Ashraf Asif Jalali and His Reliance on Weak Narrations
Source: Monthly al-Hadith, Hazro
Introduction
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings upon His trustworthy Messenger.
Dr. Ashraf Asif Jalali frequently uses weak, rejected, and unproven stories and narrations to support his misguided beliefs. During a speech at a Tawhid Seminar, he referenced the story of Waraqah ibn Nawfal to attempt to substantiate his erroneous claims. He narrated this from al-Nihāyah:
Waraqah ibn Nawfal passed by Bilāl (رضي الله عنه) when he was being tortured. Waraqah said:
“By Allah! If you martyr him, I will make his grave a sanctuary (ḥanān).” Ibn al-Athīr explained that ḥanān means mercy, kindness, sustenance, and blessing. Waraqah intended to make Bilāl’s grave a cradle of divine mercy, touching it for blessings just as the graves of righteous martyrs were touched in earlier communities.
Jalali claimed:
“This is not the talk of modern-day mystics but the declaration of monotheists. When Bilāl gave the call to tawḥīd and Waraqah supported him, Waraqah threatened the idolaters of Makkah: ‘If you kill Bilāl out of your hatred for his love of Allah, I will venerate his grave, and you will be humiliated.’”
Jalali continued:
“Let it be known that this is not some personal writing of mine—it’s from the sixth-century scholar’s book. This statement was uttered by Waraqah ibn Nawfal, a monotheist, confirming that those who seek blessings from graves are not polytheists but believers in tawḥīd.”
He then tried to address a possible objection, stating:
“Some might wonder about the ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī stating that Waraqah died soon after the start of revelation, while Bilāl accepted Islam later. But I have Fatḥ al-Bārī and other sources that clarify this. Ibn Ḥajar wrote that the phrase ‘wa-fatara al-waḥy’ in the narration is not for chronological order, and perhaps the narrator did not know precisely how long Waraqah lived after the start of revelation. Thus, these scholars affirmed that Waraqah was alive when Bilāl was giving the calls to tawḥīd.”
The Actual Status of the Story
While Jalali delivered this rhetorical flourish, the story he narrated actually appears in various sources:
① Ibn Isḥāq narrated it through Hishām ibn ʿUrwah from his father.
(Sīrah, p. 227)
② In Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, the chain is from Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq through Hishām ibn ʿUrwah from his father.
(p. 147-148)
③ Al-Kāmil by Ibn al-Athīr mentions it without a chain.
(p. 589)
④ Sīrat Ibn Hishām also includes it.
(p. 340)
⑤ Al-Bidāyah wa-l-Nihāyah by Ibn Kathīr.
(Vol. 3, p. 57)
All these works ultimately trace the story to Ibn Isḥāq.
Additionally, al-Layth ibn Saʿd and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī al-Zinād also reported it from ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr.
(ʿUyūn al-Athar, 1/114; al-Iṣābah, 3/634, entry 9131)
The Key Issue: Disconnection (Inqitāʿ) of the Chains
All these narrations suffer from disconnection (inqiṭāʿ). ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr (d. 94 AH) was not alive during the time of Waraqah ibn Nawfal or Bilāl (رضي الله عنهما). ʿUrwah was born in the early years of ʿUthmān’s caliphate (which began in 23 AH), whereas Bilāl passed away in Shām in 20 AH or earlier.
(Refer: Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, no. 4511)
Therefore, ʿUrwah’s narration from Bilāl or Waraqah is disconnected and hence weak by consensus.
Scholarly Consensus on Disconnected Narrations
(Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār, 2/164)
(Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl, 3/416)
(Taysīr Muṣṭalaḥ al-Ḥadīth, p. 25)
Hence, calling such narrations “marāsīl jayyidah” (good mursal) by some does not validate them. They remain weak by the agreed standards of ḥadīth science.
Contradiction with Authentic Narrations
This weak narration also contradicts the authentic statement of Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها):
“Then Waraqah soon passed away, and revelation paused.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6982, 3953, 3)
This reliable statement is further supported by:
These texts confirm that Waraqah passed away soon after the first revelation, making it impossible for him to have encountered Bilāl’s conversion or defense.
Conclusion
❖ The story Ashraf Asif Jalali uses is based on weak, disconnected narrations and directly contradicts the authentic statements of the Prophet’s wife, Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها).
❖ Hafiz Ibn Ḥajar’s interpretations in Fatḥ al-Bārī and Hafiz Ibn Kathīr’s explanations carry no weight if the foundation is an invalid narration.
❖ Relying on such narrations to support grave veneration and other deviant practices is both methodologically and theologically baseless.
May Allah grant us all the ability to follow the Qur’an and Sunnah according to the understanding of the pious predecessors and protect us from the deceptions of innovators and distorters. Āmīn.
Source: Monthly al-Hadith, Hazro
Introduction
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings upon His trustworthy Messenger.
Dr. Ashraf Asif Jalali frequently uses weak, rejected, and unproven stories and narrations to support his misguided beliefs. During a speech at a Tawhid Seminar, he referenced the story of Waraqah ibn Nawfal to attempt to substantiate his erroneous claims. He narrated this from al-Nihāyah:
Waraqah ibn Nawfal passed by Bilāl (رضي الله عنه) when he was being tortured. Waraqah said:
“By Allah! If you martyr him, I will make his grave a sanctuary (ḥanān).” Ibn al-Athīr explained that ḥanān means mercy, kindness, sustenance, and blessing. Waraqah intended to make Bilāl’s grave a cradle of divine mercy, touching it for blessings just as the graves of righteous martyrs were touched in earlier communities.
Jalali claimed:
“This is not the talk of modern-day mystics but the declaration of monotheists. When Bilāl gave the call to tawḥīd and Waraqah supported him, Waraqah threatened the idolaters of Makkah: ‘If you kill Bilāl out of your hatred for his love of Allah, I will venerate his grave, and you will be humiliated.’”
Jalali continued:
“Let it be known that this is not some personal writing of mine—it’s from the sixth-century scholar’s book. This statement was uttered by Waraqah ibn Nawfal, a monotheist, confirming that those who seek blessings from graves are not polytheists but believers in tawḥīd.”
He then tried to address a possible objection, stating:
“Some might wonder about the ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī stating that Waraqah died soon after the start of revelation, while Bilāl accepted Islam later. But I have Fatḥ al-Bārī and other sources that clarify this. Ibn Ḥajar wrote that the phrase ‘wa-fatara al-waḥy’ in the narration is not for chronological order, and perhaps the narrator did not know precisely how long Waraqah lived after the start of revelation. Thus, these scholars affirmed that Waraqah was alive when Bilāl was giving the calls to tawḥīd.”
The Actual Status of the Story
While Jalali delivered this rhetorical flourish, the story he narrated actually appears in various sources:
① Ibn Isḥāq narrated it through Hishām ibn ʿUrwah from his father.
(Sīrah, p. 227)
② In Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, the chain is from Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq through Hishām ibn ʿUrwah from his father.
(p. 147-148)
③ Al-Kāmil by Ibn al-Athīr mentions it without a chain.
(p. 589)
④ Sīrat Ibn Hishām also includes it.
(p. 340)
⑤ Al-Bidāyah wa-l-Nihāyah by Ibn Kathīr.
(Vol. 3, p. 57)
All these works ultimately trace the story to Ibn Isḥāq.
Additionally, al-Layth ibn Saʿd and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī al-Zinād also reported it from ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr.
(ʿUyūn al-Athar, 1/114; al-Iṣābah, 3/634, entry 9131)
The Key Issue: Disconnection (Inqitāʿ) of the Chains
All these narrations suffer from disconnection (inqiṭāʿ). ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr (d. 94 AH) was not alive during the time of Waraqah ibn Nawfal or Bilāl (رضي الله عنهما). ʿUrwah was born in the early years of ʿUthmān’s caliphate (which began in 23 AH), whereas Bilāl passed away in Shām in 20 AH or earlier.
(Refer: Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, no. 4511)
Therefore, ʿUrwah’s narration from Bilāl or Waraqah is disconnected and hence weak by consensus.
Scholarly Consensus on Disconnected Narrations
- Imām Ṭaḥāwī (Ḥanafī) wrote that Imām Abū Ḥanīfah did not consider disconnected narrations as proof:
(Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār, 2/164)
- Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī stated:
(Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl, 3/416)
- Dr. Maḥmūd al-Ṭaḥḥān wrote:
(Taysīr Muṣṭalaḥ al-Ḥadīth, p. 25)
Hence, calling such narrations “marāsīl jayyidah” (good mursal) by some does not validate them. They remain weak by the agreed standards of ḥadīth science.
Contradiction with Authentic Narrations
This weak narration also contradicts the authentic statement of Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها):
“Then Waraqah soon passed away, and revelation paused.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6982, 3953, 3)
This reliable statement is further supported by:
- Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq (5/322, 9719)
- Musnad Aḥmad (6/233, 25959)
- Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān (al-Iḥsān: 33)
- Ṣaḥīḥ Abī ʿAwnah (1/111, 245)
- Dalāʾil al-Nubuwwah by al-Bayhaqī (2/137)
- Sharḥ al-Sunnah by al-Baghawī (13/318, 3735), who said it is agreed upon for its authenticity
These texts confirm that Waraqah passed away soon after the first revelation, making it impossible for him to have encountered Bilāl’s conversion or defense.
Conclusion
❖ The story Ashraf Asif Jalali uses is based on weak, disconnected narrations and directly contradicts the authentic statements of the Prophet’s wife, Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها).
❖ Hafiz Ibn Ḥajar’s interpretations in Fatḥ al-Bārī and Hafiz Ibn Kathīr’s explanations carry no weight if the foundation is an invalid narration.
❖ Relying on such narrations to support grave veneration and other deviant practices is both methodologically and theologically baseless.
May Allah grant us all the ability to follow the Qur’an and Sunnah according to the understanding of the pious predecessors and protect us from the deceptions of innovators and distorters. Āmīn.
