A Life Sketch of Imâm Muslim

 

Preserving the Revelation

 

Allah, the Most High, sent Revelation through His Messengers to different peoples at different times for their guidance, but none of their peoples clung to the Revelation sent to them tenaciously enough to be able to keep it in its pristine purity. Through the entire history of mankind, none other than Muslims guarded, by grace of Allah, the Revelation received by them and preserved it intact, both by committing it to memory and in writing. In addition to the Revelation-the Qur’an, Muslims did the same with Ahadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  which is also known as Unrecited Revelation. In order to protect and keep it safe, they evolved a unique system that made any type of tampering or interpolation impossible. This system of guarding and preserving, evolved by grace of Allah, rules out, by its very nature, every likelihood of omission or neglect.

Preserving The Qur’ân (Revelation Recited)

Allah said:

لانا نحن تركت المكر واذا لم تحفظونه

“Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e., the Qur’an) and surely We will guard it (from corruption).”^[1]

The Qur’an was revealed to a Messenger who was unlettered. His people (Ummah), too, were mostly unlettered. The Qur’an was revealed, little by little, a few Verses each time, making it easy to commit it to writing as well as memorizing. Moreover, since this Revealed Guidance was for all mankind and for all times, one could not benefit by it fully or act by it unless it was easy to remember and easy to understand. So Allah made it easy:

ولقد يسرنا القُرْمَانَ للذكرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُدَّكِرٍ

“And We have indeed made the Qur’an easy to understand and remember; then is there any that will remember (or receive admonition)?”^[2]

{[1] Surat Al-Hijr 15:9.

[2] Surat Al-Qamar 54:22.}

Just as the Qur’ân, before it was revealed to mankind, had been on honoured, exalted, Preserved Tablet in the hands of noble and righteous angels, so did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, charge revered, righteous and honest scribes, memorizers and reciters from among his own Companions to preserve it.^[1]

The Messenger of Allâh ﷺ, promised, in clear terms, a similar reward to the later generations: The similitude of the one who recites the Qur’an and takes care of it is that of one who keeps the company of honoured, righteous scribes (i.e. angels).^[2] There were among the foremost Companions as well as among other Companions who would recite the Qur’an from memory. Later on, when Abu Bakr  prepared the canonical copy of the Scripture, unanimously acknowledged to be correct as to script, spelling and arrangement of chapters, he called memorizers and reciters of Qur’ân from among the Companions to bear witness as to the authenticity and correctness of each chapter and each Verse and each word of the Qur’ân. It is to be noted that the script they used to write the Qur’an with, has ever endured across centuries to this day, even though their style of writing differs sometimes from the standard principles of writing in vogue today, yet another manifestation of popular reverence for the scribes of the Divine Revelation.

In order to transcribe the Revelation with integrity, the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ, trained his scribes. Zaid bin Thabit says: “I used to write down the revealed Verses…..when I had finished writing, he ﷺ would ask me to read it to him. If the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ, detected an error, he would correct it. Only then did I communicate it to others.”^[3]

The Messenger of Allâh ﷺ, also forbade scribes writing anything they heard from him into the text of the Qur’an. The purpose was to keep the Qur’an pure and unmixed, clear of extraneous things.^[4]

The Qur’an was recited again and again, prayer after prayer, before the congregation of worshippers. The Companions used to recite it themselves as well as hear it from each other. This practice began from the very first day of the Revelation and has been continuing ever since. Even today there are hundreds of thousands of people who remember the Qur’ân by heart and recite it in public day and night. This rules out any doubt as to the accuracy of the Qur’ân. There is absolutely no likelihood of any addition or diminution, tampering or alteration or interpolation in the text of the Noble Qur’an as it was revealed to the Prophetﷺ.

{[1]See Jami’ul-Bayan 30/69. [2] Sahih Al-Bukhari: Hadith 4937.  [3]Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabeer by At-Tabarani 5/142, Hadith no. 3889. [4] Sahih Muslim: Hadith no. 7510.}

More astonishing than these measures were those that Allâh Himself took to secure the Qur’an. In the whole cosmos an intensive network of tight security was laid by divine command. Right from heaven to earth, angels were placed on guard to prevent devils from eavesdropping or overhearing until it reached the heart of Allah’s Messenger. The jinn (genii) were made powerless to do any

Mischief, according to their own confession:

لووانا لحسن الشماة فوجدتها ماست خرما شدين

 وقها الله وأن کی

نقعد منها مَعْتَعِدَ السَّمْع فَمَن يستمع الآن يجد لم شما را رصد الله “

”And we have sought to reach the heaven; but found it filled with stern guards and flaming fires. And verily, we used to sit there in stations, to (steal) hearing, but any who listens now will find a flaming fire watching him in ambush….”^[1]

At the end of the chapter of Jinn, Allah says:

وعلم الغيب فلا يظهرُ على عيون أحدا إلا من أرتضى من ارْتَضَى عَلِمُ الْغَيْبِ ليَعْلَمَ أَن قَدْ أَبْلَغُوا رَسُولِ فَإِنَّهُ يَسْلُكُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ رَصَدًا ل رِسَلَتِ رَبِّهِمْ وَأَحَاطَ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ وَأَحْصَى كُلَّ شَيْءٍ عَدَدًا غَيْبِهِ

“(He Alone is) the All-Knower of the Ghaib (Unseen), and He reveals to none His Ghaib (Unseen). Except to a Messenger (from mankind) whom He has chosen (He informs him of the Unseen as much as He likes), and then He makes a band of watching guards (angels) to march before him and behind him. He (Allah) protects them (the Messengers)], till He sees that they (the Messengers) have conveyed the Messages of their Lord (Allah). And He (Allah) surrounds all that which is with them, and He (Allah) keeps count of all things (i.e. He knows the exact number of everything).^[2]

Preservation of Hadith (Revelation Unrecited)

As for the Hadith (which is Revelation Unrecited), Allah charged the Ummah to preserve it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, said: “May Allâh make the man flourish who hears from me a Hadith, commits it to memory and then communicates it (to others).”^[3]

{[1]Surat Al-Jinn 72:8,9. [2] Surat Al-Jinn 72:26-28. [3] Jami’ At-Tirmidhi, Hadith no. 2656.}

No Ummah in history has so successfully preserved the sayings of its Messenger as the Muslims have. Indeed, none has given a fraction of that care to its revealed book which the Muslims gave to the preservation of the sayings and actions of their Messenger ﷺ. In the whole history of mankind, there has never ever been an example similar to the system evolved by Muslims to preserve the Hadith and Sunan of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ .

The Verses of the Qur’an were committed both to memory and to writing as they were revealed but the sayings of Allâh’s Messenger were committed to memory only and, later, communicated to those not present at the moment. Documents and necessary instructions were written for those who needed them, at the Messenger of Allâh’s bidding. For example, Imam Bukhârî relates that Abu Shah, a Companion living in Yemen, requested the Messenger for a written copy of the sermon he had delivered on the day of the conquest of Makkah dealing with the inviolability of Makkah and with the blood-money. The Messenger said: “Write (it) down for Abu Shah.”^[1]

When the system of writing the Qur’an had developed well and stabilized, the Companions were allowed to note down all the sayings of the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ, without distinction. ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr narrates: “I used to note down each and every thing I heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and liked to memorize it. The Quraysh said to me: ‘You write down everything you hear from the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ. The Messenger of Allâh ﷺ is a human being. He speaks both in anger and pleasure’. So I stopped writing. I told the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, about it. He replied: ‘Write. By the One in Whose Hands my soul is, nothing comes out from my mouth except the truth.””^[2]

Basis of the Ummah’s greatness and honour

The Muslims broke free from the shackles of color, race and tribal prejudices and began to organize themselves into a great brotherhood which, in the course of two or three decades, became a super power of their times. They were the very people who had been paupers and wretched just a few years ago but were now the rulers of the most fertile regions of the world. Abu Hurairah , the most prolific narrator of Ahadith, says about himself: ‘I grew up as an orphan, migrated as a poor man, labored for Bint Ghazwan in exchange for food enough to fill my stomach and a pair of shoes; I would sing to quicken the pace of camels as they rode on and gather wood as they dismounted. Praise be to Allah who made faith the basis (of honor and greatness) and Abu Hurairah a Chieftain.’^[1] He was also appointed governor of Al-Madinah and during the reign of Marwan bin Al-Hakam worked as his deputy in Al-Madinah.

{[1]Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 6880, Sahih Muslim: Hadith no. 3305 [2] Al-Mausi’ah Al-Hadithiya (Musnad Ahmad) 11/59. The chain of narration is authentic and its narrators are trustworthy.} [3] Tadhkiratul-Huffäz: 1/29.

 It is quite obvious that this great revolution in human history, inspired by unparalleled wisdom enshrined in the Qur’ân, owed itself to the lifestyle of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who had set a model for his Companions. The Qur’ân and the sayings and actions of Allâh’s Messenger ﷺ became an inalienable part of the Companions’ lives. They were given the responsibility to remember the Ahadith and communicate them to others. Hence, in this new social setup, the most honored among them were those who modelled their lives on the Qur’ân and Sunnah, and taught others the same. Each Companion became a repository of knowledge, a virtual academy by himself. Masses thronged to them, listened to Ahadith, and sought guidance and knowledge from them. The closer a Companion was to the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ, or the more one remembered his sayings, the greater his stature as a reference-guide.

Many a person eager to seek knowledge would travel long distances and come from far-off places to the Mothers of the Believers, especially ‘Aishah, to hear Hadith from them and receive answers to their many questions. Great care was taken not to let anyone, even if he be a Companion, relate a Hadith on the authority of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ, unless it was Mahfuz (Conforming).^[2] For example, Abû Mûsâ Al-Ash’ari narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Had said that one should seek permission to enter a house and, in case one does not receive a response, one should turn back. ‘Umar asked him to bring a witness. Abů Mûsâ went to a place where the Anşâr used to gather. He asked them if anyone of them could bear witness. They offered to send the youngest of them, Abû Sa’eed Al-Khudhri. He came and testified that the Hadith was genuine.^[3]

It Is to be noted that ‘Umar did not doubt Abû Mûsâ’s narration, but he did so as a matter of principle and precaution.

 Even in the times of monarchy following the era of the Caliphate, the Companions would narrate the Ahadith of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ to the common masses as well as the rulers. None could dare restrain preachers admonishing people through the sayings of the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ because the society, especially the Companions, could never keep quiet over any attempt to hide the sayings of Allâh’s Messenger ﷺ, come what may. Abu Dharr Al-Ghiffari, on seeing the rulers’ dislike for those monitoring their conduct or narrating the Ahadith of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ, said openly: “If you place a sharp-cutting sword on It (pointing to his nape) and I felt that I could narrate a Hadith I had heard from Allah’s Messenger ﷺ before the sword could pierce my neck, I would do so.”^[1]

[1] Hadith whose narrator is trustworthy and does not contradict another narrator more trustworthy than himself. It is the antonym of Shath (Contradicting). [2] Sahih Al-Bukhari, no. 2062.}

Zeal to acquire knowledge

Faith depends on the Qur’an and Sunnah. In those times, knowledge was synonymous with th Qur’ân and Sunnah. Moreover, learned scholars were honored and revered. They were the polestars and reference-guides for the people, a fact that produced a universal impulse to acquire knowledge. Towards the end of the first century and the beginning of the second century of the Hijra calendar, caravans of Hadith students on their way to centers of learning were a common sight. Mosques and houses of teachers became schools of learning. Sometimes, students numbered hundreds and even more. Pen, inkpot and paper in hands, their occupation was to hear Ahadith and note them down. Often a teacher would narrate Ahadith from memory while someone, often a pupil, would have also a transcript copy of the Ahadith in front of him. In this process of learning, memorization and writing went together, the latter a means of ratification. In this process, the listener would write the word Haddathana (he narrated to us) followed by the name of the teacher followed by the chain of narrators (Sanad).

Sometimes, a person other than the teacher used to read out the collection of Ahadith. In this case, the listener would write the Hadith beginning with the word Akhbarana (he informed us).

If a teacher spotted a talented student, he would give him permission to narrate his collection of Ahadith without his having listened to all those Ahadith first. This form of permission was known as Munâwalah or Ijazah (licence or permission). In such a case, he would narrate or write those Ahadith, beginning the chain of narration with the word Anba’ana (he informed us).^[2] Ijazah was a kind of permission, oral or written, given by teacher to student authorizing him to relate some particular book or books of the teacher or his Sound narrations. According to the system of Munawalah or ‘Ardh, an expert Hadith memorizer, in order to benefit by the teacher, would present a written collection (of Ahadith) to him. The teacher would review and check it and, when he was sure it contained only the Ahadith narrated by him, would say to the student: ‘I know the collection you gave me. I recognized its contents. They are my own narrations from my teachers (Sheikhs). You may narrate them on my behalf.’ Imâm Hâkim says that the Hadith scholars (Muhaddith) of Al-Madinah, Makkah, Kûfa, Syria, Egypt, Khorâsân and other places gave this kind of permission to their students.

Imâm Mâlik was once asked whether he had directly listened to all the Ahadith he narrated. He replied: ‘Some of them were those I listened to directly from my Sheikhs, and some I received through ‘Ardh (Munawalah). Anyhow, we believe that the latter is in no way inferior in quality than the former.”^[1]

{[1]Sahiḥ Al-Bukhari, Kitâbul-‘Ilm, bábul-‘Ilm qablal-qaul wal ‘amal.

Perfect system of preservation

All these methods of learning and teaching Ahadith prove that, right from the beginning, great care was taken to safeguard and preserve the Ahadith. Even during the era of Allâh’s Messenger ﷺ, measures were taken to preserve Ahadith, the Unrecited Revelation, by writing as well as by memorization. There is no nation on the whole earth that can match the way the Muslims memorize the Qur’ân. Great scholars of the world are wonder-struck how the Qur’ân remained preserved in the memory of countless men across centuries. Today those who remember the Qur’ân by heart number in the millions. There has never been a tradition in any community to memorize their basic book of faith nor did they ever have the courage to do so. It is the Muslim people alone whose ancestors evolved a system of preserving the Qur’ân as well as Ahâdith over the centuries, a system that inspires awe and respect.

How the Companions preserved the sayings of Allâh’s Messenger ﷺ perfectly well is best illustrated by an example. Of all the Companions, the most prolific narrator of Ahadith was Abu Hurairah who died in 58 AH. Young Companions like Ibn ‘Umar, Ibn ‘Abbas, Jâbir and Anas nararated Ahadith on the authority of Abu Hurairah and, according to Imâm-Bukhârî, the Tâba în (followers of the Companions) who narrated from him during his lifetime numbered over eight hundred.^[2] Among his pupils was Hammâm bin Munabbah who penned down all the narrations of Abu Hurairah. If we compare the collection of Hammâm with the authentic Ahadith narrated by others at different times in the course of half a century, we find no difference between them. For as long as half a century, Abu Hurairah kept on repeating his Ahadith from his memory in the same words.

[2] Jami’ul-Usool li Ibn Kathir: 39.}

Comparison and Evaluation of Ahadith

This system of memorizing and writing continued to strengthen further and still further over the years. The Taba’in heard the Ahadith from the Companions, memorized them, and recited them to groups of students who had themselves listened those Ahadith from the different pupils of the Companions and Tâba’in. They would compare the wordings of different narrators and verify them. In the Course of this process, they came to know what texts of the Ahadith had the greatest number of supporters from among those who had heard from the Companions and Tâba în, what narrator is lone in what narration, and the reason thereof. There may be several reasons. For example, the teacher may have a weak memory in his old age. But, if most of his pupils during his old age related the same Hadith like those who studied under him in his early years, the blame would fall on some sub-narrator. Moreover, frequent visits to centers of learning also revealed to students of Ahadith the qualities of narrators: who had a high stature as to uprightness, trustworthiness, strength of memory, honesty, integrity and character, who is reasonably satisfactory, and who is weak in one or more than one foregoing qualities.

In case a Hadith does not exist in the collections of high-grade narrators but it has been narrated by more than one narrator belonging to a lower grade with an authentic chain of sub-narrators, such a Hadith shall be accepted by virtue of the fact that it has been endorsed by more than one Maqbul (Accepted) narrator.

Ever since the age of Taba’in, Hadith students considered it necessary to write down, along with the chains of narrators, the views, comments and opinions of A’immah and Huffaz of Ahadith about the sub-narrators and other necessary things. You will note that every notable Hadith scholar (Muhaddith) collected not only the texts and the chains of narration but also composed books about each preceding sub-narrator, his habits and other characteristics. Details will soon follow.

{[1]Jami’ul-Usool li Ibn Kathir, 1:43.  [2] Tadhkiratul-Huffaz 1/28,29.}

Based on this rich information, there developed a consensus over the classes (Darajat) of narrators and, consequently, by agreement of scholars, narrators were divided into classes. Since this academic work was carried on with openness, transparency and a spirit of pure inquiry, research and scholarship of highest standard, it became impossible for anyone to hide one’s bias for any particular viewpoint, dishonesty or negligence. Some who tried to circulate narrations of their own liking or interpolated words of their choice into Sound Ahadith were soon uncovered and their counterfeit coins put out of circulation. Just as in an open and free market, counterfeit coins are soon detected, so was each attempt to circulate fabricated Ahadith in this open field of academic research detected and foiled and the face of the fabricator unmasked. Proofs against fabricators were collected and records against them prepared. These records will remain till the Day of Judgment for the benefit of research scholars. The goal of each Hadith student was to hear, write and relate Ahadith coming down from narrators of the highest possible level (Tabaqa)^[1] with a minimum number of sub-narrators. Students vied with each other vigorously to achieve this goal. Hence, any claim as to the trustworthiness or uprightness of a sub- narrator was put to the severest test. Any claim about a sub-narrator being higher (more trustworthy) than the other was met with strong challenge; hidden defects in the narration were sought out, every narration was very closely examined from every conceivable aspect, and every attempt was made to uncover even the slightest hidden defect in the chain of narration or text. It is these defects which are technically known as ‘Ilal in the Hadith sciences and many a book has been compiled on this subject. In this field every one was free to raise objection just as the other one was quite equally free to defend with arguments, semantic or syntactical evidence or context (Qarinah) and witnesses. And according to this science of critical evaluation of Ahadith, each narration was accepted or rejected purely on its merit.

{[1]Narrators and collectors of Hadith are classified into two main categories: 1) Era category, that is, according to the period in which they lived as well as the degree to which they were in touch with the renowned scholars of their times, the purpose being to discover the continuity of the chain of narrators; 2) Reliability category, that is, the relative reliability of the narrators with respect to their retentive powers, moral character, political affiliation, fame or lack of it and their philosophical leanings. They are placed in classes of descending order like Thiqah (Trustworthy), Sudduq (Truthful) etc. Terms like Level and Class are interchangeable, used to denote any of the two categories.-Translator}

In this field, excellence was not based on color of skin or race or country. The scepter could go to Quraysh or a kinsman of Allâh’s Messenger ﷺ but the kingdom of Hadith sciences belonged to Ath-Thawri, ‘Abdullah bin Mubarak, Moḥammad bin Ismail Al-Bukhari, and Muslim bin Hajjaj An-Nishapûrî.^[1] It is to be noted that ‘Abdullah bin Mubarak was of Turkish descent,^[2] Mohammad bin Ismail was of Persian descent, from Bukhara,^[3] while Muslim bin Hajjaj an inhabitant of Nishapur.^[4] This became possible because the Hadith science was an open arena in which everyone had a right to compete with others, the verdict being in the hands of the majority of the participants.

{[1]Tadhkiratul-Huffaz, Muqaddamah: 4.

[2] Sir Alamun-Nubala: 8/379.

[3]Sir A’lamun-Nubala’: 12/391.

[4]Sir A’lamun-Nubala’: 12/558.

[5] Sir A’lamun-Nubalà: 12/558 and Tadhkiratul-Huffaz: 1/281.

Al-Imam Muslim

Al-Imam, Al-Hafiz, Al-Hujjah ‘Abul-Hussain Muslim bin Al-Hajjaj bin Ward bin Koshadh Al-Qushayri An-Nishapûrî was born in 202 or 204 or 206 AH in Nishapur and educated in the same town. He heard Ahadith the first time, at age eighteen, from Yahya bin Yahya Tamimi. In 220 AH he went on pilgrimage to Makkah where he heard Ahadith from ‘Abdullah bin Salamah Qa’nabi, the most revered pupil of Imâm Mâlik and the principal teacher of Imam Muslim.^[5] In Küfa, he heard Ahadith from Ahmad bin Yusuf and a host of other teachers. In addition, he also heard from nearly 220 teachers in Makkah, Al-Madinah,‘Iraq and Egypt. The system of hearing Ahadith in those times consisted in hearing and writing down Ahadith along with their chains of narration.^[1]

Among the renowned teachers of Muslim were Al-Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Ahmad bin Mundhir Qazzaz, Ishaq bin Rahwiyah, Ibrahim bin Sa’eed Jawhari, Ibrahim bin Mûsâ, Abú Ishaq Râzî, Ahmad bin Ibrahim, Ishaq bin Mûsâ Anşâri (Abû Mûsâ) Ismail bin Abú Owais, Harmala bin Yahya (Abu Hafs Tajibi) Hasan bin Rabi’ Burâni, Abu Bakr bin Abû Shaiba, Ya’qûb bin Ibrahim Dawraqi, Abu Zur’ah Râzî, Yahya bin Ma’een and other Huffaz.^[2]

The circumstances of his death, as recorded in Tarikh Baghdâd and Sir A’lamun-Nubala’, are very strange indeed, and show his excessive passion for the science of Hadith and his inordinate zeal for inquiry and research in this field. According to Ahmad bin Salamah, a gathering was held to benefit by the knowledge of Imam Muslim. There he heard a Hadith which he had not heard before. When he came back home, he lit a lamp and told his family not to allow anyone to enter his room. His family told him about a gift they had received, a basketful of dates. He told them to bring it to him. Immersed in his search for that particular Hadith, he kept on eating the dates, one by one, while he was absorbed in his search for the Hadith. By early morning, he found the Hadith but the basket was empty. It was for this reason, it is said, that he fell sick and died.

Imam Muslim’s business was in the district of Khân Mahmash but the main source of his livelihood was his landed estate in the suburbs of Nishapur. Imâm Hâkim said that he had seen his grandchildren (from his daughters). They told him that their father who had seen Imam Muslim in Khân Mahmash described the Imam as a man of perfect stature, fair-complexioned, with a gray beard, a corner of his turban dangling on his back between his shoulders.^[3]

He died on the evening of Sunday, the 24^th of Rajab, 261 AH. He was buried the next day in Nishapur.^[4]

Written works

The following are the important works of Imam Muslim as mentioned by Hâkim and other Hadith scholars:

{[1] Sir A’lamun-Nubala: 12/561.

[2]Tadhkiratul-Huffaz lidh-Dhahabi.

[3] Sir Alämun-Nubala: 12/570.

[4]Al-Hittah Fi Dhikr As-Sahah As-Sittah: 286

1. Al-Asami wal kuna
2. Kitab At-Tabaqat
3. Kitab Al-Wahdan
4. Kitab Al-Afrad
5. Kitab Al-Aqran
6. Kitab Awlad As-Sahabah
7. Kitab Afråd Ash-Shamiyyin
8. Kitab Mashaikh Malik
9. Kitab Mashaikh Ath-Thauri

• Kitab Mashaikh Shu’bah
• Kitab Man Laisa Lahu Al-Irawin-Wahid
• Kitabul-Mukhadoramin
• Kitab Tabaqat At-Taba’in
• Kitab Al-Musnadil-Kabir Alar-Rijal
• Kitab Al-jami’ ‘Alal-Abwäb
• Kitabul-Musnad As-Sahih
• Kitab Hadith ‘Amr bin Shu’aib
• Kitab At-Tamyiz
• Kitabul-Ilal

20. Kitab Suwalat Ahmad bin Hanbal

• Kitab Awham Al-Muhaddithin

22. Kitab Al-Intifa Bi Ahbis-Saba’

The foregoing are the important works of Imam Muslim, not a complete list of his writings.

Distinguishing features of Sahih Muslim

According to Hafiz Ibn ‘Asakir and Imam Hakim, Muslim wanted to divide his book, Sahih Muslim, into two parts, the first part containing sound Ahadith transmitted by narrators of the First Level (Tabaqah) and the second part containing sound Ahadith transmitted by narrators of the Second Level but he could only complete the first part before his death. This means that Sahih Muslim is a work of his later years. A look at his works reveals that he worked with great devotion on the transmitters of Ahadith and wrote many books on that subject. His works listed above, from 1 to 13, are an example. Likewise, he collected Ahadith and narrators in various formats (14 to 17) and wrote books (18 to 21) exclusively on erroneous impressions (Auham) und defects (Ilal). His last book dealing with juristic issues is a good illustration of his written works.

Sahih Muslim is the culmination of his skill. All the works preceding it were, in fact, a preparatory ground, the foundation of his work yet to come because a book like Sahih Muslim could not be written without a complete mastery over the biographies of narrators, texts, and defects (‘Ilal). In those times Hadith students were in search of a book containing narrations dealing with rituals, commandments, punishment and reward, what to do and what not to do, the sayings of Allâh’s Messenger ﷺ concerning them, the narrations occurring in the authentic books of Sunan, their chains of narrations accepted by scholars, grouped together in a well-ordered way, in a single work, not too long, and yet enabling one to dispense with other books in matters of faith, their proper comprehension, thinking, and deduction.^[1]

Imam Muslim felt the Ummah was in need of such a book. As he pondered over the importance and benefits of such a book, he resolved to compile a relatively short and well-arranged work out of a vast treasure of authentic Ahadith.

Criterion of selection

Imam Muslim made it very clear that the narrations coming down to us from the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ, have been divided into three sections. They cover three classes (Tabaqât) of narrators. He also said that he wanted to avoid repetition as best as he could except when it is necessary to repeat the whole text or part thereof in order to remove an ‘Illa found in the chain of narration or to describe an additional understanding.

“In the first section we want to list Ahadith clear of all defects and other things (other things meaning other technical weaknesses), that is, Ahadith whose narrators are considered very strong and very careful while narrating, their narrations (when compared with one another) do not vary nor (the facts and details) mixed up, things often found in case of other narrators.” ^[2]

“After listing the Ahadith of such narrators, we will turn to the Ahadith of those narrators whose memory and skill are less than that of those belonging to the first section. Anyhow, in such people, though lesser in rank than those in the first section, no defect has been identified. Truth and devotion to knowledge are the qualities common in them, like ‘Atâ’ bin Sâ’ib, Yazid bin Abû Ziyâd, Laith bin Abû Sulaym, etc. They are known for their knowledge and piety but the narrators of the first section rank higher, in skill and care, than those mentioned above. As for those who are considered as Accused (Muttaham) or their narrations (though fair in themselves) are Denounced (Munkar) and wrong, we have nothing to do with them.”^[3]

{[1]Muqaddama Sahih Muslim: 4.

[2] Muqaddama Sahih Muslim: 4.

[3] Muqaddama Sahih Muslim: 5.}

These are the points Imâm Muslim has himself mentioned in his preface to his book with respect to his criterion of selection.

But every scholar of Hadith sciences has understood and described the method of Imam Muslim in his own way.

Imâm Hâkim and Imâm Baihaqî have clearly stated that Imam Muslim based his compilation of Sound Ahadith (Sahih) on the narrations belonging to the First Level (Tabaqa) but he passed away before he could compile the Ahadith of the Second Level narrators.^[1]

Imâm Baihaqi, quoting Imâm Muslim’s companion Ibrâhîm bin Mohammad bin Sufyan, said, quoting an authentic source: ‘Imam Muslim had composed three separate books: one being Sahiḥ, the second a collection of Ahadith from ‘Akrama, Ibn Ishaq and those of the same class, and the third a collection of narrations from weak transmitters.^[2]

But the commentator of Sahih Muslim, Qâdi ‘Ayad disagreed with Imâm Hâkim and Imam Dâraqutni and opined: Imam Muslim has brought all the three levels, which he had mentioned, in his book. I have looked into his book closely, scrutinized his division (and found that) he had dropped the Fourth Level as he had himself said.^[3]

It should be noted that Imam Muslim spoke of three levels or three classes and clearly stated that he would drop the third class while Qâdi ‘Ayâd claimed that Imam Muslim had dropped the Fourth class, attributing this claim to be the statement of Imam Muslim himself.

In other words, Qâdi ‘Ayâd has split up the two classes of Imam Muslim into three classes, his fourth class being the third one according to Imam Muslim.

Imâm Tha’labi, while giving his opinion, after quoting Qâdi ‘Ayâd, also mentions the four classes. He says: “He (Imam Muslim) took  Ahadith from the First class and from the Second one except a few of the latter which he did not like. Then, from the Third class he took Ahadith, which are not many, as corroborating evidences and follow-ups. If he had included Ahadith from this class in his Şahiḥ, the book would have been twice as voluminous as it is now and his book, due to the inclusion of such Ahadith, would have slipped down from the rank of Sahih. The people of this class are ‘Ațâ’ bin Sa’ib, Laith, Yazid bin Abu Ziyâd, and others like them. He did not take Ahadith from these people except after he had taken a basic Hadith (that is, after a Hadith, the basis of which existed in the First class).^[4]

{[1]Sharh An-Nawawi, Muqaddama: 1/45.

[2] An-Nikat ‘Ala Kitab Ibnus-Salah: 1/434.

[3]Akmalul-Mu’allim Bi Fawa’id Muslim: 1/86.

[4]Sir Alämun-Nubala’: 12/575.}

It is clear from Imâm Tha’labi’s statement that he also took Imam Muslim’s First class for two classes and took Imam Muslim’s Second class narrators like ‘Ata’ bin Sa’ib, Yazid bin Abû Ziyad and Laith bin Abu Sulaym for the Third class, and testified that Imam Muslim had taken only a few Ahadith of those narrators as corroborating evidence and follow-ups only when basic narrations from the First class had already been listed.

Does it not prove exactly what Imam Muslim had already said in his preface that the Ahadith of ‘Ata’, Yazid and Laith who belong to the Second class according to Imam Muslim and to the Third class according to Qadi ‘Ayad and Tha’labi’s, did not occur as basic Ahadith in Sahih Muslim? Does it not also prove what Imâm Hâkim, Imam Baihaqi and, later on, Hafiz Ibn Hajar have already said that Sahih Muslin contained; basically, the Ahadith of the First class? Do both the groups of Ummah holding two divergent opinions not acknowledge jointly that Sahih Muslim, like Sahih Bukhari, consist of authentic Ahadith? Hafiz Ibn Hajar, after explaining it in detail in An-Nukat, said: “The matter became unclear and ambiguous to Qâdi ‘Ayad and his followers (An-Nawawi)…”^[1]

All the foregoing details about the methodology followed by Imam Muslim have been noted with reference to the viewpoints of the venerated A’imma of Hadith. All these persons, despite their divergent views or the Levels of narrators, concur that the basic Ahadith of Sahih Muslim and, in fact, even the corroborating Ahadith and their follow-ups are authentic, all of them.-

Some contemporary scholars who are strongly biased for their particular juristic schools, on finding their practices in conflict with the Ahadith of Bukhari and Muslim, try to exploit the differences of opinions of our worthy A’immah of old, which were purely of an academic nature, as a means to challenge and raise objections to the Ahadith, and the collections of authentic Ahadith, of the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ, and create doubts about them. They also tried to get the Islamic University of Al-Madinah somehow pass a so- called research thesis asserting falsely that in Sahih Muslim every first Hadith in each chapter is authentic while those that followed it were listed by Imâm Muslim only to hint at some hidden defects in them and that those hints, according to the thesis writer, can be discerned by outstanding memorizers (Huffaz) of Ahadith. It is surprising, indeed, that none of the commentators of Sahih Muslim, Hadith scholars and jurists including Qâdi ‘Ayad ever pointed out that all the Ahadith following the first Hadith in each chapter had such and such defect or weakness. On the contrary, the whole Ummah is unanimous that all the Ahadith of Sahih Muslim are authentic, no matter whether they occur first or in the middle or at the end of a chapter.

{[1]An-Nikat ‘Ala Kitab Ibnus-Salah: 1/434.}

According to Imamul-Harmain Abul-Ma’âlî Abdul Mâlik bin Mohammad Al- Juwainî, scholars of Hadith sciences are unanimous that the attribution of Ahadith in the authentic collections of Bukhari and Muslim to Allah’s Messenger ﷺ, is absolutely certain.”^[1]

That is also the opinion of Ibnuş-Şalâḥ, the Imam of the methodology of Hadith sciences.^[2] The unanimity over this point has also been mentioned by Ibnul-Athîr.^[3] Rather, Imâm Abû Nasr ‘Ubaidullah bin Sa’eed bin Hâtim As- Sajzi (d. 444 AH), speaking about Sahih Bukhari,^[4] and Imamul-Harmain Abul-Ma’âli Abdul Mâlik bin Mohammad Al-Juwaini, speaking about both Al- Bukhari and Muslim, remarked that if a person said on oath that the Ahadith considered by Bukhârî and Muslim as authentic are really so and that their attribution to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, is right, his oath is flawless and that no atonement is obligatory on him.^[5]

In every age scholars of Hadith sciences took notice of the evil campaign of casting doubts about Ahadith or collections of Ahadith and laid bare those deceitful tactics.^[6]

The Ummah is unanimous over the authenticity of Sahih Bukhari and Şahiḥ Muslim. Anyhow, all this while, scholars have been wrangling which of the twain has precedence over the other. Imâm An-Nawawi, the commentator of Muslim, says: Scholars concur that next to Qur’ân, the most authentic books are Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. The Ummah has accepted them as such. Sahih Bukhârî is more authentic, more profitable, and better in open and hidden perceptions. It is true that Imam Muslim benefitted by Imam Bukhârî and used to say that he was matchless in Hadith sciences. All in all, Sahih Bukhari has precedence over Sahih Muslim. That is the right view and that is the opinion of the majority of the scholars and the experts in the Hadith sciences.

Imam Abu ‘Ali bin Husain Nishâpûrî and some scholars of the Maghrib (the Muslim countries of North Africa) give precedence to Sahih Muslim but the majority of scholars insist that it is Sahih Bukhari which should be given precedence. Abu Bakr Ismâ’îlî, the great Imâm, Hafiz and jurist, has explained it, with arguments, in his book Al-Madkhal.^[7]

{[1]An-Nikat: 1/377.

[2] Muqaddama Ibnus-Salāh: 40.

[3] Jami’ul-Usool: 1/41.

[4]Muqaddama Ibnus-Salah ma’a At-Taqayyud wal, Idhah. Pp 38, 39.

[5]Al-Hittah Fee Dhikr As-Sahah As-Sittah, p 232.

[6] See Minhajul-Imam Muslim by Rabi bin Hadi Al-Madkhal, formerly Head of Sunnah, Department of Higher Studies, Islamic University of Al-Madinah.

[7] Sharh Muslim lin-Nawawi, Muqaddama: 1/35.}

Of course, Sahih Muslim has some distinguishing features peculiar to it. It was for those distinguishing features of Sahih Muslim that some give it preference over Sahih Bukhârî.

Imam Nawawi says: “Imam Muslim is peerless in one very beneficial characteristic, namely, he listed a Hadith only in one place, proper to it,mentioning its several chains of narration and its different wordings. This makes it easy for a student to view the Hadith in all its different facets and thus benefit by it. The several chains of narration, mentioned by Imâm Muslim for a single Hadith, only increases a student’s trust in the relevant Hadith.”^[1]

 This is, in fact, a great achievement of Imam Muslim. He lists a Hadith along with its chain from one of his teachers and then goes on listing the chains of other teachers. Then, again, in case of a higher chain, he lists the chains of other narrators from one or several teachers and, in the case of the highest part of the chain, if a Hadith was narrated by more than one Companion, he lists all the narrations, each with a separate chain. If a student reviews all the chains listed by Imam Muslim for a single Hadith, it becomes clear that Imâm Muslim did not confine himself to narrating a Hadith from any one of his teachers and then continuing up to his earliest teacher but that he wrote down a Hadith from several transmitters of that Hadith from a single teacher. Imâm Muslim heard a Hadith from a teacher and then heard the same Hadith from different teachers at different times in order to ascertain whether those different teachers narrated the same Hadith in the presence of different people at different times with the same wording. If he found no discrepancy, he considered those narrators to be accurate and reliable and their narrations to be authentic and sound. In the same way, he also checked the narrations of the teachers of his teachers by comparing their chains with those of other narrators. He went even further and collected the narrations of the students of the different Companions reporting from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, compared them with each other, ascertained and verified them, and then, finally, selected only those which appeared to be perfect, precise and accurate. Such utmost care is impossible for any court in any lawsuit with any number of witnesses.

Even the slightest difference in wording or chain of transmission like the difference between Haddathana and Akhbarana has been recorded and preserved by Imam Muslim. He recorded even the slight difference in the text of a Hadith. Thus it is that the Sahih of Imâm Muslim became a peerless collection of authenticated Ahadith.

{[1]Sharh Muslim lin-Nawawi, Muqaddama: 1/34.}

Unbroken chain of authentication

The authentic Hadith collections of Bukhari and Muslim were excellent with respect to both the chains of transmission and the texts as well as their general utility in that they gave guidance in almost all walks of life. These collections won the praise and acclaim of Hadith scholars so much so that they themselves produced works containing the same Ahadith as found in the collections of both Bukhari and Muslim but with their own, independent chains consisting of a lesser number of sub-narrators, and named their works Mustakhraj. The Mustakhraj (literally, meaning ‘extract, excerpt or partial copy’) works containing the same Ahadith with the same words, but with chains of narrators a degree or two lesser in rank, corroborated the Ahadith of Al-Bukhari and Muslim and, in effect, testified that other chains of narration also substantiate what Bukhari and Muslim had attributed to the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ. This wonderful system of validation and authentication continued for centuries.

The following are the names of some of the leading Hadith scholars who produced Mustakhraj works on Sahih Muslim:

 

1. Abu Bakr bin Mohammad bin Raja’ (d. 286 AH).
2. Az-Zahid Abu Ja’far Ahmad bin Hamadân Al-Hiri (d. 311 AH).
3. Abu ‘Awanah Ya’qub bin Ishaq Al-Isfarayini (d. 316 AH).
4. Abûl-Walid Hassân bin Mohammad Al-Faqih (d. 344 AH).
5. Al-Imam Abu Ali Al-Masterjasî (d. 365 AH).
6. Abû Ḥâmid Aḥmad bin Mohammad Ash-Sharkî Al-Harawî (d. 369 AH).^[1]
7. Abu Bakr Moḥammad bin ‘Abdullah bin Zakariyya Al-Jouzaqi (d. 388 AH).^[2]
8. Abu Bakr Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Ahmad Al-Khawarizmi Al-Barqânî (d. 425 AH).

9. Abû Nu’aim Aḥmad bin ‘Abdullah bin Ahmad Al-Asbâhânî (d. 430 AH).^[3]

It is clear from the foregoing evidence that no neutral person with a sound mind can ever accept the objections being hurled continuously by the deniers of Ahadith motivated merely by rancour, malice and prejudice.

The total number of Ahadith in the Sahih (authentic) collection of Muslim (without counting the repetitions) is four thousand. Counting the repetitions, they total seven thousand two hundred and twenty five.^[4] Imam Muslim made this selection out of three hundred thousand Ahadith.

{[1]Sir Alâmun-Nubala’: 16/291, 292.

 [2] Sir A’lamun-Nubalà: 12/569, 570.

[3] Op. cit., marginal note: 12/570

 [4] Al-Hittah Fl Dhikr As-Sahah As-Sittah, p. 232.}

It is to be noted that the number, three hundred thousand, does not mean three hundred thousand narrations or texts of narrations. Counting can best be understood by the following example: if a Tâbiî narrates from a Companion of the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ, it is counted as one Hadith. If two Tâbi’în narrate (the same Hadith) from him, they are counted as two Ahadith. Similarly, if the students of Tâbiîn narrate the same Hadith from them, the number of Ahadith will increase still further, the number increasing as the number of transmitters. So three hundred thousand Ahadith mean only three hundred thousand narrations, each with a different chain. Ignorance of this counting method often gives rise to a lot of misunderstanding.

Imam Muslim welcomed criticism

The works of Hadith scholars were very transparent. Their writings were scrutinized minutely, word by word, and this continues to this day. Imâm Muslim put his Sahih before the great experts and students of Hadith sciences of his times. In his own lifetime, copies of his Sahih spread far and wide and a cycle of critical appreciation of his work began. Among his critics were the distinguished Hadith scholars of his times including his own teachers.

Sa’eed Al-Bardha’i says: “Someone brought a copy of Sahih Muslim to Al- Imâm Abû Zur’ah. He went through it. As he came across the narration of Asbât bin Nasr, he commented: ‘Oh, how far it is from being sound.’ As he glanced over the narration of Qatan bin Naşîr, he remarked: ‘It is a high tide (sweeping along with it all the rubbish).’ When he saw the narration of Aḥmad bin ‘Eisa, he pointed to his tongue (as if he wanted to say that he also narrated fabricated Ahadith). Then he remarked: ‘Does he (Imâm Muslim) narrate from such people and drop (high-ranking) narrators like Ibn ‘Ajlân. He gives a chance to innovators (deniers of the authority of Ahadith) to blame Hadith scholars and say that their Ahadith are not authentic.’”^[1]

{[1] Sir A’lâmun-Nubalâ”: 12/571.}

According to Tadhkiratul-Huffâz, Abu Zur’ah Al-Imâm Hafizul-‘Aşr Ubaidulllah bin ‘Abdul-Karim bin Yazid Ar-Râzî was a great Hadith scholar of his times. In memorizing Ahadith, intelligence, devoutness, sincerity and acts of piety, he was counted among the matchless. His own teachers collected Ahadith from him and narrated them. Great scholars like Imâm Muslim, his cousin Hafiz Abû Hâtim, Imâm Tirmidhi, Ibn Mâjah, Nasâ’i , Abû Dawûd, Abû ‘Awânah, Sa’eed bin ‘Amr Al-Bardha’î, Ibn Hâtim, Mohammad bin Al-Hussain Al-Qatțân were his pupils. Imam Bukhârî said that Aḥmad bin Hanbal told him: When Abû Zur’ah came to our house as a guest, my father said: “Young man, the discourse you had with the Sheikh is, in fact, a reward from Allâh for my voluntary prayers. According to San’ânî, Abû Zur’ah is to us (that is, to Hadith scholars) like Ahmad bin Hanbal,’^[1]

In the light of his teacher’s critical remarks, Imâm Muslim moved to explain his standpoint. Bardha’î said that he went to Nishâpûr and informed Imâm Muslim of Abu Zur’ah’s comments on his work. He replied: “Took only those Ahadith from narrators like Asbât, Qaṭṭân and Ahmad bin ‘Eisâ which had already existed (in the compilations of Ahadith) from trustworthy narrators. I took from people like Asbât because their Ahadith had a lesser number of sub- narrators while those of the trustworthy narrators had a relatively large number of sub-narrators. The Ahadith in my collection are known, with chains of trustworthy narrators.”

Later on, Imam Muslim went to see Ibn Wârah, a famous Hadith scholar.^[2] He made the same comments as those made by Abû Zurah. This shows that the observations of the experts were similar. Imâm Muslim explained his point of view and remarked: I said that the Ahadith are authentic. I did not say that the Ahadith I did not include in my book (like those of Ibn ‘Ajlân and others) are weak. Ibn Warah was satisfied and read out his narrations to Imam Muslim.^[3]

Since Imam Muslim’s narrations were supported with both high and low chains, he welcomed the criticism of his book by Abû Zur’ah, his teacher and the greatest Hadith scholar in those times, and put his book in front of him. Imam Muslim expunged from his book each Hadith which Abû Zur’ah pointed out to be defective or objectionable for some reason (even though Imâm Muslim disagreed with him) and documented and referenced only those Ahadith (that is, listed the Ahadith with the same chains of narrations) which Abû Zur’ah considered to be sound and free from every defect or weakness. After taking so much precaution and exercising so much discretion, he became sure that if experts of Hadith sciences tried to select Ahadith based on the most authentic possible chains of narration for as long as two hundred years, they could not rely upon Ahadith other than those listed by him in his authentic collection.^[4]

{[1]Tadhkiratul-Huffaz: 2/106.

[2] A great and trustworthy memorizer of Ahadith, Abu Abdullah Mohammad bin Muslim bin Uthman bin Warah Ar-Râzi was a student of Abú ‘Aşim, Al-Faryabi, Abû Nu’aim, and Abul-Mughirah ‘Abdul-Quddus and one of the teachers of Imam An-Nasâ’i and Imam Al-Bukhari. Bukhari, in his compilations other than Şahiḥ, took narrations from him. Abu Bakr bin Abû Shaibah said: ‘I never saw a person who knew Ahadith by heart better than Ibnul-Furât, Ibn Wärah and Abû Zar’ah. According to Bukhârî, there was none like Abu Hatim, Abû Zarah and Abû Warah.

[3] Sir A’lamun-Nubala’: 12/571.

[4] Sir Alâmun-Nubala’: 12/568.}

The works of Imam Bukhârî and Imâm Muslim were not accepted just for their great technical skills. Rather, they were accepted because the rules and the methodologies they adopted were critically reviewed and then each Hadith they had listed was reviewed and probed critically and vigorously in the light of their own rules. And this critical work continued, unabated and with great vigour, for centuries.

Among his critics were Imâm Dârqutni, Imâm Hâkim and several other scholars expert in the Science of Validation (Al-Jarh Wat-Ta’dil). In the meanwhile, a vigorous criticism continued, supporting and opposing him. Even today, there is no bar on criticism of his works. As a result of this criticism and counter-criticism, all the Hadith scholars of the Orthodox Schools of Islamic Jurisprudence are unanimous that the authentic collections of Bukhârî and Muslim are correct, next to the Qur’ân, and the ascription of the sayings and acts mentioned therein to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, is right.^[1]

May Allah help us preserve the Ahadith as well as act by them, diffuse the light of Sunnah far and wide, grace the endeavours of scholars, servants and students of Hadith with His acceptance. Amen.

Mohammad Yahya

Bukhari and Muslim Section

Research Wing, Dar-us-Salam

Book: Sahih Muslim

Translated by: Nasiruddin al Khattab