Question:
What is your opinion on the Hadith about Mujaddid coming at the beginning of every century? Please explain in the light of the text and its narrators. (Asif Iqbal, Rawalpindi 5322830-0300)
Answer:
Imam Abu Dawood states:
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Surely, Allah will send for this Ummah at the head of every hundred years someone who will renew their religion."
(Kitab al-Malahim, Chapter 1, Hadith 4291)
The chain of this narration is Hasan (good). Hakim also narrated it with the chain of Abdullah bin Wahb
(Al-Mustadrak, 4/522, Hadith 8592).
Below is a brief introduction of the narrators in this chain:
Suleiman bin Dawood al-Mahri:
Trustworthy (Taqreeb al-Tahdheeb: 2551)
Abdullah bin Wahb:
Trustworthy, memorizer, and devout (Taqreeb: 3294), though he practiced Tadlis.
Saeed bin Abi Ayyub:
Trustworthy and reliable (Taqreeb: 2274)
Sharahil bin Yazid:
Truthful (Taqreeb: 2763), one of the narrators of Sahih Muslim.
Abu Alqama Mawla Bani Hashim:
Trustworthy (Taqreeb: 8262)
The rest of the chain is completely authentic. Shaykh Albani also classified this narration as authentic
(see Al-Silsilah al-Saheehah: 599).
Several points in the text of this narration require further investigation:
What is meant by "at the head of every hundred years (Ala Ra's Kulli Mi'ah)?"
Does it refer to the beginning or the end of the century? The prevalent view is that it refers to the end of the century
(see Awn al-Ma'bud, 4/179).
What is meant by the century?
Is it the century from the Hijrah, or from the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him), or otherwise? The famous opinion is that it refers to the Hijrah century, and Allah knows best.
Who is meant by the renewer (Mujaddid)?
Different sects and people have tried to crown their favorite personalities as Mujaddids. However, they have no evidence to definitively prove that a particular person was or is a Mujaddid. Some people claim that the Mujaddid of the first century was (Sayyidina) Umar bin Abdul Aziz, and that of the second century was Imam Muhammad bin Idris al-Shafi'i, but these claims are without evidence. Therefore, it is best to remain silent on this issue.
Note:
Many people of innovation (who consider themselves as Ahlus Sunnah, Ahlul Tawheed, and scholars of truth, etc.) continue to claim that certain individuals were the Mujaddids of a specific century. These claims are false and rejected. It should be noted that a renewer must be a scholar and practitioner of the Quran, Sunnah, and Ijma, and should consider the understanding of the righteous predecessors. Only Allah knows who the true Mujaddid is, so making speculative claims and crowning individuals as Mujaddids without evidence is baseless and rejected. Claiming that a mere clerk is the king of a country is nothing but a mockery of that person.
Wama Alayna Illal Balagh (3 Muharram 1427 AH).
What is your opinion on the Hadith about Mujaddid coming at the beginning of every century? Please explain in the light of the text and its narrators. (Asif Iqbal, Rawalpindi 5322830-0300)
Answer:
Imam Abu Dawood states:
"حدثنا سلیمان بن داود المھری بحدثنا ابن وھب: أخبرني سعید بن أبي أیوب عن شراحیل بن یزید المعافري عن أبی علقمۃ عن أبی ھریرۃ. فیھا أعلم. عن رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم قال: إن اللہ یبعث لھذہ الأمۃ علی رأس کل مائۃ سنۃ من یجدد لھا دینھا. قال أبو داود: رواہ عبدالرحمٰن بن شریح الإسکندراني، لم یجزبه شراحیل."
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Surely, Allah will send for this Ummah at the head of every hundred years someone who will renew their religion."
(Kitab al-Malahim, Chapter 1, Hadith 4291)
The chain of this narration is Hasan (good). Hakim also narrated it with the chain of Abdullah bin Wahb
(Al-Mustadrak, 4/522, Hadith 8592).
Below is a brief introduction of the narrators in this chain:
Suleiman bin Dawood al-Mahri:
Trustworthy (Taqreeb al-Tahdheeb: 2551)
Abdullah bin Wahb:
Trustworthy, memorizer, and devout (Taqreeb: 3294), though he practiced Tadlis.
Saeed bin Abi Ayyub:
Trustworthy and reliable (Taqreeb: 2274)
Sharahil bin Yazid:
Truthful (Taqreeb: 2763), one of the narrators of Sahih Muslim.
Abu Alqama Mawla Bani Hashim:
Trustworthy (Taqreeb: 8262)
The rest of the chain is completely authentic. Shaykh Albani also classified this narration as authentic
(see Al-Silsilah al-Saheehah: 599).
Several points in the text of this narration require further investigation:
What is meant by "at the head of every hundred years (Ala Ra's Kulli Mi'ah)?"
Does it refer to the beginning or the end of the century? The prevalent view is that it refers to the end of the century
(see Awn al-Ma'bud, 4/179).
What is meant by the century?
Is it the century from the Hijrah, or from the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him), or otherwise? The famous opinion is that it refers to the Hijrah century, and Allah knows best.
Who is meant by the renewer (Mujaddid)?
Different sects and people have tried to crown their favorite personalities as Mujaddids. However, they have no evidence to definitively prove that a particular person was or is a Mujaddid. Some people claim that the Mujaddid of the first century was (Sayyidina) Umar bin Abdul Aziz, and that of the second century was Imam Muhammad bin Idris al-Shafi'i, but these claims are without evidence. Therefore, it is best to remain silent on this issue.
Note:
Many people of innovation (who consider themselves as Ahlus Sunnah, Ahlul Tawheed, and scholars of truth, etc.) continue to claim that certain individuals were the Mujaddids of a specific century. These claims are false and rejected. It should be noted that a renewer must be a scholar and practitioner of the Quran, Sunnah, and Ijma, and should consider the understanding of the righteous predecessors. Only Allah knows who the true Mujaddid is, so making speculative claims and crowning individuals as Mujaddids without evidence is baseless and rejected. Claiming that a mere clerk is the king of a country is nothing but a mockery of that person.
Wama Alayna Illal Balagh (3 Muharram 1427 AH).
