Authored by: Hafiz Muhammad Anwar Zahid (ḥafiẓahullāh)
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما) is reported to have said regarding the verse:
«إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُنذِرٌ»
“Indeed, you are but a warner.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Indeed, I am the warner, and Ali (رضي الله عنه) is the guide. O Ali! Through you, people will be guided.”
Sources Citing This Interpretation:
Imām al-Dhahabī remarks:
“This interpretation of the verse ‘Innamā Anta Mundhir wa li-Kulli Qawmin Hād’ has been transmitted by Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī through Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥusayn, who narrates from Muʿādh ibn Muslim. This report is munkar (rejected), and most likely, the corruption originates from Muʿādh himself—or possibly from Ibn Jarīr in this case.”
References:
Reference:
Thus, even if reliable, he must be treated with caution when narrations are not corroborated or are taken from him post-memory deterioration
The interpretation of "Innamā Anta Mundhir wa Li-Kulli Qawmin Hād"—as associating Ali (رضي الله عنه) with divine guidance—rests on a chain of weak, unreliable, and in some cases, accused fabricators.
➤ The narration is considered:
Therefore, this interpretation cannot be accepted as sound in tafsīr or ʿaqīdah.
❖ The Narration and Attributed Interpretation
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما) is reported to have said regarding the verse:
«إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُنذِرٌ»
“Indeed, you are but a warner.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Indeed, I am the warner, and Ali (رضي الله عنه) is the guide. O Ali! Through you, people will be guided.”
Sources Citing This Interpretation:
- Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl: Vol. 2, p. 231
- Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī: Vol. 13, p. 72
- Zād al-Masīr by Ibn al-Jawzī: Vol. 4, p. 307
- al-Durr al-Manthūr by al-Suyūṭī: Vol. 4, p. 45
- Fatḥ al-Bārī by Ibn Ḥajar: Vol. 8, p. 376
- Kanz al-ʿUmmāl: Ḥadīth no. 330/2
❖ Critique of the Chain of Transmission
Imām al-Dhahabī remarks:
“This interpretation of the verse ‘Innamā Anta Mundhir wa li-Kulli Qawmin Hād’ has been transmitted by Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī through Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥusayn, who narrates from Muʿādh ibn Muslim. This report is munkar (rejected), and most likely, the corruption originates from Muʿādh himself—or possibly from Ibn Jarīr in this case.”
❖ Status of the Narrators
◈ Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥusayn al-ʿUrnī al-Kūfī
- From Kūfah
- Abū Ḥātim: “Not truthful according to the hadith scholars.”
- Ibn ʿAdī: “His narrations are not like those of trustworthy narrators.”
- Ibn Ḥibbān: “He fabricated baseless narrations under the names of trustworthy narrators and altered ḥadīth content.”
References:
- Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl: Vol. 2, p. 23
- al-Mughnī: Entry 1389/1
- Tanzīh al-Sharīʿah: Vol. 1, p. 48
- al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl: Vol. 3, p. 20
◈ Muʿādh ibn Muslim
- Declared majhūl (unknown) by al-Dhahabī
- Narrated a fabricated (mawḍūʿ) ḥadīth from ʿAṭāʾ ibn al-Sāʾib
Reference:
- Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl: Vol. 4, p. 132
◈ Aṭāʾ ibn al-Sāʾib
- Generally regarded as trustworthy
- However, his memory declined in old age
- Additionally, he would narrate mursal (disconnected) reports
Thus, even if reliable, he must be treated with caution when narrations are not corroborated or are taken from him post-memory deterioration
❖ Conclusion
The interpretation of "Innamā Anta Mundhir wa Li-Kulli Qawmin Hād"—as associating Ali (رضي الله عنه) with divine guidance—rests on a chain of weak, unreliable, and in some cases, accused fabricators.➤ The narration is considered:
- Munkar (rejected) by Imām al-Dhahabī
- Based on narrators who are majhūl or accused of fabrication
- Unsupported by any authentic early source
Therefore, this interpretation cannot be accepted as sound in tafsīr or ʿaqīdah.
