ALBANI'S MISTAKES IN TERMING SAHIH HADEES AS ZAEF

A FEW REFERENCE IN WHICH ALBANI SHOWS HIS LACK ON KNOWLEDGE OF HADEES.

(1)

In his editing of Mishkat Al-Masabih he writes regarding the hadith from ‘A’ishah:

حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ أَخْبَرَنَا شَرِيكٌ عَنْ الْمِقْدَامِ بْنِ شُرَيْحٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ مَنْ حَدَّثَكُمْ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَبُولُ قَائِمًا فَلَا تُصَدِّقُوهُ مَا كَانَ يَبُولُ إِلَّا قَاعِدًا

“Whoever narrates to you that the Nabi used to urinate while standing, do not believe him, for certainly the Nabi would not urinate save while sitting.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi, and An-Nasa’i)

“Its chain is da’if, in it is Sharik ibn Abdullah Al-Qadhi, and he makes mistakes in memorization.” (Entry 365)

He changes his verdict in his Silsilat As-Sahihah wherein he states after quoting the above, “As of now I have determined that this hadith is Sahih due to following up narrations (mutaba’aat) that have been mentioned…”

Thought: Yes, there is a follow up report in the Sunan of Imam Al-Bayhaqi that replaces Sharik with Isra’il. Why was this unknown to Al-Albani in his editing of the Mishkat?

(2)

حَدَّثَنَا زَيْدٌ أَخْبَرَنِي عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ الرَّبِيعِ بْنِ سَبْرَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا صَلَّى أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَسْتَتِرْ لِصَلَاتِهِ وَلَوْ بِسَهْمٍ

 [Reported by Ahmad in his Musnad]

Al-Albani includes this hadith in his Da’if al-Jami’ number 801 citing Abdul-Malik ibn Ar-Rabi’ ibn Sabrah as da’if, yet declares it authentic in his Silsilat As-Sahihah 2783.

(3)

حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ شَبَّةَ بْنِ عَبِيدَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْمُقَدَّمِيُّ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ إِذَا صَلَّى أَحَدُكُمْ فَأَحْدَثَ فَلْيُمْسِكْ عَلَى أَنْفِهِ ثُمَّ لِيَنْصَرِفْ

That the Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said,

“If any of you passes wind while praying, let him take a hold of his nose [as though his nose is bleeding] then leave [the prayer].”

It is reported by Abu Dawud thus:

حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ الْمِصِّيصِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ أَخْبَرَنِي هِشَامُ بْنُ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا أَحْدَثَ أَحَدُكُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِ فَلْيَأْخُذْ بِأَنْفِهِ ثُمَّ لِيَنْصَرِفْ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُد رَوَاهُ حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ وَأَبُو أُسَامَةَ عَنْ هِشَامٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمْ يَذْكُرَا عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا

Al-Albani declares it da’if in his Da’if Al-Jami’ 566. He declares it authentic in his silsilat as-sahihah 2976, see also his “Sahih Abi Dawud” 1020.

(4)

ان صاحب المكس في النار

Declared Dha’if in Da’if al-Jami’ 1871. Later he declares it Sahih in Silsilat As-Sahihah 3405.

(5)

حَدَّثَنَا سُوَيْدُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ لَهِيعَةَ عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ أَبِي حَبِيبٍ عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ عَامِرِ بْنِ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَوْ أَنَّ مَا يُقِلُّ ظُفُرٌ مِمَّا فِي الْجَنَّةِ بَدَا لَتَزَخْرَفَتْ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَ خَوَافِقِ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلًا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ اطَّلَعَ فَبَدَا أَسَاوِرُهُ لَطَمَسَ ضَوْءَ الشَّمْسِ كَمَا تَطْمِسُ الشَّمْسُ ضَوْءَ النُّجُومِ

قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ لَا نَعْرِفُهُ بِهَذَا الْإِسْنَادِ إِلَّا مِنْ حَدِيثِ ابْنِ لَهِيعَةَ وَقَدْ رَوَى يَحْيَى بْنُ أَيُّوبَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ أَبِي حَبِيبٍ وَقَالَ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

The Nabi (s) said, “If as little as what can be placed on a fingernail of what is in jannah were to become apparent, it would have beautified all the far corners of the heavens and the earth. And if a man among the people of jannah were to appear and his bracelets were exposed, it would have blotted out the light of the sun, as the sun blots out the light of the stars.”

Tirmidhi said, “This hadith is gharib, and we do not know save with this chain except through the narration of Ibn Lahi’ah. Yahya ibn Ayyub reported this hadith from Yazid ibn Abi Habib and he said “From Umar ibn Sad ibn Abi Waqqas from the Prophet.”

 This hadith was declared da’if by Al-Albani in his edition of the Mishkat 5638. He admits to his heedlessness in grading this chain and in his Silsilat As-Sahihah declares it Sahih 3396.

(6)

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ لَهِيعَةَ عَنْ دَرَّاجٍ عَنْ ابْنِ حُجَيْرَةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ سَافِرُوا تَصِحُّوا وَاغْزُوا تَسْتَغْنُوا

“Travel and you will become healthy (or will stay healthy), fight and you will receive ghanimah.”

[Reported from Ahmad.]

Al Albani declared it weak in his Da’if Al-Jami’ 3210 and also in Silsilat Da’ifah 254. However in his Silsilat Sahihah 3352 he mentions that the hadith comes from Abu Hurayrah and Ibn Umar. As for what is reported from Abu Hurayrah it comes via two ways:

• 1) From Darraj from ibn Hujayrah from Abi Hurayrah. He says, “This chain is Hasan its men are all thiqat as what is known about the established reports from Darraj from Ibn Hujayrah. Though Ibn Lahi’ah is mistaken in memorization except when the Abaadilah report from him, Imam Ahmad deemed the reports of Qutaybah ibn Sa’id from Ibn Lahi’ah Sahih.
• 2) The other is weak.

Also he declared the hadith of Ibn Umar weak apparently “before it became clear to him that this hadith was hasan.”  [See the Dha'ifah 2551]

(7)

ان السيوف مفاتيح الجنة 

“The swords are the keys to Jannah!”  [Ibn Abi Shaybah in his Musannaf]

He declared the hadith da’if in his “Da’if Al-Jami’ 3376. However in his Silsilat As-Sahihah he declared it Sahih saying,

“I say: This chain is Jayyid and its men are all thiqaat, men of the two Shaykhs [i.e. bukhari and muslim] except for Zayd ibn al Hubab and his Shaykh Ad-Dabi’i. The two of them are from the men of Sahih Muslim and regarding them is statements [of criticism] that are of no harm. And for it are witnessing reports from Yazid ibn Abi Ziyad…” [2672]

(8)

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْد اللَّهِ وَيُرْوَى عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَجَرْهَدٍ وَمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جَحْشٍ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْفَخِذُ عَوْرَةٌ

Imam Al-Bukhari narrates in his Sahih, “And it is reported from Ibn ‘Abbas and Jarhad and Muhammad ibn Jahsh from the Nabi (s) that the thigh is ‘awrah.”

Al-Albani states in his Ath-Thamr Al-MustaTab, “As for the hadith that the thigh is ‘awrah, then it is weak as Al-Bukhari alluded to by mentioning that it was ‘reported’ from them.” He goes on to support his claim via a number of arguments he deems “established and correct”!

Al-Albani, however, contradicts himself in a number of places. In his Irwa’ Al-Ghalil 1/297 he states that all of the chains strengthen one another and thus it is an authentic hadith. In fact in his argument in Al-Irwa he actually uses as support the fact that Imam al-Bukhari mentioned these narrations in mu’allaq form. In his Tamam Al-Minnah 160 he also supports the usage of this hadith as proof by “many of the ‘Ulama’”. In his Sahih al-Jami’ (4280, 4157, 4158) and in the Mishkat 3112, 3113, 3114, the Shaykh says, “These three narrations with its chains are weak, however they strengthen each other.”

(9)

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ نُمَيْرٍ عَنْ سَعْدَانَ الْقُمِّيِّ عَنْ أَبِي مُجَاهِدٍ عَنْ أَبِي مُدِلَّةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثَلَاثَةٌ لَا تُرَدُّ دَعْوَتُهُمْ الصَّائِمُ حَتَّى يُفْطِرَ وَالْإِمَامُ الْعَادِلُ وَدَعْوَةُ الْمَظْلُومِ يَرْفَعُهَا اللَّهُ فَوْقَ الْغَمَامِ وَيَفْتَحُ لَهَا أَبْوَابَ السَّمَاءِ وَيَقُولُ الرَّبُّ وَعِزَّتِي لَأَنْصُرَنَّكِ وَلَوْ بَعْدَ حِينٍ

From Abu Hurayrah that Rasulullah said, “There are three types of people whose supplication will not be rejected, ‘The fasting person until he breaks his fast, the Just Imam, the du’a of the oppressed. Allah raises it up above the clouds and opens the gates of heaven to it and The Lord says, ‘By My Might, I will aid you, even if it be after a while.’”

 قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ وَسَعْدَانُ الْقُمِّيُّ هُوَ سَعْدَانُ بْنُ بِشْرٍ وَقَدْ رَوَى عَنْهُ عِيسَى بْنُ يُونُسَ وَأَبُو عَاصِمٍ وَغَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ كِبَارِ أَهْلِ الْحَدِيثِ وَأَبُو مُجَاهِدٍ هُوَ سَعْدٌ الطَّائِيُّ وَأَبُو مُدِلَّةَ هُوَ مَوْلَى أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَائِشَةَ وَإِنَّمَا نَعْرِفُهُ بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ وَيُرْوَى عَنْهُ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ أَتَمَّ مِنْ هَذَا وَأَطْوَلَ

Imam At-Tirmidhi said, “This hadith is Hasan…and Abu Mudillah, he is the freed-servant of Umm Al Mu’minin ‘A’ishah, and we do not know of him except through this hadith. This hadith has been reported from him in longer form.

Al Albani states in his comments on Al-Kalam At-Tayyib:

“And this was also said by Al-Hafith, and there is defect in this claim according to me. The defect in it is Abu Mudillah and Adh-Dhahabi said of him, ‘He is unknown.’”

In his Silsilah As-Sahihah (596 Maktabah Al Ma’arif) he says,

“I disagreed with Al-Hafith on this hadith in my ta’liq of al kalim at tayyib number 163 [Maktabah Al Ma'arif] and as of now I agree with him do to witnessing reports.”

 Thought: Maybe Al Albaani should have known his place and remained silent instead of misleading the common folk away from Al-Hafith!

(10)

الانبياء أحياء في قبورهم يصلون

“The Prophets are alive in their graves, praying.”

In Al-Albani’s Silsilat As-Sahihah number 621 the Shaykh confesses that he used to believe this hadith was weak thinking that Ibn Qutaybah was alone in reporting this narration. He then states that chain is “قوي” strong and that if you read any of his books wherein he has weakened this hadith, abandon it and “hold onto this view [of mine] with your molars”!

(11)

غنيمة مجالس الذكر الجنة

“The ghanimah (booty) for the gatherings of dhikr are Jannah!”

Al Albaani declared this hadith da’if in “Da’if Al-Jami’ 3919″. In his Silsilat As-Sahihah (3335) he admits that at the time of writing the grading he did not see the chain found in At-Tabarani’s Mu’jam Al-Kabir in volume 13 via an authentic chain. He then declares the hadith “Sahih”.