Ḥadīth of Rukānah رضي الله عنه: Imam al-Shāfiʿī’s Chain, Authentication of Narrators, and Scholarly Review of Weak Isnāds
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1 – Principles, Takhrīj, and Authentication of Narrations – p. 597
❖ Question
Is the narration of Rukānah ibn ʿAbd Yazīd رضي الله عنه regarding divorce, reported in Sunan Abī Dāwūd (Kitāb al-Ṭalāq, Bāb fī al-Battah) through Imām al-Shāfiʿī’s isnād, authentic? And what is the grading of the same narration through the following two isnāds:
① "حدثنا سليمان بن داود العتكي، نا جرير بن حازم، عن الزبير بن سعيد، عن عبدالله بن علي ابن يزيد بن ركانة، عن أبيه، عن جده"
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, ḥadīth 2208; Musnad Abī Dāwūd al-Ṭayālisī, ḥadīth 1188)
② "حدثنا هناد: نا قبيصة عن جرير بن حازم….."
(Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Ṭalāq, ḥadīth 1177)
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, wa al-ṣalātu wa al-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
1. The Isnād of Imām al-Shāfiʿī
– In Sunan Abī Dāwūd, this narration through Imām al-Shāfiʿī appears under ḥadīth no. 2206 (per our copy).
– References: Musnad al-Shāfiʿī (p. 153, ed. Sanjar ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Nāṣirī 1279), al-Umm (7/174).
Grading:
– This chain is ḥasan li-dhātihī.
– Imām Abū Dāwūd, Ibn Ḥibbān, al-Ḥākim, and al-Qurṭubī رحمهُم الله declared it ṣaḥīḥ.
– Imām al-Bukhārī considered it muḍṭarib and defective, but upon examination, no real iḍṭirāb exists.
– Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr suggested weakness due to some allegedly majhūl narrators, but the claim is unsupported.
Clarification on Narrators:
➊ Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Shāfiʿ (uncle of Imām al-Shāfiʿī)
– Declared thiqah by Imām al-Shāfiʿī: “My uncle is trustworthy.” (Musnad al-Shāfiʿī, p. 276; al-Umm, 5/174)
– Abū Dāwūd graded his ḥadīth ṣaḥīḥ (Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī, 4/33, ḥadīth 3933).
– Al-Ḥākim: “He was the shaykh of Quraysh in his time.” (al-Mustadrak, 2/200, ḥadīth 2808).
➋ ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Sāʾib
– Declared thiqah by Imām al-Shāfiʿī (Musnad al-Shāfiʿī, p. 276).
– Mentioned in al-Thiqāt of Ibn Ḥibbān (5/34).
– Abū Dāwūd also authenticated his ḥadīth, indicating tawthīq.
– In Taḥrīr Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb (2/241, no. 3484): “Ṣadūq, ḥasan al-ḥadīth.”
➌ Nāfiʿ ibn ʿUjayr
– Mentioned in al-Thiqāt of Ibn Ḥibbān (5/469).
– Narrations recorded by al-Ḥākim (al-Mustadrak, 3/211, ḥadīth 4939).
– Abū Dāwūd also authenticated his narration.
– Some scholars (e.g., al-Baghawī, Abū Nuʿaym, Ibn Ḥajar) even listed him among the Companions (al-Iṣābah, 3/545, no. 8661).
Conclusion: The isnād of Imām al-Shāfiʿī is ḥasan and reliable, and the narrators are either ṣaḥābī, thiqah, or ṣadūq.
2. The Isnād through Jareer ibn Hāzim → al-Zubayr ibn Saʿīd
– Found in Sunan Abī Dāwūd (ḥadīth 2208) and Musnad al-Ṭayālisī (ḥadīth 1188).
– al-Zubayr ibn Saʿīd is layyin al-ḥadīth (weak). (Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, no. 1995).
– Therefore, this chain is ḍaʿīf.
3. The Isnād in Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī
– Narrated through Hunnād → Qabīṣah → Jarīr ibn Hāzim → al-Zubayr ibn Saʿīd.
– Same weakness applies due to al-Zubayr ibn Saʿīd.
– Hence, this chain is also ḍaʿīf.
❖ Final Conclusion
✔ The chain of Imām al-Shāfiʿī for the ḥadīth of Rukānah رضي الله عنه is ḥasan li-dhātihī and acceptable.
✘ The other chains (through al-Zubayr ibn Saʿīd) in Abī Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī are weak due to a weak narrator.
Certification: May 2000
ھذا ما عندي، واللہ أعلم بالصواب
