The Weakness of
the Ahaadeeth endorsing
ikhtilaaf (disagreement,
differing)
from: Silsilah
al-Ahaadeeth ad-Da`eefah wa'l-Mawdoo`ah (58-62) by
Shaykh al-Albaani
1) "The disagreement among my Ummah is a
mercy."
a)
Laa Asla Lahu (Baseless). The muhadditheen have
tried to find an isnaad for it but have not found one,
to the extent that Suyooti said in his al-Jaami`
as-Sagheer, "Perhaps it was collected in one of the
books of the huffaadh which did not reach us"!
This suggestion is very far-fetched, since it
would mean that some of the sayings of the Prophet
(sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) have been lost to the
ummah forever, something which is not permissible for a
Muslim to believe.
Manaawi quoted Subki as saying, "It (i.e. the
saying) is not known to the muhadditheen and I cannot
find any isnaad for it, whether saheeh, da`eef or
mawdoo`", and this was endorsed by Shaykh Zakareeyyah
al-Ansaari in his notes on Tafseer al-Baidaawi
[92/2].
Further, the meaning of this hadeeth is also
incorrect as shown by the verifying scholars, hence Ibn
Hazm says in al-Ihkaam fi Usool al-Ahkaam [5/64] after
indicating that it is not a hadeeth,
"This is one of the most incorrect sayings
possible, since if ikhtilaaf were a mercy, then
agreement would be a punishment, something which no
Muslim would say, because there can only be agreement or
disagreement, and there can only be mercy or
punishment."
More of Ibn Hazm's words are quoted below.
b) It contradicts the Qur'aan, which has
condemned ikhtilaaf in many places.
Mawdoo` (Fabricated). Related by Ibn `Abdul-Barr in Jaami` Bayaan
al-`Ilm [2/91] & Ibn Hazm in al-Ihkaam [6/82] via
the route:
Sallaam ibn Sulaim, who said: al-Haarith ibn
Ghisseen narrated to us from al-A`mash from Abu Sufyaan
from Jaabir from the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa
sallam).
Ibn `Abdul-Barr said, "Proof cannot be
established with this isnaad because al-Haarith ibn
Ghisseen is majhool (unknown)"; Ibn Hazm said, "This is
a fallen narration. Abu Sufyaan is weak; al-Haarith ibn
Ghisseen is Abu Wahb ath-Thaqafee; Sallaam ibn Sulaimaan
narrated fabricated ahaadeeth - this is one of them
without a doubt."
To judge this hadeeth on Sallaam ibn Sulaim -
also known as Sallaam ibn Sulaimaan - is better, for he
is agreed to be da`eef; in fact, Ibn Khiraash said about
him, "An utter liar" and Ibn Hibbaan said, "He narrated
fabricated ahaadeeth."
As for Abu Sufyaan, he is not weak as Ibn Hazm
said, but rather he is reliable as Ibn Hajar has said in
at-Taqreeb, and Muslim narrates from him in his Saheeh.
Al-Haarith ibn Ghisseen is unknown as Ibn Hazm
said, as did Ibn `Abdul Barr, even though Ibn Hibbaan
does mention him in ath-Thiqaat (The Reliable Narrators)
Hence, Ahmad said, "This hadeeth is not
authentic", as quoted in al-Muntakhab [10/199/2] of Ibn
Qudaamah.
As for the saying of Sha`raani in al-Meezaan
[1/28], "This hadeeth, although debatable in the eyes of
the muhadditheen, is nevertheless authentic in the eyes
of the people of Kashf", it is completely false and
whimsical, and is not to be given any significance! This
is because authenticating ahaadeeth by way of Kashf
("unveiling", while in a state of trance) is a wicked
innovation of the Sufis, and depending upon it leads to
the authentication of false, baseless ahaadeeth such as
this one. This is because, even at the best of times,
Kashf is like opinion, which is sometimes correct and
sometimes wrong - and that is if no personal desires
enter into it! We ask Allaah to save us from it and from
everything He is not pleased with.
Similar narrations to the above are as
follows:
2.1) "The example of my Companions is that
of the stars: he who follows any of them will be
rightly-guided."
Mawdoo` (Fabricated). Related by Qudaa`i
(109/2) via:
Ja`far ibn `Abdul Waahid, who said: Wahb ibn
Jareer ibn Haazim informed us from his father from
al-A`mash from Abu Salih from Abu Hurairah from The
Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam).
One of the muhadditheen, either Ibn al-Muhibb or
Dhahabi, wrote in the margin, "This hadeeth is not at
all authentic", i.e. it is fabricated: the flaw in it is
Ja`far here, about whom Daaraqutni said, "He used to
fabricate ahaadeeth"; Abu Zur`ah said, "He narrated
baseless ahaadeeth"; Dhahabi gave some hadeeth because
of which he disparaged him, among them being this one,
and then said, "This is one of his
calamities!"
2.2)
"Whatever you are given from the Book of Allaah is to be
acted upon; there is no excuse for anyone to leave it.
If it is not in the Book of Allaah, then (act upon) a
previous example (sunnah) of mine. If there is no
previous example (sunnah) of mine, then (act upon) what
my Companions say: verily, my Companions are of the
station of the stars in the sky, so whichever of them
you take, you will be guided, and the disagreement of my
Companions is a mercy for you."
Mawdoo` (Fabricated). Collected by Khateeb
in al-Kifaayah fi `Ilm ar-Riwaayah [p.48] and also by
Abul-`Abbaas al-Asamm in the his Hadeeth (no. 142),
& Ibn 'Asaakir [7/315/2] by way of:
Sulaimaan ibn Abi Kareemah from Juwaibir from
ad-Dahhaak from Ibn `Abbaas from The Prophet
(sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam).
This isnaad is da`eef jiddan (very weak).
About Sulaimaan ibn Abi Kareemah, Ibn Abi Haatim
[2/1/138] reported from his father about him, "He is
weak in hadeeth."
Juwaibir is Ibn Sa`eed al-Azadee, and is matrook
(abandoned) as Daaraqutnee, Nasaa`i and others have
said, and Ibn al-Madeeni declared him to be very
weak.
Dahhaak is Ibn Muzaahim al-Hilaalee, and he did
not meet Ibn `Abbaas.
`Iraaqi quoted the last part of the hadeeth in
his Takhreej of Ghazaali's Ihyaa' `Uloom ad-Deen [1/25]
and then said, "Its isnaad is da`eef."
The isnaad is actually very weak due to what we
have mentioned about Juwaibir, as Sakhaawi said in
al-Maqaasid . In meaning, however, the hadeeth is
fabricated, as is clear from what has preceeded and what
will follow.
Suyooti quoted the hadeeth in its entirety at the
begining of his treatise Jazeel al-Mawaahib fi Ikhtilaaf
al-Madhaahib from the narration of Bayhaqi in
al-Madkhal, and Dailami related it from this route, as
occurs in al-Mawdoo`aat of `Ali al-Qaari [p.19]. Once
you know this, then the saying of Suyooti in his
aforementioned treatise is very strange: "... and this
hadeeth contains several points to note; among them his
(sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) informing of the
disagreements between the madhaahib in non-fundamental
matters, and that is one of his miracles, since it is
information about the Unseen; also, his being pleased
with that and approving of it, since he described it as
a mercy, and that the burdened person may choose
whichever of them he wishes."
It could be said to him: first establish the
throne, and then sit. What he has mentioned about the
choice is false: it is not possible for the Muslim to
cling to it and act upon its generality, since it leads
to breaking away from the restrictions of the Sharee`ah,
as is not hard to see. See also the discussion under 2.4
below.
2.3) "I
asked my Lord about that which my Companions would
disagri about after me, so Allaah inspired me: O
Muhammad! Your Companions are to Me of the station of
the stars in the sky - some are brighter than others; so
whoever takes from any of them in those matters where
they have differed, then to Me, he is upon
guidance."
Mawdoo` (Fabricated). Reported by Ibn
Battah in al-Ibaanah [4/11/2], Khateeb, Nizam al-Malik
in al-Amaali [13/2], Diyaa' in al-Muntaqaa `an
Masmoo`aatihi bimaroo [116/2] & Ibn `Asaakir
[6/303/1] by way of:
Nu`aim ibn Hammaad, who said: `Abdur-Raheem ibn
Zaid narrated to us from his father from Sa`eed ibn
al-Musayyib from `Umar ibn al-Khattaab from the Prophet
(sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam).
This isnaad is mawdoo`.
Nu`aim ibn Hammaad is weak: Ibn Hajar said, "He
makes many mistakes."
About `Abdur-Raheem ibn Zaid al-`Ammee,
al-Bukhaari said, "He was abandoned"; Abu Haatim said,
"His ahaadeeth are abandoned: he is unacceptable in
hadeeth - he used to undermine his father by narrating
disasters from him"; Ibn Ma`een said, "He was an utter,
filthy liar."
About his father, Zaid al-`Ammi ibn al-Hawaaree,
Ibn Sa`d said, "He was weak in hadeeth."
Suyooti recorded this hadeeth in al-Jaami`
as-Sagheer through the narration of Sijizzi in
al-Ibaanah and Ibn `Asaakir from `Umar; Manaawi said in
his commentary on al-Jaami` as-Sagheer :
Ibn al-Jawzi said in his al-`Ilal, "This is not
authentic. Nu`aim has been disparaged; Ibn Ma`een has
described `Abdur-Raheem as an utter liar; it says in
al-Meezaan: This hadeeth is false."
2.4) "Verily, my Companions are like the
stars: so if you accept any of their sayings, you will
be guided."
Mawdoo` (Fabricated). Ibn `Abdul-Barr
reports it in mu`allaq (suspended, i.e. an incomplete
chain of narrators at the collector's end) form and Ibn
Hazm reports it from him; the complete chain was
provided by `Abd ibn Humaid in al-Muntakhab min
al-Musnad (86/1):
Ahmad ibn Yoonus informed me: Abu Shihaab
al-Hannaat narrated to us, from Hamzah al-Jazree, from
Naafee`, from Ibn `Umar from the Prophet (sallallaahu
`alaihi wa sallam).
Also, Ibn Battah narrated it in al-Ibaanah
[4/11/2] by another chain from Abu Shihaab.
Ibn `Abdul-Barr said, "This isnaad is not
authentic; no one acceptable as proof has reported it
from Naafee`."
This Hamzah is Ibn Abi Hamzah; Daaraqutni said
about him, "Matrook (abandoned)"; Ibn `Adi said, "His
narrations are mostly fabricated"; Ibn Hibbaan said, "He
would be alone in narrating things which are fabricated
from reliable narrators, to such an extent that it is as
if he did so deliberately - it is not permissible to
narrate from him"; Dhahabi quoted some of his fabricated
ahaadeeth in al-Meezaan, this being one of them.
Ibn Hazm said in al-Ihkaam (6/83), after
declaring that this hadeeth (no. 2, with all its
versions) is undoubtedly a lie since it also contradicts
many aayaat of the Qur'aan, e.g. Najm (53:3-4), Nisaa'
(4:82), Anfaal (8:46), the following:
"... therefore, it is absurd that the Messenger
(sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) would command us to
follow every view expressed by the Companions, may
Allaah be pleased with them all, for there were among
them those who permitted something while others
prohibited it: if the above were the case, trading in
intoxicants would be permissible if one followed
Samurah ibn Jundub; it would be permissible for
someone fasting to eat snow if one followed Abu
Talhah, but prohibited by following others beside him;
to not take a bath due to incomplete intercourse would
be obligatory if one followed `Ali, `Uthmaan, Talhah,
Abu Ayyoob and Ubayy ibn Ka`b, but prohibited if one
followed `Aa'ishah and Ibn `Umar; all these examples
have been related to us with authentic chains of
narration."
He then went on to explain at length some
opinions expressed by Companions in which they were
wrong about the Sunnah, both during the lifetime of the
Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) and after his
death. He then said (6/86),
"So how can it be allowable to blindly follow the
opinions of people who make mistakes as well as get it
right?!"
Before that, he had explained, under the heading
Differing Condemned (5/64), the error of those who say,
"Disagreement is a mercy", using as evidence the
hadeeth, "My Companions are like the stars: whichever
of them you follow, you will be rightly-guided", by
clarifying that the hadeeth is a lie for several
reasons:
(i) it is not authentic with regard to its chain
of narration;
(ii) further, the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa
sallam) could not have commanded us to follow something
which he himself had declared erroneous at times; e.g.
he pointed out Abu Bakr's mistake in interpreting a
dream, `Umar's error in another interpretation, and
Abus-Sanaabil's going wrong in a verdict he gave; hence,
it is not possible for him to order us to follow someone
mistaken;
(iii) the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam)
never spoke falsehood; his words were always truth: the
comparison with the stars is clearly flawed, since for
example, if someone intends to travel a certain route
directed by the stars in the constellation of Capricorn,
but instead follows the stars in Cancer, he will not be
correctly-guided, but will stray far away from the
correct path and err tremendously; therefore, it is
obviously false to say that following any star will
guide one correctly.
Ibn al-Mulaqqin gave a summarised version of Ibn
Hazm's words in his al-Khulaasah [2/175], endorsed it
and ended his discussion of the hadeeth saying: Ibn Hazm
said,"This is an invented, fabricated, false narration,
not correct at all."
