❖ Rejection of Fabricated Narrations and the Intellectual Dishonesty of Hadith Deniers ❖
The methodology of Hadith deniers is such that, in their enmity toward Hadith, they promote fabricated narrations among the public—narrations that have already been declared false and unreliable by the Hadith scholars. They frequently extract such narrations from books like Al-Mawdu‘āt by ʿAllāmah Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله or other compilations of fabricated reports and raise objections upon them. However, they deliberately avoid mentioning that these narrations have already been refuted and invalidated by the Hadith scholars.
In his book Islām ke Mujrim, Dr. Shabbir quotes a narration from Sīrat al-Nabī by ʿAllāmah Shiblī Nuʿmānī stating that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ swore before Ḥafṣah رضي الله عنها that he would no longer have relations with his bondwoman Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah. Dr. Shabbir presents this narration as if it were authentic, deliberately ignoring the detailed scholarly commentary of ʿAllāmah Shiblī himself.
In Sīrat al-Nabī, under the section titled False Narrations, ʿAllāmah Shiblī Nuʿmānī offers a comprehensive critique of this narration and establishes it as fabricated and unacceptable. According to him:
❀ The Qur'an mentions that the Prophet ﷺ forbade something upon himself for the sake of his noble wives, but it does not specify what that thing was.
❀ The narration relating to Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah appears in various books with differing versions and contradictory details, all of which contain significant fabrications and falsehoods.
✔ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar mentions in his Tafsīr of Sūrah al-Taḥrīm that an authentic narration exists wherein the Prophet ﷺ swore an oath before Ḥafṣah رضي الله عنها, but Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah is not mentioned in it.
(Fatḥ al-Bārī, Vol. 8, Pg. 837)
✔ ʿAllāmah ʿAynī wrote that the reason for the revelation of Sūrah al-Taḥrīm was not related to Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah, but rather the incident of honey.
✔ Imām Nawawī clearly stated that no authentic chain exists regarding the story of Māriyah.
(Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Nikāḥ, Vol. 5, Pg. 548)
✔ According to Imām Nawawī, all narrations related to Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah are unreliable.
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar declared a narration from Masrūq as authentic, but it contains no mention of Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah.
❀ Masrūq was a Tābiʿī, thus the narration is munqaṭiʿ (disconnected), as he was not present during the time of the Prophet ﷺ.
❀ Another chain includes the narrator ʿAbd al-Malik Raqāshī, whom Dāraqutnī has described as “kathīr al-khaṭāʾ” (one who makes numerous errors).
ʿAllāmah Shiblī Nuʿmānī asserts that this narration is also unacceptable from a rational perspective. The details it describes are such that they cannot be attributed even to an ordinary person, let alone to the pure and noble character of the Prophet ﷺ.
① The narration regarding Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah is clearly fabricated.
② The Hadith scholars have thoroughly highlighted its weaknesses, and ʿAllāmah Shiblī has elaborated on its unreliability in detail.
③ Individuals like Dr. Shabbir, who deny the authority of Hadith, exploit such false narrations to mislead the masses.
◈ The Attitude of Hadith Deniers
The methodology of Hadith deniers is such that, in their enmity toward Hadith, they promote fabricated narrations among the public—narrations that have already been declared false and unreliable by the Hadith scholars. They frequently extract such narrations from books like Al-Mawdu‘āt by ʿAllāmah Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله or other compilations of fabricated reports and raise objections upon them. However, they deliberately avoid mentioning that these narrations have already been refuted and invalidated by the Hadith scholars.
◈ The Dishonesty of Dr. Shabbir
In his book Islām ke Mujrim, Dr. Shabbir quotes a narration from Sīrat al-Nabī by ʿAllāmah Shiblī Nuʿmānī stating that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ swore before Ḥafṣah رضي الله عنها that he would no longer have relations with his bondwoman Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah. Dr. Shabbir presents this narration as if it were authentic, deliberately ignoring the detailed scholarly commentary of ʿAllāmah Shiblī himself.
◈ Detailed Analysis by ʿAllāmah Shiblī Nuʿmānī
In Sīrat al-Nabī, under the section titled False Narrations, ʿAllāmah Shiblī Nuʿmānī offers a comprehensive critique of this narration and establishes it as fabricated and unacceptable. According to him:
❀ The Qur'an mentions that the Prophet ﷺ forbade something upon himself for the sake of his noble wives, but it does not specify what that thing was.
❀ The narration relating to Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah appears in various books with differing versions and contradictory details, all of which contain significant fabrications and falsehoods.
◈ Opinions of Hadith Scholars
✔ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar mentions in his Tafsīr of Sūrah al-Taḥrīm that an authentic narration exists wherein the Prophet ﷺ swore an oath before Ḥafṣah رضي الله عنها, but Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah is not mentioned in it.
(Fatḥ al-Bārī, Vol. 8, Pg. 837)
✔ ʿAllāmah ʿAynī wrote that the reason for the revelation of Sūrah al-Taḥrīm was not related to Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah, but rather the incident of honey.
✔ Imām Nawawī clearly stated that no authentic chain exists regarding the story of Māriyah.
(Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Nikāḥ, Vol. 5, Pg. 548)
✔ According to Imām Nawawī, all narrations related to Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah are unreliable.
◈ Weakness of the Narration
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar declared a narration from Masrūq as authentic, but it contains no mention of Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah.
❀ Masrūq was a Tābiʿī, thus the narration is munqaṭiʿ (disconnected), as he was not present during the time of the Prophet ﷺ.
❀ Another chain includes the narrator ʿAbd al-Malik Raqāshī, whom Dāraqutnī has described as “kathīr al-khaṭāʾ” (one who makes numerous errors).
◈ Rejection Based on Rational Analysis
ʿAllāmah Shiblī Nuʿmānī asserts that this narration is also unacceptable from a rational perspective. The details it describes are such that they cannot be attributed even to an ordinary person, let alone to the pure and noble character of the Prophet ﷺ.
◈ Conclusion
① The narration regarding Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah is clearly fabricated.
② The Hadith scholars have thoroughly highlighted its weaknesses, and ʿAllāmah Shiblī has elaborated on its unreliability in detail.
③ Individuals like Dr. Shabbir, who deny the authority of Hadith, exploit such false narrations to mislead the masses.
