Chapter 17-The Number of the Prophet's Righteous Successors
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Chapter 17
The Number of the Prophet’s Righteous Successors
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Ibn Hanbal says:
A. Hasan bin MusÄ has related to us from HammÄd bin Zayd from MujÄlid from Sha‘bÄ« from Masruq who says that in Kufa ‘AbdullÄh bin Mas‘ud was giving us lessons from the Holy Qur’Än when a person asked:
O AbÄ ‘Abd al-RahmÄn! Did you not ask the Prophet how many caliphs would this ummah have?
‘AbdullÄh bin Mas‘ud said:
Since my coming to Iraq no one has posed me this question so far except you.
Then he added:
Yes! We did ask the Messenger of Allah (S) about this matter and he said:
“IthnÄ-‘Ashara ka ‘iddati nuqabÄ’ BanÄ« IsrÄ’Ä«l (Twelve, equal to the number of the Chieftans of BanÄ« IsrÄ’Ä«l).”[62]
The isnÄd of this hadith are sahÄ«h according to Ahmad ShÄkir.
Ibn Hanbal says:
B. SufyÄn bin ‘Uyaynah has related to us from ‘Abd al-Malik bin ‘Umayr from JÄbir bin Samrah al-SuwÄ’Ä« who narrates that he heard the Messenger of Allah (S) say:
“LÄ yazÄl hÄdha al-amr mÄziyan hattÄ yaqum ithnÄ-‘ashara amÄ«ran (This affair [religion] will continue until twelve leaders [AmÄ«r] will rise).”
Then he mentioned something which I did not hear, so I asked my father (who was sitting beside me), who said:
“All of whom will be from the Quraysh.”[63]
This hadith has been recorded over 40 times in Ibn Hanbal’s Musnad[64] and in some versions the word KhalÄ«fah is found instead of Amir.[65] The version which I have selected here has the shortest chain of authority and reaches the Prophet through the medium of three narrators. Sunni scholars and exegetes of hadith have rather been perplexed and come up with unconvincing comments in their explanation of this particular hadith of the Prophet. They have been unable to reconcile with their beliefs the meaning of the figure of “twelve caliphs” as used by the Prophet. As a result we find conflicting and self-contradictory answers in their explanations.[66]
Notes:
[62] Ibid, hadith no. 3781. Refer to Holy Qur’Än (5:12) regarding the NuqabÄ’ (Chieftans) of BanÄ« IsrÄ’Ä«l.
[63] Al-Musnad, vol. 5, p. 101. Also refer to al-SafÄrÄ«nÄ«, Shams al-DÄ«n Muhammad: Sharh ThulÄthiyyÄt Ahmad, vol. 1, p. 539, first edition, 1380, Damascus.
[64] Al-SalafÄ«, Murshad al-MuhtÄr, vol. 3, p. 380.
[65] E.g. refer to Musnad, al-Maymaniyyah print.
[66] For more information on the views of the Sunnis refer to al-SafÄrÄ«nÄ«: Sharh ThulÄthiyyÄt Ahmad, vol. 2, pp. 540-566. Also see al-‘AskarÄ«, Sayyid MurtazÄ: Naqsh-e A’immah dar IhyÄ’-e DÄ«n, vol. 11, pp. 74-84.
Chapter 17
The Number of the Prophet’s Righteous Successors
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ibn Hanbal says:
A. Hasan bin MusÄ has related to us from HammÄd bin Zayd from MujÄlid from Sha‘bÄ« from Masruq who says that in Kufa ‘AbdullÄh bin Mas‘ud was giving us lessons from the Holy Qur’Än when a person asked:
O AbÄ ‘Abd al-RahmÄn! Did you not ask the Prophet how many caliphs would this ummah have?
‘AbdullÄh bin Mas‘ud said:
Since my coming to Iraq no one has posed me this question so far except you.
Then he added:
Yes! We did ask the Messenger of Allah (S) about this matter and he said:
“IthnÄ-‘Ashara ka ‘iddati nuqabÄ’ BanÄ« IsrÄ’Ä«l (Twelve, equal to the number of the Chieftans of BanÄ« IsrÄ’Ä«l).”[62]
The isnÄd of this hadith are sahÄ«h according to Ahmad ShÄkir.
Ibn Hanbal says:
B. SufyÄn bin ‘Uyaynah has related to us from ‘Abd al-Malik bin ‘Umayr from JÄbir bin Samrah al-SuwÄ’Ä« who narrates that he heard the Messenger of Allah (S) say:
“LÄ yazÄl hÄdha al-amr mÄziyan hattÄ yaqum ithnÄ-‘ashara amÄ«ran (This affair [religion] will continue until twelve leaders [AmÄ«r] will rise).”
Then he mentioned something which I did not hear, so I asked my father (who was sitting beside me), who said:
“All of whom will be from the Quraysh.”[63]
This hadith has been recorded over 40 times in Ibn Hanbal’s Musnad[64] and in some versions the word KhalÄ«fah is found instead of Amir.[65] The version which I have selected here has the shortest chain of authority and reaches the Prophet through the medium of three narrators. Sunni scholars and exegetes of hadith have rather been perplexed and come up with unconvincing comments in their explanation of this particular hadith of the Prophet. They have been unable to reconcile with their beliefs the meaning of the figure of “twelve caliphs” as used by the Prophet. As a result we find conflicting and self-contradictory answers in their explanations.[66]
Notes:
[62] Ibid, hadith no. 3781. Refer to Holy Qur’Än (5:12) regarding the NuqabÄ’ (Chieftans) of BanÄ« IsrÄ’Ä«l.
[63] Al-Musnad, vol. 5, p. 101. Also refer to al-SafÄrÄ«nÄ«, Shams al-DÄ«n Muhammad: Sharh ThulÄthiyyÄt Ahmad, vol. 1, p. 539, first edition, 1380, Damascus.
[64] Al-SalafÄ«, Murshad al-MuhtÄr, vol. 3, p. 380.
[65] E.g. refer to Musnad, al-Maymaniyyah print.
[66] For more information on the views of the Sunnis refer to al-SafÄrÄ«nÄ«: Sharh ThulÄthiyyÄt Ahmad, vol. 2, pp. 540-566. Also see al-‘AskarÄ«, Sayyid MurtazÄ: Naqsh-e A’immah dar IhyÄ’-e DÄ«n, vol. 11, pp. 74-84.