Written by: Maulana Abu al-Hasan Mubashar Ahmad Rabbani (Hafizahullah)
Question:
In Tuhfat al-Salat ila al-Nabi al-Mukhtar [18, 19], there is a narration from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked Jibril (peace be upon him), “How old are you?” Jibril (peace be upon him) replied, “O my Master! I do not know how old I am! Yes, O Messenger of Allah, a luminous star would rise on the fourth veil of the Throne every seventy thousand years, and I have seen it seventy thousand times.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) then said, “By the honor and greatness of my Lord, O Jibril, that luminous star was me.”
The inquiry is about the reference from Tarikh Bukhari mentioned in the book. Is this correct?
Answer:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"Whoever attributes to me something that I have not said, let him prepare his place in the Fire."
(Musnad Ahmad: 1/65)
Therefore, one must be cautious when attributing words to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he did not say. We have not found this narration in either Tarikh al-Kabir or Tarikh al-Saghir by Imam Bukhari. Moreover, no authentic chain of transmission for this narration has been found in any Hadith book up to this day.
◈ Imam Abdullah bin Mubarak said:
"The chain of narration is part of the religion. If it were not for the chain, anyone could say whatever they wished."
(Introduction to Sahih Muslim: Chapter on Explaining that the Chain of Narration is Part of the Religion: 32)
◈ Imam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) states in Minhaj al-Sunnah [4/11]:
"The chain of narration is one of the unique characteristics of this Ummah. Therefore, for a narration to be considered authentic, it is necessary that it has a valid chain of transmission. When a narration has no chain, it cannot be considered a valid proof in any way."
Question:
In Tuhfat al-Salat ila al-Nabi al-Mukhtar [18, 19], there is a narration from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked Jibril (peace be upon him), “How old are you?” Jibril (peace be upon him) replied, “O my Master! I do not know how old I am! Yes, O Messenger of Allah, a luminous star would rise on the fourth veil of the Throne every seventy thousand years, and I have seen it seventy thousand times.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) then said, “By the honor and greatness of my Lord, O Jibril, that luminous star was me.”
The inquiry is about the reference from Tarikh Bukhari mentioned in the book. Is this correct?
Answer:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"Whoever attributes to me something that I have not said, let him prepare his place in the Fire."
(Musnad Ahmad: 1/65)
Therefore, one must be cautious when attributing words to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he did not say. We have not found this narration in either Tarikh al-Kabir or Tarikh al-Saghir by Imam Bukhari. Moreover, no authentic chain of transmission for this narration has been found in any Hadith book up to this day.
◈ Imam Abdullah bin Mubarak said:
"The chain of narration is part of the religion. If it were not for the chain, anyone could say whatever they wished."
(Introduction to Sahih Muslim: Chapter on Explaining that the Chain of Narration is Part of the Religion: 32)
◈ Imam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) states in Minhaj al-Sunnah [4/11]:
"The chain of narration is one of the unique characteristics of this Ummah. Therefore, for a narration to be considered authentic, it is necessary that it has a valid chain of transmission. When a narration has no chain, it cannot be considered a valid proof in any way."