"On
the authority of Abu Hurairah RA, may Allah be pleased with him who said: The
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said ... "
In Defense of Abu Hurairah RA - To Some Erroneous Claims
ABU HURAIRAH (603–681 CE) أبو
هريرة
His real name was `Abd Shams
(Worshipper of the Sun), but it was changed to `Abd al-Rahman ibn Sakhr by
Rasulullah SAW . He was of the Daws tribe, a Companion of Rasulullah SAW and a prolific narrator of Hadith. It is said
that either he was fond of, or was once spotted with a kitten which became the
reason for earning the nickname “Abu Hurairah RA” meaning “he of the kitten.”
He was born in Yemen in the Tihamah region on whose border lays the Red Sea.
Not much is known about his private life or family except that he had a mother.
He embraced Islam through Tufayl ibn `Amr RA, the chief of his tribe, who had
come back to the settling after having met Rasulullah SAW and embraced Islam at
Makkah. In one of his journeys he accompanied him to Makkah and embraced Islam
there.
 |
Thus, Abu Hurairah’s RA entry
into Islam was in the early days while his fellowmen delayed their Islam.
However, he migrated to Madinah only in (7H or 629CE) the seventh year after
Hijrah apparently with his mother who had not embraced Islam. He himself was a
little over 33 at that time. Since
Rasulullah SAW was away at
Khaibar, he stayed among the Ahl Al-Suffah. He was single without a wife or
child. He encouraged his mother to become a Muslim, but she refused. He was
quite concerned about his mother who refused to budge. One day, he reported to
Rasulullah SAW with tears in his eyes
and explained that his persuasion had failed and there was no chance she would
give in. Further, she had said things about Rasulullah SAW that he wouldn’t like to hear. He asked him to
supplicate for her. Rasulullah SAW
agreed and when Abu Hurairah RA went home, he found her bathing in order to
recite the testimony. He had just wiped the tears of grief off his eyes that
began to flow again from joy.
After Rasulullah SAW return from
Khaibar, Abu Hurairah clung to him until he demised (i.e., for about two years)
like no one else, despite having to pass his days in extreme hunger and deprivation.
He admitted that he went hungry for such long stretches that he would ask Rasulullah’s
Companions about a verse of the Qur’an
in pretention, hoping that the man would take him home for dinner. On one
occasion, he found no luck with Saidina Abu Bakr RA who was passing by and who
moved on after answering his question. Then Saidina Umar Al Khattab RA happened
to show up and he asked him too. But he too answered his question and then
moved on. Finally, Rasulullah SAW passed by and realized that I was hungry. He
said: “Abu Hurairah!” He said, “At your service.” He told him to follow, until
he took him into his house. Upon entering, they discovered that someone had gifted
a bowl of milk. “Abu Hurairah,” Rasulullah SAW said, “Go get the Ahl Al-suffah.
Abu Huraira’s heart sank: this little bowl and the dozens on the Platform! But
he had to do as told. They came in, in turns, drank from the bowl and left.
Then Rasulullah SAW made him drink, and
drink, and drink, until the milk could burst from his veins. Once, Rasulullah
SAW allowed two dates each to a group of
the Ahl Al-suffah. Abu Hurairah RA chewed one and reserved one. He asked him
why he had done that. He said it was for his mother. He told him, “Eat it, I’ll
give you two more.”
"Abu Hurayrah is a glaring proof of the authenticity and
trustworthiness of the ahadith".
Bukhari reports him as saying, “I
said to Rasulullah SAW, ‘I hear a lot from you but I forget.’” He said, ‘Spread
your cloak,’ which I did. He moved his hands as if filling it with something
and then said, ‘Take it and wrap it around you.’ I did, and thereafter I forgot
nothing that I heard from him.” It is also recorded that he said, “People are
surprised that I narrate many a hadith. Well, had it not been for the Qur’anic
verse, I would not have narrated any Hadith. It says (2: 159), ‘Indeed, those
who conceal the clear signs and guidance that We have sent down, after We have
made them clear to the people in the Book, they, such of them, are cursed by
Allah and cursed by those who curse.’ The thing is, my Muhajir brothers were
busy in the market, while the Ansar were busy in the fields. But I stuck to Rasulullah
SAW, satisfied with what little would fill my stomach, thus being in attendance
when others were not. Further, I used to memorize, while they did not.” All in
all, he spent four years and a few days in Rasulullah’s close company.
 |
| Illustration Only: Abu Hurairah RA - love cats. |
After Rasulullah SAW demised, he
took part in the battles against the apostates and deniers of zakah. At the
time of Saidina Abu Bakr RA, he was in Jihad. He was there in the famous Yarmuk
battle that decided the fate of the Romans. During the time of Saidina Umar RA,
he was appointed Governor of Bahrain Province (the Eastern part of the
Peninsula) but was removed after two and a half years. Saidina Umar RA never
kept anyone in any important position for long, he kept rotating the job An
amazing incident took place when Abu Hurairah returned to Makkah with much
wealth. Saidina Umar's RA asked him
where he had got it from. He informed him that, in his spare time, he traded
and earned profits, in addition to piling up his own salary. Saidina Umar's
remarked, “Nay! I believe since you were the Governor, they traded with you on
favorable terms in order to win your favor. You better cut it into two and
deposit one half in the governmental treasury.” Now, Abu Hurairah RA was an
Arab, who will give away a large sum as a gift, but from whom not a penny can
be taken by force. If he willed, Abu Hurairah RA could have told `Umar's,
“Nothing doing, I have earned it the Halal way, and will only give in charity
whenever I wish.” After all, Abu Hurairah RA was not a modern-day governor who
has to build roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and airports. His governorship
would not have cost him more than an hour or two per day. But he did not say
any such thing. Probably he saw some justification in Saidina Umar's
conclusion, and, further, being a Hadith scholar, who had been through the
phase when he fell on the ground because of hunger, and people pressed their
feet on his neck under the impression that this was an epilepsy attack, he had
been through all that, and had little regard for money. Moreover, he must have
thought, to get rid of one-half is not such a bad idea from the point of
accountability in the Hereafter. Therefore, he cheerfully deposited one half of
what he had brought from Bahrain. Of course, Saidina Umar RA trusted him. He
offered Abu Hurairah RA the post once
again, but Abu Hurairah RA turned down
the offer.
“I was Abu Hurayrah’s guest. At night I found him, his servant and his
wife going into Prayers in turns. One of them would be in Prayers for one-third
of the night, while the other two slept. Then he would wake up one of the other
two and go to bed himself.”– Uthman al-Nahdi.
As a result of Rasulullah SAW supplication, he had a prodigious memory. The
secretary of Marwan (the Madinan Governor) reports that once Marwan asked Abu
Hurairah RA to dictate a hadith on a particular topic while his secretary wrote
them down. After a year Marwan placed his secretary to sit behind the curtain
with the older collection (containing a hundred or so of the ahadith), and told
Abu Hurairah RA that he had lost the
collection, could he dictate the same ahadith once more? To surprise, Abu Hurairah
did it, without moving a single syllable from one place to another, exactly as
he had narrated a year ago.
 |
| One of the Hadith narrated by Abu Hirairah RA. |
"The time will come when one will not care how one gains one's money, Legally or Illegally."
(This the reality today)
Saidina Umar RA, however, was not
always happy with the Companions narrating
a hadith perhaps because he was afraid the newly converted would get
confused between it and the Qur’an. Once he warned Abu Hurairah RA: “Either you
will stop narrating Hadith or I’ll exile you to Daws.” He also warned Ubay ibn
Ka`b (a former Jew), “Either you will stop narrating hadith or I’ll exile you
to the lands of the monkeys.” Yet, he had allowed Abu Hurairah RA to express
his juridical opinions. Somebody asked Abu Hurairah about eating out of meat
gifted to a Hajee, which was from an animal hunted down by a non-Hajee. He
allowed it (although hunting is disallowed for a Hajee). Then he mentioned his
opinion to Saidina Umar RA. He remarked, “Had you given another opinion, I
would have punished you.”
Consequent to the historical
circumstances of the past, and Abu Hurairah’s choices, he was the person who
quoted most; more than 5,000 ahadith being documented in the Musnad of Ahmad
itself. The Sahihan have altogether 326 ahadith that originate from him. He was
followed in numbers by `Abdullah ibn `Umar, Anas ibn Malik, `Aishah, Jabir ibn
`Abdullah and Abu Sa`eed al-Khudri. He used to say, “There was a time when I
was a cameleer tending the camels of Bushra, to satisfy my stomach. Praise to
Allah that He made it possible for me to marry Bushra, and lead people in
Prayers.” Yet, he did not narrate all that he had heard from Rasulullah SAW .
He said, “I have saved two vessels of knowledge. I speak out of one. If I spoke
out of the other, people will slaughter me.” The allusion was to the
predictions Rasulullah SAW had made about the political upheavals that would
take place after him. Had Abu Hurairah RA begun to speak about who was right
and who wrong, in the light of what he had heard from him, the activists would
have gone after him. Naturally, he was a much respected person during his life.
In fact, some Companions quoted from him and their jurists wished to hear how
Abu Hurairah judged. Not surprisingly, he led in the funeral Prayer of `Aishah
Bint Abu Bakr, and, even of Hafsa (Rasulullah’s wife) with her brother, Ibn
`Umar, a well-known pious person and nominee to the Khilafah, alive, praying
behind him. He also led the funeral Prayer of Umm Salamah (another wife of Rasulullah
SAW) when she died.
 |
| Another Hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah RA |
Abu Hurairah RA is a glaring proof of the authenticity and
trustworthiness of the ahadith.
Abu Hurairah is a glaring proof
of the authenticity and trustworthiness of the ahadith. If they were forged
during the late first and early second Islamic century, by a group of forgers,
and fastened to his name, as the Orientalists and their Eastern tail-polishers
allege, surely, the forgers would not have used Abu Hurairah’s name. They would
have chosen for such a cause someone like Bilal, or `Ammar ibn Yasir, who were
in the company of Rasulullah SAW day one of Islam, so to say, and lasting full
23 years. Anything forged in the name of the earliest Muslims, stood better
chance of acceptance as genuine than those fastened to Abu Hurairah RA who was
not destined to receive Rasulullah’s company but for just above four years.
Further, the forgers would have evenly distributed their forgeries among many,
especially among the `Ashara al-Mubashshara, the widely respected ten
Companions, instead of fastening 5,000 narratives on a single man and arousing
suspicion. Finally, the narratives of Abu Hurairah RA widely corroborate those
narrated by other Companions and are supported by historical evidences. But,
there are people, in every society, who are more likely to move on the lines
drawn by idiots using their tongue-skills, than by the lines drawn by a True
Rasul, and a True Companion.
“I was Abu Hura1rah’s guest. At
night I found him, his servant and his wife going into Prayers in turns. One of
them would be in Prayers for one-third of the night, while the other two slept.
Then he would wake up one of the other two and go to bed himself.”– Uthman
al-Nahdi.
Abu Hurairah RA had a wide
shoulder, brown colored body, a gap between his front two teeth, two pleats of
hair dangling, and a beard dyed red. Not much is known about his wife and
children except that he had married his former employer, Bushra, and that one
of his daughters was married to Said ibn al-Musayyib. Abu `Uthman al-Nahdi
said, “I was Abu Hurayrah’s guest. At night, I found him, his servant and his
wife going into Prayers in turns. One of them would be in Prayers for one-third
of the night, while the other two slept. Then he would wake up one of the other
two and go to bed himself.” Abu Hurayrah died in 681H at the age of 78. (The article
will be expanded, Allah willing, with the next revision: Au.).
"An Abi Hurayrata, radiallahu
'anhu, qal qala rasulallahi, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam ... "
Through
this phrase millions of Muslims from the early history of Islam to the present
have come to be familiar with the name Abu Hurairah RA. In speeches and
lectures, in Friday khutbahs and seminars, in the books ofhadith and sirah, fiqh and 'ibadah, the name Abu Hurairah RA
is mentioned in this fashion:
"On
the authority of Abu Hurairah RA, may Allah be pleased with him who said: The
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said ... "
Through
his prodigious efforts, hundreds of ahadith or sayings of Rasulullah SAW were
transmitted to later generations. His is the foremost name in the roll of hadith transmitters. Next to him comes the
names of such companions as 'Abdullah the son of 'Umar, 'Anas the son of Malik,
'Umm al-Mu'minin 'A'aishah, Jabir ibn 'Abdullah and Abu Sa'id al-Khudri all of
whom transmitted over a thousand sayings of Rasulullah SAW
Abu
Hurairah RA became a Muslim at the hands
of at-Tufayl ibn 'Amr RA the chieftain of the Daws tribe to which he belonged. The Daws lived in the region of Tihamah which
stretches along the coast of the Red Sea in southern Arabia. When at-Tufayl
returned to his village after meeting the Prophet and becoming a Muslim in the
early years of his mission, Abu Hurairah RA was one of the first to respond to his call.
He was unlike the majority of the Daws who remained stubborn in their old
beliefs for a long time.
When
at-Tufayl RA visited Makkah again, Abu Hurairah RA accompanied him. There he
had the honor and privilege of meeting the noble Rasulullah who asked him: "What is your
name?"
"'Abdus-Shams
- Servant of a Sun," he
replied.
"Instead,
let it be 'Abdur-Rahman - the Servant of the Beneficent Lord,"said
Rasulullah SAW.
"Yes,
'Abdur-Rahman (it shall be) O Messenger of Allah," he
replied. However, he continued to be known as Abu Hurairah, "the kitten
man", literally "the father of a kitten" because like Rasulullah
SAW he was fond of cats and since his childhood often had a cat to play with.
Abu
Hurairah RA stayed in Tihamah for
several years and it was only at the beginning of the seventh year of the Hijrah that he arrived in Madinah with others
of his tribe. Rasulullah SAW had gone on a campaign to Khaybar. Being
destitute, Abu Hurairah took up his place in the Masjid with other of the Ahlus-Suffah.
He was single, without wife or child. With him however was his mother who was
still a mushrik. He longed, and prayed,
for her to become a Muslim but she adamantly refused. One day, he invited her
to have faith in Allah alone and follow His Prophet but she uttered some words
about the Prophet which saddened him greatly. With tears in his eyes, he went
to the noble Prophet who said to him:
"What
makes you cry, O Abu Hurairah?"
"I
have not let up in inviting my mother to Islam but she has always rebuffed me.
Today, I invited her again and I heard words from her which I do not like. Do
make supplication to Allah Almighty to make the heart of Abu Hurairah's mother incline
to Islam."
Rasulullah
SAW responded to Abu Hurairah's request
and prayed for his mother. Abu Hurairah said:
"I
went home and found the door closed. I heard the splashing of water and when I
tried to enter my mother said, 'Stay where you are, O Abu Hurairah.' And after
putting on her clothes, she said, 'Enter!' I entered and she said, 'I testify
that there is no Allah but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is His Servant and
His Messenger.'
"I
returned to Rasulullah SAW, weeping with joy just as an hour before I had gone
weeping from sadness and said, 'I have good news, O Messenger of Allah. Allah
has responded to your prayer and guided the mother of Abu Hurairah to Islam.'
"
Abu
Hurarah RA loved Rasulullah SAW a great
deal and found favor with him. He was never tired of looking at Rasulullah SAW
whose face appeared to him as having all the radiance of the sun and he was
never tired of listening to him. Often he would praise Allah for his good
fortune and say:
"Praise
be to Allah Who has guided Abu Hurairah to Islam."
"Praise
be to Allah Who has taught Abu Hurairah the Qur'an."
"Praise
be to Allah who has bestowed on Abu Hurairah the companionship of Muhammad, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace."
On
reaching Madinah, Abu Hurayrah RA set his heart on attaining knowledge. Zaid
ibn Thabit RA the notable companion of the Prophet reported:
"While
Abu Hurairah RA and I and another friend
of mine were in the Masjid praying to Allah Almighty and performing dhikr to Him, the Messenger of Allah appeared. He came
towards us and sat among us. We became silent and he said: "Carry on with what you were doing."
"So
my friend and I made a supplication to Allah before Abu Hurairah did and Rasulullah
SAW began to say amin to our du'a.
"Then
Abu Hurairah RA made a supplication
saying, 'O Lord, I ask You for what my two companions have asked and I ask You
for knowledge which will not be forgotten.'
"Rasulullah
SAW, said, 'Amin.' We then said, 'And we ask Allah for knowledge which
will not be forgotten,' and Rasulullah SAW replied, 'The Dawsi youth has asked for this before you.' "
With
his formidable memory, Abu Hurairah RA set out to memorize in the four years that he
spent with Rasulullah SAW, the gems of wisdom that emanated from his lips. He
realized that he had a great gift and he set about to use it to the full in the
service of Islam.
He
had free time at his disposal. Unlike many of the Muhajirin he did not busy
himself in the market-places, with buying and selling. Unlike many of the Ansar,
he had no land to cultivate nor crops to tend. He stayed with Rasulullah SAW in
Madinah and went with him on journeys and expeditions.
Many
companions were amazed at the number of hadith he had memorized and often questioned
him on when he had heard a certain hadith and under what circumstances.
During
the reign Marwan ibn al-Hakam wanted to test Abu Hurairah's power of memory. He
sat with him in one room and behind a curtain he placed a scribe, unknown to
Abu Hurairah RA, and ordered him to write down whatever Abu Hurairah RA said. A year later, Marwan called Abu Hurairah
RA again and asked him to recall the same ahadith which the scribe had recorded. It was
found that he had forgotten not a single word.
Abu
Hurairah RA was concerned to teach and transmit the ahadith he had memorized and knowledge of
Islam in general. It is reported that one day he passed through the suq of Madinah and naturally saw people
engrossed in the business of buying and selling.
"How
feeble are you, O people of Madinah!" he
said.
"What
do you see that is feeble in us, Abu Hurairah?" they asked.
"The
inheritance of the Rasulullah SAW, is being distributed and you remain here!
Won't you go and take your portion?"
"Where
is this, O Abu Hurairah?" they asked.
"In
the Masjid," he
replied.
Quickly
they left. Abu Hurairah RA waited until they returned. When they saw him, they
said: "O Abu Hurairah, we went to the Masjid and entered and we did not see
anything being distributed."
"Didn't
you see anyone in the Masjid?" he
asked.
"O
yes, we saw some people performing Salat, some people reading the Qur'an and some people discussing about what
is halal and
what is haram."
"Woe
unto you," replied
Abu Hurairah RA,"that is the inheritance of Rasulullah
SAW.
Abu
Hurairah RA underwent much hardship and difficulties as a result of his
dedicated search for knowledge. He was often hungry and destitute. He said
about himself:
"When
I was afflicted with severe hunger, I would go to a companion of Rasulullah SAW
and asked him about an ayah of the Qur'an and (stay with him) learning it so that he would
take me with him to his house and give food.
"One
day, my hunger became so severe that I placed a stone on my stomach. I then sat
down in the path of the companions. Saidina Abu Bakr RA passed by and I asked
him about an ayah of the Book of Allah. I only asked him so that he
would invite me but he didn't.
"Then
Saidina Umar ibn al-Khattab RA passed by
me and I asked him about an ayah but he also did not invite me. Then Rasulullah SAW,
passed by and realized that I was hungry and said,
'Abu
Hurairah!'
"'At
your command,' I replied and followed him until we entered his house. He found
a bowl of milk and asked his family:
'From
where did you get this?'
"'Someone
sent it to you,' they replied. He then said to me:
'O
Abu Hurairah, go to the Ahlus-Suffah and invite them.'
"I
did as I was told and they all drank from the milk."
The
time came of course when the Muslims were blessed with great wealth and
material goodness of every description. Abu Hurairah RA eventually got his share of wealth. He had a
comfortable home, a wife and child. But this turn of fortune did not change his
personality. Neither did he forget his days of destitution. He would say, "I grew up as
an orphan and I emigrated as a poor and indigent person. I used to take food
for my stomach from Busrah bint Ghazwan. I served people when they returned
from journeys and led their camels when they set out. Then Allah SWT caused me
to marry her (Busrah). So praise be to Allah who has strengthened his religion
and made Abu Hurairah an Imam." (This last statement is a reference to
the time when he became governor of Madinah)
Much
of Abu Hurairah's time would be spent in spiritual exercises and devotion to
Allah. Qiyam al-Layl staying up for the night in prayer and
devotion - was a regular practice of his family including his wife and his
daughter. He would stay up for a third of the night, his wife for another third
and his daughter for a third. In this way, in the house of Abu Hurayrah no hour
of the night would pass without 'ibadah, dhikr and Salat.
During
the caliphate of Saidina Umar Al Khattab RA, Saidina Umar RA appointed him as governor of Bahrain.
Saidina Umar RA was very scrupulous about the type of persons whom he appointed
as governors. He was always concerned that his governors should live simply and
frugally and not acquire much wealth even though this was through lawful means.
In
Bahrain, Abu Hurayrah RA became quite rich. Saidina Umar RA heard of this and
recalled him to Madinah. Saidina Umar RA thought he had acquired his wealth through
unlawful means and questioned him about where and how he had acquired such a
fortune. Abu Hurairah RA replied: "From breeding
horses and gifts which I received."
"Hand
it over to the treasury of the Muslims," ordered
Saidina Umar Al Khattab RA.
Abu
Hurairah RA did as he was told and raised his hands to the heavens and prayed: "O Lord,
forgive the Amir al-Mu'minin." Subsequently,
Saidina Umar RA asked him to become governor once again but he declined.
Saidina Umar RA asked him why he refused and he said:
"So
that my honor would not be besmirched, my wealth taken and my back
beaten."
And
he added: "And
I fear to judge without knowledge and speak without wisdom."
Throughout
his life Abu Hurairah RA remained kind and
courteous to his mother. Whenever he wanted to leave home, he would stand at
the door of her room and say: "As-salamu
alaykum, yaa ummatah, wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu, peace be on you, mother,
and the mercy and blessings of Allah." She would reply: "Wa alayka as-salam, yaa bunayya, wa
rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu - And on you be peace, my son, and the mercy and
blessings of Allah." Often, he would also say: "May Allah have
mercy on you as you cared for me when I was small," and she would reply: "May Allah
have mercy on you as you delivered me from error when I was old." Abu
Hurairah RA always encouraged other people to be kind and good to their
parents.
One
day he saw two men walking together, one older than the other. He asked the
younger one: "What is this man to you?"
"My
father," the person replied.
"Don't
call him by his name. Don't walk in front of him and don't sit before
him," advised Abu Hurairah RA.
Muslims owe a debt of gratitude to Abu Hurairah RA for helping to preserve and transmit the
valuable legacy of Rasulullah SAW . He died in the year 59H when he was
seventy-eight years old.
 |
| Maqam of Abu Hirairah RA - Hamideyeh, Damascus, Syria. |
Defense Of
Abu Hurairah RA
A Reply To Some Erroneous Claims
The Shia claims that:
Muslim in his Saheeh in Volume 1,
writes that during the time of the Prophet (may Peace Be Upon Him) Umar bin
Khattaab beat Aboo Hurayrah for fabricating lies.
In Volume 2 of Saheeh Muslim, he quotes
‘Aa'ishah as, " Aboo Hurayrah is a great liar who fabricates ahaadeeth and
attributes them to the holy Prophet (may Peace Be Upon Him)."
In Volume 4 of Saheeh Muslim, Nadwee says
"Imaam Aboo Haneefah said, 'The Companions of the Prophet (may Peace Be
Upon Him) were generally pious and just. I accept every haeeth narrated by
them, but I do not accept the ahadeeth whose source is Aboo Hurayrah, Anas ibn
Maalik, or Samrah ibn Jundab.'"
I have the following comments:
(1) It is obvious from the initial
post that the information quoted is a poor rephrasing of some well known
incidents surrounding Aboo Hurayrah's life - radiyallahu 'anhu - which have
been addressed by the scholars. These events are often used to discount Aboo
Hurayrah's veracity and thereby negate a large section of the Sunnah.
The two prominent sources in
contemporary times for raising these allegations against Aboo Hurayrah are the
Shee'ah and the students of the orientalists.
As for the former, many of these
allegations are to be found in the work, Aboo Hurayrah, by the Lebanese Shee'ee
author, Abd al-Husayn Sharaf ul-Deen al-'Amalee.
Aspects of this work were refuted
by Dr. Muhammad Ajaaj al-Khateeb (Professor at the University of Damscus,
Colleges of Sharia and Education) in his Master's thesis, al-Sunna Qabl
al-Tadween (Cairo: 1483/1963) and also in his work, Aboo Hurayrah Raawiya
al-Islaam (Cairo: 1962).
Regarding the latter, most of the
arguments of the Orientalists were summarized by Mahmud Abu Rayyah of Egypt. In
his work, Adwa' 'alas-Sunnat-il-Muhammadeeyah (Cairo: 1377/1958), Abu Rayya
attempted to show that the Sunnah is fabricated in the whole and toward that
aim he raised questions on Aboo Hurayrah's veracity.
When Abu Raya's book first
appeared, a number of scholars addressed his arguments. The most prominent
responses were
Dr. Mustafaa as-Sibaa'ee (founder
of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria), in his thesis, al-Sunna wa Makanatuha
fit-Tashree' al-Islaamee, (Cairo: 1380/1961);
Shaykh 'Abdur-Razzaq Hamza (the
head of Darul-Hadeeth in Makkah and Imaam of Masjid al-Haram), Zulumat Abi Raya
amam Adwa' al-Sunnah al-Muhammadeeyah, (Cairo: n.d.); and
The definitive response by Shaykh
'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Yahyaa al-Mu'allamee al-Yamanee (the Librarian of Masjid
al-Haram), al-Anwaar ul-Kaashifah lima fee Kitaab Adwaa' 'ala al-Sunnah min
al-Zallal wa l-Tadleel wa l-Mujaazafah, (Cairo: 1378) - may Allah have mercy
with them all.
(2) It should be noted that
pertaining to most of the objections raised against Abu Hurairah ra , there
exists a definitive defense written by the Iraqi Muslim Brotherhood scholar,
'Abdul-Mun'im Saalih al-'Alee al-'Izzee, entitled Dif'a 'an Abu HuraIrah ra (Baghdad:
1393/1973). In this work, al-'Izzi reviewed, page by page, over 110 classical
works (most of which are in a number of volumes, extending thousands of pages)
with the aim of collecting everything related to AbU HuraIrah.
With regards to the three specific
objections raised against Abu Hurairah in the post, the response is as follows:
(3) Saidina Umar Al Khattab never
beaten Abu Hurairah RA during the
lifetime of Rasulullah SAW - for lying against the Prophet.
However, both 'Abdul-Husayn
al-'Amalee (p. 268) and Abu Rayya (pp. 163, 171) report that 'Umar struck Abu
Hurairah with a shield for relating too many hadeeth upon Rasulullah SAW - and
accused him of lying. The source of this incident is not Sahih Muslim, but
rather a Shiite text, Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, by the Shiite Mu'tazilite Ibn Abi
al-Hadid who quotes Abu Ja'far al-Iskafi. Abu Ja'far al-Iskafi is a third
century, Shiite Mu'tazalite. Al-Iskafi relates this incident with no chain or
authorities (sanad). And thus this is an unverified historical incident that
appears centuries after the deaths of Saidina Umar RA and Abu Hurairah RA. And
moreover it is found in the works of those who harbor religious animosities
against Abu Hurairah RA and adverse
theological positions toward the Sunna. (See: al-Mu'allamee, al-Anwaer
al-Kaashifah, pp. 152-153, al-Khateeb, al-Sunnah Qabl al-Tadween, p. 457,
al-'Izzee, Difaa' 'an Abee Hurayrah, p. 123)
Historically, the Jahme, Bishr
al-Maresi was perhaps the first to claim that
Saidina Umar RA said that "the greatest liar among the narrators of
hadIth is Abu Hurairah." To this fabrication, Imam al-Darimee responded,
"How could Saidina Umar RA accuse
him of lying against the Messenger of Allah SAW - and [at the same time] place him, in charge of important posts. Had [Abu
Hurairah] been thought of by Saidina Umar RA
- as [al-Marisee] claimed, 'Umar
would not have entrusted [Abu Hurairah RA] with the affairs of the Muslims,
placing him in charge, time and time again."
Also, ad-Darimee rhetorically asks
al-Marisi, "If you were truthful in your claim, then expose [to us] who
narrated such. You will not be able to expose a trustworthy narrator."
(See al-Darimi, Radd al-Imaam al-Darimee 'Uthmaan ibn Sa'eed 'alaa Bishr al-Mareesee
al-'Aneed, pp. 132-135.)
Interestingly, al-'Izzee shows that
a number of grandsons of Saidina Umar RA related hadeeth from Abu HuraIrah RA
from the Rasulullah . Among whom: (a)
Salim ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar, who in SahIh al-BukhaarI alone relates three
hadeeth; (b) and Hafs ibn 'Asim ibn 'Umar, who in SahIh al-BukhaarI alone
relates eleven hadeeth. al-'Izzi comments (p. 123), "Did they not hear
from their fathers that their grandfather considered Abu Hurairah a liar?"
(4) Saidatina Aishah RA never
accused Abu Hurairah RA of lying.
However, there do exist a number of incidents where she corrected Abu Hurairah’
for erring in the hadeeth he transmitted. This was not unique for Abu Hurairah,
but rather Saidatina Aishah RA corrected a number of the Companions. Imam
al-Zarkashee (794 A.H.) has gathered and commented upon all the statements
wherein which ‘A’ishah corrected another of the Prophet's companions in his
al-Ijaba li Irad ma Istadraakahu ‘Aishah 'ala -Sahabah.
Of these criticisms by Saidatina
Aishah RA , there exists one in Sahih Muslim (Cairo: Vol. 3, p. 137).
Specifically that Abu Hurairah RA related that the individual who at dawn
(fajr) is in a state of sexual defilement, he is not permitted fast. When ‘Aishah
and Umm Salamah were questioned regarding this they informed that Rasulullah
SAW - during the month of Ramadan would awake at dawn in a state of sexual
defilement not due to a dream (i.e., due to having sexual relations) and fast.
When Abu Hurairah RA was later questioned as to his source, he informed that he
heard that from al-Fadl ibn 'Abbas and not Rasulullah SAW directly.
Az-Zarkashee (Cairo: p. 57) informs
that the ruling delivered by Abu Hurairah RA was initially the ruling given by Rasulullah
SAW but was later abrogated. This abrogation it seems did not reach Abu Hurairah
RA. That the ruling was abrogated is echoed in the verses regarding the permissibility
of sexual relations with one's women during the night of Ramadan.
Moreover, it should be noted that a number of
the leading scholars among the second generation (taabi'in), held the same
opinion of Abu Hurairah RA. Among them was
Saidatina Aishah's nephew, 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr. It seems that 'Urwah
interpreted Saidatina Aishah's RA statement to indicate a ruling specific to
Rasulullah SAW- and not general for the umma. This opinion was also held by
Taawoos, 'Ataa', Saalim ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar, al-Hasan al-Basri, and Ibrahim
al-Nakha'ei. And thus we see this opinion among the scholars of the tabi'in in
the cities of Makkah, al-Madinah, al-Basra, and al-Kufah.
Moreover, there are incidents which
show that Saidatina ‘Aishah RA did not consider Abu Hurairah RA to be a liar
even if she corrected him at times. Among which is that Saidatina Aishah RA
confirmed a hadith related by Abu Hurairah RA regarding the reward for
following a funeral bier which was questioned by Ibn 'Umar. This is reported by
al-Bukhari and Muslim. (See al-'Izzee, pp. 234-235)
Al-'Izzee (p. 110) also shows that
when ‘Aishah and Hafsah died Abu Hurairah led the funeral prayers and Ibn 'Umar
was among the attendees. This is reported by al-Bukharee in his Taareekh
as-Saghaar, p. 52. Al-Haakim reports in al-Mustadrak (Vol. 4, p. 6), that Ibn
'Umar was among the people and had no objections.
Al-'Izzee remarks, "We know
that the Muslims choose the best among them to lead funeral prayers, how much
more so when it is the wife of Rasulullah SAW in this world and the next?"
One may surmize that had 'Umar
considered Abu Hurairah RA to be a liar
and beat him for that, how would Ibn 'Umar allow (indeed, have no objections)
Abu Hurairah RA to lead the funeral prayer for his sister and Rasulullah’s wife, Hafsaa? If ‘Aishah RA considered Abu Hurairah RA to be a liar,
would the Muslims permit Abu Hurairah RA to lead the funeral prayers over her?
(5) As for Abu Hanifah's rejecting
the narrations of these three companions.
However, what does exists is a
principle of Usul al-Fiqh among the Hanafi’s scholars that those narrations of Abu Hurairah
RA which are in agreement with analogy
(al-qiyaas) are adopted, and what is in disagreement with analogy, one sees if
the hadith has been accepted by the ummah, only then it is adopted; otherwise
analogy is adopted in preference to hadith. (See Usool al-Sarkhasee, Vol. 1, p.
341)
The source of this principle is the
Kufan scholar of the tabi'in, Ibrahim an-Nakha'ee, who would not adopt all the
hadith of Abu Hurairah RA . Al-Dhahabi
in his Mizaan al-I'tidaal (Vol. 1, p. 35) reports that an-Nakha'ee explained
his motivations by arguing that Abu Hurairah was not a scholar of fiqh
(faqeeh).
In response, it should be noted:
(a.) a number of scholars have objected to al-Nakha'i's position. Among whom
ath-Thahabi, Ibn Katheer and Ibn 'Asaakir. (See ath-thahabi, Siyaar A'laam
al-Nubalaa', Vol. 2, p. 438 and Ibn Katheer, al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah, Vol. 8,
pp. 109-110); (b.) Ibn 'Abbas who is recognized as a faqeeh, once in a
gathering says to Abu Hurairah, "Give a fatwa O Abu Hurairah RA ;"
(c.) For 23 years, after the death of Saidina Uthman RA , Abu Hurairah RA would deliever fatawa in al-Madinah. (See
Tabaqaat Ibn Sa'd, Vol. 2, p. 372). There are no objections by anyone to Abu
Hurairah's RA knowledge of fiqh. Moreover, most of Abu Hurairah's students
among the tabi'in where accomplished scholars and judges. (d.) In comparing,
the instances where an-Nakha'ee did not adopt the narration of Abu Hurairah, we
find that Abu Hurairah's narration is stronger than the opinion forwarded by
an-Nakha'ee. (see al-'Izzee, pp. 237-248)
I hope this response will be
satisfying. Again al-'Izzee's defense is the definitive work and it is in 500
pages.
One final note, al-'Izzi also goes
under the pen name Ahmad al-Rashid. You might remember a couple of years ago he
was arrested in the UAE (his place of residence) after returning from the MAYA
conference. Just recently, he was released.
