Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon His trustworthy Messenger. As for what follows:
The book titled "Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq" is a well-known and published Hadith compilation. In the year 1425 AH / 2005 AD, a small book titled "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud min al-Juz' al-Awwal min al-Musannaf" was published by Muhammad Abdul-Hakeem Sharaf al-Qadri (Barelvi) and edited by Issa bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Mani' al-Himyari (?). This book was published by Maktabah al-Sharq, Lahore, Pakistan (Barelvi publishers). It contains forty (40) Hadiths and reports. The Barelvis are celebrating this publication due to the inclusion of Hadith al-Noor, despite the fact that there are several criteria for validating the authenticity of manuscripts and printed books. This article presents an evaluation of this "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud."
The "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" published by the Barelvis is entirely fabricated and spurious. The reasons for this are as follows:
The Manuscript Writer:
The copyist of this manuscript is Ishaq bin Abdulrahman al-Sulaymani, who lived in the tenth century Hijri, as indicated by his handwriting (dated 933 AH). [See "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud," p. 10]
The background and reliability of Ishaq bin Abdulrahman al-Sulaymani are unknown, making him an unknown figure.
Lack of Chain of Transmission:
This Ishaq bin Abdulrahman al-Sulaymani of the tenth century Hijri did not provide any chain of transmission linking him to Imam Abd al-Razzaq (the author of Musannaf). He also did not clarify the source from which he copied this manuscript, making the entire manuscript unverified.
Absence of Verification:
There is no evidence to show where this manuscript has been kept or by whom. Authentic Hadith manuscripts usually have documented hearings by scholars, indicating which scholar heard it from whom and when. For example, see the first page of the manuscript of Musnad al-Humaydi (al-Zahiriyyah). In contrast, the introduction of "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" states:
"There are no hearings recorded on the copy we have." [See p. 14]
Comparison with Other Manuscripts:
The Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, published the Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq using five manuscripts:
The Murad Mulla manuscript (Turkey) - Complete and written in 747 AH. [Musannaf, Vol. 1, p. 11]
The Fayz Allah Afandi manuscript (Turkey) - Incomplete and written in 606 AH. [Vol. 1, p. 11]
The Maktabah al-Sa'idiyyah al-Ammah manuscript (Tonk) - Incomplete and written in 1373 AH.
The Shaykh Muhammad Nasif manuscript (Jeddah) - Incomplete and from the ninth century Hijri. [Vol. 1, p. 12]
The published edition by Habib al-Rahman al-A'zami, based on the Murad Mulla manuscript.
The lack of hearings, the unknown copyist, and the unverified chain of transmission make the Barelvi manuscript highly suspicious and unreliable.
Claims of Stronger Manuscript:
The introduction of the Barelvi-published "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" claims it is stronger than the published manuscript. [See p. 11]
However, this manuscript is filled with obvious errors.
Example:
In the Barelvi "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud," it states:
"Abd al-Razzaq from Ibn Jurayj said: 'Al-Bara informed me…' etc. [p. 55, Hadith 2]"
The editor comments:
"Ibn Jurayj was a reliable Hafiz and used to practice tadlis (concealing defects in chains of narration), but he explicitly mentions hearing here." [Footnote: 1]
Ibn Jurayj was born in 80 AH.
[Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd, Vol. 5, p. 496]
Al-Bara' ibn Azib (RA) passed away in 72 AH. [Taqreeb al-Tahdhib, 248]
It is impossible for Ibn Jurayj to have said, "Al-Bara informed me," as he was born eight years after Al-Bara's death (!).
Humorous Error:
The editor of "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" writes at another place:
"Abd al-Razzaq said: 'Al-Zuhri informed me about Sufyan ibn Shubrumah…' [p. 88, Hadith 28]"
This chain mentions Imam Abd al-Razzaq narrating directly from Al-Zuhri, although Imam Al-Zuhri died in 125 AH, [Taqreeb al-Tahdhib, 6296]
and Imam Abd al-Razzaq was born in 126 AH. [Taqreeb al-Tahdhib, 4026]
It is impossible for Imam Abd al-Razzaq to have said, "Al-Zuhri informed me," as he was born after Al-Zuhri's death.
Contradiction:
In another part of the same book, the editor admits:
"There is a break in the chain between Abd al-Razzaq and Al-Zuhri." [p. 94, Hadith 40, Footnote: 3]
Unknown Narrators:
The narrator "Sufyan ibn Shubrumah" mentioned in the previous example is unknown. It is likely "Sufyan from Ibn Shubrumah," as mentioned in Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah [15/1, Hadith 132].
This means: Sufyan al-Thawri narrating from Abdullah ibn Shubrumah.
I ask Muhammad Abdul-Hakeem Sharaf al-Qadri (Barelvi) and all the Barelvis: Who is "Sufyan ibn Shubrumah"? If it is a mistake by the scribe or typist, why celebrate this erroneous and unverified manuscript?
Conflicting Birth Dates of Al-Zuhri:
There is a disagreement regarding the birth date of Imam Al-Zuhri. Some say it was in 50 or 51 AH.
Imam Yahya ibn Abdullah ibn Bukayr (born 154 AH, died 231 AH), a student of Imam Al-Layth ibn Sa'd, states that Al-Zuhri was born in 56 AH. [Tarikh Dimashq, Vol. 58, p. 228, with an authentic chain; Al-Zuhri by Ibn Asakir, p. 36, Hadith 10]
Uqbah ibn Amir (RA) died around 60 AH.
[Taqreeb al-Tahdhib, 4641]
His grave is in Muqattam (Egypt). [Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, Vol. 2, p. 468]
The "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" states: "Ibn Jurayj from Al-Zuhri that he heard Uqbah ibn Amir… [p. 84, Hadith 24]"
However, there is no evidence that Imam Al-Zuhri met Uqbah ibn Amir (RA). Hafiz Nooruddin Al-Haythami writes: "Al-Zuhri did not hear anything from Uqbah ibn Amir." [Majma' al-Zawaid, Vol. 1, p. 331, end of: Chapter of the Virtue of Adhan]
It is evident that the unknown copyist of "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" fabricated a chain of transmission and falsely attributed it to Imam Al-Zuhri, claiming he heard from Uqbah ibn Amir (RA).
Fabricated Chain:
"Abd al-Razzaq from Ma'mar from Al-Zuhri from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri from his father from his grandfather from Abu Sa'id, etc. [pp. 80, 81, Hadith 20]"
According to Ishaq bin Abdulrahman al-Sulaymani, Imam Al-Zuhri narrates from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (S'ad bin Malik bin Sinan al-Ansari) (RA) from his father (Malik bin Sinan) from his grandfather (Sinan bin Ubayd) from Abu Sa'id.
However, there is no mention of Sinan bin Ubayd as a Sahabi, nor is there any mention of Abu Sa'id as his teacher.
The editor of "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" mistakenly identified Abu Sa'id al-Khudri as Rabi' bin Abdulrahman bin Abi Sa'id, even though Rabi' does not have the kunya Abu Sa'id, and there is no mention of Imam Al-Zuhri as his student.
[See Tahdhib al-Kamal, Vol. 6, p. 124]
Lack of Parallel Narrations:
Authentic Hadith collections often have similar narrations in other books. For example, the first connected Marfu' Hadith in Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq is narrated through 'Abd al-Razzaq from Malik from 'Amr ibn Yahya from his father from Abdullah ibn Zayd. This same narration is found in Musnad Ahmad [Vol. 4, p. 39, Hadith 16438] with the chain: 'Abd al-Razzaq said: 'Malik informed us from 'Amr ibn Yahya from his father from Abdullah ibn Zayd.' The same narration is in Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah [Vol. 1, p. 80, Hadith 155], and with the chain Malik from 'Amr ibn Yahya from his father from Abdullah ibn Zayd, it is found in Muwatta of Imam Malik [Vol. 1, Hadith 31], Sahih Bukhari [185], and Sahih Muslim [235].
The narrations presented by the Barelvis in "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" do not exist in any other authentic Hadith collections, indicating that something is definitely wrong.
These ten reasons demonstrate that the book published under the name "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" is unreliable, unverified, and fabricated. Therefore, it is not permissible to use it as evidence.
There is no doubt that Imam Abd al-Razzaq (RA) (d. 211 AH) was a reliable Hafiz and an Imam. The majority of Hadith scholars have authenticated him, but he was also known to practice tadlis. For more on his tadlis, see "Kitab al-Du'afa" by Al-'Aqeeli (Vol. 3, pp. 110-111, with an authentic chain) and "Tabaqat al-Mudallisin" by Hafiz Ibn Hajar (RA).
The general principle regarding a mudallis narrator is that if their narration is found outside Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim and is reported with 'an (from), it is considered weak and rejected. Therefore, even if the fabricated and spurious "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" (hypothetically) were proven authentic, the narrations about light (Noor) would still be false and rejected.
In his later years, Imam Abd al-Razzaq became blind and experienced confusion. [See "Al-Kawakib al-Nayyirat," p. 53, T. 34]Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (RA) said: "We came to him (Abd al-Razzaq) before 200 AH when his vision was intact. Anyone who heard from him after he lost his vision, their hearing is weak." [Tarikh Abi Zur'ah al-Dimashqi: 1160, with an authentic chain]
Imam Ahmad further said:
"The Hadith of anyone who heard from him after he lost his sight is not considered. He would be dictated false Hadiths and would narrate them." [Sualat Ibn Hani; 228/5, with an authentic chain]
In this printed, unverified manuscript, even the student of Abd al-Razzaq is unknown, so how can it be relied upon?
The book titled "Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq" is a well-known and published Hadith compilation. In the year 1425 AH / 2005 AD, a small book titled "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud min al-Juz' al-Awwal min al-Musannaf" was published by Muhammad Abdul-Hakeem Sharaf al-Qadri (Barelvi) and edited by Issa bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Mani' al-Himyari (?). This book was published by Maktabah al-Sharq, Lahore, Pakistan (Barelvi publishers). It contains forty (40) Hadiths and reports. The Barelvis are celebrating this publication due to the inclusion of Hadith al-Noor, despite the fact that there are several criteria for validating the authenticity of manuscripts and printed books. This article presents an evaluation of this "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud."
The "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" published by the Barelvis is entirely fabricated and spurious. The reasons for this are as follows:
The Manuscript Writer:
The copyist of this manuscript is Ishaq bin Abdulrahman al-Sulaymani, who lived in the tenth century Hijri, as indicated by his handwriting (dated 933 AH). [See "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud," p. 10]
The background and reliability of Ishaq bin Abdulrahman al-Sulaymani are unknown, making him an unknown figure.
Lack of Chain of Transmission:
This Ishaq bin Abdulrahman al-Sulaymani of the tenth century Hijri did not provide any chain of transmission linking him to Imam Abd al-Razzaq (the author of Musannaf). He also did not clarify the source from which he copied this manuscript, making the entire manuscript unverified.
Absence of Verification:
There is no evidence to show where this manuscript has been kept or by whom. Authentic Hadith manuscripts usually have documented hearings by scholars, indicating which scholar heard it from whom and when. For example, see the first page of the manuscript of Musnad al-Humaydi (al-Zahiriyyah). In contrast, the introduction of "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" states:
"There are no hearings recorded on the copy we have." [See p. 14]
Comparison with Other Manuscripts:
The Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, published the Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq using five manuscripts:
The Murad Mulla manuscript (Turkey) - Complete and written in 747 AH. [Musannaf, Vol. 1, p. 11]
The Fayz Allah Afandi manuscript (Turkey) - Incomplete and written in 606 AH. [Vol. 1, p. 11]
The Maktabah al-Sa'idiyyah al-Ammah manuscript (Tonk) - Incomplete and written in 1373 AH.
The Shaykh Muhammad Nasif manuscript (Jeddah) - Incomplete and from the ninth century Hijri. [Vol. 1, p. 12]
The published edition by Habib al-Rahman al-A'zami, based on the Murad Mulla manuscript.
The lack of hearings, the unknown copyist, and the unverified chain of transmission make the Barelvi manuscript highly suspicious and unreliable.
Claims of Stronger Manuscript:
The introduction of the Barelvi-published "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" claims it is stronger than the published manuscript. [See p. 11]
However, this manuscript is filled with obvious errors.
Example:
In the Barelvi "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud," it states:
"Abd al-Razzaq from Ibn Jurayj said: 'Al-Bara informed me…' etc. [p. 55, Hadith 2]"
The editor comments:
"Ibn Jurayj was a reliable Hafiz and used to practice tadlis (concealing defects in chains of narration), but he explicitly mentions hearing here." [Footnote: 1]
Ibn Jurayj was born in 80 AH.
[Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd, Vol. 5, p. 496]
Al-Bara' ibn Azib (RA) passed away in 72 AH. [Taqreeb al-Tahdhib, 248]
It is impossible for Ibn Jurayj to have said, "Al-Bara informed me," as he was born eight years after Al-Bara's death (!).
Humorous Error:
The editor of "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" writes at another place:
"Abd al-Razzaq said: 'Al-Zuhri informed me about Sufyan ibn Shubrumah…' [p. 88, Hadith 28]"
This chain mentions Imam Abd al-Razzaq narrating directly from Al-Zuhri, although Imam Al-Zuhri died in 125 AH, [Taqreeb al-Tahdhib, 6296]
and Imam Abd al-Razzaq was born in 126 AH. [Taqreeb al-Tahdhib, 4026]
It is impossible for Imam Abd al-Razzaq to have said, "Al-Zuhri informed me," as he was born after Al-Zuhri's death.
Contradiction:
In another part of the same book, the editor admits:
"There is a break in the chain between Abd al-Razzaq and Al-Zuhri." [p. 94, Hadith 40, Footnote: 3]
Unknown Narrators:
The narrator "Sufyan ibn Shubrumah" mentioned in the previous example is unknown. It is likely "Sufyan from Ibn Shubrumah," as mentioned in Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah [15/1, Hadith 132].
This means: Sufyan al-Thawri narrating from Abdullah ibn Shubrumah.
I ask Muhammad Abdul-Hakeem Sharaf al-Qadri (Barelvi) and all the Barelvis: Who is "Sufyan ibn Shubrumah"? If it is a mistake by the scribe or typist, why celebrate this erroneous and unverified manuscript?
Conflicting Birth Dates of Al-Zuhri:
There is a disagreement regarding the birth date of Imam Al-Zuhri. Some say it was in 50 or 51 AH.
Imam Yahya ibn Abdullah ibn Bukayr (born 154 AH, died 231 AH), a student of Imam Al-Layth ibn Sa'd, states that Al-Zuhri was born in 56 AH. [Tarikh Dimashq, Vol. 58, p. 228, with an authentic chain; Al-Zuhri by Ibn Asakir, p. 36, Hadith 10]
Uqbah ibn Amir (RA) died around 60 AH.
[Taqreeb al-Tahdhib, 4641]
His grave is in Muqattam (Egypt). [Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, Vol. 2, p. 468]
The "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" states: "Ibn Jurayj from Al-Zuhri that he heard Uqbah ibn Amir… [p. 84, Hadith 24]"
However, there is no evidence that Imam Al-Zuhri met Uqbah ibn Amir (RA). Hafiz Nooruddin Al-Haythami writes: "Al-Zuhri did not hear anything from Uqbah ibn Amir." [Majma' al-Zawaid, Vol. 1, p. 331, end of: Chapter of the Virtue of Adhan]
It is evident that the unknown copyist of "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" fabricated a chain of transmission and falsely attributed it to Imam Al-Zuhri, claiming he heard from Uqbah ibn Amir (RA).
Fabricated Chain:
"Abd al-Razzaq from Ma'mar from Al-Zuhri from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri from his father from his grandfather from Abu Sa'id, etc. [pp. 80, 81, Hadith 20]"
According to Ishaq bin Abdulrahman al-Sulaymani, Imam Al-Zuhri narrates from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (S'ad bin Malik bin Sinan al-Ansari) (RA) from his father (Malik bin Sinan) from his grandfather (Sinan bin Ubayd) from Abu Sa'id.
However, there is no mention of Sinan bin Ubayd as a Sahabi, nor is there any mention of Abu Sa'id as his teacher.
The editor of "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" mistakenly identified Abu Sa'id al-Khudri as Rabi' bin Abdulrahman bin Abi Sa'id, even though Rabi' does not have the kunya Abu Sa'id, and there is no mention of Imam Al-Zuhri as his student.
[See Tahdhib al-Kamal, Vol. 6, p. 124]
Lack of Parallel Narrations:
Authentic Hadith collections often have similar narrations in other books. For example, the first connected Marfu' Hadith in Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq is narrated through 'Abd al-Razzaq from Malik from 'Amr ibn Yahya from his father from Abdullah ibn Zayd. This same narration is found in Musnad Ahmad [Vol. 4, p. 39, Hadith 16438] with the chain: 'Abd al-Razzaq said: 'Malik informed us from 'Amr ibn Yahya from his father from Abdullah ibn Zayd.' The same narration is in Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah [Vol. 1, p. 80, Hadith 155], and with the chain Malik from 'Amr ibn Yahya from his father from Abdullah ibn Zayd, it is found in Muwatta of Imam Malik [Vol. 1, Hadith 31], Sahih Bukhari [185], and Sahih Muslim [235].
The narrations presented by the Barelvis in "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" do not exist in any other authentic Hadith collections, indicating that something is definitely wrong.
These ten reasons demonstrate that the book published under the name "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" is unreliable, unverified, and fabricated. Therefore, it is not permissible to use it as evidence.
Imam Abd al-Razzaq bin Hammam al-San'ani (RA)
There is no doubt that Imam Abd al-Razzaq (RA) (d. 211 AH) was a reliable Hafiz and an Imam. The majority of Hadith scholars have authenticated him, but he was also known to practice tadlis. For more on his tadlis, see "Kitab al-Du'afa" by Al-'Aqeeli (Vol. 3, pp. 110-111, with an authentic chain) and "Tabaqat al-Mudallisin" by Hafiz Ibn Hajar (RA).
The general principle regarding a mudallis narrator is that if their narration is found outside Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim and is reported with 'an (from), it is considered weak and rejected. Therefore, even if the fabricated and spurious "Al-Juz' al-Mafqud" (hypothetically) were proven authentic, the narrations about light (Noor) would still be false and rejected.
In his later years, Imam Abd al-Razzaq became blind and experienced confusion. [See "Al-Kawakib al-Nayyirat," p. 53, T. 34]Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (RA) said: "We came to him (Abd al-Razzaq) before 200 AH when his vision was intact. Anyone who heard from him after he lost his vision, their hearing is weak." [Tarikh Abi Zur'ah al-Dimashqi: 1160, with an authentic chain]
Imam Ahmad further said:
"The Hadith of anyone who heard from him after he lost his sight is not considered. He would be dictated false Hadiths and would narrate them." [Sualat Ibn Hani; 228/5, with an authentic chain]
In this printed, unverified manuscript, even the student of Abd al-Razzaq is unknown, so how can it be relied upon?