Source: Fatāwā ‘Ilmiyyah (Tawdīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 411
Is the book Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān authored by Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar al-‘Asqalānī? Does it contain statements and incidents related to Imām Abū Ḥanīfah (رحمه الله)? What is the status of this book? The Deobandi scholars have quoted this book during discussions, but we were unaware of it. Kindly clarify.
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ‘alā Rasūlillāh, ammā ba‘d!
The book Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān fī Manāqib al-Imām al-A‘ẓam Abī Ḥanīfah al-Nu‘mān is not authored by Ḥāfiẓ Abū al-Faḍl Aḥmad ibn ‘Alī ibn Ḥajar al-‘Asqalānī (d. 852 AH).
Its actual author is:
Shihāb al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī ibn Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī al-Makkī al-Sa‘dī al-Anṣārī al-Shāfi‘ī, Abū al-‘Abbās (d. 973 AH).
Imām Maḥmūd Shukrī ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Ḥusaynī al-Ālūsī al-Baghdādī (d. 1342 AH) said regarding Ibn Ḥajar al-Makkī:
“Most of Ibn Ḥajar’s books are full of lies, fabrications, false statements, baseless opinions, and innovations calling towards other than Allah.”
(Anwār Raḥmānī, translation of Ghāyat al-Amānī, Vol. 2, p. 433)
The book reports Ahadith and narrations without chains, using vague phrases like qāla fulān and ruwiya ‘an fulān. Scholars consider the presentation of unsourced and unauthenticated narrations in this way to be improper and blameworthy.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Makkī frequently quotes fabricated (mawḍū‘) and baseless narrations with certainty, giving the impression that they are authentic.
Example 1:
“From him: If opinion is required, then the opinions of Mālik, Sufyān, and Abū Ḥanīfah are to be taken; and he (Abū Ḥanīfah) is the most learned, the best, the sharpest in intellect, and the deepest in understanding fiqh.”
(Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān, p. 45)
This narration appears in Tārīkh Baghdād (Vol. 13, p. 343) through Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughlis al-Ḥimmanī, whom:
No scholar has declared him trustworthy (thiqqah).
Example 2:
“Wakī‘ said: I have not seen anyone more learned in fiqh nor better in prayer than him (Abū Ḥanīfah).”
(Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān, p. 48)
This is also reported in Tārīkh Baghdād (Vol. 13, p. 345) through Aḥmad ibn al-Ṣalt al-Ḥimmanī, who has been declared a liar by the Hadith critics.
These are just samples — the book is filled with fabricated, baseless, and false reports of this kind.
To quote from a book as proof, three essential conditions must be met:
If even one of these is missing, citing the book as evidence is invalid.
The book Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān by Ibn Ḥajar al-Makkī (an innovator) contains mostly unverified, fabricated, and baseless narrations regarding the virtues of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah (رحمه الله). Therefore, it is not permissible to use it as authoritative evidence.
Conclusion:
Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān is neither the work of Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar al-‘Asqalānī nor a reliable reference source, as it contains numerous fabricated and unauthenticated narrations.
ھٰذَا مَا عِنْدِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
❖ Question:
Is the book Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān authored by Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar al-‘Asqalānī? Does it contain statements and incidents related to Imām Abū Ḥanīfah (رحمه الله)? What is the status of this book? The Deobandi scholars have quoted this book during discussions, but we were unaware of it. Kindly clarify.
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ‘alā Rasūlillāh, ammā ba‘d!
Authorship of Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān
The book Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān fī Manāqib al-Imām al-A‘ẓam Abī Ḥanīfah al-Nu‘mān is not authored by Ḥāfiẓ Abū al-Faḍl Aḥmad ibn ‘Alī ibn Ḥajar al-‘Asqalānī (d. 852 AH).
Its actual author is:
Shihāb al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī ibn Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī al-Makkī al-Sa‘dī al-Anṣārī al-Shāfi‘ī, Abū al-‘Abbās (d. 973 AH).
Imām Ālūsī’s Criticism of Ibn Ḥajar al-Makkī
Imām Maḥmūd Shukrī ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Ḥusaynī al-Ālūsī al-Baghdādī (d. 1342 AH) said regarding Ibn Ḥajar al-Makkī:
“Most of Ibn Ḥajar’s books are full of lies, fabrications, false statements, baseless opinions, and innovations calling towards other than Allah.”
(Anwār Raḥmānī, translation of Ghāyat al-Amānī, Vol. 2, p. 433)
Statements About Imām Ālūsī
- ‘Umar Riḍā Kahhālah writes: “Jamāl al-Dīn Abū al-Ma‘ālī — historian, literary scholar, linguist, among the scholars of religion…” (Mu‘jam al-Mu’allifīn, Vol. 3, p. 810)
- Khair al-Dīn al-Ziriklī writes: “Historian, scholar of literature and religion, a caller to reform; he opposed the people of innovation in Islam through writings, so many became hostile to him.” (Al-A‘lām, Vol. 7, p. 172)
Issues with Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān
➊ Omission of Chains of Narration and Unreliable Style
The book reports Ahadith and narrations without chains, using vague phrases like qāla fulān and ruwiya ‘an fulān. Scholars consider the presentation of unsourced and unauthenticated narrations in this way to be improper and blameworthy.
➋ Inclusion of Fabricated and Baseless Narrations
Ibn Ḥajar al-Makkī frequently quotes fabricated (mawḍū‘) and baseless narrations with certainty, giving the impression that they are authentic.
Example 1:
“From him: If opinion is required, then the opinions of Mālik, Sufyān, and Abū Ḥanīfah are to be taken; and he (Abū Ḥanīfah) is the most learned, the best, the sharpest in intellect, and the deepest in understanding fiqh.”
(Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān, p. 45)
This narration appears in Tārīkh Baghdād (Vol. 13, p. 343) through Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughlis al-Ḥimmanī, whom:
- Imām Ibn ‘Adī said: “Among the liars, I have not seen one more shameless than him.” (Al-Kāmil, Vol. 1, p. 202)
- Imām al-Dāraqutnī said: “He fabricates Hadith.” (Kitāb al-Ḍu‘afā’ wa-l-Matrūkīn, p. 123)
No scholar has declared him trustworthy (thiqqah).
Example 2:
“Wakī‘ said: I have not seen anyone more learned in fiqh nor better in prayer than him (Abū Ḥanīfah).”
(Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān, p. 48)
This is also reported in Tārīkh Baghdād (Vol. 13, p. 345) through Aḥmad ibn al-Ṣalt al-Ḥimmanī, who has been declared a liar by the Hadith critics.
These are just samples — the book is filled with fabricated, baseless, and false reports of this kind.
➌ Conditions for Acceptable Referencing
To quote from a book as proof, three essential conditions must be met:
- The author must be trustworthy (thiqqah, ṣadūq).
- The book must be authentically attributed to the author.
- The chain from the author back to the original narrator must be ṣaḥīḥ or ḥasan li-dhātih.
If even one of these is missing, citing the book as evidence is invalid.
➍ Content and Reliability
The book Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān by Ibn Ḥajar al-Makkī (an innovator) contains mostly unverified, fabricated, and baseless narrations regarding the virtues of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah (رحمه الله). Therefore, it is not permissible to use it as authoritative evidence.
Conclusion:
Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān is neither the work of Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar al-‘Asqalānī nor a reliable reference source, as it contains numerous fabricated and unauthenticated narrations.
ھٰذَا مَا عِنْدِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
