Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
Jabir ibn Abdullah is a well-known Ansari companion. He participated in all the battles. He narrated numerous ahadith. He passed away in the year 74 AH at the age of 94 years. Radi Allahu anhu wa ardaah.

Hadith Commentary:
To demand the withdrawal of one's pledge upon Islam was tantamount to turning away from Islam itself; therefore, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not accept the demand of this Bedouin.
Its details have already been discussed under Hadith: 7209.

Hadith Commentary:
Requesting the annulment of the pledge of allegiance (bay‘ah) is a disliked act.
The special virtue of Madinah Munawwarah is also established from this.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
Before the conquest of Makkah, it was obligatory for Muslims to migrate to Madinah Tayyibah and reside there, and after migration, leaving from there was considered a sin and disobedience.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not permit this Bedouin to break his pledge, because by doing so, it would have been assisting him in sin and disobedience.
➋
The warning that has come regarding Madinah Tayyibah is for the person who leaves from here out of lack of desire; however, for a great purpose, it is permissible to go outside Madinah and reside elsewhere, just as many eminent and noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma'in) left Madinah Tayyibah and spread to other countries for the propagation of Islam.
They certainly did not fall under the scope of this warning.
(Fath al-Bari: 13/247)

Hadith Commentary:
This hadith describes the gravity of breaking the pledge (bay‘ah).
In another hadith, Abdullah ibn Umar radi Allahu anhu narrates that indeed, no one considers there to be a greater act of treachery than for a man to pledge allegiance (bay‘ah) in the name of Allah and upon the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and then to rise up in war and fighting against it.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Al-Fitan, Hadith: 7111)

Chapter of Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number: 7322: «بَابُ مَا ذَكَرَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَحَضَّ عَلَى اتِّفَاقِ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ:»
Relevance between the Chapter and the Hadith:
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah established the chapter heading to prove several issues, which consist of multiple parts. For example: the statement of consensus among the scholars of Makkah and Madinah, the mention of the blessed places of the Muhajirun and Ansar, the place where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam prayed and its being blessed, likewise the mention of his sallallahu alayhi wa sallam’s blessed grave, his pulpit, and so on.

Through this single chapter, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah intends to resolve several issues, which he has alluded to through the ahadith presented under the chapter. He has presented about twenty-four ahadith under the chapter, each of which is related to the chapter in part or in several parts, but no single hadith is completely relevant to the chapter in its entirety. In reality, what Imam Bukhari rahimahullah wants to establish is that the report of the people of Madinah is reliable because they witnessed the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, such as the Muhajirun and Ansar, and those who witnessed the Prophet’s sallallahu alayhi wa sallam’s pulpit and grave, whom Imam Bukhari rahimahullah mentioned in the chapter; all these things are intended. The relevance of the hadith of Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah radi Allahu anhu to the chapter is from the aspect that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned the virtue of Madinah, that Madinah is superior to all cities, where evil people cannot remain; even the people there, including the scholars, will be good. However, this virtue was specific to the lifetime of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah writes:
«قال ابن بطال عن المهلب: فيه تفضيل المدينة على غيرها بما خصها الله به من أنها تنفي الخبث، و رتب على ذالك القول بحجية إجماع أهل المدينة، و تعقب بقول ابن عبدالبر أن الحديث دال على فضل المدينة، و لكن ليس الوصف المذكور لها فى جميع الأزمنه، بل هو خاص بزمن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم لأنه لم يكن يخرج منها رغبة من الإقامة معه إلا من لا خير فيه.» [فتح الباري لابن حجر : 261/14]
“Ibn Battal rahimahullah narrates from Muhallab rahimahullah that this hadith shows the superiority of Madinah over other regions, along with the special distinction Allah has given it, that Madinah repels filth. Upon this, the statement of the authority of the people of Madinah is based. The answer to this is given by Ibn Abd al-Barr rahimahullah, who says that the hadith does indicate the virtue of Madinah, but this described quality is not general for all times; rather, it is specific to the era of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, because only a person devoid of goodness would turn away from residing there during his sallallahu alayhi wa sallam’s presence.”

From these excerpts of Allamah Muhallab rahimahullah, the relevance between the chapter and the hadith is also understood, and at the same time, a particular issue is clarified. The connection of the hadith to the chapter is that the aforementioned hadith gives virtue to Madinah Munawwarah, which corresponds to one part of the chapter.

As for the practice of the people of Madinah, we will, inshaAllah, discuss this in detail in the benefit section at the end of this chapter. The second hadith, which is narrated from Sa’ib bin Yazid, is relevant to the chapter in the following way, as mentioned in Fath al-Bari:
«ومناسة هذا الحديث للترجمة أن قدر الصاع مما اجتمع عليه أهل الحرمين بعد العهد النبوي و استمر، فلما ذار بنو أمية فى الصاع لم يتركوا اعتبار الصاع النبوي.» [فتح الباري لابن حجر : 263/14]
“The relevance of the hadith to the chapter heading is that the measure of the sa’ remained as it was agreed upon by the people of the two Harams during the Prophetic era. So when the Banu Umayyah increased the measure of the sa’, (even then) the original sa’ from the Prophetic era continued to be considered valid (and remained in use).”

Therefore, in light of these details, the aspect of relevance between the chapter and the hadith is that during the era of Umar bin Abd al-Aziz rahimahullah, the measure of the sa’ may have increased, but in the legal rulings, such as zakat al-fitr, etc., the same sa’ will be considered as was in the time of the people of Madinah and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

The hadith narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar radi Allahu anhuma is relevant to the chapter in that the place near the mosque where he was stoned is historically blessed, because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would often perform funeral prayers at that place. Thus, the blessedness of that place is established from here, and this is where the relevance to a part of the chapter is also established. [ارشاد الساري : 89/12], [عمدة القاري للعيني : 88/25]

Benefit:
Is every action of the people of Madinah a proof (hujjah)?
Some people claim that the practice of the people of Madinah is absolutely authoritative, whereas this is questionable. In fact, even according to Imam Malik rahimahullah, this was not a relied-upon position. For Imam Malik rahimahullah, the real importance was always given to the Qur’an and Hadith. An incident clearly proves this: When Harun al-Rashid offered Imam Malik rahimahullah to make his Muwatta the law of the land, it is written:
«انه شاور مالكا فى أن يعلق الموطأ فى الكعبة، و يحمل الناس على ما فيه، فقال: لا تفعل، فان أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم اختلفوا فى الفروع، و تفرقوا فى البلدان، و كل سنة مضت، قال: وفقك الله يا أبا عبدالله.» [حجة الله البالغه : 116/1], [مفتاح السعادة 87/2]
“The Caliph Harun al-Rashid consulted Imam Malik rahimahullah about making the Muwatta the law of the land and hanging it in the Ka’bah so that people would be compelled to follow it. Imam Malik rahimahullah replied: The Companions radi Allahu anhum differed in subsidiary matters and spread to different lands; whatever is transmitted from them is all Sunnah. Harun understood the matter and said: May Allah grant you success in goodness.”

From this, it is clear that Imam Malik rahimahullah did not consider the practice of Madinah to be absolutely authoritative, but rather considered the hadith of every Companion to be part of the religion.

Imam Ibn Hazm rahimahullah, in his book «الأحكام فى أصول الأحكام», has also discussed this issue in detail, the summary of which is that it is impermissible to consider only the people of Madinah as the possessors of knowledge of the Sunnah. Allamah Ibn Hazm rahimahullah writes:
«و أما قولهم: إن أهل المدينة أعلم بأحكام رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ممن سواهم، فهو كزب و باطل، و إنما الحق أن أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم و هم العالمون بأحكامه سواء بقي منهم من بقي بالمدينة أو خرج منهم من خرج.» [الاحكام فى اصول الاحكام : 684/4]
“And their statement that the people of Madinah knew the rulings of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam more than others is a lie and falsehood. Therefore, the correct and true statement is that all the Companions radi Allahu anhum knew the rulings of the religion, whether they remained in Madinah or migrated elsewhere.”

Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahullah, discussing the official status of the Muwatta, writes:
«وهذا يدل على أن عمل أهل المدينة ليس عنده حجة لازمة لجميع الأمة . . . . .» [اعلام الموقعين : 297/2]
“This indicates that the practice of the people of Madinah is not a proof, nor is it necessary for the entire Ummah to accept it. And the claim that (the practice of the people of Madinah is a proof) was neither made by Imam Malik rahimahullah in the Muwatta nor anywhere else; rather, it is merely the expression of an incident.”

Therefore, to say that the practice of the people of Madinah is absolutely authoritative over the entire Ummah is completely wrong and false; in fact, the majority are opposed to this. The author of Fiqh al-Islam has said very well, he writes:
“The majority believe that Madinah has no special status over other cities in terms of practice. In times of disagreement, following the Sunnah is the real thing; the statement of one scholar is not a proof over another. The Companions radi Allahu anhum spread to different lands, all were knowledgeable; the real thing is the Sunnah. The knowledge of any city cannot be made the basis of legislation.” [فقه الاسلام از شيخ احمد : ص 170]

In fact, if one reflects, even according to Imam Malik rahimahullah, the practice of the people of Madinah was not a proof, because he rahimahullah presented such narrations in his Muwatta that are contrary to the practice of the people of Madinah. Another strong proof is that he rahimahullah was asked:
«عمن أخذ بحديث حدثه ثقة عن أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أتراه من ذالك فى سعة؟ فقال: لا والله يصيب الحق، و ما الحق الا واحد، قولان مختلفان يكونان صوابًا جميعًا؟ و ما الحق و الصواب الا واحد.» [جامع بيان العلم وفضله عن اشهب : 102/2]
“From whom should hadith be taken? He rahimahullah replied: From one who is trustworthy and narrates from the Companions of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Then he was asked: Is there any leeway in this matter according to you? He rahimahullah, denying, replied: No! By Allah, there is not, until the truth is reached, and the truth is only one. Can two differing statements both be correct? No, the truth and correctness can only be one.”

Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahullah, shedding light on this issue regarding the affairs of the people of Madinah after the Companions radi Allahu anhum and the Rightly Guided Caliphs, comments:
“The practice of the people of Madinah was according to the ruling of «محتسبين» over the muftis, rulers, and markets. The subjects could not oppose these people. So if a mufti gave a fatwa, the governor would enforce it, and the market inspector would act accordingly, and thus that fatwa would become the norm. But this is not worthy of consideration; rather, the actions of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, his caliphs, and the Companions radi Allahu anhum are the Sunnah. Therefore, one should not confuse one of these two things with the other. Thus, in our view, giving judgment based on this practice is even more severe, and if the other thing (the practice of the later people of Madinah) is contrary to the Sunnah, it is even more deserving of being abandoned.”

Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan Bhopali rahimahullah, commenting on this issue, writes:
“The practice of the people of Madinah, even contrary to a sahih hadith, is not a proof, contrary to what Imam Malik rahimahullah and his followers claim, because they too are only a part of the Ummah (i.e., not the whole). Therefore, it is possible that the authentic report did not reach them.” [حصول المامول من علم الاصول : ص 59]

The sum of all this discussion is that the only criterion is the Prophetic Sunnah. Any practice contrary to it—whether of the people of Madinah, Kufa, Basra, Sham, Yemen, Egypt, Damascus, or, hypothetically, any well-known or unknown scholarly or non-scholarly city—can never be made the criterion.

Imam Shafi’i rahimahullah says:
«كيف أترك الخبر لأقوال أقوام لو عامرتهم لما حجتهم بالحديث .» [الاحكام فى اصول الاحكام للامدی : 165/2]
“How can I abandon the report (i.e., the hadith of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) for statements? If I had been among those people, I would have debated with them about the authority of the hadith.”

Thus, the only criterion is the Qur’an and Hadith; this is the sum of the discussion.

Hadith Commentary:
The correspondence of this hadith with the chapter heading is as follows: when Madinah became superior to all other cities, then the consensus (ijma‘) of its scholars would certainly be considered authoritative, because evil and wicked people cannot remain in Madinah.
The scholars there would be the best among all; however, this ruling was specific to the time of the Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) life.
Afterwards, many of the eminent Companions (radi Allahu anhum) left Madinah.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
This Bedouin thought that after pledging allegiance (bay‘ah), it was necessary to reside in Madinah Tayyibah; if one had not pledged allegiance, then one could go outside Madinah Tayyibah. That is why he was repeatedly requesting to annul his pledge.
He did not become an apostate, as is commonly thought, because the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not issue a ruling of apostasy against him. Furthermore, if he had become an apostate, he would not have repeatedly used the words "O Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)!" Rather, he was seeking permission to leave Madinah Tayyibah while remaining within Islam, and he was using the words of returning from the pledge as a means to seek permission.

➋
The relevance of this hadith to the chapter heading is as follows: when Madinah Tayyibah is superior to all other cities, then the consensus (ijma‘) of its scholars will also be considered valid, because evil and wicked people cannot remain in Madinah Tayyibah; therefore, all the scholars there will be righteous. However, this ruling regarding Madinah Tayyibah was specific to the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
After him, many of the eminent Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma‘in) left Madinah Tayyibah.
According to our inclination, the consensus of the people of the Two Sanctuaries (Ahl al-Haramayn) holds no weight in matters contrary to the Shari‘ah.
A seeker of truth should always follow the evidence, even if its adherents are few in number.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
Hafiz said that I do not know the name of this Bedouin, and Zamakhshari made a mistake when he mentioned his name as Qais ibn Abi Hazim; he is in fact a Tabi‘i (Successor).

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
يَنْصَعُ:
He makes pure and clean,
therefore, something pure and clean is called اَلنَّاصِعْ.

Benefits and Issues:
In the time of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), those who possessed pure and clean faith would become distinguished from others,
even though, temporarily and for a short time, they would remain hidden, to whom the following refers:
﴿ لَا تَعْلَمُهُمْ ۖ نَحْنُ نَعْلَمُهُمْ ۚ﴾ (You do not know them; We know them) .

Explanation:
1:
That is, just as the blacksmith’s furnace removes the impurities and rust from iron, similarly, Madinah expels evil people from itself.
And is this special quality of Madinah limited only to the Prophetic era (as Qadi ‘Iyad says), or does it remain even after the Prophetic era (as Nawawi and others say)? Nawawi has deduced from the hadith about the Dajjal that even at that time Madinah will do the same—expelling evil people from itself.
Now, regarding the point that many Companions and the best of the Tabi‘in also left Madinah—does that mean they were evil? Certainly not.
The meaning of this hadith is: whoever leaves Madinah considering it to be bad, he is the one intended by this hadith.
As for the noble Companions, they considered residing in Madinah to be superior, but they left for the great purpose of spreading the religion and religious knowledge,
(radi Allahu anhum).

(1) The relevance of the hadith to the chapter is clear. The chapter’s subject is: what is the ruling on breaking the pledge (bay‘ah)? It is established from the action of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) that this act is impermissible and forbidden. Whether a person has pledged allegiance to Islam or to migration (hijrah), in both cases breaking the pledge is not permissible.

(2) From this blessed hadith, the virtue of Madinah Tayyibah is also known, that Allah, the Exalted, has made it like a furnace which casts out mischievous people, while the righteous and virtuous people find peace and tranquility in it with regard to the rulings and issues related to the pledge.

(3) The apparent wording indicates that those who leave Madinah Tayyibah are blameworthy. However, this is not absolutely correct, because a large number of the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) bid farewell to Madinah and settled in other places. Later as well, many scholars and virtuous people left Madinah. The real matter is that those people’s leaving Madinah is blameworthy and disliked who dislike living in Madinah, i.e., who leave it out of aversion and lack of desire for it, as this Bedouin did. However, those who left Madinah for correct and proper purposes, such as for the propagation of the religion and dissemination of knowledge, for conquering the lands of the disbelievers and polytheists, for guarding the borders, and for striving (jihad) against the enemies of the religion and Islam—then there is no harm in this, nor do such actions fall under the censure mentioned in the hadith.

(4) When Islam spread, some people began to accept Islam for the sake of material benefits. If they continued to receive wealth after embracing Islam, they would remain firm upon Islam, but if any hardship befell them or they did not receive wealth, they would turn away from the religion. Perhaps this Bedouin was also of this type. It is possible that he pledged allegiance for migration (hijrah) as well, but, being distressed by fever, wanted to leave Madinah, not Islam.

(5) “Like a furnace”—living in Madinah Munawwarah required enduring many physical hardships: the incompatibility of the climate, poverty and hunger, strangeness, the constant threat of attacks and battles, and participation in wars from time to time, while weapons and protective equipment were almost nonexistent. These were things that a person of weak and deficient faith could not bear. Only those with determination and strong faith could withstand these trials.

(6) By “impurities” are meant people of deficient faith and hypocrites. Such people cannot remain in Madinah; Madinah expels them.

Hadith Authentication:
[وأخرجه البخاري 7211، ومسلم 1383، من حديث مالك به]

Jurisprudential Explanation
➊ The Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to take people’s pledge (bay‘ah) upon the conditions of Islam, its obligations, its limits, migration, and so on. See: [التمهيد 12/224]
➋ In Islam, only two types of pledges (bay‘ah) are established:
① The pledge to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
② And the pledge to the Caliph (khalifah).
Other than these, there is no evidence for a third pledge, such as the pledge to the shaykhs of Sufi orders or to so-called paper organizations.
➌ Madinah Tayyibah is a city of virtue, and its general inhabitants are superior and more beloved compared to others.
➍ Obedience to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is obligatory, and whoever refuses obedience is wicked.
➎ It is established by mass-transmitted (mutawatir) ahadith that Madinah is a sanctuary (haram).

Benefit:
From this hadith, it is understood that no openly sinful or wicked person can reside in Madinah; only virtuous and good people can live in Madinah.