The hadith scholars {muhaddithun} have narrated hadith ath-thaqalayn {Tradition on the Two Weighty Things} in two ways and it has been recorded in the books of hadith. An examination must be made to see which way is correct:
1. âKitab Allah wa âitrati ahli baytiâ {âThe Book of Allah and my progeny, the members of my Householdâ}, or
2. âKitab Allah wa sunnatiâ {âThe Book of Allah and my traditionâ}.
Reply: The authentic {sahih} and established {thabit} hadith of the Holy Prophet (S)[5] is the one with the phrase, âwa ahl baytiâ {and the members of my Household}. The chain of transmission {sanad} of the narration which contains the phrase, âsunnatiâ {my tradition} instead of âahla baytiâ {the members of my Household} is invalid, therefore it is rejected {mardud} and the chain of transmission of the hadith, âwa ahla baytiâ is absolutely sound.
The chain of transmission of the narration, âwa ahli baytiâ {and my Household}
This text has been narrated by two prominent muhaddiths {hadith scholars}:
1. In his Sahih, Muslim narrates from Zayd ibn al-Arqam, thus: One day Allahâs Messenger (S) stood up to deliver sermon near a pool known as Khumm situated between Mecca and Medina. In the said sermon, he extolled Allah and exhorted the people, and then he said:
ربْÙ٠رسÙÙ ÙØ£ØªÙ Ø£Ù ÙÙØ´Ù بشر٠أÙÙÙØ§ ÙØ§Ùْما اÙÙØ§Ø³ Ø£ÙÙ’ÙÙØ§ Ø£ÙØ§Ù’â
٠اÙÙØ¯ÙÙ° ÙÙ٠اÙÙÙ ÙØªØ§Ø¨ Ø£ÙÙÙما :Ø§ÙØ«Ù’ÙÙÙÙÙ ÙÙÙÙ… ØªØ§Ø±Ù Ø£ÙØ§ Ù ÙØ£Ø¬Ùب
ÙØªØ§Ø¨ عÙÙÙ° ÙØØ« â” Ø¨Ù ÙØ§Ø³ØªÙ…سÙÙØ§ اÙÙÙ Ø¨ÙØªØ§Ø¨ ÙØ®Ø°Ùا اÙÙÙØ±
Ø£ÙÙ Ù٠اÙÙÙ Ø£Ø°ÙØ±ÙÙ… Ø¨ÙØªÙ Ø£ÙÙ Ù â” :ÙØ§Ù ثمْ ÙÙ٠رغْب ٠اÙÙÙ
â.Ø¨ÙØªÙ Ø£ÙÙ Ù٠اÙÙÙ Ø£Ø°ÙØ±ÙÙ… Ø¨ÙØªÙ اÙÙ Ù٠اÙÙÙ Ø£Ø°ÙØ±ÙÙ… Ø¨ÙØªÙ
Now to our purpose: O people, I am a human being. I am about to receive a messenger (the angel of death) from my Lord and I, in response to Allahâs call, (would bid goodbye to you), but I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it.
He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and then said: The second are the members of my Household; I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family. I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family. I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family.[6]
Darmi has also mentioned this text in his Sunan.[7] It must be said that the chain of transmission of each of the two is as bright as the sun and there is no room for doubt about it.
2. In his narration which contains the phrase, âAnd my progeny, the members of my Householdâ {wa âitrati ahla bayti}, Tirmidhi writes that the Prophet (S) has said:
Ø£ØØ¯Ùما بعد٠تضÙÙ’ÙØ§ ÙÙ Ø¨Ù ØªÙ…Ø³Ù’ÙØªÙ… ا٠ما ÙÙÙÙ… تار٠إÙÙ’Ùâ
Ø¥ÙÙÙ° Ø§ÙØ³Ù’ماء Ù…Ù Ù…Ù…Ø¯ÙØ¯ ØØ¨Ù اÙÙÙ ÙØªØ§Ø¨ :Ø§ÙØ¢Ø®Ø± م٠أعظم
Ø§ÙØÙØ¶ عÙÙÙÙ’Ù ÙÙØ±Ø¯Ø§ ØØªÙ ÙÙØªØ±Ùا ÙÙ Ø¨ÙØªÙ Ø£ÙÙ Ø¹ØªØ±ØªÙ Ù Ø§ÙØ£Ø±Ø¶
â.ÙÙÙØ§ تخÙÙÙÙÙ ÙÙÙ ÙØ§ÙØ¸Ø±ÙØ§
Verily, I am leaving among you two weighty things to which if you hold fast, you shall never go astray. One is greater than the other: the Book of Allah, which is the cord extending from the heaven to the earth and my progeny, the members of my Household. These two will never separate from each other until they meet me at the Pond {hawd} (of Kawthar). Be careful as to how you will behave toward them after me.[8]
Both Muslim and Tirmidhi, who are among the compilers of Sahihs and Sunans (compilations of hadiths regarded as authentic by the Ahl as-Sunnah), highlight the phrase, âAhl al-Baytâ, and this evidence supports our view, and the chains of transmission of both hadiths enjoy such accuracy and special reliability that they need no discussion and argumentation.
The chain of transmission of the narration, âwa sunnatiâ {and my tradition}
The tradition, which mentions the phrase, âsunnatiâ {my tradition} instead of âahli baytiâ {members of my Household}, is a fabricated hadith, which apart from the weakness of its chain of transmission, was concocted and transmitted by the âUmayyad agents:
1. In his Mustadrak (âalaâs–Sahihayn), Hakim al-Nayshaburi relates this narration with the following chain of transmission:
Ø§ÙØ¯Ù’ÙÙÙ…Ù Ø²ÙØ¯ Ø¨Ù Ø«ÙØ± ع٠اÙÙØ³ اب٠ع٠أÙÙØ³ أب٠ب٠ع٠عبْاس
:اÙÙ٠رسÙÙ ÙØ§Ù: ÙØ§Ù عبْاس Ø§Ø¨Ù Ø¹Ù Ø¹ÙØ±Ù…Ø© عÙ
تضÙÙ’ÙØ§ ÙÙ٠ب٠اعتصمتم Ø£Ù Ù ÙÙÙÙ… ØªØ±ÙØª ÙØ¯ Ø¥ÙÙ’Ù٠اÙÙْاس اÙÙ’ÙØ§ ÙØ§â
â!ÙØ¨Ùْ٠سÙْة ٠اÙÙÙ ÙØªØ§Ø¨ Ø£Ø¨Ø¯ÙØ§
âAbbas ibn Abi Uways narrates on the authority of Abi Uways from Thawr ibn Zayd ad-Daylami from âUkrumah from Ibn âAbbas: The Messenger of Allah (S) said:
âO people, I am leaving among you two things to which if you hold fast, you shall never go astray: the Book of Allah and the tradition of His prophet!â[9]
Among the transmitters of this narration are Ismaâil ibn Abi Uways and Abu Uwaysâ”a father and a son who were not found trustworthy, and they were also accused of lying, fabrication and forgery.
What the âulamaâ of rijal say about the two versions
In Tahdhib al-Kamal, Hafiz al-Mizzi,[10] one of the researchers of the science of rijal,[11] writes about Ismaâil and his father as follows:
Yahya ibn Muâin (who is one of the prominent âulamaâ of âilm ar-rijal) says: âAbu Uways and his son (Ismaâil) are âweakâ {daâif}. It is also reported that Yahya ibn Muâin used to say: âThese two persons used to steal hadith.â Ibn Muâin also says about the son (Ismaâil): âHe cannot be trusted.â
Regarding the son (Ismaâil), Nisaâi says: âHe is âweakâ and not trustworthy.â
Abuâl-Qasim Lalkaâi says: âNisaâi has said a lot against him, concluding that his narration must be rejected.â
Ibn âAdi, one of the âulamaâ of rijal, says: âIbn Abi Uways, a maternal uncle of Malik, narrates strange hadiths, which nobody accepts.â[12]
In the Introduction to Fath al-Barri, Ibn Hajar (al-âAsqalani) has stated: âOne can never refer (as proof) to the hadith of Ibn Abi Uways on account of the reproach which Nisaâi has heaped on him.â[13]
In the book, Fath al-Mulk al-âAla, Hafiz Sayyid Ahmad ibn Sadiq narrates on the authority of Salmah ibn Shayb, thus: âIsmaâil ibn Abi Uways was heard to have said: âWhenever the people of Medina split into two over an issue, I fabricated a hadithâ.â[14]
Therefore, the son (Ismaâil ibn Abi Uways) is charged with fabricating hadith and Ibn Muâin says that he lies. In addition, his narration has come neither in the Sahih of Muslim nor in the Sunan of Tirmidhi or any other Sahih books.
Concerning Abu Uways, it is enough to state that Abu Hatam ar-Razi in the book, Al-Jarah waât-Taâdil, says: âHis narration may be recorded but it must not be referred to (as proof), and his narration is neither strong {qawi} nor firm {muhkam}.â[15]
Abu Hatam who relates on the authority of Ibn Muâin says that Abu Uways is unreliable.
Any narration {riwayah} related by any of these two is by no means authentic {sahih}. Moreover, it does not accord with authentic and sound narrations.
It is worth considering that the narrator of the hadith, viz. Hakim al-Nayshaburi has acknowledged the weakness of the hadith and instead of putting right its chain of transmission, he has brought forth a witness who speaks in favor of it and whose chain of transmission is also weak and devoid of any credibility and so, instead of strengthening the hadith, he has made its weakness more distinct. Now, let us see the following weak witness:
The second chain of transmission of the narration, âwa sunnatiâ {and my tradition}
With a chain of transmission that will come later on, Hakim al-Nayshaburi thus relates on the authority of Abu Hurayrah in a narration termed marfuâ:[16]
:بعدÙما تضÙÙ’ÙØ§ ÙÙ Ø´ÙØ¦ÙÙ ÙÙÙÙ… ØªØ±ÙØª ÙØ¯ Ø¥ÙÙ’Ùâ
â.Ø§ÙØÙØ¶ عÙÙÙ’Ù ÙØ±Ø¯Ø§ ØØªÙÙ° ÙÙØªØ±Ùا Ù٠٠سÙْت٠٠اÙÙÙ ÙØªØ§Ø¨
Verily, I am leaving among you two things to which (if you hold fast) you shall never go astray: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah {tradition} and they will never separate (from each other) until they meet me at the Pond {hawd} (of Kawthar).[17]
Hakim has transmitted this narration with the following chain of transmission:
âAd-Dabi relating on the authority of Salih ibn Musa at-Talhi from âAbd al-âAziz ibn Rafiâ from Abi Salih from Abu Hurayrah.â
Like the previous narration, this narration is a fabricated one, and Salih ibn Musa at-Talhi is one of its transmitters about whom great figures of âilm ar-rijal say:
Yahya ibn Muâin says: âSalih ibn Musa is unreliable.â Abu Hatam ar-Razi says: âHis hadith is âweakâ {daâif} and âunusualâ {munkar}; he narrates many of his âunusualâ hadiths from trustworthy individuals.â Nisaâi says: âHis hadith cannot be recorded.â In another place, he says: âHis hadith is rejected {matruk}.â[18]
In Tahdhib at-Tahdhib, Ibn Hajar (al-âAsqalani) writes: âIbn Hibban says: âSalih ibn Musa attributes to trustworthy individuals, things which do not correspond with their words.â He then says: âHis hadith does not represent a sound proofâ and Abu Naâim says: âHis hadith is rejected and he always narrates unusual hadithsâ.â[19]
Also, in At-Taqrib,[20] Ibn Hajar says: âHis hadith is rejected.â In Al-Kashif,[21] Dhahabi says: âHis hadith is weak.â In Mizan al-Iâtidal,[22] Dhahabi relates a disputable hadith from him, and says that it is among his âusualâ hadiths.
The third chain of transmission of the narration, âwa sunnatiâ {and my tradition}
In At-Tamhid, Ibn âAbd al-Barr relates this narration with the following chain of transmission:
âAbd ar-Rahman ibn Yahya relating on the authority of Ahmad ibn Saâid from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ad-Dubayli from âAli ibn Zayd al-Faraâidi from al-Hunayni from Kathir ibn âAbd Allah ibn âAmru ibn âAwf from his father from his grandfather.[23]
Concerning Kathir ibn âAbd Allah, Imam ash-Shafiâi says: âHe is one of the pillars of lying.â[24] Abu Dawud says: âHe is one of the mendacious and liars.â[25] Ibn Hibban says: ââAbd Allah ibn Kathir narrates from his father and grandfather a book of hadith based on forgery. Relating any narration from that book and any of âAbd Allahâs narration is unlawful except if it is intended to express surprise or for the sake of criticism.â[26]
Nisaâi and Darqutni say: âHis hadith is rejected.â Imam Ahmad (ibn Hanbal) says: âHe is munkar al-hadith (he who relates odd hadiths) and he is not reliableâ. And Ibn Muâin has the same view about him.
It is surprising that in the biographical account of Kathir, At-Taqrib, Ibn Hajar has contented himself with the term, âweakâ {daâif}, regarding those who have accused him of lying as fanatic. Meanwhile the forerunners of âilm al-rijal have charged him with lying and forgery. Moreover, Dhahabi says: âHis statement is unfounded and weak.â
Narration without a chain of transmission
In Al-Muwattaâ Malik has narrated it as mursal[27] without mentioning the chain of transmission,[28] and we all know that such a narration is devoid of any value.
This survey has clearly shown that the narration, âwa sunnatiâ {and my tradition} has been forged and concocted by the mendacious narrators affiliated to the âUmayyads who have fabricated it as opposed to the authentic hadith, âwa âitratiâ {and my progeny}.
As such, it is necessary for those who deliver sermons in mosques, religious orators, and prayer leaders to abandon the unfounded narration attributed to the Messenger of Allah (S), and to familiarize, instead, the people with the authentic hadithâ”the hadith which has been narrated by Muslim in his Sahih with the phrase âahla baytiâ {members of my Household} and Tirmidhi (in his Sunan) with the words ââitrati ahla baytiâ {my progeny, the members of my Household}. It is incumbent upon the seekers of knowledge to observe the rules of the science of hadith and distinguish between the authentic hadith and the âweakâ one.
In conclusion, we have to note that by the term, âahla baytiâ the Prophet (S) is referring to his offspring {dhurriyyah}, namely Hadrat Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn (âa)[29] as Muslim in his Sahih[30] and Tirmidhi in his Sunan[31] have narrated on the authority of âAâishah:
Ø¥ÙÙÙ’Ùما â” ÙØ³Ùْم {ÙØ¢ÙÙ} عÙÙ٠اÙÙ٠صÙْ٠┠اÙÙْب٠عÙÙÙ° Ø§ÙØ¢ÙØ© ÙØ°Ù ÙØ²Ùت
تطÙÙØ±Ø§Ù ÙÙمْ ÙÙØ·ÙÙÙ’ÙØ±Ù Ù٠اÙْبÙÙْت Ø£ÙÙÙ Ø§ÙØ±Ù’ÙØ¬Ø³Ù عÙÙÙ’ÙÙÙ…Ù ÙÙÙÙØ°Ù’ÙÙØ¨Ù اÙÙÙ ÙÙØ±ÙدÙ
â” ÙØ³Ùْم {ÙØ¢ÙÙ} عÙÙ٠اÙÙ٠صÙْ٠┠اÙÙÙ’Ø¨Ù ÙØ¯Ø¹Ø§ سÙمة Ø£Ùمْ Ø¨ÙØª ÙÙ
Ø¸ÙØ±Ù Ø®Ù٠عÙÙÙ° Ù Ø¨ÙØ³Ø§Ø¡ ÙØ¬ÙÙ’ÙÙÙ… ØØ³ÙÙØ§Ù Ù ØØ³ÙØ§Ù Ù ÙØ§Ø·Ù…Ø©
عÙÙÙ… ÙØ§Ø°Ùب Ø¨ÙØªÙ Ø£ÙÙ ÙÙÙØ§Ø¡ اÙÙÙ’ÙÙ… :ÙØ§Ù ثمْ Ø¨ÙØ³Ø§Ø¡ ÙØ¬ÙÙ’ÙÙ
ÙØ¨ÙÙ’ ÙØ§ معÙÙ… Ø£ÙØ§ Ù :سÙمة Ø£Ùمْ ÙØ§Ùت .تطÙÙØ±Ø§Ù Ø·ÙÙÙ’ÙØ±ÙÙÙ… Ù Ø§ÙØ±Ù’ÙØ¬Ø³
.Ø§ÙØ®Ùر Ø¥ÙÙÙ° Ø£ÙØªÙ Ù Ù…ÙØ§ÙÙ٠عÙÙÙ° Ø£ÙØª :ÙØ§Ù Ø Ø§ÙÙÙ
The verse, âIndeed, Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purificationâ[32] was revealed in the house of Umm Salamah.
The Prophet wrapped Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn in a cloak, and âAli was behind him. He wrapped him in it and then said: âO God! They are the members of my Household {ahl al-bayt}. Repel all impurity from them and purify them with a thorough purification.â Umm Salmah said: âO Prophet of Allah! Am I with them?â He said: âRemain where you are and you are in good (position).â[33]
The meaning of Hadith ath-Thaqalayn {Tradition on the Two Weighty Things}
As the Holy Prophet has mentioned âitrah {progeny} alongside the Qurâan, describing both of them as the proofs of Allah for the ummah, two conclusions can be deduced from it:
1. The words of the Prophetâs progeny {âitrah}, like the very Qurâan, is a proof {hujjah}, and so in religious affairsâ”both ideological and jurisprudentialâ”their words must have to be adhered and with the existence of the proof that they have to be followed, one must not turn away from them and follow others.
Although after the demise of the Prophet (S) the Muslims split over the issue of caliphate and administering the political affairs of the ummah and they became two groups each of which has its own logic and basis, they ought to have no disagreement about the intellectual authority of the Ahl al-Bayt (âa) because all Muslims confirm the authenticity of Hadith ath-Thaqalayn, which regards the Qurâan and the Prophetâs Ahl al-Bayt (âa) as the authority on beliefs and laws, and if the Muslim ummah abide by this hadith, the scope of difference will be narrowed and this will pave the way to the unity of the Muslims.
2. The Qurâan, the Word of Allah, is preserved from error and mistake. So how could it include errors when God says about it:
ï´¿ ÙØ§Ù ÙÙØ£Ù’تÙÙÙ٠اÙÙ’Ø¨ÙØ§Ø·ÙÙÙ Ù…Ù٠بÙÙÙ’ÙÙ ÙÙØ¯ÙÙÙ’ÙÙ ÙÙÙÙØ§ Ù…ÙÙÙ’ Ø®ÙÙÙ’ÙÙÙ٠تÙÙØ²ÙÙÙ٠مْÙÙÙ’ ØÙÙÙÙÙ…Ù ØÙÙ…ÙÙØ¯Ù ï´¾
âFalsehood cannot approach it, from before it nor from behind it, a {gradually} sent down {revelation} from One all-wise, all-laudableâ[34]?
If the Qurâan is preserved from error, then its partner and counterpart, i.e. the âitrah must also be preserved from error because it is incorrect to couple an errant person or errant people with the Qurâan.
This hadith is a testimony to their immunity from any sort of impurity. It must be observed here that infallibility {âismah} is not a special privilege which only prophets (âa) enjoy. It is not impossible for an individual to be immune from sin eventhough he or she is not a prophet. Based on the following verse,
ï´¾ Ø§ÙØ¹Ø§ÙÙÙ…ÙÙÙÙ ÙÙØ³Ùاء٠عÙÙÙ ÙÙØ§ØµÙ’Ø·ÙÙØ§ÙÙ ÙÙØ·ÙÙÙ’ÙØ±ÙÙ٠اصْطÙÙØ§Ù٠اÙÙÙ٠إÙÙÙ’Ù ï´¿
âAllah has chosen you and purified you, and He has chosen you above the worldâs women,â[35]
Hadrat Maryam (Saint Mary) is free from sin though she is not a prophet.
— taken from the book “The Shi’ah Rebuts” by Sayyid Rida’ Husayni Nasab. Written under the supervision of Ayatullah Ja’far Subhani
Notes:
[5] The abbreviation, âSâ, stands for the Arabic invocative phrase, sallallahu âalayhi wa alihi wa sallam {may Godâs blessings and peace be upon him and his progeny}, which is mentioned after the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S). {Trans.}
[6] Muslim, Sahih, vol. 4, p. 1803, hadith no. 2408 (âAbd al-Baqi Edition).
Abdul-Hamid Siddiqui (trans.), Sahih Muslim (English Translation), vol. 4, hadith no. 5920. {Trans.}
[7] Darmi, Sunan, vol. 2, pp. 431-432.
[8] Tirmidhi, Sunan, vol. 5, p. 663, hadith no. 37788.
[9] Hakim al-Nayshaburi, Mustadrak (âalaâs–Sahihayn), vol. 1, p. 93.
[10] Hafiz: literally means âmemorizerâ and is used in hadith terminology, as in the case of this book, to describe a scholar who has an excellent memory and has memorized a great number of traditions. {Trans.}
[11] Rijal or âIlm ar-Rijal: a branch of the science of hadith dealing with the biography of the hadith transmitters or reporters. {Trans.}
[12] Hafiz al-Mazzi, Tahdhib al-Kamal, vol. 3, p. 127.
[13] Ibn Hajar al-âAsqalani, Introduction to Fath al-Barri (Dar al-Maârifah Edition), p. 391.
[14] Hafiz Sayyid Ahmad, Fath al-Mulk al-âAla, p. 15.
[15] Abu Hatam ar-Razi, Al-Jarah waât-Taâdil, vol. 5, p. 92.
[16] Marfuâ: âtraceableâ â” refers to any tradition that can be traced back to a Maâsum (infallible â” referring specifically to the Prophet (S) and the Imams (âa)), regardless of the continuity in its chain of transmission. {Trans.}
[17] Hakim al-Nayshaburi, Mustadrak (âalaâs–Sahihayn), vol. 1, p. 93.
[18] Hafiz al-Mazzi, Tahdhib al-Kamal, vol. 13, p. 96.
[19] Ibn Hajar (al-âAsqalani), Tahdhib at-Tahdhib, vol. 4, p. 355.
[20] Ibn Hajar (al-âAsqalani), At-Taqrib (translated version), no. 2891.
[21] Dhahabi, Al-Kashif (translated version), no. 2412.
[22] Dhahabi, Mizan al-Iâtidal, vol. 2, p. 302.
[23] At-Tamhid, vol. 24, p. 331.
[24] Ibn Hajar (al-âAsqalani), Tahdhib at-Tahdhib (Dar al-Fikr), vol. 8, p. 377; Tahdhib al-Kamal, vol. 24, p. 138.
[25] Ibid.
[26] Ibn Hibban, Al-Majruhin, vol. 2, p. 221.
[27] Mursal: âhurriedâ â” a tradition, whose complete chain of transmission is unknown, i.e. the names of one or more of its narrators are missing or unknown. The word âmursalâ literally means âforwarded onâ because often the tradition is forwarded on by a Follower {Tabiâi}, missing out the name of the Companion {Sahib} who narrated it to him. {Trans.}
[28] Malik ibn Anas, Al-Muwattaâ, p. 889, hadith no. 3.
[29] The abbreviation, ââaâ stands for the Arabic invocative phrase, âalayhis-salam, âalayhimus-salam, or âalayhas-salam {may peace be upon him/them/her}, which is mentioned after the names of the prophets, angels, Imams from the Prophetâs progeny, and saints (âa). {Trans.}
[30] Muslim, Sahih, vol. 4, p. 1883, hadith no. 2424.
Abdul-Hamid Siddiqui (trans.), Sahih Muslim (English Translation), vol. 4, hadith no. 5955. {Trans.}
[31] Tirmidhi, Sunan, vol. 5, p. 663.
[32] Surah al-Ahzab 33:33. {Trans.}
[33] Quoted from Hasan ibn âAli ash-Shaqqaf, Sahih Sifah Salat an-Nabi (S), pp. 289-294.
[34] Surah Fussilat 41:42.
[35] Surah Al âImran 3:42.
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