Notes on the Hadith and Sunnah: Verification of authenticity, a fundamental Shari'ah obligation

6.December.1995 form Akram Y Safadi
al-salamu `alaykum,
Imam al-Shafi`i & Muslim on verification of authenticity
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In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
All praise be to Allah, and peace be upon His slaves whom He has chosen.

Notes on the Hadith and Sunnah: Verification of authenticity, a fundamental Shari'ah obligation

=== the Qur'an ====================================
Allah Most High says in the Qur'an (surat al-Isra' 17:36):
{{[17:36] And follow not that whereof you have no knowledge.  Surely, the
hearing, the sight, the heart--all of those shall be questioned of.}}

Allah Most High says in the Qur'an (surat al-Tawbah 9:122):
{{[9:122] And it is not for the believers to go forth all togather [to
fight].  Of every troop of them, a party only should go forth, that they
(who are left behind with the Prophet) may gain understanding in religion,
and that they may warn their folk when they return to them, so that they may
beware.}}

Allah Most High says in the Qur'an (surat al-Hujurat 49:6):
{{[49:6] O you who believe! If an unrighteous (fasiq) bring you tidings,
then verify it, lest you afflict a people in ignorance, and then be sorry
for what you did.}}

=== Imam Muslim ================================
Imam-of-Hadith Muslim, may Allah have mercy on him, said in the introduction
of his great work al-Sahih (Muqaddimah:bab 1-2):

. . . And it is the well-known athar (hadith) from the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him [and his House] and give them peace, <<Man haddatha
'anni bihadithin yura [or: yara] annahu kadhibun fahuwa ahadu al-kadhibin.>>
<<Whoever reportes about (/from) me a hadith which is seen [or: a hadith
seeing it] to be untrue, he is thereby one of the lairs.>>
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah told us > Waki' told us > from Shu'bah > from
al-Hakam > from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Laylah > from Samurah ibn Jundab >
JOINT; AND Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah told us also > Waki' told us > from
Shu'bah and Sufyan > from Habib > from Maymun ibn Abi Shabib > from
al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah > [see joint]; they both (Samurah and al-Mughirah)
said: the Messanger of Allah, may Allah bless him [and his House] and give
them peace, said that [above hadith].
. . .
[#1-1] Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah told us > Ghundar told us > from Shu'bah >
JOINT; AND Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna and Ibn Bashshar both told us, they said
> Muhammad ibn Ja'far told us > Shu'bah told us > [see joint]; from Mansur >
from Rib'i ibn Hirash > that he heard 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him,
delivering a khutbah (sermon) , he said: > the Messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him [and his House] and give them peace, said, <<La takdhibu 'alayya,
fa'innahu man yakdhib 'alayya yaliji al-nnar.>> <<Do not tell untruths about
me, for surely whoever lies about me will enter the fire [of hell].>>
. . .
[#5-5] 'Ubayd Allah ibn Mu'adh al-'Anbari told us > my father told us >
JOINT; AND Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna told us > 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi told
us > [see joint]; they both said, > Shu'bah told us > from khubayab ibn 'Abd
al-Rahman > from Hafs ibn 'Asim > from Abu Hurayrah, he said: > the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him [and his House] and give them peace,
said, <<Kafa bilmar'i kadhiban an yahadditha bikulli ma sami'.>> <<It is
enough untruthfulness for a person to report everything he has heard.>>
AND Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah told us > 'Ali ibn Hafs told us > Shu'bah told
us > from khubayab ibn 'Abd al-Rahman > from Hafs ibn 'Asim > from Abu
Hurayrah > from the Prophet, may Allah bless him [and his House] and give
them peace, a [hadith] similar to that.

=== Imam al-Shafi`i =====================================
Imam al-Shafi'i, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his masterpiece on the
fundamentals of jurisprudence, al-Risalah (394-403:#1090-1105):

[#1090] 'Abd al-'Aziz [told us] > from Muhammad ibn 'Ajlan > from 'Abd
al-Wahhab ibn Bukht > from 'Abd al-Wahid al-Nnasri > from Wathilah ibn
al-Asqa' > from the Prophet [may Allah bless him and his House and give them
peace], he said, <<Inna afra al-fira man qawwalani ma lam aqul, wa man ara
'aynayhi ma lam tara, wa man 'idda'a ila ghayri abih.>> <<Surely, the
greatest of liars is he who ascribes to me that which I did not say, and who
claims to have dreamt what he did not dream, and who claims that he is the
son of someone other than his own father.>>

[#1091] 'Abd al-'Aziz [told us] > from Muhammad ibn 'Amr > from Abu Salamah
> from Abu Hurayrah > that the Messenger of Allah [may Allah bless him and
his House and give them peace] said, <<Man qala 'alayya ma lam aqul,
falyatabawwa' maq'adahu mina al-nnar.>> <<Whoever ascribes to me that which
I did not say, will surely have to occupy his seat in the fire [of hell].>>

[#1092] Yaha ibn Sulaym [told us] > from 'Ubayd Allah ibn 'Umar > from Abu
Bakr ibn Salim > from Salim > from Ibn 'Umar > that the Prophet [may Allah
bless him and his House and give them peace] said, <<Inna alladhi yakdhibu
'alayya, yubna lahu baytun fi al-nnar.>> <<Surely, whoever tells untruths
about me, will have a house built for him in the fire [of hill].>>

[#1093] 'Amr ibn Abi Salamah told us > from 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Muhammad >
from Asid ibn Abi Asid > from his mother, she said, > I said to Abu Qatadah,
How is that you do not transmitte hadith-s from the Messenger of Allah as
people transmit from him?  She said, So Abu Qatadah said, > I heard the
Messenger of Allah [may Allah bless him and his House and give them peace]
saying, <<Man kadhaba 'alayya falyaltamis lijanbihi madja'an mina al-nnar.>>
<<Whoever tells untruths about me is surely seeking for himself a resting
place in the fire [of hell].>> The Messenger of Allah began to say that
while he was wiping the ground with his hand.

[#1094] Sufyan [told us] > from  Muhammad ibn 'Amr > from Abu Salamah > from
Abu Hurayrah > that the Messenger of Allah [may Allah bless him and his
House and give them peace] said, <<Haddithu 'an bani Isra'ila wa la haraj,
wa haddithu 'anni wa la takdhibu 'alayy.>> <<You may report about the
Children of Israel and there is no blame (haraj).  Report about (/from) me,
but do not tell untruths about me.>>

[#1095] This is the most emphatic hadith ever transmitted from the Messenger
of Allah on this matter.  We have relied on it as well as on others
(hadith-s or evidences) in not accepting any report (hadithan) except from a
trustworthy [transmitter], and that we know the truthfulness of those who
transmitted the hadith since it was begun till its end is reached.
[#1096] If someone would say: What evidence is there in this hadith for what
you have stated?
[#1097] It would be said: Knowledge surely has made it certain that the
Prophet would never, in any circumstances, order anyone to lie about the
Children of Israel, nor about anyone else.  So when he has permitted
reporting about (al-haditha 'an) the Children of Israel, it was not
accepting untruthfulness about the Children of Israel that he has permitted,
but he only has permitted accepting that from whom reported it, whose
truthfulness or untruthfulness is not known.
[#1098] Nor has he permited it from a person whose untruthfulness is known.
For it is transmitted from him that [he said]: <<Man haddatha bi-hadithin,
wa huwa yurahu [or: yarahu] kadhiban, fa-huwa ahadu al-kadhibin>> <<Whoever
reports a hadith, and he is shown it [or: he sees it] to be untrue, he is
thereby one of the liars.>>  And whoever reports from a liar is not
guiltless of lying, bacuse he sees the liar untruthful in his reporting.
[#1099] There is no evidence to be used for finding the truthfulness or
untruthfulness of most of the Hadith (hadith-s) except truthfulness of the
transmitter or his untruthfulness.  Except in a few special cases, where
truthfulness or untruthfulness [of the hadith] would be found if the
transmitter reports what cannot possibly be the case, or what is
contradicted by reports that is better established and is more indicative of
the truth.
[#1100] Since the Messenger of Allah distinguished between reporting about
(/from) him and reporting about the Children of Israel, so he said,
<<Haddithu 'anni wa la takdhibu 'alayy.>> <<Report about (/from) me, but do
not tell untruths about me.>>; so knowledge makes it certain, Allah willing,
that the lying which he prohibited them from is the hidden lying.  That is
to report from one whose truthfulness is unknown.  Because lying is
prohibited in all circumstances, and then there is no lying greater than
lying about the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him.

[Chapter] The proof for establishing the [authoritativeness of the]
individual report (khabar al-ahad)
[#1011] al-Shafi'i said: If someone would say: Provide the proof for
establishing the [authoritativeness of the] individual report with a textual
evidence or indication in it or ijma' (unanimity).
[#1102] I would say: Sufyan told us > from 'Abd al-Malik ibn 'Umayr > from
'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud > from his father > that the
Prophet said, <<Naddara Allahu 'abdan sami'a maqalati fahafazaha wa wa'aha
wa addaha; farubba hamali fiqhin ghayri faqihin, wa rubba hamali fiqhin ila
man huwa afqahu minh.  Thalathun la yughillu [or: yaghillu] 'alayhinna qalbu
muslimin: ikhlasu al-'amali li-Allahi, wa al-nasihatu li-al-muslimina, wa
luzumu jama'atihim, fi'inna da'watahum tuhitu min wara'ihim [or: man
wara'ahum?].>> <<May Allah brighten a person who hears what I say, memorizes
(or: preserves) it, retains (or: learns) it, and conveys it.  For many a
bearer of knowledge is not versed in it, and many a bearer of knowledge
[conveys it] to one who is more versed in it than he is.  There are three
things on account of which no rancor enters a Muslim's heart: sincerity of
actions for Allah's sake, faithfulness [or: sincere counsel] to Muslims, and
holding fast to their community.  For their invitation encompasses them from
all sides [or: encompasses those who are beyond them?].>>
[#1103] Since the Messenger of Allah has urged to listen to what he says,
preserve it, and convey it, and "person" is one; this indicates that he
would not order to be conveyed from him unless the proof is established on
whom it was conveyed to.  Because what is conveyed from him is but something
lawful [to be observed], unlawful to be avoided, a prescribed punishment to
be inflicted, a money to be taken and given, or advice [in matters] of
religion and this world.
[#1004] It also indicates that one who is not versed may carry knolwedge; he
would be a preserver of it, even though he is not versed in it.
[#1105] The order of the Messenger of Allah to hold fast to the Muslim
community is of what to be cited as a proof that the ijma' (unanimity) of
the Muslims, if Allah wills, is binding.
==================================================
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.