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Some Traditions that Appear to Conflict with Hadith al­Thaqalayn - Verily, my Companions are like the stars (nujum) in the sky...

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 "Verily, my Companions are like the stars (nujum) in the sky..."

Shah `Abd al-`Aziz cites another narration known as Hadith al­Nujum ascribed to the Prophet (S) in support of his argument:



    Verily, my Companions are like the stars (nujum) in the sky; whichever of them you follow, you shall be guided rightly. The disagreement of my Companions is a blessing for you.

Among Sunni authorities those who have considered this tradition as unreliable are:

    Ahmad ibn Hanbal, as quoted in al-Taqrir wa al-tahbir, iii, 99;
    al-Mizzi, as quoted in Jami` bayan al-`ilm, ii, 89-90;
    al-Bazzaz, as quoted in Jami` bayan al-`ilm, ii, 90;
    Ibn al­Qattan, in al-Kamil;
    al-Darqutni, as quoted in Lisan al-mizan, ii, 137;
    Ibn Hazm, as quoted in al-Bahr al-muhit, v, 528;
    al-Bayhaqi, as quoted in al-Hafiz al-`Iraqi, Takhrij ahadith al­Minhaj, MS.;
    Ibn `Abd al-Barr in Jami` bayan al-`ilm, ii, 90-91;
    Ibn `Asakir as quoted in Fayd al-Qadir, iv, 76;
    Ibn al-Jawzi, in al-`Ilal al-mutanahiyah fi al-'ahadith al­wahiyah, MS.;
    Ibn Dahiyyah as quoted in Ta`liq Takhrij ahadith al­Minhaj, MS.;
    Abu Hayyan al-'Andlusi, in al-Durr al-laqit min al-Bahr al­muhit published with al-Bahr al-muhit, v, 527-528;
    al-Dhahabi in Mizan al-'i`tidal, i, 413, ii, 102, ii, 605;
    Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah in I`lam al-muqi`in, ii, 223;
    Zayn al-Din al-`Iraqi, in Takhrij ahadith al-Minhaj, MS.;
    Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani, in Talkhis al-Khabir, iv, 190-191;
    Ibn al-Humam in al-Tahrir bi Sharh Ibn Amir al-Hajj, iii, 99;
    Ibn Amir al-Hajj, al-Taqrir wa al-tahrir, iii, 99;
    al-Sakhawi in al-Maqasid al-hasanah, 26-27;
    Ibn Abi Sharif, as mentioned in Fayd al­Qadir, iv, 76;
    al-Suyuti, Itmam al-dirayah and al-Jami` al-saghir, iv, 76;
    al­Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-`ummal, vi, 133;
    al-Qari, al-Mirqat, v, 523;
    al-Munawi, al-Taysir fi sharh al-Jami` al-saghir, ii, 48 and Fayd al-Qadir, iv, 76;
    al-Khafaji, in Nasim al-riyad (sharh of al-Shifa'), iv, 323-324;
    al­Sindi, Dirasat al-labib fi al­'uswat al­hasanat al­Habib, 240;
    al Qadi Muhibb Allah al-Bihari, in Musallim al­thubut bi sharh `Abd al­`Ali, ii, 510;
    Nizam al-Din al-Sahalawi, al­Subh al­sadiq (sharh al­Manar);
    al­Mawlawi `Abd al-`Ali, Fawatih al­rahmut (sharh Musallim al­thubut), ii, 510;
    al-Shawkani, in Irshad al­fuhul, 83;
    Wali Allah ibn Habib Allah al­Lakhnowi in Sharh Musallim al­thubut; and
    Siddiq Hasan Khan al­Qannawji, in Husul al­ma'mul, 568.

The tradition is also unacceptable on the following grounds:

    It not only implies that each and every Companion was righteous himself but was a competent leader and guide of the Ummah; such an implication is false according to consensus, for all of them themselves required guidance.
    A group of them was guilty of such major sins as adultery, homicide and false witness according to the testimony of history, and it is unreasonable that the Prophet (S) should have appointed such individuals as guides and leaders of the Ummah.
    There are many verses in the Qur'an, especially in the surahs of al-'Anfal, al-Bara'ah, al-'Ahzab, al-Jumu`ah and al-Munafiqun, which throw a bad light on the character of a considerable number of the Companions and it is illogical to hold that the Prophet (S) would make such individuals as the leaders and guides of the Ummah.
    There is a large number of the Prophet's traditions, narrated both in authentic Sunni and Shi`i sources, which make the Companions appear suspect as a group. The above-mentioned narration conflicts with all such authentic traditions. [1]
    There are traditions recorded in Sunni sources which explicitly prohibit the Ummah from following the Companions. According to one recorded by al-`Asimi in Zayn al-fata fi tafsir Surat Hal Ata, MS., the Prophet (S) is reported to have said:



    There will be innovations perpetrated by my Companions after me (i.e. the fitnah that occurred amongst them). God shall forgive them due to their earlier record (of good deeds), but if a people follow them after them, God shall throw them into Hellfire.

6. Some of the Companions are on record as having made statements that imply the denial that they possessed the competence to be followed as guides and leaders. Abu Bakr and `Umar have made numerous statements about themselves which reveal their incompetence as guides who can be followed, like the Quran, without qualms. [2]

Aware of the difficulty involved in the adoption of the Hadith al­Nujum, Shah `Abd al-`Aziz admits that some Companions are known for certain to have erred in their ijtihad because it conflicted with the express commands (nusus) of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. However, he submits, the Companions may be followed in matters when there exist no express commands in the Book and the Sunnah.

Sayyid Hamid Husayn replies by pointing out that:

    one who is known for certain to have erred in his judgements cannot be a legitimate guide.
    Secondly, when the Companions are known to have erred in matters where there exist express texts in the Book and the Sunnah, the possibility of error is greater in matters where there are no such express texts.
    Thirdly, he points out, it is not permissible to follow one who may err when there exist guides the righteousness of whose guidance and whose freedom from error or sin (`ismah) has been guaranteed by God. The Verse of al-Tathir (33:33) and Hadith al-Thaqalayn, as well as a great number of other verses and ahadith, introduce the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt (A) as possessing the quality of `ismah.
    Fourthly, the Companions disagreed amongst themselves concerning the laws of the Shari`ah, including those which did not possess express texts. In such a situation it is highly improper to consider them as stars of the firmament of guidance.
    Fifthly, the Companions often found fault with one another, some times violating all limits of moderation in attributing falsehood, ignorance and even kufr to one another, as recorded in the books of the Ahl al-Sunnah. Obviously, no rational person will accept all of them as the righteous guides of Muslims.
    There were individuals amongst the Companions who practised analogy (qiyas) which has been condemned by a large number of the legists of the Ummah.
    There were individuals among them, including the first three caliphs, who turned to others to find out the rule of the Shari`ah concerning an emergent issue. It is illogical to imagine that the Prophet (S) would designate ignorant persons as authorities for the Ummah in doctrinal and legal matters. There were some among them who did not understand the meanings of certain words of the Qur'an, such as `Umar, who, for instance, did not know the meaning of 'kalalah'. Al-Tabari in his exegesis, iv, 283-284, has recorded `Umar 's own statement in this regard.
    Some of them were guilty of usurious transactions,[3] sale of wine,[4] or of giving fatwa without knowledge,[5] and sometimes in opposition to the Prophet's express command.[6] Some of them were guilty of instituting innovations contrary to the Prophet's Sunnah.[7]

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[1]. AI-Bukhari in his Sahih (Kitab al-ruqaq, hadith no. 1441) narrates the following mutawatir tradition of the Prophet (S) from Anas ibn Malik:



AI-Bukhari reports from Muslim ibn Ibrahim, from Wuhayb from `Abd al `Aziz, from Anas that the Prophet (S) said: "A group of my Companions will be brought to me on the Pond (of al­Kawthar) and as soon as I recognize them they shall be dragged away. I would say, ('God! Aren't they) my Companions?' (God) would say, 'You don't know what they did after you.'

According to another version of this tradition (no. 1442) the Prophet (S) would be told:



    You have no knowledge of what they did after you. They went back in a retrogressive manner (i.e. apostasized).

Al-Bukhari narrates similar traditions on the authority of Hudhayfah (no 1435), `Abd Allah (no.1435), Sahl ibn Sa`d (no. 1442), Abu Sa`id al­Khudri (no 1442), Ibn `Abbas (no.1442), Abu Hurayrah (no 1443), and Asma' bint Abi Bakr (no. 1449) in "Kitab al-ruqaq", as well as elsewhere in "Kitab al tafsir" and "Kitab bad' al-khalq". The same tradition with various wordings is also recorded by Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al­Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal in their books (as well as Imam Malik in al­Muwatta', "Kitab al­taharah", hadith no.28) from several Companions. Imam Malik reports the following tradition in his al­Muwatta', "Kitab al­jihad", hadith no.32:



    "The Prophet (S) said concerning the martyrs of Uhud, "I shall bear witness for them (i.e. their faith)." Thereupon Abu Bakr said, "O Messenger of Allah, aren't we their brethren, who embraced Islam like them and did jihad like them?" The Prophet (S) replied, "Yes, but I don't know what you will do after me ..."

See, for instance, Adwa' `ala al-Sunnat al-Muhammadiyyah, pp.339-363, by Mahmud Abu Riyyah, a Sunni scholar, and Nahj al-haqq wa kashf al-sidq, pp.262-375, by al-`Allamah al-Hilli concerning the large number of Qur'anic verses and Prophetic traditions which decisively negate the very possibility of considering each and every Companion as a star of the skies of guidance.

[2]. Ibn Sa`d in his al-Tabaqat (Leiden, 1322), iii, part 1, p.129 reports that in a sermon that Abu Bakr delivered after taking charge of the caliphate, he declared, "I am only a man, and I am not better than any of you. So obey me when I go straight and correct me when you see me deviate. You should know that (at times) I am overwhelmed by a devil, so when you see me in a state of rage keep away from me." Similar statements by him have been reported by:

    al-Tabari in his Ta'rikh (Cairo, 1357), ii, 440;
    Ibn Qutaybah in al-'Imamah wa al-siyasah (Matba`at al-Futuh al-'Adabiyyah, 1331), 6;
    al-Haythami in Majma` al-zawa'id (1352), v, 183;
    al­Muttaqi in Kanz al-`ummal (Hyderabad, 1312), ii, 136;
    and others.

`Umar, the Second Caliph, is on record as often having made such statements as "Everyone has a better knowledge (of the Shari`ah) than `Umar" (kullu ahadin a`lamu min `Umar) and "All the people have better understanding (of the Shari`ah) than `Umar" (kullu ahadin afqahu min `Umar). See:

    al-Bayhaqi, Sunan (Hyderabad, 1344), vii, 233;
    al­Suyuti, al-Durr al-manthur (al-Matba`at al-Maymaniyyah, 1314), under verses 4:20 and 34:13;
    al-Zamakhshari, al-Kashshaf (Egypt, 1354) under verses 4:20 and 34:13;
    al-Muttaqi, Kanz al-`ummal, viii, 298;
    al­Haythami in Majma` al-zawa'id, iv, 263.

[3]. Here the author of the `Abaqat has cited the tradition of `A'ishah which describes a usurious transaction between Zayd ibn Arqam and a woman. The tradition is mentioned by:

    `Abd al­Razzaq in al-Musannaf,
    Imam Ahmad in his Musnad,
    al-Jassas in Ahkam al-Qur'an,
    al-Sarakhsi in al-Mabsut,
    al-Dabusi in Ta'sis al-nazar, as well as a host of Sunni legists, traditionists and exegetes in their works.

[4]. Here the author cites traditions from the works of al-Bukhari, Muslim, al­Darimi, Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Nasa'i, Ibn al-'Athir, al­Ghazzali, al-Muttaqi, Ibn Khaldun and Abu Hilal al-`Askari concerning the sale of wine by certain Companions.

[5]. Here the author has cited three instances of such baseless fatawa by Abu Musa al-'Ash`ari.

[6]. Here the author has cited an episode of `Umar ibn al-Khattab who gave a fatwa contrary to the Prophet's command from al­Suyuti's Miftah al-jannah.

[7]. Here the author has given several instances of violation of the Sunnah by Mu`awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan.

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