Many narrations about the virtue and importance of visiting the blessed grave of the Prophet ﷺ are widely circulated. A research review of the principles of these narrations in the light of the muhaddithun is presented here:
Narration No. ➊
Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من زار قبري، وجبت له شفاعتي “Whoever visits my grave, my intercession becomes obligatory for him.”
Commentary: Its chain is “da’if” (weak). Regarding this:
➊ Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
فإن فى القلب منه، أنا أبرا من عهدته
“There is a doubt in my heart about it. I am free from its responsibility.”
◈ Also, Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (may Allah have mercy on him) declared this narration “munkar” as well.
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him), after mentioning the entire discussion of Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (may Allah have mercy on him), says:
ومع ما تقدم من عبارة ابن خزيمة، وكشفه عن علة هذا الخبر، لا يحسن أن يقال : أخرجه ابن خزيمة فى صحيحه إلا مع البيان.
“The statement of Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (may Allah have mercy on him) has been explained, and he has also stated the defect of this report. Despite all this, it is not correct to say that Imam Ibn Khuzaymah narrated this report in his Sahih. Yes, it can be said with clarification.”
◈ Hafiz al-Sakhawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
وهو فى صحيح ابن خزيمة وأشار الي تضعيفه .
“This narration is in Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, but the Imam indicated its weakness.”
➋ Imam al-Uqayli (may Allah have mercy on him) says: فيها لين “There is weakness in it.”
➌ Hafiz al-Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) says: فهو منكر “This narration is munkar.”
➍ Hafiz al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Its chain is “da’if.”
➎ Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) says: وهو حديث منكر “This hadith is munkar.”
➏ Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Hadi (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
وهو مع هذا حديث غير صحيح ولا ثابت، بل هو حديث منكر عند ائمة هذا الشان. ضعيف الاسناد عندهم، لايقوم بمثله حجة، ولا يعتمد علي مثله عند الاحتجاج الا الضعفاء في هذا العلم
“This hadith is neither sahih nor established. Rather, according to the imams of this field, it is a munkar narration with a da’if chain. Such a narration is not fit to serve as proof, and it is relied upon as evidence only by those who are unskilled in this field of knowledge.”
➐ Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
ولا يصح فى هذا الباب شیء . “Nothing is established regarding this.”
◈ He also says:
وفيه ضعف “There is weakness in this narration.”
↰ The authentication of the narrator Musa bin Hilal Abdi is not established. Along with this, the muhaddithun have declared him “majhul” (unknown) and his narrated narrations “munkar.” See:
➊ Imam Abu Hatim al-Razi declared him “majhul.”
➋ Imam al-Daraqutni declared him “majhul.”
➌ Imam al-Uqayli (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
لايصح حديثه، ولا يتابع عليه “His hadith is da’if and munkar.”
➍ Regarding him, the statement of Imam Ibn Adi (may Allah have mercy on him) وأرجوا أنه لا بأس به
is mentioned by Hafiz Ibn al-Qattan al-Fasi (may Allah have mercy on him), who says:
فالحق فيه أنه لم تثبت عدالته. “The correct position is that the reliability of this narrator is not established.”
↰ The statement of Hafiz Ibn al-Qattan (may Allah have mercy on him) is entirely correct. From Imam Ibn Adi’s (may Allah have mercy on him) statement, the authentication of Musa bin Hilal Abdi is not established, because regarding the narrator named Ja’far bin Maymun, the Imam says:
وأرجوا أنه لا باس به، ويكتب حديثه فى الضعفاء . “I hope there is no harm in him. His hadith will be written among the da’if narrators.”
↰ That is, Imam Ibn Adi (may Allah have mercy on him) uses these words even for “da’if” narrators. He perhaps means that this narrator did not deliberately lie.
Our point is also supported by a statement of Allamah Abd al-Rahman bin Yahya al-Yamani al-Mu’allimi (may Allah have mercy on him) (1313–1386 AH). Imam Ibn Adi (may Allah have mercy on him) used exactly these words regarding Yusuf bin Muhammad bin al-Munkadir too. Commenting on this:
◈ Allamah al-Yamani (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
هذه الكلمة رأيت ابن عدي يطلقها فى مواضع تقتضي أن يكون مقصوده : أرجوا أنه لا يتعمد الكذب، وهذا منها، لأنه قالها بعد أن ساق أحاديث يوسف، وعامتها لم يتابع عليها.
“I have seen Imam Ibn Adi use this expression in several places where his intended meaning appears to be that this narrator did not deliberately lie. The same is the case here. The evidence for this is that Imam Ibn Adi said this after mentioning the narrations of Yusuf (bin Muhammad bin al-Munkadir), and most of those narrations are munkar.”
↰ It is established that no early imam clearly declared Musa bin Hilal to be “thiqah.” His hadith is “da’if” and “munkar,” as the statements of the imams have already been mentioned. Therefore, Hafiz al-Dhahabi’s (may Allah have mercy on him) statement that he is “salih al-hadith”
is his scholarly oversight, and this claim is not correct. We have already quoted that Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) himself declared this hadith “munkar.” Therefore, that oversight of Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) cannot be used as evidence for the authenticity of this hadith. Among the early imams of hadith, no one declared this hadith “sahih.” The word of the muhaddithun is what is taken into account.
Narration No. ➋
Sayyidina Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من جاءني زائرا لا يعلمه حاجة إلا زيارتي، كان حقا على ان اكون له شفيعا يوم القيامة
“Whoever comes to me as a visitor, with no purpose other than visiting me, it becomes binding upon me to intercede for him on the Day of Resurrection.”
Commentary: Its chain is “da’if” (weak).
Its narrator Maslamah bin Salim al-Juhani (Muslim bin Salim al-Juhani) is “majhul” (unknown) and “da’if” (weak).
Hafiz al-Haythami
and Hafiz Ibn Hajar
have declared it “da’if.”
Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Hadi
described him, like Musa bin Hilal al-Abdi, as “majhul al-hal” (of unknown condition). No authentication (tawthiq) of him is established.
For this reason, Imam al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, declared this chain “da’if.”
Therefore, Hafiz al-Iraqi’s
saying about it, وصححه ابن السكن, does not benefit its authenticity.
◈ Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Hadi, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
انه حديث ضعيف الإسناد، لا يصلح الاحتجاج به، ولا يجوز الاعتماد على مثله .
“The chain of this hadith is weak. It is not valid to use it as evidence or to rely on a narration like it.”
↰ Moreover, even if this narration is accepted as authentic, its meaning is the visiting of the Prophet ﷺ during his lifetime, not visiting his blessed grave after his death.
Narration No. ➌
Sayyidina Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: من زارني فى مماتي، كان كمن زارني فى حياتي، ومن زارني حتى ينتهي إلى قبري، كنت له شهيدا يؤم القيامة، أو قال : ”شفيعا“ .
“Whoever visits me after my death, it is as if he visited me during my life; and whoever comes to visit me until he reaches my grave, I will be a witness for him on the Day of Resurrection,” or he said: “an intercessor.”
Commentary: Its chain is severely “da’if” and “munkar.”
◈ Hafiz al-Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him (663–748 AH), says:
هذا موضوع . “This is a fabricated narration.”
◈ Imam al-Uqayli, may Allah have mercy on him, has described it as “ghayr mahfuz” (not preserved).
↰ Its narrator Fadalah bin Sa’id bin Zumayl al-Maribi is “da’if.” No one has declared him “thiqah,” but regarding him:
◈ Imam al-Uqayli, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
وحديثه غير محفوظ، ولا يعرف الا به .
“His hadith is shadh, and only this one narration of his is well known.”
◈ Hafiz Abu Nu’aym says:
روي المناكير، لاشي ء . “He has narrated munkar narrations. He is not worth attention.”
◈ Hafiz al-Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, described him as واه, meaning “da’if.”
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar also declared him “da’if.”
◈ Hafiz Ibn al-Mulaqqin also declared him “da’if.”
Benefit: Imam al-Daraqutni
and Imam Ibn Hibban
, may Allah have mercy on them, declared Muhammad bin Yahya bin Qays al-Maribi thiqah. However, Imam Ibn Adi, may Allah have mercy on him, says about him:
منكر الحديث، أحاديثه مظلمة منكرة
“He is a munkar al-hadith narrator. His narrations are severely da’if and munkar.”
↰ That is, despite being thiqah, he narrated “munkar” narrations. This narration is also among his munkar narrations.
Narration No. ➍
Sayyidina Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من زارني بالمدينة محتسبا، كنت له شفيعا وشهيدا يؤم القيامة
“Whoever comes to Madinah Munawwarah and visits me seeking reward, I will intercede for him on the Day of Resurrection and will also testify on his behalf.”
Commentary: Its chain is “da’if,” because:
➊ Its narrator Abu Muthanna al-Ka’bi (Sulayman bin Yazid) is “da’if.”
Regarding him:
◈ Imam Abu Hatim al-Razi, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
منكر الحديث، ليس بقوي .
“He is a munkar al-hadith and weak narrator.”
◈ Imam al-Daraqutni, may Allah have mercy on him, declared him “da’if.”
◈ Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
يخالف الثقات فى الروايات، لا يجوز الاحتجاج به، ولا الرواية عنه، إلا للاعتبار.
“He opposes thiqah narrators in narrations. It is not permissible to take evidence from his narrations, nor to narrate them, except that his narrations may be cited in supporting narrations (mutaba’at and shawahid).”
↰ Along with this, he also mentioned him in his book al-Thiqat
. In principle, his statement of criticism in agreement with the majority will be adopted.
As for Imam al-Tirmidhi’s
describing one of his hadiths as “hasan,” and Imam al-Hakim’s
describing it as “sahih al-isnad,” this cannot serve as evidence of his reliability, because Imam al-Tirmidhi’s calling a hadith “hasan” is a specific technical term of his, which he applied in many places to narrations with a “da’if” chain, and Imam al-Hakim’s aforementioned ruling is based on his leniency.
In short, Abu Muthanna is “da’if” according to the majority of hadith scholars, as:
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, declared him “da’if.”
➋ This Abu Muthanna narrator is of the tabi’ tabi’in generation. His meeting with Sayyidina Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) is not established. Thus his narration from Sayyidina Anas is also “munqati'” (broken).
Benefit:
This narration also has a chain in Musnad Ishaq bin Rahawayh,
but it is “da’if” due to an unnamed (mubham) “shaykh.”
Narration No. ➏
قال يحيى بن الحسن بن جعفر فى أخبار المدينة : ثنا محمد بن يعقوب : ثنا عبد الله بن وهب عن رجل، عن بكر بن عبدالله، عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، قال : من اتى المدينة زائرا لي، وجبت له شفاعتي يؤم القيامة، ومن مات فى أحد الحرمين، بعث آمنا
”Abdullah bin Wahb narrates through a man, that Bakr bin Abdullah quoted the saying of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: Whoever comes to Madinah to visit me, my intercession becomes obligatory for him on the Day of Resurrection, and whoever dies in one of the two sanctuaries will be raised in a state of safety.”
Commentary:
This is a batil (baseless) narration, because:
➊ The “rajul” (man) in it is unidentified (mubham). Leave aside his trustworthiness, integrity and memory; his name is not even known.
➋ Who is Bakr bin Abdullah? His identification, specification and authentication are required. Whether he is a Tabi’i or a Tabi’ al-Tabi’in, his narration directly from the Prophet ﷺ is mursal and munqati’ (broken chain).
➌ In it there is also tadlis (concealment) by Abdullah bin Wahb al-Misri. He neither named his teacher nor explicitly stated that he heard from him.
↰ It appears that this is the doing of that same unidentified person.
◈ Allamah Ibn Abd al-Hadi (may Allah have mercy on him) (705-744 AH) said about this narration:
وهو حديث باطل، لا أصل له، وخبر معضل، لا يعتمد على مثله، وهو من أضعف المراسيل وأوهى المنقطعات.
”This is batil, without any basis, and an extremely munqati’ narration. Reliance cannot be placed on such narrations. It is even weaker than ordinary mursal and munqati’ narrations.”
↰ Furthermore, this narration makes no mention of visiting the blessed grave of the Prophet ﷺ. Its reference is to his blessed lifetime, or it means seeing the Prophet ﷺ in a dream.
Narration number ➏
Sayyiduna Hatib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من زارني بعد مؤتي، فكأنما زارني فى حياتي، ومن مات بأحد الحرمين، بعث آمنا يؤم القيامة .
”Whoever visits me after my death, it is as if he visited me during my life, and whoever dies in one of the two sanctuaries will be raised on the Day of Resurrection in a state of safety.”
Commentary: Its chain is da’if (weak).
◈ Hafiz Abd al-Ra’uf al-Manawi (may Allah have mercy on him) declared it mu’allal (defective).
This narration has two defects:
➊ Harun bin Abu Qaza’ah is a narrator who is munkar al-hadith (narrates rejected hadiths).
◈ Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
لا يتابع عليه. ”He is a munkar al-hadith narrator.”
◈ Imam Ibn Adi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
وهارون أبو قزعة لم ينسب، وإنما روى الشيء اليسير الذى أشار إليه البخاري.
”Harun Abu Qaza’ah is an unattributed narrator. He narrated very few narrations, toward which (their being munkar) Imam al-Bukhari pointed.”
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
وقد ضعفه يعقوب بن شيبة، وذكره العقيلي والساجي وابن الجارود فى الضعفاء.
”He has been declared da’if by Imam Ya’qub bin Shaybah, and Imams al-Uqayli, al-Saji and Ibn al-Jarud counted him among the weak narrators.”
◈ Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned him in
, which is his leniency. The matter is the same as what the majority of muhaddithun have stated.
➋ The “rajul min Al Hatib” is majhul (unknown) and mubham (unidentified). That is why:
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
وفي إسناده الرجل المجهول. ”There is an unknown narrator in its chain.”
Therefore, there is no doubt that this narration is batil.
Narration number ➐
Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من زار قبري – أو قال : من زارني – كنت له شفيعا أو شهيدا، ومن مات فى أحد الحرمين، بعث الله من الآمنين يؤم القيامة
”Whoever visits my grave, I will be an intercessor and a witness for him, and whoever dies in one of the two sanctuaries, Allah will raise him among the people of safety on the Day of Resurrection.”
Commentary: Its chain is batil, because:
➊ No mention of the narrator Sawwar bin Maymun could be found in the books of biography.
➋ The “rajul min Al Umar” is majhul.
Therefore, regarding the chain of this narration:
◈ Imam al-Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
وهذا إسنادمجهول. ”Its chain consists of unknown narrators.”
◈ Hafiz al-Mundhiri (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
فى إسناده نظر. ”There is nakarah (a rejectable irregularity) in its chain.”
Benefit:
In Shu’ab al-Iman of al-Bayhaqi
, this narration reads as follows:
. . . حدثنا شعبة عن سوار بن ميمون : حدثنا هارون بن قزعة، عن رجل من آل الخطاب، عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : من زارني متعمدا، كان فى جواري يؤم القيامة، ومن سكن المدينة وصبر على بلائها، كنت له شهيدا وشفيعا يؤم القيامة، ومن مات فى أحد الحرمين بعثه الله من الآمنين يؤم القيامة .
”Whoever visits me intentionally will be in my neighbourhood on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever settles in Madinah Munawwarah and patiently endures its hardships, I will testify for him and intercede for him on the Day of Resurrection, and whoever dies in one of the two sanctuaries, Allah will raise him among the people of safety on the Day of Resurrection.”
Its chain is also batil, because:
➊ In it is that same Sawwar bin Maymun, who is majhul, as mentioned just now.
➋ It also includes Harun bin Qaza’ah, about whom it has been explained that he is da’if according to the majority.
➌ The “rajul min Al al-Khattab” is majhul and mubham.
Regarding this:
◈ Imam al-Uqayli (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
والرواية فى هذا لينة. ”The narration on this subject is weak.”
Narration number ➑
Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من حج، فزار قبري بعد موتي كان كمن زارني فى حياتي
”Whoever performs Hajj after my death and then visits my grave, it is as if he visited me during my life.”
Comment: This is an extremely weak (“da’if”) narration, because:
➊ Hafs bin Sulayman al-Qari, a narrator, is “matruk al-hadith” (abandoned).
◈ Hafiz al-Haythami says:
وضعفه الجمهور. “He has been declared weak by the majority of the muhaddithun.”
◈ Hafiz al-Sakhawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
فقد ضعفه الجمهور. “He has been declared weak by the majority of scholars.”
➋ Layth bin Abi Sulaym is a narrator who is “da’if” according to the majority of the muhaddithun.
◈ Hafiz al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
فضعفہ الجماهير . “He has been declared weak by the majority of the muhaddithun.”
◈ Hafiz al-Iraqi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
ضعفه الجمهور. “He has been declared weak by the majority of the muhaddithun.”
◈ Allamah al-Haythami (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
وضعفه الأكثر. “He has been declared weak by the majority of scholars.”
◈ Busiri (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
ضعفه الجمهور . “He has been declared weak by the majority.”
◈ Hafiz Ibn al-Mulaqqin (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
ضعيف عند الجمهور. “This narrator is weak according to the majority.”
◈ Allamah Abu al-Hasan al-Sindhi al-Hanafi writes:
وفي الزوائد : ليث ابن ابي سليم، ضعفه الجمهور.
“In the Zawa’id it is stated that Layth bin Abi Sulaym was declared weak by the majority of the muhaddithun.”
Benefit:
➊ Tabarani in al-Mu’jam al-Kabir
and al-Mu’jam al-Awsat
has a follow-up (mutaba’ah) for Hafs bin Sulayman by Aisha bint Sa’d.
However, regarding her:
◈ Hafiz al-Haythami says:
وفيه عائشة بنت سعد، ولم أجد من ترجمها.
“In this chain there is Aisha bint Sa’d. I have not found her biography anywhere in the books of rijal.”
Similarly, the biographies of Ali bin Hasan bin Harun al-Ansari and Layth, the son of the daughter of Layth bin Abi Sulaym, in this chain also could not be found. The fourth flaw in it is that Ahmad bin Rushdin, the teacher of Imam Tabarani (may Allah have mercy on him), is “da’if”. Therefore this follow-up is futile and useless.
(b) In Shifa al-Siqam of al-Subki
, a follow-up for Hafs bin Sulayman al-Qari has been given by Ja’far bin Sulayman al-Dab’i.
However, that too is ineffective and unhelpful, because in its chain is Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Sari bin Uthman Tammar, regarding whom:
◈ Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
يروي المناكير و البلايا، ليسي بشي
“He narrates munkar and false narrations. Thus he is an unworthy narrator.”
↰ The second flaw in it is that the narrator Nasr bin Shu’ayb is “da’if”.
Note:
In Shifa al-Siqam of al-Subki
, it is written on the authority of Abu al-Yaman Ibn Asakir that in the aforementioned chain it is not Ja’far bin Sulayman but Hafs bin Sulayman, the narrator Abu Umar al-Asadi al-Ghafiri the reciter. Calling him Ja’far is a mistake and a scribal error.
Whoever this narrator is, the chain is in any case “da’if”.
Narration number ➒
أخرجه أبو الفتح الأزدي فى فوائده، قال : حدثنا النعمان بن هارون بن أبى الدلهاث : ثنا أبو سهل بدر بن عبدالله المصيصي : ثنا الحسن بن عثمان الزيادي : ثنا عمار بن محمد : حدثني خالي سفيان عن منصور، عن إبراهيم، عن علقمة، عن عبد الله ابن مسعود، قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : من حج حجة الإسلام، وزار قبري، وغزا غزوة، وصلى فى بيت المقدس، لم يساله الله عما افترض عليه.
“It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Whoever performs Hajj in a state of Islam, visits my grave, fights in the way of Allah, and prays in Bayt al-Maqdis, Allah will not question him about the obligations.”
In Shifa al-Siqam, the narrator of the hadith is Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both of them) instead of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him). This is a scribal error; the correct matter is what we have mentioned. See:
Comment: This is a fabricated narration, because:
➊ The author of the book, Abu al-Fath al-Azdi, is himself a “da’if” and “mutakallam fihi” narrator. Regarding him:
◈ Hafiz Ibn Kathir (700-774 AH) writes:
وضعفه كثير من الحفاظ من اهل زمانه، واتهمه بعضهم بوضع حديث رواه . . . .
“Many of the huffaz of his time declared him weak, and some even accused him of fabricating a hadith.”
◈ Abu Najib Abd al-Ghaffar bin Abd al-Wahid al-Armawi says:
رأيت أهل الموصل يوهنون أبا الفتح الأزدي جدا، ولا يعدونه شيئا.
“I saw the scholars of Mosul considering Abu al-Fath al-Azdi to be extremely weak and not worthy of attention.”
◈ Imam al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (may Allah have mercy on him) says that he asked Abu Bakr al-Barqani about him:
فأشار إلى أنهٔ كان ضعيفا، وقال : رأيته فى جامع المدينة، وأصحاب الحديث لا يرفعون به رأسا، ويتجنبونه.
“He indicated that he was weak, and said: I saw him in the mosque of Baghdad. The muhaddithun did not pay any attention to him; rather they avoided him.”
◈ Imam al-Khatib al-Baghdadi himself says:
وفي حديثه غرائب ومناكير.
“In the hadiths he narrates there are gharib and munkar narrations.”
◈ Imam al-Khatib says that he asked Muhammad bin Ja’far bin Allan about him, and:
فذكره بالحفظ، وحسن المعرفة بالحديث، وأثنى عليه.
“He described him as having good memory (dabt) and good knowledge of hadith, and praised him.”
In any case, Hafiz Muhammad bin Husayn bin Ahmad bin Husayn Abu al-Fath al-Azdi al-Mawsili has been explicitly declared “da’if” by the muhaddithun; on the contrary, no clear authentication (tawthiq) of him is established.
➋ Regarding Abu Sahl Badr bin Abdullah al-Massisi, al-Subki says:
ما علمت من حاله شيئا.
“I do not know anything about his condition.”
➌ In it there is also the “tadlis” (concealment) of Ibrahim al-Nakha’i.
Regarding this narration:
◈ Hafiz al-Sakhawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
في ثبوته نظر. “Its authenticity is questionable.”
◈ Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) has declared it false and fabricated.
◈ Ibn Iraq al-Kinani also declared it false.
◈ Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Hadi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
هذا الحديث موضوع على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بلا شك ولا ريب عند اهل المعرفة بالحديث .
“Among the people of knowledge who understand hadith, there is no doubt that this hadith was fabricated and attributed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
Narration number ➓
Sayyidina Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من حج البيت، ولم يزرني، فقد جفاني
“Whoever performs Hajj and does not visit me has been disloyal to me.”
Commentary: This is a false narration, because:
➊ In its chain, the narrator Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Nu’man is “da’if” (weak), as:
◈ Hafiz Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
قال الدارقطني : الطعن فى هذا الحديث من محمد بن محمد بن النعمان.
“Imam al-Daraqutni (may Allah have mercy on him) says that the defect in this hadith comes from Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Nu’man.”
Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Nu’man is “matruk” (abandoned).
➋ Nu’man ibn Shibl al-Bahili al-Basri is also “matruk” (abandoned). Regarding him:
◈ Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
يأتي من الثقات بالطامات، وعن الاثبات بالمقلوبات .
“He attributes false narrations to trustworthy narrators and reversed narrations to those who had retention and precision.”
Benefit ➊: Regarding this narrator, Musa ibn Harun al-Hammal says:
كان متهما . “He (Nu’man ibn Shibl) was accused of fabricating hadith.”
↰ However, the narrator Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, in the chain of this statement, has not been found to be declared trustworthy.
➋ Imran ibn Musa al-Dajaji says:
وكان ثقة. “He (Nu’man ibn Shibl) was a trustworthy narrator.”
↰ However, this statement is also false. Its chain contains Salih ibn Ahmad ibn Abi Muqatil al-Qirati, whom Imam al-Daraqutni (may Allah have mercy on him) called “matruk” (abandoned).
◈ Imam Ibn Adi (may Allah have mercy on him) himself says regarding him:
تجسر على رفع أحاديث موقوفة، وعلى وصل أحاديث مرسلة، وعلى أحاديث يسرقها من قوم، حتى لا يفوته شيء.
“He presumed to raise suspended narrations to the level of marfu’, to join mursal narrations into muttasil ones, and he stole many hadiths from people, until nothing escaped him.”
◈ Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
هذا موضوع. “This is a fabricated narration.”
◈ Hafiz Ibn al-Mulaqqin (may Allah have mercy on him) has called it “da’if” (weak).
◈ Hafiz al-Sakhawi (may Allah have mercy on him) has called it لا يصح “not sahih” (not authentic).
↰ It is a leniency of Hafiz al-Sakhawi and Hafiz Ibn al-Mulaqqin to describe this narration merely as “da’if” and “not sahih”, otherwise the narration of such narrators is no less than the rank of موضوع “fabricated”.
◈ Allama al-Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him) says that al-San’ani, al-Zarkashi and Ibn al-Jawzi declared it موضوع “fabricated”.
Similarly, Ibn Tahir al-Hindi
and Ibn Iraq al-Kinani
have declared it fabricated.
Narration number ⓫
أخرج أبو الحسن یحيى بن الحسن ابن جعفر فى أخبار المدينة من حديث النعمان بن شبل، ثنا محمد بن الفضل عن جابر، عن محمد بن علي، عن على، قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ”من زار قبري بعد موتي، فكانما زارني فى حياتي، ومن لم يزرني، فقد جفاني“
“Sayyidina Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Whoever visits my grave after my death, it is as if he has visited me during my life, and whoever does not visit me has been disloyal to me.”
Commentary: This is a false chain, because:
➊ In it is the same Nu’man ibn Shibl, the “matruk” (abandoned) narrator mentioned just above.
➋ Regarding Muhammad ibn al-Fadl ibn Atiyyah al-Absi al-Kufi, the narrator:
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
كذبوه. “The scholars of hadith have called him a liar.”
➌ Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ju’fi is a well-known Rafidi, as:
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
ضعيف رافضي “He is a da’if (weak) Rafidi narrator.”
◈ Hafiz al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
والجعفي متفق على ضعفه، وترك حديثه
“There is consensus among the scholars of hadith (the majority) that Jabir al-Ju’fi is da’if and matruk al-hadith.”
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
ضعفه الجمهور. “He has been declared da’if by the majority of the scholars of hadith.”
↰ It becomes clear that this narration is a bundle of lies and the handiwork of the Rafidis.
➍ The narration of Muhammad ibn Ali, Abu Ja’far Muhammad al-Baqir, from Sayyidina Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is “munqati'” (with a broken chain).
Narration number ⓬
Sayyidina Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: من زار قبري حلت له شفاعتي “Whoever visits my grave, my intercession becomes obligatory for him.”
Commentary: This is an outright lie, because:
➊ Regarding its narrator Abdullah ibn Ibrahim al-Ghifari:
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
متروك، ونسبه ابن جبان إلى الوضع۔
“He is a matruk (abandoned) narrator. Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) accused him of fabricating hadith.”
➋ His teacher Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam is also “da’if” according to the majority.
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
عبدالرحمن متفق على تضعيفه.
“There is consensus among scholars (the majority) that Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam is da’if.”
Narration number ⓭
أخرج أبو الفتوح سعيد بن محمد بن إسماعيل اليعقوبي فى (جزءہ ) من طريق خالد بن يزيد : ثنا عبد الله ابن عمر العمري، قال : سمعيت سعيدا المقبري يقول : سمعت أبا هريرة رضى الله عنه، قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ”من زارني بعد مؤتي، فكأنما زارني وأنا حي“
“Sayyidina Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Whoever visits me after my death, it is as if he has seen me during my life.”
Review: This is also a false and baseless chain, because:
Regarding its narrator Khalid bin Yazid Abu al-Walid al-Umari:
◈ Imam Yahya bin Ma’in says:
That he is a “liar” (kadhdhab).
◈ Imam Abu Hatim al-Razi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
كان كذابا، أتيته بمكة، ولم أكتب عنه، وكان ذاهب الحديث.
“He was a severe liar. I met him in Makkah, but I did not write any hadith from him. He was unreliable in hadith.”
◈ Imam al-Uqayli (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
وخالد هذا يحدث بالخطا، ويحكي عن الثقات ما لا أصل له .
“This Khalid narrates erroneous reports and transmits baseless narrations from reliable narrators.”
◈ Imam al-Daraqutni (may Allah have mercy on him) has declared him “da’if” (weak).
◈ Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
منكر الحديث جدا، اكثر من كتب عنه أصحاب الرأى، لا يشتغل بذكره، لأنه يروي الموضوعات عن الأثبات.
“He narrates extremely munkar hadiths. Mostly those who follow opinion (ahl al-ra’y) write from him. His mention should not be made, because he fabricates things against reliable narrators.”
↰ Not even a minimal word of praise (tawthiq) regarding him is established.
Narration No. ⓮
Sayyidna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من زارني ميتا، فكأنما زارني حيا، ومن زار قبري، وجبت له شفاعتي يؤم القيامة، وما من أحد من أمتي له سعة، ثم لم يززني، فليس لهٔ عذر
“Whoever visits me after my death, it is as if he visited me while I was alive. Whoever visits my grave, my intercession becomes obligatory for him on the Day of Resurrection, and whichever of my ummah has the means but does not visit me, he has no excuse.”
Review: This is a false narration and fabrication, because:
➊ Regarding Sam’an bin Mahdi:
◈ Allamah al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
حيوان لا يعرف، ألصقت به نسخة مكذوبة، رأيتها، قبح الله من وضعها .
“He is an unknown creature. A false book is attributed to him. I have seen it. May Allah curse the one who fabricated it.”
◈ Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
فذكر النسخة، وهى أكثر من ثلات ماة حديث، اكثر متونها موضوعة .
“He mentioned a copy containing more than three hundred hadiths, most of whose texts are fabricated.”
➋ Regarding Abu al-Abbas Ja’far bin Harun al-Wasiti:
◈ Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
آتي بخبر موضوع “He narrated a fabricated report.”
➌ Regarding Muhammad bin Muqatil al-Razi, Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
تكلم فيه، ولم يترك. “He is a criticised narrator, but not abandoned.”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) has declared him “da’if”.
Narration No. ⓯
In one narration it is:
من زارني وزار أبى إبراهيم فى عام واحد، ضمنت له الجنة .
“Whoever visits me and my father Ibrahim (peace be upon him) in one year, I guarantee him Paradise.”
Review:
Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him), after mentioning it, says:
وهذا باطل، ليس هو مرويا عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، ولايعرف فى كتاب صحيح ولا ضعيف، بل وضعه بعض الفجرة.
“This is a baseless narration. It is not narrated from the Noble Prophet ﷺ, nor is it mentioned in any sahih or da’if book. It was fabricated by some liars themselves.”
Narration No. ⓰
One narration goes like this:
رحم الله من زارني، وزمام ناقته بيده
“Whoever visits me while holding the rein of his she-camel, may Allah also have mercy on him.”
Review:
Hafiz al-Sakhawi (may Allah have mercy on him), after mentioning this narration, writes:
قال شيخنا (ابن حجر) : إنه لا أصل له بهذا اللفظ.
“Our shaykh (Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him) said that with these wordings this narration is baseless and without foundation.”
Narration No. ⓱
From Sayyidna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) it is narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
من حج الي مكة، ثم قصدني فى مسجدي، كتبت له حجتان مبرورتان .
“Whoever performs Hajj in Makkah and then comes to visit me in my Masjid, two accepted Hajjs will be written for him.”
Review:
This is a mawdu’ (fabricated) narration, because:
➊ Its narrator Usayd bin Zayd bin Nujayh al-Jammal al-Kufi is “matruk” (abandoned) and “kadhdhab” (liar). He has been:
declared “kadhdhab” by Imam Yahya bin Ma’in
, “matruk” by Imam al-Nasa’i
, and “da’if al-hadith” by Imam al-Daraqutni
.
◈ Imam Ibn Adi (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
يتبين على رواياته ضعف، وعامة ما يرويه لا يتابع عليه
“The weakness in his narrations is evident. Most of the narrations he transmits are munkar.”
◈ Imam Abu Hatim al-Razi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
وكانوا يتكلمون فيه . “The muhaddithun used to criticise him.”
◈ Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
يروي عن الثقات المناكير ويسرق الحديث، ويحدث به
“He used to narrate munkar reports from reliable narrators, and he would steal hadiths and narrate them.”
◈ Abu Nasr bin Makula says:
ضعفوه. “The muhaddithun have declared him da’if.”
◈ Khatib al-Baghdadi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
وكان غير مرضي فى الرواية. “He was disliked by the muhaddithun in hadith.”
Many other criticisms of him are also established. Not even a minimal word of praise (tawthiq) regarding him is established. In Sahih al-Bukhari his narration is “muqarran” (paired with another narrator).
➋ Regarding the narrator Isa bin Bashir:
◈ Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
لايدري من ذا، وأتي بخبر باطل
“It is not known who he is. He narrated a false report.”
Narration No. ⓲
A narration attributed to Sayyidna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is that:
من سأل لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الدرجة الوسيلة، حلت له الشفاعة يؤم القيامة، ومن زار قبر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، كان فى جوار رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم .
“Whoever asks Allah for the station of al-Wasilah for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, intercession becomes obligatory for him on the Day of Resurrection, and whoever visits the blessed grave of the Prophet ﷺ will remain (in Paradise) in the neighbourhood of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
Commentary:
This is a fabricated and forged narration.
The narrator who fabricated it is Abd al-Malik ibn Harun ibn Antarah. By the consensus of the muhaddithun he is “kadhdhab” (a liar) and “matruk” (abandoned). He was an expert at fabricating false hadiths.
◈ Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Hadi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
وهذا من المكذوبات أيضا على على رضي الله عنه.
“This narration too was fabricated and attributed to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).”
The narrations on visiting the grave of the Prophet and the research of the scholars
All of these are “da’if” (weak) hadiths, which are unfit as evidence. Religion is the name of authentic hadiths. Please observe the research of the people of knowledge regarding these hadiths:
➊ Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) (661-728 AH) says:
الأحاديث التى رويت فى زيارة قبره ضعيفة، بل موضوعة.
“All the narrations transmitted regarding the visit to the blessed grave of the Prophet ﷺ are weak, rather fabricated.”
➋ Ibn Abd al-Hadi (may Allah have mercy on him) (705-744 AH) says:
وجميع الأحاديث التى ذكرها المعترض (أي السبكي) فى هذا الباب، وزعم : إنها بضعة عشر حديثا، ليس فيها حديث صحيح، بل كلها ضعيفه واهية، وقد بلغ الضعف ببعضها الي ان حك عليه الائمة الحفاظ بالوضع، كما أشار إليه شيخ الإسلام
[Ibn Taymiyyah]
“None of the narrations that the objector (al-Subki) has mentioned on this subject, and whose number he claimed to be more than ten hadiths, is authentic; rather all of them are weak and feeble, and the weakness of some of them has reached the point that the imams and huffaz have ruled them fabricated. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) pointed to this.”
➌ Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) (773-852 AH) says:
طرق هذا الحديث كلها ضعيفة
“All the chains of this hadith are weak.”
Benefit: Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) (673-748 AH) writes:
وفي الباب الأخبار اللينة، مما يقوي بعضه بعضا، لأن ما فى رواتها متهم بالكذب.
“The narrations on this subject are weak, but they strengthen one another, because none of their narrators is accused of lying.”
◈ Similarly, Hafiz al-Sakhawi (may Allah have mercy on him) (831-902 AH) says:
وكذا قال الذهبي : طرفه كلها لينة، لكن يتقوى بعضها ببعض، لأن ما فى روايتها منهم بالكذب
“Similarly, al-Dhahabi said that all its chains are weak, but they gain strength from one another, because there is no narrator accused of lying in their chains.”
That is, according to Hafiz al-Dhahabi and al-Sakhawi too, all the chains of this hadith are “da’if”, and not a single chain of it is hasan or sahih. However, they hold the view that these “da’if” chains together become fit as evidence. Their view is based on leniency (tasahul) and is open to question in several respects:
➊ Several chains of this hadith contain narrators who are “kadhdhab” (liars) and “muttaham bil-kadhib” (accused of lying), as readers have already seen. Hafiz al-Dhahabi himself also declared the narrators of some chains of this very hadith to be “kadhdhab” and “matruk”.
➋ The view that several “da’if” chains become fit as evidence when combined was not prevalent among the earlier imams of religion. It was devised and adopted by later scholars in subsequent periods. That is why even the later scholars differ in applying this lenient rule. Look at the case of this very hadith: even those scholars who accept the rule “da’if + da’if = acceptable as evidence” differ in its ruling; some declare it “da’if”, rather fabricated, while others present it as acceptable as evidence.
In sum: all the narrations stated regarding the virtue and importance of visiting the grave of the Prophet ﷺ are “da’if” and unfit as evidence. None of them has reached the level of establishment. Religion is the name of the hadiths that have reached us with an authentic chain. A hadith being “da’if” means that it is not established from the Prophet ﷺ. Whatever is not established from the Prophet ﷺ can never become the religion of any Muslim.
