Question:
Is "Al-Khairat Al-Hasan" written by Hafiz Ibn Hajar Asqalani, may Allah have mercy on him? And does it include the statements and events related to Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him?
Answer:
The book "Al-Khairat Al-Hasan fi Manaqib al-Imam al-A'zam Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man" is not written by Hafiz Abu al-Fadl Ahmad bin Ali bin Hajar al-Asqalani, may Allah have mercy on him (died 852 AH), but by Shihab al-Din Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Hajar al-Haytami al-Makki al-Sa'di al-Ansari al-Shafi'i Abu al-Abbas (died 973 AH).
Regarding Ibn Hajar al-Makki, Imam Mahmoud Shakri bin Abdullah bin Mahmoud bin Abdullah bin Mahmoud al-Husaini al-Alusi al-Baghdadi, may Allah have mercy on him (died 1342 AH), writes:"Most of Ibn Hajar's books are filled with falsehood, fabrications, forced statements, baseless opinions, and calls to innovations and misguidance." [Anwar Rahmani, Translation of Ghayat al-Amani: 2/433]
Imam Alusi further writes:
"All of Ibn Hajar's books are considered by those with insight to be compilations of flaws, and they even contain flaws found in other books... Moreover, they include fabricated hadiths falsely attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (صلی الله علیه وسلم)." [Anwar Rahmani, Translation of Ghayat al-Amani, 2/433-434]
Umar Rida Kahalah writes about Imam Alusi:
"Jamal al-Din Abu al-Ma'ali, a historian, linguist, and religious scholar..." [Mu'jam al-Mu'allifin, Vol. 3, p.810, No. 16603]
Khairuddin Zarkali has noted:
"A historian knowledgeable in literature and religion, a preacher of reform, and a critic of innovators in Islam, who was opposed by many." [Al-A'lam, Vol. 8, p.172]
Key Points Regarding "Al-Khairat Al-Hasan":
وعنه : ان احتيج للراي فراي مالك و سفيان وابي حنيفة وهو افقههم و احسنهم وادقهم فطنة و اغوصهم على الفقه [الخيرات الحسان ص45]
Translation:
Ibn Mubarak says that if opinion is needed, then the opinions of Imam Malik, Sufyan, and Imam Abu Hanifah are correct. Among all, Imam Abu Hanifah was the most learned and the best jurist, and he was the most perceptive and deeply contemplative in jurisprudence. [Sirtaj al-Muhaddithin p. 157, translated by Abdul Ghani Tariq Deobandi]
Commentary:
This narration is found in Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi (Vol. 13, p. 343) through the chain of Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Maghlas (Al-Hamani). Regarding Ibn Maghlas, Imam Ibn Adi, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "And I have not seen anyone more shameless among the liars." [Al-Kamil by Ibn Adi, Vol. 1, p. 202]
Imam Darqutni, may Allah have mercy on him, stated:"He fabricated hadiths." [Kitab al-Duafa al-Matrukoon: p. 123, biography 59]No hadith scholar has regarded this person as reliable or truthful.
Hafiz Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
"And a group like Al-Bukhari, Ahmad bin Hanbal, Abu Zur'ah, and Ibn Adi were moderate and just.""This means Imam Bukhari, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Imam Abu Zur'ah, and Imam Ibn Adi, may Allah have mercy on them, were all moderate and fair." [Mention of those whose statements are reliable in criticism and validation: 2/159]
Sakhawi states:
"And a category of moderate [critics of narrators] are like Ahmad, Darqutni, and Ibn Adi." [Al-Mutakallimun Fi al-Rijal, p. 137]
This example illustrates the importance of critically assessing chains of narration and the credibility of narrators within Islamic scholarship. Even a text attributed to respected figures can be questioned based on the reliability of its transmitters.
ابن حجر المکی نے کہا: وقال وكيع : ما رايت احدا فقه منه ولااحسن صلاة منه [الخيرات الحسان : 48]
Translation:
The hadith scholar Waki' (may Allah have mercy on him) stated, "I have never seen anyone more knowledgeable in jurisprudence than Imam Abu Hanifah, nor have I seen anyone perform prayers better than him." [Sirtaj al-Muhaddithin, p. 163]
Commentary:
This narration is present in Tarikh Baghdad [Vol. 13, p. 345] through the chain of Ahmad bin al-Salt al-Hamani, and Ahmad bin al-Salt is known to be a liar as previously mentioned. These two examples are presented as samples; however, "Al-Khairat Al-Hasan" is filled with such fabricated, baseless, and false narrations.
For citing a reference from a book, three key aspects are essential:
Is "Al-Khairat Al-Hasan" written by Hafiz Ibn Hajar Asqalani, may Allah have mercy on him? And does it include the statements and events related to Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him?
Answer:
The book "Al-Khairat Al-Hasan fi Manaqib al-Imam al-A'zam Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man" is not written by Hafiz Abu al-Fadl Ahmad bin Ali bin Hajar al-Asqalani, may Allah have mercy on him (died 852 AH), but by Shihab al-Din Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Hajar al-Haytami al-Makki al-Sa'di al-Ansari al-Shafi'i Abu al-Abbas (died 973 AH).
Regarding Ibn Hajar al-Makki, Imam Mahmoud Shakri bin Abdullah bin Mahmoud bin Abdullah bin Mahmoud al-Husaini al-Alusi al-Baghdadi, may Allah have mercy on him (died 1342 AH), writes:"Most of Ibn Hajar's books are filled with falsehood, fabrications, forced statements, baseless opinions, and calls to innovations and misguidance." [Anwar Rahmani, Translation of Ghayat al-Amani: 2/433]
Imam Alusi further writes:
"All of Ibn Hajar's books are considered by those with insight to be compilations of flaws, and they even contain flaws found in other books... Moreover, they include fabricated hadiths falsely attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (صلی الله علیه وسلم)." [Anwar Rahmani, Translation of Ghayat al-Amani, 2/433-434]
Umar Rida Kahalah writes about Imam Alusi:
"Jamal al-Din Abu al-Ma'ali, a historian, linguist, and religious scholar..." [Mu'jam al-Mu'allifin, Vol. 3, p.810, No. 16603]
Khairuddin Zarkali has noted:
"A historian knowledgeable in literature and religion, a preacher of reform, and a critic of innovators in Islam, who was opposed by many." [Al-A'lam, Vol. 8, p.172]
Key Points Regarding "Al-Khairat Al-Hasan":
- Narratives in the book have been written without chains of transmission (sanad), merely mentioning 'so-and-so said' or 'narrated by so-and-so', a practice well-known among scholars as highly flawed and undesirable when dealing with unverified and unsourced narratives.
- Ibn Hajar al-Makki has presented fabricated and baseless narratives with definitive phrases, possibly leading common people to mistakenly believe that these narratives are authentic and established.
Example No. 1
Text:وعنه : ان احتيج للراي فراي مالك و سفيان وابي حنيفة وهو افقههم و احسنهم وادقهم فطنة و اغوصهم على الفقه [الخيرات الحسان ص45]
Translation:
Ibn Mubarak says that if opinion is needed, then the opinions of Imam Malik, Sufyan, and Imam Abu Hanifah are correct. Among all, Imam Abu Hanifah was the most learned and the best jurist, and he was the most perceptive and deeply contemplative in jurisprudence. [Sirtaj al-Muhaddithin p. 157, translated by Abdul Ghani Tariq Deobandi]
Commentary:
This narration is found in Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi (Vol. 13, p. 343) through the chain of Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Maghlas (Al-Hamani). Regarding Ibn Maghlas, Imam Ibn Adi, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "And I have not seen anyone more shameless among the liars." [Al-Kamil by Ibn Adi, Vol. 1, p. 202]
Imam Darqutni, may Allah have mercy on him, stated:"He fabricated hadiths." [Kitab al-Duafa al-Matrukoon: p. 123, biography 59]No hadith scholar has regarded this person as reliable or truthful.
Hafiz Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
"And a group like Al-Bukhari, Ahmad bin Hanbal, Abu Zur'ah, and Ibn Adi were moderate and just.""This means Imam Bukhari, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Imam Abu Zur'ah, and Imam Ibn Adi, may Allah have mercy on them, were all moderate and fair." [Mention of those whose statements are reliable in criticism and validation: 2/159]
Sakhawi states:
"And a category of moderate [critics of narrators] are like Ahmad, Darqutni, and Ibn Adi." [Al-Mutakallimun Fi al-Rijal, p. 137]
This example illustrates the importance of critically assessing chains of narration and the credibility of narrators within Islamic scholarship. Even a text attributed to respected figures can be questioned based on the reliability of its transmitters.
Example No. 2
Text:ابن حجر المکی نے کہا: وقال وكيع : ما رايت احدا فقه منه ولااحسن صلاة منه [الخيرات الحسان : 48]
Translation:
The hadith scholar Waki' (may Allah have mercy on him) stated, "I have never seen anyone more knowledgeable in jurisprudence than Imam Abu Hanifah, nor have I seen anyone perform prayers better than him." [Sirtaj al-Muhaddithin, p. 163]
Commentary:
This narration is present in Tarikh Baghdad [Vol. 13, p. 345] through the chain of Ahmad bin al-Salt al-Hamani, and Ahmad bin al-Salt is known to be a liar as previously mentioned. These two examples are presented as samples; however, "Al-Khairat Al-Hasan" is filled with such fabricated, baseless, and false narrations.
For citing a reference from a book, three key aspects are essential:
- The author of the book must be reliable and truthful.
- The book must be authentically attributed to its author.
- From the author of the book to the narrator of the statement or narration, the chain of transmission must be sound and reliable.