Hadhrat Ibn Abbas's (Radhiyallaho anho) Thirst For Knowledge

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abbas (Radhiyallaho anho) says:

"After the passing away of the Prophet (Sailallaho alaihe wasallam), I said to an Ansari friend of mine. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is not now with us. But a large number of Sahabah are still among us. Let us go to them and get knowledge of the Islamic practices". He said. 'Who is going to approach you for learning a regulation in the presence of these eminent Sahabah?' I was not discouraged. I kept up my quest for knowledge and approached every person who was supposed to have heard something from the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). I managed to gather substantial information from the Ansar. If on my visit to someone of the Sahabah, I found him asleep, I spread my shawl at the gate and sat waiting. Sometimes my face and body would get covered with dust, but I kept sitting till they woke and I was able to contact them. Some of them said: 'Abdullah you are the cousin of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam); you could have sent for us. Why did you take the trouble of coming to our places?' I said to them: 'I must come to you, for I am a student and you are my teachers.' Some people for whom I had waited said: 'Since when have you been waiting for us?' I informed them that I had been sitting there for a pretty long time. They said: 'What a pity! You could have awakened us from our sleep.' I said: 'I did not like to disturb you for my own sake.' I thus carried on my pursuits, till there came a time when people began to flock to me for learning. My Ansari friend realised this at that time and remarked. 'This boy has surely proved himself more sensible than us.

It was this devotion to knowledge, which caused Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abbas (Radhiyallaho anho) to be known as Hibr-ul-Ummat (the most learned man of Islam) and Bahrul Ulum (ocean of knowledge) in his time. At the time of his death, he was in Taif. Hadhrat Muhammad bin Ali (Radhiyallaho anho) led the funeral service and said:

"Today we have lost our godly leader."

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) says:

"Abdullah bin Abbas (Radhiyallaho anho) is noted for his knowledge of the occasions when various verses of the Qur'an were revealed."

According to Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) Hadhrat Ibne Abbas (Radhiyallaho anho) is one of the most eminent Ulama of Islam. This is all due to his hard labour in acquiring knowledge. Had he considered himself a member of the Prophet's family (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), and as such demanded respect from the people instead of going to them for knowledge, he could not have attained this position. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has said:

"Be most humble and respectful to persons from whom you receive knowledge."

Mujahid says:     "A proud or shy student cannot gain much."

Hadhrat Ali (Radhiyallaho anho) says:

    "I am a slave to the person who has taught me even a single word. He may sell me or set me free."

Hadhrat Yahya bin Kathir (Rahmatullahi alaih) says:

    "Knowledge and easy living cannot go hand in hand."

Hadhrat Imam Shafi (Rahmatullah alaih) says:

"A student who learns half-heartedly and ungratefully can never succeed. A student who is humble and hard-living often reaches his goal."

Mughirah says:     "We feared our teacher Hadhrat Ibrahim (Rahmatullah alaih) more than even the kings of our times."

Hadhrat Bukhari (Rahmatullah alaih) writes about Yahya bin Ma'een, the famous Mohaddith:

"I have never seen a person more respectful to the Muhaddithin than Yahya."

Imam Abu Yusuf (Rahmatullah alaihe) says:

"I have heard from eminent people that a student who does not respect his teacher is never successful."

This story shows that Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abbas (Radhiyallaho anho) was very humble and respectful to those from whom he learnt Islam. It also shows his devotion to knowledge. He did not mind any amount of labour or inconvenience in going to persons who had some knowledge of Hadith. In fact, nothing can be achieved without in-convenience. As the Arabic proverb goes

"A person who wishes to excell others must burn the midnight oil."

It is said about Hadhrat Harith bin Yazid, Hadhrat Ibn Shubrumah, Hadhrat Qa`qaa, and Hadhrat Mughirah (Rahmatullahi alaihim) that they held discussions over religious matters among themselves after Isha and would not disperse before Azaan of Fajr. Hadhrat Laith bin Sa'eed (Rahmatullah alaih) says:

"Imam Zuhri (Rahmatullah alaih) sat after Isha with Wudhu and continued his discussion on Hadith till it was Fajr."

Darawardi says:

      "I saw Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Malik in the Prophet's musjid after Isha, discussing some religious point very calmly and without offending each other. They dispersed only after performing Fajr Salaat."

Ibn Furat Baghdadi (Rahmatullah alaih)—a left on his death, eighteen boxes full of books. Most of these books were written in his own hand. He is famous among Muhaddithin for his authentic and systematic record.

Ibn Jauzi (Rahmatunali alaih) is another famous Muhaddith. He was brought up as an orphan, as he lost his father when he was only three. He was so studious that he would not leave his house except for Jum`uah prayer. He once declared from the pulpit, pointing to his fingers:

"With these fingers I have written or copied no less than two thousand books."

He was himself the author of more than two hundred and fifty books. It is said that he never remained idle. He used to write four parts of a book daily. His lessons were so popular that as many as 100000 students at a time listened to him. The kings, their ministers and chiefs would also attend his lectures. He himself says:

    "As many as 100(M0 disciples have pledged devotion to me, and not less than 20000 disbelievers have accepted Islam at my hands."

He also had to suffer much at the hands of Shiahs, who were in power those days. While mending his reed pen, he preserved the chips, and at the time of his death expressed the desire that those chips be used for warming the water for washing his 3ead body. It is said that not only the pre-served stock was sufficient for warming water, but a part was still left unused.

Yahya bin Ma'een (Rahmatullah alaih) is a famous shaikh of Ahadith. He says:

"I have written one million Ahadith with my own hand". I

bn Jarir Tabari (Rahmatullah alaih) is a historian of great fame. lie is an authority on the history of the Sahabah and "'Anvil. For forty years, he wrote 80 pages daily. After his death, his output in written work (since his maturity) was calculated to come to 28 pages daily. The book on history written by him which is generally available is very famous and popular. When he planned to write this book, he said to the people round him:

"You will be pleased to learn that I intend writing a book on world history.

They inquired:     "How big will that book be'?"

He said:     "About 30 000 leaves."

They remarked:     "Who will live to finish this book?"

He said:     "Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raaji-oon.

People have become so unaspiring."

He then decided to condense the material, which still covered 6000 pages. The same story is reported about his book on the meaning and commentary of the Qu'ran, This is also a very famous and popular book.

Daaraqutni (Rahmatullah alaih) is a famous writer on Hadith. He travelled to Baghdad, Basrah, Koofah, Wasit, Egypt and Syria for learning Hadith. Once he was attending the class of his teacher. During the teacher's lecture he was once seen copying from a certain book. One of the fellow students admonished him saying:

"How can you listen to the Shaikh while doing that work?"

He said:     There is a difference in my listening and yours. Tell me how many Hadiths has the Shaikh recited so far?"

The student began to think. Daaraqutni (Rahmatullah alaih) said:

"Now let me tell you. The Shaikh has so far recited eighteen Hadiths and these are…"

He then repeated all the eighteen Ahadiths that the Shaikh had recited in the same order, quoting the chain of narration in each case.

Hafiz Athram (Rahmatullah alaih) is a Muhaddith. He had a wonderful capacity for memorising Ahadith. Once he was in Mecca for Hajj. Two reputed Shaikhs from Khurasan were holding their lectures on Hadith in the Haram separately, and a large number of people were listening to each Shaikh. He sat between the two groups and noted down the lectures of both the Shaikhs at one and the same time.

Abdullah bin Mubarak (Rahmatullah alaih) is a Mo-haddith of great fame. His labours and efforts in collecting Hadiths are known to everybody. He says:

"I have learnt Hadith from four thousand teachers."

Ali bin Hasan (Rahmatullah alaih) says:

“It was a very cold night when I and urn Mubarak stepped out from the musjid after Ishii. We continued discussion on a Hadith while standing there, till we heard the Azaan for Fajr."

Humaidi (Rahmatullah alaih) is a Muhaddith, who has combined Bukhari and Muslim in one compilation. It is said that he wrote throughout the night. When it was very hot, he would write while sitting in a tub of water. He also wrote poetry. The following verses have been written by him:—

Mixing with people does not benefit

Beyond waste of time in gossip;

Don't go to the people, except

For acquiring knowledge and piety

Imam Tabrani (Rahmatullah alaih) is a reputed Muhad-dith and author of numerous books. Somebody inquired:

"How could you write so many books, Shaikh'?"

He replied:     "I have been on my mat for thirty years."

Abul Abbas Shirazi (Rahmatullah alaih) says:

    "I have learnt 300000 Ahadith from Tabrani."

Imam Abu Hanifa (Rahmatullah alaih) laboured very hard in going deep into those Ahadiths which contradicted some others. Koofah was the centre of Islamic learning in those days. Ile had collected Hadith from all the Muhaddithin of that place. Whenever a Muhaddith from outside came to Koofah, he sent his students to him to ascertain if he knew any such I ladith that was not known to him. The Imam had established a circle where scholars of Hadith, Fiqati, and Philology gathered together. They had discussions on regulations about Islamic practices. Sometimes the discussions continued for one month before a point was agreed upon, and written in the book of regulations for the people of his school of thought.

    Imam Tirmizi (Rahmatullah ataih) is known to one and all. He was unique in his capacity for memorising and retaining Ahadith. His memory was marvellous. Some Muhaddithin once tested his memory. They recited before him forty-one Hadiths. Imam Tirmizi (Radmatullah alaih) immediately repeated all of them. He himself writes:

"On my way to Mecca: I copied Iwo parts from the collections of Hadith by a Shaikh. I happened to come across that Shaikh personally. I said to him, 'I have copied two parts of your collections. I wish to compare those Hadiths by listening to them (tiredly from you.' The Shaikh agreed. While going to his place I, by mistake, took a blank book instead of the note hook in which I had copied the Hadiths. The Shaikh started reciting the Hadiths, while I held the blank book in my hand. When he noticed it, he was very angry with me. I explained to him how that had happened, and said, 'Shaikh, your time is not wasted. I remember everything that you have said' He did not believe me and asked me to repeat all that he had recited. I repeated all the Ahadith. He thought I had memorized them before I came to him. I said, You may recite some other Hadiths.' He recited forty new Hadiths. I repeated all of them without any error."

It is very difficult to work and labour as hard as these Muhaddithin did in collecting, memorising and propagating Hadith. It is difficult even to cover all such stories. Qartamah (Rahmatullah alaih) is a Muhaddith who is not very famous. One of his students, Daud, says:

"People speak about the memory of Abu Hatim (Rahmatullah alaih). I have never seen a person with better memory than Qartamah. Once he said to me, "Pick any of the books from my library. I shall recite it from my memory." I picked up `Kitabul-Ashribah.' He recited the whole book in the reverse order i.e., reading from the end to the beginning of each chapter."

Abu Zur'ah (Rahmatullahi alaih) says:

    "Imam Ahmad bin Hambal (Rahmatullah alaih) remembered one million Ahadith by heart. I have collected 100000 Ahadith and I know 30000 of them by heart."

Khafaf (Rahmatullah alaih) says:

"Ishaq (Rahmatulla alaih) once dictated to us 11000 Ahadith from his memory. He then repeated all of them in the same order, with no error at all."

Abu Sa'd Isbahani, (Rahmatullah alaih) when he was only sixteen, left from Baghdad to learn Hadith from Abu Nasr (Rahmatullah alaih). He heard about his death on the way. He cried bitterly like a child, and would say:

"How shall I know the chain of narrators of his Hadiths?"

Such crying is not possible without love and devotion. He knew the 'Muslim' collection of Ahadith by heart and taught the book to his puplis from memory.

Abu Umar Dharir (Rahmatullab alaih) was blind by birth, but is counted among the Huffaitz of Hadith. He was an expert in History, Fiqah, Law of inheritance and mathematics.

Abul Husain Isfahani (Rahmatullah alaih) remembered the Bukhari and Muslim compilations both by heart. Bukhari was so deeply fixed in his memory that he would give the chain of narrators’ for any text or vice versa.

Shaikh Taqi-ud-Din Ba'albakki (Rahmatullah alaih) memorised the 'Muslim' in four months. He was also Hafiz of Hadith common in Muslim's and Bukhari's compilations. He was a saint, and many miracles are attributed to him. He had also memorised the Qur'an. It is said that Soorah Al-An'aam was memorized by him in one day.

Ibnus-Sunni (Rahmatullah alaih) is a famous pupil of Imam Nasai (Rahmatullah alaih). He was writing Hadith even up to the last moments of his life. His son says?

"My father was writing Hadith when he put aside the pen, raised his hands in prayer and breathed his last."

Allamah Saaji (Rahmatullah alaih) mastered Fiqah in his teens. Then he began to acquire knowledge about Hadiili. He staved in Herat for ten years and wrote the whole of "Tirmizi' six times during that stay. His teacher Ibn Mandah (Rahmatullah alaih) died while teaching him 'Gharaib Sho'bah' after Isha.

Abu-Umar Khafaf (Rahmatullah alaih) remembered 100000 hadiths by heart. More than 100000 persons at-tended the lectures of Asim bin Ali (Rahmatullah alaih) (Shaikh of Imam Bukhari) when he was in Baghdad. One day, an audience of 120 000 was estimated during his lecture. The words uttered by him were relayed a number of before these could be heard by all the people. The words "Al-Laith (Rahmatullah alaih) reported to me," uttered I by him once had to be relayed fourteen times.

Abu Muslim Basri (Rahmatullah alaih) on reaching Baghdad took his class to a big ground. Seven hundred men were relaying his lecture. 40000 inkpots, used for taking down his lecture, were counted in one lecture. There were many more who simply listened. In the lectures by Faryabi (Rahmatullah alaih) there used to be 316 persons who would relay his words to enable people to write these down. It was this labor and devotion which has caused the sacred knowledge to live up to our time.

Imam Bukhari (Rahmatullah alaih) says:

"I compiled my collection of 7275 Ahadith by selection from 600000. I have been saying Salaat of 2 rakaats before writing each Hadith".

When Imaam Bukhari (Rahmatullah alaih) came to Baghdad, the Muhaddithin tested his knowledge. Ten persons were nominated for the test. Each of these persons selected ten Ahadith of his choice and, after making some changes in the wording, recited each Hadith before Imam Blikhari (Rahmatullah alaih). On each recital, he would say:

"I do not know such Hadith."

When all had finished, he addressed each man saying:

"Brother, the first Hadith you recited as such (reciting as the man had done), but actually it is such (reciting the correct wording) . . . and so on."

He repeated all the hundred Ahadith first in the form in which those men had recited, and again in the correct form in that very order.

Imam Muslim (Rahmatullah alaih) started learning Hadith when he was fourteen, and remained engaged in that till his death. He says:

"I have compiled my book of 12000 after selecting from 300 000 Ahadith."

Abu Daud (Rahmatullah alaih) says:

"I had collected 500 000 Ahadith, but I selected only 4 800 for inclusion in my book."

Yusuf Muzi (Rahmatullah alaih) is a famous Muhadith. He is an Imam in the science of Asmaa-ur Rijaal (classification of reporting persons). After learning Fiqh and Hadith from the teachers in his own town he went to Mecca, Madinah, Halb, Hamat Ba'albak etc, in search of further knowledge. He is the writer of many books. `Tahzib-ul-Kamar is in 200 parts and `Kitab-ul-Atraaf ' has more than 80 parts. He often kept quiet and spoke very little. Most of the time, he was engaged in reading or writing. I le suffered at the hands of his enemies, who were jealous of him, but he never retaliated.

It is really very difficult to cover all the stories of other illustrious people about their service to knowledge. The details of their toils cannot he covered even in several volumes. What has been written above is only meant to give a few glimpses of the pains that our elders in Islam have taken in the development of knowledge about Hadith and leaving it to us in such an accomplished form. Let those people who profess to seek knowledge see for themselves what sacrifices they are really making in this field. It is futile to hope that the knowledge about the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), which has thus reached us, will be spread and brought into practice while we remain absorbed in our luxuries, comforts, pleasures and other worldly engagements.

A Person Travels from Madinah to Damascus For One Hadith

Kathir bin Qais narrates:

"I was sitting with Hadhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho) in a musjid in Damascus, when a person came to him and said, 'O, Hadhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho), I have come all the way from Madinah to learn one I ladith from you, as I understand you have heard it directly from the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)."

Hadhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho):

      "Have you any other business in Damascus?"

The person:

      "No."

Hadhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho):

      "Are you sure that you have no other work in Damascus?"

The person:

      "I have come to this place with the sole purpose of learning this Hadith."

Hadhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho): "Listen. I have heard the Prophet (Sallallaho aliahe wasallam) saying, 'Allah eases the way to Paradise for one who traverses some distance to seek knowledge. The angels spread their wings under his feet, and all things in heavens and earth (even the fish in the water) pray for his forgiveness. The superiority of a person possessing knowledge over a person doing worship is as the superiority of the moon over the stars. The Ulama are the inheritors of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wassallam). The legacy of Prophets (Alaihimus-salaam) is neither gold nor silver. Their legacy is knowledge. A person who acquires knowledge ac-quires a great wealth."

Hadhrat Abu-Darda (Radhiyallaho anho) is foremost among the Sahabah who possessed very sound knowledge in religion. He is called 'Hakim-ul-Ummah' (The Sage of Islam). He once said:

"Before Islam, I lived on trade. After accepting Islam, I tried to combine the service of with my business, but I could not do so. I therefore gave up business and devoted myself solely to the service of Allah. Now if I have a shop at the gate of a musjid and have no fear of losing a single Salaat thereby, and even if the shop gives me a daily profit of 40 dinars to spend the whole lot in the path of Allah, even then I am not willing to turn to business."

Somebody inquired the reason. He replied:—

"Because of the fear of reckoning."

He used to say:     "I love death, so that I may meet Allah. I love destitution, so that I be meek. I love sickness, so that I be pardoned my sins."

In this story, we find a person travelling all the way from Madinah to Damascus for the sake of one Hadith. This was not at all hard for those people. Hadhrat Sha'abi (Rahmatullahi alaih) is a famous Muhaddith of Koofa. He once narrated a Hadith to one of his 'students and said:

"You are listening to this Hadith while sitting in your home town. People had to travel all their way to Madi-nah for even less important things, because Madinah was the only of seat learning in those days."

Saeed ibnul Musayyab (Rahmatullahi alaih) is a famous Tabi'ee. He says:

"For each Hadith that I have learnt, I had to travel on foot for days and nights together."

Imam Bukhari (Rahmatullahi alaih) was born in Shawwal 194 All. He started learning Hadith in 205 A.H. i.e., when he was only eleven. He had memorised all the books written by Abdullah bin Mubarak (Rahmatullahi alaih) while he was in his early teens. After collecting Ahadith from all the learned men of his own locality, he set out in 216 A.H. in search of further knowledge. His father died and he could not leave his widowed mother alone. He therefore took her with him on his long and strenuous journey to Balkh, Baghdad, Mecca. Basra, Koofah, Asqalan, Hims and Damascus. He collected all the available Ahadith from these seats of learning. He was accepted as an expert in Hadith, while he had not a single hair on his chin. He writes:

I was eighteen when I compiled the Fatwah of the Sa-habah and Tabi'ees."

Hashad (Rahmatullahi alaihe) and one of his companions say:—

"Bukhari and we two used to go together to the same teacher. We noted down all the Ahadith that we learnt, hid he wrote nothing: After many days we said to him, 'Bukhari, you are wasting your tune.' Ile kept quiet. When we admonished him again and again, he said, 'You are now annoying me too much. Bring your notes.' We brought our notes, which covered about 15,000 Ahadith. He, to our litter amazement, recited all those Ahadith by heart."

Hadhrat Ibn Mas'ood's (Radhiyallaho anho) Cautiousness About Hadith

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Mas'ood (Radhiyallaho anho) is one of those eminent Sahabah who were entrusted with the task of issuing Fatwa, even during the Prophet's (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) time. He had been in the fold of Islam since its advent and was one of the emigrants to Abyssinia. He accompanied the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) in all his campaigns and worked as his attendant. He carried the shoes of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), provided him with a pillow when he needed one, and brought him water for his Wudhu. He was therefore called "The Keeper of the shoes", "The Keeper of Pillow" and "The Manager for Wudhu". The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) once said:

"Abdullah bin Mas'ood (Radhiyallaho anho) is the only person whom I can safely appoint as an Amir without consulting anybody."

He was permitted by the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasal-lam) to visit him at all times. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is reported to have said:

(1)    "If you want to recite the Qur'an as it was revealed to me, then copy the recitation of Abdullah bin Mas'ood."

(2)    "Believe in what Abdullah bin Mas'ood (Radhiyal-laho anho) narrates about me."

Hadhrat Abu Moosa Ash'ari (Radhiyallaho anho) says:

"Abdullah bin Masood (Radhiyallaho anho) and his mother visited the Prophet's (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) house so often and were so at home there that the people of Yemen, who had come to see the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), took him as one of the Ahlul Bait (family member.)" Though he was so near to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), yet he was very cautious about narrating the words of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). Hadhrat Abu 'Amir Shai-bani (Radhiyallaho anho) says:

"I stayed with Abdullah bin Mas'ood (Radhiyallaho anho) for one year. I never heard him attributing any words direct to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasal-lam). Whenever he intended doing so, he would shiver with fear."

Hadhrat 'Amr bin Maimoon (Radhiyallaho anho) says:

"I have been visiting Abdullah bin Mas'ood (Radhiyal-laho anho) every Thursday for one year: I never heard him attributing any words direct to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). Once he was narrrating Hadith. When he uttered the words 'The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said so,' then his body began to shiver, his eyes became full of tears, his forehead sweated, his veins swelled and he said 'Insha-Allah' the Prophet said so, or something like that, it might be something less or something more."

Look at the Sahabah's caution and care about Hadith.

The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said:

"A person who attributes anything to me, which I have not said, is making his abode in the Hell."

This is why the Sahabah, though speaking and doing everything according to the instructions and example of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), were afraid of attributing any words to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), lest they should be different from what the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had actually uttered. On the other hand, we go on quoting Ahadith without being sure of their authenticity and fear not the serious consequences of attributing wrongly anything to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). It may be mentioned that the Fiqah Hanifiyah is based mostly on the Ahadith narrated by Hadhrat Abdullah bin Mas`ood (Radhiyallaho anho).

Death of Musailamah and Compilation of Qur'an

Musailamah was an imposter who called himself a Prophet, even during the life time of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). After the death of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe 'wasallam), people of the weak faith, especially among wandering Arabs, began to desert Islam and become renegades. Musailamah took advantage of the situation and succeeded in causing a large number of people to fall a prey to his seduction. Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) decided to put a stop to this onslaught on Islam. A fierce battle was fought with him, in which the Muslims triumphed with the help of Allah, and Musailamah was killed. A good number of Sahabah, including many Huffaz, however, lost their lives. After this battle, Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) went to Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) and said:

"Many Huffaz gave been slain in this battle. 1 am afraid we are likely to lose a good portion of the Qur'an if we fight a few more battles and suffer loss of Huffaz at this rate. I, therefore, suggest that the Qur'an may he compiled and preserved in the form of one complete book."

Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) remarked:

"How can I venture on a thing that was not done in the life of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)?"

But Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) pressed his point so much that Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) agreed to it. He sent for Hadhrat Zaid bin Thabit (Radhiyallaho anho) and informed him of what had passed between him and Umar (Radhiyallaho anho), and then said:

"You are young and intelligent. Everybody considers you trustworthy. Moreover you were charged by the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) with the writing of the Qur'an during his life time. I, therefore, request you to go to the people and collect the Qur'an from them and compile it in the form of a book."

Hadhrat Zaid (Radhiyallaho anho) says:

"By Allah, if Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) had asked me to shift a mountain from one place to another, it would not have been so hard for me as the compilation of the Qur'an. I said, 'How do you both dare to take up a thing which was not done by the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)?" They explained to me their point, till Allah made the truth dawn on me, and I also was convinced of the importance of the task. I then started going to the people and collecting the Qur'an from those who had written it and from those who had learnt it by heart, till the final collection was ready."

Look at the spirit of the Sahabah as regards their strictly following the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). Shifting of a mountain from its position was not so difficult for them as doing a thing that they had not seen the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) doing. Allah gave them the honor of doing the greatest service to Islam by compiling the Qur'an, which is the source-book of Islam. Hadhrat Zaid (Radhiyallaho anho) was so particular and cautious that he would accept the fragments only when these were proved to be written during the Prophet's time and after they were duly corroborated by the recitation of those who had preserved the Qur'an in their hearts. No doubt, he had to go from door to door and person to person, but Allah caused, thanks to his labours, every word revealed by Him to be collected and compiled. He was constantly assisted by Hadhrat Ubayy bin Ka'ab (Radhiyallaho anho), whom the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had declared a great expert in Queanic knowledge. The Muslims of all times are highly indebted to the Sahabah for their marvelous achievement.

Hadhrat Abu Hurairah's (Radhiyallaho anho) Memory for Hadith

Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho) is another eminent Sahabi. No other person has narrated as many Ahadith as he has done. He embraced Islam in 7 A.H. and, as the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) died in 11 A.H., he had been with him for four years only. People used to marvel how he could remember so many Ahadith in such a short period. He explains this himself, saying:

"People wonder how I narrate so many Ahadith. The fact is that my Muhajir brothers remained busy in trade and my Ansar brothers did their farming, while I was always with the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). I was among the people of Suffah. I never cared to earn my living; I was contented with the little food that the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) could give me. I would be with the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) at times when no one else was there. I once complained to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) about my poor memory. He said, 'Spread your shawl!' I did so. He made some signs on the shawl with his own hands and said, 'Now wrap this shawl around you.' I wrapped it around my breast. Since then, I never have forgotten anything that I have wished to remember."

The people of Suffah were residents in the Prophet's mosque. They had no regular source of income. They were the guests of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), who transferred to them the Sadaqah and shared with them the gifts that he received. Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho) was one of them. He would, sometimes, go without food for days together and sometimes would behave like a lunatic, due to excessive hunger, as we have already seen in Chapter III. In spite of such difficulties, he was all the time occupied in memorising the sayings of the Prophet.

This enabled him to narrate such a large number of Ahadith Imaam Ibn Jauzi (Rahmatullahi alaih) has attribu-ted as many as 5374 Ahadith to him. Once he narrated the, following Hadith:—

"A person participating in a funeral gets one Qeeraat of reward if he returns after the funeral service, but gets two Qeeraats of reward if he remains there till the burial is over, and one Qeeraat is weightier than mount Uhud."

Hadhrat Abdullah bin `Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) heard this and doubted authenticity of the Hadith, saying:

"O, Abu Hurairah! Think before you speak."

Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho) got upset over this and took Hadhrat Abdullah bin Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) to Hadhrat 'Aishah (Radhiyallaho anha), and said to her:

"O, Ummul-Mo'minin, I request you to say by Allah if you have heard from the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) the Hadith regarding Qeeraats of reward?"

She said: "Yes. I have heard this Hadith."

Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho) then said to Hadhrat Abdullah bin Umar (Radhiyallaho anho):

"During the Prophet's time, I had no tree to plant in the orchard and no merchandise to sell in the market. I was always with the Prophet. My only job was to memories what the Prophet said, and to eat only what he gave me."

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) said:

"No doubt. Of us all, you were the most constant in attendance to him and therefore most informed about the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)."

With all these achievements, Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho) says:

"I recite Istighfar 12000 times daily."

He had a piece of thread with 1000 knots. He would not go to sleep until he had said Subhanallah on all of these knots.

Hadhrat Huzaifah's (Radhiyallaho anho) Anxiety Regarding Tribulations

Hadhrat Huzaifah (Radhiyallaho anho) is one of the well-known Sahabah. He is known as 'Keeper of Secrets.' The Prophet (Sallalaho alaihe wasallam) had confided to him the names of Munafiqin, and had informed him in chronological order all the tribulations which the Muslims were to face till the last day. He gave him full details (viz. the name of the mischief maker, his parents' names, his community, etc.) about the incidents that were going to affect three hundred or more people. Hadhrat Huzaifah (Radhiyallaho anho) says:

"Other people used to ask the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) about good things, while I always asked him about the adverse events, so that I might guard against them."

He then narrated the following conversation with the Prophet:

Huzaifah: "O, Prophet of Allah! Shall we revert to evil, after the good that you have brought us?"

The Prophet: "Yes. The evil is coming."

Huzaifah: "Shall we have good again after that evil?"

The Prophet: "Huzaifah! Go and read the Qur'an, meditate on its meaning and follow its commandments."

But Huzaifah anxiety grew more and more and he continued his queries about evils that were to befall the Muslims.

Huzaifah: "O, Prophet of Allah! Tell me if good will come after that evil?"

The Prophet: "Yes, good will come again, but the hearts of the people will not be so clear as before."

Huzaifah: "And will there by any evil coming after this good?"

The Prophet: "Yes, There will be such persons who will misguide the people and take them to Hell."

Huzaifah: "What should I do if I witness that time?"

The Prophet: "If there be a group of Muslims united under one Amir, then join them, otherwise dissociate yourself from all such factions and be secluded in a corner, or take refuge under a tree (i.e., in the forest) and be there till you die."

As the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had disclosed to him the identities of the Munafiqin of that time, Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) used to ask him:

"Is there any Munafiq among my deputies?" He once replied: "Yes. There is one, but I shall not disclose his name."

Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) dismissed the man, probably by his own discernment.

Whenever somebody died, Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) would inquire if Hadhrat Huzaifah (Radhiyallaho anho) was participating in the funeral prayer. If Huzaifah (Radhiyallaho anho) did not do so, then Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) would also absent himself from that funeral:

When Hadhrat Huzaifah (Radhiyallaho anho) was about to die, he wept in anxiety and uneasiness. People said to him:—

"Are you weeping over your departure from this world?"

He said: "No. I am not weeping over that. I love to die. I weep because I do not know whether, at this time of my departure from this world, Allah is pleased with me or not."

He then prayed: "O, Allah, these are the last moments of my life. You know that I have always loved Thee. Bless my meeting with Thee."

Hadhrat 'Ubayy bin Ka'ab (Radhiyallaho anho) Teaches Hadith

Hadhrat Ubayy bin Ka'ab (Radhiyallaho anho) is one of the most eminent Sahabah and was an expert in the recitation of the Qur'an. Very few Arabs were literate before Islam, and he was one of these. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) used to dictate the revealed Qur'an to him. He memorized the Qur'an during the life time of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and had thorough understanding of it. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasal-lam) is reported to have said:

"Hadhrat Ubayy bin Ka'ab (Radhiyallaho anho) is the greatest Qari of my Ummat."

He used to finish the Qur'an once in Tahajjud in eight nights. Once the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wassalam) said to him:

"Allah has commanded me to recite the Qur'an to you."

He said: "O, Prophet of Allah! Did Allah mention me by my name?"

The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) replied:

"Yes, He mentioned you by your name."

Tears began to roll down his cheeks with excessive joy.

Hadhrat Jundub bin Abdullah (Radhiyallaho anho) says:

"When I went to Madinah to acquire knowledge, I found that people were sitting in groups, and each group was entrusted to a teacher. In one of the groups I saw a person teaching Hadith, clad in two sheets of cloth and looking like a traveler. I asked the people, 'Who is this person?' They said, 'He is our esteemed Imam, Hadhrat Ubayy bin Ka'ab (Raclhiyallaho anho).' When he finished teaching, I followed him to his house. He was staying in a very old and dilapidated building, with little or no furniture. I noticed Hadhrat Ubayy (Radhiyallaho anho) living in a very simple and ascetic life.'

Hadhrat Ubayy (Radhiyallaho anho) says:

"Once the Prohet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) tested me in my knowledge of the Qur'an. He asked me, 'Ubayy, which is the most august verse of the Qur'an?' I said, 'Allah and His Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) know best.' He again asked me the same question and I gave the same modest and respectful reply. When he put the same question once again, I replied, 'The most august verse in the Qur'an is Ayatul Kursi (II: 255).' My reply made him very happy. He said, 'May Allah bless you through your knowledge.'

Once the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) was leading Salaat when he missed one verse. Ubayy (Radhiyallaho anho) pointed out the correction from behind. On finishing Salaat, the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) inquired 'Who corrected me?' He was told that it was Hadhrat Ubayy (Radhiyallaho anho). He remarked, 'I also thought that it was he."

In spite of his devotion to knowledge and his special job of writing the Qur'an, he took part in all the battles by the side of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). He did not miss a single campaign or expedition led by the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam).

Hadhrat Mu'sab bin Umair (Radhiyallaho anho) Carries out Tabligh

A story about Hadhrat Mus'ab bin Umair (Radhiyallaho anho) has already been given in Chapter VII. When the first group of people from Madinah embraced Islam in Mina, the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) deputed I Iadhrat Mus'ab bin Umair (Radhiyallaho anho) to go with them to teach Islam and preach to others. He remained busy all the time in teaching the Qur'an and other Islamic practices to the people. He stayed with Hadhrat As'ad bin Zararah (Radhiyallaho anho) and was known as `Muqree' (the teacher).

Sa'd bin Ma'az and Usaid bin Hudhairiyah, who were among the chiefs of Madinah, did not like Mus'ab's activities. Sa'd said to Usaid:

You go to As'ad and tell that we do not like his having brought a stranger with him to Madinah, who misleads the poor and simple folk of the town."

Usaid went to Hadhrat As'td (Radhiyallaho anho) and talked to him very harshly. Hadhrat As'ad (Radhiyallaho anho) said to him:

"You first listen to him; if you like his teachings, you may accept them; if not, you have every right to de-nounce and stop him."

Usaid agreed to it. Hadhrat Mus'ab (Radhiyallaho anho) explained the virtues of Islam and recited a few verses of the Qur'an before him. Usaid said:

"These teachings are very fine and these verses are simply beautiful. How do you admit a person to your faith?"

He said: "You take a bath, put on clean clothes and recite the Kalimah."

Usaid immediately complied with all these formalities and embraced Islam. He then went to Sa'd and brought him to Mus'ab (Radhiyallaho anho) to listen to his Tabligh. Sa'd also embraced Islam. No sooner had Sa'd accepted Islam than he went to people of his clan (Banu Ashhal) and said to them:

"What type of person do you think I am?"

They replied: "You are the best and the noblest of the clan."

He then said: "I have vowed not to talk to your men and women until you all embrace Islam and believe in Muhammad (Sallallaho alaihe wassallam)."

All the men and women of Banu Ashhal embraced Islam then and there. Hadhrat Mus'ab (Radhiyallaho anho) began to teach them and train them in Islam.

No sooner did anybody embrace Islam than he began to preach it. Everyone of them considered it incumbent upon him to preach and teach to others what he know about Islam. His trade, farm or occupation was no barrier to Tabligh.

Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) burns his collections

Hadhrat Aishah (Radhiyallaho anha) says:

"My father (Hadhrat Abu Bakr) (Radhiyallaho anho) had a collection of five hundred Hadiths. One night I noticed that he was very restless. He was tossing about in the bed and could not sleep. I got worried over this and inquired, 'Are you suffering from any trouble or worried about anything.' But he did not speak and remained restless throughout the night. Next morning he called me and said, 'Bring the collection of Hadith that I gave you to keep.' I brought the book and he set fire to it, till it was burnt. He said, 'The collection contained many Hadiths that I had heard from other people. I thought if I died and left behind a Hadith accepted as authentic by me, but really not so, then I should have to answer for that."

It was Hadhrat Abu Bakes (Radhiyallaho anho) zeal for knowledge that caused him to compile a book of five hundred Hadiths. But it was due to his extreme cautiousness that he burnt the collection.

The Sahabah were very careful and cautious about Hadith. That is why you find very few Hadiths narrated by eminent Sahabah; those people who do not hesitate to quote Hadith (without authority) in their sermons from the pulpit should take a lesson from this story. Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) remained in the Prophet's company for most of his time; many Sahabah say:

Hadhrat "Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) was the most learned amongst us;"

Hadhrat 'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) says:

"After the death of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), when the Khalifah's selection was under consideration, Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) addressed the people quoting all those verses of the Qur'an and all such Hadiths of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) which dealt with the virtues and privileges of the Ansar."

This shows how much knowledge of the Qu'ran he had, and how many Hadiths he remembered. In spite of all this, there are very few Ahadith that have been narrated by Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho). For similar reasons, Imam Abu Hanifah (Rahmatullah alaih) too was not so liberal in reporting Hadith.

Sahabah's Panel for Fatwa

Although all the Sahabah, along with their engagement in Jihad and propagation of faith, were devoted to acquiring and further spreading of knowledge, yet there was a panel of Sahabah who were exclusively entrusted with Fatwa. Even during the life time of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). The panel comprised the following Sahabah:—

Hadhrat Abu Bakr, Hadhrat 'Umar, Hadhrat Usman, Hadhrat Ali, Hadhrat Abdur Rahman bin 'Auf. Hadhrat Ubayy bin Kaab, Hadhrat Abdullah bin Mas'ood, Hadhrat Ma'aaz bin Jabal, Hadhrat Ammaar bin Yaasir, Had hrat fluzaifah, Hadhrat Salman Farsi, Hadhrat Zaid bin Thabit, Hadhrat Abu Musa, Hadhrat Abu' Darda (Radhiyallaho anhum).

To give Fatwa during the lifetime of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) was a big privilege for these Sahabah, and speaks of their deep and dependable knowledge.