Question:
The Barelvi sect, which emerged in the fifteenth century, believes that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was a light from the light of Allah (God forbid, this implies a direct attribution of divinity to Allah’s essence, which constitutes shirk). To justify this misguided belief, they present a fabricated narrative, which is not found in any Hadith collections, referred to as the "Hadith of Jabir". The narrative states: "O Jabir, the first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet Muhammad ﷺ..."Recently, Pakistani Barelvis have claimed to have discovered the chain of narrators for this fabricated narrative, known as the Hadith of Jabir. This absurd claim from the fifteenth century is academically refuted in this research paper.
Answer:
Criteria for Citing from Written and Published Books
The Quran is the book of Allah, revealed to His servant and messenger, Muhammad ﷺ, and is preserved exactly as it was revealed, both in the hands and hearts of Muslims.The narrations of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ are accurately preserved in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. There is a consensus among the Muslim Ummah on the authenticity of these two books. See 'Ulum al-Hadith by Ibn Salah [p.41, 42] and Ikhtisar 'Ulum al-Hadith [p.128, 124].
Shah Waliullah Dehlawi Al-Hanafi states: "All the hadith scholars agree that all the connected (muttasil) and raised (marfu') hadiths in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are certainly authentic. These books have been transmitted continuously to their authors, and anyone who does not respect them is considered an innovator, who goes against the path of the Muslims." [Hujjat Allah al-Baligha, Urdu: 1/242, translated by Abdul Haq Haqqani]
Besides these three books, the following conditions must be met to cite from any other book:
- The author of the book must be trustworthy and reliable, such as Imam Abu Dawood (author of Sunan), Imam Tirmidhi (author of Jami'), Imam Nasa'i (author of Mujtaba and Kubra), Imam Ibn Majah (author of Sunan), Imam Malik (author of Muwatta), and others who are considered highly trustworthy.
- If the author is not trustworthy and reliable but rather criticized or unknown, any argument based on his book is invalid. For example, Ahmad bin Marwan bin Muhammad al-Dinawari, author of Majalis and Jawahir al-'Ilm, is known for fabricating hadiths. Similarly, others who lack reliability are therefore rejected in their citations.
- The scribe or copier of the manuscript: Must be trustworthy and reliable.
- Hafiz Ibn Salah al-Shahrazuri states, "It is necessary that the transcriber of the manuscript from the original is not faulty in transmission but accurate and commits few errors." ['Ilm al-Hadith by Ibn Salah, p. 303, type: 25]
- This condition indicates that if the scribe of the book is not trustworthy or is unknown, citing from the book is not permissible.
The Importance of Authenticity in Manuscript Transmission
The Manuscript Copyist to Book Author Authentic Chain
For instance, Ibn Abi Hatim al-Razi's book "Usul al-Din" has a verified chain from the manuscript copyist to Ibn Abi Hatim himself. [See Al-Hadith Hazro, vol. 2, p. 41] Conversely, "Sharh al-Sunnah" by al-Barbahari has two criticized narrators in its chain:- Ghulam Khalil is considered a liar. [Al-Hadith, vol. 2, p. 25]
- Qadi Ahmad bin Kamil is considered lenient and weak. [Ibid., p. 25]
Manuscript (Handwritten Copy) Location, Script, Dating, and Verification
It is essential to recognize the manuscript’s location, script, dating, and establish its antiquity. A manuscript that is ancient, accurate, and has fewer errors holds superiority over all subsequent copies.Scholars and Religious Leaders’ Endorsements on the Manuscript
For example, the manuscript of Musnad al-Humaidi, known as the Zahiriyya manuscript, is older (dated 689H) than the Deobandi and Saeedi versions. It has endorsements from esteemed scholars and contains minimal errors, therefore it holds superiority over the other two.Manuscript's Fame Among Scholars
If someone from remote places like Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, or Georgia suddenly claims to have found a manuscript and starts publicizing it, such a manuscript holds no scholarly value unless recognized and accepted by academic standards.Consideration of Other Copies of the Book
For instance, Qasim bin Qutlubuga, a known fabricator, cited a hadith with an addition "under the sirah" from an unknown copy of "Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah" while this addition is absent in all other known copies. Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri, a Deobandi scholar, teaches a principle that:"If a phrase is found in some copies and missing in others, then:the phrase is dubious."[ Bada'i al-Sana'i, vol. 4, p. 471, under hadith 748]Comparison of Statements and Narrations
The hadiths in Sunan Abu Dawud should be compared with those in "Sunan al-Kubra" by al-Bayhaqi, where Imam Bayhaqi narrates with his chain from Imam Abu Dawud. Such comparisons ensure the authenticity and consistency of the narratives and teachings across different texts.This rigorous approach to verifying and validating manuscripts and citations ensures that only the most reliable and authentic Islamic teachings are recognized and taught, safeguarding the integrity of Islamic scholarship.
Essential Conditions for Citing from Newly Discovered Manuscripts
Scholarly Critique and Validation
It is imperative that the manuscript has not been subjected to criticism or disapproval by respected scholars and hadith experts.Authentic Chain from the Book's Author
Even if the book's authorship is verified and established, it is crucial that there is a reliable or good chain (sanad) from the book's author to the narrator or subject of the narration. If any of these conditions are absent, using the book's narrations as evidence is considered invalid and rejected.Alert: Muhammad Mahbubullah Noori Barelvi has claimed that:"Recently, thanks to the efforts of Sheikh Isa Manea (former Minister of Awqaf in Dubai) and the renowned scholar and researcher, Allama Muhammad Abbas Rizvi, a manuscript by the author Abdul Razzaq has been found in Afghanistan. This manuscript contains a dedicated chapter on the creation of the light of Muhammad and includes the Hadith of Jabir with about five different chains of transmission. It would be excellent if a publishing house could arrange to publish this manuscript appropriately." [Monthly Ahlus-Sunnah Gujarat, August 2003, p.4]
It should be noted that neither the Barelvi nor the Deobandi groups are considered part of Ahl as-Sunnah, as their principles and beliefs differ from those of Ahl as-Sunnah.
Alert: The Barelvis and Deobandis are not Hanafi either.
The newly discovered manuscript of author Abdul Razzaq can only be cited if the following conditions are met:
- Reliability of the Scribe: The scribe of the manuscript must be trustworthy and reliable.
- Proof of Authorship: There must be evidence confirming that the manuscript was indeed written by the claimed scribe.
- Authentic Chain from the Scribe to Imam Abdul Razzaq: The chain from the scribe of the manuscript to Imam Abdul Razzaq must be authentic or good.
- Authentic Chain from Imam Abdul Razzaq to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ or the Speaker: The chain from Imam Abdul Razzaq to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ or the original speaker of the narration must be authentic or good.
- Presence of All Discussed Conditions: The manuscript must fulfill all the conditions discussed in this article.