Malik, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim reported through their isnads from 'Amr b.
Shu'aib --- his father --- his grandfather, that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) said,
"A single rider is a devil (i.e. disobedient), two riders are two devils, but three makes a
travelling party."
Al-Tirmidhi declares this hadith to be hasan because of the above isnad, which falls short of
the requirements for a sahih hadith.74
Several weak ahadith may mutually support each other to the level of hasan
According to the definitions of al-Tirmidhi and Ibn al-Salah, a number of similar weak ahadith on a
particular issue can be raised to the degree of hasan if the weakness found in their reporters is of a mild
nature. Such a hadith is known as hasan li ghairihi (hasan due to others), to distinguish it from the type
previously-discussed, which is hasan li dhatihi (hasan in itself). Similarly, several hasan ahadith on the
same subject may make the hadith sahih li ghairihi, to be distinguished from the previously-discussed
sahih li dhatihi.
However, in case the weakness is severe (e.g., the reporter is accused of lying or the hadith is itself
shadhdh), such very weak ahadith will not support each other and will remain weak. For example, the
well-known hadith, "He who preserves forty ahadith for my Ummah will be raised by Allah on the Day
of Resurrection among the men of understanding", has been declared to be da'if by most of the
traditionists, although it is reported through several routes.75
Da'if
A hadith which fails to reach the status of hasan is da'if. Usually, the weakness is one of discontinuity in
the isnad, in which case the hadith could be mursal, mu'allaq, mudallas, munqati' or mu'dal, according to
the precise nature of the discontinuity, or one of a reporter having a disparaged character, such as due to
his telling lies, excessive mistakes, opposition to the narration of more reliable sources, involvement in
innovation, or ambiguity surrounding his person.
The smaller the number and importance of defects, the less severe the weakness. The more the defects in
number and severity, the closer the hadith will be to being maudu' (fabricated).76
Some ahadith, according to the variation in the nature of the weakness associated with its reporters, rank
at the bottom of the hasan grade or at the top of the da'if grade. Reporters such as 'Abdullah b. Lahi'ah (a
famous judge from Egypt), 'Abd al-Rahman b. Zaid b. Aslam, Abu Bakr b. Abi Maryam al-Himsi, Faraj
b. Fadalah, and Rishdin b. Sa'd attract such types of varying ranks as they are neither extremely good
preservers nor totally abandoned by the traditionists.77
Maudu'
Al-Dhahabi defines maudu' (fabricated, forged) as the term applied to a hadith, the text of which goes
against the established norms of the Prophet's sayings (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), or its
reporters include a liar, e.g. the forty ahadith known as Wad'aniyyah or the small collection of ahadith
which was fabricated and claimed to have been reported by 'Ali al-Rida, the eighth Imam of the Ithna
'Ashari Shi'ah.78
A number of traditionists have collected fabricated ahadith separately in order to distinguish them from
other ahadith; among them are Ibn al-Jauzi in al-Maudu'at, al-Jauzaqani in Kitab al-Abatil, al-Suyuti in
al-La'ali al- Masnu'ah fi 'l-Ahadith al-Maudu'ah, and 'Ali al- Qari in al-Maudu'at.
Some of these ahadith were known to be spurious by the confession of their inventors. For example,
Muhammad b. Sa'id al-Maslub used to say, "It is not wrong to fabricate an isnad for a sound
statement."79
Another notorious inventor, 'Abd al-Karim Abu 'l-Auja, who was killed and crucified by
Muhammad b. Sulaiman b. 'Ali, governor of Basrah, admitted that he had fabricated four thousand
ahadith declaring lawful the prohibited and vice-versa.80
Maudu' ahadith are also recognised by external evidence related to a discrepancy found in the dates or
times of a particular incident.81
For example, when the second caliph, 'Umar b. al- Khattab decided to
expel the Jews from Khaibar, some Jewish dignitaries brought a document to 'Umar apparently proving
that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had intended that they stay there by
exempting them from the jizyah (tax on non-Muslims under the rule of Muslims); the document carried
the witness of two Companions, Sa'd b. Mu'adh and Mu'awiyah b. Abi Sufyan. 'Umar rejected the
document outright, knowing that it was fabricated because the conquest of Khaibar took place in 6 AH,
whereas Sa'd b. Mu'adh died in 3 AH just after the Battle of the Trench, and Mu'awiyah embraced Islam
in 8 AH, after the conquest of Makkah!82
The author, in his Criticism of Hadith among Muslims with reference to Sunan Ibn Majah, has given
more examples of fabricated ahadith under the following eight categories of causes of fabrication:83
1.political differences;
2.factions based on issues of creed;
3.fabrications by zanadiqah (enemies-within spreading heretical beliefs);
4.fabrications by story-tellers;
5.fabrications by ignorant ascetics;
6.prejudice in favour of town, race or a particular imam;
7.inventions for personal motives;
8.proverbs turned into ahadith.
Similar to the last category above is the case of Isra'iliyat ("Israelite traditions"), narrations from the
Jews and the Christians84 which were wrongly attributed to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace).
Shu'aib --- his father --- his grandfather, that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) said,
"A single rider is a devil (i.e. disobedient), two riders are two devils, but three makes a
travelling party."
Al-Tirmidhi declares this hadith to be hasan because of the above isnad, which falls short of
the requirements for a sahih hadith.74
Several weak ahadith may mutually support each other to the level of hasan
According to the definitions of al-Tirmidhi and Ibn al-Salah, a number of similar weak ahadith on a
particular issue can be raised to the degree of hasan if the weakness found in their reporters is of a mild
nature. Such a hadith is known as hasan li ghairihi (hasan due to others), to distinguish it from the type
previously-discussed, which is hasan li dhatihi (hasan in itself). Similarly, several hasan ahadith on the
same subject may make the hadith sahih li ghairihi, to be distinguished from the previously-discussed
sahih li dhatihi.
However, in case the weakness is severe (e.g., the reporter is accused of lying or the hadith is itself
shadhdh), such very weak ahadith will not support each other and will remain weak. For example, the
well-known hadith, "He who preserves forty ahadith for my Ummah will be raised by Allah on the Day
of Resurrection among the men of understanding", has been declared to be da'if by most of the
traditionists, although it is reported through several routes.75
Da'if
A hadith which fails to reach the status of hasan is da'if. Usually, the weakness is one of discontinuity in
the isnad, in which case the hadith could be mursal, mu'allaq, mudallas, munqati' or mu'dal, according to
the precise nature of the discontinuity, or one of a reporter having a disparaged character, such as due to
his telling lies, excessive mistakes, opposition to the narration of more reliable sources, involvement in
innovation, or ambiguity surrounding his person.
The smaller the number and importance of defects, the less severe the weakness. The more the defects in
number and severity, the closer the hadith will be to being maudu' (fabricated).76
Some ahadith, according to the variation in the nature of the weakness associated with its reporters, rank
at the bottom of the hasan grade or at the top of the da'if grade. Reporters such as 'Abdullah b. Lahi'ah (a
famous judge from Egypt), 'Abd al-Rahman b. Zaid b. Aslam, Abu Bakr b. Abi Maryam al-Himsi, Faraj
b. Fadalah, and Rishdin b. Sa'd attract such types of varying ranks as they are neither extremely good
preservers nor totally abandoned by the traditionists.77
Maudu'
Al-Dhahabi defines maudu' (fabricated, forged) as the term applied to a hadith, the text of which goes
against the established norms of the Prophet's sayings (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), or its
reporters include a liar, e.g. the forty ahadith known as Wad'aniyyah or the small collection of ahadith
which was fabricated and claimed to have been reported by 'Ali al-Rida, the eighth Imam of the Ithna
'Ashari Shi'ah.78
A number of traditionists have collected fabricated ahadith separately in order to distinguish them from
other ahadith; among them are Ibn al-Jauzi in al-Maudu'at, al-Jauzaqani in Kitab al-Abatil, al-Suyuti in
al-La'ali al- Masnu'ah fi 'l-Ahadith al-Maudu'ah, and 'Ali al- Qari in al-Maudu'at.
Some of these ahadith were known to be spurious by the confession of their inventors. For example,
Muhammad b. Sa'id al-Maslub used to say, "It is not wrong to fabricate an isnad for a sound
statement."79
Another notorious inventor, 'Abd al-Karim Abu 'l-Auja, who was killed and crucified by
Muhammad b. Sulaiman b. 'Ali, governor of Basrah, admitted that he had fabricated four thousand
ahadith declaring lawful the prohibited and vice-versa.80
Maudu' ahadith are also recognised by external evidence related to a discrepancy found in the dates or
times of a particular incident.81
For example, when the second caliph, 'Umar b. al- Khattab decided to
expel the Jews from Khaibar, some Jewish dignitaries brought a document to 'Umar apparently proving
that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had intended that they stay there by
exempting them from the jizyah (tax on non-Muslims under the rule of Muslims); the document carried
the witness of two Companions, Sa'd b. Mu'adh and Mu'awiyah b. Abi Sufyan. 'Umar rejected the
document outright, knowing that it was fabricated because the conquest of Khaibar took place in 6 AH,
whereas Sa'd b. Mu'adh died in 3 AH just after the Battle of the Trench, and Mu'awiyah embraced Islam
in 8 AH, after the conquest of Makkah!82
The author, in his Criticism of Hadith among Muslims with reference to Sunan Ibn Majah, has given
more examples of fabricated ahadith under the following eight categories of causes of fabrication:83
1.political differences;
2.factions based on issues of creed;
3.fabrications by zanadiqah (enemies-within spreading heretical beliefs);
4.fabrications by story-tellers;
5.fabrications by ignorant ascetics;
6.prejudice in favour of town, race or a particular imam;
7.inventions for personal motives;
8.proverbs turned into ahadith.
Similar to the last category above is the case of Isra'iliyat ("Israelite traditions"), narrations from the
Jews and the Christians84 which were wrongly attributed to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace).
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