Category: Shaykh Abū ʿUbādah, Hārith al-Shiraida

What is the authenticity of the virtue for reciting sūrat al-Kahf on the day of Jumuˋah? | #PDF

There are confirmed aḥādīth when it comes to the virtues of sūrat al-Kahf, but when it comes to the ḥadīth which states:

مَنْ قَرَأَ سُورَةَ الْكَهْفِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ، أَضَاءَ لَهُ مِنَ النُّورِ مَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْبَيْتِ الْعَتِيقِ

Whoever recites sūrat al-Kahf on the day of Jumuˋah will have illumination from light in what is between himself and al-Bayt al-ˋAtīq – [the Ancient House, meaning the Kaˋbah]

(or in similar wordings) then we should know the following:

• The narrations can only be confirmed by way of the Ṣaḥābī Abū Saˋīd al-Khudrī (رضي الله عنه). There is nothing authentic from any of the other Ṣaḥābah.

• The only isnād (chain) to the narration of Abū Saˋīd al-Khudrī (رضي الله عنه) comes by way of Abū Hāshim, from Abū Mijlaz, from Qays ibn ˋAbbād, from Abū Saˋīd al-Khudrī (رضي الله عنه). Those who narrated it from Abū Hāshim then differed concerning it.

• Those who narrated the ḥadīth in marfūˋ form – meaning being the words of the Prophet (ﷺ) directly – then these narrations are defective or incorrect. The confirmed narrations are in mawqūf form being from the words of Abū Saˋīd al-Khudrī (رضي الله عنه) and not the words of the Prophet (ﷺ).

• As for whether the mawqūf narration of Abū Saˋīd al-Khudrī can have the ruling of being marfūˋ – meaning he would not have said this unless he heard this from the Prophet (ﷺ), then there are elements of knowledge in the ḥadīth pertaining to future events that a Ṣaḥābī would not say of his own accord (such as the seal being placed under the Throne, the seal not breaking until the Day of Resurrection, protection from the Dajjāl, and the details of the light).

• The addition of “on the day of Jumuˋah (Friday)” in the narrations is munkar – a rejected addition. This can only be found in the confirmed narrations from Hushaym ibn Bashīr from Abū Hāshim. Both the narrations of Shuˋbah ibn al-Ḥajjāj and Sufyān ath-Thawrī from Abū Hāṣhim do not include this addition. Although Hushaym is thiqah (reliable), Yaḥyā ibn Saˋīd al-Qaṭṭān said, “Hushaym is the most-established in memorization that I have seen after Sufyān and Shuˋbah.” There is also doubt concerning whether or not Hushaym heard this narration from Abū Hāshim.

• The addition of “on the night of Jumuˋah” is even more rejected than “on the day of Jumuˋah.”

• What is confirmed from the narrations is that the light will be from where the person stands to Makkah. As for the light being from one Friday to the next, or between the person and the heavens, or even that the recitation of it will expiate what is between the two Fridays, then these are all rejected.

• The virtue of the light is from the recitation of the entire sūrah, as most of the narrations agree, and not just from reciting the end of it as is found in one narration from ˋAbd-ur-Razzāq. It would appear he made a mistake – perhaps confusing this with the narrations having to do with the protection from the Dajjāl.

• Since the virtue is not restricted to a time or place, one can hope to attain it anytime, and is encouraged to recite sūrat al-Kahf whenever possible and as much as possible.

And Allāh knows best.

by Sunnah Studies

O Allāh, bless us in Rajab and Sha’bān, and allow us to reach Ramaḍān

In conclusion: Since the essence of this du’ā’ is founded upon two narrators who are unacceptable, and there is no other path to strengthen this narration, then it is not correct to attribute this to be a sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) that is to be said when the month of Rajab enters. There is nothing wrong with a person making a du’ā’ to live and reach the month of Ramaḍān, however, the focus is on whether it is a sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) to do so, and this cannot be affirmed.

by Sunnah Studies

Performing ‘Ajn in the Prayer (which entails rising from the sujūd for the next rak’ah while making a fist with the hands and placing the knuckles on the ground to support oneself)

The weakness of this ḥadīth, however, does not affect the issue of supporting oneself with the hands when rising, only the affirmation of the ‘ajn (putting the hands in a fist-like position). As for supporting oneself with the hands when rising, then this is confirmed from the ḥadīth of Mālik ibn al-Ḥuwayrith.

by Sunnah Studies

“You will follow the ways of those before you span by span and cubit by cubit…”

Today, we see many Muslims not only greeting the Kuffār with their greetings on the day of their ‘Īd but even the Muslims! Some even taking in their celebrations and participating in them as though they are permissible. The lines between īmān and shirk are being blurred by people placed on pulpits and have no right to be on there by people running masājid and organizations who have no right to do so. Simply being a Muslim doesn’t give a person the right to determine the affairs of other Muslims, nor the right to make permissible and impermissible matters related to the dīn.

by Sunnah Studies

A beautiful example of the scholars of ḥadīth in the past would go to in search of aḥādīth and discovering their defects at its place of origin.

Statements from early scholars of ḥadīth, show the importance of relying on their criticisms of narrations, chains, or people and why precedence is given to them when verifying the authenticity of narrations compared to statements of later scholars who either fail to study their words or disregard them in favour of their own opinions.

by Sunnah Studies

Authenticity of the addition: “…except the ġarqad tree (Nitraria shrub), for it is from the trees of the Jews.”

What is confirmed from the Prophet (ﷺ) is that a battle will take place between the Jews and Muslims, and the Muslims will have the upper hand. Jews will begin to hide behind stones, and these stones will call out to the Muslims that there is a Jew hiding behind them so that they may come and kill him. What is not confirmed from the Prophet (ﷺ) is any mention of trees doing the same, nor that the ġarqad tree is from the trees of the Jews, thereby not revealing that a Jew is hiding behind it.

And Allāh (ﷻ) knows best.

by Sunnah Studies

Authenticity of Ḥadīth: “No woman harms her husband except that his wife from the Ḥūr al-’Īn says, ‘Do not harm him; may Allāh destroy you! For he is just a temporary guest with you, and soon he will leave you and join us.’”

The ḥadīth is munkar and not authentic. And the man is not a “temporary guest” of his wife in the worldly life, only to leave her and join the Ḥūr al-’Īn in the Afterlife. Rather, a husband will still be with his wife in Paradise.

by Sunnah Studies

The defect of Qalb al-Isnād

One of the benefits of this book is that it focuses on the defect of Qalb al-Isnād. This is when a narrator has taken a known chain for a particular ḥadīth (or a collection of aḥādīth) and mistakenly reported it as another chain. Some who busy themselves in the study of ḥadīth then unknowingly believe that the mistaken chain is actually an additional chain to a ḥadīth and sometimes will use that mistaken chain to support the chain of a weak one.

by Sunnah Studies