The Testimony of Husayn (May Allah be pleased with him) and the Investigation of the Dream Narrative
Question:
There is a narration of a dream transmitted from Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) in which it is stated that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was seen in a dream with a dusty face and disheveled hair. In his hand was a bottle filled with blood. Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) asked: O Messenger of Allah! What kind of bottle is this filled with blood? The Noble Prophet (Peace be upon him) replied: “I am coming from the battlefield of Karbala and all day I have been collecting the blood of Husayn (May Allah be pleased with him) and his family.”
Some Shia individuals have raised objections to these hadiths and have declared their chains of transmission (isnads) to be questionable. In response to these objections, the following investigation is presented, which is based on the Quran, Hadith, and the science of the names of narrators (Ilm al-Asma’ al-Rijal).
The Original Source of the Narrative
This narration is mentioned in
and
with references from
and
.
Text of the Hadith:
عن ابن عباس انه قال: رایت النبی صلی الله علیه وسلم فیما یری النائم ذات یوم بنصف النهار اشعث اغبر، بیده قارورة فیها دم، فقلت: بابی انت و امی ماهذا؟ قال: «هذا دم الحسین و اصحابه، لم ازل التقطه منذ الیوم، فاحصی ذلک الوقت فاجد قتل ذلک الوقت»
Ibn Abbas (RA) said: I saw the Prophet ﷺ in a dream at noon; his hair was disheveled and his face was dusty. In his hand was a bottle filled with blood. I asked: May my parents be sacrificed for you, what is this?
He ﷺ said: “This is the blood of Hussain and his companions; I have been collecting it since morning.”
Ibn Abbas (RA) said: I remembered that time and realized that it was the time of the martyrdom of Hazrat Hussain (RA).
Authentication of the Narration
This narration has been transmitted by the following scholars:
✿
✿
✿
✿
✿
This narration is transmitted through the chain of
.
have declared it
.
Statement of Imam Ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi:
“تفرد بہ احمد و اسنادہ قوی”
Only Imam Ahmad has narrated it and its chain is strong.
Opinions of Muhaddithin regarding Hammad bin Salamah
Sheikh Wasiullah bin Muhammad Abbas al-Madani:
“اسنادہ صحیح”
His chain is authentic.
Status of Hammad bin Salamah:
✿ Central narrator of
and
✿ His narrations have been taken as proof in many hadiths of Sahih Muslim
Criticism and Amendments by Muhaddithin:
➊
“حماد بن سلمۃ ثقۃ”
➋
“بصری، ثقہ، رجل صالح، حسن الحدیث”
➌
“وھو ثقۃ”
➍
Aswaalat Ibn Hani
Mawsu’at Aqwal Al-Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal
➎
and other Muhaddithin have also declared Hammad bin Salamah as trustworthy.
Hafiz Dhahabi:
“الامام الحافظ شیخ الاسلام”
“ولم ینحط حدیثہ عن رتبة الحسن”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar:
“ثقۃ، عابد، اثبت الناس فی ثابت، و تغیر حفظہ باخرۃ”
The Chain of Transmission’s Evidential Importance
✿ Narrators such as
have their narrations present as evidence in
.
✿ The Ahadith taken from these Muhaddithin are before mixing, therefore the criticism of mixing is rejected regarding them.
Conclusion
This narration is either Sahih or at the level of Hasan Lidhatihi. Its chains of transmission are strong and established from reliable hadith scholars. The narrators of the hadith are trustworthy, and the criticisms against them are unacceptable because these narrations are from before the period of mixing.
ھذا ما عندی واللہ اعلم بالصواب
