[1] Hafiz Abu Zur`ah at the time of his death

Number: msa/12Dec95/20457

12.12.1995

[1] Hafiz Abu Zur`ah at the time of his death

al-salamu `alaykum,

Imam al-Nawawi, in *Kitab al-tarkhis fi al-ikram bi-l-qiyam
li-dhawi al-fadl wa al-maziyyah min ahl al-Islam `ala jihat al-birr
wa al-tawqir wa al-ihtiram la `ala jihat al-riya' wa al-i`zam*
(p. 84), said:
     Hafiz (Hadith-master) Abu al-Baqa' told us > Hafiz Abu
     Muhammad informed us > Abu Tahir al-Silafi informed us >
     Abu `Ali al-Burdani said I heared > Hannad ibn Ibrahim
     al-Nasafi saying > I heard Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Muhammad
     al-Qattan saying > I heard Abu `Abd Allah `Umar ibn Ahmad
     Ibn Ishaq al-`Attar saying > I heard Abu `Abd Allah
     Muhammud ibn Muslim ibn Wara al-Razi saying:
     I and Abu Hatim Muhammad ibn Idris al-Razi were present
     with Abu Zur`ah al-Razi at the time of his death, so I said to
     Abu Hatim, "Come, let us remind him to say the shahadah."
     [shahadah is the testification that there is no god but Allah]
     Abu Hatim said, "I would be ashamed of Abu Zur`ah to
     remind him of  the shahadah!  But come let us recall the
     hadith so it may be when he hears it he will say it."  I started
     and said, "Muhammad ibn Bashshar told us > Abu `Asim
     al-Nabil told us > from `Abd al-Hamid ibn Ja`far!", then I
     got confused about the hadith as if I never heard it or
     read it!  So Abu Hatim started and said, "Muhammad ibn
     Bashshar told us > Abu `Asim al-Nabil told us > from
     `Abd al-Hamid ibn Ja`far!", then he got confused as if he
     never read it or heard it!  Then Abu Zur`ah, may Allah be
     pleased with him, started and said, "Muhammad ibn
     Bashshar told us > Abu `Asim al-Nabil told us >
     `Abd al-Hamid ibn Ja`far told us > from Salih ibn Abi
     `Urayb > from Kathir ibn Murrah > from Mu`adh ibn Jabal,
     may Allah be pleased with him, he said: The Messenger of
     Allah, may Allah bless him and give him peace, said,
     <<Whoever his last words were La ilaha illa Allah!>>",
     and his spirit came out (died) with the letter ha' (last letter
     of the word Allah) before saying [the rest of the hadith]
     <<he will enter Paradise.>>.  That was in the year 262.

May Allah Most High have mercy on them all, and reward them the
best for their good works.
May Allah always help us to truly believe and have faith in the
testification of Tawhid "La ilaha illa Allah", and to live according
to it, and to die if need be so it would be the highest, and when death
comes upon us to be our last words.
La ilaha illa Allah, There is no god but Allah.

N o t e s :

"akhbarana" is translated as "told us"
"anba'ana" is translated as "informed us"
"`an" is translated as "from"

For the biography of Abu Zur`ah, see:
al-Dhahabi, *Siyar a`lam al-nubula'* (13:65-85:#48).  He mentioned
this story (p. 76, 85).

The hadith transmitted from Mu`adh ibn Jabal that the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and his House and give them peace, said,
     <<Whoever his last words were "La ilaha illa Allah"
     (There is no god but Allah) will enter Paradise.>>
For the documentation and verification of this hadith, see:
1. Shu`ayb al-Arna'ut, his annotations of al-Dhahabi's *Siyar a`lam
al-nubala'* (13:77).  He said that it was recorded by Ahmad (5:233),
Abu Dawud (#3116), al-Hakim (1:315), and that al-Hakim judged it
as "its isnad is sahih (sound) and that al-Dhahbi agreed with al-Hakim.
Then he discussed it, and judged it as "its isnad is hasan (fair)".
2. al-Albani, *Sahih al-Jami` al-saghir wa ziyadatuh* (#6479).  He
said that it was recorded by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and al-Hakim.  He
judged it as "sahih (sound)."

For related hadith-s transmitted from Mu`adh, see:
1. Ibn Hibban, *al-Sahih* with the annotations of Shu`ayb al-Arna'ut
(1:#200, #203).
2. al-Albani, *Silsilat al-ahadith al-sahihah* (#2278).

And Allah Most High knows best.

A k r a m  Y  S a f a d i
<a-safadi@nwu.edu> Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.

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