Question:
Some people say that the books of Hadith are the result of Iranian conspiracies and that these foreign people fabricated them and attributed them to Muhammad, peace be upon him. How much truth is there in this claim? Please inform us from the correct Islamic perspective.
Answer:
Those who study the noble history are not unaware that Westernization, in order to dominate and control the Muslims, divided them into various groups and sects, causing Muslims to be engaged in discord and disputes among themselves. On the other hand, doubts and difficulties were introduced into the scholarly heritage of the Muslims, the Book and Sunnah. Literature was written in the name of knowledge and research that created confusion and skepticism in the hearts and minds of the simple public. To realize this nefarious goal, they targeted the Ahadith and Sunnah, presenting their history, compilation, preservation, and authenticity as doubtful and weak structures. Following the imitation of Orientalists, Eastern imitators also copied them in the taste of modernism and declared the collection of Ahadith as a religious conspiracy, an Iranian proverb, and stories of preachers, orators, and storytellers, whereas for the seeker of history, these things are nothing more than chaff and debris. Many of them are heard saying that the Ahadith were written several hundred years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ but were dressed in sacred garments and attributed to the Noble Messenger ﷺ, and that Iranians and non-Arabs had a deep hand in this conspiracy. There is not even a speck of truth in this doubt because the Ahadith were written during the golden era of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and continued to be written in every era. Many Companions of the Prophet ﷺ used to write down the Ahadith of the Prophet. A few Companions are briefly mentioned below:
① Abu Umamah Sadi bin Ajlan Al-Bahili
, Sayyid Hasan bin Rahmahullah asked Abu Umamah رضي الله عنه about writing knowledge, and he said: لا بأس بذلك “There is no harm in it.”
Qasim bin Abdul Rahman Al-Shami, a freedman of the family of Abi Sufyan, used to write Ahadith from him.
② Our master Abu Bakr Siddiq رضي الله عنه, when he sent Anas bin Malik رضي الله عنه towards Bahrain, gave him instructions regarding charity and zakat.
Some say that Abu Bakr Siddiq رضي الله عنه collected 500 Ahadith and one night, restless, kept turning over; in the morning, Aisha رضي الله عنها called him and said: Bring the Ahadith you have. So he burned them all to ashes. This narration is not authentic. Allama Dhahabi رحمه الله says: فهذا لا يصح This narration is not authentic.
Imam Ibn Kathir رحمه الله says: هذا غريب من هذا الوجه منا وعلى أن صالح لا يعرف “This Hadith is extremely strange in its chain and contains Ali bin Salih, an unknown narrator.”
Allama Abdul Rahman al-Mu’allimi رحمه الله says: في السند غيره ممن فيه نظر Besides Ali bin Salih, there are several other questionable narrators in this chain.
Therefore, this narration is not proven from Abu Bakr Siddiq رضي الله عنه. On the contrary, authentic Ahadith mention his writing of Ahadith, as mentioned above regarding Sahih Bukhari.
③ Abu Bakr Fasi’ bin al-Harith رضي الله عنه
Abdul Rahman bin Abi Bakrah رضي الله عنه says: “My father sent a letter to Ubaidullah bin Abi Bakrah, the judge of Basra, saying: Do not judge between two people while angry, because I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: لا يحكم أحد بين اثنين وهو غضبان No person should judge between two people while he is angry.”
④ Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-As رضي الله عنهما
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه says:
ما من أصحاب النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم أحد أكثر حديثا عنه مني إلا ما كان من عبد الله بن عمرو فإنه كان يكتب ولا اكتب
Among the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, no one narrated more Ahadith from the Prophet ﷺ than Abdullah bin Amr رضي الله عنهما, because Abdullah bin Amr رضي الله عنهما used to write, and I did not write.
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr رضي الله عنهما says: “Whatever I heard from the Prophet ﷺ, I used to write it down, but the Quraysh stopped me, saying: You write down whatever you hear from the Prophet ﷺ, whereas the Prophet ﷺ is a human being and speaks. So I stopped writing. When I mentioned this to the Prophet ﷺ, he said: اكتب فوالذي نفسي بيده ما خرج مني إلا حق So write, by the One in Whose Hand is my soul! Nothing but truth comes from my tongue.”
⑤ Abu Hurairah Al-Dawsi Abdullah رضي الله عنه
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه was an Imam, jurist, mujtahid, and mufti, a master of memorization in Hadith. The Prophet ﷺ prayed for his strong memory, as mentioned in Sahih Bukhari, Book of Knowledge, Chapter on Memorizing Knowledge
. Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه used to have his students write down Ahadith, as the Sahifa of Humam bin Munabbih clearly proves, which has been published by various institutions and is available in both Arabic and Urdu translation.
This is a very brief mention of a few Companions رضي الله عنهم who wrote down Ahadith; otherwise, it is clear as the sun that many Companions and Tabi‘in wrote down Ahadith, detailed in Dr. Muhammad Mustafa A’zami’s book “دراسات فى الحديث النبوي وتاريخ تدوينه“.
From the above explanation, it is clear that the writing of Ahadith started from the era of the Prophet ﷺ, and the Companions, Tabi‘in, Tabi‘ al-Tabi‘in, and Imams of Hadith compiled books of Ahadith. The Prophet ﷺ himself permitted this at the end. The vile propaganda of the deniers of Hadith that the books of Hadith were written several hundred years later is baseless. As for the claim that the Muhaddithin were Iranians and this is their conspiracy, it holds no weight. Most of the Muhaddithin who compiled the books of Ahadith were Arabs; calling them non-Arabs is mere deception and trickery. Most compilers of Hadith books were Arabs. A brief detail is as follows: In the first era, names like Imam Muhammad bin Muslim, known as Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, Imam Saeed bin Musayyib, Urwah bin Zubair, and Umar bin Abdul Aziz appear. All belong to Arab families; Umar bin Abdul Aziz is well-known as a rightly guided Caliph in Islamic history. Other notable Muhaddithin include:
① Imam Malik bin Anas رحمه الله
belonged to the tribe of Dhi Asbah.
Dhi Asbah is a pure Arab tribe, and Imam Malik’s book “Al-Muwatta” is widely accepted among the Muslim Ummah.
② Imam Muhammad bin Idris al-Shafi‘i رحمه الله
was Qurayshi, with lineage: Muhammad bin Idris bin Abbas bin Uthman bin Shafi‘ bin Al-Sa’ib bin Ubaid bin Abdul Yazid bin Hashim bin Al-Muttalib.
Imam Shafi‘i’s books “Al-Umm” and “Al-Musnad” are well-known among scholars.
③ Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal al-Shaybani رحمه الله
belonged to the famous Arab tribe Banu Shayban. Allama Sam‘ani says: وهي قبيلة معروفة فى بكر بن وائل وهو شيبان بن ذهل بن ثعلبة
This is a well-known tribe in Bakr bin Wa’il, and they are Shayban bin Dhuhl bin Tha‘labah.
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal رحمه الله‘s chain of narration is highly respected among the Muslim Ummah, and his collection contains thousands of Ahadith. Recently, this “Musnad” has been published in fifty volumes with research and authentication, reaching the hands of scholars.
④ Abu Bakr Abdullah bin Al-Zubair Al-Qurashi Al-Asadi Al-Humaydi Al-Makki رحمه الله
was Qurayshi, and his book “Al-Musnad” is published in two volumes.
⑤ Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayh رحمه الله
belonged to Banu Tamim and compiled the book “Al-Musnad.”
⑥ Imam Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman al-Darimi رحمه الله
also belonged to Banu Tamim, pure Arab lineage. His book “Al-Musnad” is famous and published with research by various scholars. It is published in four volumes by Dar al-Mughni and Dar Ibn Hazm with research by Hussein Salim Asad. Its research and commentary in ten volumes titled “فتح المنان” was published by Dar al-Basha’ir al-Islamiyya Beirut. Imam Darimi’s biography is in Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala
, Tahdhib al-Kamal
, and Al-Ansab by Sam‘ani
.
⑦ Imam Muslim bin al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri رحمه الله
belonged to Banu Qushayr, a well-known Arab tribe.
Imam Muslim’s “Al-Jami‘ al-Sahih,” known as “Sahih Muslim,” is widely accepted and popular among all, often ranked just after Sahih Bukhari, and is regularly taught in advanced classes in major madrasas.
⑧ Imam Abu Dawood Sulayman bin al-Ash‘ath al-Azdi رحمه الله
belonged to the tribe of Banu Azd.
Imam Abu Dawood’s book “Sunan” is also famous, part of the Kutub al-Sittah, and taught in every major madrasa.
⑨ Imam Abu ‘Isa Muhammad bin ‘Isa bin Surah al-Tirmidhi al-Sulami رحمه الله
belonged to Banu Sulaym.
Imam Tirmidhi’s “Jami‘,” also called Sunan al-Tirmidhi, is one of the Kutub al-Sittah, known worldwide, and its Urdu translation has also been published.
⑩ Imam Harith bin Abi Usamah al-Tamimi رحمه الله
belonged to the famous Arab tribe Banu Tamim. His compiled Hadith book “Al-Musnad” is famous. This book is compiled on the Musnad of the Companions, not on jurisprudential chapters. Banu Tamim is the tribe about which Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه said he always loved them for three reasons he heard from the Prophet ﷺ: ① They will be the strongest opponents of the Dajjal among my Ummah. ② When their charity came to the Prophet ﷺ, he said: “These are the charity of our people.” ③ A woman from Banu Tamim, imprisoned, came to Sayyida Aisha رضي الله عنها, and the Prophet ﷺ said: “Free her; she is from the descendants of Ismail عليه السلام.”
⑪ Imam Abu Bakr Ahmad bin Amr bin Abdul Khaliq al-Bazzar رحمه الله
belonged to the Azd tribe, and his Hadith book “Al-Bahr al-Zakhar,” known as “Musnad al-Bazzar,” is famous. The additions to this book were collected by Allama Simi under the title “Kashf al-Istar.”
⑫ Imam Abu Ya‘li Ahmad bin Ali bin al-Muthanna al-Tamimi رحمه الله
belonged to Banu Tamim. His books “Musnad Abi Ya‘li” and “Al-Mu‘jam” are famous. His additions were collected by Allama Haytami under the title “Al-Maqsad al-‘Ali.”
⑬ Imam Muhammad bin Hibban Abu Hatim al-Busti رحمه الله
also belonged to Banu Tamim, and his book “Sahih Ibn Hibban” is famous.
⑭ Imam Abu al-Qasim Sulayman bin Ahmad bin Ayyub al-Tabarani رحمه الله
belonged to the Lahm tribe. His famous books include “Al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir,” “Al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat,” “Al-Mu‘jam al-Saghir,” “Kitab al-Du‘a,” and “Ahadith al-Tiwal,” etc.
⑮ Imam Ali bin Umar al-Daraqutni al-Baghdadi رحمه الله
is famous for his book “Al-Sunan.” Similarly, “Al-‘Ilal al-Warida fi al-Ahadith” is also his well-known book.
⑯ Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Abdullah al-Hakim al-Nisaburi رحمه الله
belonged to Banu Dabi‘ah, i.e., the family of Qasbah Banu Adam bin Tanjah, a famous Arab tribe.
⑱ Imam Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Khuzaymah al-Sulami رحمه الله
is famous for his book “Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah.”
⑱ Imam Abdul Razzaq bin Hammam bin Nafi‘ Abu Bakr al-San‘ani رحمه الله
was San‘ani and from the Himyari tribe of Yemen. His famous book “Al-Musannaf” is published and circulated, as is his Tafsir.
We have briefly mentioned a few Muhaddithin who compiled and authored books of Ahadith and belonged to Arabs. There are countless other Muhaddithin of Arab descent. However, among the well-known Muhaddithin, Imam Muhammad bin Ismail al-Bukhari رحمه الله
, Imam Abu Bakr Ibn Abi Shaybah رحمه الله
, and Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Yazid al-Qazwini رحمه الله
, known as Imam Ibn Majah, are non-Arab Muhaddithin. This brief explanation clarifies how deceptive it is for the deniers of Hadith to call the Ahadith a conspiracy.
It should also be remembered that the authentication and criticism of narrators are considered, not their region or family. If a person passes the strict scrutiny of criticism and no significant criticism is found against him, his narration is accepted regardless of his origin. Moreover, their teachers and predecessors were Arab Muhaddithin, and their books contain the same Ahadith that are well-known and famous among Arab Muhaddithin.
Also, it should be kept in mind that according to the deniers of Hadith, what kind of conspiratorial group was this that propagated Ahadith against themselves in their own compiled books? They narrated Ahadith that praise the virtues of Hijaz and Yemen and criticize Iraq, Kufa, and other regions. The books of Ahadith describe Iraq, the center of Iranians, as a place of sedition, corruption, and the emergence of the “Horn of Satan.”
Narrated from Abdullah bin Umar رضي الله عنهما:
رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يشير بيده يوم العراق ها إن الفتنة هاهنا ها إن الفتنة هاهنا ثلاث مرات من حيث يطلع قرن الشيطان
“I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ pointing with his hand towards Iraq and saying: Beware! Sedition will arise from here.” He repeated this three times, then said: “From here will come the horn of Satan.”
Narrated from Abdullah bin Umar رضي الله عنهما that one day the Prophet ﷺ led the Fajr prayer, then turned to the Companions and prayed: O Allah! Bless our Medina! Bless our Mud and Sa‘! O Allah! Bless our Sham and Yemen! Someone said: O Messenger of Allah! What about our Iraq? He remained silent, then prayed as before. Someone again said: What about our Iraq? The Prophet ﷺ said: “From there will emerge the horn of Satan and seditions will arise.”
Sayyiduna Salim bin Abdullah رضي الله عنه says: “O Iraqis! How much you investigate trivial matters and commit major sins. I heard from my father Abdullah bin Umar رضي الله عنهما that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: Surely sedition will come from here.” He pointed with his hand towards the east and said: “From here will come the horn of Satan.”
Narrated from Jabir bin Abdullah رضي الله عنهما that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The hardness and cruelty of hearts are in the East, and the faith is with the people of Hijaz.”
Regarding the virtues and merits of Sham and Damascus, see Allama Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Abdul Hadi’s book “Fada’il al-Sham,” researched by Magdi Fathi al-Sayyid and the authentication of Ahadith of Fada’il al-Sham Damascus by Al-Albani, etc. Reading these Ahadith shows that the deniers of Hadith possess intellect lower than that of a schoolchild. How were they conspirators who narrated all virtues and merits for the Arabs and assigned loss, corruption, sedition, and degradation to the non-Arabs? In any case, the claim that the collection of Ahadith is the result of an Iranian conspiracy is baseless. It is a foul tale and meaningless story of the deniers of Hadith. This plant was nurtured in the lap of some ignorant clerks far from the knowledge of Shariah, and Judaism watered this plant and spread it. For detailed discussion, see Maulana Muhammad Ismail Salafi رحمه الله‘s book “Hujjat al-Hadith” and Maulana Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri رحمه الله‘s book “Inkar Hadith Haq ya Batil.”
We have benefited greatly from these books; they are worthy of study and full of knowledge. May Allah the Almighty shower His mercy upon their authors. (Ameen)
