This excerpt is taken from A Research Review of Mirza Muhammad Ali Engineer's Objections and Issues, authored by Haroon bin Shabbir Ahmad, may Allah preserve him, and revised by Fazilat al-Sheikh Maulana Muhammad Rafiq Tahir, may Allah preserve him.
The Virtues of Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, and Mirza Sahib's Doubts and Objections
We have narrated the traditions regarding the virtues of Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, based on authentic chains of transmission, which prove that the honor and distinction of Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, come not from us but from Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him. But how is it possible that something is narrated in favor of you, may Allah be pleased with you, and yet it suits our engineer sir? This is why you try to deny these virtues to the greatest extent possible. Sometimes you try to prove some of them weak without evidence and rely on a few unproven statements, even though you are neither a scholar nor a follower! What you should have done is respond to our presented traditions with scholarly investigation, explaining that such and such hadith is weak due to this reason, or if such and such is not authentic, it has this flaw. But you never took the trouble to do so! And even regarding those that are unanimously authentic, you appear to be making baseless objections, yet you still proudly consider yourself a just person. And you have no hatred towards Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him.
Note: Below we will comment on the arguments of Mirza Sahib, which are taken from your video "Hazrat Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, and the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah" (at the 42:40 mark).
The statement of Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayh, may Allah have mercy on him:
Regarding Fath al-Bari, Mirza Sahib used to present this statement from Mirza Sahib, may Allah have mercy on him:
عن إسحاق بن راهويه أنه قال: لم يصح في فضائل معاوية شيء۔
“It is narrated from Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayh, may Allah have mercy on him, that: There is no authentic narration regarding the virtues of Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him.”
Reference: (Fath al-Bari, under Hadith: 3766)
There is no chain of narration for this in Fath al-Bari. Mirza Sahib has demonstrated double standards in fairness at this point; firstly, you are not a Babi as you repeatedly and enthusiastically declare yourself, yet you hold on to the statement of a weak narrator instead of authentic narrations. Even if you fail to prove those narrations weak, at least present the statement you use to try to prove them weak with an authentic chain, but you do not!
It is stated that this statement from Imam Ishaq, may Allah have mercy on him, is not transmitted with an authentic chain. Observe the chain from which Imam Ibn Asakir, may Allah have mercy on him, transmitted it:
كتب إلي أبو نصر بن القشيري أنا أبو بكر البيهقي أنا أبو عبد الله الحافظ قال سمعت أبا العباس الأصم يقول سمعت أبي يقول سمعت إسحاق بن إبراهيم الحنظلي يقول لا يصح عن النبي (صلى الله عليه وسلم) في فضل معاوية بن أبي سفيان شيء۔
Reference: (Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir: 106/59)
In it, Abu al-Abbas Asamm is narrating from his father, but his father is unknown and there is no authentication for him, and he alone is the one who transmits this statement from Imam Ishaq, may Allah have mercy on him. Therefore, fundamentally, this statement is weak in terms of chain and transmission! Maulana Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri, may Allah preserve him, has also declared it weak. His words are:
“The statement is not established; in its chain, Abu al-Abbas Asamm’s father, Yaqub bin Yusuf bin Maqil, Abu Fazl, Nishapuri, has not been authenticated.”
Reference: (Difa’ al-Sahaba 484)
Now, Mirza Sahib, if you are truly just and scholarly and not a Babi, then prove the authentication of this unknown narrator that someone has explicitly called him trustworthy; otherwise, stop deceiving with this statement. Remember, Mirza Sahib, we require the authentication of this narrator. If you keep trying to say that this statement was also transmitted by so-and-so in their book, it will be futile!
And also listen to Imam Ibn Asakir, may Allah have mercy on him, regarding the importance of this weak statement attributed to Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayh, may Allah have mercy on him. Thus, he, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned the statement of the Imam in the context of the virtues of Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, as above, then immediately after said:
وأصح ما روي في فضل معاوية حديث أبي حمزة عن ابن عباس أنه كاتب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقد أخرجه مسلم في صحيحه، وبعده حديث العرباض اللهم علمه الكتاب، وبعده حديث ابن أبي عميرة اللهم اجعله هاديا مهديا۔
“The most authentic narration regarding the virtue of Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, is that he was the scribe of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and after that, the hadith of Harith bin Arabadh, and after that (the authentic hadith) narrated from Ibn Abi Umayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that: O Allah, make him a guide and rightly guided.”
Reference: (Tarikh Dimashq: 106/59)
See, he himself is transmitting the statement of Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayh and opposing it, which clearly shows the status of that statement. Mirza Sahib! Even if this statement is proven authentic, you cannot present it against the hadiths we have mentioned, because if Imam Ishaq, may Allah have mercy on him, generally considered the hadiths about the virtues of Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, weak, then what evidence is there that he considered the authentic hadiths we mention as authentic? Is it possible or not that these hadiths did not reach him, or that he was not aware of them with their authentic and good chains? So when there is a possibility, how can every hadith narrated in this chapter be declared weak according to him?
In such a condition, observe Mirza Sahib’s own approach! In one of his video lectures titled “Jewellery (Zaiwar) par zakat,” he says:
“Brothers, there is a hadith in Sunan Abi Dawood, according to international numbering 1563, that two women came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, holding thick gold bangles. The Prophet asked them: Do you pay zakat on this gold? They said: O Messenger of Allah, no! He said: Do you want Allah to make you wear fire bangles on the Day of Judgment? They said: O Messenger of Allah, no! Then he said: Pay zakat on them! (Then the engineer says) This is basically the hadith on which the majority of the Ummah has deduced the issue of zakat on jewelry. It is not consensus, but the majority have deduced it. Now, there is a version of this hadith in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, international numbering 637, where Imam Tirmidhi, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote this hadith and said it is not authentic! Then he stated that all hadiths regarding zakat on jewelry are weak! He also declared this hadith weak, but the chain Imam Abu Dawood has for this hadith is indeed authentic, Alhamdulillah!”
Now consider, a hadith that we call authentic and derive rulings from, then you yourself cite Imam Tirmidhi, may Allah have mercy on him, from Jami’ at-Tirmidhi that he declared it weak, yet you do not care and still call the hadith in Sunan Abi Dawood authentic! Why? Even though Imam Tirmidhi’s statement is recorded in his own book and there is no doubt about its authenticity, but on the other hand, the condition of the narration attributed to Imam Ishaq, may Allah have mercy on him, is before you. Then why do you have two different approaches in the same issue? Why is Imam Tirmidhi’s excuse accepted that the chain he had was indeed weak, but Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayh’s excuse regarding the virtues of Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, is not accepted? He too could have erred, some hadith could have been unknown to him, or it is possible that the hadiths we present were not available to him with those chains, just as Mirza Sahib interpreted Imam Tirmidhi’s statement that the chain he had was indeed weak. So Mirza Sahib! Which hadiths did Ishaq, may Allah have mercy on him, have and with which chains? There is no knowledge at all, yet you use his one statement (which itself has a weak chain) as a shield to reject authentic hadiths. Is this what you call fairness?
Even if it is accepted that Ishaq, may Allah have mercy on him, made this statement about all those hadiths, still (according to Mirza Sahib’s principle) we have the right to disagree with this statement based on principles and rules, just as Mirza Sahib considers one hadith authentic despite Imam Tirmidhi’s statement. Our response and approach in this matter is of the same nature!
A request to Mirza Sahib: The hadith narrated in Sunan Abi Dawood regarding jewelry, or all related hadiths, either declare them weak without investigation, or stop following the weak statement of Imam Ishaq, may Allah have mercy on him, and discuss with us on evidence! If a narration is weak or not established, then explain based on which weakness and defect.
