Soul Purification, - Causes and Effects of Diseases of the Heart

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Indeed, all sins poison the heart and lead to its illness and destruction. They sicken it and define its will as other than what Allaah The Almighty wants ]of His servant[, in effect being as harmful to the heart as actual poisons are to the body. Imaam Ibn Al-Mubaarak, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said,“I have seen that sins cause the death of the heart and addiction to them breeds humiliation. On the other hand, quitting sins gives life to the heart and it is better for one to disobey his own self ]than to disobey Allaah The Almighty[.”
The extent of harm that sins cause to the heart and body in this life and in the Hereafter, are known to Allaah The Almighty alone. However, every evil and every single disease in this life and the Hereafter, can be attributed to sins and acts of disobedience. Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said:
“Then why ]else[ were our parents )Aadam and Eve, may Allaah exalt their mention( expelled from Paradise – the abode of joy, pleasure, bliss and happiness – to the dwelling of suffering, sorrows and disasters? Why was Satan cast out from the kingdom of Heaven? Why was he cursed and deformed externally and internally, until he had the most heinous appearance, with his insides even uglier and more abominable than his exterior? Why was he under a curse instead of mercy, and given ugliness in place of beauty, and Hell instead of Paradise? He became worthless in the sight of Allaah The Almighty, deprived of His compassion and inflicted with His anger. Allaah The Almighty deluded and detested him so much that He led him to destruction, until he became a leader for every immoral and criminal person; and Satan accepted this position although he had ]earlier[ worshipped ]Allaah[. We seek refuge with You, O Allaah from breaching Your command or doing what You prohibited!”
He, may Allaah have mercy upon him, continued:
“Why did all the people on earth drown ]at the time of Noah, may Allaah exalt his mention[ and the water submerge the peaks of mountains? Why were the people of ‘Aad afflicted with an intense wind that left their lifeless bodies on earth like they were hollow trunks of palm trees? Why was the tribe of Thamood afflicted with a loud shriek that literally tore their hearts on the inside and all of them died ]as a result[? Why were the villages of the people of Loote, may Allaah exalt his mention, lifted so high up to the sky that the angels heard the barking of their dogs, and then were turned upside down, leading to their deaths; and why were they cast with stones of layered, hard clay? In this way, they were punished twice, which was something that did not happen to any other nation. Their counterparts today may also have the same punishment, and this is never far from the wrongdoers. As for the people of Shu’ayb, may Allaah exalt his mention, why were they afflicted with clouds of torment that appeared as canopies, but when they approached over their heads, they rained flames of blazing fire over them? Why were Pharaoh and his soldiers drowned in the sea and transported by soul to Hell? Why was Qaaroon, along with his house, property and family, swallowed by the earth? Why were the generations after Nooh )Noah(, may Allaah exalt his mention, destroyed by different kinds of punishment? What about the Children of Israel; why were they tried by militarily superior people, who ransacked their homes, killing men and taking children and women captive, in the process? Why did those enemies later again come to them and destroy everything they could to the point of annihilation? Why were they afflicted with different types of torturous punishments: death, imprisonment, destruction of their houses, subjugation to the tyranny of kings and transformation into apes and pigs? The last of these hardships is mentioned in the verse where Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}He Would surely ]continue to[ send upon them until the Day of Resurrection those who would afflict them with the worst torment.{]Quran 7:167[”
Some of the effects of acts of disobedience and sins:
• They are ammunition that a sinner provides his enemy with, supporting his rival with an army against his very own self.
• They embolden others to defy the sinner, in ways they would never have previously dared.
• They gradually seal one’s heart; if sins accumulate, their doer becomes heedless. Some of the righteous predecessors said that the verse where Allaah The Almighty Said )what means(:}Nay! But on their hearts is the Raan which they used to earn.{]Quran 83:14[, refers to the sins that pile up until the heart is blinded. That is because the heart rusts from sins, an increase of which steps up corrosion until it constitutes Raan )rust(. This, then, in turn, develops until it becomes a seal and bolt which enlarges, until it completely wraps around the heart.
• The enormity of sins is removed from the heart to the extent that it then considers them as mere habits.
• Sins breed sins and help sustain the ]habit of committing[ evil.
• Ill actions render darkness in one’s heart, which is as tangible as the shadows of the night. It was narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, that he said,“A good deed brings about light in ]its doer’s[ face and heart, blessing in provisions and love in the hearts of people. Conversely, a sin brings about darkness in the face and the heart, lack in sustenance and hatred in the hearts of people.”
• Sins weaken the heart and body. As for the former, it is evident in its continuous pattern which ends only when its life does. The body, too, becomes weakened because a believer’s power lies in his heart, and the stronger that is, the stronger his body is.
• They render man’s affairs difficult; whenever he wants to do something, he finds it tough or unattainable. One of the righteous predecessors said,“When I disobey Allaah The Almighty, I find that reflected in the behavior of my wife and ]even my[ domesticated animal.”
• Sins create alienation between its doer and others, especially the good among them. Abu Ad-Dardaa’, may Allaah be pleased with him, advised,“Beware of being cursed by the hearts of the believers while you do not know! You secretly commit sins and that is why Allaah The Almighty casts hatred of you in their hearts.”
• Sins dismiss a man’s honor and dignity in the sight of Allaah The Almighty and His creatures, as He Says )what means(:}And whomsoever Allaah abases, there is none who can make him honorable{]Quran 22:18[.
• Evil deeds not only extinguish the fire of zeal in one’s heart, but also removes bashfulness from it, which is the source of life to the heart.
• Sins diminish the heart’s zeal to please Allaah The Almighty and win in the Hereafter.
• A person continues to commit vices until he or she belittles them and considers them as trivial. Ibn Mas‘ood, may Allaah be pleased with him, said:“The believing man sees his sin as if it were a mountain that he fears will fall down on him; whereas the immoral person thinks of his sin as a fly that sat on his nose and he easily waved it off.”]At-Tirmithi[ Also, Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, once remarked:“Indeed, you commit actions that you consider as trivial, but we used to consider them at the time of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to be major sins.”]Al-Bukhaari[
Bilaal ibn Sa‘d, may Allaah have mercy upon him, advised,“Do not look at the smallness of a sin but look at the magnificence of the One Whom you disobeyed.”
As for the foremost five evil acts that afflict the heart and are most widespread, they are an excess of: talking, prying gaze, socializing, eating and sleeping.

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Soul Purification, - Diagnosing one’s flaws

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When Allaah The Almighty intends good for His slave, He instills him or her with an awareness of the flaws in his or her character. An insightful person knows of the defects in his or her personality, and upon identifying those blameworthy traits, he or she is able to get rid of them. However, most people are ignorant of their own shortcomings, while some even focus on the minor faults of others while neglecting their own grave errors.
There are four ways to diagnose the defects in one’s soul:
1-By keeping the company of a discerning scholar, who is well versed in the flaws and weaknesses of the soul, and learning of one’s shortcomings from him, as well as their cure.
2-By befriending a perceptive, religious person, who scrutinizes your conditions and deeds, and draws your attention to any flaws in them; this was the habit of the righteous predecessors, as ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, would often say,“May Allaah have mercy upon whoever reveals to me my faults.”He, may Allaah be pleased with him, also used to ask Huthayfah, may Allaah be pleased with them both:“You are the one to whom the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, disclosed the names of hypocrites. Do you see any signs of hypocrisy in me?”Thus, even despite his great status, this is how ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, would accuse himself.
Therefore, the more reasonable and dignified a person is, the less conceited he or she is and the more he or she recognizes deficiency in him/herself and gets pleased if informed about his or her weaknesses by others. Yet, today, the most detestable people to us are those who advise us and draw our attention to our flaws, which is probably an indication of a weakness in faith, on our part.
Evil manners are like snakes and scorpions. If someone pointed out either of them under your clothes, you would consider it a favor, and would rush to remove or kill the venomous animal. You would do this, even though a scorpion would harm the body for a day or two. On the other hand, evil manners ruin the heart ethically, and its evil effect lasts even after a person dies, perhaps for eternity. Yet, we do not thank those who call our attention to them; rather, we occupy ourselves by countering with spiteful remarks about them in return, and allow enmity to prevent us from benefitting from their advice. This kind of defensive reaction may stem from a hardness of the heart, which is a consequence of sinning profusely. However, it should be clear that the origin of all these problems is weakness of faith. We ask Allaah The Almighty to enlighten us about our defects, occupy us with fixing them and make us thankful to those who guide us to identify them.
3-By benefitting from our enemies’ criticism of us, because, in a resentful eye, we see our own evils. Perhaps, the value of an enemy who underscores our defects is greater than the benefit one gains from aflattering friend. That is because we are inclined to accuse our enemies of lying and consider their faultfinding motivated by envy. Nevertheless, a reasonable person certainly stands to benefit from his rivals’ comments.
4-By mingling with people and attributing the flaws one sees in them to oneself, for a Muslim is like a mirror to his fellow believing brother, in which he sees his own defects reflected. One should also know that people's natures are similar in their responses to their whims. Thus, they share one or more of the same or perhaps worse evil streaks that they see in others.
Therefore, everyone should inspect his or her own soul and purify it from all that he or she censures others about. It is an excellent way to educate the self by abandoning all that we detest in others; in this way, no one would be in need of a guide. However, these are alternatives, for those who can find a discerning guide to provide them with religious advice, should accompany him, because he would help cure them of their blameworthy characteristics.

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Dought & clear, - Age of the Mother of the Believers ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) married her

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Whilst visiting some chat rooms, I read a very strange topic, and I want someone who has knowledge of the Prophet’s biography (seerah) to explain this matter to me, may Allah bless you. To sum up, after researching the accusations the reports narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhaari which state that ‘Aa’ishah’s age, when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did the marriage contract with her, was six years, and that he consummated the marriage with her when she was nine years old, a journalist cast doubts on Saheeh al-Bukhaari. The researcher did not only examine the reports from the angle of figures and dates, but also from the angle of the isnaads through which the most famous hadeeths were narrated, as mentioned in al-Bukhaari and Muslim. In both cases he seems to have wanted to demonstrate that he is smart and prove his point.
Praise be to Allah
Firstly:
The definition of the age of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did the marriage contract with her as being six years, and of the age when he consummated the marriage with her as being nine years, is not a matter of ijtihaad (individual opinion) on the part of the scholars, such that we could argue whether it is right or wrong; rather this is a historical narration which is proven by evidence that confirms its soundness and the necessity of accepting it. That is for several reasons:
1.
It was narrated by the individual concerned herself, namely ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), and is not something that someone else said about her, or the description of a historian or hadeeth scholar. Rather it comes in the context of her speaking about herself (may Allah be pleased with her), when she said:
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) married me when I was six years old. We came to Madinah and stayed among Banu’l-Haarith ibn Khazraj. I fell sick and lost my hair, (then I reovered) and my hair grew down to my earlobes. My mother Umm Roomaan came to me when I was on a swing and some of my friends were with me. She called me loudly and I went to her, and I did not know what she wanted of me. She took me by the hand and made me stand at the door of the house, as I was gasping for breath, until I had calmed down. Then she took some water and wiped my face and head with it, then she took me into the house. There were some women of the Ansaar in the house, who said: With good wishes and blessings and good luck. She handed me over to them and they adorned me, and suddenly I saw the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) at mid-morning, and they handed me over to him. At that time I was nine years old.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3894; Muslim, 1422.
2.
This report from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) is in the soundest of books after the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, namely the twoSaheehsof al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
3.
It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) via a number of isnaads (chains of narration), not by one isnaad only, as some ignorant people claim.
·The most well-known chain of narration is that of Hishaam ibn ‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr, from his father ‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr, from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). This is one of the soundest narrations, as ‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr is one of the most well acquainted of people with ‘Aa’ishah, because she was his maternal aunt.
·It was also narrated via another chain, by az-Zuhri from ‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr, from ‘Aa’ishah. Narrated by Muslim, 1422.
·It was also narrated via another chain by al-A‘mash, from Ibraaheem, from al-Aswad, from ‘Aa’ishah, who said: “The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) married ‘Aa’ishah when she was six years old and consummated the marriage with her when she was nine years old, and he died when she was eighteen years old. Narrated by Muslim, 1422.
·It was also narrated via another chain, from Muhammad ibn ‘Amr, from Yahya ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Haatib, from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4937.
Shaykh Abu Ishaaq al-Huwayni compiled the names of those who followed ‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr, namely: al-Aswad ibn Yazeed, al-Qaasim ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan, al-Qaasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, ‘Amrah bint ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan, and Yahya ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Haatib.
He also compiled the names of those who followed Hishaam ibn ‘Urwah in narrating this hadeeth. They were: Ibn Shihaab az-Zuhri and Abu Hamzah Maymoon, the freed slave of ‘Urwah.
Then he named those who narrated it from Hishaam ibn ‘Urwah among the scholars of Madinah. The reader should understand that this hadeeth is one of those that were also narrated by Hishaam in Madinah. They were: Abu’z-Zinnaad ‘Abdullah ibn Dhakwaan and his son ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Abi’z-Zinnaad, and ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn ‘Urwah.
Among the people of Makkah (it was narrated by) Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyaynah.
(It was also narrated by) Jareer ibn ‘Abd al-Hameed ad-Dubbi among the people of ar-Rayy.
Among the people of Basra (it was narrated by): Hammaad ibn Salamah, Hammaad ibn Zayd, Wuhayb ibn Khaalid, and others.
See the lecture given by Shaykh Abu Ishaaq al-Huwayni (may Allah preserve him) discussing the ignorance of the one who wrote the article mentioned in the question, and the response to it, on the following link (in Arabic):
http://www.islamway.co m/?iw_s=Lesson& iw_a=view& lesson_id=86106
See also the following link (in Arabic):
http://www.islamway.co m/?iw_s=Lesson& iw_a=view& lesson_id=86495
All of these lists are mentioned in order to ward off the specious argument of some ignorant people who say that Hishaam ibn ‘Urwah was the only one who narrated it. Even if we accept [?} that Hishaam became confused at the end of his life, the correct view is that this accusation was made only by Abu’l-Hasan ibn al-Qattaan inBayaan al-Wahm wa’l-Eehaam, and he was mistaken in doing so.
Adh-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Hishaam ibn ‘Urwah was one of the prominent and authoritative scholars, but when he grew old his memory failed, although he did not get confused, and there is nothing valid in the view of Abu’l-Hasan ibn al-Qattaan, which suggests that he and Suhayl ibn Abi Saalih became confused and changed. Yes, the man changed a little and his memory was not as sound as it had been in his youth. He forgot some of the things he had memorized and he made some mistakes, but so what?! He was not infallible. When he came to Iraq at the end of his life he passed on a great deal of knowledge, among which were a few hadeeths that he did not remember well. Something similar happened to Maalik, Shu‘bah, Wakee‘ and other senior, trustworthy narrators. So forget about this nonsense and mixing trustworthy scholars with weak narrators and those who became confused. Hishaam was Shaykh al-Islam, and may Allah help us against what Ibn al-Qattaan suggested and what ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Kharaash said: Maalik did not approve of him because he got angry with him for going and narrating hadeeth in Iraq. End quote.
Mizaan al-I‘tidaal, 4/301-302
4.
There are reports from people other than ‘Aa’ishah that speak of the Prophet’s marriage to her when she was nine years old. Among those who were her contemporaries and knew her better than others were the following:
Imam Ahmad narrated inal-Musnad, 6/112 from Muhammad ibn Bishr, who said: Muhammad ibn ‘Amr told us: Abu Salamah and Yahya told us: When Khadeejah died, Khawlah bint Hakeem, the wife of ‘Uthmaan ibn Maz‘oon, came and said: O Messenger of Allah, why don’t you get married? He said: To whom? She said: If you wish, a virgin, and if you wish, a previously married woman. He said: Who is the virgin? She said: The daughter of the dearest of Allah’s creation to you: ‘Aa’ishah bint Abi Bakr… And he mentioned the story in detail, including the fact that she was six years old when the marriage contract was done, and was nine years old when the marriage was consummated.
5.
This is what ‘Aa’ishah narrated concerning herself, and it was conveyed by the narrators from her, and it is what is stated in all the historical sources that give the biography of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). There is no difference among them concerning that, and the matter was not subject to ijtihaad. When a person speaks about himself (or herself), no one has the right to suggest anything else.
6.
The historical sources are also agreed that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was born in Islam, four or five years after the Prophet’s mission began.
Imam al-Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) said – commenting on the hadeeth, “I only ever remember my parents as following Islam”–:
‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was born in Islam, because her father became Muslim at the beginning of the Prophet’s mission. It is proven from al-Aswad, from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) married her when she was six years old, and consummated the marriage with her when she was nine years old, and he died when she was eighteen years old. But Asma’ bint Abi Bakr was born during the Jaahiliyyah, and became Muslim when her father became Muslim. … According to what Abu ‘Abdullah ibn Mandah said, narrating from Ibn Abi’z-Zinnaad, Asma’ bint Abi Bakr was ten years older than ‘Aa’ishah, and the mother of Asma’ became Muslim later on. Asma’ (may Allah be pleased with her) said: My mother came to me and she was (still) a mushrik. According to a hadeeth that she quoted, her name was Qateelah, from Banu Maalik ibn Hasal. She was not the mother of ‘Aa’ishah. Asma’ became Muslim when her father did, not her mother. With regard to ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Abi Bakr, it seems that he was an adult when his parents became Muslim, but he did not follow them in becoming Muslim, until he became Muslim a long time after that. He was the oldest of the children of Abu Bakr. End quote.
As-Sunan al-Kubra, 6/203
Adh-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
‘Aa’ishah is one of those who were born in Islam; she was eight years younger than Faatimah. She used to say: “I only ever remember my parents as following Islam”. End quote.
Siyar A‘laam an-Nubala’, 2/139
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
She – i.e., ‘Aa’ishah – was born four or five years after the Prophet’s mission began. End quote.
Al-Isaabah, 8/16
Based on that, her age at the time of the Hijrah was eight or nine years. This is in accordance with the hadeeth quoted above from ‘Aa’ishah herself.
7.
The historical sources are also agreed that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) died when ‘Aa’ishah was eighteen years old, so at the time of the Hijrah she must have been nine years old.
8.
The books of biography and history state that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) died at the age of sixty-three years, in 57 AH. So before the Hijrah her age was 6 years. So if you round up or down – as is the custom of the Arabs in counting years – they round up or down the first and last years, so her age at the time of the Hijrah was eight years, and her age at the time when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) married her, eight months after the Hijrah, was nine years.
9.
The above is also in accordance with what the scholars have narrated concerning the difference in age between Asma’ bint Abi Bakr and ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). Adh-Dhahabi (may Allah be pleased with him) said: She – i.e., Asma’ – was ten or more years older than ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). End quote.
Siyar A‘laam an-Nubala’, 2/188
‘Aa’ishah was born four or five years after the Prophet’s mission began. Abu Na‘eem said inMu‘jam as-Sahaabahthat Asma’ was born ten years before the Prophet’s mission began. End quote.
So the difference in age between ‘Aa’ishah and Asma’ was fourteen or fifteen years. This is the view of adh-Dhahabi quoted above: She – i.e., Asma’ – was ten or more years older than ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her).
10.
Although we quote these numbers that are mentioned in the books of biography and history, what we mostly rely on is what is narrated with saheeh isnaads, not what we find in books quoted without any isnaad. But all of the reports are in accordance with the hadeeths with undoubtedly saheeh isnaads that we quoted at the beginning of this answer. Hence we quoted reports from the history books that support what we quoted above.
Secondly:
As for the response to the author of the hostile article quoting as evidence what is narrated in some sources about the age difference between Asma’ and ‘Aa’ishah being ten years, we say:
That is not proven in terms of the isnaad or chain of narrators. If its isnaad is proven, then it may be understood in a manner that is in accordance with the definitive evidence mentioned above.
With regard to the isnaad or chain of narrators, it was narrated from ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Abi’z-Zinnaad that he said: Asma’ bint Abi Bakr was ten years older than ‘Aa’ishah.
This report was narrated via two isnaads from al-Asma ‘i from ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Abi’z-Zinnaad.
The first isnaad was narrated by Ibn ‘Asaakir inTareekh Dimashq(69/10). He said: Abu’l-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Ahmad al-Maaliki told us: Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Waahid as-Sulami told us: My grandfather Abu Bakr told us: Abu Muhammad ibn Zabr told us: Ahmad ibn Sa‘d ibn Ibraaheem az-Zuhri told us: Muhammad ibn Abi Safwaan told us: al-Asma‘i told us, that Ibn Abi’z-Zinnaad said: … and he quoted the report.
The second isnaad was narrated by Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr inal-Isti‘aab fi Ma‘rifat al-Ashaab(2/616): Ahmad ibn Qaasim told us: Muhammad ibn Mu‘aawiyah told us; Ibraaheem ibn Moosa ibn Jameel told us: Ismaa ‘eel ibn Ishaaq al-Qaadi told us: Nasr ibn ‘Ali told us: al-Asma‘i told us: Ibn Abi’z-Zinnaad told us: Asma’ bint Abi Bakr, who was ten years or so older than ‘Aa’ishah, said:…
If the fair-minded researcher thinks about this report it will become clear to him that accepting its apparent meaning and rejecting all the proven evidence to the contrary is an offence against knowledge and scholarship, for the following reasons:
1.
‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Abi’z-Zinnaad (100-174 AH) is the only one who stated that the difference in age between Asma’ and ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with them both) was ten years. The evidence mentioned above, on the other hand, is abundant and was narrated from more than one of the Taabi‘een. It is known that what is abundant takes precedence over that which is smaller.
2.
Most of the scholars regarded ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Abi’z-Zinnaad himself as da‘eef (weak). In his biography of him inTahdheeb at-Tahdheeb(6/172), Imam Ahmad is quoted as saying concerning him: He is mudtarab al-hadeeth (his hadeeth is faulty). Ibn Ma‘een is quoted as saying: He is not one of those whom the scholars of hadeeth quote as evidence. ‘Ali ibn al-Madeeni is quoted as saying: Whatever he narrated in Madinah is saheeh, but whatever he narrated in Baghdad was corrupted by the Baghdadis. I saw ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan – i.e., Ibn Mahdi – draw a line through the hadeeth of ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Abi’z-Zinnaad. Abu Haatim said: His hadeeth may be written down but it may not be quoted as evidence. An-Nasaa’i said: His hadeeth cannot be quoted as evidence.
With regard to at-Tirmidhi describing him as thiqah (trustworthy) in hisSunan, following hadeeth no. 1755, this contradicts the criticism of the previous commentator, and criticism (of a narrator) takes precedence over praise, especially with regard to the reports that were narrated only by ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Abi’z-Zinnaad , especially when he says something that is contrary to what is well-known in the books of the Sunnah and history.
3.
According to the report of Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, he said: “She (Asma’) was ten years or so older than ‘Aa’ishah.” This report is more sound than the report of Ibn ‘Asaakir, because Nasr ibn ‘Ali, who narrated it from al-Asma‘i in the isnaad of Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr is thiqah (trustworthy), as it says inTahdheeb at-Tahdheeb, 10/431. With regard to Muhammad ibn Abi Safwaan, the narrator from al-Asma‘i in the isnaad of Ibn ‘Asaakir, no one described him as trustworthy.
The words in the report of Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, “or so”, indicate that he was not certain about (the difference in age) being ten years. This makes his report weak and it is not permissible for the fair-minded researcher to reject the evidence quoted above for the sake of this uncertainty.
4.
Moreover, it is possible to reconcile this report with the other reports by saying that Asma’ was born six years or five years before the Prophet’s mission began, and ‘Aa’ishah was born four or five years after his mission began. When Asma’ died in 73 AH, she was ninety-one or ninety-two years old, as was mentioned by adh-Dhahabi inSiyar A‘laam an-Nubala’, 3/380: Ibn Abi’z-Zinnaad said: She was ten years older than ‘Aa’ishah. I (adh-Dhahabi) say: Based on that, her age would have been ninety-one years. Hishaam ibn ‘Urwah, on the other hand, said: She lived for one hundred years and not one of her teeth fell out. End quote.
5.
It may also be said that Asma’ was born approximately 14 years before the Prophet’s mission began – which is what is affirmed by the author himself in his previous article – and that in the year of the Hijrah she was twenty-seven years old, and her age at the time of her death in 73 AH was one hundred years, so as to be in harmony with what the historical sources are agreed upon with regard to Asma’ bint Abi Bakr, that she died in the same year in which her son ‘Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr was killed (73 AH), and that she died at the age of one hundred years. Hishaam ibn ‘Urwah said, narrating from his father: Asma’ reached the age of one hundred years and not one of her teeth fell out and she remained alert all her life.
There follow the names of the sources that mention that:
Hilyat al-Awliya’, 2/56
Mu‘jam as-Sahaabahby Abi Na‘eem al-Asbahaani
Al-Isti‘aabby Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, 4/1783
Tareekh Dimashqby Ibn ‘Asaakir, 69/8
Asad al-Ghaabahby Ibn al-Atheer, 7/12
Al-Isaabahby Ibn Hajar, 7/487
Tahdheeb al-Kamaal, 35/125
With regard to the idea of her having been born ten years before the Prophet’s mission began, this was only stated by Abu Na‘eem al-Asbahaani, in a statement in which he said:
She – i.e., Asma’ – was the sister of ‘Aa’ishah through her father. She was older than ‘Aa’ishah; she was born twenty-seven years before the Hijrah, and ten years before the mission of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) began. When she was born, her father (Abu Bakr) as-Siddeeq was twenty-one years old. Asma’ died in 73 AH in Makkah, a few days after her son ‘Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr was killed, at the age of one hundred years, having lost her sight. End quote.
It is as if Abu Na‘eem meant that the Makkan period (of the Prophet’s mission) lasted for seventeen years, which is the view of some of the scholars of seerah; it is a da‘eef (weak) view, but it should be pointed out when trying to understand the opinion of Abu Na‘eem.
And Allah knows best.

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