“SOME HADITH FABRICATORS…. ”
If the hadiths were to be a source of Islam like the Qur’an, the Prophet would have asked his companions to copy and learn them by heart. Yet, he prohibited their copying. Had the Prophet desired them to be learned by heart, the companions nearest to him like Abu Bakr, Omar, Usman, Ali, Zed b. Thabit and Selma al Farsi, would have transmitted thousands of hadiths. Instead, the words that have been transmitted from the abovementioned companions are very few. For instance, not even one third or one fourth of the hadiths alleged to have been transmitted by Abu Hurayra, one of the fabricators, can be ascribed to all the words spoken by other prominent companions. We shall be dealing in this chapter with some fabricators, including Abu Hurayra, instrumental in interpolating into the established creed Jewish and Christian legends and parables. We shall see the reason why the infinite number of hadiths these people invented cannot be relied upon. We shall also observe the lack of fastidiousness and meticulousness, which they claimed to have had in collecting and sorting out the hadiths.
A person who had the chance of setting eyes on the Prophet was styled his companion (sahaby) and whatever that person said was taken to be the literal truth. The word sahaby actually means the persons who were very close to the Prophet. We read in the Qur’an that there had been many hypocrites who professed to be Muslim, whereas in fact they were disbelievers and had created innumerable difficulties for the Prophet. It is regrettable to observe that the transmitters of the hadiths turned a blind eye to the meaning of the relevant verses and preached that whoever abided by the sayings of the companions was on the right path. We shall now take up the case of Abu Hurayra, declared infallible, having been styled a companion of the Prophet, who transmitted thousands of hadiths, and see where such a mentality leads us.
IF ABU HURAYRA IS DECLARED UNRELIABLE
About the life of Abu Hurayra prior to his conversion we know nothing other than what he himself said. Having been converted, he became one of the companions of the Prophet. In Muslim’s Fezailus Sahabe, it is said that Abu Hurayra remained in the Prophet’s company and became his servant without asking for any consideration in return. Ibn Hazm says in the Musnad of Baki b. Mahlad that 5374 hadiths were quoted from Abu Hurayra. Bukhari quoted only 446 of his in his book.
From the accounts of Abu Hurayra we deduce that the person he feared most was Caliph Omar. The hadith books mention that Omar had threatened and harassed Abu Hurayra because of his involvement in the transmission of hadiths.
“If I transmitted these hadiths during the lifetime of Omar, he would surely strike me,” said Abu Hurayra.
Az Zahabi – Tazkiratul-Huffaz
Abu Hurayra said: “We could not utter ‘God’s Messenger spoke thus’, before Omar died.”, Sahih Muslim
Had we had the opportunity to see Muslim, we would have asked him the following question: “O Muslim! You have written a book and claimed that all the hadiths in it were authentic and that you screened carefully the transmitters’ accounts. Why did you not notice that Caliph Omar had accused him of recounting falsehoods, and have not found Omar’s indictment convincing enough? This shows that the hadiths that you claim to be reliable are in fact based on unsound arguments.” It is regrettable to observe that Muslim also had taken every one of the Prophet’s companions as a star that guided one in the right direction. It may be because he realized that had he applied a strict screening method to Abu Hurayya’s hadiths, not many would have left. Omar was not the only one who accused Abu Hurayra of lying. We also observe that Aisha, the Prophet’s wife, had accused him more than once, which is mentioned even in the hadith books that stand up for Abu Hurayra.
When Aisha said to Abu Hurayra ”You are reporting false hadiths you never heard from the Prophet,” he had retorted impudently: “I see that mirror and kohl have kept you aloof from the Prophet.”
Zahabi, Siyert Alemin Nubela
Ali said: “The person who ascribed the greatest number of lies to God’s Messenger is Abu Hurayra.”
Ibn Abul Hadid, Sherhu Nahjul Belagha
When Ali heard him say, alluding to the Prophet: “My dear friend said that…” He asked: “Since when has the Prophet become your dear friend?”
Ibn Masud, a well-known companion of the Prophet who heard him say: “The person who washes the body of a deceased person and the person who carries it on his shoulders should perform ablution” was furious and retorted: “O men, your dead will in no way soil you!”
To be continued…