The Night of Al-Qadr (Decree)

The Night of Al-Qadr (Decree)

Allaah, Most High, Says (what means):

"Indeed, We sent it [i.e. the Qur’an] down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit [i.e. Gabriel] descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn." [Quran: 97: 1-5]

Allaah informs us that He sent down the Noble Quran in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree), the blessed night referred to in the His Words (which mean): "Indeed, We sent it down during the Night of Decree."

The night of Al-Qadr occurs in the month of Ramadhaan, as Allaah Says (what means): "The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an..." [Quran 2:185]. Abdullaah Ibn Abbaas, may Allaah be please with him, amongst others, explains that the complete text of the Noble Quran was sent down from Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooth (the Preserved Tablet) in the night of Al-Qadr to Bait Al-'Izzah (the House of Glory) in the lowest heaven, from whence it was revealed piecemeal to Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam (may Allaah exalt his mention) according to events which took place during his life over a period of twenty-three years.

In order to intensify the greatness of the matter of the night of Al-Qadr, which He has chosen for sending down the Noble Quran, Allaah Almighty Says (what means): "And what can make you know what the Night of Decree is? The night of Decree is better than a thousand months."

The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, mentioned a man from Bani Israa'eel (Children of Israel) who carried his sword in the Way of Allaah for a thousand months; the Muslims were amazed at this until Allaah revealed this verses (which mean): "Indeed, We sent it [i.e. the Qur’an] down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months." (i.e. the thousand months during which the man carried his sword in the Way of Allaah). [Ibn Abi Haatim]

Sufyaan Ath-Thawri reports, on the authority of Mujaahid, may Allaah have mercy on them, that the night of Al-Qadr being better than a thousand months means that the good deeds performed in that night, fasting on the day next to that night and standing in prayer in it are better than a thousand months' good deeds, prayers and fasting. [Ibn Jareer]

Likewise, it is narrated that whoever goes to Friday prayers neatly-dressed, with a pure intention, it will be written for him the reward of a year's good deeds, as if he had fasted in it and spent its nights in prayer and in other acts of worship.

Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that Allaah's Messenger, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "Whoever stood in prayer on the night of Al-Qadr, in faith and hoping for a reward from Allaah, he will have all of his previous sins forgiven." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

Its Descriptions

It is narrated on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Abbas that Allaah's Messenger, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "It is a night of magnanimity and joy, neither very hot, nor very cold; and the sun of the morning following it is weak and red-coloured." [Abu Dawood]

The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, also said: "Verily, I saw the night of Al-Qadr and then I was made to forget it, but it is (to be looked for) in the last ten nights, the night is clear and fine, neither hot nor cold, as if there were a full moon and during this night, the devils do not go forth until the light of dawn." [Ibn Abi Haatim]

Scholars have differed as to whether the night of Al-Qadr was extant for the communities which preceded that of Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, or whether it was specially designated for Muslims. There are two schools of thought on this subject: Az-Zuhri, may Allah have mercy upon him, said that Maalik, may Allah have mercy upon him, informed him that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, was shown the generations of old from mankind and it was as if the life-spans of his community (Muslims) were shorter, and so it was not possible to accomplish the same amount of deeds as those communities of old, who lived longer lives. For that reason, Allaah gave him the night of Al-Qadr which is better than a thousand months. According to Maalik, this necessarily means that Muslims have been specially favoured with the night of Al-Qadr.

The second view on this subject says that the night of Al-Qadr was given to the previous peoples as it was given to Muslims.

It is narrated that Abu Tharr, may Allaal be pleased with him, asked the Noble Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam: "Oh, Messenger of Allaah! Tell me about the night of Al-Qadr; is it in Ramadhaan, or another month?" He replied: "No, it is in Ramadhaan." [Imaam Ahmad].

This Hadeeth (narration) proves that the night of Al-Qadr is only to be looked for in the month of Ramadhaan and not, as has been attributed to Abdullah Ibn Masood, may Allaah be pleased with him, by the scholars of Koofah, that it is to be looked for throughout the whole year without any distinction.

It was also said that the night of Al-Qadr is on the first night of Ramadhaan, and that it is on the seventeenth of Ramadhaan, this was a saying attributed to Imaam Ash-Shaafi'i, may Allaah have mercy upon him, while Al-Hasan Al-Basri, may Allaah have mercy upon him,  said that it is the night of the Battle of Badr, and it was said: The night of the nineteenth, this was attributed to Ali and Abdullah Ibn Masood, and it was said: the twenty-first, according to the Hadeeth of Abu Saeed Al-Khudri, may Allaah be pleased with him, in which he said: "The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, made his I`tikaaf (seclusion in the mosque for worship) in the first ten days of Ramadhaan and we made I'tikaaf with him, then Jibreel (Arch-Angel Gabriel) came to him and said: "That which you are in quest of is still ahead of you." Then the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, addressed the people saying: "Whoever has made I`tikaaf with me, let him return, for I have seen the night of Al-Qadr and then was made to forget it; but verily, it is in the last ten days and on the odd days..."  [Imaam Ahmad]

Ash-Shaafi`i says, concerning these apparently contradictory reports: "The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, when asked: "Should we search for it on such-and-such night?" would reply: "Yes" in order to encourage them to pray on the whole last ten nights, but the night of Al-Qadr is a fixed night and does not change." However, according to Ahmad, Ath-Thawri, Ibn Khuzaimah and others, it can occur any time on the uneven nights during the last ten days of Ramadhaan and this is closer to the truth, Allaah knows best.

Muslim reports that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, instructed his wife, 'Aa'ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, to supplicate Allaah saying: "O Allaah! You are Forgiving, You love forgiveness and so forgive me." [At-Tirmithi] According to Imaam Maalik, one should look for the night of Al-Qadr throughout the last ten days of Ramadhaan and should try not to identify which the night of Al-Qadr is, but should intensify his devotions throughout.

The most preferred action is to increase one's supplications during the whole month of Ramadhaan, more in the last ten days, more still on the odd days, and especially in the aforementioned words to 'Aa'ishah by Allaah's Messenger, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam.

Ramadan

The Virtues of Fasting

Wisdom behind Fasting

The Wisdom behind Fasting 

One of the Names of Allaah is Al-Hakeem (The All-Wise), Allaah is All-Wise in what He decrees, what He commands, what He prohibits, what He predestines and what He legislates. Allaah may make people aware of the wisdom behind certain matters or He may conceal it, or may make only some people realize the wisdom and not all people. 

In all cases, a believer is obliged to submit to his Lord and His decrees and commands even if he does not recognize the wisdom behind them, as Allaah says that which means:

“It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair.” [Quran: 33: 36].

One of the commands of Allaah which He made people partly aware of the wisdom behind it, is fasting. Fasting has many inwardly and outwardly benefits, on the individual and the community. The following are some of these benefits which can be recognized by reason: 

Attaining piety: Allaah says that which means: “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become pious” [Quran: 2: 183].

Diminishing the strength of ones desires: Eating to one’s fill and quenching the thirst and enjoying one’s wife all the time can lead one to heedlessness and to ingratitude.

Focusing on the mention of Allaah and pondering: Continual fulfillment of desires makes one hard-hearted and blinds him from the right path. It also prevents the slave from mentioning Allaah and reflecting upon His signs and creation, all of which leads to heedlessness.

Narrowing the passage of the devil: Satan runs in the blood of the son of Aadam and fasting narrows his passage and thus lessens his effects, reduces one’s desires and calms one’s anger.

Strengthening One’s willpower and determination: One, who can tolerate the pain of hunger and thirst and controls himself from having a sexual relation with his spouse whilst fasting, will strengthen his determination and willpower. This frees the person from being enslaved to his lusts and desires that are harmful to him.

Breaking one out of his regular routine: Some people lose their temper and become ill-mannered if their meal was delayed from its normal time or if they do not drink their morning coffee or afternoon tea. They have become so accustomed to a certain routine that changing it creates a problem for them. Such people are slaves to their routine and habits, and fasting helps the person overcome this behavior.

Realizing the size of the bounties of Allaah: Fasting makes rich people appreciate the favors of Allaah upon him, because Allaah has granted him what He has deprived many other poor people from. Refraining from such bounties and blessings for a short period through fasting, reminds the rich with those who are continuously deprived, and thus become grateful to Allaah and more merciful towards the needy.

A communal act of worship: This act of worship must be practiced by the entire Muslim community in the east and the west. The entire Muslim nation fast this month, even the ones who are normally disobedient fast during Ramadhaan in most cases. This increases the righteous environment which facilitates repentance to many people.

Increases the sense of honesty:  The one who breaks the fast is breaching the pledge with Allaah and thus fasting improves and increases his sense of honesty when he refrains from anything that could break his fast even whilst in seclusion.

Medical benefits: Fasting protects the person from many diseases with the will of Allaah. Modern research proved that fasting has many health benefits, such as:

·    It organizes the person’s heart-beat and relaxes it since no blood is needed for digestion.

·    It purifies the blood from fat and cholesterol and acids.

·     It relieves the liver from the regular pressure.

·     It reduces the production of the digestive glands which is usually the cause for ulcers.

·    It protects the person from gaining weight, diabetes, kidney stones.

·    It reduces the pressure on the heart arteries. 

Some people are unable to fast due to their sickness, and thus Allaah permitted them to break their fast whilst sick and mandated that they make up for the days they missed.

Allaah says that which means: “So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them]-then an equal number of days [are to be made up]” [Quran: 2: 184].

The 6 Authentic books of Hadith

1 - Al Mawatta of Imam MalikAl Mawatta is presumably written during the period 130 – 140 H. Imam Malik took almost 40 years to complete this book. Before al Mawatta a number of hadith compilations had come onto surface but their soundness could not be as much certified as in al Mawatta. Hafiz Ibn Hubban (d.354 H) says: “ Amongst the jurisprudents of Madina of that time Imam Malik is the only person who researched on the soundness of narrators or the narrations. He refrained to quote from those narrators whose soundness was questionable. He neither relates to defective narrations nor includes the ahadith from unsound narrators.

Al Mawatta is one of the earliest collections of hadith that form the basis of Islamic jurisprudence alongside the Qur'an.[2] Nonetheless, is not merely a collection of hadith; many of the legal precepts it contains are based not on hadith at all. The book covers rituals, rites, customs, traditions, norms and laws of the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

The scholars of ahadith have included al Mawatta amongst the top most authentic books on ahadith. Imam Shafa’I (d. 204 H) who was a student of Imam Malik says: “ after Qura’n, on the surface of the earth, there is no other book on earth more authentic and trustworthy than Imam Malik’s al Mawatta”.
Some scholars are of the opinion that this book perhaps stands next to ‘Sahih’ Al Bukhari.[1]

Initially there were 10,000 ahadith in al Mawatta, but after scrutiny 1720 ahadith are now inscribed in Mawatta, that includes; 600 Musnad Marfu’o ahadith, 222 Mursal ahadith, 613 Mauquf ahadith, 285 Statements of tabi’een , Total 1720.

Because of the importance of the Al-Muwatta numerous commentaries are written on it.

2 - Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal

Imam Ahmad being very fond of ‘sunnah’ has started collection of ahadith au early age of sixteen. This Musnad contains ahadith selected from those of seven hundred thousand ahadith collected by him. He was so strict about the selection of authentic ahadith that the process of scrutiny remained continued till he breathed his last.

Scholars are not yet sure about the total number of ahadith in the ‘Musnad’. However it is estimated to be between 30,000 to 40,000 ahadith. It is said that ‘Musnad’ is the greatest collection of ahadith. It was published in 6 volumes in 1313 H. It is also said that this Musnad more authentic and reliable as compared to other ‘Musaneed’. Some have said that this book equals Sunnan Abu Dawood and Jama’e Tirmidhi. Some opined that this Musnad lags behind Sunnan Abu Dawood and Jama’e Tirmidhi.

A number of commentaries and summaries are written by scholars on this Musna Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

3 - Sahih Al-Bukhari

Imam Bukhari had written several books, but his most distinguished work was this compilation of ahadith book titled as ‘ al Jaama’e al Sahih Al Musnad min Hadith Rasool Allah sws wa Sunnahi wa Ayyamihi’. Imam Bukhari was inspired by his most beloved teacher Imam Ishaq ibn Rahwayh (161 – 238 H, was muhaddith, faqih, and the Imam of Khurasan of his time) to compile a book that contains only Sahih ahadith. In this book Imam Bukhari collected only those ahadith that fulfilled all the criterion of soundness and reliability of ‘isnad’ and ‘matan’.

From the collected ahadith, Imam Bukhar had inferred the biography of Rasool Allah sws and the principles of ‘fiqh’ (jurisprudence). This book is divided into 97 chapters, that are further subdivided into 3450 chapters. In all this book contains 7275 ahadith. If the repeated ahadith are omitted then the number falls down to 4000 only.

Uncountable commentaries and ‘Sharuh’ (explanations) have been written for this ‘Sahih al-Bukari’, the most prominent one is that of Hafiz ibn Hajar Assqalani, titled as ‘ Fath al-Bari’.

4 - Sahih Muslim

It is the second most authentic hadith collection after Sahih Al-Bukhari, and is highly acclaimed book. Out of 300,000 hadith which he evaluated, approximately 4,000 were extracted for inclusion into his collection based on stringent acceptance criteria. Each report in his collection was checked and the veracity of the chain of reporters was painstakingly established. Muslim is divided into 43 books,containing a total of 7190 narrations. It is estimated that there are a total of 4000 hadiths (without repetition) in Sahih Muslim.

In this ‘Sahih’ Imam Muslim collected those ahadith which are narrated by at least two narrators of all the periods right from him to that of the Prophet sws. For Imam Muslim all the narrators should not only be honest but he hould fulfill all the conditions of being a witness. In this book 218 ‘Sahaaba’ (companions) are included as narrators, whereas in Sahih al-Bukhari this number is 208.

A large number of commentaries and ‘Sharuh’ (explanations) have been written for Sahih Muslim. These include Al-Dibaj ela Sahih Muslim by Imam Jalaluddin Sauti or Sharah Muslim by Mulla Ali Qari.

The creditability of this Sahih can be judged by the opinion of some of the scholars who rate this book over Sahih Bukhari.

5 - Sunan Abu Dawood

This is the most distinguished work of Imam Abu Dawood. Some of the scholars have graded this book after Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. It was also narrated that Abu Dawood said: “I wrote 500,000 Ahadeeth on the authority of the Messenger of Allaah sws, I selected from them what I included in this book – meaning ‘Sunan Abu Dawood’ – I collected 4,800 Ahadeeth in it.

In his book Sunan, Abu Dawood also stated: ‘I examined the Ahadeeth on the authority of the Messenger sws and found they were [approximately] four thousand Ahadeeth, I further examined them and found that these four thousand revolve around four:

I. An Nu’maan ibn Basheer’s Hadeeth; “What is permissible is clear and what is forbidden is clear…”

II. ‘Umar’s Hadeeth; “Indeed actions are only based on intentions…”

III. Abu Hurayrah’s Hadeeth; “Indeed Allaah is good and does not accept anything except good, and Allaah ordered the believers with the same things he ordered the messengers…” and

IV. [Abu Hurayrah’s Hadeeth;] “From the proficiency of a person’s Islaam, is to leave off what does not concern him.”

He then stated; ‘Each of these four Ahadeeth is a quarter of knowledge.’

6 - Sunan al- Tirmidhi

Like others Imam also wrote several books, but the most outstanding of those is Sunan al-Tirmidhi, also called as al-Jami.

Before Imam Tirmidhi Imam Dawud Tayalisi and Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal had compiled books that contains both authentic and weak ahadith. Later Imam Bukhari compiled his Sahih and omitted all weak narrations from it. His main objective was to derive masa'il (laws) from the relevant hadith. Later Imam Muslim compiled his book with a primary focus on the ‘isnad’ (chain of narrators). Imam Nasa'i's aim was to mention the discrepancies of the hadith whilst Abu Dawud prepared a book which became the basis for the ‘fuqaha’ (jurisprudents). Imam Tirmidhi had combined the styles of Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud and Nasa'i by mentioning the discrepancies regarding the narrators and also making his compilation a basis for the jurists.

The Special characteristics of al-Jami` ut-Tirmidhi
i) It is a ‘Sunan’ and a ‘Jami`.
ii) Only 83 ahadith are repeated.
iii) Imam Tirmidhi omits the major portion of the hadith and only mentions that part which is relevant to the heading. (title)
iv) After mentioning a hadith he classifies it narration (whether it is authentic or weak, etc.)
v) He specifies the narrators names in full along with kunniya (agnomen).
vi) One hadith in Tirmidhi is a thulaathiyaat i.e. the transmitters of the hadith betwen Imam Tirmidhi and the Prophet (s) are only three.
vii) He gives an explanation to all difficult ahadith.
viii) There is no fabricated hadith in the entire book.
 

Several commentaries have been written for Jami’ al-Tirmidhi, like Qut-ul Mughtazi, compiled by Allama Jalal ad-Din Suyuti .

7 - Sunan An-Nasa’ii

Imam Ahmad Abu Abdur Rahman An-Nasa’ii wrote several books, but his collection of ahadith had an outstanding position. The initial collection of ahadith was named ‘ Sunan Kubra’, that contained both Sahih and Hasan ahadith. On the demand of the ruler of his time, he compiled another book that contained only Sahih ahadith and named it as ‘ Al-Mutaba’ or Sunan al-Sagheer or Sunan an-Nasa’ii. An-Nasa’ii contains 5270 ahadith including the repeated one. The criterion of selection of ahadith was much stricter than Imam Bukhari and Muslim, but a good number of weak ahadith are included in this book.

Several commentaries and Sharuh have been written on Sunan An-Nasa’ii, including ‘Dhuhar al-Reba ilal Mujtaba’ by Hafiz Jalaluddin Sauti.

8 - Sunan ibn Majah

Muhammad Abdullah ibn Majah had three well known books to his credit and out of these Sunan ibn Majah has the most distinguished position. It contains over 4,000 hadith in 32 ‘abwaab’ (chaptersm) divided into 1,500 sub-chapters.
Abu Zara’a Razi says,” I think that if this book reaches into the hands of the people then the other books will become irrelevant”. This book is said to have about 30 da’if (weak) ahadith. For this reason scholars puts question mark on this book. However this books stands amongst the top most authentic books of ahadith.

This book has an edge over other books with respect to its arrangement and non-repetition of ahadith. Also it has such unique ahadith that are not present in other top most books.

Several ‘Sharuh’ (explanations) have been written for this book, including ‘Sharah Sunan ibn Majah’ by Hafiz Alauddin Mughtalai (d. 762 H).

9 - Sunan al-Darimi

Imam Abdullah al- Darimi is a renowned ‘muhaddith’. Sunan al-Darimi is considered among the nine top most books of ahadith. This book of ahadith collected by Imam Darimi is known as ‘al-Musnad’ or Sunan al-Darimi. It consists of 1508 ‘abwaab’ (chapters) and 3557 ahadith. Muhaddithin have acknowledged the creditability of this book, as the reported weaknesses of the narrators are comparatively less and there are very few ‘munkir’ and ‘shadh’ ahadith in it. Its ‘isnad’ is high and number of ‘thalathiaat ahadith*’ are more as in Sahih al-Bukhari.

10 - Sahih ibn Khuzaima, Sahih ibn Hibban and Sahih Abi Awana

These three books are also graded very high after Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Sahih ibn Khuzaima remained unavailable for some time but now it has been edited by Dr. Muhammad Mustafa Aazami, and published in 3 volumes by al-Maktab al-Islami in Beirut.

As-Sihah As-Sittah (The 6 most Authentic books of Ahadith)

The six most authentic and distinguished books of ahadith that are taught and learned in Islamic Studies are:
i) Sahih al-Bukhari
ii) Sahih Muslim
iii) Jama’i at-Tirmidhi
iv) Sunan Abu Dawood
v) Sunan Nasa’ii
vi) Sunan ibn Majah

Some of the scholar are of the opinion that The sixth book should have been Imam Malik’s al-Mawattaa insteadtead of Sunan ibn Majah. Also some scholars are of the thinking that the sixth book should have been Sunan Al-Darimi.

*thalathiaat ahadith – are those ahadith in which the number of narrators between the compiler of hadith and the Prophet sws is not more than three.

Hadiths

Beautiful Hadiths



Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: My example and your example is that of a person who lit the fire and insects and moths began to fall in it and he would be making efforts to take them out, and I am going to hold you back from fire, but you are slipping from my hand.
Sahih Muslim Hadith Narrated byJabir ibn Abdullah



Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) drew a line for us and then said: That is the path shown by Allah. Then he drew several other lines on his right and left sides and said: These are the paths on every side of which there is a devil calling towards it. He then recited this verse: Verily this path of Mine is straight so adhere it.' (5:167)
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith Narrated byAbdullah ibn Mas'ud.



The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: I guarantee a house in the surroundings of Paradise for a man who avoids quarrelling even if he were in the right, a house in the middle of Paradise for a man who avoids lying even if he were joking, and a house in the upper part of Paradise for a man who made his character good….Sunan of Abu-Dawood




Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The disease of the peoples before you, namely envy and hatred, has crept to you, and it is the unhappy thing. I do not say that it shaves off the hair, but it shaves off the religion."
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith ...Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it.




Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The heart of the son of Adam has a piece in every wadi and if anyone lets his heart follow all the pieces, Allah will not care in which wadi He destroys him; but to anyone who trusts in Allah He will supply enough for all the pieces."
Ibn Majah transmitted it. Al-Tirmidhi Hadith




Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, his Lord suggested turning the valley of Mecca into gold for him but he replied, "No, my Lord, but let me have enough to eat and be hungry on alternate days; then when I am hungry I shall make supplication to Thee and make mention of Thee, and when I have enough I shall praise and thank Thee."
Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it. Al-Tirmidhi Hadith




Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Allah Most High has allotted you your characters just as He has allotted you your provisions. Allah Most High gives worldly things to those whom He loves and those whom He does not love, but He gives religion only to those whom He loves, so he who is given religion by Allah has been loved by Him. By Him in Whose hand my soul is, a man is not a Muslim till his heart and tongue are submissive, and he is not a believer till his neighbour is safe from injurious behaviour on his part."
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith..




The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If anyone eats once at the cost of a Muslim's honour, Allah will give him a like amount of Jahannam to eat; if anyone clothes himself with a garment at the cost of a Muslim's honour, Allah will clothe him with like amount of Jahannam; and if anyone puts himself in a position of reputation and show Allah will disgrace him with a place of reputation and show on the Day of Resurrection....Sunan of Abu-Dawood




Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) happened to walk through the bazar coming from the side of Aliyah and the people were on both of his sides. There he found a dead lamb with very short ears. He took hold of his ear and said: Who amongst you would like to have this for a dirham? They said: We do not like to have it even for less than that as it is of no use to us. He said: Do you wish to have it (free of any cost)? They said: By Allah, even if it were alive (we would not have liked to possess that), for there is defect in it as its ear is very short, now it is dead also. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said: By Allah, this world is more insignificant in the eye of Allah as it (this dead lamb) is in your eye. Sahih Muslim Hadith




The Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) was shown a heavenly visitant (in a dream) and it was said to him: Let your eyes sleep and your ears hear and your heart perceive. He (the Prophet) said: My eyes slept, my ears heard and my heart perceived. He (the Prophet) said: It was said to me: The master built a house, arranged feast and sent someone to issue invitations. He who responded to the host entered the house, ate the feast and the master was well-pleased with him. He who did not respond to the host neither entered the house nor ate the feast and the master was annoyed with him. He explained: Allah is the Master; Muhammad is one who extends invitation; the house is al-Islam and the feast is Paradise...the Al-Tirmidhi Hadith




While a man was in the wilderness he heard a voice from the cloud (commanding it thus): Irrigate the garden of so and so. After that the clouds floated aside and poured water on stony ground. It filled one of the channels of that land and the man followed the water until he found someone standing in the garden, busy changing the course of water with the help of a pickaxe. He said to him: Servant of Allah, what is your name? He said: So and so. It was that very name which he had heard from the clouds. He said to him: Servant of Allah, why do you ask me my name? He said: I heard a voice from the clouds from which the downpour has come, saying: Water the garden of so and so, like your name. What do you do (for the favour) shown to you by Allah in this matter? He said: Now as you say, I check yield I obtain from it: and I give one-third of it as charity, my children and I eat one-third of it, and one-third I return to it (the garden) as an investment....Sahih Muslim Hadith !!!

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Allah Most High has allotted you your characters just as He has allotted you your provisions. Allah Most High gives worldly things to those whom He loves and those whom He does not love, but He gives religion only to those whom He loves, so he who is given religion by Allah has been loved by Him. By Him in Whose hand my soul is, a man is not a Muslim till his heart and tongue are submissive, and he is not a believer till his neighbour is safe from injurious behaviour on his part."
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith..

Sahih Bukhari
Volume 7, Book 70, Number 544:

Narrated 'Aisha (radiallaha anha):

Allah's Apostle (salallaho alaihi wasallam) said, "No calamity befalls a Muslim
but that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it, even though it were the
prick he receives from a thorn."

Sahih Bukhari
Volume 9, Book 85, Number 74:
Narrated Anas (radiallaho unho):

Allah's Apostle (salallaho alaihi wasallam) said, "Whoever possesses the
(following) three qualities will have the sweetness of faith (1): The one to
whom Allah and His Apostle becomes dearer than anything else; (2) Who loves a
person and he loves him only for Allah's Sake; (3) who hates to revert to
atheism (disbelief) as he hates to be thrown into the Fire."

Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said: Allah drew the ends of the world together for my sake. I have seen its eastern and western ends. The dominion of my Ummah will reach those ends which have been drawn together near me and I have been granted the red and the white treasures. I begged my Lord that my Ummah should not be destroyed by famine, nor be dominated by a foreign enemy who will take their lives and destroy them root and branch. My Lord said: Muhammad, whenever I make a decision, there is none to change it. Well, I grant you that your Ummah will not be destroyed by famine, nor will it be dominated by a foreign enemy who will take their lives and destroy them root and branch, even if all the people from the different parts of the world join hands together (for this purpose). However, it will be from amongst them, viz. your Ummah, that some people will kill or imprison the others……..(Sahih Muslim Hadith)



One day Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) came from a high land. He passed by the mosque of Banu Mu'awiyah, went in and observed two rak'ahs there and we also observed prayer along with him and he made a long supplication to his Lord. He then came to us and said: I asked my Lord three things and He has granted me two but has withheld one. I begged my Lord that my Ummah should not be destroyed because of famine and He granted me this. And I begged my Lord that my Ummah should not be destroyed by drowning (by deluge) and He granted me this. And I begged my Lord that there should be no bloodshed among the people of my Ummah, but He did not grant it…….(Sahih Muslim Hadith)


Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said: The people most loved by me from amongst my Ummah would be those who would come after me but everyone amongst them would have the keenest desire to catch a glimpse of me even at the cost of his family and wealth…….. (Sahih Muslim Hadith)



Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "If, through fear of Allah, tears--even to the extent of a fly's head--fall from any believer's eyes and drop on some part of his cheek, he will be kept away from Hell by Allah."……( Al-Tirmidhi Hadith)



Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said: By Allah, this world (is so insignificant in comparison) to the Hereafter that if one of you should dip his finger - (and while saying this Yahya pointed with his forefinger) - in the ocean and then he should see as to what has stuck to it…… (Sahih Muslim Hadith)


I heard Allah's Apostle while he was facing the East, saying, "Verily! Afflictions are there, from where the side of the head of Satan comes out."…… (Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith)


Allah's Apostle woke up one night in a state of terror and said, "Subhan Allah, How many treasures Allah has sent down! And how many afflictions have been sent down! Who will go and wake the lady dwellers (wives of the Prophet) up of these rooms (for prayers)?" He meant his wives, so that they might pray. He added, "A well-dressed (soul) in this world may be naked in the Hereafter."......( Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith)



I heard Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) as saying: Verily , the Satan has lost all hopes that the worshippers would ever worship (him) in the peninsula of Arabia, but he (is hopeful) that he would sow the seed of dissension amongst them…..(Sahih Muslim Hadith)


I heard Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) as saying: The throne of Iblis is upon the ocean and he sends detachments (to different parts) in order to put people to trial and the most important figure in his eyes is one who is most notorious in sowing the seed of dissension……. (Sahih Muslim Hadith)



Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, a time would come when the murderer would not know why he has committed the murder, and the victim would not know why he has been killed……. (Sahih Muslim Hadith)


The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Shall I not guide you to the most excellent sadaqah? It is to provide for your daughter when she is sent back to you and has no one but you to provide for her."…(Al-Tirmidhi Hadith )



Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Do you know the thing which most commonly brings people into Paradise? It is fear of Allah and good character. Do you know what most commonly brings people into Hell? It is the two hollow things: the mouth and the private parts."…..(Al-Tirmidhi Hadith)



I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: Keeping watch for a day and a night is better (in point of reward) than fasting for a whole month and standing in prayer every night. If a person dies (while performing this duty), his (meritorious) activity will continue and he will go on receiving his reward for it perpetually and will be saved from the torture of the grave….. (Sahih Muslim Hadith)


Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) told that Allah said, "Son of Adam, if you devote your heart to unpreoccupied worship of me I shall fill your breast with sufficiency and make your poverty cease; but if you do not do so I shall fill your hand with work and not make your poverty cease."……..(Al-Tirmidhi Hadith)


The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The most enviable of my friends in my estimation is a believer with little property who finds pleasure in prayer, who performs the worship of his Lord well, who obeys Him in secret, who is obscure among men, who is not pointed out by people, and whose provision is a bare sufficiency with which he is content." He then snapped his fingers and said, "His death will come speedily, the women who bewail him will be few, and what he leaves will be little."……(Al-Tirmidhi Hadith)



We were in the company of Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) and we heard a terrible sound. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said: Do you know what (sound) is this? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best. Thereupon he said: That is a stone which was thrown seventy years before in Hell and it has been constantly slipping down and now it has reached its base…. (Sahih Muslim Hadith)



Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "This wealth consists of various kinds of treasures and those treasures have keys. Blessed is the man whom Allah has made a key for good and a lock for evil, but woe to the man whom Allah has made a key for evil and a lock for good."…..(Al-Tirmidhi Hadith)



Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said: A servant says: My wealth, my wealth, but out of his wealth three things are only his: whatever he eats and makes use of, or by means of which he dresses himself and it wears out or he gives as charity, and this is what he stored for himself (as a reward for the Hereafter), and what is beyond this (it is of no use to you) because you are to depart and leave it for other people…..(Sahih Muslim Hadith)




I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "My example and the example of the people is that of a man who made a fire, and when it lighted what was around it, Moths and other insects started falling into the fire. The man tried (his best) to prevent them, (from falling in the fire) but they overpowered him and rushed into the fire. The Prophet added: Now, similarly, I take hold of the knots at your waist (belts) to prevent you from falling into the Fire, but you insist on falling into it."


Yahya related to me from Malik from Ishaq ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Talha from Abu Murra, the mawla of Aqil ibn Abi Talib from Abu Waqid al-Laythi that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was sitting in the mosque with some people when three people came in. Two came toward the Messenger of Allah, and one went away. When the two stopped at the assembly of the Messenger of Allah, they gave the greeting. One of them saw a gap in the circle and sat in it. The other sat down behind the circle. The third turned away and left. When the Messenger of Allah, , finished, he said, "Shall I tell you about three people? One of them sought shelter with Allah, so Allah gave him shelter. The other was shy, so Allah was shy to him. The other turned away, so Allah turned away from him."……(Al-Muwatta Hadith )


I came to the Prophet while he was wearing white clothes and sleeping. Then I went back to him again after he had got up from his sleep. He said, "Nobody says: 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah' and then later on he dies while believing in that, except that he will enter Paradise." I said, "Even if he had committed illegal sexual intercourse and theft?" He said, -Even if he had committed illegal sexual intercourse and theft." I said, "Even if he had committed illegal sexual intercourse and theft?" He said, "Even if he had committed illegal sexual intercourse and theft." I said, "Even if he had committed illegal sexual intercourse and theft?" He said, "Even if he had committed illegal sexual intercourse and theft, in spite of the Abu Dharr's dislikeness." Abu 'Abdullah said, "This is at the time of death or before it if one repents and regrets and says 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.' He will be forgiven his sins."……(Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith),

Following weak hadiths

On the Da’eef (weak) Ahaadeeth and Passing Rulings Based on Them

Many of the early scholars held the firm opinion that to act upon, or derive rulings from a hadeeth which has been declared to be weak, by the scholars of hadeeth is unacceptable. Their reasoning being that Islaam has no need of anything weak, and the authentic material of Islaam will suffice for all time, the da’eef hadeeth amounting only to a conjecture which has the possibility of being correct.

I quote from the introduction of ‘The Prophets Prayer Described’ of Shaykh al-Albaanee, “…this is because I hold that the authentic ahaadeeth are sufficient, leaving no need for anything weak, for the latter does not amount to anything except dhann (conjecture, suspicion), and incorrect conjecture at that; as the Exalted says: “…and conjecture is of no use against the truth.” And now the following quotes will show the position of the early Scholars of Hadeeth on this issue: Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee [1] says in his ‘Risaalah’ (394-403: #1090-1105),

‘[#1090] 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] Whoever ascribes to me that which I did not say, will surely have to occupy his seat in the fire [of hell]

[#1092] Surely, whoever tells untruths about me, will have a house built for him in the fire [of hell].

[#1093] 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] From Abu Hurayra, “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 hadeeth ever transmitted from the Messenger of Allah on this matter. We have relied on it as well as on others (ahaadeeth or evidences) in not accepting any report (hadeethan) except from a trustworthy [transmitter], and that we know the truthfulness of those who transmitted the hadeeth since it was begun till its end is reached.

[#1096] If someone would say: What evidence is there in this hadeeth 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-hadeetha ‘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.”

Imaam Muslim states in the introduction to his saheeh, under the chapter heading, “the weak ahaadeeth are to be discarded and only authentic ahaadeeth are to be narrated,”

“To proceed, may Allaah have mercy upon you. If it were not from the evil practice that we have seen from many who take upon themselves the position of Muhaddith, in their leaving the obligation to discard the weak ahaadeeth and munkar narrations and to suffice with only the authentic ahaadeeth – well known and transmitted from reliable narrators, well known for their truthfulness and trustworthiness. After knowing and admitting with their tongues that much of what they fling at the ignorant is to be rejected and is transmitted by unsatisfactory narrators whose narrations are censured by the scholars of hadeeth like Maalik, Yahya bin Sa’eed al-Qattaan and others….. And know may Allaah have mercy upon you, that what is obligatory upon everyone who is able to distinguish between authentic and weak narrations and between the suspect and reliable narrators, is that he should narrate therefrom except that known to be authentic and have trustworthy narrators…”

Imaam ibn Rajab al-Hanbali [2] says, ‘and it is clear from what Muslim mentions in the introduction to his book (i.e. Saheeh Muslim), that it is necessary that the ahaadeeth to do with Targheeb wat Tarheeb (encouragement and discouragement) are not narrated except from those that ahkaam (rules and regulations) are narrated [meaning the authentic ahaadeeth]‘

al-Allaamah Jamaal ud-Deen al-Qaasimee narrates from a group of the Imaams of hadeeth that they did not accept acting by a weak hadeeth at all, like ibn Ma’een, al-Bukhaaree, Muslim, Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi al-Maaliki, ibn Hazm and others. [3]

Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi[4] said, while commenting on the hadeeth, “the halaal is clear and the haraam is clear”,

“…. What I have [as the reason] regarding that, and Allah knows best, is that which we have transmitted from Ahmad ibn Hanbal that he permits weak ahaadeeth regarding al-wara` (abstaining from doubtful matters). May Allah be pleased with al-Bukhaaree who did not see for the heart to hold to, nor for the religion to be connected through–nothing except the authentic [ahaadeeth], and that is our position. If we were to incline to the position of Ahmad; then holding to da’eef ahaadeeth cannot be [accepted] except in lessons/admonishment which soften the heart, but as for the basis (usul) there is no way to [accept] that.” [5]

Ibn Hazm [6] says in ‘al-Milal’, “and it is not permissible with us that we say as these ahaadeeth say (i.e. those weak and fabricated narrations), or to trust in them, or to take anything from them.”

ibn Taymiyyah says, ‘and it is not permissible to rely in the Sharee’ah upon da’eef ahaadeeth which are not saheeh or hasan. But Ahmad bin Hanbal and other scholars considered it permissible to report with regards to Fadaa’il al-A’amaal (rewards and excellences of actions) that which they did not know to be affirmed, when it is known that it is not a lie. And that is because when the action is known to be legislated with a Sharee’ah evidence, it is possible that the reward be a fact. And not one of the Imaams said that he considered it to be permissible to make something obligatory or recommended based upon a da’eef hadeeth.’[7]

Then ibn Taymiyyah says, ‘and Ahmad bin Hanbal or others like him from the Imaams did not rely upon this type of ahaadeeth in the Sharee’ah. And the one who relates from Ahmad that he used to rely upon the weak ahaadeeth, which are not saheeh or hasan, has erred.’

So the narrations from him that he would act upon a da’eef hadeeth when there was nothing else present in the texts on that subject, or nothing that contradicted that da’eef hadeeth, does not mean that Imaam Ahmad used them as proof in the Sharee’ah. Allaah knows best.

al-Allaamah Ahmad Shaakir says,’and as for what Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal and Abdurrahmaan bin Mahdi, and Abdullaah bin al-Mubaarak said, “when it is narrated to us pertaining to Halaal wal Haraam we are strict. And when it is narrated to us pertaining to Fadaa’il al-A’maal (the rewards and excellence of actions) then we are lenient.” – then they mean, according to what I find to be most convincing – and Allaah knows best – that the leniency was in their taking the hasan hadeeth, that which does not reach the level of saheeh. Because the convention of distinguishing between the Saheeh and Hasan was not present at their time…rather many of the early scholars did not describe a hadeeth except by it being saheeh or da’eef only.’[8]

So what is clear is that the term hasan was not present at that time, and a great deal of what these scholars used to narrate in terms of fadaa’il al-amaal was of the level of what the later scholars called hasan.

So the opinion from the above mentioned scholars is to leave acting by the weak hadeeth in totality, except where there is a consensus of the Islamic scholars on the issue at hand, and Allaah knows best. And as for the claims of some that Imaam Ahmad amongst others of the early scholars allowed weak ahaadeeth to be used in Sharee’ah rulings then that has no firm basis as mentioned above. [9]

And especially in this day and age, when so many innovations and misunderstandings about Religion are present, many of them having their roots in these da’eef ahaadeeth, it becomes even more essential to narrate only authentic ahaadeeth as part of the process of purifying the understanding of the Religion.

The preceding was with regards to acting upon the da’eef hadeeth, as regards to using the da’eef hadeeth in certain Islamic sciences like in the Hadeeth science in which the weak ahaadeeth are used to support or strengthen other ahaadeeth, then this has been done and is being done by all of the Scholars of Hadeeth.

For those that follow the opinion that acting upon a da’eef ahaadeeth is permissible, it would be good to mention the three conditions for acting upon a da’eef ahaadeeth as laid out by Ibn Hajr al-Asqalaanee:

1) Upon that which they all agree, that it should not be very weak so that it excludes that only narrated by a liar, one accused of lying and one who makes serious mistakes.

2) That is falls under a general proof already present – which excludes that which is invented having no basis.

3) That acting upon it the person does not think that it is something established – in order that he does not attribute to the Prophet what he did not say.[10]

We can see from these condition the following: The first principle lays out the obligation to make known the weak ahaadeeth from the authentic, even in Fadaa’il al-Amaal. Something which many people who follow this opinion do not do, not only that but many of the scholars who follow this opinion today are not even capable of discerning whether the hadeeth they are quoting contains the types of weaknesses indicated above!

The second principle establishes that in reality the person is not acting by the weak hadeeth but rather by the general proof already present. [11]

FOOTNOTES

1.He is the Mujtahid Imaam and the Mujaddid of his time, Muhammad bin Idrees ash-Shaafi’ee. He studied under a galaxy of prominent Imaams, amongst them Imaam Maalik.
2.’Sharh at-Tirmidhee’ (2/112).He is the exemplary Imaam and great Mujtahid scholar, ibn Rajab al Hanbali, a student of both ibn Taymiyyah and ibn al-Qayyim amongst others.
3.’Qawaa’id al-Hadeeth’ (pg. 113) of al-Qaasimee.
4.’Aridat al-Ahwadhee Sharh Sunan at-Tirmidhee’ (5/201)
5.Quoted from Abu Ghuddas introduction to al-Muhasibi’s ‘Risalah al-Mustarshideen’ (pp58) where he states that he has abridged the quote from ibn al-Arabi.
6.He is the great Imaam who championed the Dhaahiree School of thought and wrote many invaluable treatise, amongst them his ‘Muhalla’ in usul al-fiqh, and ‘Milal wa Nahl’ on different sects. He died in the year????
7.’al-Qaa’idah al-Jaleelah’ (pg.82) of ibn Taymiyyah
8.’al-Baa’ith al-Hatheeth’ (pg.101) of Ahmad Shaakir.
9.So what would the author of ‘al-Albani Unveiled’ say about the position of all these scholars, would he label them all as ignorant as well, as he has done in his amazing ’scholarly’ work?!
10.As mentioned by his student as-Sakhaawi in his
11.The quotes are taken from the introductions of ‘Saheeh al-Jaami as-Sagheer’, ‘Tamaam al-Minna’, ‘Silsilah ad-Da’eefah’ (Vol. 1) of al-Albaanee, with the exception of the quotes of Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee and ibn al-Arabi


The Historical Background

The science of hadith verification can be traced back to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (d. 13 AH), who would not accept a hadith narrated by a single Companion unless another Companion confirmed it. In this way, he sought to avoid the possibility of intentional or unintentional error.2 This approach continued under `Umar ibn al-Khattab (d. 23 AH),3 who once told to Abu Musa that he was extraordinarily careful about narrating hadiths from the Prophet (saw).4 Scholars from among the Companions hesitated to accept hadiths without further verification.5 It seems that they adopted this careful approach due to the explosive situation after `Uthman ibn `Affan’s murder in 35 AH and the ensuing civil war between the troops loyal to `Ali ibn Abu Talib (d. 40 AH) and Mu`awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (d. 60 AH). This situation was exploited by people with vested interests who fabricated hadiths concerning Ali’s legitimacy. 6 The ulama did their best to verify traditions attributed to the Prophet (saw).7

Al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH) selected traditions for his Sahih from approximately 600,000 hadiths8; Muslim (d. 261 AH) selected hadiths for his Sahih from around 300,000 reports.9 Their hadith compilations were followed by many others, all of which have one common feature: they authenticate the hadith by authenticating the chain (sanad ). No hadith work in which the reports were recorded on the basis of text verification in addition to chain authentication can be identified. Scattered comments and observations on certain hadiths from the angle of texts are attributed to some scholars. However, serious efforts are missing from the legacy.

Al-Shafi`i (d. 204 AH) appears to be the first scholar who raised the issue of checking the hadith’s text. Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 AH) also decreed hadiths unacceptable by looking at their texts. But these two scholars’ contribution is very limited. The former referred to the possibility that a hadith already declared to be authentic from the angle of its chain might be defective if its text appeared to contradict the Prophet’s (saw) overall mission or if it contrasted with other highly authentic traditions reported by extraordinarily respected reporters.10 Ibn al-Jawzi seems to have been inclined to talk about a hadith’s content only after declaring its chain defective. His Al-Mawdu`at bears witness to this approach. He does not seem to be brave enough to declare a report weak or fabricated merely because its content is unusual and contradicts many established standards. Ibn Qayyim (d. 751 AH) also stated categorically in his Al-Manar al-Munif fi al-Sahih wa al-Da`if that certain traditions are unacceptable merely due to some problems in the text. The latest addition to this field is Misfir al-Dumayni’s doctoral thesis “Maqayis Naqd Mutun al-Sunnah.”

Criteria for Checking the Text

Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi (d. 198 AH) opines that identifying a deficiency in the traditions requires life-long experience and inspiration. He looks at a critic of traditions as a jeweler who, on the basis of his expertise and experience, easily differentiates between genuine and non-genuine materials.11 Although this view may not, in essence, be contested, considering one’s inspiration as a standard to determine a hadith’s authenticity is to allow subjectivity to enter the process. There should be clear guidelines and well defined principles on how to check the text’s authenticity. In this case, the objective criteria are the Qur’an, highly authentic traditions, sound reason, established historical facts, and moderation. The following discussion is based on applying these criteria to selected examples.

The Qur’an

People vary from one another in their approaches and viewpoints when deciding about specific matters. Such differences can be sorted out and settled only with the help of universally established standards. In judging a given hadith’s nature, scholars may differ from one another. In such situations, the first criterion to be looked at is the Qur’an, the revealed speech of Allah (as opposed to the thoughts of a human mind). In its own words, the Qur’an is the God-given “criterion” (al-Furqan) that reveals what is right and what is wrong.12 As the Qur’an tells us, Allah revealed two things to the Prophet (saw): the Qur’an and its bayan (interpretation).13 Since his hadiths and Sunnah interpret the Qur’an, his words and practices symbolize the interpretation. Given this, both the Qur’an and the interpretation should compliment, and be in perfect harmony with, each other. If any component of the interpretation (i.e., hadith) conflicts with the Qur’an, it must be rejected as unacceptable, even if it is attributed to the Prophet (saw). The Qur’an not only guides, but also mediates all disputes (4:59).

Qur’an 4:59 exhorts the Muslims to make Allah and His Prophet (saw) the judge of their disputes. Hadith compilations are not free from controversy in terms of their contents. Since the Qur’an represents Allah’s authority, the hadith’s contents can be checked against it. If there is no conflict, the hadith should be declared authentic. If there is an insurmountable conflict, it should be declared unreliable.

‘A_ISHAH_S APPROACH. `A’ishah (d. 57 AH) identified flaws in certain hadiths. Some examples are given below. (Space constraints do not allow many quotations.)

Once the Prophet (saw) said: “One who was called to account (on the Day of Judgment) was punished.”14 `A’ishah found this contrary to Qur’an 84:7-8: “As for him whose record shall be placed in his right hand, he will, in time, be called to account with an easy accounting.” She expressed her concern to the Prophet (saw), who satisfied her by saying: “That is the easy reckoning; but he who was questioned is bound to be doomed.”15

In this account, her concern shows that no hadith should contradict the Qur’an. After the Prophet’s (saw) death, she commanded the Muslims’ respect not only as a “mother of the believers,” but also as a repository of knowledge. People consulted her on many things, particularly on matters related to the Prophet’s (saw) words. For example, someone asked her: “Is Ibn Umar’s report – the Prophet (saw) said: ‘They (the dead) hear what I say’ – true?” She replied that it was not and told him what the Prophet (saw) had really said: (‘They know what I say is true’), and in the end recited “Verily, you cannot make the dead hear” (27:80) and “You cannot make those hear who are in graves” (35:22).16 By quoting the Qur’an, she made it clear that the Prophet (saw) cannot say anything against the Qur’an