Introduction:
It has been established earlier that the Quran denies existence or belief in any other scripture or book except Quran 6:19, 38, & 114-116, 39:23, 45:6, 77:50, 7:185). The prophetic traditions and narrations found in Hadith books also conform to this Quranic Command, because Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) has also been reported to have banned Hadith writing and whatever was written it was burnt. [some narrations to justify Hadith writing do not conform to policy by Quran and other Hadiths]. Next to the Prophet (Pbuh) are the pious companions and on the top of list are; “The Four Rightly Guided Caliphs‘, their opinion and actions further clear the doubt if any! While they made every possible effort to collect, preserve and publish the Quran they did not make any such effort for the Hadiths. Hazrat Umar is reported to have said during last minutes of Prophet (Pbuh): “The Book of Allah is sufficient for us” (Bukhaari, 6932 and Muslim,1637)[1], in fact he was referring to the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says: “We have neglected nothing in the Book”[2] [Quran 6:38].
The Importance and Merits of Four Rightly Guided Caliphs
The first four Caliphs who ruled after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) are known as the “Khulfa Rashidun” (Rightly Guided Successors)[3], they ruled as per following sequence:
1. Abu Bakr (632–634 CE).
2. Umar ibn al-Khattab, (634–644 CE).
3. Uthman ibn Affan (644–656 CE)
4. Ali ibn Abi Talib (656–661 CE)
The “Four Rightly Guided Caliphs” enjoy a pivotal position after the Prophet (Pbuh). Apart from their very close and intimate relationship with the Prophet (Pbuh), they were entrusted with sacred duty to resolve any matters and disputes after the Prophet (Pbuh).
Hazrat Aisha (R.A) the daughter of Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and daughter of Hazrat Umar, (Hafsa bint Umar) were married to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and two of Prophet Muhammad’s (Pbuh) daughters were married to Uthman and Fatimah (R.A) to Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), specified ten of his companions who were promised paradise, the companions named in this hadith are referred to as “The Ten With Glad Tidings of Paradise” (al-Asharaa al-Mubasharûn bi-l-Janna) it includes the names of Four Rightly Guided Caliphs (at-Tirmidhi, Sunan Abu Dawood)[4]
There are Chapters and books on the merits of these pious companions, which is beyond the scope of this study, however some of it can be found at Sahih Muslim Book-44.[5] Many verses of Quran were revealed to endorse these pious closest companions of the Prophet (Pbuh).
It requires volumes of books to explain the important role played by Umar bin Al Khattab and other Rightly Guided Caliphs, in preserving the Holy Scripture[6] Quran and establishing Islam as dominating faith and civilization for all times. Each and every policy and guidelines provided by them has been accepted as part of Islam, because they were personally educated, trained by the Prophet (Pbuh) for the sacred tasks as evident form following:
On the authority of Abu Najeeh al-’Irbaad ibn Saariyah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:
1. Verily he among you who lives long will see great controversy, so you must keep to my Sunnah and to the Sunnah of the Khulafa ar-Rashideen (the rightly guided caliphs), those who guide to the right way. Cling to it stubbornly [literally: with your molar teeth] [Abu Dawud] It was related by at Tirmidhi, who said that it was a good and sound Hadith. [40 Hadith Nawawi 28, English translation: Hadith 28][7]
2. Umar was the best in righteousness after the Prophets and Abu Bakr. Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) said, “Follow the example of the two who come after me, Abu Bakr and Umar.(Tirmidhi:)[8]
3. The Sunnah is filled with examples of the virtues of Umar ibn Al-Khattab including this profound and significant statement from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). “Among the nations who came before you some were inspired; if anyone from among my Ummah were to be inspired it would be Umar.” [9] (Al-Bukhari, Muslim:)[10]
4. According to a narration, the Holy Prophet is re[orted to have said: “If there was a prophet after me, I would have been Umer.” (Musnad Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Hakim)[11]
5. “Allah does not like in heaven that Abu Bakr should be mistaken.” (Tabrani 1/42)[12]
6. Shah Wali Allah writes: “Hazrat Umar (RA) used to consult and debate with the Companions (R.A) until the veil was lifted and he became convinced. That is why the fatwas of Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) have been followed all over the East and West. ” (Hujjatullah al-Balghah)[13]
7. In 630 CE Prophet Muhammad decided to lead an expedition to Tabuk on the Syrian border. A great deal of livestock and equipment were needed for the expedition so Prophet Muhammad invited contributions and donations from his followers. It is said in the sunnah that Abu Bakr gave all his wealth to finance this battle. When Prophet Mohammad asked him how much he had donated Abu Bakr said, “I have brought all that I had. I have left Allah and His Prophet for myself and my family”. (Abu Dawood)[14]
8. The two friends Abu Bakr and Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him, saw each other every day and every day their friendship grew. Abu Bakr felt it was his duty to protect Prophet Muhammad. One day whilst praying in the Kabah, Prophet Muhammad was attacked. An altercation that started as taunting quickly escalated into a physical abuse. When Abu Bakr was informed he ran to the Kabah and pushed himself into the middle of the fight shouting, “Would you kill a man for saying that Allah is his Lord”. (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)[15] The Meccans were momentarily stunned but then fell upon Abu Bakr beating him so badly that the blood flowed freely and matted his hair. Although beaten until he lost consciousness the sunnah informs us that Abu Bakr’s first words when waking were to inquire urgently about the condition of Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Umar Ibn Al-khattab (586 – 644) By Michael Hart
Historian Michael H Hart in his famous book include Umer[16] as 52nd most influential men in history; above Ashoka (53), St Augustine (54), Thomas Jefferson (64), Julius Caesar (67), Voltaire (74), Jean-Jacques Rousseau (78), Mani (83), Cyrus the Great (87), Mao Zedong (89), Francis Bacon (90), Zoroaster (93), Charlemagne (97) & Mahavira (100).[17] Here are excerpts from this book:
Umar ibn al-Khattab was the second, and probably the greatest, of the Moslem caliphs. He was a younger contemporary of Muhammad, and like the Prophet, was born in Mecca. The year of his birth is unknown, but was perhaps about 586.
‘Umar was originally one of the most bitter opponents of Muhammad and his new religion. Rather suddenly, however, ‘Umar became converted to Islam, and thereafter was one of its strongest supporters. (The parallel with the conversion of St. Paul to Christianity is striking.) ‘Umar became one of the closest advisors of the prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), and remained so throughout Muhammad’s life.
In 632, Muhammad died without having named a successor. ‘Umar promptly supported the candidacy of Abu Bakr, a close associate and father-in-law of the Prophet. This avoided a power struggle and enabled Abu Bakr to be generally recognized as the first caliph (i.e., as the “successor” of Muhammad). Abu Bakr was a successful leader, but he died after serving as caliph for only two years. He had, however, specifically named ‘Umar (who was also a father-in-law of the Prophet) to succeed him, so once again a power struggle was avoided.
‘Umar became caliph in 634, and retained power until 644, when he was assassinated in Medina by a Persian slave. On his deathbed, ‘Umar named a committee of six persons to choose his successor, thereby again averting an armed struggle for power. The committee chose Othman, the third caliph, who ruled from 644 to 656.
It was during the ten years of ‘Umar’s caliphate that the most important conquests of the Arabs occurred. Not long after ‘Umar’s accession, Arab armies invaded Syria and Palestine, which at that time were part of the Byzantine Empire. At the Battle of the Yarmuk (636), the Arabs won a crushing victory over the Byzantine forces. Damascus fell the same year, and Jerusalem surrendered two years later. By 641, the Arabs had conquered all of Palestine and Syria, and were advancing into present-day Turkey. In 639, Arab armies invaded Egypt, which had also been under Byzantine rule. Within three years, the Arab conquest of Egypt was complete.
Arab attacks upon Iraq, at that time part of the Sassanid Empire of the Persians, had commenced even before Umar took office. The key Arab victory, at the battle of Qadisiya (637) occurred during Umar’s reign. By 641, all of Iraq was under Arab control. Nor was that all Arab armies invaded Persia itself, and at the battle of Nehavend (642) they decisively defeated the forces of the last Sassanid emperor. By the time Umar died, in 644, most of western Iran had been overrun. Nor had the Arab armies run out of momentum when Umar died. In the East, they fairly soon completed the conquest of Persia, while in the West they continued their push across North Africa.
Just as important as the extent of ‘Umar’s conquests is their permanence. Iran, though its population converted to Islam, eventually regained its independence from Arab rule. But Syria, Iraq, and Egypt never did. Those countries became thoroughly Arabized and remain so to this day.
Umar, of course, had to devise policies for the rule of the great empire that his armies had conquered. He decided that the Arabs were to be a privileged military caste in the regions they had conquered, and that they should live in garrison cities, apart from the natives. The subject peoples were to pay tribute to their Moslem (largely Arab) conquerors, but were otherwise to be left in peace. In particular, they were not to be forcibly converted to Islam. (From the above, it is clear that the Arab conquest was more a nationalist war of conquest than a holy war, although the religious aspect was certainly not lacking).
Umar’s achievements are impressive indeed
1. After Muhammad himself, he was the principal figure in the spread of Islam.
2. Without his rapid conquests, it is doubtful that Islam would be nearly as widespread today as it actually is.
3. Furthermore, most of the territory conquered during his reign has remained Arab ever since. Obviously, of course, Muhammad, who was the prime mover, should receive the bulk of the credit for those developments. But it would be a grave mistake to ignore ‘Umar’s contribution.
4. The conquests Umar made were not an automatic consequence of the inspiration provided by Muhammad. Some expansion was probably bound to occur, but not to the enormous extent that it did under Umar’s brilliant leadership.
5. It may occasion some surprise that Umar, a figure virtually unknown in the West has been ranked higher than such famous men as Charlemagne and Julius Caesar. However, the conquests made by the Arabs under Umar, taking into account both their size and their duration, are substantially.
The views of historian Micheal Hart conforms to the great responsibilities entrusted to him by Propeht Muhammad (Pbuh).
Four Rightly Guided Caliphs & Hadith Writing
It is sufficiently established from above that the policies and guidelines provided by “Four Rightly Guided Caliphs”, the closest companions of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) are of great importance after Quran and Sunnah (practices) of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh). No one has any authority or justification to overlook or bypass them, especially their consensus “No” to Hadith writing, which is a historic reality. Ibn Hajr Al Asqelani in his book “Hadith Writing History: Nakhbat-ul-fikr” has dilated upon it.[18] However some narrations further augment the point:[19]
1. Caliph Abu-Bakr (Allah may be pleased with him),the first Caliph, on persuasion of Omar, agreed to collect and arrange the Quran and kept safe. He is reported to have compiled a work, in which there were 500 traditions of the Prophet, and handed it over to his daughter ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). The next morning, he took it back from her and destroyed it, saying: “I wrote what I understood; it is possible however that there should be certain things in it which did not correspond textually with what the Prophet had said.”
2. Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with them) as heard by Abdullah bin Yassar that, he heard delivering him a sermon, Ali said that whoever had any writing other than the Qur’an, must return home and delete it, because the previous nations went astray when they abandoned the book of Lord and indulged in the debates of their scholars.
3. Caliph Omar (may Allah be pleased with them) who enjoyed very special status, being a close associate of the Prophet (pbuh), as 2nd Caliph, after thorough deliberations, decided not to have any other book besides book of Allah, the Holy Quran, because the previous communities (Jews and Christians) went astray by ignoring the book of Allah and by indulging in unnecessary issues and debates. Moreover they were commanded not to add anything or delete from the Scripture (Torah) which they violated.[20]
4. As to Umar (Allah may be pleased with him), we learn on the authority of Ma’mar ibn Rashid, that during his caliphate, Umar once consulted the companions of the Prophet on the subject of codifying the Hadith. Everybody seconded the idea. Yet Umar continued to hesitate and pray to God for a whole month for guidance and enlightenment. Ultimately, he decided not to undertake the task, and said: “Former peoples neglected the Divine Books and concentrated only on the conduct of the prophets; I do not want to set up the possibility of confusion between the Divine Qur’an and the Prophet’s Hadith [Dr. Mohammad Hamidullah]
5. Another narration: “Umar ibn al-Khattab once tried to deal with the problem of committing the Hadith to writing. The companions of the Prophet whom he consulted, encouraged him, but he was not quite sure whether he should proceed. One day, moved by God’s inspiration, he made up his mind and announced: “I wanted to have the traditions of the Prophet (Hadith) written down, but I fear that the Book of God might be encroached upon. Hence I shall not permit this to happen.” He, therefore, changed his mind and instructed the Muslims throughout the provinces: “Whoever has a document bearing a prophetic tradition, shall destroy it.” The Hadith, therefore, continued to be transmitted orally and was not collected and written down until the period of al-Mamun.” (169-217 Hijrah) [Muhammad Husayn Haykal]
Hadith as Scripture – Authority of Prophetic Traditions in Islam
The book “Hadith As Scripture: Discussions on the Authority of Prophetic Traditions in Islam” By Aisha Y. Musa, Phd[21] is a great research work on the subject. A review reveals that this book treats the debate among Muslims over the authority of Hadith, which by the ninth century had been raised to the level of scripture. The author’s main purpose is to show that modern Muslim thinkers who question its status as a source of law are not the first ones to do so and thus cannot be dismissed as inauthentic aberrations or the results of a western, colonialist plot to undermine Islam. The book, “Hadith as Scripture” provides an intriguing introduction to these debates.” Many of today’s Muslims view the hadith almost as sacrosanct and thus grant it the treatment of revealed scripture. The twin claims of Musa’s historical argument are unimpeachable the acceptance of hadith as a second source of scripture alongside the Qur’an was not a foregone conclusion and Imam Shafi’i’s role in making it so was significant”. Umar ibn al-Khattab and the Question of Hadith.
Because of Umar’s status in Islamic history and tradition the details of the objections attributed to him deserve careful examination. Umar ibn al-Khattab was among the most important early Muslims, one of Muhammad’s (Pbuh) closest companions, a champion of Islam, and the second man to lead the Muslim community after Muhammad’s death. As the second of the four rightly guided Caliphs (Al-khulafa’ al-rashidun), Umar’s reputation for piety and dedication to Islam has been both legendary and unquestioned among Sunni Muslims throughout history. His opinions on religious matters are also highly respected.
In her 1996 Harvard dissertation, Linda Kern examined the figure of Umar in the Hadith of al-Bukhari, and some of her observations are of particular interest to the present study. First, Kern’s observation that
“[a]ccording to the common wisdom, Umar’s jealous protection of the divine message earned him his most popular laqab [honorific] of al-faruq, or the one who zealously ‘distinguished’ between God’s word and any potential alteration of it.”
This portrait of Umar, which Kern paints for us from al-Bukhari reveals why Umar is a lightening-rod figure in the controversies over Hadith.
Scattered throughout various genres of Islamic literature from the third/ninth century onward are reports that ascribe to this legendary figure strong objections to the writing and transmission of Hadith.
Taken together, the details of these stories make a powerful impression and corroborate Kern’s view that in these stories Umar “radically separated the authority of the Messenger from his Message [and] distinguished the Book as an independent truth source to which no stipulations could be made.”
This is a particularly important aspect of the controversies over the Hadith as a source of scriptural authority because that authority rests on the belief in Prophetic authority and the duality of revelation.
The first story Ibn Sad narrates about Umar’s attitude toward the recording of the Hadith occurs in the section where he recounts his appointment as Caliph (Dhikr istikhlaf Umar). He cites a story from Sufyan ibn Uyayna (d. 198 AH), on the authority of al-Zuhri that
“Umar wanted (arada) to write the Traditions (al-sunan), so he spent a month praying for guidance and afterward he became determined to write them. But then he said: ‘I recalled a people who wrote a book, then they dedicated themselves to it (aqbalu alaihi) to it and neglected the Book of God (wa-taraku Kitab Allah).
The wording of this story is very direct and leaves no doubt as to what Umar feared might happen if he were to commit the Traditions (al-sunan) of the Prophet to writing that, like people before them, Muslims might turn their attention to that book and neglect the Qur’an.
Who those people were is not specified in this story. However, the other stories found elsewhere in the Tabaqat are equally clear in wording and give additional detail.
The Grandson of Abu Bakr
The next story that Ibn Saad recounts about the Commander of the Faithful and his attitude toward the Hadith is found in volume five of the Tabaqat. It is related to the authority of al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Siddiq (d.106AH) the grandson of Abu Bakr, another of Muhammad’s (Pbuh) closest companions and the first of the rightly guided Caliphs who led the Muslim community after his death. When al-Qasim was asked by his student Abd Allah ibn al-Ala’ (d.164 AH) to dictate Hadith, he refused, saying;
“the Hadith multiplied during the time of Umar; then he called on the people to bring them to him, and when they brought them to him, he ordered them to be burned.” Afterward, he said, ‘a Mishna like the Mishna of the People of the Book,’ (mathna’a ka mathna’at ahl al-Kitab).”
“From that day on,” Abd Allah ibn al-Ala’ continues, “Al-Qasim forbade me to write Hadith.”
As in the first story, what disturbs Umar is the writing of a book that will compete with the Book of God.
Hadith, Mishna & Talmud
He compares the written Hadith with the Mishna of the People of the Book. In Judaism, the Mishna serves much the same function that the Hadith have come to serve in Islam. It is a codification of the Oral Law and contains rulings related to the details of ritual purity, prayer, marriage, divorce, and so on. The Mishna and the Gemara together make up the Talmud, which is the most important book in Judaism besides the Torah.
Hadiths as Distraction from Quran
However, Umar is credited with objecting to not only the writing of the Hadith, but also to transmitting them. Perhaps the strongest and most compelling story about Umar’s attitude toward Prophetic traditions is found in volume six of the Tabaqat. Here, Ibn Saad relates the story of Umar’s instructions to a delegation of companions that he is sending to the region of Kufa to serve as administrators. He orders them not to distract the people from the Qur’an with the transmission of Hadith.
Again, the wording attributed to Umar is significant: “la tasadduhum bil-aHadith fa-tashghalunahum jarridu al-Qur’an wa-aqillu al-riwayat an rasul Allah” (Do not distract them with the Hadiths, and thus engage them! Bare the Qur’an and spare the narration from God’s Messenger!).
Several things are important about this particular story
The first issue concerns the wording, and the second concerns one of the transmitters of the story. Umar is giving strong and direct commands in this story: “la tasadduhum bil-aHadith fa-tashghalunahum” (Do not distract them with the Hadiths, and thus engage them!). Umar follows this up with another equally direct order that deserves careful attention:
“Jarridu al-Qur’an.” The Arabic verb jarrid is the imperative of the second form of j-r-d, literally meaning to make something bare. According to Lisan al-Arab, when used with the Qur’an as its object, as it is in this story, it means not to clothe the Qur’an with anything. In the Lisan, Ibn Mannur specifically quotes Ibn Uyayna (d. 198 AH), from whom Ibn Saad relates this story, as saying that jarridu al-Qur’an means not to clothe the Qur’an with Hadiths (ahadith) of the People of the Book. However, in this case, Umar’s next words indicate the source of the stories (al-ahadith) with which the Qur’an should not be clothed al-riwayat an rasul Allah narration from God’s messenger. In reporting this story from Ibn Uyayna, Ibn Sa’d does not indicate that Ibn Uyayna offered other than a literal understanding of Umar’s words.
Yet Umar clearly has not strictly forbidden such narration: “jarridu al-Qur’an wa aqillu al-riwayatan rasul Allah” (Bare the Qur’an and be sparing with narration from God’s Messenger). It is not talking about the Messenger or what the Messenger may have said that troubles Umar.
What troubles him is the possibility of generating something that would rival the Book of God. In the previous stories, Umar’s concern was that writing down the Traditions would do so. In this story it is clear that he fears any narration of Prophetic Traditions will do the same thing. [He was so right]
Taken together, these stories indicate that writing and transmitting the Hadith was a commonly accepted practice it is only after careful consideration that Umar rejects the idea of putting the Hadith in writing, and then takes the drastic step of calling for and destroying what others had written of the Hadith.
This suggests that Umar’s actions represent a radical departure from the prevailing norm. In that case, Umar, in keeping with his image as the defender of God’s Book, is acting in response to something that is competing for status and authority with God’s Book.
According to these stories, Umar strongly opposed both the writing and the transmission of Hadith not because he disapproved of writing or of sharing information, but because he feared that they would gain a status equal to or even greater than that of the Qur’an itself. Even if these stories do not truly represent the attitude, commands, and actions of Umar, they do represent him as the archetypal defender of God’s Book at a time when some people saw the Prophetic traditions as competing for status and authority with God’s Book.
The decision of Umar was accepted and adhered to by following rightly guided Caliphs, companions till over a century later when the Companions passed away .
Umar in the Hadith
The Tabaqat is not the only third-century source that portrays Umar as objecting to extra-Qur’anic materials. Several Hadith collections both canonical and non-canonical, report Umar’s concern about extra Qur’anic materials from the Prophet. The collections of Hadith that eventually became canonized are not the earliest collections of Hadith that have come down to us. An important earlier work is the Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq al-Sanani[22] (d. 211/827).
Abd al-Razzaq reports both Umar’s decision not to commit the Sunna to writing for fear that it will lead to a book to which people turn and leave the Book of God, and also a story in which Umar gives this order to those he is sending out to govern. The details of the former story are nearly identical with minor but notable additions. However, the details of the latter differ more dramatically between the version reported by Abd al-Razzaq and the version reported some two decades later by Ibn Sad. The story about Umar abandoning the idea of committing the Sunna to writing recorded by Abd al-Razzaq adds the statement that Umar consulted the Prophet’s companions on the issue and that they encouraged him to do so. Abd al-Razzaq’s version also ends with a dramatic statement attributed to Umar. After recalling a previous people who wrote a book to which they dedicated themselves and for which they “left the Book of God,” Umar is reported as saying, “wa-inni wallahi la ulabbis Kitab Allah bi-shayy’in abadan” (By God! I will never clothe the Qur’an with anything).
Looking back at the entry in Lisan al-Arab noted earlier in the discussion of the story related in the Tabaqat, Ibn Mannur specifies that jarridu al-Qur’an means not to clothe it with anything (la tulabbisu bihi shayyan).
This addition suggests that the Hadith will not only cause people to desert the Qur’an, but that they may also somehow conceal it from them.
The details differ even more in the stories in which Umar is quoted as ordering his provincial governors to “bare the Qur’an.” In order to appreciate the differences, let us compare both stories in their entirety.
First, Ibn Sad’s version
We were headed toward Kufa and Umar accompanied us as far as Sirar. Then he made ablutions, washing twice, and said: “Do you know why I have accompanied you?” We said: “Yes, we are companions of God’s messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).”
Then, he said: “You will be coming to the people of a town for whom the buzzing of the Qur’an is as the buzzing of bees. Therefore, do not distract them with the Hadiths, and thus engage them. Bare the Qur’an and spare the narration from God’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)! Go and I am your partner.”
The story as reported by Abd al-Razzaq
When Umar ibn al-Khattab dispatched his provincial governors he stipulated: “Do not ride a workhorse; do not eat marrow; do not wear delicate clothing; do not bolt your doors against the needs of the people; and if you do any of these things, punishment will unquestionably befall you.”
Then he accompanied them, and when he intended to return, he said:
“I have not given you authority over the blood of Muslims, nor over their reputations, nor over their property; but I have sent you to establish Salat with them, and to divide their booty and judge among them fairly. Then, if anything is unclear to them, refer them to me. Indeed, do not beat the Arabs, so as to humiliate them, and do not detain them [the army at the frontier] so as to cause them strife, and do not exalt yourselves over them so as to dispossess them; bare the Qur’an and spare the narration from the God’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)! Go and I am your partner.”
The earlier story related by Abd al-Razzaq is somewhat longer than the later story, containing a broad variety of orders. It is a list of commands and prohibitions that includes the command to “bare the Qur’an and spare the narration from God’s Messenger.” However, the later story recorded by Ibn Sad does not contain any of the other orders found in the early version. Instead, it focuses on this particular order and includes detailed reasoning, in lyrical wording, on Umar’s part: “You will be coming to the people of a town for whom the buzzing of the Qur’an is as the buzzing of bees. Therefore, do not distract them with the Hadith” The comparison of the recitation of the Qur’an to the buzzing of bees suggests that the people are constantly occupied with the Qur’an. The Hadith are portrayed as something that may take their attention away from the Qur’an.
Central Argument: Hadiths as Distraction to Quran
The idea that the Hadith will distract people from the Qur’an is central to the arguments against the Hadith that we will see later in Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi’s Taqyid al-Ilm, and in the modern arguments.
The increasing detail and elaboration that are evident in the stories reported about Umar from Abd al-Razzaq’s Musannaf and Ibn Sad’s Tabaqat in the early and mid-third century AH, to al-Baghdadi’s Taqyid al-Ilm in the mid-fifth century AH suggests that as the Hadith gained greater authority and attention, those who opposed that authority developed and refined their own arguments.
Umar also figures prominently in a story found in the canonical collections of the Hadith. That story relates an incident that took place during the Prophet Muhammad’s final illness. Several versions are recorded in the Samims of al-Bukhari and Muslim, as well as in the Musnad of Ammad. In each version the central details of the story are the same:
During Prophet Muhammad’s (Pbuh) final illness, he requests writing materials so that he can write something for the people to ensure that they will not go astray. Seeing that fever had overcome the Prophet, Umar is quoted as saying:
“They have the Qur’an, and the Book of God is enough for us.”
These stories reinforce the idea that the Qur’an is enough to keep the people from going astray. [It is sufficient to negate the later presumption by Shafii, that; Hadith is Revelation equal to Quran].
Furthermore, they move Umar’s reported opposition to a written source other than the Qur’an even from the hand of the Prophet (Pbuh) himself back to the lifetime of the Prophet (Pbuh).
Attributing the Prophet’s desire to write something (presumably other than the Qur’an) that would keep people from going astray to his being overcome by fever implies that if he had been in control of his faculties, he would not have wanted to do this. As with the stories reported by Ibn Sad, it can be argued that these stories represent Umar’s personal opinion, particularly since they also state that there was strong disagreement among the companions who were present at the time. However, here too, even if this is understood as Umar’s personal opinion, the primary concern attributed to him is clear. He feels so strongly that the Qur’an is sufficient as an authoritative source of guidance that he refuses the Prophet’s request for writing materials, reminding the Prophet (Pbuh) that the people have the Qur’an and that it is enough.
Probing the stories of Umar’s response to the Prophet’s request, Kern says:
With Umar’s declaration that the Book of God was “sufficient,” however, not only was Muhammad’s importance for interpreting the revelation lessened, but the notion of his superiority in religious matters was also set aside henceforth, according to Umar’s interpretation, the Book of God in itself would be entirely adequate .
Umar’s declaration that the Book of God was sufficient changed the conception of what the revelation was, however, just as much as it altered the conception of the Prophet’s role. The change to which Kern is referring is a shift from “on-going, unpredictable, situation-specific revelation” to “a totality of eternally perfect revelation, or more precisely, the Revelation.” Once again, Kern’s assessment helps to make clear why Umar is the ideal figure to find at the center of the disputes over the authority of the Hadith. The nature of revelation and the role of the Prophet are at the heart of those disputes.
Imam Shafii’s Error – No Response to Umar’s Decision
However, stories of Umar’s objection to transmitting and writing down the Hadith, and the ideas that transmission of Hadith would distract people from the Qur’an and that written Hadith would cause people to abandon the Qur’an are noticeably absent in al-Shafii’s discussions with his archetypal opponents of Prophetic reports.
[P.S. It is enough to negate the later presumption by Imam Shafii, that Hadith is Revelation equal to Quran].
Khatib al-Baghdadi, writing more than two and a half centuries after al-Shafii cites the fear that Hadith would come to be a book other than the Book of God, as the primary basis for the opposition to recording the Hadith in writing. As discussed earlier, most often the protagonist who is credited with leading such opposition is Umar ibn al-Khattab.
The absence of any mention by (Imam) al-Shafii of the Umar stories is significant
The Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq shows that similar stories were in circulation during al-Shafii’s lifetime, and Ibn Sad’s Tabaqat shows that the stories were reasonably well-developed not long after al-Shafii’s death.
1. Did al-Shafii not address them because they would have weakened his case for the authority of the Hadith as a source of divinely inspired guidance?
2. Or did the opponents of the Hadith incorporate them into their arguments only after the successful articulation of the concept of duality of revelation?
3. A definitive answer to this question cannot be given based on available evidence. Nevertheless, the evidence does suggest that the opposition to the Hadith evolved in response to the increasing authority and status that they were being granted by many Muslims. [against policy of Umar and Rightly Guided Caliphs]
However, they took on a new direction after the appearance of the major Hadith collections in the middle of the third century after the Hijra. This direction is seen in the works of Ibn Qutayba and later authors who accepted and built upon the arguments of al-Shafi.
From the time of Ibn Qutayba onward through the time of al-Baghdadi, we see the opponents of the Hadith using the Hadith themselves as weapons either through criticism of problematic content, or as objections to Hadith attributed to Muhammad (Pbuh) and his companions.
Ibn Qutayba
Ibn Qutayba and the Hadith After al-Shafii the next champion of the Hadith whose work has reached us is Abu Muhammad Abd Allah ibn Muslim Ibn Qutayba (d.276 AH).[23]
This idea led Ibn Qutayba to accept and defend whatever might be attributed to the Prophet, even if the content seemed contradictory or irrational.
Whereas al-Shafii argued issues of doctrine, Ibn Qutayba argued issues of content.
Instead, they challenged those Hadith
1.Whose content contradicted other Hadith, or
2.Contradicted the Qur’an, or
3. Whose content was irrational and made the religion an object of ridicule.
Sectarian Conflicts through Hadith – Arguments for Different Hadith (Ta’wil Mukhtalif al-Hadith)
Ibn Qutayba addresses the unidentified individual as follows:
You have written to inform me of what you have encountered of ahl al-kalam’s contemptuous criticism of ahl al-Hadith, their long winded diatribes in books criticizing them and their hurling of so many accusations of deceit and contradictory narratives that disagreement has occurred, sects have multiplied, ties have been severed and Muslims have become enemies, accusing each other of disbelief, each group basing its opinion on a particular type of Hadith.
This statement is followed by a description of various sectarian factions, along with examples of Hadith on which they base their beliefs, or to which they object. Some groups are mentioned by names such as al-Khawarij (the Schismatics), al-Qadariya (the advocates of free-will), and al-Rafida (the Shia), while others are mentioned by what was seen as their primary position on particular ethical and religious issues, such as “those who prefer wealth” and “those who prefer poverty.
But in these discussions, He does not address the concerns raised about the Hadith; instead, he continues with his own criticisms of what he sees as their positions on specific religious issues. What Ibn Qutayba presents as a defense of the Hadith against the criticisms of their opponents is actually a series of attacks against the adherents of kalam. The overall effect of Ibn Qutayba’s arguments is to turn attention away from criticisms of Hadith.
Conclusion
A thorough examination of texts ranging from works of Imam al-Shafii, Ibn Sad, Ibn Qutayba, and the Hadith collections in the third/ninth century to Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi’s Taqyid al-Ilm in the fifth/eleventh century clearly demonstrates that the primary reason for objections to the transmission and recording of the Hadith was concern about the writing down of materials that might be vested with sacred authority and rival the Qur’an as an authoritative source of religious law and guidance; at the same time, the stories of approval and permission, together with the common existence of books since at least the second and third century AH, indicate that the reported disapproval was an objection to the practice of writing itself oral transmission was permitted, the practice followed till beginning middle of 2nd century.
[24]This was due to the decision of Umer, also consented by other Rightly Guided Caliphs, also honoured and implemented by majority Companions till they passed away after the first century Hijra, when Hadith writing started.[25]
Although reports that contain a prohibition of writing together with permission to transmit Hadith orally do suggest a distinction between oral and written narrations that could be considered similar to the Rabbanite concept of the Written and Oral Laws, the arguments of al-Shafii that were introduced in support of the duality of divine revelation contain no suggestion that the distinction between the two types is a matter of one being written and the other oral, nor do the concerns he and Ibn Qutayba attribute to the opponents of the Hadith suggest this.
The specific terminology used in the reports of disapproval and prohibition, together with references to previous communities that followed a book or books along with the Book of God leaves no doubt that this is the overriding concern fueling the opposition to the disapproval or prohibition of writing the Hadith, which is attributed to the Prophet and some of his most prominent companions.
The success of the doctrine of duality of revelation in overcoming the objections to Hadith as an authoritative source of religious law and guidance in mainstream Islam further confirms the view that the objection to Hadith was about using something other than divine revelation as an authoritative source of religious law and guidance.
So strange that the four closest companions of the Prophet (Pbuh) were unaware of “Duality of Revelations” instead of preserving it, they opposed its writing. Who would know it after 150 years?
Imam Shafii extracted his desired meanings through distortion and deductions, of 2:62[26], Hikmah (Wisdom, as Sunnah, thus Divine Revelation, 33:34, 59:7 checkout 8:41) in clear violation of Quran 3:7[27], to use clear commands, the essence (mother) of Book:
It is He who sent down upon thee the Book, wherein are verses clear that are the Essence of the Book, and others ambiguous. As for those in whose hearts is swerving, they follow the ambiguous part, desiring dissension, and desiring its interpretation; and none knows its interpretation, save only God. And those firmly rooted in knowledge say, ‘We believe in it; all is from our Lord’; yet none remembers, but men possessed of minds.” (Quran 3:7, Arberry translation)
Singularity of Revelations is clear, the Concocted Doctrine of Duality of Revelations is a fundamental issue, which cannot be established through distorted interpretation of ambitious words with multiple meanings.[28]
Imam Shafi’i ignored Umar’s ban on Hadith writing, as if Umar was unaware of the duality of Revelations like Abu Bakr Siddique, Usman and Ali ( Allah may be pleased with them) who did not make arrangements for preservation of Hadiths rather opposed it following Quran (6:19, 38 & 114-116, 39:23, 45:6, 77:50, 7:185) and Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), who is reported to have said: Do not take down anything from me, and he who took down anything from me except the Qur’an, he should efface that and narrate from me, for there is no harm in it and he who attributed any falsehood to me and Hammam said: I think he also said: “deliberately” he should in fact find his abode in the Hell-Fire.[Sahih Muslim Book 042, Hadith Number 7147][29]; “Do not write anything I say but the Quran and whoever writes anything but the Quran should delete it.” [Musnad Ahmad: 10713, 10715, 10781, 10966, 11160]
Hence according to the Quran, Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), Four Rightly Guided Caliphs and companions; there is no place for any other Book or Scripture except Quran. The books written in the 2nd and 3rd century Hijrah disregard the Quran, Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), Four Rightly Guided Caliphs and companions. There is a need to rectify this error through consensus, debate and discussions. It must be kept in view that:
1. The Quran does not permit to believe in any book/ Hadith except the Quran.
2. Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), prohibited writing of his speech (Hadith). If someone wrote, it was for memorization and then deleted.
3. The Prophet (Pbuh) left written Quran (unbounded) also memorized by companions.
4. The Holy Quran was thoroughly rechecked by a special committee and eye witnesses, bound in the form of Book under special arrangements by the first two Caliphs and distributed by 3rd Caliph.
5. The issue of Hadith collection did not arise with the first caliph, it was considered by 2nd Caliph and rejected to avoid any book besides Quran, which is complete, detailed and comprehensive (moreover the policy enunciated by Quran and Messenger must also have been kept in view). The previous communities went astray by neglecting and mixing up the Book of God with other books.
6. The decision of the 2nd Caliph Umer (R.A) was also endorsed by other Rightly Guided Caliphs (who were commanded by the Prophet (Pbuh) to be followed by the Muslims). This policy/ practice remained in force till the second century Hijra when all Companions had passed away.
7. The Sunnah (practice) of the Prophet (Pbuh) being of practical nature (offering prayer etc), continues to be practiced/ followed by Muslims and passed on from generation to generation. It is not dependent upon Hadith books or writings and is fully secure.
8. The famous Hadith books compiled written in the 3rd century Hijrah apart from benefits have been used to reinvent religion, sects (with distortion due to difference in transmission, understanding and interpretations) as if nothing existed during the first two centuries. Quran and Sunnah through historic continuity always existed without any break). Islam, was declared as the “Perfected Deen”, on 10th of Dul-Hajj, 10th Hijrah (Quran;5:3)
9. Muslims deviated from the right path, once they practically abandoned the Quran. While following their selfish desires adopted the path and practice of Jewish and Christian to create more books to undermine the Book of God despite clear warning by Allah, that: “They have taken their rabbis and their monks as lords apart from God”(9:31)
It is very important
1. Those who deny the revelations, will suffer a dreadful doom.(Quran;45:11)
2. Woe unto every fabricating impostor, the one who hears GOD’s revelations but ignores arrogantly, Grievous punishment awaits (Quran;45:7-8)
3. Those who dispute Ayas have turned away from the right path (Quran;40:69)
4. Who disbelieved in Quran, are doomed (Quran;90:19)
5. And none but the Zalimun (polytheists, wrongdoers) deny Ayat (Quran;29:49)
6. And be not like those who said, We hear, and they did not obey (Quran;8:21)
7. The Messenger will say, “Lord, my people did indeed discard the Quran,” (25:30)
8. Do not mix truth with falsehood, or hide the truth when you know it s(2:42)
9. Who, then, is more unjust than he who lies about God and rejects the truth when it comes to him? Is not Hell an abode for those who deny the truth? (39:32)
10. They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah, and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him. (9:31)
11. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger and transgresses His limits He will put him into the Fire to abide eternally therein, and he will have a humiliating punishment (4:14)[30]
12. And do not be like those who say, “We have heard,” while they do not hear (8:21)
13. Indeed, the worst of living creatures in the sight of Allah are the deaf and dumb who do not use reason (8:22)[31]
References
1. https://QuranSubjects.wordpress.com/last-book
2. The Last Book or Books [Wordpress] https://bit.ly/3cwG4if
