General Doubt & clear, - * The virtue of remembering Allah (dhikr), may He be exalted; is everyone who remembers Allah little a hypocrite?

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“and they do not remember Allah but little” [an-Nisa’ 4:142] – this phrase is from a verse which speaks of the hypocrites. My question is: is remembering Allah (dhikr) obligatory? If I do not remember Allah, but I pray and do all the obligatory duties, am I a hypocrite? Is everyone who remembers Allah little a hypocrite?
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Praise be to Allah
Firstly:
Remembering Allah, may He be exalted, may be obligatory, as in the case of takbeerat al-ihram (the takbeer said when starting the prayer), or it may be mustahabb.
It says inal-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaitiyyah(21/222):
The ruling on remembering Allah (dhikr), may He be exalted:
Remembering Allah (dhikr, pl. adhkaar) is something that is liked and is required from everyone, and it is encouraged in all circumstances, apart from exceptional situations as mentioned in Islamic teaching, such as when sitting to relieve oneself, when listening to the khutbah (sermon at Friday prayers) and so on.
The evidence for it being encouraged (mustahabb) is the fact that Allah has enjoined it in many verses, and He has forbidden its opposite, namely heedlessness and forgetfulness. He has connected success to constantly remembering Him a great deal. He has praised those who do that and described them as being those who benefit from His signs, and stated that they are people of understanding. He has told us of the loss of those who are distracted from dhikr by other things. He has told us that the reward of those who remember Him is that He Himself remembers them and mentions them. He has told us that remembrance of Him is greater than everything, and He has described dhikr as being the twin of righteous deeds. He has made dhikr the beginning and end of righteous deeds in many verses, some of which we shall quote here, but we will not list all of them.
In some situations, remembrance of Allah is more highly recommended, as we shall see below.
Dhikr may be obligatory; obligatory adhkaar include some of the adhkaar of the prayer, such as takbeerat al-ihraam and recitation of Qur’an. Obligatory adhkaar also include the adhaan and iqaamah, according to the view that they are a communal obligation (fard kifaayah). Returning greetings of salaam, and saying Bismillah when slaughtering an animal for meat are also obligatory adhkaar. Details on the rulings on each of these may be found elsewhere.
Dhikr may be haraam (prohibited) if it involves elements of shirk (associating others with Allah), such as the Talbiyah of the Jaahiliyyah, or if it contains phrases that are inappropriate when speaking of Allah, such as what they used to say (in the prayer) at the beginning of Islam, “Peace be upon Allah from His slaves.” The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not say, ‘Peace (as-salaam) be upon Allah,’ for Allah is as-Salaam. Rather say: ‘At-tahiyyaatu Lillahi wa’s-salawaatu wa’t-tayyibaat(All compliments, prayers and pure words are due to Allah).’” For salaam (peace) is only sought for the one who needs it, but Allah is as-Salaam; so salaam is to be sought from Him, not for Him. Rather He is to be praised for being as-Salaam, such as saying, “Allaahumma anta al-salaam wa minka al-salaam(O Allah, You are al-Salaam (the One Who is free from all defects and deficiencies) and from You is all peace).”
Dhikr may be haraam in certain circumstances, such as saying dhikr during the khutbah (sermon) on Fridays. End quote.
The believer who prays regularly, offering the obligatory prayers on time, is constantly remembering Allah, may He be exalted, as he is reciting the adhkaar that are to be recited during the prayer, and after the prayer, and so on.
Situations in which one should make sure not to forget to recite dhikr include: eating and drinking, entering and exiting. So when a person eats or drinks something, he should mention the name of Allah (by saying Bismillah), and when he finishes it, he should praise Him (by saying Al-hamdu Lillah). When he enters his house he should mention the name of Allah, when he exits his house, he should mention the name of Allah. Similarly, he should consistently recite the adhkaar of morning and evening, and the adhkaar for going to sleep.
As for the hypocrite who conceals disbelief whilst making an outward display of being Muslim, or he is uncertain and has doubts about the religion, he is not keen to remember Allah and does not feel at ease with dhikr, apart from what he does by way of showing off and hypocrisy.
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but it is He Who deceives them. And when they stand up for As-Salat (the prayer), they stand with laziness and to be seen of men, and they do not remember Allah but little”
[an-Nisaa’ 4:142].
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: With regard to the words “And when they stand up for As-Salat (the prayer), they stand with laziness and to be seen of men, and they do not remember Allah but little”: This is how the hypocrites are in the noblest and best of deeds, namely the prayer. When they stand up to pray, they stand with laziness, because they have no sincere intention concerning it; they do not believe in it, they do not fear Allah, and they do not understand its meaning. Ibn Mardawayh narrated, via ‘Ubaydullah ibn Zahr, from Khaalid ibn Abi ‘Imraan, from ‘Ataa’ ibn Abi Rabaah, from Ibn ‘Abbaas who said: It is makrooh for a man to stand up to pray with laziness; rather he should stand up to pray cheerfully, with eagerness and joy, for he is conversing with Allah, may He be exalted, and Allah is before him, forgiving him, answering him when he calls upon Him. Then Ibn ‘Abbaas recited this verse: “And when they stand up for As-Salat (the prayer), they stand with laziness.”
Similar reports were narrated via more than one isnaad, from Ibn ‘Abbaas.
The words “And when they stand up for As-Salat (the prayer), they stand with laziness” describe their outward appearance, as Allah says elsewhere (interpretation of the meaning):“and that they came not to As-Salat (the prayer) except in a lazy state” [at-Tawbah 9:54]. Then He, may He be exalted, mentions the real motive in their hearts: “and to be seen of men”. That is, there is no sincerity towards Allah in what they do; rather they only attend the prayer by way of dissimilation and going along with people. Hence they often stay away from prayers in which they are not usually seen, such as ‘Isha’ prayer, when it is dark, and Fajr prayer when it is still dark. It is proven inas-Saheehaynthat the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are ‘Isha’ prayer and Fajr prayer. If they knew what (reward) is in them, they would come to them even if they had to crawl. I was thinking of ordering that the call to prayer be given, then I would tell a man to lead the people in prayer, and I would go out with men carrying bundles of wood to people who do not come to the prayers, and I would burn their houses with fire around them.”
The phrase “and they do not remember Allah but little” refers to their prayers. They do not focus in the prayer, and they do not understand what they are saying; rather they are distracted from their prayer, and they have no interest in what they could attain of goodness therein.
Imam Maalik narrated from al-‘Alaa’ ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan, that Anas ibn Maalik said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “That is the prayer of the hypocrite, that is the prayer of the hypocrite, that is the prayer of the hypocrite. He sits watching the sun until, when it is between the horns (that is, the two sides of the head) of the Shaytaan, he pecks out four rak‘ahs, in which he does not remember Allah but little.
This is how it was narrated by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasaa’i, from the hadith of Ismaa‘eel ibn Ja‘far al-Madani, from al-‘Alaa ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan. At-Tirmidhi said: It is hasan saheeh. End quote fromTafseer Ibn Katheer(2/438).
Abu Hayyaan (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Al-Hasan said: It is little, because they do not do it for the sake of Allah. Qataadah said: Rather what is meant is that it is little because it is not going to be accepted, and whatever Allah rejects, a lot of it is little, and what He accepts, a little of it is a lot. Others said: It is little in relation to how much they indulge in falsehood, lies and disbelief. Az-Zamakhshari said: It is “but little” because they do not pray at all when they are away from people; they only pray in front of people, and what they pray openly is little, because whenever they have the opportunity to refrain from doing what they have no interest in, they use that opportunity. Or they do not mention Allah in the sense of reciting tasbeeh (saying Subhaan-Allah (glory be to Allah) and tahleel (saying Laa ilaaha ill-Allah (There is no god but Allah)) except a little. It may be that little means nothing at all. End quote.
But it is not possible that it means nothing at all, because it says “but” or “except”, and there cannot be an exception when there is nothing in the first place. It was also suggested that it is little because their intention (when remembering or mentioning Allah) is worldly gain, because the enjoyment of this world is little. And it was also said that there is something implied and not explicitly mentioned, which is that they do not remember the punishment and reward of Allah except a little, because they are too preoccupied with worldly concerns and they pay no attention at all to matters of the hereafter.
What appears to be the case is that dhikr here refers to remembering and mentioning Allah verbally, and that they rarely mention Allah, unlike the sincere believer, who remembers Allah, may He be exalted, most of the time.
End quote fromal-Bahr al-Muheet(4/110).
This is the situation of the hypocrite. As for the believer who loves Allah and His Messenger, and is certain of the truth of His religion, he inevitably remembers Allah all the time. Even if he only recites a little dhikr, he cannot be a hypocrite in the sense mentioned above, but he is missing out on a great deal of reward and goodness by only remembering Allah a little.
Secondly:
Remembering Allah (dhikr) brings great benefits, such as spiritual well-being, tranquillity and softening of the heart. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism), and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest”
[ar-Ra‘d 13:28]
“Is he whose heart Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in light from His Lord (as he who is non-Muslim)? So, woe to those whose hearts are hardened against remembrance of Allah! They are in plain error!”
[az-Zumar 39:22].
Another of these benefits is attaining great reward by doing a small deed, which is simply moving one’s lips and reciting a few words.
Imam an-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his great book,Riyadh as-Saaliheen:
Chapter on the virtue of dhikr and encouragement to remember Allah:
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“and the remembrance of Allah is greater”
[al-‘Ankaboot 29:45]
“Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying, etc.). I will remember you”
[al-Baqarah 2:152]
“And remember your Lord by your tongue and within yourself, humbly and with fear without loudness in words in the mornings, and in the afternoons and be not of those who are neglectful”
[al-A‘raaf 7:205]
“and remember Allah much, that you may be successful”
[al-Jumu‘ah 62:10]
“and the men and the women who remember Allah much with their hearts and tongues Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise)”
[al-Ahzaab 33:35]
“O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance.
And glorify His Praises morning and afternoon (the early morning (Fajr) and Asr prayers)”
[al-Ahzaab 33:41-42].
And there are many similar, well-known verses.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Two words that are light on the tongue and heavy in the balance and beloved to the Most Merciful:Subhaan Allaahi wa bi hamdihi Subhaan Allaah il-‘Azeem(Glory and praise be to Allah, glory be to Allah the Almighty).”
And it was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “When I say ‘Subhaan Allah, wa’l-hamdu Lillah, wa laa ilaah ill-Allah, wa Allahu akbar(Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is no god except Allah, and Allah is Most Great)’, this is more beloved to me than all that the sun rises upon.” Narrated by Muslim.
And it was narrated from him that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever says ‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer(There is no god except Allah alone with no partner; to Him be dominion and praise, and He is Able to do all things)’ one hundred times in a day, will have reward equivalent to that of manumitting ten slaves, one hundred good deeds will be written for him, one hundred bad deeds will be erased from his record, and he will have protection from the Shaytaan all that day until evening comes; no one will do anything better than what he has done, except a man who does more than that.”
And he said: “Whoever says ‘Subhaan Allaahi wa bi hamdihi(Glory and praise be to Allaah)’ one hundred times in a day, his sins will be erased, even if they are like the foam of the sea.” Agreed upon.
It was narrated from Abu Ayyoob al-Ansaari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever says ‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer(There is no god except Allah alone with no partner; to Him be dominion and praise, and He is Able to do all things)’ ten times will be like one who manumitted four of the children of Ismaa‘eel.” Agreed upon.
It was narrated that Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Shall I not tell you of the dearest of words to Allah? The dearest of words to Allah are:Subhaan Allah wa bi hamdihi(Glory and praise be to Allah).” Narrated by Muslim.
It was narrated that Abu Maalik al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Purification is half of faith, ‘al-hamdu Lillaah’ fills the Balance and ‘Subhaan-Allah’ and ‘al-hamdu Lillaah’ fill the space between heaven and earth.” Narrated by Muslim.
It was narrated that Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said: Teach me some words that I may say: He said: “Say: ‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, Allahu akbaru kabeeran, wal hamdu Lillahi katheeran, wa subhaan Allahi Rabb il-‘Aalameen, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa Billah il-‘Azeez il-Hakeem( There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner or associate, Allah is most great, much praise be to Allah, glory be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Almighty, the Most Wise).” He said: These are for my Lord; what is there for me? He said: “Say: ‘Allahumm aghfir li wa’rhamni wa’hdini wa’rzuqni(O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me and grant me provision).” Narrated by Muslim.
…
Then he narrated many other hadiths. This is a big topic.
For more information, please see the bookal-Wabil as-Sayyib min al-Kalim at-Tayyibby Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him).
Whoever reflects upon the immense reward for these few words will understand the virtue of dhikr (remembrance of Allah). It is appropriate for every Muslim, man or woman, to be keen to remember Allah and to keep his tongue moist with dhikr and fill the record of his deeds therewith.
We ask Allah to enable us and you to do that.
And Allah knows best.

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Commentary on Hadeeth, Doubt & clear, - * Is the hadith “If there were to be a Prophet after me, it would be ‘Umar” saheeh?

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If Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was the dearest of men to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), then how could he say: “If there were to be a Prophet after me, it would be ‘Umar” (may Allah be pleased with him)? Why would it not be Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)? And is this hadith saheeh (sound) or da‘eef (weak)?
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Praise be to Allah
Firstly:
Imam Ahmad (17405), at-Tirmidhi (3686) and al-Haakim (4495) narrated via Mishrah ibn Haa ‘aan, from ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: “If there were to be a Prophet after me, it would be ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab.” The scholars differed concerning this hadith. It was classed as saheeh by al-Haakim, and adh-Dhahabi agreed with him. It was classed as hasan by at-Tirmidhi and by al-Albaani inSaheeh at-Tirmidhi.
See a list of different narrations of the hadith on the following link [in Arabic]:
http://www.a hlalhdeeth.co m /vb/showthre ad.php?t=270 544
Some of the scholars were of the view that the hadith is da‘eef and flawed:
Ibraaheem ibn al-Haarith said that Abu ‘Abdillah – i.e., Imam Ahmad – was asked about the hadith of ‘Uqbah ibn al-Haarith, “If there were to be a Prophet after me, it would be ‘Umar”.
He said: Cross it out, for in my view it is munkar (odd).
End quote fromal-Muntakhab min ‘Ilal al-Khallaal(p. 191).
The fault with it is: Mishrah ibn Haa‘aan. Although he was regarded as trustworthy by Ibn Ma‘een, Ibn Hibbaan said: He narrated odd (munkar) reports from ‘Uqbah for which there is no corroborating report, so the right thing to do is ignore those reports of which he was the only narrator.
End quote fromTahdheeb at-Tahdheeb(10/155).
This is one of the reports of which he was the only narrator from ‘Uqbah, so it is munkar (odd) according to the view of Ibn Hibbaan. This is a matter in which he is in agreement with the view of Imam Ahmad. But there is corroborating evidence for it in the hadith of ‘Ismah, which was narrated by at-Tabaraani inal-Kabeer(475). Its isnaad includes al-Fadl ibn al-Mukhtaar. Abu Haatim said: His hadiths are munkar (odd); he narrated false reports.
Al-Azdi said: His hadith are very odd (munkar)
Ibn ‘Adiyy said: His hadiths are munkar; most of them have no corroborating report.
Meezaan al-I‘tidaal(3/358).
There is another corroborating report in the hadith of Abu Sa‘eed. Al-Haythami said:
it was narrated by at-Tabaraani inal-Awsat. Its isnaad includes ‘Abd al-Mun‘im ibn Basheer, who is da‘eef (weak).
End quote fromMajma‘ az-Zawaa’id(9/68).
‘Abd al-Mun‘im ibn Basheer is matrook muttaham (i.e., his hadith is to be rejected and he is accused of lying). Ibn Hibbaan said: His hadith is very odd (munkar), and it is not permissible to quote him as evidence.
Al-Khitli said: I heard Ibn Ma‘een say: I came to ‘Abd al-Mun‘im and he showed me the reports of Abu Mawdood, approximately two hundred fabricated hadiths.
End quote fromMeezaan al-I‘tidaal(2/669).
These two corroborating reports cannot be counted because they are extremely weak.
See the comments of the commentators onal-Muntakhab min ‘Ilal al-Khallaal(190-192).
Secondly:
If we assume that the hadith is saheeh, we may ask:
Why did he say “If there were to be a Prophet after me, it would be ‘Umar” and not that it would be Abu Bakr, when Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was better than ‘Umar according to the consensus of Ahl as-Sunnah?
The scholars had several views concerning that, including the following:
· That this comes under the heading of knowledge of the unseen which no one knows except Allah, and such matters are not to be worked out on analogy or rational estimates. If it were the case that there would be another prophet after the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), it would be ‘Umar, and in that case Allah would facilitate the means and causes of that, and He would make ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) qualified for that, and would perfect his character so that he would be fit to have the status of Prophethood.
· To demonstrate that Prophethood is not by entitlement or because of something in a person that makes him deserving of Prophethood; rather it is purely by the choice and selection of Allah, may He be exalted.
Abu Bakr al-Kalaabaadhi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was speaking of something that did not happen, and describing how, if it were to happen, it would happen. This is like when Allah, may He be exalted, spoke of things that did not happen and how, if they were to happen, they would happen, in the verses in which He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“But if they were returned (to the world), they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden. And indeed they are liars”
[al-An‘aam 6:28]
“Our Lord! Bring us out of this; if ever we return (to evil), then indeed we shall be Zalimoon: (polytheists, oppressors, unjust, and wrong-doers, etc.)”
[al-Mu’minoon 23:107].
Similarly, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “If there were to be a Prophet after me, it would be ‘Umar”, which highlights the virtue that Allah created in ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and the characteristics or virtues that exist in the Prophets and Messengers.
Thus he stated that ‘Umar possessed some of the characteristics of the Prophets and some of the virtues that are found in the Messengers, that made his state close to that of the Prophets (blessings and peace of Allah be upon them all).
And it may be that there is another meaning, which is to indicate the fact that Prophethood is not based on entitlement or any quality that a person may have which makes him deserving of Prophethood. Rather it is by the choice and selection of Allah, may He be exalted. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“but Allah chooses (for His Messages) such of His Messengers as He will”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:179]
“Allah chooses Messengers from angels and from men”
[al-Hajj 22:75]
“And they say: ‘Why is not this Qur’an sent down to some great man of the two towns (Makkah and at-Taa’if)?’
Is it they who would portion out the Mercy of your Lord?”
[az-Zukhruf 43:32].
It is as if the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was referring by implication to some of the characteristics of the Messengers and Prophets (peace be upon them), and that ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) possessed many of those characteristics; if characteristics were to make a man entitled to be a messenger, then ‘Umar would have been a messenger after him.
What proves that is the fact that the main characteristics that ‘Umar possessed, to the exclusion of other people, was his strong commitment to and support for the religion of Islam, his physical strength, his striving to support the religion of Allah and his turning away from worldly matters, and the fact that he was a cause of the truth and Islam prevailing and becoming victorious, and he was the criterion by means of which truth was distinguished from falsehood, for which reason he was called al-Faarooq (the one who distinguishes between truth and falsehood).
The characteristics that people recognise as characteristics of the Prophets are: Sincerity towards Allah, trust in Allah, and turning away from everything except Allah. And that may be manifested in honesty of speech, courage, and generosity. This is what the hadith means, which indicates that these characteristics are among the main characteristics that people see in the Prophets, and the true nature of the relationship between them and Allah is known to no one but Him, may He be glorified and exalted.
Moreover, most of these characteristics were present in Abu Bakr to a greater degree than they were in ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), yet the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not say that if there were to be a Prophet after him it would be Abu Bakr; rather he said that concerning ‘Umar, in order to highlight that Prophethood is based on the will of Allah and on His selection, and it cannot be attained by personal effort.
The words “If there were to be a Prophet after me, it would be ‘Umar” do not indicate that ‘Umar is better than anyone else, because he was not a Prophet, but if he were a Prophet, he would have been better than anyone who was not a Prophet. But as he was not a Prophet, it is possible that someone else was better than him, and that was Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). And Allah knows best.
End quote fromBahr al-Fawaa’id(p. 238)
· ‘Umar is singled out for mention because in many instances during the Prophet’s time, he expressed his view and Qur’an was revealed that supported his view, so his view was in accordance with what was revealed of Qur’an later on. Thus he was as close to Prophethood as he was to the Qur’an, but there is no Prophet after Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
Al-Minnaawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Ibn Hajar said: ‘Umar is singled out for mention because of the many incidents during the Prophet’s time when he expressed his view, concerning which Qur’an was subsequently revealed that agreed with his views.
End quote fromFayd al-Qadeer(5/325).
This is like what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): “You are to me like Haroon to Moosa, except that there is no Prophet after me.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (4416), Muslim (2404).
‘Ali was close to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) because of his close ties of kinship with him, in addition to what he heard of strong faith. And the same is true here.
Hence the scholars only mention this hadith in the context of discussing the virtues of ‘Umar; none of them mention it to prove that ‘Umar is better than Abu Bakr, because they are unanimously agreed that Abu Bakr is the best of this ummah after its Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, after quoting the hadith mentioned above and a number of other hadiths that speak of the status of ‘Umar and that he is inspired (muhaddath):
Despite that, as-Siddeeq [Abu Bakr] attained a higher level of perfection and attained a perfect level of believing the Prophet, so he did not acquire any knowledge except through the Prophet, and the Prophet is infallible, whereas the one who is inspired (muhaddath), like ‘Umar, sometimes follows his heart and what he is inspired with, but his heart is not infallible. Therefore he has to check whatever he is inspired with against what the Messenger brought; then if it is in harmony with that, he should accept it, but if it is contrary to that, he must reject it.
Hence ‘Umar retracted some of his suggestions, and the Sahaabah would sometimes debate with him and quote evidence to him to prove that his view was not correct; when proof from the Qur’an and Sunnah became clear to him, he would go back to that and abandon his view.
Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq, on the other hand, only took knowledge from the Messenger, not from the inspiration of his heart. Therefore he was more perfect than the one who was inspired (muhaddath – i.e., ‘Umar). After Abu Bakr, there was no siddeeq (person strong and true in faith) who was better than him, and after ‘Umar there was no muhaddath (person who is inspired) who was better than him.
End quote fromar-Radd ‘ala al-Mantiqiyyeen(514).
And Allah knows best.

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Commentary on Hadeeth, Doubt & clear, - * The hadith “At the beginning of every century Allah will sendto this ummah someone who will renew its religious understanding”

In Kitaab al-Mulaahim by Abu Dawood, it says that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “At the beginning of every century Allah will send to this ummah someone who will renew its religious understanding”. Is this hadith saheeh? Who narrated it? Is the Muslim obliged to believe this hadith?
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Praise be to Allah
This hadith is one of the well-known, saheeh hadiths; it was narrated by the great Sahaabi Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), that he said:
“At the beginning of every century Allah will send to this ummah someone who will renew its religious understanding.”
Narrated by Abu Dawood (4291); classed as saheeh by as-Sakhkhaawi inal-Maqaasid al-Hasanah(149) and by al-Albaani inas-Silsilah as-Saheehah(no. 599).
What the Muslim is required to do is to believe in the saheeh hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and accept them, with no hesitation about what is said in them. This is one of the requirements of belief in the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination”
[an-Nisaa’ 4:59].
Mujaahid and others of the earlier generations said:
“refer it to Allah and His Messenger” means: referring to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. This is a command from Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, stating that regarding every matter concerning which the people may dispute, having to do with both fundamental matters and minor issues of religion, the dispute concerning that must be referred to the Qur’an and Sunnah, as Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And in whatsoever you differ, the decision thereof is with Allah (He is the ruling Judge)”
[ash-Shoora 42:10].
Whatever ruling is given and testified to by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger is the truth, and what can there be beyond the truth except misguidance?
End quote fromTafseer al-Qur’an al-‘Azeem(2/345).
The scholars have interpreted this hadith soundly. They said: The word “man” (translated here as “someone who”) is a relative pronoun that in general in application. It may be that the renewer (mujaddid) is an individual or it may be a group of people. Based on that, it is not necessary to seek out the names of individual scholars at the beginning of every century and determine who among them is the best in order to decide which of them is the renewer (mujaddid), for they may all play a part in renewing religious understanding and spreading it among the ummah.
Al-Haafiz adh-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
What I believe concerning this hadith is that the phrase “someone who will renew its religious understanding” should be understood as plural, not singular. End quote fromTaareekh al-Islam(23/180).
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
A number of scholars said that the correct view is that this hadith includes every individual scholar in any given age who takes on the communal obligation of conveying knowledge from those whom he met of earlier scholars to those whom he meets of the coming generation, as it says in the hadith narrated via mursal isnaads and others: “Among successive generations, this knowledge will be transmitted by the trustworthy and honest, who will defend it against the distortions of the extremists and the fabrications of the promulgators of falsehood.” This has continued, praise be to Allah, until the current time, and we are in the eighth century.
End quote fromal-Bidaayah wan Nihaayah(6/256)
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This does not mean that at the turn of every century there will be only one; rather it may refer to a group, and this is something that makes sense, for the fields in which renewal is needed are not limited to one type, and it is not necessarily the case that all the good qualities required (to bring about this renewal) will all be found in a single individual. However that may be the case with regard to ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez, for he was in charge of the ummah at the end of the first century and the beginning of the second century, as he combines all the good attributes and virtues, and was ahead of others in that regard. Therefore Ahmad stated that they used to interpret the hadith as referring to him. As for those who came after him, for example ash-Shaafa‘i – even though he had many beautiful virtues and attributes – he was not in charge of jihad and establishing justice. Therefore, anyone who had some of these attributes and virtues at the beginning of a century may be among those referred to in the hadith, whether there are several such people or not.
End quote fromFath al-Baari(13/295).
Moreover, it is not necessarily the case that if a person meets the description of the renewer (mujaddid), Islam will prevail in his time, or that the Muslim state will have the upper hand. The renewer may be in the field of knowledge, not in the field of leadership and politics; indeed renewal may be in the field of da‘wah, education and the like. This is how we may understand the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) “someone who will renew its religious understanding”, as being general in meaning (and not specific).
On the basis of this understanding, we do not think that there should be any confusion in the questioner’s mind concerning the meaning of the hadith.
The Standing Committee said:
What is meant by the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, “someone who will renew its religious understanding”, is that every time many people deviate from the path of the religion which He perfected for His slaves, completed His favour upon them and chose for them as their religion, He sends to them scholars or a scholar who has deep knowledge of Islam, and a wise caller who helps the people to develop a proper understanding of the Book of Allah and the proven Sunnah of His Messenger, and protects them from innovation and warns them against newly-invented matters, and brings them back from deviation to the straight path of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). This is called renewal of the ummah (tajdeed al-ummah), not renewal of the religion that Allah prescribed and perfected. Changes, weakness and deviation happen time after time to the ummah; as for Islam itself, it is protected by means of the protection of the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, and the Sunnah of His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), which explains the Book of Allah. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’an) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)”
[al-Hijr 15:9].
End quote.
‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, ‘Abd ar-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, ‘Abdullah ibn Ghadyaan, ‘Abdullah ibn Qa‘ood.
Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah(2/247-248).
Al-‘Allaamah Hammood at-Tuwaijri (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
As for interpreting the hadith as referring to a few specific individuals at the beginning of every century, or one of them, that is very unlikely and the hadith does not indicate that, because the word “man” (translated here as “someone who”) may refer to the singular or the plural. Based on that, interpreting the hadith as referring to a group of scholars who take it upon themselves to spread knowledge and renew religious understanding is more appropriate than interpreting it as referring to a single individual, after whom there will come another single individual.
This is supported by the report that was narrated by at-Tirmidhi, who classed it as hasan, from ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which the Messenger of Allah (sa) (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Islam began as something strange and will go back to being something strange, so glad tidings to the strangers, those who will correct what the people corrupt of my Sunnah after I am gone.”
It is also supported by the report which was narrated by Ibn Waddaah from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which he said: Praise be to Allah Who has blessed people by sending after the Messengers people of knowledge who call those who have gone astray from guidance, bear with patience their harm and bring people back to their senses by means of the Book of Allah…
This indicates that the renewal of religious understanding may be done by a group of scholars, and is not limited to one at a time. End quote.
Ithaaf al-Jamaa‘ah bima jaa’a fi’l-Fitan wa’l-Malaahim wa Ashraat as-Saa‘ah(1/336)
And Allah knows best.