7/30/2019 A Primer on Hadith Authentication

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-primer-on-hadith-authentication 1/11

That’s a Fabricated Hadith!! : A Primer

on Hadith Authentication

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Farhan

هللا  هللا هللا ھ ی

We have all heard the statement, “Seek knowledge even if you have to go to China“. While

the meaning is true, did you know that this is a fake hadith? The Prophet هللا ھی

never said this!

Br. Waqar’s recent posts here at TheCult argue that Ahmadiyya religious authorities

frequently resort to cit ing weak or fabricated hadith. This draws their arguments into question.

Why are they using questionable narrations instead of authentic ones?

However, from the perspective of the layman, both Muslim and Ahmadi, this approach might

come off mere sophistry, a convenient “cop out” to escape what is an otherwise decisive

 Ahmadiyya argument; that we Muslims just call their hadith “weak” or “fabricated” just to run

away from the argument without having to accept the point. While it may seem that way,

nothing could be further from the truth.

In this essay, I hope to explain to our readers what it means for a hadith to be classified

as Authentic , Sound , Weak or Fabricated . This article is not intended to be”juicy” and

theatric, with arguments left and right. Instead, it is a very basic introduction to an area of

Islamic sciences that, while crucial, is far too seldom studied in our modern times. I

should also mention that this article will raise more questions than answers, as this subject is

very in depth and cannot be covered in a single blog post. But, at the least it should provide

you with enough to understand why Br. Waqar’s criticism of Ahmadiyya source material as

Like 4 people like this. Be the f irst of your friends.

AhmadiyyaInviting from Ahmadiyya to Islam

7/30/2019 A Primer on Hadith Authentication

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-primer-on-hadith-authentication 2/11

“weak” and “fabricated” is absolutely valid.

Contrary to popular belief, the hadith are not a mix-mash of unreliable hearsay reports, each

contradicting the next, that were only written down 200~ years after the death of the Prophet

هللا This is far from accurate. For example, few know that the companion Abu . ھی

Hurayrah هللا هللا was writing hadith during the lifetime of the Prophet ھ But! ھی

after the initial pure generations of the Muslims, the authenticity of these recorded and

memorized statements became subject to question. How do you know if a hadith is real or 

fake? How do you know if it was distorted? Many factors brought about suspicion, including:

Peoples’ memory of the exact wordings of a hadith began to falter;

So some would narrate false traditions to gain money or prominence;

The first break-away sects and political movements arose, many of whom felt that they

could advance their agenda by inventing hadith in their favor;

 And some even narrated fake hadith to sell their merchandise (ie, a tomato seller might

fabricate that the Prophet هللا .(said tomatoes are beloved by Allah ھی

In response to this new phenomena, Muslim scholars of the time began to authenticate the

integrity of hadith. They wanted to ensure that any particular narration really was uttered by

the Prophet Muhammad هللا exactly as it was reported. The Muslim scholars set ھی

out to accomplish this momentous task. Over time, a processes developed to validate and

classify the authenticity of prophetic traditions. This area of Islamic Sciences is titled

Mustalah al-Hadith, the Classification of the Hadith.

In brief, I hope to explain four main concepts:

1. How narrations are classified;

2. The Levels of Authenticity;

3. How to approach the books of Hadith; and

4. Why is this relevant to the discussion on traditional Islam vs Ahmadiyya.

To repeat, this is a very basic introduction to this subject. After reading this, I guarantee you

will have more questions than answers. But, I hope to establish an appreciation for what it

means when Muslims object that the Ahmadiyya arguments rest upon known weak, distorted

or fabricated hadith.

How Hadith are Classified

The classification of hadith is a thorough and rigorous process. There are dozens of factors

involved in the methodology.

When you read from a hadith book, before every narration you will see “It is reported on the

7/30/2019 A Primer on Hadith Authentication

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-primer-on-hadith-authentication 3/11

authority of so-and-so that so-and-so heard from so-and-so

who saw the Prophet Muhammad  ھی هللا …”. This

initial part of a hadith is called the sanad ( ), the chain of 

narration. A sanad is the documented list of people who

transmitted the hadith, from person to person.

 A major part of authentication is to validate each individual

narrator in the chain of transmission. It would be asked of 

each person in the chain:

Who was he?

Was he known to be a liar? Even just once?

Did he openly commit sins?

Was he known for following innovations in faith (bid’ah

or following a sect)?

Was he known to make mistakes in detailed matters?

Was his memory good? Was he ever known to be forgetful?Was he known as careless or alert?

Did his mental faculties deteriorate at any point in his life? If so, when?

What was his line of work?

Was he well-known or a person of obscurity?

Where did he reside?

What was his relationship with the government?

 All of these questions and more were meant to verify the integrity of a person. You might be

thinking, would this not require a complete biography of each person mentioned in the Sanad?Yes! There are volumes of books that are nothing but biographies of Muslims of the past,

documenting this detailed information. This area of Islamic studies is titled ‘Ilm al-Rijal (

), or the Biographies of Muslims who transmitted the hadith. As part of this process,

people who narrated hadith were themselves classified into categories, ranging between most

trustworthy with an impeccable memory to frequent liar or possessing a weak memory.

Further, on the chain of transmission, it would be asked if there are gaps between narrators

where people are omitted. For example, was there a 5 year period before the birth and death

of two adjacent reporters? Did two adjacent narrators ever meet? If so, when and where? For what purpose? For how long? Can this be proven?

Then to the matan ( ), or text of the narration: A narration might be compared with similar 

known narrations to see if there are any discrepancies around the same incident. Does the

narration contradict established principles in Islam (ie, deny the existence of angels)? Was

the narration said in the right time, for example, not speaking about the Battle of Badr during

the Makkan era. A hadith authenticator might look for “hidden defects” or irregularities, an

insight with hadith that can only be gained after memorizing literally millions of hadith.

7/30/2019 A Primer on Hadith Authentication

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-primer-on-hadith-authentication 4/11

There are dozens of other small checks, a complete list of details would be beyond the scope

of this article. Suffice to say, the methodology of authenticating hadith is very very thorough.

 And after exhausting their physical means, hadith critics put their trust in Allah. It is said that

Imam al-Bukhari هللا never added a hadith to his famous ھ Sahih al-Bukhari without

making fresh wudhu’, sending salah upon the Prophet هللا ,(durood shareef) ھی

performing two rakahs of nafl prayer, and making du’a istikhaara. He once saw the Prophet

هللا in a dream urging him to continue writing. Other hadith critics reached a point ھی

where they would see a light coming out of a person’s mouth who recited a correct hadith the

way we see a person’s breathe on a cold day.

Levels of Classification

This aforementioned methodology classified hadith into four brought categories:

1. Saheeh ( ی ), Authentic – This means that a narration is reliable and authentic, that

we know without any doubt that the Prophet Muhammad هللا made this ھی

statement or action. This is the absolute highest level of authentication.

2. Hasan ( ), Sound - This level means that we know without any reasonable doubt that

a hadith is valid. There may be small issues with individuals in the chain of narration.

However, a hasan hadith is not questionable or suspicious, in fact it might even be

without dispute. Hasan only means that it is just a step below passing the rigorous

tests of Saheeh.

3. Dha’eef ( ی ), Weak – This level means that the authenticity of a narration is subject

to question. Entire meanings may have changed, reporters of the hadith are unknown or 

contain questionable individuals, etc. Dha’eef hadith are only used as inspirational

statements or as a backup to support a point, but never to prove a point in belief or 

practice on their own. Many rejected them outright.

4. Mawdu’ ( ), Fabricated – This is the lowest level of classification. In simple terms,

it is a fake hadith, merely invented by someone. Examples include strange and offensive

statements such as “consult women, and do the opposite”.

These are the four primary classifications, with many sub-divisions. For example, a dha’eef 

hadith can be further subdivided into categories, such as very weak ( ی ), baseless

( ) and contradictory to other authentic hadith ( ). A hasan hadith can be raised tosaheeh because a matching saheeh narration exists, confirming the hasan one. This is called

al-Hasan li-Ghayrihi ( .( ی 

The absolute highest level of Saheeh is called Mutawatir ( ), which means that so many

concurring sources narrated the same incident that it is inconceivable that it is false. This is

akin to the reports of 9/11. It was reported to us by so many people that it is inconceivable

that all sources conspired together to merely concoct the terrible events of that day.

7/30/2019 A Primer on Hadith Authentication

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-primer-on-hadith-authentication 5/11

Approach to the Books of Hadith

The arrogance of modern academia has led many to approach books of hadith as we would

read a newspaper, as something we can pick up and independently study, analyze and make

personal conclusions on without the aid of a guide. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Books of hadith were written by scholars for scholars. It was never intended that the layman

would directly read them. There are subtleties in their language that only a scholar would pick

up, such as the difference between ‘On the authority of so-and-so’ vs ‘I heard from so-and-so ‘.

Sometimes, scholars thought the classifications of a hadith was so obvious they did not feel

the need to write it down. Many times clearly fabricated hadith were left in the

compilations only for the sake of completion. Historically, none of these convoluting

factors were problems because students learned prophetic narrations in a class with a

teacher who is a master in each hadith he is conveying.

But with the advent of wide-scale print media and the internet, now the average person can get

a copy of Sahih al-Bukhari, complete with the Muhsin Khan English translation. While this is

a positive development, it is a double-edged sword that opens the door for misinterpretationsand misunderstandings.

Consider if someone compiled anecdotal events from your life. Imagine how easy an incident

could be misconstrued. This is exactly what happens with many of the hadith. They are

misinterpreted or misunderstood. To truly understand a hadith, you do not pick up a book of 

hadith and just read, you must know:

When it was said;

Why it was said;

Where was it said;

To whom it was said;

What were the surrounding circumstances;

 Are there any other related hadith to the incident;

 Are there any cultural norms or customs that affect its meaning but are not obvious from

the text; etc

Books of Hadith generally do not contain this information in a simple manor. Some questions

are answered in books of Sharh ( ), explanation. But ultimately, the best way to gain thisknowledge is to study with a scholar of hadith who himself learned from a scholar of hadith,

who learned from a scholar of hadith all the way back to the actual compilation of the book or 

the Prophet هللا himself. This is a safeguard that your understanding of the hadith ھی

is not merely someone’s personal interpretation, but what the Prophet هللا actually ھی

intended, through a direct chain of correct understandings.

The Relevance to Ahmadiyya?

7/30/2019 A Primer on Hadith Authentication

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-primer-on-hadith-authentication 6/11

So, what is the point of all of this? Why am I even taking the time to talk about Mustalah al-

Hadith.

In short, because if you analyze the Ahmadiyya arguments, you will find that the vast majority

of them use weak, problematic or outright fabricated hadith. For example, it is an established

fact that Al-Maseeh ھی and Imam Mahdi ھی are two different people: Al-Maseeh is

and only is ‘Esa bin Maryam ھی , and Imam Mahdi is named Muhammad, his father is

named ‘Abdullah, he is from the noble family of the prophet from the tribe of al-Qahtan. In

some narrations, the two interact and exchange dialogue, clearly indicating two different

people. However, Mirza Ghulam claimed to be both at the same time. In order to justify this

position, he cited the narration “ What they do .(There is no Mahdi except ‘Esa) ” ھ 

not disclose to the laymen Ahmadi is that this narration was known for centuries that this was

a fake hadith- a complete fabrication. Yet they continue to cite it for proof.

Likewise, the Ahmadiyya religious leaders will cite known fake hadith to prove that ‘Esa bin

Maryam ھی died. Br. Waqar’s articles demonstrate this thematic problem in their 

arguments.

Mirza Ghulam said he rejects any hadith that contradicts the Qur’an. While this principle is

true, it is no accident that Ahmadiyya appeals to this principle more than others. It is not that

there are just so many fake hadith floating around that were incorrectly deemed authentic. It

is that their Ahmadi-specific interpretation of the Qur’an is so erroneous that they

radically conflict with authentic and valid prophetic traditions. Both the Qur’an and

hadith are correct, but their interpretation of the former and subsequent rejection of the latter 

is erroneous.

When I was doing my undergraduate studies, someone left the book “Invitation to

 Ahmadiyyat” in the Muslims’ prayer room. I read the book, and strongly considered accepting

 Ahmadiyya. But because I had foundational knowledge on this topic, I double-checked the

sources that the author used. I found problem after problem, citing questionable hadith, half-

truths, and other issues. I ultimately decided to remain Muslim. But I am concerned that the

average Ahmadi does not possess this knowledge. So, I hope this article was a sufficient

primer into the topic.

If you want to do additional research, I suggest a few sources:

The Preservation of Hadith: A Brief Introduction to the Science of Hadith

 An Introduction to the Sciences of Hadith by Shaykh Suhayb Hasan

Preservation of the Hadith in Islam (It starts off talking about general Da’wah to an

audience that is not familiar with Islam, but then it jumps to the topic. And I hope the

long beard does not turn people off!!)

Uloom al Hadith: Preservation of the Sunnah

 And finally, the absolute best source for anyone interested in this topic is a qualified

7/30/2019 A Primer on Hadith Authentication

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-primer-on-hadith-authentication 7/11

10 T HOUGHTS ON “THAT’S A FABRICATED HADITH!! : A PRIMER ON HADITH AUTHENTICATION”

TweetTweet 0 Like 4 0

teacher who has studied this topic in detail.

May Allah reveal to the common Ahmadi the erroneous nature of the Ahmadiyya arguments.

May Allah continue to guide Ahmadis away from the false religion of Mirza Ghulam and to the

true path of our noble Prophet Muhammad هللا  and may he reward us for our , ھی

da’wah efforts.

ھ هللا  ی

Be Sociable, Share!

This entry was posted in Ahmadiyya, Theology, Uncategorized by Farhan. Bookmark thepermalink [http://thecult.info/blog/2011/02/07/thats-a-fabricated-hadith-a-primer-on-

hadith-authentication/] .

Like 4 people like this. Be the f irst of your friends.

ShareShare

Tahir Hussain

on February 7, 2011 at 1:11 pm said:

 A nice introduction to the science of ahadith. Brother Farhan, what is the best source

for an English reading/speaking Muslim for ahadith? In the sense of what the classical

scholars said about a particular hadith, not ahadith reading. For example, Fath-Ul-Bari

is ideal for Sahih Bukhari but only available to those who can read and understand

 Arabic? Is there any source other than a teacher? Is there any tafsir on ahadith

available in English by classical scholars?

Farhan

on February 7, 2011 at 2:52 pm said:

I honestly could not tell you where to gain in depth knowledge on this topic. I

merely took one introductory class some 3 years ago. (Above post was based

on my notes) I would not say I’m an expert in the subject at all. With these

“survey” classes, I gained an appreciation for the subject, not a mastery.

7/30/2019 A Primer on Hadith Authentication

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-primer-on-hadith-authentication 8/11

The average person does not need to study this. The only reason why I

brought this up is because so many Ahmadiyya arguments are based on

ahadith that have been known for maybe 1100 years to be complete

FABRICATIONS.

 A prime example of this are the “Satanic Verse”. It was known at the t ime al-

Tabari wrote his tafsir that this “satanic verses” story was a complete fake.

But he left it in the Tafsir ONLY for the sake of completion, to gather 

EVERYTHING and preserve it for the sake of completion and to be thorough.

Now, they obviously don’t believe in the “satanic verses” story, but there are

many other fabricated hadith. So you have clearly fake ahadith that are being

used by Ahmadiyya arguers to prove their religion, when they themselves are

not even aware that its fake.

That’s a problem.

Rationalist

on February 7, 2011 at 4:57 pm said:

Nice work. Islam is sooo beautiful. We taught the world the proper way to preserve

data. That must have been the most important practice of all-time. I think the Muslims

also translated Greek works into arabic and thus preserved them.

M.K

on February 8, 2011 at 12:22 am said:

MashaAllah great work brother!

 An apple does not fall far from the tree. What else can we expect from Ahmadiyyat

which is based on lies and deception.

7/30/2019 A Primer on Hadith Authentication

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-primer-on-hadith-authentication 9/11

Wasif 

on February 8, 2011 at 5:17 am said:

The Prophet (S) commanded, La taktabu ‘anni ghair-al-Qur’an; wa mun kataba ‘anni

ghair-al-Qur’an falyamhah. (Write from me nothing but the Qur’an and if anyone has

written, it must be obliterated.)

Saheeh Muslim, vol 1 pg 211 Hadith number 594, Printer Maktaba Adnan, Beirut 1967

Farhan

on February 8, 2011 at 4:29 pm said:

That’s an oft-quoted hadith. Ironic isn’t it that its found in a BOOK of hadith?

That hadith, if nothing else, shows that the Sahaba were documented the

hadith in the lifetime of the Prophet SAAWS. Ask yourself the question, if the

Sahaba knew about that statement, why did they still document the prophetic

traditions? One cannot just quote a statement like that. As I wrote in the

article, you have to know:

* When it was said;

* Why it was said;

* Where was it said;

* To whom it was said;

* What were the surrounding circumstances;

* Are there any other related hadith to the incident;

This was during a time when only the Qur’an was being written down. The

Prophet SAAWS did not want his own statements to be mixed with the

Qur’an, so he ordered that the ahadith not be written down. This was only

initially. Later, he ordered the likes of Abu Hurayrah (RA) to document his

statements.

This is an example of why isolated statements cannot be taken out of context.

Leads to confusing. That’s the exact avenue that the Ahmadiyya religious

figureheads exploited to deceive sincere Ahmadis.

7/30/2019 A Primer on Hadith Authentication

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-primer-on-hadith-authentication 10/11

May Allah shower the noble Prophet Muhammad with the blessings and

peace of God, and his noble family – ‘Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Husayn, Zayn

al-’Abideen, and Muhammad al-Baqir and Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq and all of them!

(Sorry, random busting out of love of the family of the Prophet SAAWS ;-] )

Shahid

on February 8, 2011 at 6:50 am said:

Brother, mashaAllah this is really good. If I’d had this article when I started my

 journey, I might have shaved two weeks off my departure time from Ahmadiyya,

wAllahu `Alim

Ray of Light

on February 8, 2011 at 8:42 am said:

 Alhumdulilah! Very good job Farhan! I just took an intro course to hadiths last summer 

and it opened my eyes to how in-depth the study of hadith science is. Inhsallah I loved

and I plan to continue to deepen my knowledge in the field of hadith sciences. When I

was an Ahmadi, I never truly met anyone in the jammat who had a strong command of 

hadith science; not even the murabbis.

 jazakallah bro!

WaSalaam

Ray of Light

on February 8, 2011 at 8:43 am said:

oops! meant to say “I loved it” (study of hadith)

Salaam!

7/30/2019 A Primer on Hadith Authentication

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-primer-on-hadith-authentication 11/11

Waqart Akbar Cheema

on February 9, 2011 at 4:38 pm said:

masha’Allah .. very well put akhi .. jazak’Allahu khair 

unfortunately I was not around for some days so couldn’t respond to your call .. but

 Alhamdulillah you did it very well .. i hope now our Ahmadi friends will get some idea

as to how the things work …

here is another brief and wonderful work on Hadith sciences.

Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature by Muhammad Mustafa Azami

http://www.islamicsearchcenter.com/library/hadith/Studies_in_Hadith_Methodology_and_Literature.pd