Silsilah Sahihah

Benefits:

Imam al-Albani rahimahullah, while conducting an important, beneficial, and lengthy discussion on this hadith, writes:

My Muslim brother! Some people of the present and past times have not been able to understand certain authentic ahadith of this kind. They have argued that if these ahadith are accepted, then one would have to call the parents of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam disbelievers. These people, presenting themselves as callers to Islam, severely criticize such ahadith and their clear indication on this type of subject.

My belief is that if these people do not accept these Prophetic ahadith, then this would mean that they are criticizing the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, who narrated these ahadith, and doing so is clear disbelief; or else, they are criticizing those Imams who narrated these ahadith and declared them authentic, and doing so is also open sinfulness or clear disbelief, because by acting in this way, Muslims would begin to doubt their religion.

Every intelligent and insightful Muslim knows that the foundation of knowledge of the religion and faith in it is upon the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. If any Muslim, in accordance with his personal taste and desire, does not affirm this method, then a great door to rejecting authentic ahadith will be opened. The writings of authors like Ghazali, Huwaydi, Baliq, and Ibn Abd al-Mannan confirm our claim, because these people had no standard or criterion for declaring ahadith authentic or weak except their personal taste and desire.

O Muslim who is concerned about the religion! The point worthy of consideration is that those ahadith in which a definitive judgment is made about a person's disbelief or faith pertain to matters of the unseen, belief in which and acceptance of which is obligatory, because Allah the Exalted has said:

«الم . ذلِكَ الْكِتَبُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ . الَّذِينَ يَؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ» [سورة بقره: 1- 3]

"Alif Lam Meem. This is the Book, there is no doubt in it, a guidance for the God-fearing. Who believe in the unseen."

And the Exalted has also said:

«وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهم» [سوره احزاب: 36]

"And (remember) it is not for a believing man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, to have any choice in their affair."

Thus, by turning away from these ahadith and not believing in them, one of two things necessarily follows:

➊ To belie the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, or

➋ To belie the trustworthy narrators who transmitted the hadith.

I know that those who deny these ahadith or make false and unacceptable interpretations of them, like Imam Suyuti rahimahullah, are motivated to do so by excessive veneration and love for the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. For this reason, they deny the Hellfire for the parents of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, even though he himself narrated these ahadith. Perhaps these people are more compassionate towards the parents of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam than he himself was!

Some among them do not even refrain from inclining towards the fabricated hadith that Allah the Exalted brought the mother or parents of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam back to life for him. But this hadith is fabricated and false, as clarified by Imam Daraqutni, Imam Jawzaqani, Imam Ibn Asakir, Hafiz Dhahabi, and Hafiz Ibn Hajar Asqalani. You yourself may study Jawzaqani's book [الأباطيل والمناكير: 222/1 - 229، بتعليق الدكتور عبد الرحمن الفريوالي]. Imam Ibn al-Jawzi said in [الموضوعات: 284/1]: This hadith is undoubtedly fabricated. The person who fabricated this hadith was ignorant and lacking in understanding. If he had been a scholar, he would have known that a person who dies a disbeliever gains no benefit from believing after being brought back to life. To reject such a fabricated hadith, the following statement of Allah the Exalted is sufficient:

«وَمَن يَرْتَدِدْ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ فَأُولَٰئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ» [سورة بقره: 217]

"And whoever among you turns back from his religion and dies as a disbeliever, their deeds will become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and they will be the companions of the Fire, abiding therein forever."

And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam also said: «إِسْتَأْذَنْتُ رَبِّ أَنْ أَسْتَغْفِرَ لِأُمِّي فَلَمْ يَأْذَنْ لِي .»

That is, "I sought permission from my Lord to seek forgiveness for my mother, but Allah the Exalted did not permit me."

While commenting on Imam Shawkani rahimahullah's book [الفوائد المجموعة فى الأحاديث الموضوعة], Shaykh Abd al-Rahman Yamani made a very concise and excellent point. He said: It is often seen that some people, due to being unable to control their love, begin to reject the real evidences. Those friends who are granted goodness by Allah understand that this is contrary to legitimate (shar'i) love.

I (al-Albani) say that Imam Suyuti, may Allah pardon him, is also among those whose love became uncontrollable, and for this reason, he inclined towards authenticating the hadith about the parents of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam being brought back to life, which was considered false by the great scholars. Then he began to reconcile and combine this hadith with the hadith in which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not permitted to seek forgiveness for his mother, and as a result, he claimed that the hadith in which permission was not granted is abrogated (mansukh). Whereas Imam Suyuti knew that abrogation pertains to rulings (ahkam), not to reports (akhbar), and these ahadith pertain to reports. Could he not understand whether it is possible that the truthful and trusted Prophet first informs about someone being among the people of Hell, and then abrogates this statement by saying that he is among the people of Paradise?

During his discussion, Imam Suyuti completely ignored the hadith of Sayyiduna Anas radi Allahu anhu in Sahih Muslim and did not even make a slight reference to it. Rather, his pen went further, and, considering the criticism of some people regarding Hammad ibn Salamah, he declared this hadith weak. Whereas Imam Suyuti knew that this narrator is among the Imams and trustworthy narrators, and his narration from Thabit is authentic. In fact, Imam Ibn al-Madini and Imam Ahmad said: Among the students of Thabit, the most trustworthy is Hammad ibn Salamah. [صحيحه: 2592]

By the hadith of Sayyiduna Anas radi Allahu anhu in Sahih Muslim, Imam al-Albani rahimahullah means this narration:

A man came to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and said: O Messenger of Allah, where is my father? The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

«فِي النَّار» ... "In the Fire." When he turned away, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam called him back and said: «إِنَّ أبى وَأَبَاكَ فِى النَّارِ»

"Indeed, my father and your father are both in the Fire." [مسلم]

Undoubtedly, loving the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is part of faith, and because of your love for him, all his relatives appear as lights of your eyes. In any case, this love will be according to the principles of the Shari'ah, not according to our temperament and nature.

The foremost requirement of love for the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is to accept his statements and actions as true and to act upon them as much as possible. Some people could not understand the spirit of this love, and, giving preference to their own temperament in this matter, began to reject those authentic ahadith in which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam indicated the misguidance of his parents. The question is: Why did these people have this doubt? Obviously, the basis of this doubt is the fact that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is the Messenger of Allah.

It should be kept in mind that the greatest attribute of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is his being a Messenger; all other attributes are subordinate to this attribute.

According to the Noble Qur'an, the son and wife of a great Prophet like Nuh alayhis salam were disbelievers, the father of a Prophet like Ibrahim alayhis salam, the ancestor of the Prophets, was a disbeliever and polytheist, and the wife of Lut alayhis salam was a disbeliever. From these examples, it becomes clear that messengership is not such an attribute that, because of it, the parents and children of the Messenger are necessarily Muslims.

If these people, considering themselves captivated by love for Mustafa sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, begin to reject these ahadith, then what will they say about those verses in which the fathers or children of the Prophets and Messengers are declared disbelievers?