much for my rebuttal of Al- Albàni. As for the person called Hamdi al-Salafi, there ’s no need to refute him separately because he merely echoes Al- Albàni.
Another thing which I should establish here is that Al-Albàni is not to be depended on in his judgments about hadith authenticity, nor their weakness because he routinely employs a variety of tactics to mislead, and he does not disdain to betray his trust in transmitting the opinions of the ‘ulamà’ (religious scholars) distorting their words and meanings.
Moreover, he has had the impudence to oppose the consensus and to claim the abrogation (naskh) of texts without proof. He commits such excesses because of his ignorance of the principles [of the science of fiqh] and the rules of inference and deduction (al- istinbat ) He claims he is struggling against heretical innovation (bid ‘ah ) by forbidding the practice of intercession, and by forbidding people to use the epithet sayyidinà when mentioning the name of the Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam], and by forbidding them to recite the Qur ‘àn for the sake [of the souls] of the deceased.
However, the fact of the matter is that by doing that he commits a real heresy (bid ‘ah) by forbidding what Allah has permitted, and by verbally abusing the Asharites and the Sufis.
Al-Albàni’s outlandish and heterodox opinions, which are the result of his impious resort to free thought, his deceit, his dishonesty in pronouncing hadith to be authentic or weak according to what suits his persuasion [rather, than according to the dictates of the facts], his excoriations of the ‘ ulamà’ and the illustrious personages of Islàm; all that is an affliction from Allah, yet he doesn ’t realize it. Indeed, he is one of those [to whom the Qur ‘àn referred by its words:] who thinks they are doing good; however, how wrong is what they think.
We ask Allah to preserve us from what He has afflicted Al-Albani with, and we seek refuge in Him from all evil. All praise is for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. May Allah bless Our Master Muhammad and all his noble people.
Intercession is allowed according to our law. It is a matter by none disputed in all of Muslimdom, Except those who folly wedded and paid their dowry with insolence. Their hearts are stone, by Muslims scorned goons of the Wahhàbi mob, They prohibited it and denounced it Without any reason why. The case of one Uthmàn ibn Hunaif is a valid precedent; It’s our proof; its quite conclusive, and it brooks no controversy.
May Allah guide them to concede the verdict of documentation.
حدثنا أحمد بن منصور بن
ReplyDeleteسيار حدثنا عثمان بن
عمر حدثنا شعبة عن أبي
جعفر المدني عن عمارة بن
خزيمة بن ثابت عن عثمان بن
حنيف
أن رجلا ضرير البصر أتى
النبي صلى الله عليه
وسلم فقال ادع الله لي أن
يعافيني فقال إن شئت أخرت
لك وهو خير وإن شئت دعوت
فقال ادعه فأمره أن يتوضأ
فيحسن وضوءه ويصلي
ركعتين ويدعو بهذا الدعاء
اللهم إني أسألك وأتوجه
إليك بمحمد نبي الرحمة
يا محمد إني قد توجهت بك
إلى ربي في حاجتي
هذه لتقضى اللهم شفعه في
The Hadith states: It was
narrated from 'Uthman bin Hunaif
that a blind man came to the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) and
said: "Pray to Allah to heal me."
He said: "If you wish to store
your reward for the Hereafter,
that is better, or if you wish, I
will supplicate for you." He said:
"Supplicate." So he told him to
perform ablution and do it well,
to pray two Rak'ah, and to say
this supplication: "Allahumma lnni
as'aluka wa atawajjahu ilaika
bimuhammadin nabiyyir-rahma. Ya
Muhammadu inni qad tawajjahtu
bika ila rabbi fi hajati hadhihi
lituqda. Allahumma fashaffi ’hu fiya
(O Allah, I ask of You and I turn
my face towards You by virtue
of the intercession of
Muhammad the Prophet of
mercy. O Muhammad, I have
turned to my Lord by virtue
of your intercession
concerning this need of
mine so that it may be met.
O Allah, accept his intercession
concerning me) ".
References
►Ibn Majah transmitted it in his
Sunan, book of Iqamat al-salat
wa al-sunnat (establishing
prayer and its sunnahs)[Page
197, Hadith No#1385)
Click
here for Scanned Page
http://www.ahlus-sunna.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=29&limitstart=86
In Sunnan Ibn Majah then it says:
ReplyDeleteقال أبو إسحق هذاحديث
صحيح
Translation: Imam Abu Ishaaq
(rah) said: This hadith is
"SAHIH" [ibid]
►Tirmidhī in al-Jami-us-sahīh,
book of da‘awat (supplications)
ch.119 (5:569#3578) where he
declared it "HASAN SAHIH
GHARIB"
►Nasa'i, ‘Amal-ul-yawm wal-laylah
(p.417#658-659)
►Ahmad bin Hambal in his Musnad
(4:138 #17246-17247)
►Hākim, al-Mustadrak
(1:313,519) where he declared it
"SAHIH"
►Nawawī, al-Adhkār (p.83)
►Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāyah wan-
nihāyah (4:558)
►Ibn Hajar Haythamī, al-Jawhar-
ul-munazzam (p.61)
►Ibn Mājah, Hākim and Dhahabī
have declared it a sound (sahīh)
tradition while Tirmidhī graded it
hasan (fair) sahīh, gharīb
(unfamiliar or rare)
Similarly, another tradition
narrated by Imam Hākim
is present in different words. In
this tradition, ‘Uthmān bin
Hunayf says that he was
present in the Prophet ’s
company. A blind person called on
the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه
وآله وسلم ) and complained
about the loss of his eyesight. He
added: ‘O Messenger of Allah,
there is no one to guide me and
I am in great trouble. ’ On hearing
his complaint, the Prophet
( صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم )
said:
Bring an earthen pot for
ablution, then perform the
ablution and offer two cycles of
optional prayer. Then say: “O
Allah, I appeal to You, and submit
to You through the mediation of
Your merciful Prophet Muhammad
( صلى الله عليه وآله
وسلم). O Muhammad, through
your mediation I submit myself to
your Lord that He should give
light to my eyes. O Allah,
acknowledge his intercession in
my favour and accept my
supplication also in my favour. ”
‘Uthmān bin Hunayf says: I swear
by Allah that we had neither left
the company nor had we carried
on a long conversation that the
man entered (with his sight fully
restored) and it seemed as if he
had never been blind.
References:
►Nasā’ī, ‘Amal-ul-yawm wal-
laylah (p.418#660)
►Ahmad bin Hambal, Musnad
(4:138)
►Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāyah wan-
nihāyah (4:559)
►Suyūtī, al-Khasā’is-ul-kubrā
(2:201)
►Qastallānī, al-Mawāhib-ul-
laduniyyah (4:594)
►Bayhaqī, Dalā’il-un-nubuwwah
(6:166-7)
Qadhi Shawkani, the leading
ReplyDeleteauthority for Salafis,
he while authenticating
Tawassul said:
قوله ويتوسل إلى الله
سبحانه بأنبيائه
والصالحين أقول ومن
التوسل بالأنبياء ما أخرجه
الترمذي وقال حسن صحيح
غريب والنسائي وابن ماجة
وابن خزيمة في صحيحه
والحاكم وقال صحيح على
شرط البخاري ومسلم من
حديث عثمان بن حنيف رضي
الله عنه أن أعمى أتى النبي
صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال
يا رسول الله ادع الله أن
يكشف لي عن بصري قال أو
أدعك فقال يا رسول الله أني
قد شق علي ذهاب بصري قال
فانطلق فتوضأ فصل
ركعتين ثم قل اللهم أني
أسألك وأتوجه إليك بمحمد
نبي الرحمة الحديث وسيأتي
هذا الحديث في هذا الكتاب عند
ذكر صلاة الحاجة وأما التوسل
بالصالحين فمنه ما ثبت في
الصحيح أن الصحابة
استسقوا بالعباس رضي
الله عنه عم رسول الله صلى
الله عليه وسلم وقال عمر
رضي الله عنه اللهم إنا
نتوسل إليك بعم نبينا
Translation: Qadhi Shawkani
explains the saying of Imam Ibn
al-Jarzi i.e. One should ask Allah
through the intermediary of
Anbiya and Pious servants of
Allah: I (Qadhi Shawkani) say that
to seek Intercession with Allah
through Prophets and Righteous
(is proven) as is narrated by
Tirmidhi who called it Hassan
Sahih Gharib, also narrated by
Nasai’i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Khuzayma
in his “Sahih” Hakim who said: It
is Sahih on the criteria of
Bukhari and Muslim, the Hadith of
Uthman bin HUNAIF (ra) that a
blind man came to the Prophet
(Allah bless him & give him peace)
and said: “I've been afflicted in
my eyesight, so pray to Allah for
me". The Prophet (Allah bless him
& give him peace) said: “Go
perform ablution (Wudu),
perform two rak'at Salat and
then say: “O Allah! I ask you
and turn to you through my
Prophet Muhammad. This
hadith is mentioned in the book
(with chapter) of Salaat al Hajah.
And regarding Tawassul through
righteous people, It is proven
from Sahih (Bukhari) that
Sahaba used to seek rain
through Abbas (ra) the uncle of
Prophet (Peace be upon him).
Umar (ra) said: O Allah we turn
to you through the means of
Prophet's uncle [Tuahfa tul
Dhakireen, Page No. 48]
He also said:
وفي الحديث دليل على جواز
التوسل برسول الله صلى
الله عليه وسلم إلى الله عز
وجل مع اعتقاد أن الفاعل هو
الله سبحانه وتعالى وأنه
المعطي المانع ما شاء كان وما
يشأ لم يكن
Translation: And in this hadith
is the Proof on permissibility of
seeking intercession to Allah
through Prophet (Peace be upon
him) but with the belief that
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’la is the
one who grants or takes ,
whatever he wills happens and
whatever he does not will
cannot happen. [Tuhfa tul
Dhakireen, Page No. 138]
Click here for Scanned Page
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I THINK THAT THIS MUCH AUTHENTICITY AND THE MEANING OF THE HADITH WOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR YOU!
ReplyDeleteBUT LET ME CLARIFY THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE HADITH OF
THE BLIND MAN AND ITS MEANING MORE AND MORE..
Tirmidhi has stated that the
hadith of the blind man is "a
hadith that is well or rigorously
authenticated but singular,
being unknown except through
his chain of narrators, from the
hadith of Abu Ja'far, who is not
Abu Ja'far Khatmi," which means
that the narrators of this
hadith, despite Abu Ja'far being
unknown to Tirmidhi, were
acceptable to the degree of
being well or rigorously
authenticated in either case.
But scholars before Tirmidhi
established that Abu Ja'far, this
person unknown to Tirmidhi,
was Abu Ja'far Khatmi himself.
Ibn Abi Khaythama said: "The
name of this Abu Ja'far, whom
Hammad ibn Salama relates
from, is 'Umayr ibn Yazid, and is
the Abu Ja'far that Shu'ba
relates from," and then he
related the hadith by the
channel of transmission of
'Uthman from Shu'ba from Abu
Ja'far.
Ibn Taymiya, after relating the
hadith of Tirmidhi, said: "All
scholars say that he is Abu
Ja'far Khatmi, and this is
correct."
MY FRIENDS PLEASE REFLECT ON THIS.
The hadith master, Ibn Hajar,
notes in "Taqrib al-tahdhib"
that he is Khatmi, and that he
is reliable (saduq).
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr likewise says
that he is Khatmi, in "al-Istii'ab
fi ma'rifa al-ashab."
Moreover,
Baihaqi related the hadith by
way of Hakim and confirmed
that it was rigorously
authenticated (SAHIH), Hakim
having related it by a chain of
transmission meeting the
standards of Bukhari and
Muslim, which the hadith master
Dhahabi confirmed, and
Shawkani cited as evidence.
Dhahabi and Shawkani, who are
they? The meaning of this is
that all the men of the hadith's
chain of transmission are known
to top Imams of hadith such as
Dhahabi (and who is severer
than he?), Ibn Hajar (and who is
more precise, learned, or
painstaking than he?), Hakim,
Baihaqi, Tabarani, Ibn 'Abd al-
Barr, Shawkani, and even Ibn
Taymiya.
This hadith was
ReplyDeleterecorded by Bukhari in his "al-
Tarikh al-kabir", by Ibn Majah in
his "Sunan", where he said it
was rigorously authenticated
(SAHIH), by Nasa'i in "Amal al-
yawm wa al-layla", by Abu
Nu'aym in "Ma'rifa al-Sahaba",
by Baihaqi in "Dala'il al-
nubuwwa", by Mundhiri in "al-
Targhib wa al-tahrib", by
Haythami in "Majma' al zawa'id
wa manba' al-fawa'id", by
Tabarani in "al-Mu'jam al-kabir",
by Ibn Khuzayma in his "Sahih",
and by others. Nearly 15 hadith
masters ("huffaz", hadith
authorities with more than
100,000 hadiths and their chains
of transmission by memory)
have explicitly stated that this
hadith is rigorously
authenticated (sahih).
As
mentioned above, it has come
with a chain of transmission
meeting the standards of
Bukhari and Muslim, so there is
nothing left for a critic to
attack or slanderer to
disparage concerning the
authenticity of the hadith.
Consequently, as for the
permissibility of supplicating Allah
(tawassul) through either a
living or dead person, it follows
by human reason, scholarship,
and sentiment, that there is
flexibility in the matter.
Whoever wants to can either
take tawassul or leave it,
without causing trouble or
making accusations, since it has
been this thoroughly checked
("Adilla Ahl al-Sunna wa al-
Jama'a , 79-83)
The hadith explicitly
proves the validity of
supplicating Allah (tawassul)
through a living intermediary, as
the Prophet (Allah bless him and
grant him peace) was alive at
the time. The hadith
implicitly shows the validity of
supplicating Allah (tawassul)
through a deceased
intermediary as well, since:
The Prophet (Allah bless him and
grant him peace) told the blind
man to go perform ablution
(wudu) pray two rak'as, and
then make the supplication
containing the words, "O
Muhammad, I seek your
intercession with my Lord for
the return of my eyesight,"
which is a call upon somebody
physically absent, a state of
which the living and the dead
are alike.
Supplicating Allah (tawassul)
ReplyDeletethrough a living or deceased
intermediary is "not tawassul through a
physical body, or through a life
or death, but rather through
the positive meaning attached
to the person in both life and
death, for the body is but the
vehicle that carries that
significance.
And perhaps the most telling
reason is that
everything the Prophet (Allah
bless him and grant him peace)
ordered to be done during his
lifetime was "legislation" valid for
all generations until the end of
time unless proven otherwise by
a subsequent indication from
the Prophet himself (Allah bless
him and grant him peace), the
tawassul he taught during his
lifetime not requiring anything
else to be generalized to any
time thereafter.
LET ME EXPLAIN THE MATTER MORE AND MORE TO YOU...
You hand over this tradition to
somone who is acquainted with
Arabic language and a person
whose mind is completely free
from the controversies of the
Wahhabis in the matter of
tawassul and ask him what the
Holy Prophet (s) has commanded
him in the du'a which he taught
the blind man and how he
guided him as to how one's
‘Duas’ are easily answered! He
will immediately reply: “The Holy
Prophet (s) has taught him to
consider the blessed Prophet as
a channel and to seek tawassul
from him and ask God to fulfil
his wish. This matter can easily
be understood from the
following sentences:
( Arabic version of the text is here in image form
http://www.al-islam.org/wahhabism/Wahhabism%20Final_files/image219.jpg )
O lord, I ask Thee and turn
towards Thee through the
channel of your Prophet.
In clearer terms, he asks from
God through the channel of
‘Nabi’ and also turns to God
through him. Moreover by ‘Nabi’
is meant Nabi himself and not
the ‘Dua’ of Nabi; to imagine
that it means the du'a of Nabi
is deficieint of any reason.
Anyone who predetermines the
word of du'a has no reason
other than pre-judgement
since, the one who commends
such a word and does not think
Tawassul to people to be
correct forcibly strives to
predetermine the word of ‘Dua’
so that nobody opposes his idea
and eventually he may say: “It
means tawassul to the ‘Dua’ of
the Prophet (s) and not the
Prophet himself and tawassul to
the ‘Dua’ of someone is proper.
Click here to see the image of the arabic version of the sentence
http://www.al-islam.org/wahhabism/Wahhabism%20Final_files/image223.jpg
The sentence ( click here to get the image of the arabic version of the text http://www.al-islam.org/wahhabism/Wahhabism%20Final_files/image225.jpg )
shows
that he (i.e. the blind man) is
referring to Prophet Muhammad
himself and not his du'a.
The sentence
means O God make
him as my intercessor and
accept his intercession towards
me. In all of these sentences
what is said and explained is
the very personality of the Holy
Prophet (s) and his great
position and there is no talk of
the du'a of the Holy Prophet.
The sentence
means O God make
him as my intercessor and
accept his intercession towards
me. In all of these sentences
what is said and explained is
the very personality of the Holy
Prophet (s) and his great
position and there is no talk of
the du'a of the Holy Prophet.
With this explanation all of yours
objections and the objections which the Wahhabi
writer al-Rifa'i has mentioned in
the book al-Tawassul ila haqiqat
al-tawassul is done away with
and MORE
details of the objections and
their reply can be found in the book, al-
Tawassul. Interested readers
can refer to them on pages
147 to 153.
Related Hadith: A MAN IN NEED
ReplyDeleteSome people object to the above
hadith and say that it only
proves Tawassul through
Prophet (Peace be upon him)
during his life, although their self
cooked up taweel is false which
goes against the teaching of
Prophet (Peace be upon him) but
still we would like to present
another "SAHIH" hadith to
establish that Sahaba took the
waseela of Prophet (Peace be
upon him) even after his passing
away
وَهُوَ أَنَّ رَجُلاً كَانَ يَخْتَلِفُ إلَى
عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
فِي حَاجَةٍ لَهُ، وَكَانَ عُثْمَانُ لاَ
يَلْتَفِتُ إلَيْهِ، وَلاَ يَنْظُرُ فِي
حَاجَتِهِ، فَلَقِيَ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ حُنَيْفٍ
فَشَكَا ذلِكَ إلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ
عُثْمَانُ بْنُ حُنَيْفٍ: ائْتِ الْمِيضَأَةَ
فَتَوَضَّأْ، ثُمَّ ائْتِ الْمَسْجِدَ
فَصَلِّ فِيهِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ قُلِ:
اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ، وَأَتَوَجَّهُ
إلَيْكَ بِنَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ نَبِيِّ
الرَّحْمَةِ، يَا مُحَمَّدُ! إنِّي أَتَوَجَّهُ بِكَ
إلَى رَبِّي فَيَقْضِي حَاجَتِي،
وَتَذْكُرُ حَاجَتَكَ وَرُحْ إلَيَّ حَتَّى
أَرُوحَ مَعَكَ، فَانْطَلَقَ الرَّجُلُ
فَصَنَعَ مَا قَالَ لَهُ، ثُمَّ أَتَى بَابَ
عُثْمَانَ فَجَاءَ الْبَوَّابُ حَتَّى أَخَذَ
بِيَدِهِ، فَأَدْخَلَهُ عَلَى عُثْمَانَ بْنِ
عَفَّانَ فَأَجْلَسَهُ مَعَهُ عَلَى
الطُّنْفَسَةِ، وَقَالَ: مَا حَاجَتُكَ؟
فَذَكَرَ حَاجَتُهُ فَقَضَاهَا لَهُ، ثُمَّ
قَالَ: مَا ذَكَرْتُ حَاجَتَكَ حَتَّى كَانَتْ
هذِهِ السَّاعَةُ، وَقَالَ: مَا كَانَتْ لَكَ
مِنْ حَاجَةٍ فَائْتِنَا، ثُمَّ إنَّ الرَّجُلَ
خَرَجَ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ فَلَقِيَ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ
حُنَيْفٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ: جَزَاكَ اللَّهُ
خَيْراً، مَا كَانَ يَنْظُرُ فِي حَاجَتِي،
وَلاَ يَلْتَفِتُ إلَيَّ حَتَّى كَلَّمْتَهُ
فِيَّ، فَقَالَ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ حُنَيْفٍ:
وَاللَّهِ مَا كَلَّمْتُهُ، وَلَكِنْ شَهِدْتُ
رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، وَأَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ ضَرِيرٌ
فَشَكَا إلَيْهِ ذَهَابَ بَصَرِهِ، فَقَالَ
لَهُ النَّبِيُّ: »أَوْ تَصْبِرُ«، فَقَالَ:
يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إنَّهُ لَيْسَ لِي
قَائِدٌ، وَقَدْ شَقَّ عَلَيَّ؟ فَقَالَ لَهُ
النَّبِيُّ: »ائْتِ الْمِيضَأَةَ فَتَوَضَّ
Translation: Imam Tabrani has
narrated an incident that a
person repeatedly visited
Uthman bin Affan (ra) concerning
something he needed but
Uthman paid no attention to him.
The man went to Uthman bin
Hunaif (ra) and complained to him
about the matter- [Note: this
was after the death of the
Prophet and after the
caliphates of Abu Bakr and
Umar ] so Uthman bin Hunaif
said : “Go to the place of Wudu,
then come to the Masjid,
perform two Rak'ats and then
say : “O Allah!, I ask you and
turn to you through our
Prophet Muhammad, the
Prophet of Mercy. O
Muhammad! I turn through
you to my lord, that He
fulfil my need” and mention
your need. Then come so that I
can go with you [to the caliph
Uthman] So the man left and did
as he had been told, then went
to the door of Uthman ibn Affan
(Allah be pleased with him), and
the doorman came, took him by
the hand, brought him to
Uthman ibn Affan, and seated
him next to him on a cushion.
'Uthman asked, "What do you
need?" and the man mentioned
what he wanted, and Uthman
accomplished it for him ...(till the
end of hadith)
References: Imam al-Mundhiri
(rah) said: Imam Tabarani after
narrating it said "THIS HADITH
IS SAHIH" [At-Targheeb wa
Tarheeb, Page No. 129 in the
chapter of Salaat al Hajah]
Note:
ReplyDeleteImam al-Haythami (rah) also
accepted the authentication of
Imam Tabrani in his Majma az
Zawaid Volume No. 2, Hadith #
3668, even Ibn Taymiyyah
declared it "SAHIH" in his
Qa'ida al Jaleela fit Tawassul wal
Waseela (Page No. 156)
Imam Muhammad bin Yusuf al-
Salihi (rah) has actually put the
final nail in coffin of Munkareen
by setting a whole chapter on
this issue:
الباب الخامس في ذكر من
توسل به - صلى الله
عليه وسلم - بعد موته
روى الطبراني والبيهقي
- بإسناد متصل ورجاله
ثقات - عن عثمان بن حنيف
أن رجلا كان يختلف إلى
عثمان بن عفان في حاجة
Translation: Chapter 5:
Regarding Tawassul through the
Prophet (Peace be upon him)
"AFTER HIS DEATH". It is
narrated by At-Tabrani and
al-Bayhaqi "WITH
CONTINEOUS CHAIN
( بإسناد متصل ) HAVING
THIQA NARRATORS" the
hadith of Uthman bin Hunaif (ra)
that a man came to Uthman bin
Affan (ra) regarding his Hajah ..
until the end of same hadith
[Muhammad bin Yusuf al-Salihi in
Sabl al Hadi, Volume No.12, Page
No. 407]
NOW IT IS TOTALY PROVEN THAT THE ABOVE HADITH IS AUTHENTIC WHICH FURTHER PROVES THAT WASEELA IS PERMISSIBLE EVEN AFTER PROPHET MUHAMMED PBUH!!!
BUT SOME PEOPLE WHO DO NOT WANA TO FOLLOW THE TRUTH, QUOTE THE MISGUIDED SO CALLED SCHOLARS..
Now let me give u the refutation of the objections
raised by Sh. al-Albani RH and his
follower Albaniites.
To get to the point, I declare
ReplyDeletethat Shaikh Al-Albani, may Allah
forgive him, is a man who is
motivated by ulterior purposes
and desire. If he sees a hadith 6
or a report ( athar7 ) that does
not accord with his persuasion8
he straightway proceeds to foist
it off as weak (da ‘if) . By using
guile and deception he prevails
upon his readers that he is
right; whereas, he is wrong.
Rather, he is a sinner and a
hoodwinker. By such duplicity he
has succeeded in misguiding his
followers who trust him and
think that he is right. One of
those who has been deceived by
him is Hamdi al-Salafi9who edited
al-Mu ‘jam al-Kabir 10. He had the
impudence to declare a
rigorously authentic hadith weak
(da ‘if / 11) because it did not go
along with his sectarian dogmas
just as it did not concur with the
persuasion of his teacher
(Shaikh) . The proof of that is
that what he says about the
hadiths being weak is just what
his Shaikh says.12
This being the case, I wished to
present the real truth of the
matter and to expose the falsity
of the claims of both the
deceiver [Al-Albani] and the
deceived [Hamdi al-Salafi] .
Al-Tabarani 13 reported in his al-
Mu ‘jam al-Kabir 14
From Ibn Wahb from Shabib from
Rauh ibn al-Qàsim from Abu
Ja ‘far al-Khatami al-Madani from
Abu Umamah ibn Sahl ibn Hunaif:
‘ Uthmàn ibn Hunaif
A man was going to ‘Uthmàn ibn
‘Affàn 15 trying to get
something done for himself.
However, ‘Uthman didn’t pay any
attention to him, nor did he look
after his need. That man went
to ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif and
complained about that to him.
‘ Uthmàn ibn Hunaif said to him,
“Go and perform ablution (wudu),
then go to the mosque and pray
two cycles (rak ‘ah) of prayer,
then say: ‘O Allah, I ask You and I
approach You through your
Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet
of Mercy. O Muhammad, I
approach my Lord through you
that my need be fulfilled, ’ then
mention your need. Thereafter
come to me that I might go with
you. ”
Then the man went away and
did what he was told. After that
he went to the door of ‘Uthmàn
ibn ‘Affàn; whereupon the
doorkeeper took him by the
hand and ushered him into
‘ Uthmàn ibn ‘Affàn who sat him
down beside him on his mat and
said to him, “What can I do for
you?” He told him what he
needed and ‘Uthmàn had that
done for him and then he said to
him, “I didn’t remember your
problem until now. Whenever you
need anything come to me. ”
Thereupon the man left him and
went to ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif and
said, “May Allah bless you,
‘Uthmàn wouldn’t look after me,
nor even pay attention to me
until you spoke to him about
me. ”
‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif replied,
ReplyDelete“I swear by Allah that I didn’t
speak to him.
Actually, I saw a blind man come
to the Messenger of Allah
[sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] and
complain to him about losing his
sight. The Prophet [sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam] said to him,
“Wouldn’t you rather show
patience?” He replied, “O
Messenger of Allah, I don’t have
a guide and the matter has
become an ordeal for me. ” The
Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam] saidto him, “Go and make
ablution (wudu), then pray two
cycles (rak ‘ah) of prayer, then
make this supplication (du‘a’) . I
swear by Allah, we hadn’t gone
away, nor had we remained long
time talk when the man
returned as if he had never
suffered any affliction.
Al-Tabarani declared this report
to be rigorously authentic
(sahih / 16 ) ; whereas,
Hamdi al-Salafi contradicted him
saying:
" There is no doubt about the
authenticity of that part of the
hadith [concerning the story of
the blind man]17; the doubt
concerns the [first part of] the
story [concerning ‘Uthman ibn
Hunaif’s instructions to the man
who sought the help of ‘Uthmàn
ibn ‘Affan] which heretics
(mubtadi‘ah) adduce attempting
to prove the legitimacy of their
heretical practice of calling the
Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam] for his intercession. [That
part of the story is in doubt for
the reasons which we will
explain.]
Firstly, as al-Tabarani mentioned,
Shabib [who is one of the
narrators mentioned in the
report ’s chain of narration
(sanad) is alone in reporting this
hadith.
Then, Shabib’s narrations are
not bad (la ba’sa bihi) on two
conditions: first, that
his son Ahmad be the one who
narrates from him; second, that
Shabib ’s narration be from Yunus
ibn Yazid. However, in the
present case, Shabib ’s narration
is reported by [three persons]:
Ibn Wahb, and Shabib ’s two sons
Ismà‘il and Ahmad.
As for Ibn Wahb, extremely
reliable narrators (al-thiqah)
criticized Ibn Wahb ’s narrations
from Shabib, as they criticized
Shabib himself. And as for
Shabib ’s son, Isma‘il, he is
unknown.
Although Ahmad also reports this
hadith from Shabib, it is not
Shabib ’s report from Yunus ibn
Yazid [which (as Hamdu pretends)
is what the experts in narration
stipulated as the condition for
the correctness of Shabib ’s
narrations].
Furthermore, the experts in
narration (al-muhaddithun) are
at variance concerning the text
of this hadith which they
narrate from Ahmad [ibn Shabib].
Ibn al-Sunni reported the hadith
in his ‘Amal al-Yaumwa ’l-Lailah
and al-Hakim reported it with
three different chains of
narration (sanad) neither of
them mentioning the story [of
‘ Uthman ibn Hunaif and the man
who wanted to see ‘Uthmàn].
Al-Hakim reported the hadith by
way ‘Aun ibn ‘Amàrah al- Basri
from Rauh ibn al-Qasim.
My teacher (Shaikh) Muhammad
Nasir al-Din al-Albani:
“Even though ‘Aun is weak
(da‘if), still his version of the
hadith (riwàyah) [without the
story of ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif] is
preferable to Shabib’s since
Rauh’s narration agrees
with the narrations of Shu‘bah
and Hamàd ibn Salamah through
Abu Ja ‘f`ar al-Khatmi
[without the story of ‘Uthmàn
ibn Hunaif]. "
THE FOREGOING DISCUSSION IS MISLEADING AND DISTORTED IN SEVERAL WAYS..
ReplyDeleteLET ME CLARIFY IT POINT BY POINT....
FIRST POINT:
The story [of ‘Uthman ibn Hunaif
and the man who wanted to see
‘ Uthman] was reported by al-
Bayhaqi in Dalà ’ilu’l-Nubuwah19
by way of:
Ya‘qub ibn Sufyan who said
that Ahmad ibn Shabib ibn
Sa‘id reported to me that his
father reported to him from
Rauh ibn al-Qàsim from Abu
Ja‘far al-Khatami from Abu
Usamah ibn Sahl ibn Hunaif
that a man was going to
‘Uthmàn ibn ‘Affàn and he
mentioned the story in its
entirety.
Ya‘qub ibn Sufyàn is [Abu
Yusuf] al-Fasawi (d. 177 h) 20,
the Hàfiz,21 the Imàm,22 the
utterly reliable transmitter (al-
thiqah) 23rather, he is better
than utterly reliable (thiqah) .
The chain of narration (sanad) of
this hadith is utterly reliable
(sahih /24)Thus the story [about
‘ Uthmàn ibn Hunaif] is quite
authentic.
Other [spe******ts in
the science of hadith and its
narrators] also proclaimed the
hadith to be rigorously authentic
(sahih) .
Hàfiz al- Mundhiri25
mentioned in his al-Targhib wa
al-Tarhib: p. 606, vol. 2;26 and
Hafiz al-Haithami27 mentioned it
in his Majma ‘ al-Zawà’id: p. 179,
vol. 2.28
SECOND POINT:
ReplyDeleteAhmad ibn Shabib is one of
the narrators that al-Bukhari29
depended on; al-Bukhàri
reported hadith from Ahmad ibn
Shabib both in his Sahih and in
his al-Adab al-Mufrad. Abu Hàtim
al-Ràzi30 also declared him to be
utterly reliable (thiqah) , and
both he and Abu Zur ‘ah wrote
down his hadith.31 Ibn ‘Adi32
mentioned that the people of
Basrah [that is, the experts in
the science of hadith and
criticism] considered him to be
utterly reliable (thiqah) and ‘Ali
al-Madini33 wrote down his
hadith.
Ahmad’s father, Shabib ibn
Sa‘id al-Tamimi al-Habati al-
Basri34 is also one of the
narrators whom al-Bukhari
depended on in both his Sahih
and his al-Adab al-Mufrad.
Those who considered Shabib to
be thiqah include: Abu Zur ‘ah,
Abu Hatim, al-Nisà’i, al-Dhuhali, al-
Dàraqutni , and al-Tabarani35.
Abu Hatim related that Shabib
had in his keeping the books of
Yunus ibnYazid, and he said that
Shabib was reliable (salih) in
hadith and that there was
nothing wrong with him (là ba ’sa
bihi / 36 ) .
Ibn ‘Adi said: “Shabib had a copy
of the book37 of al-Zuhri. He had
in his keeping sound hadith which
Yunus related from al-Zuhri. ” 38
[‘Ali] ibn al-Madini said about
Shabib: “He was utterly reliable
(thiqah). He used to go to Egypt
for trade. His book was
authentic (sahih). ” 39
The foregoing relates to the
authentication (ta ‘dil) of
Shabib.40
As you notice there is no
stipulation that his narration be
from Yunus ibn Yazid in order to
be authentic (sahih) .
Rather, Ibn al-Madini affirms that
his book was authentic,41 while
Ibn ‘Adi confined himself to
commenting about Shabib’s copy
of al-Zuhri’s book not intending
to intimate anything about the
rest of Shabib ’s narrations. So
what Al-Albàni claims [namely,
that Shabib ’s narrations are
authentic on the condition that
he narrate from Yunus ibn Yazid]
is deception and a breach of
academic and religious trust.
What I have said [about Shabib’s
unconditional reliability] is further
corroborated by the fact that
[another hadith which Shabib
related; namely] the hadith
about the blind man [who came
to the Prophet [sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam]to plead him to pray
for him] was declared to be
authentic by the hadith experts
(huffaz /42) although Shabib did
not narrate this hadith from
Yunus by way of al-Zuhri.
Rather, he related it from Rauh
ibn al-Qàsim.
Furthermore, al-Albani claims
ReplyDeletethat since some narrators whose
hadith are mentioned by Ibn al-
Sunni and al-Hakim did not
mention the story [about
‘ Uthmàn ibn Hunaif], the story is
doubtful (da‘if ) . This is another
example of Al-Albàni’s trickery.
People who have some
knowledge about the principles
of the science of hadith know
that some narrators report a
given hadith in its entirety, while
others may choose to abridge it
according to their purpose at
hand.
Al-Bukhari, for example, does
that routinely in his Sahih where
he often mentions a hadith in
abridged form while it is given by
someone else in complete form.
Moreover, the person who has
related the story [about
‘ Uthmàn ibn Hunaif] in al-
Bayhaqi’s report is an
extraordinary Imàm: Ya‘qub ibn
Sufyàn. Abu Zur‘ah al-Dimashqi
says about him: “Two men from
the noblest of mankind came to
us; one of them, Ya ‘qub ibn
Sufyàn the most widely-traveled
of the two, defies the people of
Iraq to produce a single man who
can narrate [as well] as he does.
”
Al-Albàni ’s declaring the
narration of ‘Aun, which in fact is
weak, to be better than the
narration of those who narrated
the story [of ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif]
is a third aspect of Al-Albani’s
duplicity and fraud because when
al-Hakim related the hadith of
the blind man in an abridged
form by way of ‘Aun, he
remarked :
Shabib ibn Sa‘id al-Habati has
given the same hadith by way of
Rauh ibn al-Qàsim with some
additions to the text (matn )
and the chain of narrators
(isnàd) . The decision in the
matter is Shabib ’s since he is
utterly reliable (thiqah) and
trustworthy (ma ’mun) .
What al-Hakim says emphasizes a
precept which is universally
recognized by the experts in the
science of hadith (al-
muhaddithun) and the principles
of the holy law (usul al-fiqh) ;
namely, that additional wording
related by a narrator who is
utterly reliable (thiqah) is
acceptable (maqbulah ) , and,
furthermore, someone who
remembered something is a
proof against someone who
didn ’t remember it.
THIRD POINT:
ReplyDeleteAl-Albani saw al-Hakim’s
statement but he didn’t like it,
so he ignored it, and obstinately
and dishonestly insisted on the
superiority of ‘Aun’s weak
narration.
It has been made clear that the
story [about ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif]
is rigorously authentic (sahih) in
spite of Al-Albàni ’s [and Ibn
Taimiyah’s] deceitful attempts to
discredit it.
The story shows
that seeking the Prophet ’s
[sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam]intercession after his
passing away is permissible since
the Companion43 who reported
the hadith understood that it
was permissible and the
understanding of the narrator is
significant in the view of the holy
law (shari ‘ah) , for it has its
weight in the field of deducing
(istinbat ) the detailed rules of
the holy law (shari ‘ah) .
We say according to the
understanding of the narrator
for the sake of argument;
otherwise, in actuality, ‘Uthmàn
ibn Hunaif’s instructing the man
to seek the intercession of the
Prophet was according to what
he had heard from the Prophet
as the hadith of the blind man
[which ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif himself
related] establishes.
Ibn Abi Khaithamah stated in his
Tàrikh [which is a genre of
writing which deals with the
history and reputation of
narrators of hadith] :
Muslim ibn Ibràhim related to me
that Hammàd ibn Salamah said:
Abu Ja ‘far al-Khatami related to
me from ‘Amarah ibn Khuzaimah
from ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif :
A blind man came to the
Prophetand said: “I have lost my
sight. Pray to Allah for me.”
He answered: “Go and make
ablution and then pray two
cycles (rak ‘ah) of prayer, and
then say: ‘O Allah, I ask You and I
approach you through my
Prophet Muĥammad, The
Prophet of Mercy. O Muhammad, I
seek your intercession with Allah
that my sight should be
restored. O Allah, accept my
intercession for myself and
accept the intercession of my
Prophet for the restoration of
my sight. ’ If ever you have any
need do like that. ”
The chain of narration (isnàd) of
this hadith is rigorously
authentic (sahih). The last clause
of the hadith constitutes the
express permission of the
Prophet to seek his intercession
whenever there occurred any
need.
Not withstanding, Ibn Taimiyah
objected on feeble grounds that
this last clause comprehended
some covert technical defect
(‘ illah) [which prejudices the
authenticity of the hadith or at
least its last clause]. I have
demonstrated the invalidity of
those grounds elsewhere.44
Indeed, Ibn Taimiyah is
characteristically audacious in
rejecting hadith which do not
conform with his purpose at
hand even if those hadith are
rigorously authentic (sahih) .
A good example of that is the
ReplyDeletefollowing case: Al-Bukhari
reported in his sahih:
“Allah existed and there was
nothing other than Him.”
This hadith is in agreement with
the [clear-cut] evidence of the
Qur`an, the sunnah, reason, and
certain consensus (al-ijmà ‘ al-
mutayaqqan). However, since it
conflicts with his belief in the
eternity of the world,45 he
turned to another version of
this hadith which al-Bukhàri also
reported: “Allah existed and
their was nothing before Him.”
And he rejected the first version
in favor of the second on the
grounds that the second
conforms with another hadith:
“ You are the first; there is
nothing before You.” [He held
that the implication was that
created things always existed
along with Allah] .
Hafiz Ibn Hajr remarked
concerning the correct manner
of reconciling the apparent
contradiction in the above-
mentioned hadiths:
“In fact the way to reconcile the
two versions of the hadith is to
understand the second in light of
the first, and not the other way
around. Moreover, there is
consensus on the principle that
reconciliation of two apparently
contradictory versions of a text
(nass) takes precedence over
endorsing one version at the
expense of revoking the other. ”
Actually, Ibn Taimáyah’s prejudice
blinded him from understanding
the two versions of the hadith
which, in fact, are not mutually
contradictory. That is because
the version “Allah existed and
there was nothing before Him.”
has the meaning which is
contained in His name the First;
whereas, the version “Allah
existed and there was nothing
other than Him. ” has the
meaning contained in His name
the One.
The proof of this is still
ReplyDeleteanother version of the hadith
with the wording “Allah existed
before everything. ” 47
Another example of Ibn
Taimiyah ’s audacity in rejecting
hadith is the case of the hadith:
“The Messenger of Allah
[sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam]ordered the doors which
opened on the mosque from the
street to be sealed, but he left
‘ Ali’s door [open].” This hadith is
rigorously authentic (sahih). Ibn
al-Jauzi 48 was mistaken by
mentioning it in his collection of
forged hadiths, al-Maudu ‘àt.
Hafiz [Ibn Hajr] corrected him in
his al-Qaul al-Musaddad: “Ibn
Taimiyah because of his well-
known bias against ‘Ali was not
content with Ibn al-Jauzi’s
declaration that the hadith was
forged, but took the initiative to
add from his own bag [of fraud]
thepretence that the hadith
experts (al-muhaddithun) are
agreed that the hadith is forged.
Ibn Taimiyah has rejected so
many hadith simply because they
are irreconcilable with his
opinions that it is hard to keep
track of the instances.
FOURTH POINT:
In order to conciliate al-Albàni,
let us suppose that the story
[about ‘Uthmàn ibn Hunaif] is
weak, and that the Ibn Abi
Khaithamah ’s version of the
hadith [with the addition:
Wheneveryou have any need do
like that.] is defective (mu ‘allal)
as Ibn Taimiyah would have it;
still the hadith of the blind man
is quite enough to prove the
permissibility of seeking the
intercession of the Prophet
[sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]since
the fact that the Prophet
[sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]taught
the blind man to seek his
intercession on that occasion
shows the propriety of seeking
it in all circumstances.
Moreover, it is not allowable to
refer to such intercession as a
heretical departure (bid ‘ah ), nor
is it allowable to arbitrarily
restrict such intercession to the
lifetime of the Prophet .
Indeed, whoever restricts it to
his lifetime is really a heretic
because he has disqualified a
rigorously authentic hadith and
precluded its implementation, and
that is unlawful (haram).
Al-Albàni, may Allah forgive him, is
bold to claim conditionality an
abrogation simply because a text
prejudices his preconceived
opinions and persuasion. If the
hadith of the blind man was a
special dispensation for him, the
Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam]would have made that
clear as he made it clear to Abu
Burdah that the sacrifice of a
two year old goat would fulfill his
duty; whereas, it would not
suffice for others.
Furthermore,
ReplyDeleteit is not admissible to suppose
that the Prophet [sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam] might have
delayed explaining a matter in
detail when his followers needed
that knowledge at that time.
A SUBTERFUGE AND ITS PRECLUSION
Suppose somebody says that the
reason we have to restrict the
application of this hadith to the
lifetime of the Prophet is that it
involves calling (nidà ’) the
Prophet[whereas, it is not
possible to call him after his
death.]
We reply that this
objection is to be rejected
because there are numerous
reports (mutawatir) from the
Prophet concerning his
instruction about what one
should recite during the
tashahhud 51of prayer, and that
contains the greeting of peace
(salàm) for him with mention of
him in the vocative form: Peace
be upon you, OProphet! 52 That
is the very formula which Abu
Bakr, ‘Umar, Ibn Zubair, and
Mu‘àwiyah taught the people
from the mimbar53.
Thereafter,
it became an issue on which
there was consensus (ijmà ‘) as
Ibn Hazm 54 and Ibn Taimiyah
affirmed.
Al-Albàni, because he is prone to
schism (ibtidà ‘ ), violated the
consensus and insisted on
following an opinion reported of
Ibn Mas ‘ud: “Then when he died
we said: Peace be on the
Prophet (al-salàmu ‘alà al-
nabiyu).” Indeed, violating the
hadith and consensus isthe
essence of heresy (ibtidà ‘ )
Furthermore, there are
authentic reports from the
Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam]which inform us that our
deeds are presented to the
Prophet [in his blessed grave] as
are our supplications for his
peace (al-salàm ) and honor (al-
salah / 55 ) .
There are also
authentic reports about angels
which travel about the earth in
order to convey to the Prophet
any greetings of peace and
honor that anyone of his people
might happen to make for him.
Also definitive texts (tawàtur /
56 and consensus ( ‘ijmà’ )
establish that the Prophet is
alive in his grave, and that his
blessed body does not decay.
After all that, how can anybody
dare to claim that it is not
allowable to call the Prophet
[sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]in
seeking his intercession?
After
all, is that in any different than
calling him in tashahhud?
Unfortunately, Al-Albàni is
perversely obstinate and
opinionated, as are the
Albani ’ites, [that is, his blind,
fanatic followers].
So much for my rebuttal of Al-
Albàni. As for the person called
Hamdi al-Salafi, there ’s no need
to refute him separately
because he merely echoes Al-
Albàni.
Another thing which I should
establish here is that Al-Albàni is
not to be depended on in his
judgments about hadith
authenticity, nor their weakness
because he routinely employs a
variety of tactics to mislead, and
he does not disdain to betray his
trust in transmitting the opinions
of the ‘ulamà’ (religious scholars)
distorting their words and
meanings.
Moreover, he has had
the impudence to oppose the
consensus and to claim the
abrogation (naskh) of texts
without proof. He commits such
excesses because of his
ignorance of the principles [of
the science of fiqh] and the rules
of inference and deduction (al-
istinbat )
He claims he is struggling against
heretical innovation (bid ‘ah ) by
forbidding the practice of
intercession, and by forbidding
people to use the epithet
sayyidinà when mentioning the
name of the Prophet [sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam], and by
forbidding them to recite the
Qur ‘àn for the sake [of the
souls] of the deceased.
However,
ReplyDeletethe fact of the matter is that
by doing that he commits a real
heresy (bid ‘ah) by forbidding
what Allah has permitted, and by
verbally abusing the Asharites
and the Sufis.
Al-Albàni’s outlandish and
heterodox opinions, which are
the result of his impious resort
to free thought, his deceit, his
dishonesty in pronouncing hadith
to be authentic or weak
according to what suits his
persuasion [rather, than
according to the dictates of the
facts], his excoriations of the
‘ ulamà’ and the illustrious
personages of Islàm; all that is
an affliction from Allah, yet he
doesn ’t realize it.
Indeed, he is one of those [to
whom the Qur ‘àn referred by its
words:] who thinks they are
doing good; however, how wrong
is what they think.
We ask Allah to preserve us from
what He has afflicted Al-Albani
with, and we seek refuge in Him
from all evil. All praise is for Allah,
the Lord of the Worlds. May Allah
bless Our Master Muhammad and
all his noble people.
Intercession is allowed according
to our law.
It is a matter by none disputed
in all of Muslimdom,
Except those who folly wedded
and paid their dowry with
insolence.
Their hearts are stone, by
Muslims scorned goons of the
Wahhàbi mob,
They prohibited it and
denounced it
Without any reason why.
The case of one Uthmàn ibn
Hunaif is a valid precedent;
It’s our proof; its quite
conclusive, and it brooks no
controversy.
May Allah guide them to concede
the verdict of documentation.