Dhul Qarnayn

I was asked a question via the Contact Us form of the blog, about Dhu’l Qarnayn and his identity. Here is the Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) ḥadīth we have detailing who was Dhu’l Qarnayn. This ḥadīth is also supported by other Ṣaḥīḥ aḥādīth we have that states that both al-Khiḍr and Dhu’l Qarnayn were not prophets, but they were righteous servants of Allāh.

This post is not about the identity of Dhu'l Qarnayn, because it is not stated in authentic ḥadīth who he is, therefore I will not resort to dhann (speculation) as some scholars have done.

Inshā’Allāh, I will make a lengthy article responding to those people who claim that al-Khiḍr was a prophet of Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ).

This ḥadīth is narrated in `Alī b. al-Ḥussayn b. Bābuwayh al-Qummī’s[1] (al-Ṣadūq’s father) book al-Imāmah wa al-Tabṣirah[2], al-Ṣadūq’s Kamāl (or, Ikmāl) al-Dīn[3] and al-Rawāndī’s Qasas al-Anbiyā’[4], with the same chain of narrators. This same ḥadīth is also narrated in al-`Ayyāshī’s Tafsīr, with a truncated chain from Abī Baṣīr[5].

سعد بن عبد الله ، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى ، عن علي بن النعمان ، عن هارون بن خارجة ، عن أبي بصير ، عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال : إن ذا القرنين لم يكن نبيا ، ولكنه كان عبدا صالحا أحب الله فأحبه الله ، وناصح لله فناصحه الله ، أمر قومه بتقوى الله ، فضربوه على قرنه ، فغاب عنهم زمانا ، ثم رجع إليهم ، فضربوه على قرنه الآخر ، وفيكم من هو على سنته

 Sa`ad b. `Abd Allāh[6] narrated from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsa[7] from `Alī b. al-Nu`mān[8] from Hārūn b. Khārijah[9] from Abī Baṣīr[10] from Abī Ja`far (عليه السلام) said, “Dhu’l Qarnayn was not a prophet, but he was a righteous slave, he loved Allāh, and Allāh loved him. He was an adviser of Allāh, and Allāh advised him. He commanded his people to taqwa of Allāh, and they hit him on the (side) of his head, and he disappeared from them for a time, then he returned to them and they hit him on his other (side) of his head, and there is among you who is upon his sunnah (tradition)”[11]

`Āṣif al-Muḥsinī has said this ḥadīth is Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) in his Mashra`ah Bihār al-Anwār[12], he also says that there is a ḥadīth that alludes to Dhu’l Qarnayn being a prophet of Allāh[13], but it is da`īf (weak)[14].

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[1] He is thiqah (trustworth) according to al-Najāshī, al-Tūsī’s Rijāl and al-Fihrist (See: al-Najāshī, Rijāl, pg. 261, person # 648;  al-Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, pg. 432, person # 6191 (in book); al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 273, person # 393)

[2] `Alī b. al-Ḥussayn b. Bābuwayh, al-Imāmah wa al-Tabṣirah, Ch. on Ghaybah, pg. 121, ḥadīth # 116

[3] al-Ṣadūq, Kamāl al-Dīn, vol. 2, ch. 38, section on Dhu’l Qarnayn, pg. 393, ḥadīth # 1, with a chain from his father:

al-Ṣadūq – from his father – Sa`ad b. `Abd Allāh – Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsa -- `Alī b. al-Nu`mān – Hārūn b. Khārijah – Abī Baṣīr – Abī Ja`far (عليه السلام)

[4] Quṭb al-Dīn al-Rawāndī, Qaṣaṣ al-Anbiyā’, pg. 120 with his chain from al-Rawāndī to al-Ṣadūq

Al-Adīb Abū `Abd Allāh al-Ḥussayn al-Mu’addab al-Qummī – Ja`far al-Dawraysī – his father – al-Ṣadūq – from his father – Sa`ad b. `Abd Allāh – Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsa -- `Alī b. al-Nu`mān – Hārūn b. Khārijah – Abī Baṣīr – Abī Ja`far (عليه السلام)

[5] al-`Ayyāshī, Tafsīr, vol. 2, pg. 339-340, ḥadīth # 72

                From Abī Baṣīr – Abī Ja`far (عليه السلام)

[6] Sa`ad b. `Abd Allāh b. al-`Asharī al-Qummī is thiqah according to al-Najāshi al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Najāshī, Rijāl, pg. 178, person # 467; al-Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, pg. 427, person # 6141; al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 75, person # 306)

[7] Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsa is thiqah according to al-Najāshī and al-Ṭūsī  (See: al-Najāshī, Rijāl, pg. 81-83, person # 198; al-Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, pg. 351, person # 5197; al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 61, person # 75)

[8] `Alī b. al-Nu`mān al-`Alam al-Nakha’ī is thiqah according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, Rijāl, pg. 274, person # 719)

[9] Hārūn b. Khārijah Kūfī is thiqah according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, Rijāl, pg. 437, person # 1176)

[10] Abū Baṣīr here could be either Yaḥya b. Abī al-Qāsim al-Asadī or Layth b. al-Bakhtarī al-Murādī, it wouldn’t matter since both of them are thiqah, al-Khoei discusses this in depth in his Mu`jam Rijāl al-Ḥadīth (See: al-Khoei, Mu`jam Rijāl al-Hadīth, vol. 22, pg. 49-66, person # 13988)

[11] `Alī b. al-Ḥussayn b. Bābuwayh, al-Imāmah wa al-Tabṣirah, Ch. on Ghaybah, pg. 121, ḥadīth # 116

[12] `Āṣif al-Muḥsinī, Mashra`ah Bihār al-Anwār, vol. 1, pg. 276

[13] al-Majlisī, Bihār al-Anwār, vol. 12, ch. 8, pg. 181, ḥadīth # 9, originally quoting from al-Ṣadūq’s al-Khiṣāl, vol. 1, ch. 4, pg. 248, ḥadīth # 110

[14] al-Muḥsinī, Mashra`ah Bihār al-Anwār, vol. 1, pg. 275

Bibliography

al-`Ayyāshī. Tafsīr, . Ed. Hāshim al-Rasūlī al-Maḥlātī. 2 vols. Tehran: al-Maktabah al-`Ilmiyyah al-Islāmiyyah, 1380.

al-Khoei. Mu`jam Rijāl al-Hadīth. 5th. 24 vols. 1413.

al-Majlisī. Bihār al-Anwār. 4th. 110 vols. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1362.

al-Muḥsinī, `Āṣif. Mashra`ah Bihār al-Anwār. 2nd. 2 vols. Beirut: Mu’assasah al-`Ārif lil-Maṭbū`āt, 1426/2005.

al-Najāshī. Rijāl. Ed. Musa al-Shabiri al-Zanjani. 5. 1 vols. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1416.

al-Rawāndī, Quṭb al-Dīn. Qaṣaṣ al-Anbiyā’. 1 vols. Mashhad: Mu’assasah al-Buhūth al-Islāmiyyah, 1409.

al-Ṣadūq. al-Khiṣāl. 2nd. 1 vols. Qum: Mu'assasah al-Nashr al-Islami, 1403.

—. Kamāl al-Dīn. 2nd. 2 vols in 1 vols. Qum: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1395/1975.

al-Ṭūsī. al-Fihrist. Najaf: al-Maktabah al-Raḍawiyyah, n.d.

—. al-Rijāl. 1st. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1415.

Bābuwayh, `Alī b. al-Ḥussayn b. al-Imāmah wa al-Tabṣirah. 1st. 1 vols. Qum: Madrisah al-Imām al-Mahdī, 1404.

Did Ali Anger Fatima

There is a famous ḥadīth of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) about Fāṭimah (عليها السلام) in which he says, “Whoever angers Fāṭimah has angered me”. Recently, Sunnīs have attempted to take out narrations from the Shī`ah books which alludes to Imām `Alī (عليه السلام) angering Fāṭimah (عليها السلام)

There are two narrations that allude to this, both of the narrations are from al-Ṣadūq’s `Ilal al-Sharā’i`. These narrations are fairly lengthy, so I will only translate the pertinent portions of the matn (content of the ḥadīth), and then I will analyze each ḥadīth individually. I will not only analyze each ḥadīth’s sanad via Shī`ah books of Rijāl, but I will also delve into the Sunnī books of Rijāl for many of the narrators, in order to get a holistic perspective on certain narrators.

After my analysis, inshā’Allāh, you will see that these narrations are a pure fabrication against Imām `Alī (عليه السلام), in order to lower his status.

Click link below to read the Article

Did `Alī Anger Fāṭimah?

I am the Dot Under the Ba

I have been asked a question via the Contact Us form of the blog regarding the famous phrase attributed to Imām `Alī (عليه السلام), “I am the dot which is under the bā’”

Question:

Have you ever heard or read Imam Ali said:

"I am the dot under the letter BA'

What is the source to this saying? And is this saying by Imam Ali authentic?

Answer:

This is not a ḥadīth of Imām `Alī (عليه السلام), rather this is a saying of Sūfīs that has been attributed to Imām `Alī (عليه السلام). This saying is not found in our classical books of Islām, either Sunnī or Shī`ah.

When looking through the books of both the Shī`ah and Sunnī, you actually find this phrase “I am the dot which is under the Bā’”[1] being attributed to another person and not Imām `Alī (عليه السلام). The earliest book that I could find that has this phrase is a book by the famous Sūfī, al-Ghazālī (b.450/1058-d.505/1111)[2]. In his book Iḥyā’ `Ulūm al-Dīn (Rebirth of the Sciences of Religion), which is said to be authored when he was influenced by the Sūfīs, he states:

وجاء رجل إلى الشبلي رحمه الله فقال له ما أنت وكان هذا دأبه وعادته فقال أنا النقطة التي تحت الباء

A man came to al-Shiblī[3], may Allāh have mercy on him, and he said to him, ‘Who are you?’ and this was his habit and custom. So he (al-Shiblī) said: ‘I am the dot (nuqṭah) which is under the bā’’[4]

The next time that this phrase[5] has been seen is by the extremist Sūfī, Ibn `Arabī (b.558/1164-d.638/1240), he is commonly known as Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn `Arabī. Ibn `Arabī in his al-Fatūḥāt al-Makiyyah, his magnum opus, has related the same story that al-Ghazālī has mentioned.[6]

The first time that this phrase has been attributed to Imām `Alī (عليه السلام), is by the Sūfī Sunnī scholar Muḥammad b. Talḥah al-Shāfi`ī’s (b. 582/1186-d.652/1254)[7] book called al-Durr al-Mandham fī al-Surr al-A`dham[8]. He does not give a chain of narrators of this saying, nor does he give a source to where he got this from.

About Ibn Ṭalḥah al-Shāfi`ī

He is a Sunnī scholar with Sūfī leanings. This can be easily seen when reading through his works. al-Dhahabī (b. 673-d. 748) in his Tārīkh al-Islām  says, “And he entered in things from delirium and misguidance, and he acted on the circles[9], and claimed that he derived from it, knowledge of the unseen (al-ghayb) and knowledge of the Hour (Day of Judgment)”[10]

al-Dhahabī also says in his Siyar A`lām al-Nabulā’, “but he entered into the delirium of the knowledge of the letters (`ilm al-hurūf)”[11]

Ibn Kathīr in his Ṭabaqāt al-Fuquhā’ al-Shāfi`īn says, “And it is attributed that he occupied himself with the knowledge of the letters and patrimony, and that he would derive from that things from the unseen. And some say: ‘That he returned from that’. And Allāh Knows best.”[12]

About al-Durr al-Mandham fī al-Surr al-A`dham

As you read through this book, you can see what al-Dhahabī and Ibn Kathīr was talking about when they said “he occupied himself with the knowledge of the letters”. Throughout the book, he goes on-and-on about the different letters in the Qur’ān and what they mean. He even tries to do tafsīr (commentary) on the hurūf al-Muqaṭi`ah[13]

This book is still extant, and an old written manuscript of this book has been uploaded by Kind Saud University. In this old manuscript of Ibn Ṭalḥah’s al-Durr al-Mandham, you can see the famous saying that is attributed to Imām `Alī (عليه السلام), “I am the dot which is under the bā’”.

(Scanned Image of Old Manuscript of Ibn Ṭalḥah’s al-Durr al-Mandham)

(Click image to enlarge)

و اعلم أن جميع أسرار الله تعالى في الكتب السماوية و جميع أسرار الكتب السماوية في القرآن ، وجميع ما في القرآن في الفاتحة ، وجميع ما في الفاتحة في بسم الله، وجميع ما في بسم الله في باء بسم الله، وجميع ما في باء بسم الله في النقطة التي هي تحت الباء . قال الإمام علي : أنا النقطة التي تحت الباء

And know that all of Allāh’s (تعالى) secrets are in the heavenly books, and all of the secrets of the heavenly books are in the Qur’ān. And all of which is in the Qur’ān is in al-Fātiḥah, and all of which is in al-Fātiḥah is in bismillah, and all of which is in bismillah is in the bā’ of bismillah, and all of which is in the bā’ in bismillah is the dot (nuqṭah) which is under the bā’. Imām `Alī (عليه السلام) said: “I am the dot which is under the bā’”

This is the first time in history that this phrase “I am the dot which is under the ba” has been attributed to Imām `Alī (عليه السلام). As you can see, he never gives the source or the chain of narrators to allow us to see how he got this phrase. This is not uncommon when reading through this book as he never gives the source or complete chain of narrators to the ḥadīth he mentions.

The first Shī`ah source that mentions this phrase is from the Sūfī[14] Shī`ah scholar Rajab al-Bursī (d. 813), who is also into the knowledge of the letters (`ilm al-Hurūf)[15], in his Mashāriq al-Anwār.[16] Rajab al-Bursī has been linked with the ghulāt (exaggerators)[17]. And al-Majlisī has said that he does not rely on what he puts in his book, unless it is in other authentic books.[18] Since this phrase is not added in al-Majlisī’s Bihār al-Anwār, it is safe to assume that al-Majlisī thought that this phrase was da`īf (weak). al-Bursī does not also give a source, nor does he give a chain of narrators to this phrase.

(Taken from my personal copy of al-Bursī’s Mashāriq al-Anwār, (Beirut: Mu’assasah al-`Alamī lil-Maṭbū`āt), pg. 21)

 (Click image to enlarge)

All the scholars that mention this phrase quote from either Ibn Ṭalḥah’s al-Durr al-Mandham or al-Bursī’s Mashāriq al-Anwār. For example, Sulaymān b. Ibrāhīm al-Qundūzī (d. 1294) quotes this phrase from al-Durr al-Mandham.[19] Or, al-Sayyid al-Mar`ashī al-Najafī (d. 1411) quotes this phrase attributed to Imām `Alī (عليه السلام) from al-Durr al-Mandham.[20]

In conclusion, this phrase is fabricated and misattributed to Imām `Alī (عليه السلام). This is not so surprising, since Sūfīs have been known to attribute false things to our A’immah (عليهم السلام), especially Imām `Alī (عليه السلام).

And Allāh Knows Best.

_________________________
Nader Zaveri
Jamadi’ al-Awwal 29, 1433
April 21, 2012

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[1] أنا النقطة التي تحت الباء – Tr. “I am the dot which is under the bā’”

[2] Abū Ḥāmid, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad b. Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al-Ghazālī (450/1058-505/1111), he is known as the mujaddid (reviver) of the 5^th century. It is stated that he has authored about 457 books. al-Ghazālī most famous books, which he has authored during his Sūfī days, is Iḥyā’ `Ulūm al-Dīn (Rebirth of the Sciences of Religion).

[3] This could be a reference to the Sūfī Abū Bakr al-Shiblī (b. 247/861). It is stated that he adhered to the Sūfī way, but was of the Mālikī madhhab.

[4] al-Ghazālī, Iḥyā’ `Ulūm al-Dīn, 4 vols., (Beirut: Dār al-Ma`rifah), vol. 3, pg. 342

[5] “I am the dot which is under the bā’”

[6] Ibn `Arabī, al-Fatūḥāt al-Makiyyah, 4 vols., (Beirut: Dār al-Ṣādir), vol. 1, pg. 102

[7] Abū Sālim, Muḥammad b. Ṭalḥah b. Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan, known as Kamāl al-Dīn, al-Shāfi`ī. He died in the city of Aleppo (Ḥalab) on the 27^th of Rajab.

[8] الدر المنظم في السر الأعظم

[9] al-Dhahabī is most likely alluding to Ibn Ṭalḥah’s circular patterns with writings in them, which can be seen through his book al-Durr al-Mandham

[10] al-Dhahabī, Tārīkh al-Islām, ed. `Umar `Abd al-Salām Tudmirī, (Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-`Arabī, 1^st ed., 1407), vol. 11, pg. 44-45 (ARABIC TEXT):

وقد دخل في شيءٍ من الهَذَيَان والضّلال ، وعمل دائرةً وادّعى أنّه يستخرج منْها علِم الغيب وعلْم السّاعة

[11] al-Dhahabī, Siyar A`lām al-Nabulā’, 25 vols., ed. Shu`ayb Aranā’ūt, (Mu’assasah al-Risālah, 3^rd ed., 1405), vol. 23, pg. 293, person # 199

[12] Ibn Kathīr, Ṭabaqāt al-Fuquhā’ al-Shāfī`īn, 2 vols, 2004, Tenth Class of Shāfi`ī Scholars (ARABIC TEXT)

وقد نسب إلى الاشتغال بعلم الحروف والأوقاف ، وأنه يستخرج من ذلك أشياء من المغيبات ، وقيل : إنه رجع عنه ، فالله أعلم

[13] Lit. ‘The Segmented Letters’ – These are the letters that Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) has put in the beginning of some sūrahs (i.e. Alif-Lam-Mīm; Kaf-Ha-Ya-`Ayn-Sād)

[14] Muḥsin al-Amīn (d. 1371) calls Rajab al-Bursī a Sūfī. (See: Muḥsin al-Amīn, A`yān al-Shī`ah, (Beirut: Dār al-Tā`rif), vol. 6, pg. 465)

[15] Muhsin al-Amīn says that Rajab al-Bursī is into `ilm al-Hurūf and that it is nothing but a delusion, assumption and deceptive (See: ibid, pg. 466)

[16] al-Bursī, Mashāriq al-Anwār, ed. al-Sayyid `Alī Āshūr, (Beirut: Mu’assasah al-`Alamī lil-Maṭbū`āt, 1^st ed., 1419), pg. 29

[17] al-Hurr al-`Āmulī, Amal al-Āmul, vol. 2, pg. 117, person # 329

و في كتابه إفراط و ربما نسب إلى الغلو
“And in his book is excessiveness and it maybe that he is linked to ghuluww”

[18] al-Majlisī, Biḥār al-Anwār, (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 4^th ed., 1362)  vol. 1, pg. 10 (ARABIC TEXT):

و لا أعتمد على ما يتفرد بنقله لاشتمال كتابيه على ما يوهم الخبط و الخلط و الارتفاع و إنما أخرجنا منهما ما يوافق الأخبار المأخوذة من الأصول المعتبرة

“And I do not rely on what he includes in his book alone,  and what is mislead, mixture, wrong and ghuluww. I only narrate from it what is agreed upon narrations taken from authentic fundamental (sources)”

[19] al-Qundūzī, Yanābī` al-Muwaddah, 3 vols., (Beirut: Mu’assasah al-`Alamī lil-Maṭbū`āt, 1^st ed., 1418), vol. 1, pg. 81-82

[20] al-Mar`ashī al-Najafī, Sharḥ Iḥqāq al-Haqq, 33 vols., (Qum: Maktabah Mar`ashī al-Najafī), vol. 7, pg. 208

Hasan and Hussain Help Old Man With Wudu

I have been asked a question via the Contact Us form of the blog regarding the famous story of al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥussayn helping an old man with his wudū’

Question:

A very famous story I hear all the time is when Hasan and Hussain helping an old man to do wudu, and they teach him by performing wudu themselves, and he sees that he was doing it wrong. I tried to look online for this information, but no one gives the source to this.

What is the source to this story? And is this story authentic?

Answer:

This is one of the most oft-repeated stories you hear about al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥussayn (عليهم السلام), speakers throughout the world use this story as an example of Amr bi’l Ma`rūf wa Nahī `Anil Munkar [1] .  When looking through the classical sources of ḥadīth in both Shī`ah and Sunnīs, you do not find this story mentioned. In Shī`ah books you do not find this ḥadīth mentioned at all, the only time you find this ḥadīth mentioned is when a Shī`ah scholar is quoting from a Sunnī book.

The first time this story can be seen in Shī`ah books is in a book called al-Manāqib Āl Abī Tālib (The Merits of the Family of Abī Tālib). The author of this book is Abī `Abd Allāh Muḥammad b. `Alī b. Shahrāshūb (commonly known as Ibn Shahrāshūb), he died in the year 588 AH. This book has four volumes and is a book of ḥadīth that has many merits and stories of the Ahl al-Bayt (عليهم السلام). All of the ḥadīth in this book do not contain a full connected chain of narrators, so all of the ḥadīth in this book will be classed as da`īf (weak) because of it being mursal (disconnected chain of narrators).

Ibn Shahrāshūb has taken this story from a book called `Uyūn al-Majālis. Al-Majlisī also adds this story in his book Bihār al-Anwār, quoting from `Uyūn al-Majālis. In Bihār al-Anwār the book that al-Majlisī quotes from is named `Uyūn al-Maḥāsin. This is either a transcription error or al-Majlisī made an error; unfortunately the editors of Bihār al-Anwār didn’t catch it. The name of the book is actually `Uyūn al-Majālis, and we have come to this conclusion because:

1.    A book named `Uyūn al-Maḥāsin has been authored by al-Ḥasan b. `Alī b. Muḥammad b. `Alī b. al-Ḥasan al-Tabarī (d. after 798)[2]. He is commonly known as `Imād al-Dīn al-Tabarī)[3]

2.    This book cannot be it, because Ibn Shahrāshūb (d. 588 AH) quotes from `Uyūn al-Majālis and he lived about two centuries before the author of `Uyūn al- Maḥāsin, so the book `Uyūn al- Maḥāsin was not authored during the life of Ibn Shahrāshūb.

3.    al-Majlisī also quotes other ḥadīth from the book `Uyūn al-Majālis[4], so he had access to this book and used this book in his encyclopedia of ḥadīth.

Here is the full ḥadīth that is in Ibn Shahrāshūb’s al-Manāqib and al-Majlisī’s Bihār al-Anwār:

(Taken from my personal copy of al-Majlisī’s Bihār al-Anwār[5])

(Click image to enlarge)

عُيُونُ المجالس عَنِ الرُّويَانِيِّ أَنَّ الْحَسَنَ وَ الْحُسَيْنَ مَرَّا عَلَى شَيْخٍ يَتَوَضَّأُ وَ لَا يُحْسِنُ فَأَخَذَا فِي التَّنَازُعِ يَقُولُ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا أَنْتَ لَا تُحْسِنُ الْوُضُوءَ فَقَالَا أَيُّهَا الشَّيْخُ كُنْ حَكَماً بَيْنَنَا يَتَوَضَّأُ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنَّا فَتَوَضَّئَا ثُمَّ قَالَا أَيُّنَا يُحْسِنُ قَالَ كِلَاكُمَا تُحْسِنَانِ الْوُضُوءَ وَ لَكِنَّ هَذَا الشَّيْخَ الْجَاهِلَ هُوَ الَّذِي لَمْ يَكُنْ يُحْسِنُ وَ قَدْ تَعَلَّمَ الْآنَ مِنْكُمَا وَ تَابَ عَلَى يَدَيْكُمَا بِبَرَكَتِكُمَا وَ شَفَقَتِكُمَا عَلَى أُمَّةِ جَدِّكُمَا

`Uyūn al-Majālis: From my narrators, that al-Ḥasan (عليه السلام) and al-Ḥusayn (عليه السلام) passed by an old man (shaykh) who was performing wuḍū’, and he did not do it correctly. So they had a feud and said to one another, ‘you are not doing it correctly’. So they said: ‘O Shaykh (old man), each one of us will do wuḍū’, can you judge between us?’ So they did wuḍū’ and they said: ‘Which one of us is correct?’ He (the old man) said: ‘Both of you have correct wuḍū’, but this old man (i.e. himself) is ignorant, he did not do it correctly, and he has now learned from you two, and I seek repentance upon both your hands, your blessing, your compassion upon the Ummah of your grandfather’[6]

The only book in Islāmic history that is titled `Uyūn al-Majālis is by a Sunnī author named `Abd al-Wahhāb al-Baghdādī (d. 422 AH), a Mālikī scholar[7]. This is a fiqh book, it is a possibility that Ibn Shahrāshūb quoted from this book since he lived before Ibn Shahrāshūb’s time, and this book is extant.

This story is da`īf (weak) for many reasons:

1.    This book is a Sunnī book, and Sunnī books and Sunnī ḥadīth hold no weight to the Shī`ahs.

2.    The story does not mention a narrator who narrates the ḥadīth; it simply says “My narrators”. This does not count when it comes to ḥadīth science.

3.    You do not know who is saying this story, if it is coming from any of the Ahl al-Bayt (عليهم السلام), or from a saḥābah (companions) or tabi`īn (successor).

This story is also mentioned in another Sunnī book, much later without a chain of narrators, named Fayḍ al-Qadīr Sharḥ al-Jāmi` al-Saghīr min Aḥādīth al-Badhīr al-Nadhīr[8] authored by Muḥammad `Abd al-Ra’ūf b. Tāj al-Manāwī (b. 952 – d. 1031).[9]

وقد حكى أن الحسن والحسين رضي الله عنهما وعن والديهما وعلى جدهما أفضل الصلاة وأتم التسليم مرا بشخص يفسد وضوءه فقال أحدهما لأخيه تعال نرشد هذا الشيخ فقالا يا شيخ إنا نريد أن نتوضأ بين يديك حتى تنظر إلينا وتعلم من يحسن منا الوضوء ومن لا يحسنه ففعلا ذلك فلما فرغا من وضوئهما قال أنا والله الذي لا أحسن الوضوء وأما أنتما فكل واحد منكما يحسن وضوءه

And it is related that al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥussayn, (may Allāh be pleased with both of them and their fathers and their grandfather, with the greatest prayers and complete peace), passed by an individual who had a corrupt wudū’, and one of them said to his brother: ‘Come, let’s guide this shaykh (old man)’. So they said: ‘O Shaykh (Old man), we would like to do wudū’, can you help us and see us and let us know who has a better wudū’ from us, and who does not have a correct one?’ So they did that (wudū’), and when they finished their wudū. He (the old man) said: ‘I, by Allāh, was not doing my wudū’ correctly. And as for you, both of you two did the wudū’ correctly’[10]

Even though this story sounds like something our A’immah (عليهم السلام) would do, there is no definitive way to say that this story is accurate and correct. Therefore, we should not narrate these stories from our pulpit, and we should tell others not to narrate this story. We have many beautiful Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) aḥādīth and stories about Imām al-Ḥasan (عليه السلام) and Imām al-Ḥussayn (عليه السلام) that we do not need to narrate stories that are not authentic.

And Allāh Knows Best.

_________________________
Nader Zaveri
Jamadi’ al-Awwal 27, 1433
April 19, 2012

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[1] Tr. ‘Enjoining in good, and forbidding from evil’

[2] Agha Buzurgh al-Ṭehrānī, al-Dharī`ah ‘ila Taṣānīf al-Shī`ah, (Beirut: Dār al-Aḍwā’, 3^rd ed., 1403),  vol. 15, pg. 382, book # 2385

[3] This `Imād al-Dīn al-Tabarī is different from the `Imād al-Dīn al-Tabarī (d. after 554 AH) who is the author of the famous book Bishārah al-Muṣṭafa.

[4] al-Majlisī, Bihār al-Anwār, (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 4^th ed., 1362),  vol. 79, ch. 19, pg. 150, ḥadīth # 1-2

[5] al-Majlisī, Bihār al-Anwār, (Beirut: Dār al-Turāth al-`Arabī, 3^rd ed., 1403), vol. 43, ch. 13, pg. 319

[6] Ibn Shahrāshūb, al-Manāqib Āl Abī Tālib, 4 vols., (Qum: Mu’assasah al-`Allāmah lil-Nashr, 1379), vol. 3, Ch – Makārim Akhlāqumā (Their Noble Manners), pg. 400; al-Majlisī, Bihār al-Anwār, op. cit., vol. 43, ch. 13, pg. 319

[7] Ibn Qayyim in his Ijmā` al-Jayyūsh al-Islāmiyyah says about `Abd al-Wahhāb al-Baghdādī: “He is from the great Mālikī (scholars) of Iraq.”

[8] This book is a commentary of the famous book al-Jāmi` al-Saghīr of al-Suyūṭī (b. 849- d. 911). The ḥadīth in this book are categorized in alphabetical order, like `Abbās al-Qummī has done with his book Safīnah al-Bihār.

[9] He is from one of the major Sunnī scholars. It is said that he used to eat very little, because he was very careful about his food. He has authored over 80 books, and spent his life in Cairo, Egypt.

[10] al-Manāwī, Fayḍ al-Qadīr, (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-`Ilmiyyah, 1415), vol. 2, pg. 416

Tanbih al-Khawatir

A question was asked regarding the book Tanbīh al-Khawāṭir, which you too can ask via the Contact Us form on the blog.

Question:

What is this book? Tanbih al-Khawatir

Answer:

The book’s full name is Tanbīh al-Khawāṭir wa Nazhah al-Nawādhir, another name for this book is called Majmū`ah Warrām. This is a book that mainly deals with akhlāq (mannerism) issues, and would be categorized as an akhlāq (mannerism) / tazkiyyah al-nafs (purification of the soul) book. The author of this book is Warrām b. Abī Fāris al-Mālikī al-Ashtarī (d. 605 AH), the book is extant and it has been published by many publishers. This book is originally in two volumes, but many publishers (i.e. Dār al-Ta`ārif in Beirut) have published both volumes in one volume binding. This book has not been translated in English.

Author:

Name: Warrām b. Abee Fāris b. Hamadān al-Mālikī al-Ashtarī[1]
Lineage: From the lineage of al-Mālik al-Ashtari (companion of Imām `Alī (عليه السلام)), and he is the maternal grandfather of the famous scholar al-Sayyid ibn Ṭawus (d. 664)

Birth: There isn't an exact date for his birth, but it is stated that he was born in the 6th century of Hijrah in the city of al-Hilla[2]

Teachers: Sadīd al-Dīn Maḥmūd b. `Alī al-Hamaṣī & `Alī b. Ibrāhīm al-`Alawī al-`Urayḍī  

Scholarly Opinion regarding him:

1.    Muntajab al-Dīn (d. 600) in his al-Fihrist[3] titles him al-Amīr al-Zāhid (The prince of asceticism) and calls him a good faqīh

2.    al-Sayyid ibn Ṭawus (d. 664) in his Falaah al-Saa'il[4]: "He is from who we emulate his actions"

3.    Hurr al-`Āmulī (d. 1104) in his Amal al-Āmul[5]: “Shaykh of great merit and importance”

4.    `Alī al-Namāzī al-Shāhrūdī in his Mustadarakāt `ilm al-Rijāl[6]: "Prince of asceticism, trustworthy, pious, and a good faqīh"

His Books:

1.    Tanbīh al-Khawāṭir wa Nazhah al-Nawādhir (also known as Majmū`ah Warrām)

2.    Mas'alah fee al-Mawāsi`ah wa al-Muḍāfah

His Death: He died on the 2nd of Muharram in the year 605 in the city of al-Hilla[7]

About the book:

There are three major issues with this book:

1.    When reading this book, you would have a hard time believing that it was a Shī`ah book, because majority if not all the ḥadīth is either narrated by the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) or Imām `Alī (عليه السلام). Many times it goes through major Sunni narrators such as `Ā’ishah, Abū Sa`īd al-Khudri, Ibn `Abbās. Rarely, if ever, does he narrate from the A’immah (عليهم السلام).

2.    All of the ḥadīth that have been narrated in this book is mursal (disconnect), meaning that there are no chain of narrators. Sometimes even the primary narrator is not mentioned.

3.    Hurr al-`Āmulī says this about this book, “It is good, except in it is inferior and poisonous (things)” (i.e. incorrect information)[8]

Some Chapter Titles: (Not in order)

1.    Chapter on Perfume and Scent

2.    Chapter on the Description on associating with the people and sitting with them

3.    Chapter on Names, Kunya, and Laqab

4.    Chapter on Traveling and Journeys

5.    Chapter on the Yearning for country of the family

6.    Chapter on Dhann (Speculation)

7.    Chapter on Lying

8.    Chapter on al-Gheebah

9.    Chapter on What has come about Gossiping

10.  Chapter on Anger

11.  Chapter on Condemnation of the World

12.  Explanation on the Remedy for Stinginess

13.  Chapter on the Condemnation of Riyaa' (Showing Off)

...And Many Others

_______________________
Nader Zaveri
Jamadi’ al-Awwal 24, 1433
April 16, 2012

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[1] Warām is from the lineage of the great companion of Imām `Alī (عليه السلام), Mālik al-Ashtar. This is the reason why he is called al-Mālikī al-Ashtarī (See: Ja`far al-Subhānī’s Mawsū`ah Ṭabaqāt al-Fuquhah, vol. 7, pg. 289)

[2] City 100 km south of Baghdād in Iraq

[3] Muntajab al-Dīn, al-Fihrist, (Qum: Maktabah Ayatullah al-Mar`ashī al-Najafī), pg. 128-129, person # 522

[4] al-Sayyid ibn Ṭawus, Falāḥ al-Sā’il wa Najāḥ al-Masā’il, pg. 75

[5] Hurr al-Āmulī, Amal al-Āmul, vol. 2, pg. 338, person # 1040

[6] `Alī al-Namāzī al-Shāhrūdī, Mustadarkāt `ilm al-Rijāl, (Tehran, 1^st ed. 1412), vol. 8, pg. 98, person # 15682

[7] ibid

[8] Hurr al-Āmulī, Amal al-Āmul, vol. 2, pg. 338, person # 1040