Introduction to Abu Haroon Al-Abdi: A Narrator of Hadith

Authored by: Hafiz Muhammad Anwar Zahid (May Allah preserve him)

Below is a brief overview of the life and character of the Hadith narrator Abu Haroon Al-Abdi. His full name is ‘Amarah bin Juwain.

Scholarly Opinions on Abu Haroon Al-Abdi​

Al-Dhahabi: Classified him as weak (ضعیف).
Hammad bin Zayd: Declared him a liar (کذاب).
Shu‘bah: Stated:

“If I were given the choice to either be killed or narrate from Abu Haroon Al-Abdi, I would prefer being killed rather than narrating his traditions.”
Imam Ahmad: Said:

"ليس بشيء" (He is nothing).

Yahya bin Ma‘in:

He is weak (ضعیف), and his narrations are unreliable.

Al-Nasa’i:

Categorized him as "abandoned in Hadith" (متروك الحديث).

Al-Daraqutni:

He was unstable in his beliefs, sometimes appearing as a Kharijite and at other times as a Rafidhi.

Ibn Hibban:

All the narrations he attributes to Abu Sa‘id Al-Khudri are lies.

Shu‘bah:

He possessed a book in which he documented slander against Ali (رضي الله عنه). When I asked him about it, he replied, “This is the truth.”

Additional Critiques​

Al-Juzjani:

He was a liar (کذاب) and falsely accused the Companions (صحابہ) of untruths.

Shu‘bah:

I once visited him and asked to see the book he had compiled based on narrations from Abu Sa‘id Al-Khudri. When he showed it to me, it contained an absurd statement that Uthman (رضي الله عنه) denied Allah in his grave. I handed the book back to him and walked away.

Yahya bin Ma‘in:

He owned a document he called Sahifat Al-Wasiyyah.

Salih bin Muhammad:

He was more dishonest than Pharaoh himself.

Fabrications and False Narrations​

Imam Al-Dhahabi also documented some of his fabricated narrations. For more details, refer to:
  • Tahdhib Al-Kamal 2/1000
  • Khilasat Tahdhib Al-Kamal 2/162
  • Tahdhib Al-Tahdhib 7/412
  • Taqrib Al-Tahdhib 2/49
  • Al-Kashif 2/301
  • Tarikh Al-Bukhari Al-Kabir 6/499
  • Al-Jarh wa Al-Ta‘dil 6/2005
  • Al-Bidayah wa Al-Nihayah 10/57
  • Tabaqat Ibn Sa‘d 7/246
  • ‘Ilal Ahmad 1/137
  • Tabaqat Khalifah 217
  • Ma‘rifah wa Al-Tarikh 2/174
  • Sunan Al-Tirmidhi 4/337
  • Tarikh Abu Zur‘ah Al-Dimashqi 482
  • Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 13/15782
  • Tarikh Al-Duri 2/424
  • Ibn Tahman 145, Ibn Mahraz 43, Ibn Al-Junaid 1, and Ahwal Al-Rijal (T 142).

Conclusion​

The critical evaluations from renowned scholars make it clear that Abu Haroon Al-Abdi was a discredited narrator. His narrations are unreliable and often fabricated, leading to a unanimous rejection of his works in Hadith scholarship.
 
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