Question
What is the status of the narrations of Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar al-Wāqidī?
Answer
Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar al-Wāqidī is considered weak (ḍaʿīf) and abandoned (matrūk). He is unreliable in both ḥadīth and history, and it is not permissible to use his narrations as proof.
Scholarly Statement
❀ Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī (رحمه الله, d. 748H) said:
قد انعقد الإجماع اليوم على أنه ليس بحجة، وأن حديثه فى عداد الواهي
“Consensus has now been established that al-Wāqidī is not a proof, and his ḥadīth is counted among the very weak.”
(Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ 9/469)
Conclusion:The narrations of Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar al-Wāqidī are unacceptable in both ḥadīth and history, and scholars have agreed that he is not reliable.
