Belief, Dought & clear,- * The difference between mu‘jizah, karaamah (two types of miracles) and witchcraft

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What is mu‘jizah, and what is the difference between it and karaamah on the one hand, and between it and witchcraft on the other?.
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Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The mu‘jizah (miracle) is the extraordinary sign with which Allah supports His Prophets and Messengers, and challenges people. The karaamah is something extraordinary that Allah causes to happen at the hand of one of His close friends. There are many differences between the mu‘jizah and the karaamah, including the following:
1. The mu‘jizah is meant to be done openly and be seen and known by many people, and the one for whom it is done (the Prophet) is enjoined to show it openly, whereas the karaamah is based on concealment and the one for whom it is done (the wali or close friend of Allah) is enjoined to conceal it.
2. The mu‘jizah may be accompanied by a challenge and claim of Prophethood, whereas the karaamah is not accompanied by any challenge or any claim of virtue or high status before Allah.
3. The fruits of the mu‘jizah bring benefits to others, whereas the karaamah usually only benefits the one to whom it is given.
4. The mu‘jizah may be any extraordinary event; the karaamah can only be of a few types.
5. The mu‘jizah is only for the Prophets, whereas the karaamah is for the close friends of Allah.
6. The Prophets use their miracles (mu‘jizah) to establish proof against the mushrikeen, because their hearts are hard; the close friends of Allah (awliya’) use the karaamah to establish proof for themselves so that they will have peace of mind and certainty of faith, and will not be worried or anxious.
Quoted from a Master’s thesis entitledal-Wilaayah wa’l-Karaamah fi’l-‘Aqeedah al-Islamiyyahby Muhammad Khayr al-‘Umari.
There are also a number of other differences between the mu‘jizah and witchcraft, including the following:
1. The mu‘jizah is something extraordinary, i.e., it occurs contrary to the laws of nature and comes from Allah, may He be exalted. As for witchcraft, it occurs according to laws that the practitioner of witchcraft may learn.
2. The mu‘jizah results in nothing but good, whereas no good can come from witchcraft.
3. The mu‘jizah cannot be cancelled out, whereas witchcraft can be cancelled out or undone. It is well known that witchcraft can only be done by seeking the help of the devils and drawing close to them.
End quote from Dr. Ahmad al-‘Awaayishah,Muhaadaraat bi’th-Thaqaafah al-Islamiyyah, p. 174
4. The mu‘jizah occurs at the hand of the Prophet, who is the best of people in knowledge, deeds and attitude, whereas witchcraft occurs at the hands of the practitioner of witchcraft, who is the worst of people in knowledge, deeds and attitude – people are put off by him and those who keep company with him.
5. There is no cause for the mu‘jizah, hence no one other than the Prophet can do anything like it. As for witchcraft, it has causes that are well-known, which are incantations that are spoken or written, and he makes use of the jinn in doing it. Anyone who learns that and does it will get what he wants from witchcraft. In the case of the mu‘jizah, it cannot be obtained by learning and experience.
See:al-Furooqby al-Quraafi, 8/116
There follow some of the comments of the scholars on the differences between mu‘jizah, karaamah and witchcraft.
Al-‘Allaamah as-Sa‘di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The difference between the mu‘jizah and karaamah, and devilish extraordinary things that happen at the hands of magicians and charlatans is as follows:
The mu‘jizah is that which Allah causes to happen at the hands of the Messengers and Prophets of extraordinary events with which they challenge the people, so that they will believe in the message with which Allah sent them and by means of which He supported them, such as the splitting of the moon and the sending down of the Qur’aan, which is the greatest mu‘jizah ever bestowed upon a Messenger, as well as the grieving of the palm tree stump (which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used as a minbar until a minbar was built for him), the springing up of water from between his fingers, and many other miracles.
The karaamah is an extraordinary event that Allah causes to occur at the hands of His believing close friends (awliya’), such as knowledge, power, and so on, and such as the shade that used to come upon Usayd ibn al-Hudayr when he recited Qur’aan, and the shining of light for ‘Abbaas ibn Bishr and Usayd ibn Hudayr when they left the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and when they separated there was light for each of them at the end of his whip.
In order for it to be regarded as a karaamah, it is stipulated that the one at whose hand this miracle occurs should be adhering strictly to Islam and following sharee‘ah. If that is not the case, then these extraordinary things happen are the result of devilish work. Moreover, it should be noted that the fact that karaamah does not happen for some Muslims does not mean that they are lacking in faith, because karaamah only happens for certain reasons, such as the following:
- To strengthen the person’s faith and make him steadfast. Hence many of the Sahaabah did not see any karaamah, because of the strength and absolute certainty of their faith.
- To establish proof against the enemy, as happened to Khaalid when he ate poison. He was besieging a fortress and they refused to yield until he ate the poison, so he ate it and then he conquered the fortress. A similar thing happened to Abu Idrees al-Khawlaani when he was met by al-Aswad al-‘Ansi in the fire and Allah saved him from that, because he needed that karaamah. We see something similar in the story of Umm Ayman when she set out to migrate to Madinah (Hijrah) and became extremely thirsty. She heard a sound above her and lifted her head, and she saw a bucket of water; she drank from it then it was taken away again.
The karaamah may be a test or trial; some people may be blessed by it and others may be doomed as a result. The one at whose hands it happens may be blessed if he gives thanks for it, or he may be doomed if he is filled with self-admiration and does not adhere to righteousness.
End quote fromat-Tanbeehaat al-Lateefah fima Ahtawiyat ‘alayhi al-Waasitiyyah min al-Mabaahith al-Muneefah, p. 107
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
How can we differentiate between mu‘jizah, karaamah and kahaanah (sorcery)?
He replied:
The mu‘jizah is for the Prophets, the karaamah is for the close friends of Allah, the awliya’ of ar-Rahmaan, and kahaanah is for the close friends of the Shaytaan (awliya’ ash-shaytaan).
Nowadays it is impossible for a mu‘jizah to occur, because the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was the last of the Prophets. Karaamah happened at the time of the Messenger and may occur after his time, until the Day of Resurrection; it may occur at the hands of a righteous close friend of Allah (wali). If we know that the man at whose hand a karaamah occurred is a righteous man who fulfils his duties towards Allah and towards His slaves, then we know that it is indeed a karaamah.
We should look at the man -- if this “miracle” comes from a kaahin (soothsayer) -- i.e., a man who is not righteous -- then we know that it comes from the devils; the devils sometimes help the sons of Adam to achieve what they want.
End quote fromLiqaa’aat al-Baab al-Maftooh(no. 84; question no. 8)
And Allah knows best.

PUBLISHERM.NajimudeeN. MD,IRI

Belief, Dought & clear,- * If the angels do not approach the dead body of a kaafir, then how can he be questioned in the grave?

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In one of your Fatwas, you stated the following hadith:
“The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are three things which the angels do not approach: the dead body of a kaafir, a man who has perfumed himself with saffron (because this is frivolous and foolish behaviour, and is an imitation of women – Qayd al-Qadeer, 3/325), and a person who is junub, until he does ghusl.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4180; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 3522” I shared your fatwas with others to depict the importance of Ghusl, but someone asked me back that “if the angels do not approach the dead body of a kaafir, then how will he/she be questioned in graves by the angels??? And if a man/woman is in junub and its time for him/her to die, wont the angel of death approach him/her???” Can you please clarify the issue. I am sure there is a context in which this hadith is to be taken and there is an explanation for it.
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Praise be to Allaah.
Abu Dawood (4180) narrated from ‘Ammaar ibn Yaasir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There are three whom the angels do not come near: the dead body of a kaafir, a man who smears himself with khalooq and a person who is junub, unless he does wudoo’.”
Classed as hasan by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood
What is meant in the hadeeth is that the angels of mercy do not approach these people to bring down a blessing or mercy to them, because they are not deserving of this bounty. What is intended is to put people off their actions and the state they are in, which is a state that deserves the angels of mercy to keep away from them. This is supported by al-Bayhaqi’s version of this hadeeth in hisSunan(9241), in which it says: “There are three whom the angels do not approach with anything good…”
It was also narrated by at-Tabaraani; in his version it says, “The angels do not approach the bier of the kaafir with anything good, or one who is junub until he does ghusl or does wudoo’ as for prayer, or one who has smeared himself with sufrah (a kind of perfume).”
Fath al-Baariby Ibn Rajab, 1/360
It may be understood from the phrase “with anything good” in these two reports that what is meant is the angels of mercy whose coming signals good.
As for the angels of death and the recording angels, they are not included in this hadeeth; neither are the angels of punishment and the angels who question the person in his grave, and so on. They are not included in this hadeeth.
Al-Mannaawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“There are three whom the angels do not come near” – this refers to the angels who bring down blessing and mercy, and those who go around among the people to visit and listen to dhikr, and the like, not the recording angels who do not leave those who are accountable for even an instant in all their situations, good and bad.“Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it)” [Qaaf 50:18].
End quote fromFayd al-Qadeer, 3/428. see alsoMirqaat al-Mafaateeh, 2/384
Al-Khattaabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his commentary on the hadeeth, “The angels do not enter a house in which there is an image or a dog or a person who is junub” – which is a da‘eef hadeeth:
The words “The angels do not enter a house…” refers to the angels who bring down blessing and mercy, not the angels who record people’s deeds, for they do not leave a person whether he is junub or otherwise.
End quote fromMa‘aalim as-Sunan, 1/75. al-Baghawi stated something similar inSharh as-Sunnah, 2/37
Al-Bukhaari (3322) and Muslim (2106) narrated from Abu Talhah that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or an image.”
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The scholars said: The reason why they refuse to enter a house in which there is an image is the fact that it is a grievous sin and is competing with the creation of Allah, may He be exalted. And some images represent that which is worshipped instead of Allah, may He be exalted. The reason why they refuse to enter a house in which there is a dog is that dogs frequently eat impure things. And the one who keeps a dog is punished by being deprived of the angels entering his house, praying in it, asking Allah for forgiveness for him, bringing blessing to him and his household, and warding off the harm of the Shaytaan from him. As for those angels who do not enter a house in which there is a dog or an image, they are the angels who go around bringing mercy, blessing and prayers for forgiveness. As for the recording angels, they enter every house and they do not leave the sons of Adam under any circumstances, because they have been commanded to count and record their deeds.
End quote fromSharh Muslim, 7/207
Thus it becomes clear that there is no confusion in the hadeeth, if we understand it in accordance with what the scholars have stated in their commentaries on it, that the hadeeth speaks of a kind of punishment for the one who does that, in that the angels of mercy and blessing avoid the places where he is.
All of this is based on the assumption that the hadeeth is proven and saheeh. This is the view favoured by Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) and it is on this that the answer mentioned on the site previously is based.
But given that more than one of the scholars have ruled that the hadeeth is da‘eef (weak) in its chain of narration, because there is an interruption between the Sahaabi, ‘Ammaar ibn Yaasir (may Allah be pleased with him), and the one who narrated it from him, Yahya ibn Ya‘mar, because he did not hear directly from him, then in that case there is no reason for this confusion.
See:Musnad al-Imam Ahmad, ar-Risaalah edition, 31/182;an-Naafilahby Shaykh Abu Ishaaq al-Huwayni, no. 149
And Allah knows best.

PUBLISHERM.NajimudeeN. MD,IRI

Islamic Article

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Ldyநபிகள் நாயகம் - ஸல்'s post.
நபிகள் நாயகம் - ஸல்
01. வம்சம்
இஸ்லாமிய மார்க்கத்தின் தந்தை என அழைக்கப்படும் நபி இப்ராஹீம் (அலை) அவர்களுடைய செல்வப் புதல்வர் இஸ்மாயில் (அலை) அவர்களின் இரண்டாவது மனைவிக்குப் பிறந்த பன்னிரண்டு ஆண் மக்களில் கைதார் என்பவரின் சந்ததியில் வந்த அத்னானின் வழித்தோன்றல்களேஅத்னானிய அரபியர்கள் என்று அழைக்கப்படுகின்றனர். அத்னான் முஹம்மது நபி (ஸல்) அவர்களின் 21 ஆவது தலைமுறை பாட்டனார் ஆவார்.
அத்னானின் மகன் முஅத்திற்குப் பிறந்த நசார் என்பவரின் மூலம் பல வம்சங்கள் உருவாயின. அவ்வம்சத்தில் ஒன்றான முலர் வம்சத்திலிருந்து இல்யாஸ், கைஸ் அய்லான் என்ற இரு குலங்கள் தோன்றின. இவற்றில் இல்யாஸ் குலத்தில் வந்த ஃபஹ்ர் இப்னு மாலிக் இப்னு நழ்ர் இப்னு கினானா என்பவரின் சந்ததியினரே குறைசிகள் ஆவார்கள்.
மக்காவிலும் அதனைச் சுற்றியுள்ள பகுதிகளிலும் வாழ்ந்து வந்த மக்களில் குறைஷி குலத்தினரே உயர்ந்த குலமாகக் கருதப்பட்டனர். இக்குறைசிகள் ஸஹ்ம், ஸுமஹ், குசை, அதிய், மக்ஸூம், ஜுஹ்ரா , தைம் என பல குடும்பங்கலாகப்பிரிந்தனர். பிரிந்து கிடந்தவர்களை குஸய்யி இப்னு கிலாப் என்பவர் ஒன்றினைத்தார். குசை குடும்பத்தில் அப்துல் மனாஃப், அப்துத்தார் மற்றும் அஸத் இப்னு அப்துல் உஸ்ஷா என மூன்று வாரிசுகள் இருந்தனர்.
அப்துல் மனாஃபிற்கு ஹாஷிம், அப்துஷ் ஷம்ஸ், முத்தலிப், நவ்ஃபல் என நான்கு ஆண் மக்கள் இருந்தனர். இவர்களில் ஹாஷிம் நபி (ஸல்) அவர்களின் பாட்டனார் ஆவார். இவரது பெயராலேயே முஹம்மது நபி (ஸல்) அவர்களின் குடும்பம் ஹாஷிமி குடும்பம் என அழைக்கப்பட்டது.
ஹாஷிமிர்க்கும் அவரது மனைவி ஸல்மாவிற்கும் பிறந்த பிள்ளைகளில் ஒருவரான அப்துல் முத்தலிப் அவர்களின் பேரப்பிள்ளையே முஹம்மத் நபி (ஸல்) அவர்கள். ஹாஷிம், முத்தலிப் இப்னு அப்துல் மனாஃப், அப்துல் முத்தலிப் இப்னு ஹாஷிம் ஆகியோர் கஃபாவிற்கு வரும் ஹாஜிகளுக்கு உணவு மற்றும் தண்ணீர் வழங்கும் பணியை செய்து வந்ததால் மக்களிடத்தில் நன்மதிப்பும், செல்வாக்கும் பெற்றிருந்தனர்.
முஹம்மத் இப்னு அப்துல்லலாஹ் இப்னு அப்துல் முத்தலிப் இப்னு ஹாஷிம் இப்னு அப்துல் முனாஃப் இப்னு குசை என்பதே நபி (ஸல்) அவர்களின் வம்சாவழித் தொடராகும்.
இவ்வாறாக மிகுந்த பாரம்பரியமிக்க தனது வம்சத்தைப் பற்றி நபி (ஸல்) அவர்கள் குறிப்பிடும் போது,
நிச்சயமாக அல்லாஹ் இப்ராஹிமுடைய பிள்ளைகளில் இஸ்மாயீலைத் தேர்வு செய்தான்.இஸ்மாயீலுடைய பிள்ளைகளில் கினானா குடும்பத்தை தேர்வு செய்தான் . கினானா குடும்பத்தில் குறைசியர்களைத் தேர்வு செய்தான். குறைசியர்களில் ஹாஷிமைத் தேர்வு செய்தான். என்று சிறப்பித்துக் கூறினார்கள்...
இன்ஷா அல்லாஹ் அடுத்த பதிவில் பெற்றோர் பற்றிய இடுகை
நட்புடன்
மு.சேக் அலாவுதீன்
முத்துப்பேட்டை....

PUBLISHERM.NajimudeeN. MD,IRI

Da'eef (weak) hadeeths, Dought & clear, - * Isnaad of the hadeeth, “Whatever Allaah has permitted in His Book is halaal” and the ruling thereon

My question is about a hadeeth – "Whatever Allaah has permitted in His
Book is halaal, whatever He has forbidden is haraam, and whatever He
was silent about is pardoned, so accept the pardon of Allaah, for
Allaah was not forgetful. Then he recited this verse: 'and your Lord
is never forgetful' [Maryam 19:64]." This hadeeth was classed as
saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) in
al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (5/325), and classed as hasan on p. 14 of
Ghaayat al-Maraam.
But according to the website al-Durar al-Sunniyyah many things were
said about this hadeeth, such as: its isnaad is very weak (da'eef
jiddan) although its meaning is sound; its isnaad is good; its isnaad
is saheeh; it is saheeh mawqoof and may be regarded as hasan because
of corroborating marfoo' reports; its isnaad includes Sayf ibn Haroon
al-Barjami who was classed as da'eef by a number of scholars, but Abu
Na'eem classed him as thiqah (trustworthy); it is da'eef.
Shaykh Abu Ishaaq al-Huwayni said in his website that it is da'eef
(weak). What is your opinion about this hadeeth? Is it valid for us to
quote it as evidence?
Should we ignore the ahaadeeth concerning which the scholars' opinions
differed?.
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Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly: This hadeeth was narrated in similar versions from a number
of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), as follows:
1 – It was narrated from Abu'l-Darda' (may Allaah be pleased with him)
in a marfoo' report: "Whatever Allaah has permitted in His Book is
halaal, whatever He has forbidden is haraam, and whatever He was
silent about is pardoned, so accept the pardon of Allaah, for Allaah
was not forgetful. Then he recited this verse:'and your Lord is never
forgetful' [Maryam 19:64]."
Narrated by al-Daaraqutni in hisSunan(2/137); al-Haakim
inal-Mustadrak(2/406 and 10/12); al-Tabaraani inMusnad
al-Shaamiyeen(3/209) through a number of isnaads from 'Aasim ibn Raja'
ibn Haywah from his father from Abu'l-Darda' from the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
This isnaad is munqati' (interrupted), as there is a clear gap between
Raja' ibn Haywah and Abu'l-Darda', as Raja' died in 112 AH and
Abu'l-Darda' died in 32 AH.
Ibn Hajar said in his biography of Raja' ibn Haywah inTahdheeb
al-Tahdheeb(3/229): His reports from Abu'l-Darda' are mursal. End
quote.
Al-Dhahabi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said concerning this
hadeeth: Its isnaad is munqati'. End quote.
Al-Muhadhdhab fi Ikhtisaar al-Sunan al-Kubraby al-Bayhaqi (8/3975).
Al-Mu'allimi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said likewise
inal-Anwaaral-Kaashifah(301).
2 – It was narrated from Salmaan al-Faarisi in the words: "The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
asked about ghee, cheese and wild donkeys. He said: 'The halaal is
that which Allaah has permitted in His Book and the haraam is that
which Allaah has forbidden in His Book, and whatever He was silent
about is pardoned.'"
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1726); Ibn Maajah (3367); al-Haakim
inal-Mustadrak(4/129); and from him by al-Bayhaqi inal-Kubra(9/320 and
10/12). It was narrated by al-Tabaraani inal-Kabeer(6/250) via Sayf
ibn Haroon al-Barjami from Sulaymaan al-Taymi from Abu 'Uthmaan from
Salmaan.
Al-Mazzi said inTahdheeb al-Kamaal(8/255): Its isnaad includes Sayf
ibn Haroon. Ibn Ma'een said: That is not the case. Al-Nasaa'i said: He
is da'eef (weak). Al-Daaraqutni said: He is da'eef matrook (weak,
rejected). End quote.
Al-Tirmidhi said: This is a ghareeb hadeeth which we do not know in
any marfoo' report except via this isnaad. Sufyaan and others narrated
these words from Sulaymaan al-Taymi from Abu 'Uthmaan from Salmaan. It
is as if the mawqoof hadeeth is more sound. I asked al-Bukhaari about
this hadeeth and he said: I do not think it is known. Sufyaan narrated
from Sulaymaan al-Taymi from Abu 'Uthmaan from Salmaan in a mawqoof
report. Al-Bukhaari said: Sayf ibn Haroon is muqaarib al-hadeeth. End
quote.
Ibn Abi Haatim said in'Ilal al-Hadeeth(2/10):
My father said: This is a mistake. It was narrated by trustworthy
narrators from al-Taymi from Abu 'Uthmaan from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) in a mursal report which does not
include Sulaymaan, and this is what is correct. End quote.
Ahmad said: It is munkar, and it was also classed as munkar by Ibn Ma'een.
This was quoted by Ibn Rajab inJaami' al-'Uloom wa'l-Hukam(2/69).
Shaykh al-Albaani said inal-Ta'leeqaat al-Radiyyah(3/54):
Its isnaad is very weak (da'eef jiddan), but its meaning is sound. End quote.
3 – It was narrated from Abu Tha'labah al-Khushani (may Allaah be
pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah has enjoined obligations so do not
neglect them, and He has set limits so do not transgress them, and He
has declared some things forbidden so do not violate them, and He has
remained silent about some things out of mercy to you, not because He
forgot, so do not ask about them."
Narrated by a number of scholars, all via Dawood ibn Abi Hind from
Mak-hool from Abu Tha'labah.
They differed concerning Dawood ibn Abi Hind.
Hafs ibn Ghiyaath narrated it in a mawqoof report as noted by
al-Bayhaqi (10/12); Yazeed ibn Haroon agreed with him as was mentioned
by al-Daaraqutni inal-'Ilal(6/324).
It was also narrated by 'Ali ibn Mas-har in a marfoo' report as
recorded by al-Bayhaqi inal-Kubra(10/12); and by Ishaaq al-Azraq as
noted by al-Daaraqutni (4/184); and by Muhammad ibn Fudayl as noted by
al-Daaraqutni inal-'Ilal(6/324).
Ibn Rajab said inJaami' al-'Uloom wa'l-Hakam(2/68):
It has two faults:
1 – There is no proof that Mak-hool heard from Abu Tha'labah, This was
stated by Abu Shahr al-Dimashqi, Abu Na'eem al-Haafiz and others.
2 – There is a difference of opinion concerning his marfoo' and
mawqoof reports from Abu Tha'labah. Some of them narrated it from
Mak-hool from his words, but al-Daaraqutni said inal-'Ilal(6/324):
What is more likely to be correct is that they are marfoo'. He said:
And this is more well known. End quote.
Ibn Hajar said: Its men are thiqaat (trustworthy) but it is munqati'
(interrupted). End quote.Al-Mataalib al-'Aaliyah(3/271).
Al-Dhahabi said: Munqati' (interrupted).Al-Muhadhdhab(8/3976).
Al-Albaani said: There is some interruption in its isnaad. End
quote.Tahqeeq Riyadh al-Saaliheen(1841).
Conclusion: The isnaads of this hadeeth are not free of weakness, but
can it be regarded as strong when they are taken all together?
Some of the scholars were of this view. Al-Nawawi classed as hasan the
hadeeth of Abu Tha'labah, as it says inal-Adhkaar(505). It was classed
as saheeh by Ibn al-Qayyim inI'laam al-Muwaqqi'een(1/221) and by Ibn
Katheer in hisTafseer(1/405). Al-Albaani said inTahqeeq al-Eemaan li
Ibn Taymiyah(43): It is hasan because of corroborating reports.
Al-Albaani classed as hasan the hadeeth of Salmaan al-Faarisi inSaheeh
al-Tirmidhi(1726). Inal-Mishkaat(4156) it says: It is saheeh mawqoof,
but it may be classed as hasan because of marfoo' corroborating
reports.
But others are of the view that the severe weakness in the isnaads of
this hadeeth means that it cannot be regarded as strong when all its
isnaads are taken together. The hadeeth of Abu'l-Darda' is plainly
munqati' (interrupted), the hadeeth of Salmaan al-Faarisi is munkar
and it is a mistake to regard it as marfoo' (attributable to the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)), and the hadeeth
of Abu Tha'labah is munqati' and there is some dispute as to whether
it is marfoo'.
This report from Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) is
saheeh, but it is his words (not the Prophet's). This was narrated by
Abu Dawood (2800).
Ibn Katheer said inIrshaad al-Faqeeh(1/367): its isnaad is saheeh.
It was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi DawoodandMishkaat
al-Masaabeeh(4074).
The general meaning of the hadeeth is also established in the basic
principles of Islam, and is quoted and accepted by the scholars.
Ibn al-'Arabi said in'Aaridat al-Ahwadhi(4/185): The meaning of this
hadeeth is proven inal-Saheeh. End quote.
Abu Bakr ibn al-Sam'aani said: This hadeeth is one of the basic
principles of Islam. It was narrated from some of them that he said:
There is no single hadeeth of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) which sums up all the basic
principles of Islam apart from the hadeeth of Abu Tha'labah. End
quote.
Jaami' al-'Uloom wa'l-Hikam(2/70).
For more information on the meaning of the hadeeth and commentary on
it, see Ibn Rajab's commentary on this hadeeth inJaami' al-'Uloom
wa'l-Hikam, commentary on hadeeth no. 30 (2/68-87).
Secondly:
It should be noted that when the scholars rule that a specific hadeeth
is sound or weak, that may refer to a specific isnaad, and does not
refer to the hadeeth with all its isnaads. For example, a scholar may
judge one of the isnaads to be weak, then elsewhere he may judge
another isnaad of the same hadeeth to be sound. This is not a
contradiction, rather it is based on a difference in the isnaads in
question. This is what happened in the case of Shaykh al-Albaani when
he spoke about the hadeeth under discussion here; he classed it as
saheeh when reported from Abu'l-Darda', and he classed its isnaad as
da'eef in the reports of Salmaan al-Faarisi, but he classed it as
hasan because of corroborating reports, so it is hasan li ghayrihi in
his view. That is not a contradiction; rather it is in accordance with
the principles of the science of hadeeth.
The Muslim has to follow the truth as it appears to him after
researching and striving to find out what is correct (ijtihaad). If he
is not able to engage in ijtihaad, then it is sufficient for him to
follow well known scholars whose knowledge he trusts and who are
trustworthy, and he should not pay any attention to anyone else. This
includes matters of hadeeth and fiqh.
And Allaah knows best.