Islam On Campus: 2011

Bid'ah: Perception & Reality

The Objection: [It is claimed] that every bid'ah (innovation) is prohibited by Islam. This reasoning is based on the hadith which states "Abstain from innovations, for every kind of innovation is a bid'ah, and every bid'ah is misguidance and all misguidance leads to hell fire." [Sunan Abu Dawud, Kitab-us-Sunnah, Book 40 Hadith number 4590]. There are other various hadith on the same lines. [The argument develops] There is no need to innovate something new in the religion as Allah Almighty stated in the Holy Quran "...Today I have perfected your Din (Religion) for you, and have completed My Blessing upon you, and have chosen for you Islam (as) Din (a complete code of life)..." [Quran 5:3]

Answer: It will be demonstrated that the perception in The Objection is based on the lack of knowledge and violates the reality regarding the true understanding that has always been prevalent within the Ummah. The true understanding will be sought through the Quran, Hadith, and the opinions of the classical authorities:

"He is the One Who has created (badi) the heavens and the earth...(badi-us-sama wati wal ard). [Quran 2:117] Explanation: Badi is the deriative word of Bid'ah, which means to create/innovate, and so this is one ways Allah describes Himself as the 'One who created'.

"...And We sent Isa son of Maryam after them and gave him the Injil (the Gospel). And We created kindness and mercy in the hearts of those who were (the true) followers (of Isa). And they themselves invented the innovation of monasticism (living the life of recluse and committing to asceticism and austerity). We did not prescribe it for them. But they (introduced this innovation of monasticism) merely to seek Allah's pleasure. Then they could not practically keep and maintain that check which was its due (i.e. could not continue its spirit and discipline). So We paid those of them their reward who believed (and continued the innovation of monasticism to seek the pleasure of Allah). And most of them (who left it and changed their ways) are disobedient". [Quran 57:27]

The full hadith from The Objection:

"Narrated by Irbad ibn Sariyah that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him) say: 'I command you to have Taqwa, and to be obedient to those appointed leader over you, even if it be an Abyssinian slave. O my companions, those who will live after me will, very soon, see a lot of differences among you. Stick to my path and the path of the Rightly Guided Khalifahs. Abstain from innovations, for every kind of innovation is a bid'ah, and every bid'ah is misguidance and all misguidance leads to hell fire" [Sunan Abu Dawud, Kitab-us-Sunnah, Book 40 Hadith number 4590]

"Abu Hurayrah reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him) used to prompt people to say Tarawih prayer during the nights of Ramadan but did not press it as an obligation or duty...Ibn Shihab reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him) died and matters were left as such even during the time of the Caliphate of Abu Bakr and during the beginning of Umar's Caliphate. Abd al-Rahman bin Abd al-Qari reported: I went with Umar bin al-Khattab to the mosque in Ramadan and saw people saying tarawih in different groups. Someone was saying it alone and with another was a group of eight to ten men. Umar said: 'By Lord, I feel that I should put them all behind one qari, it would be well'. He then grouped them all behind Ubayy bin Ka'b. Abd al-Rahman said: When I went with him the next night, I saw the people were saying their prayer behind Ubayy bin Ka'b. Umar said: This is a good innovation [arabic: ni'matul bida-tul hazihi]." [Sahih Bukhari, Kitab-us-Salat-ur-Tarawih, chapter 31, hadith number 3; Muwatta Imam Malik, chapter 66 on Tarawih in Ramadan, section 243 & 244]

"Mundhir bin Jabir reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him) said: 'Whosoever introduced a beneficiary action in Islam will be rewarded for his practice as well as for the practice of the people who follow him, without lessening their reward. Whosoever introduced a bad practice in Islam will take the sin for it as well as the sin of the poeple who follow him, without lessening their sin." [Sahih Muslim, Kitab az-Zakah, chapter 20, pg. 431; Sahih Tirmidhi chapter 11]

"Narrated by Zaid ibn Thabit: Abu Bakr sent for me when the people of Yamama had been killed (i.e. a number of the Prophet's Companions who fought against Musailma). (I went to him) and found Umar bin al-Khattab sitting with him. Abu Bakr then said (to me) 'Umar has come to me and said: Casualties were very heavy among the Qurra' (i.e. those who knew the Quran by heart) on the day of the Battle of Yamama, and I am afraid that more heavy casualties may take place among the Qurra' on other battlefields, whereby a large part of the Qur'an may be lost. Therefore I suggest, you (Abu Bakr) order that the Qur'an be collected'. I said to Umar, 'How can you do something which the Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him) did not do?' Umar said, 'By Allah, this is a good thing'. 'Umar kept on urging me to accept his proposal till Allah opened my chest for it and I began to realise the good in the idea which Umar had realised'. Then Abu Bakr said (to me) 'You are a wise young man and we do not have any suspicion about you, and we used to write the Divine Inspiration for the Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him). So you should search for (the fragmentary scripts of) the Qur'an and collect it'. By Allah if they had ordered me to shift one of the mountains, it would not have been heavier for me than this ordering me to collect the Qur'an. Then I said to Abu Bakr, 'How will you do something which the Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him) did not do?' Abu Bakr replied, 'By Allah, it is a good thing'. Abu Bakr kept on urging me to accept his idea until Allah opened my chest for what he had opened the chests of Abu Bakr and Umar. So I started looking for the Qur'an and collecting it from (what was written on) palm stalks, thin white stones and also from the men who knew it by heart, till I found the last verse of Surah Tawbah with Abi Khuzaima al-Ansari, and I did not find it with anybody other than him. The verse is: 'Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger of Allah from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should recieve any injury or difficulty...(till the end of Surah Bara'a)'. Then the complete manuscripts (copy) of the Qur'an remained with Abu Bakr till he died, then with Umar till the end of his life, and then with Hafsa, the daughter of Umar." [Sahih Bukhari, Fada'il al-Quran, Hadith number 509]

"Anas bin Malik narrates: The Caliph Uthman ordered Zaid bin Thabit, Sai'd bin al-As, Abdullah bin Zubair and Abdur-Rahman bin al-Harith bin Hisham to write the Qur'an in the form of a book and said to them: 'In case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit regarding any dialectic Arabic utterance of the Qur'an, then write it in the dialect of Quraish, for the Qur'an was revealed in this dialect'. So they did." (since there were seven different dialects of reciting Qur'an and Caliph Uthman united people on one dialect which was not done before) [Sahih Bukhari, Fada'il al-Quran, Hadith number 507]

Imam Shafi' writes: "There are two kinds of introduced matters. One is that which contradicts the Qur'an, or the Sunnah, or a report from the early Muslims, or the consensus of the early Muslims: this is an innovation of misguidance. The second kind is that which is in itself good and entails no contradiction of any of these authorities: this is a 'non-reprehensible innovation' [Ibn Asakir, Tabyin Khadib al-Muftari]

Imam Nawawi writes that there are certain types of bid'ah. Two of them are bid'ah sayyia and bid'ah hasana. Bid'ah sayyia is a bid'ah that opposes the Qur'an and Sunnah, whereas bid'ah hasanah is a bid'ah that is not against the Qur'an and Sunnah. For example: to invent the usul (principles) of hadith, usul of fiqh, usul of tafsir etc. [an-Nawawi, Tahzib al-Asma wa'l-Lughat, word 'bid'ah']

Imam Shawkani writes: "In Islam there are two kinds of Bid'ah: Bid'ah sayyia and Bid'ah hasana. If a new thing opposes the Qur'an and Sunnah then it is sayyia, but if it is not against the Shari'ah then it is hasana." [Nayl al-Awtar, chapter on Salat at-Tarawih]

Imam al-Asqalani says that if a new thing is against Islam, it will be bad. If it is not against Islam, it will be hasana (good). [Fath al-Bari, chapter on 'Tarawih']

Understanding Ibn Taymiyyah's point of view

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah divides bid'ah into two different categories: bid'ah lugwiyya (linguistic) and bid'ah shari'ah (legal). This division is itself a bid'ah. According to Imam Ibn Taymiyya if a new thing has origins in the Qur'an and Sunnah it is bid'ah lugwiyya, however to create something which has no roots in the Qur'an and Sunnah is bid'ah shari'ah. [Iqtida as-Sirat al-Mustaqim, chapter on Bid'ah]. Therefore, even he does not categorically declare that all bid'ah are misguidance but concludes that bid'ah are of two types. For example during the caliphate of Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) people began to refuse paying zakah, other people falsely declared themselves as prophets. This is what has no basis in the Qur'an and Sunnah and is condemned. Whereas thing such as celebrating the birth of the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) has origins in the Shari'ah, and even Imam Ibn Taymiyyah endorses this.

Some examples of bid'ah hasana (permissible)

The books of hadith such as Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim which are regarded as the two main books after the Holy Qur'an, who gave them this status? Imam Bukhari compiled his Sahih some two hundred years after the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him), much after the first three generations of the early Muslims.

The development of Islamic Law (fiqh) to introduce new laws to suit new situations. The din requires us to do this. The process is called 'Ijtihad' which involves deriving new legal rules so that shari'ah can accomodate worldly matters. Some people argue that innovation in matters of dunya (secular) is permissible but innovation in matters of din (religion) are not - but how do you differenciate when matters of din and dunya overlap such as when applying rules of shari'ah to the society? Secondly, din means the whole way of life not merely matters of religion.

The building of minarets of Mosques was a practice that was introduced in later centuries.

The use of prayer beads was a practice that was introduced in later centuries.

Understanding the evidences in The Objection

Imam Ali al-Qari, one of history's great Imam's of Fiqh, states that when the hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud reads "every bid'ah is misguidance" it necessarily has to mean that 'every impermissible [sayyia] innovation'. [Mirqat-ul-Mafatih, vol. 1, pg. 216]

History witnesses that there was a rampant emergence of bid'ah sayyia during the time of the Rightly Guided Khalifah's such as those who falsely claimed to be prophets, those who refused to pay zakah, those who did not believe in Divine destiny, and the emergence of new sects. This is why the Prophet warned the people to stick on the path of the rightly guided Khalifah's and abstain from all of these kinds of innovations that would emerge soon after him (peace & blessings be upon him).

Regarding the verse of Surah Ma'idah which says "Today I have perfected your din for you, completed My Blessing upon you, and have chosen for you Islam (as) din," Imam Ibn Kathir writes that the meaning of this verse is that "...they do not need any other religion or any other Prophet except Muhammad (peace & blessings be upon him)...Therefore, the permissible is what he allows, the impermissible is what he prohibits" [Tafsir ibn Kathir, under Qur'an 5:3] What Ibn Kathir means here is the same, that do not invent new things which are contradictory to the Qur'an and Sunnah, by making haram into halal and vice versa, and follow the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) for he has made things clear.

Extreme Love, Respect & Praise of the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him)

The Objection: [It is claimed] that it is wrong to excessively praise the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him). That the ways and means of expressing ones extreme love and praise of the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) leads to shirk (idolatory) as it means placing too much emphasis on his person. And so the attitude of excessively praising the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) should be curtailed. [This done under the pretext] That extreme love and praise for the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) is 'over the top' and leads to shirk.

Answer: Praise is a natural expression of love. The lover praises the beloved. The two are identifiably linked. Expressions of love can vary, however, it is the sincerity which is pertinent. The one who aims to stop high praises reflects his own lack of sincerity towards the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him). To entertain The Objection it begs to be asked: Do the sources of Islamic Law command Muslims to have extreme love towards the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him)? Does Islam justify high praises and expressions of love for the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him)? How true are the allegations of The Objection? What has been the practice of the pious predecessors? The true Islamic perspective will be sought through Quran, Hadith, and sayings of religious authorities:

Allah destroys the allegation of shirk

"Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah" [Quran 4:80]

"O Believers! Put faith in Allah and His Messenger" [Quran 4:136]

"(O Beloved) Say: 'If you love Allah, follow me. Allah will then take you as (His) beloved" [Quran 3: 31]

"(O Beloved!) Indeed those who pledge allegiance to you in fact pledge allegiance to Allah alone. Allah's hand is over their hands (in the form of your hand)." [Quran 48:10]

Regarding this last verse (48:10) Imam Ibn Kathir writes: "The pledge mentioned here is the pledge of Ar-Ridwan which was pledged under a tree, a Samurah, in the area of al-Hudaybiyyah. The number of the companions who gave their pledge to Allah's Messenger (peace & blessings be upon him) [emphasis added] at the time was either 1,300, 1,400, or 1,500" [Tafsir Ibn Kathir]

Imam Ibn Taymiyya writes: "Allah in His commands and prohibitions and in the details expressing them has conferred on the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) His own status. Therefore, it is not permissible to discriminate between Allah and His Messenger about any one of these commands." [Al-Sarim al-Maslul, 41]

Allah teaches Muslims special adab (ettiquette) towards the Prophet

"O Believers! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet and (also) do not speak to him so loud as you are loud when you speak to one another (lest) all your actions should come to nothing, and you are not even aware (that your faith and all pious works have been wrecked)". [Quran 49:2]

"(O Muslims!) Do not regard the calling of the Prophet among you like your calling of one another". [Quran 24:63]

"O Believers! Do not step ahead of Allah and His Messenger (in any matter) and keep fearing Allah". [Quran 49:1]

Every act is based on intention

"Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be well pleased with him) states: 'I heard the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) saying, indeed actions are (rewarded) according to intentions and everyone will be rewarded according to what he intended. So whoever migrated to attain the world (i.e. worldly benefits) or for a woman in order to marry her, then his migration is to that for which he migrated". [Sahih Bukhari vol. 1 pg. 3 # 1]

This hadith proves that the intention and sincerity of all actions is pertinent and this applies to expressions of love, respect & praise too. Therefore, the one who intended to worship the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) commits shirk but note that this is never the case! So the allegation of shirk is futile in this respect; the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) is loved, respected and praised as the Esteemed Messenger and not God himself! It should be noted however that the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) is never prostrated to, irrespective of the intention as it is contrary to shariah, and is thus a disobedience to the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him).

The importance of extreme love of the Prophet

"(O Esteemed Messenger!) Say: 'If your fathers (and forefathers) and your sons (and daughters) and your brothers (and sisters) and your wives and your (other) relatives and the riches that you have earned (so hard) and the trade that you fear may decline and the dwelling that you desire are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and struggles in His cause, then wait until Allah brings His command (of torment). And Allah does not guide the disobedient". [Quran 9:24]

"The (Esteemed) Prophet is closer to and has a greater claim on the believers than their own souls". [Quran 33:2]

Narrated Anas: A man asked the Prophet about the Hour (i.e. Day of Judgment) saying, "When will the Hour be?" The Prophet said, "What have you prepared for it?" The man said, "Nothing, except that I love Allah and His Apostle." The Prophet said, "You will be with those whom you love." We had never been so glad as we were on hearing that saying of the Prophet (i.e., "You will be with those whom you love.") Therefore, I love the Prophet, Abu Bakr and 'Umar, and I hope that I will be with them because of my love for them though my deeds are not similar to theirs. (Sahih Bukhari 5:37)

Narrated Umar bin Al Khattab:During the lifetime of the Prophet there was a man called 'Abdullah whose nickname was Donkey, and he used to make Allah's Apostle laugh. The Prophet lashed him because of drinking (alcohol). And one day he was brought to the Prophet on the same charge and was lashed. On that, a man among the people said, "O Allah, curse him! How frequently he has been brought (to the Prophet on such a charge)!" The Prophet said, "Do not curse him, for by Allah, I know for he loves Allah and His Apostle." (Sahih Bukhari 8:771)

"According to Anas (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) said: 'None of you truly believes, until I am more beloved to him than his parents, his children and the whole of mankind". [Sahih Bukhari vol. 1, pg. 14 # 15; Sahih Muslim vol.1, pg. 67 # 44; a similar narration also in: Musnad Ahmed vol. 5, pg. 162 # 21480; al-Bayhaqi in Shu'abu'l-Iman, vol. 2, pg. 129 # 1375; and others]

"From Abdullah ibn Hisham (may Allah be well pleased with him) who said: 'We were together with the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him), and he was holding Umar ibn al-Khattab by the hand. Umar said to him: O Messenger of Allah! You are surely dearer to me than everything except myself.' The Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) said: 'No, by the One in whose hand is my soul, (you cannot be a true believer) until I am more beloved to you than yourself!' Umar then said to him: 'Now, by Allah, you are surely dearer to me than my own self!' The Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) said: 'Now, O Umar! (You are a perfect believer)." [Sahih Bukhari vol. 6, pg. 2445 # 6257]

The Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) used to make the following supplication: "Oh Allah! I ask of your love and the love of the one who loves You, and the love of every act, which will bring me nearer to Your love". [Sunan Tirmidhi vol. 5, pg. 369 # 3235; Musnad Ahmed vol. 5, pg. 243; Imam Tabarani in al-Mu'jamu'l-Kabir vol. 20, pg. 109, # 216]

Loving those connected to the Prophet is loving the Prophet himself; love of the Prophet is love of Allah

The Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) said: "A sign of faith is love for the ansar (Medinian Helpers) and a sign of hypocrisy is hatred for the ansar". [Sahih Bukhari vol. 1, pg. 15 # 17; Sahih Muslim vol. 1, pg. 85 # 74]

The Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) said about his two grandsons: "Whoever loves Hasan and Husayn has indeed loved me, and whoever hates them has indeed hated me". [Sunan Ibn Maja vol. 1, pg. 51 # 143; Imam Nasai in as-Sunnan al-Kubra vol. 5, pg. 49 # 8169; Musnad Ahmed vol. 2, pg. 288 # 7863]

"Zirr reported: 'Ali observed: By Him Who split up the seed and created something living, the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) gave me a promise that no one but a believer would love me, and none but a hypocrite would nurse a grudge against me" [Sahih Muslim vol. 1, chapter on Loving the Ansar & Ali..]

The Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) used to make the supplication: "O Allah, I love them (Hasan and Husayn), You also love them and love those who love them". [Sunan Tirmidhi vol. 5, pg. 657 # 3772; Musnad Abu Ya'la vol. 5, pg. 274 # 4249]

The state of the Companions

"The Prophet did not come out for three days. The people stood for prayer and Abu Bakr went ahead to lead the prayer. (In the meantime) the Prophet caught hold of the curtain and lifted it. When the curtain lifted and his beautiful and bright face appeared, it was such an attractive and delightful scene that it had never been witnessed before" [Sahih Bukhari 1:94 # 649]

Regarding the same tradition Imam Muslim transmits the words of the companions: "Overwhelmed by the joy of his sight, we were completely dazed, that is, we were distracted from prayer" [Sahih Muslim 1:179]

"Urwah bin Mas'ud fixed his gaze at the companions of the Prophet. The narrator has reported that he kept looking at them. Whenever he (the Prophet) spat, the phlegm (mucus filled saliva) from his mouth somehow slithered into the hands of some companions which he rubbed on to his face or body. Whenever he asked them to do something, they acted it out instantly. When he performed ablution (wudu) the people scrambled to obtain the water used by him and tried to excel in wrestling the initiative from each other. Each one of them wanted to get the water for himself. When people talked with one another in his presence, they lowered their voices and avoided long eye-contact with him out of sheer respect for him. Then Urwah returned to his companions and said to them: 'O my nation! I swear on God! I have led delegations to the courts of kings I have attended the courts of Ceasar and Kaiser but I swear by God I have not come across a single king whose companions have such respect for him as the companions have for Muhammad, the saliva from his mouth falls on to the palm of some companions which he rubs on to his face and body. When he asks them to do something they act it out instantly. When he performs ablution, it seems that people are ready to die to obtain his used water. They lower their voices in his presence and avoid long eye-contact with him out of sheer respect for him." [Sahih Bukhari, ch. 15 (2:976#2581)]

"Anas reports: 'I saw with my own eyes that when the barber cut his hair, the companions used to surround him completely and did not let a single hair fall down except on their hands" [Sahih Bukhari ch. 32 (1:75#169); Sahih Muslim ch. 19, (4:1812#75)]

Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) read a poem to the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) to which the he (peace & blessings be upon him) replied: 'May Allah bless your mouth'. A small part of the poem was: 'When you were born, the earth and the edge of the sky, all shone as they never did from your light. We are still travelling under the same guidance of that light'. [Ibn al-Qayyim in Zad-ul-Ma'ad vol. 3, pg 10; Tarikh Ibn Kathir end of chapter of Ghazwa Tabuk; Imam Asqalani in al-Asaba; Ashraf Ali Thanwi in Nashrut Teeb]

The state of classical authorities

Masab bin Abdullah says: Whenever the Prophet was mentioned in the presence of Imam Malik, his colour changed, his entire body turned into a posture of respect and courtesy which deeply disturbed his friends. One day someone asked him about his peculiar state. He replied: 'If you see what I see, you will go through the same emotional experience'. [Ash Shifa, 2:597]

Ali Qari states: 'You will also pass through the same experience if you knew the worth of his (the Prophet's) status and the beauty of his distinction'. [Nasim-ur-Riyadh, 3:399]

Ibn Kathir writes: 'Hasan bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) is that star from which even the moon of the fourteenth night obtains its light'. [Tarikh Ibn Kathir, chapter on Wilada]

Concerning the death of the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him)

The Objection: [It is claimed that] The Prophet Muhammad (peace & blessings be upon him) is dead like the common bodies which are lying dead in their graves having no concern with the affairs of the world. That he is not alive in his grave. He is, therefore, unaware of the state of his ummah and the world in general. [The objection follows on as:] It is wrong to thus seek anything from the dead [through intermediation], nor is there anything special about visiting Madinah [that many Muslims yearn for] since the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) is not alive and is unaware of our presence when we visit his grave.

Answer: This idea stems from an athiestic, secularist and western orientalist approach to Islam which some Muslims have assimilated and marketed as "pure Islam". This concept had never existed for over a thousand years of Islamic history until recent centuries. This allegation has, however, been rejected by the majority of Muslims across the globe and they refuse to accept this creed. Quite frankly since it is a deviation from the original Islamic belief. The actual belief concerning this matter is that the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) did die but this does not mean that he is not alive in his grave; fully informed. The true Islamic belief will be proven through Quran, Hadith, and sayings of religious authorities:

"And do not (ever) think that those who are slain in the way of Allah are dead. They are rather alive in the Presence of their Lord. They are served with sustenance (comprising bounties of Paradise)." [Quran 3:169]

Imam Shawkani writes: "In the Quran it is mentioned that martyrs are alive and food is provided for them. The Prophets and righteous people are a lot higher in status than them so what will be their place? It has been proven through hadith that Prophets are alive in their graves. Both Imam Tirmidhi and Imam Bayhaqi have said that these are authentic hadith." [Nayl al-Awtar, vol. 3, pg. 82]

"The Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) said: 'My life is good for you because you hear traditions from people and relate them to others and my death is also good for you because your deeds will be presented to me. If I see virtues (good) prevail, I will be grateful to Allah, and if I see the vices (evil) prevail, I will pray for your forgiveness from Allah". [Imam Haythami; Imam Bazzar; Imam Iraqi; Imam Ibn Sa'd; Qadi Iyad; Imam Sayuti; Mulla Ali Qari; Imam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawzi - all who reported this hadith as Sahih].

"Shaddad bin Aws (upon him be peace) reported that the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) said: 'The most excellent day is the day of Friday. Adam was created on that (day) and on it the Trumpet will be blown and on it will (the people) lose their senses. So invoke blessings on me abundantly on that (day) for your blessings are presented to me'. Upon this, a man asked: 'Allah's Messenger, how are our blessings presented to you while you will decay?' The Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) replied: 'Certainly Allah has made it unlawful for the earth to eat the bodies of the Prophets." [Ibn Majah, ch. 79 (1: 345 # 1085) & ch. 65 (1: 524 # 1636); Abu Dawud, Book of Salah 1: 275 (# 1047)].

"Abu Darda' (upon him be peace) narrates that the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) stated: 'Invoke blessings on me abundantly on the day of Friday. Verily it is attended and the angels attend it, and none invokes blessings on me but his supplication is presented to me till he finishes it'. I asked: '(Is it also compulsory for us) even after your demise?'. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: 'And even after my demise because Allah has forbidden the earth to eat up the bodies of the Prophets. Therefore, a Prophet of Allah is alive (and) is granted provisions (from heaven)." [Ibn Majah, ch. 65 (1: 524 # 1637)]

"The Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) stated: 'Invoke blessings on me, since blessings invoked by you are conveyed to me wherever you may be". [Abu Dawud, Book of Manasik (2: 218 # 2042); Majma-uz-Zawa'id, 2: 247]

The Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) was telling his companions about the return of Prophet Isa (upon him be peace) when he stated: "And when he (Isa) will stand beside my grave calling: 'O Muhammad!' I will respond to him". [Ibn Hajar Asqalani in al-Matalib-ul-aliyah (4: 23 # 3853)].

"The Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) stated: 'There is no Muslim who invokes blessings upon me (salutes me) but Allah returns to me my soul till I respond to him in return". [Abu Dawud, Book of Manasik (2: 218 # 2041); Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hambal, 2: 527]

"Abu Hurayrah (upon him be peace) reported that the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) said: There is no Muslim in the east or the west who salutes me but I and the angels of my Lord answer him". [Abu Nu'aym in Hilyat-ul-Awliya, 6: 349].

"The Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) said: 'I listen to the blessings of my lovers and know them'. [Muhammad Mahdi (not The Imam Mahdi who will emerge at the end of times) in Matali-ul-Masarrat, pg 81]

"Sa'id Ibn al-Mussayib says, 'In the days of Harrah (when Yazeed attacked Madinah) I was alone in Masjid al-Nabawi for three days when there was no adhan or iqamah. I heard the adhan from the grave of our Prophet, and that is how I knew the time of salah." [Musnad Darimi, chapter on Fadhail Sayyid al-Mursalin]

Imam Ibn Taymiyya writes: "A group of people heard the answer of their salaam. And in the days of Harrah, Sa'id Ibn al-Mussayib heard the voice of our Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) saying the adhan from the grave. And there are more events like these and they are all true." [Iqtidah Sirat al-Mustaqim, pg. 373]

Mawlana Qasim Nanotwi (one of the founders of the Madrassa of Deoband) says: "Reverence is offered to the Prophet's bodies because they are alive. Soulless bodies do not have any power over the earth". [Ab-i-Hayat, pg. 32]

Imam Ibn Taymiyya writes: "In the time of a drought, a person came to our Prophet's grave and complained about the drought. He then saw our Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) who told him to go to Umar and tell him to perform Salah of Istisqah. There are numerous true narrations similar to this". [Iqtida Sirat al Mustaqim, pg. 373; Imam Bukhari also discussed the same in Ta'rikh al Kabir]

Imam Ibn Kathir writes: "When an Arab came to our Prophet's grave and said 'I repent from my sins through you and ask for forgiveness; I would give my life for you'. Afterwards our Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) appeared in the dream of Utba' (upon him be peace) and informed him to go to the Arab and convey the message that there is good news for him that Allah had forgiven his sins". [Tafsir Ibn Kathir, under Surah Nisa, v. 64; Imam Qurtabi mentions the same event in Tafsir al-Qurtabi]

Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani therefore quotes: "Imam Bukhari finalised the chapters of his compendium between the grave of the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) and his pulpit." [Muqaddima Fath-ul-Bari, pg. 13]

40 points on the Significance of Transmission of Sacred Knowledge

In today's day and age many people conceive that they are authorised to speak for Islam. The printing press, television and internet have disturbed the natural order of seeking knowledge which was not merely from books and speeches but rather by sitting day-in-day-out, years on end, at the feet of the learned authorities who were themselves well trained intellectually and spiritually by their predecessors. This process continued from the time of the pious salaf who were adament on ensuring that the true Islamic teachings were correctly transmitted to the coming generations. The chain of transmission was by them introduced to carefully scrutinise who is transmitting the truth and who falsehood. Each and every aspect of the people in the chain were carefully scrutinised to identify the authenticity of that knowledge conveyed; to identify who is an authority in relating din. A scholar, henceforth, was not recognised merely by the information he had but rather the chain from where he is connected and from where he recieved his intellectual and spiritual training therein. When the teacher qualified the student - he was now ready to be a torch-bearer of knowledge; a true inheritor of Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him). The significance of Isnad (chain of authority and transmission of knowledge) is fundamental to understanding who is an authority to speak about Islam. Below are 40 points from the sources of Islamic Law which demonstrate it's shari' basis:

Al-Hakim reports through Thabit ibn Qays, that the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) said to his Companions: “You (the Sahaba) are listening and receiving from me and people (at-Tabi‘un i.e. the Successors) will listen and receive from you. Then people (the atba‘ at-tabi‘in) will listen and receive from those (the Successors) who listened and received from you. Then people (the fourth generation) will listen and receive from those (the atba‘ at-tabi‘in) who were the audience and recipient of the Successors, who had listened and received from you.” [Related by al-Hakim in Ma‘rifa ‘Ulum al-Hadith, p. 60.]

According to ‘Abdu’llah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “May Allah brighten a man who listened from us something and then passed it on to others exactly as he heard it because many a person to whom something is transmitted retains better than the person who first heard it.” [Related by at-Tirmidhi in as-Sunan, vol. 5, p. 34 # 2657; and Ibn Maja in as-Sunan, vol. 1, p. 85 # 232.]

According to ‘Abdu’llah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be well pleased with him), Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “May Allah keep him enjoying and rejoicing who heard something from me, remembered it and kept it well in his mind and then narrated it (to others).” [Reported by al-Imam ash-Shafi‘i in al-Musnad (p. 240) and ar-Risala (p. 401 # 1102); and at-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir, vol. 2, p. 126 # 1541.]

According to Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be well pleased with him), he heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) say: “May Allah grant him happiness who heard a tradition from me, learnt it by heart and conveyed it to others. There will be many jurists who will narrate the tradition to better jurists than themselves and there will be several others who will not be in truth jurists at all.” [Related by Abu Dawud in as-Sunan, vol. 3, p. 322 # 3660; and Ibn Maja in as-Sunan, vol. 1, p. 86 # 236.]

According to ‘Abdu’llah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Transmit from me may it be only a verse. And there is no harm in narrating events from the Children of Israel. And he who deliberately fabricates a lie on me builds his abode in the Fire.” [Related by al-Bukhari in as-Sahih, vol. 3, p. 1275 # 3274; Ibn Hibban as-Sahih, vol. 14, p. 149 # 6256; and Ahmad ibn Hanbal in al-Musnad, vol. 2, pp. 159, 202, 214.]

According to Abu Qarsafa (may Allah be well pleased with him), Allah’s Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) said: “Whatever you hear from me, narrate it to others and never say anything but truth. And whoever will fabricate a lie on me for him a house will be built in Hell.” [Reported by at-Tabarani in Turuq Hadith man Kadhaba ‘Alayya, p. 146 # 155; and in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir, vol. 3, p. 18 # 2516.]

According to ‘Abdu’llah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be well pleased with him and his father), the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Obtain knowledge and facilitate and do not complicate. And if anyone of you feels infuriated he should keep silent.” [Related by Ahmad ibn Hanbal in al-Musnad, vol. 1, p. 239; and al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad, p. 95 # 245.]

According to Abu Hurayra (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Learn the Qur’an and (the knowledge of) the shares of inheritance and teach them to the people because I am going to depart (physically).” [Related by at-Tirmidhi in as-Sunan, vol. 4, p. 413 # 2091; and an-Nasa’i in as-Sunan, vol. 4, p. 63 # 6306.]

‘Amr ibn ‘Awf al-Muzani (may Allah be well pleased with him) narrated: “The Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to Bilal ibn al-Harith (may Allah be well pleased with him): “Know.” He submitted: “O Messenger of Allah! What should I know?” He said: “Know, O Bilal.” He submitted: “O Messenger of Allah! What should I know?” He said: “He who revives of my Sunna that which ceased after me will get his rightful due as much of recompense as will be due for its practitioner without any decrease in his recompense. And he who initiates a misleading innovation disgusted by Allah and His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) will incur the same sin which will be on its perpetrator without any mitigation.” [Related by at-Tirmidhi in as-Sunan, vol. 5, p. 45 # 2677.]

According to Abu Hurayra (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “He who sticks to my Sunna at the time of mischief and strife will get reward of a martyr.” [Related by Abu Nu‘aym in Hilya al-Awliya‘, vol. 8, p. 200; and Haythami in Majma‘ az-Zawa’id, vol. 1, p. 172.]

According to ‘Abdu’llah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be well pleased with him and his father), the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “He who upholds my Sunna at the time of strife will be granted reward of one hundred martyrs.” [Set forth by al-Imam al-Bayhaqi in Kitab az-Zuhd al-Kabir, vol. 2, p. 118 # 207.]

According to Abu Hurayra (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “The holders of justice from among the successors will learn the knowledge of hadith. They will put an end to the extravagance of the extravagant, the fabrication of the heretic and false interpretations of the ignorant.” [Set forth by at-Tabarani in Musnad ash-Shamiyyin, vol. 1, p. 344 # 599; al-Bayhaqi in as-Sunan al-Kubra, vol. 10, p. 209 # 20700; and ad-Daylami in al-Firdaws, vol. 5, p. 537 # 9012.]

Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi reports in al-Kifaya (p. 121) through ‘Abdu’llah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be well pleased with him and his father) that the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) said: “O Ibn ‘Umar! Your din is your faith. Indeed it is but your flesh and blood (it is your life). Therefore, you should be very careful about whom you are receiving it from. Receive it from the pious and the steadfast and do not take it from those who are leaning astray.”

Our master ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be well pleased with him) used to say: “Soon there will come people who will discuss and debate with you on the Qur’anic verses which are figurative (i.e. they contain abstract and allusive meaning). So deal with them by means of sunan because the people of sunan know the Book of Allah more (than others).” [Related by ad-Darimi in as-Sunan, vol. 1, p. 62 # 119.]

Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi reports from our master ‘Ali ibn ‘Abi Talib (may Allah be well pleased with him) in al-Kifaya (p. 121) who said in the mosque of Kufa: “Inquire about the people from whom you are receiving this knowledge (of Qur’an and Sunna). Indeed this is your din.”

Al-Imam Muslim in the preface (al-Muqaddimma) of his as-Sahih (vol. 1, p. 8) has entitled a chapter: “Narration from a reliable authority and leaving liars aside is mandatory in ash-shari‘a and science of hadith in order to eliminate any doubt of perjury in narrating knowledge from the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him).” Following this, al-Imam Muslim entitled another chapter in the preface (al-Muqaddimma) of his as-Sahih (vol. 1, p. 14): “Declaration of the fact that the chain of authority is part of the din and there should be no narration except from a reliable chain of authority.”

Al-Imam Muslim also reports from al-Imam Muhammad ibn Sirin (through his own chain), who states: “The science of chain of authority and narration of hadith is din itself. You should check whom you are receiving your din from.” [Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, p. 14.] This saying of al-Imam Muhammad ibn Sirin was narrated by Ibn Abi Shayba with some different words: “The science of chain of authority and narration of hadith is din itself. You should check whom you are receiving it from.” [Related by Ibn Abi Shayba in al-Musannaf, vol. 5, p. 334 # 26636] Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi reports these words from the Successor ad-Dahhak ibn Mazahim in al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya (p. 121).

Al-Imam Ibn Sirin again states as reported by al-Imam Muslim: “Before the fitna (civil war and political segmentation which emerged as the reason of fabrication of hadith), they never felt any necessity to ask about the chain (because all authorities before the period of fitna were undoubtedly honest, truthful, trustworthy and reliable). After this fitna had occurred they started asking the narrator to mention their chain of authority before them; and if the knowledge of din was narrated from an authority belonging to Ahl as-Sunna they used to accept his transmission; and if he belonged to Ahl al-Bid‘a they rejected it.” [Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, p. 15; and Tirmidhi in al-‘Ilal, p. 739.]

Al-Imam Ibn Sirin again states as reported by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi: “In the early days, people never felt any necessity to ask about the chain (because all authorities before the period of fitna were undoubtedly honest, truthful, trustworthy and reliable). But when this fitna had occurred they started asking the narrator to mention their chain of authority before them so that they could accept the hadith transmitted by an authority belonging to Ahl as-Sunna and could reject the hadith transmitted by Ahl al-Bid‘a.” [Related by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 122.]

Al-Imam Ibn Sirin states:“(In the early days,) people never felt any necessity to ask about the chain (because all authorities before the period of fitna were undoubtedly honest, truthful, trustworthy and reliable). But in later times people started asking the narrator to mention their chain of authority before them so that they might check. If the narrator belonged to the people of Sunna, they wrote down the hadith, and if he did not belong to people of Sunna, they did not write down the hadith from him.” [Related by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 122.]

Sa‘d ibn Ibrahim narrated: “Nobody should narrate the knowledge of Allah’s Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) except the reliable authorities.” [Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, p. 15.]

Furthermore, al-Imam Muslim quotes from amir al-mu’minin fi’l-hadith ‘Abdu’llah ibn al-Mubarak, who states: “Al-Isnad (the chain of authority) is a necessary part of din. If there was no chain of authority then everyone would have said whatever he wanted to say.” [Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, p. 15.]

Al-Imam Muslim elaborated further from al-Imam ‘Abdu’llah ibn al-Mubarak, who says: “Between us and between the people who receive from us there are pillars of reliance and these are the chains of authority.” [Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, pp. 15, 16.]

Al-Imam Sufyan ath-Thawri is reported by Ibn Hibban and al-Khatib al-Baghdadi as saying: “The isnad is the weapon of a Muslim (who is the receiver of the knowledge). If he is not equipped with the arms, how is he going to fight (and defend himself)?” [Ibn Hibban, al-Majruhin, vol. 1, p. 27; al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Sharaf Ashab al-Hadith, p. 42.]

Al-Imam Abu Hanifa says as related by Yahya ibn Ma‘in and reported by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya (p. 231): “Knowledge should be received only from a transmitter who learns the text by heart and has a deep and perfect understanding of the meanings of what he is transmitting.”

Al-Imam Abu Hanifa further says, as related by ‘Abdu’llah ibn al-Mubarak and reported by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi: “When someone reads the text in front of a muhaddith or an authority (to get it verified), then he is allowed to transmit from him to others.” [al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 303.]

Al-Imam Malik is reported by al-Khatib in al-Kifaya as saying: “Be Godfearing and scrutinize the credibility of the person whom you are receiving this knowledge from.” [al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 124.]

Al-Imam ash-Shafi‘i is reported by al-Bayhaqi as saying: “The one who accepts the knowledge from somebody without the sanad (chain of authority) is like a person carrying a bundle of wood with a snake in it and he does not know. It may bite him (anytime).” [al-Bayhaqi, al-Madkhal ila as-Sunan al-Kubra, p. 211.] Al-Imam ash-Shafi‘i is quoted by as-Sakhawi as saying: “He who seeks to collect hadith without chains of transmission is like the one who collects wood at night.” [Related by as-Sakhawi in Fatha’l-Mughith, vol. 3, p. 4.]

Al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal is reported by as-Sakhawi in Fatha’l-Mughith (vol. 2, p. 69) as saying: “If the ijazah (license of transmission through a chain of authority) was neglected and denied, then the reliable knowledge would be destroyed.”

Al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal also said: “Asking for the higher chain of authority (al-isnad al-‘ali) is the sunna of the righteous predecessors.” [Ibn as-Salah, ‘Ulum al-Hadith, p. 150; al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Jam‘ li-Akhlaq ar-Rawi wa Adab as-Sam‘, vol. 1, p. 123.]

Ibn ‘Uyayna said: “A hadith without any chain of transmission is nothing. Certainly the chains of transmission are a ladder of the texts by which one reaches the texts.” [Related by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 393.]

Ibn ‘Awn is reported by al-Khatib in al-Kifaya as saying: “I said to ash-Sha‘bi: ‘Shall I not narrate a tradition to you?’ Ash-Sha‘bi replied: ‘Do you narrate the tradition from the alive or the dead?’ I said: ‘From the alive.’ (To this) he said: ‘Do not narrate to me the traditions from the alive.’” [al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 139.]

Ibn ‘Abd al-Hakam is reported by al-Khatib in al-Kifaya as saying: “One day I mentioned a hadith in the presence of al-Imam ash-Shafi‘i in my childhood. So he said: ‘Who has narrated it to you?’ I replied: ‘You.’ He asked: ‘Whatever tradition I narrated to you it is as I narrated to you, but beware of narrating traditions from the alive.’”[al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 140.]

Ibn as-Salah has reported in ‘Ulum al-Hadith (p. 150) from al-Imam Yahya ibn Ma‘in. When he was asked about his wish, he replied: “(My wish contains two things:) seclusion in my house (for uninterrupted remembrance of Allah) and isnad of high ranking authorities (to receive the righteous knowledge through the shortest chain).”

Hammad ibn Zayd is reported by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya as saying: “We visited Anas ibn Sirin in his disease. So he said, ‘Be Godfearing, O group of the youths, and scrutinize the credibility of the person whom you are receiving these ahadith from, because this is your din.’” [Related by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 122.]

Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Aslam at-Tusi said: “A short chain of transmission is in fact being close to Allah.”[Related by Ibn as-Salah in ‘Ulum al-Hadith, p. 151; and al-Khatib al-Jami‘ li-Akhlaq ar-Rawi wa Adab as-Sam‘, vol. 1, p. 123.]

Al-Imam Ibn Hibban says in Kitab al-Majruhin (vol. 1, p. 89): “I hope that out of this Umma they (the travellers and the seekers of the knowledge of as-Sunna, al-hadith, al-athar and al-akhbar who put their efforts to differentiate between the sahih and the mawdu‘ through the verification of the isnad) will enjoy the extreme proximity of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) in Paradise. (This is so, because they spent their lives in a very highly esteemed service to the Holy Prophet [blessings and peace be upon him]).”

‘Imam Ibn Taymiyya states in Minhaj as-Sunna an-Nabawiyya (vol. 7, p. 37): “The isnad is one of the exclusive virtuous characteristics and Allah’s great blessings on this Umma. It is also a great peculiarity of the din of Islam and it is a salient identity of Ahl as-Sunna. Ar-Rafida did not pay great attention to isnad, because they confirmed only such as accorded to their desires and the sign of a false isnad (in their eyes) was opposing their desires.” So, Allah created for us trusty reporters for chains of transmission and promulgation of din because both chains of transmission and promulgation are of the characteristics of Umma. None of the preceding communities of the former Prophets has passed who was granted such a high status of learning that the Prophet and his scholars would preach din by means of unbroken and uninterrupted chains of transmission between them. Allah Most High bestowed this superiority on the Umma of the Final Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) which is the best of the communities and honoured the scholars of this Umma from the Companions down to the hadith-narrators with the proprieties of hadith. And in this Revelation: “Or some remnant of knowledge (of the bygone people in transit down the line) [al-Qur’an, al-Ahqaf, 46:4.],” there is a pointer to the chains of transmission of hadith and its narration. This pronouncement in the glory of chains of transmission is due to the narration of din and the eminent authorities from the Successors have described it as we have mentioned before in detail.

The significance of the chain of transmitters and authorities can be further illustrated through the statement of al-Imam Ibn Maja (one of the six great Imams of as-sihah as-sitta). He has reported a hadith on the reality of Iman in the preface of his as-Sunan (the same has been reported by al-Imam at-Tabarani and al-Imam al-Bayhaqi), whereby he narrates from ‘Abd as-Salam ibn Abi as-Salih Abi as-Salt al-Harawi from Sayyiduna ‘Ali ibn Musa ar-Rida, from Sayyiduna Musa ibn Ja‘far al-Kazim, from Sayyiduna Ja‘far ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq, from Sayyiduna Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Baqir, from Sayyiduna ‘Ali ibn Husayn from Sayyiduna Husayn ibn ‘Ali, from Sayyiduna ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, from Allah’s Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him). At the end of the text of hadith he quotes: “If this isnad (chain of transmitters and authorities) is read upon a person who is insane (majnun) he will certainly be cured.” [Reported by Ibn Maja in as-Sunan, vol. 1, p. 25 # 65; at-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat, vol. 6, p. 226 # 6254 & vol. 8, p. 262 # 8580; and al-Bayhaqi in Shu‘ab al-Iman, vol. 1, p. 47 # 16.] Here lies the blessings (al-barakah) of the names of the blessed persons who belong to Ahl al-Bayt and all of them are the Imams of al-wilaya (sainthood). The words of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) are always contained in the text of hadith and not in the chain of authorities; the chain of authorities only consists of the names of reliable persons who are the blessed transmitters. Al-Imam Ibn Maja has not directed towards reading the text of the hadith upon an insane person, but has rather emphasized reading the names of the transmitters, which is the chain of authorities; just invoking the names on a patient has become a spiritual treatment. This is the ‘aqida of al-Imam Ibn Maja, al-Imam at-Tabarani and al-Imam al-Bayhaqi; the same has been mentioned by al-Imam as-Suyuti, as well as by al-Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, the great and famous student of ‘Allama Ibn Taymiyya. According to all of these authoritative statements of the Imams, who are the real transmitters of din and the knowledge of hadith to us, it is clear and evident that before the substance and content one is inevitably supposed to rely on the chain and authority. These are the people who narrated the knowledge of din. If they are proven to be reliable, it is only then one would have access to the acceptance of substance and contents of the hadith. Before placing emphasis on the text, they have given all the importance to the chain. In any hadith the text is known as the matn and the chain of authority is known as the sanad or isnad. The text contains the message of Islam, the teachings of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) and the substance of the Shari‘a and the Sunna, whereas the chain consists of personalities. Reliance has been placed on the personalities, prior to the actual content. The Imams have declared the chain of these reliable personalities as a part of din. Here lies the significance of personalities in Islam — the real transmitters of the din from the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him).

Al-Imam at-Tabarani reports through ‘Abdu’llah ibn ‘Abbas:“The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said: ‘Oh Allah! Bestow mercy on our khulafa’.’ The Companions asked: ‘Who are your khulafa’?’ He (blessings and peace be upon him) replied: ‘Those who will come after me and narrate my ahadith and my sunna and transmit them to the Umma.’”[Related by al-Imam at-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat, vol. 6, p. 395 # 5842.]

[40 points taken from the book al-Minhajus-sawiyyi minal-hadithin-nabawi]