Arrival of Imam Mahdi

[Abdul-Raouf]

Arrival of Imam Mahdi

Let us see what Holy Prophet Muhammad had said about the coming of Imam Mahdi.

According to these Reliable, Authentic, and Universally Accepted Narrations, Imam Mahdi will:

1.Be from among the family of Prophet (SAW), among the descendants of Fatima (RA);

2.Have a broad forehead and pointed noise;

3.Appear in one night;

4.Appear just before the day of judgment;

5.Have same name as Hazrat Muhammad (SAW);

6.Escape from Madina to Makkah where people will pledge allegiance to him;

7.Receive pledge and help of Iraqi people;

8.Fight in battles;

9.Rule over the Arabs for seven or Eight years according to Sunnah;

10.Spread justice and equity on earth;

11.Eradicate tyranny and oppression;

12.Lead a prayer in Makkah which Jesus (pbuh) will follow in;

13.NOT be the same individual as the Promised Messiah (Jesus).

14.Allaah will grant him rain, the earth will bring forth its fruits,


15.He will give a lot of money, cattle will increase and the ummah will become great.


16. He is one, behind whom ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam will pray.



There are saheeh Ahaadeeth that indicate that the Mahdi (peace be upon him) will appear at the end of time. He is one of the signs of the Hour. Among these ahaadeeth are the following:

Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "At the end of the time of my ummah, the Mahdi will appear. Allaah will grant him rain, the earth will bring forth its fruits, he will give a lot of money, cattle will increase and the ummah will become great. He will rule for seven or eight years.(Mustadrak al-Haakim, 4/557-558; he said: this is a hadeeth whose isnaad is saheeh, Al-Dhahabi agreed with him, and al-Albaani said: this is a saheeh sanad, and its men are thiqaat (trustworthy), Silsilat al-ahaadeeth al-saheehah, vol. 2, p. 336, hadeeth 771)

The world will not come to pass until a man from among my family, whose name will be my name, rules over the Arabs. (Tirmidhi Sahih, Vol. 9, P. 74; Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 5, P. 207; also narrated by Ali b. Abi Talib, Abu Sa'id, Umm Salma, Abu Hurayra)

Abdullaah ibn Mas’ood reported that the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "The world will not come to an end until the Arabs are ruled by a man from my family whose name will be the same as mine."(Musnad Ahmad, 5/199, hadeeth 3573. Another version says: "… whose name is the same as mine and whose father’s name is the same as my father’s." Sunan Abi Dawud, 11/370).

Allah will bring out from concealment al-Mahdi from my family and just before the day of Judgment; even if only one day were to remain in the life of the world, and he will spread on this earth justice and equity and will eradicate tyranny and oppression. (Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Vol. 1, P. 99)

Even if only a day remains for Qiyamah to come, yet Allah will surely send a man from my family who will fill this world with such justice and fairness, just as it initially was filled with oppression. (Abu Dawood)

The promised Mahdi will be among my family. God will make the provisions for his emergence within a single night. (Ibn Majah, Sahih, Vol. 2, P. 519)

‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘The Mahdi is one of us, a member of my family. Allaah will guide him in a single night.’"(Musnad Ahmad, 2/58, hadeeth 645, edited by Ahmad al-Shaakir, who said: its isnaad is saheeh; Sunan Ibn Maajah, 2/1367. This hadeeth was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, 6735). Ibn Katheer said: "This means that Allaah will forgive him, grant him help, inspire him and guide him, when he was not like this before." (Al-Nihaayah, al-Fitan wa’l-Malaahim, 1/29; edited by Taha Zayni).

The promised Mahdi will be among my progeny, among the descendants of Fatima. (Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 2, P. 207; Ibn Majah, Sahih, Vol. 2, P. 519)

Umm Salamah said: "I heard the Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) say: ‘The Mahdi is of my lineage and family, from the descendants of Faatimah.’" (Sunan Abu Dawud, 11/373; Sunan Ibn Maajah. 2/1368. Al-Albaani said that it is saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami, 6734)

The Mahdi will be of my family, of the descendants of Fatima (the Prophet's daughter). (Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 2, Tradition No. 4086)

Al-Mahdi is one of us, the members of the household (Ahlul-Bayt). (Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 2, Tradition No. 4085)

Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘The Mahdi is of my lineage, with a high forehead and a long, thin, curved nose. He will fill the earth with fairness and justice as it was filled with oppression and injustice, and he will rule for seven years.’" (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitaab al-Mahdi, 11/375, hadeeth 4265; Mustadrak al-Haakim, 4/557; he said: this is a saheeh hadeeth according to the conditions of Muslim, although it was not reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim. See also Saheeh al-Jaami, 6736).

Our Mahdi will have a broad forehead and a pointed (prominent) nose. He will fill the earth with justice as it is filled with injustice and tyranny. He will rule for seven years. (Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 2, p. 208; Fusul al-muhimma, p. 275)

After the death of a Ruler there will be some dispute between the people. At that time a citizen of Madina will flee (from Madina) and go to Makkah. While in Makkah, certain people will approach him between Hajr-ul Aswad and Maqaame Ibraheem, and forcefully pledge their allegiance to him. Thereafter a huge army will proceed from Syria to attack him but when they will be at Baida, which is between Makkah and Madina, they will be swallowed into the ground. On seeing this, the Abdaals of Shaam as well as large numbers of people from Iraq will come to him and pledge their allegiance to him. Then a person from the Quraish, whose uncle will be from the Bani Kalb tribe will send an army to attack him, only to be overpowered, by the will of Allah. This (defeated) army will be that of the Bani Kalb. Unfortunate indeed is he who does not receive a share from the booty of the Kalb. This person (Imam Mahdi) will distribute the spoils of war after the battle. He will lead the people according to the Sunnah and during his reign Islam will spread throughout the world. He will remain till seven years (since his emergence). He will pass away and the Muslims will perform his Janazah salaat. (Abu Dawood)

Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘‘Eesaa ibn Maryam will descend, and their leader the Mahdi will say, "Come and lead us in prayer," but he will say, "No, one of them should lead them as an honour to this ummah from Allaah."’" The version narrated by Muslim says: "… Then ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam (Peace be upon him) will descend and their leader will say, ‘Come and lead us in prayer,’ but he will say, ‘No, some of you are leaders over others as an honour from Allaah to this ummah.’" (Reported by Muslim, 225)

Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "He is one of us, behind whom ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam will pray." (Reported by Abi Na’eem in Akhbaar al-Mahdi. Al-Albaani said it is saheeh; see al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, 5/219, hadeeth 5796).

---> Arrival of Jesus (pbuh)
http://www.islamicboard.com/islamic-sources/41086-2.html

 

[Pk_#2]

AsalamuALaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,

His Features

Hadhrat Abu Saeed Khudri (R.A.) relates that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, "Al Mahdi will be from my progeny. His forehead will be broad and his nose will be high. He will fill the world with justice and fairness at a time when the world will be filled with oppression. He will rule for seven years."

His Emergence and Rule

Hadhrat Umme Salmah (R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, " After the death of a Ruler there will be some dispute between the people. At that time a citizen of Madina will flee (from Madinah) and go to Makkah. While in Makkah, certain people will approach him between Hajrul Aswad and Maqaame Ibraheem, and forcefully pledge their allegiance to him.

Thereafter a huge army will proceed from Syria to attack him but when they will be at Baida, which is between Makkah and Madina, they will be swallowed into the ground.

On seeing this, the Abdaals of Shaam as well as large numbers of people from Iraq will come to him and pledge their allegiance to him. Then a person from the Quraish, whose uncle will be from the Bani Kalb tribe will send an army to attack him, only to be overpowered, by the will of Allah. This (defeated) army will be that of the Bani Kalb. Unfortunate indeed is he who does not receive a share from the booty of the Kalb. This person (Imam Mahdi) will distribute the spoils of war after the battle. He will lead the people according to the Sunnat and during his reign Islam will spread throughout the world. He will remain till seven years (since his emergence). He will pass away and the Muslims will perform his Janazah salaat." (Abu Dawood)

According to a Hadeeth, Sayyidena Eesa (A.S.) will lead the Janaazah of Imam Mahdi (A.S.).

While the people will be pledging their allegiance to Imaam Mahdi, a voice from the unseen will call out:

"This is the representative of Allah,
The Mahdi, listen to him and obey him"

This announcement which will be heard by all those present will establish his authenticity. Another sign which will indicate the authenticity of Imaam Mahdi wil be that in the Ramadhaan prior to his emergence an eclipse of the sun and moon will occur.

Hadhrat Abu Umamah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "There will be four peace agreements between you and the Romans. The fourth agreement will be mediated through a person who will be from the progeny of Hadhrat Haroon (A.S.) and will be upheld for seven years."

The people asked: "O Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), who will be the Imaam of the people at the time?"

Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "He will be from my progeny and will be forty years of age. His face will shine like a star and he will have a black spot on his left cheek. He will don two "Qutwaani" cloaks and will appear exactly as a person from the Bani Israeel..." (Tabrani)

According to hadith narrated by Abu Saeed Khudri (R.A.) Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "...(regarding the rule of Imaam Mahdi) the skies will rain down in abundance and the earth will yield forth its crop in abundance, and those alive will desire that those who have already passed away should have been alive to enjoy this prosperity..."

Hadhrat Buraidah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "There will be many armies after me. You must join that army which will come from Khurasaan." (Ibn Adi)

Abu Hurairah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "(Armies carrying) black flags will come from Khurasaan. No power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela (Baitul Maqdas) where they will erect their flags."

Peace

 

[yahia12]

Holy quranic verses to confirm it to?

 

[Eeman]

I personally do not believe inthe coming of imam mahdi.
there is not a single verse in the holy Qur'an that confirms it.
no offence but what gets me quite disappointed is when i see how people uphold the hadith more than the Qur'an.

The Qur'an is the wisdom of Allah swt it is His words of mercy and guidance to mankind. It is a COMPLETE book that does not need any other compilations made by mankind themselves to explain it!!!
It disappoints me so much when i hear fellow muslims that claim that the Qur'an does not make sense to them and hence they need the hadith for them to understand it.

OK so in such a case the brother or siser should before opening up the Qur'an to read it make a short dua and ask Allah swt to enable you to understand the wise words and gain true guidance and knowledge fom the Qur'an.

i have read some hadiths that contradict the actual words of Allah swt from the Qur'an.

i understand we as muslims must love our prophet we must love each and every prophet and messengers of Allah swt ( peace be upon them all) with NO distinction!!

but how can people believe in sayings or ways of how the prophet saw lived from sources that came about 300 - 400 years AFTER his death?

no doubt some of the hadiths have great advices and tackles moral issues but please next time you decide to write about something that has not been mentioned in the Qur'an and only in hadith stop and think well why would Allah swt call His book the Qur'an complete and then forget to mention a great sign of the hour like imam mahdi?
Astaghfirullah.
I would assume it is maybe cos there is or wont be such thing as imam mahdi.
yet again Allah swt knows best but He has bestowed knowledge and intellect upon us for a certain reason.

 

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Sr Eeman,

Welcome to the Forum; I hope you contribute here and benefit us all.

I find it very sad that a Muslim would hold an attitude that throws away over a millennium of scholarship, without even considering how such 'falsehood' (if it were) could go unnoticed by the millions upon millions of Muslims that have preceded this generation - this generation where ahadeeth rejection is a new phenomena. It is quite an amazing thing that an individual would claim that, after 1400 years, he has come forth with this new "proper" understanding of the Qur'an, which implies that the direct recipients of the Qur'an, the Companions, and their students were apparently on error, not to mention the other 1300 years of Muslims after them!!

So before anything, I advice you to adopt an attitude that is sincere for the truth, and is eager to learn it and I advise you to ask when you do not understand, instead of being hasty and adopting the attitude that is: "such and such does not make sense to me, therefore it is incorrect". All of us come across some verse or hadeeth that we do not understand, however, the vast vast majority of the Ummah seek to learn first and then decide. Now it is amazing to see a few insignificant minor groups here and there adopting this incorrect attitude of being hasty and basing once judgement upon his own intellect.

So with this said, before I respond to your points, I would like to direct you towards two threads where similar debates with hadeeth rejectors took place (on is in fact on the topic of the Mahdi as well), and anyone who is sincere for the truth, and has the patience to read through them will see that at the end of each discussion all the (virtually identical) claims of the hadeeth-rejectors was responded to more than adequetly. The threads are:

http://www.islamicboard.com/miscell...-do-some-people-completely-reject-hadith.html

http://www.islamicboard.com/miscellaneous/26956-what-proof-coming-mahdi-decension-isa.html

Secondly, before you respond to my points, please answer for me the following question:

• Have you studied Hadeeth sciences or have any background about it?

I personally do not believe inthe coming of imam mahdi.
there is not a single verse in the holy Qur'an that confirms it.

Ukhti, can you please find for me a verse in the Qur'an that sets out how we are to pray?

no offence but what gets me quite disappointed is when i see how people uphold the hadith more than the Qur'an.

Sister, it is quite disappointing to me because whenever I ask the previous question (above) to anyone that rejects hadeeth, they cannot answer it. Do you realize that since the understanding of how to perform Salah is not given in the Qur'an, and we learn it from external sources, then by failing to answer the question, the hadeeth-rejectors strip Islaam of its core and fundamental principle?! Is there any other clearer proof that these people are upon deviation and misguidance?

The Qur'an is the wisdom of Allah swt it is His words of mercy and guidance to mankind. It is a COMPLETE book that does not need any other compilations made by mankind themselves to explain it!!!

It is complete. It is a Book of Guidance. It is not a book that details for the Muslims how to apply the laws and commandments it sets out within it. It gives this command to the Messenger explicitly in many places in the Qur'an.

16:44 And We revealed to you the message that you may make clear [LI TUBAYYINA] to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give thought.

The Qur'an does not contain these quotes etc of when the Messenger made "clear" to the people what has been revealed to them, i.e. the Qur'an. Therefore, by default these have to be somewhere else and they have to preserved because they are the explanations of the Qur'an and part of the reason why the Messenger was sent.

OK so in such a case the brother or siser should before opening up the Qur'an to read it make a short dua and ask Allah swt to enable you to understand the wise words and gain true guidance and knowledge fom the Qur'an.

I am sorry, but this seems like a very arrogant attitude to have that betrays a lack of sincerity to learn the truth!!

i have read some hadiths that contradict the actual words of Allah swt from the Qur'an.

For a hadeeth to be authentic, one of the criteria is that it does not contradict the Qur'an. Secondly, hadeeth are not simply graded by one individual. Thousands of specialists in the field scrtunize each hadeeth in many different ways to establish its authenticity or lack of. It is not simply scholar A sitting down one day and deciding "Let me make this hadeeth authentic, that one weak, and this one..hmm..I'll make it good".

i understand we as muslims must love our prophet we must love each and every prophet and messengers of Allah swt ( peace be upon them all) with NO distinction!!

I think you have confused the concept of believing in all without distinction with the concept of status. There is no distinction in believing in them, however as Allaah has mentioned in the Qur'an, some Messengers were of a higher position (daraja) than others.

2:253 Those messengers - some of them We caused to exceed others...

17:55 ..And We have made some of the prophets exceed others..

but how can people believe in sayings or ways of how the prophet saw lived from sources that came about 300 - 400 years AFTER his death?

Common misconception. Please read the following article:

http://www.load-islam.com/artical_det.php?artical_id=434&section=indepth&subsection=Hadeeth

no doubt some of the hadiths have great advices and tackles moral issues but please next time you decide to write about something that has not been mentioned in the Qur'an and only in hadith stop and think well why would Allah swt call His book the Qur'an complete and then forget to mention a great sign of the hour like imam mahdi?
Astaghfirullah.

Allaah commands us to cut off the hand of the theif and He does not tell us the details such as minimum value of goods stolen for this ruling to apply; He does not tell us which people are exempted, i.e. does the ruling apply to the starved? the insane? the child?

Yet if I were to apply this same [mistaken] logic you are using here, I would say: Why would Allaah call His Book complete, and then "forget" to tell us whose hands are exempted from being cut off in case of theft?! Why did He "forget" to tell us what is the minimum value? Why did he "forget" to tell us whether this ruling applies if someone steals a grain of salt?

I would assume it is maybe cos there is or wont be such thing as imam mahdi.

Please see the thread I've linked to previously.

yet again Allah swt knows best but He has bestowed knowledge and intellect upon us for a certain reason.

Yet, when it comes to obeying Him and His Messenger he does not say to think whether it makes sense first.

4: 66 And if We had decreed upon them, "Kill yourselves" or "Leave your homes," they would not have done it, except for a few of them. But if they had done what they were instructed, it would have been better for them and a firmer position [for them in faith].

Our intellect and knowledge tells us that killing ourselves does not make sense, nor does leaving our homes. Yet Allaah says "it would have been better for them" had they followed His command whatever it be!! Therefore, the problem here sister, is not of the commands found in the Qur'an or the hadeeth, but the mentality of the person reading them. If his mentality is as Allaah commands it to be in the following verse:

24:51 The only statement of the [true] believers when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them is that they say, "We hear and we obey." And those are the successful.

then these new deviations would not occur. However, if he seeks to be of those who put themselves forward before Allaah and His Messenger, then he has chosen for himself a path to destruction and may Allaah protect us.

49:1 O you who have believed, do not put yourselves before Allah and His Messenger but fear Allah . Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing.

Wallaahu alam.

May Allaah make our hearts sincere in seeking for the truth. Ameen.

 

[Eeman]

Dear Brother it is 5:15am right now...
I am tired so therefore will reply to your post with every comment you have made InshaAllah very soon.

Salam alaikum.

 

[Eeman]

Dear brother
before i go...
can you please answer my initial question about giving references from the Qur'an regards imam mahdi.

salam alaikum

 

[north_malaysian]

It's not an obligatory duty to wait for Imam Al Mahdi right?

Unless if you're a Shiite..

I think we should do our work as usual...and be near to God.

We need God's guidance more than an Al Mahdi right?

But I believe that some day both Al Mahdi and Jesus will come and rule the world...

Well...that's just my opinion.

 

[جوري]

I hope the sister isn't part of the Quran only sect?

 

[north_malaysian]

I hope the sister isn't part of the Quran only sect?

we have them too in Malaysia, they call themselves "Jemaah Al Quran Malaysia" (Malaysian Al Quran Jamaat)

 

[جوري]

we have them too in Malaysia, they call themselves "Jemaah Al Quran Malaysia" (Malaysian Al Quran Jamaat)

I tell you all this sectarianism is part of the tribulations of the end.. until they reach seventy something.. sob7an Allah... Knowledge is being lifted from us right before our very eyes it is horrifying...

 

[جوري]

I am going to stick this in here, although I recommend visiting the actual link for many verses are in the form of photographs and won't show in this cut and paste also a good link on Isnad..

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Hadith/bukhari.html

On The Nature Of Hadith Collections Of Imam Al-Bukhari & Muslim
Khalid al-Khazraji, Muhammad Ghoniem & M S M Saifullah

© Islamic Awareness, All Rights Reserved.
First Composed: 3rd September 1999

Last Modified: 24th August 2005



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Assalamu-`alaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:

1. Introduction
Over the years, Christian missionaries have solidified their reputation for embracing zealous new recruits. One fresh addition to this delegation of holy servicemen is the neophyte, Andrew Vargo. More often than not, the missionaries have overlooked the academic backgrounds of these fresh recruits, apparently intoxicated by their impassioned hatred for Islam. Mr. Vargo has recently tried his hand as a student of comparative religion, introducing some of the most fantastic ideas yet to the discourse. Among these ideas is a rather boastful claim concerning the collection of ahadith by the great Muslim scholar, Imam al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH). The highlight of Vargo's claim lies in the following:

In fact, it is difficult, in spite of the Muslim "science" of Hadith to know which traditions are strong or weak! For example, Bukhari collected over 600,000 reports, but kept only 7,397 as true!

This is one of the most popular claims concerning the vast collection of ahadith of al-Bukhari in the Christian missionary literature and comes with fanciful explanations. For example, Anis Shorrosh, a well-known Arab missionary, says:

... Bukhari, collected twenty thousand of them, of which he rejected ten thousand, accounting them untrue. Of the remaining ten thousand he accepted only 7,275, declaring the rest to be untrustworthy. Abu Da'ud accepted as authentic only 4,800 rules out 50,000.[1]

Similarly we find Norman Geisler and Abdul Saleeb claiming that:

...Bukhari, considered to be the most reliable collector, admitted that of the 300,000 hadith he collected, he considered only 100,000 might be true. He then narrowed this number down to 7,275, many of which are repetitions so that the total number is in fact near 3,000. That means that even he admitted there were errors in over 295,000 of them![2]

Nearly a similar statement is repeated by Geisler in his Baker Encyclopedia Of Christian Apologetics to cast doubts on the miracles performed by the Prophet Muhammad.[3] Abdiyah Akbar Abdul-Haqq, on the other hand, labels what al-Bukhari did not include in his collection as "apocryphal".

As to the abundance of the apocryphal traditions, we learn that the famous authority al-Bukhari choose only 7,000 out of a host of 600,000 traditions that were current in his on time.[4]

Similar statements were made by John Ankerberg and John Weldon, who quoted a "Muslim scholar".[5]

Not surprising is the case of Rand Corporation, who have published an interesting report on Islam entitled "Civil Democratic Islam: Partners, Resources, and Strategies". The report has two fold agenda: firstly, to try to create a version of Islam that suits the post-9/11 Western agenda and secondly encouraging creation of divisions in the Muslim society at home and abroad. The Rand Report's recipe to achieve this aim is to encourage and promote the so-called modernist Muslims and play one section of the society against another to split the Muslim society. A small example of it can be seen when the report uses the material from the hadith-rejectors (not surprisingly!) to claim "objectively" that:

Even if that were not the case, objectively speaking, there is little doubt that hadith is at best a dubious, flawed instrument. Consider that Al-Bukhari is the compiler of what is generally considered to be the most authoritative and reliable collections of hadith. He collected 600,000 hadith, examined them for their authenticity, eliminated all but 7,600 of them, deleted some for redundancy, and was left with a collection of about 4,000.[6]

As we shall see, feisty statements such as the above only prove to be self-defeating in the end. This article intends to examine missionaries' thesis in light of the scholarship of Imam al-Bukhari, and thereby ascertain the actual worth of their claim.

To appreciate the broader perspective, we will also include a discussion of Imam Muslim's ahadith collection, insha'allah.

2. Imam Bukhari & The Nature Of His Collection
Vargo, Shorrosh, Geisler, Abdul Saleeb, Abdul-Haqq and Benard have practically begged the question for us already - where exactly did Imam al-Bukhari mention that among the 600,000 ahadith in his collection, only 7,397 are to be accepted as 'true'? They maintains the missionary tradition of conveniently omitting any references that would not support their thesis; the mark of a true academicians, indeed! Once again, it is left to the Muslims to enlighten the ill-informed missionaries on this matter.

Imam al-Bukhari's actual words have been reproduced below:



* The two sahih collections did not gather the totality of the authentic ahadith as proved by al-Bukhari's testimony: "I have not included in my book al-Jami` but what is authentic, and I left out among the authentic for fear of [excessive] length.(Footnote 2)"

Footnote 2 says:

He [al-Bukhari] meant that he did not mention all the turuq [parallel chains of transmission] for each and every hadith.[7]

To reiterate this in elementary English, Imam al-Bukhari selected only a few authentic ahadith from his vast collection. However, he left out certain traditions, despite their authenticity, simply to avoid excessive length and repetition in his Al-Jami` (a discussion about which is given below). If anything, the privilege to make such a gesture is highly complimentary to the authenticity of the Islamic traditions. In another tradition, Imam al-Bukhari is also reported to have said:



He said, I heard as-Sa`dani say, I heard some of our companions say, Muhammad Ibn Isma`il said: I selected/published [the content of] this book - meaning the Sahih book - from about 600,000 hadiths/reports. Abu Sa`d al-Malini informed us that `Abdullah Ibn `Udayy informed us: I heard al-Hasan Ibn al-Husayn al-Bukhari say: "I have not included in my book al-Jami` but what is authentic, and I left out among the authentic what I could not get hold of."[8]

The above quotation reflects Imam al-Bukhari's gallant honesty to admit that he was not able to collect each and every authentic tradition that existed in his day. Rather, his Al-Jami` is only a partial collection of authentic traditions, despite its massive volume. Furthermore, it should be clarified for the missionaries that the notion of a partial collection of authentic material is quite different from the notion of a partially authentic collection of material. However, it is not our aim to offer a course on propositional reasoning. Thus, we leave the point with the hope that they will eventually comprehend this piece of preschool logic.

Professor Mustafa al-Azami, who offered a devastating critique of Joseph Schacht's work, again clarifies the misunderstanding of many orientalists on this issue:

Al-Bukhari did not claim that what he left out were the spurious, nor that there were no authentic traditions outside his collection. On the contrary he said, "I only included in my book al-Jami` those that were authentic, and I left out many more authentic traditions than this to avoid unnecessary length." He had no intention of collecting all the authentic traditions. He only wanted to compile a manual of hadith, according to the wishes of his Shaikh Ishaq b. Rahwaih, and his function is quite clear from the title of his book al-Jami` al-Musnad al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar min umur Rasul Allah wa Sunanhi wa ayyamih. The word al-Mukhtasar, 'epitome', itself explains that al-Bukhari did not make any attempt at a comprehensive collection.[9]

Yet, the missionaries seem to be living under the delusion that the 600,000 ahadith of Imam al-Bukhari's collection somehow means 600,000 separate narrations or bodies of text. His sloppy study of this issue becomes clear when one learns that a hadith is comprised of both a text (matn) and a chain of transmission (isnad). In the science of hadith, the same text with ten chains of transmission is regarded not as one hadith but rather as ten hadiths, despite the fact that the text attached to each chain is the same in every case.

Professor Mustafa al-Azami adds:

Now it is clear that when traditionalists give enormous numbers for the traditions, they mean channels and sources of their transmission, and do not mean real numbers of hadith.[10]

Nabia Abbott, a prominent orientalist who conducted an extensive study on hadith literature, observed that the phenomenal growth of the corpus of this literature is not due to growth in content but due to progressive increase in the parallel and multiple chains of transmission, i.e., isnads:

... the traditions of Muhammad as transmitted by his Companions and their Successors were, as a rule, scrupulously scrutinised at each step of the transmission, and that the so called phenomenal growth of Tradition in the second and third centuries of Islam was not primarily growth of content, so far as the hadith of Muhammad and the hadith of the Companions are concerned, but represents largely the progressive increase in parallel and multiple chains of transmission.[11]

Take a highly simplified example of one Companion narrating a single hadith from the Prophet to two students: these students themselves teaching that narration again to two pupils each and so on until we reach the time of al-Bukhari and his contemporaries. We will find that in al-Bukhari's generation at least 16 individuals will be hearing the hadith from their respective teachers. Because each individual chain of transmission counts as a separate hadith, what started out as a single narration transmitted by one Companion only, has evolved within a short period of time to 16 ahadith; an increase of 1600%. The true nature of affairs, however, being far greater, with a far greater number of Companions transmitting a far greater number of narrations to a far greater number of students. This then is the form in which proliferation took place, the dispersion of narrators and chains of transmission. Using the mathematical application of geometric progression, Nabia Abbott concludes:

... using geometric progression, we find that one to two thousand Companions and senior Successors transmitting two to five traditions each would bring us well within the range of the total number of traditions credited to the exhaustive collections of the third century. Once it is realised that the isnad did, indeed, initiate a chain reaction that resulted in an explosive increase in the number of traditions, the huge numbers that are credited to Ibn Hanbal, Muslim and Bukhari seem not so fantastic after all.[12]

The implications of explosive increase in of the isnad is dealt with here.

3. Imam Muslim & The Nature Of His Collection
Imam Muslim along the similar lines to that of Imam al-Bukhari , is reported to have said:



The translation of which is:

[...]. Imam Muslim said: "I have not included in my present book any thing but with proof [regarding authenticity] , and I have not left out anything but with proof". He also said: I did not include everything that I judge authentic/Sahih, I only included what received a unanimous agreement, i.e., what fulfilled all the criteria of authenticity agreed upon [by the scholars].

And Muslim has presented [his collection] to the scholars of his time, like Imam Abu Zar`ah, and retained what was void of defect, and left out what had some defect.[13]

From the above quotation, it is clear that Imam Muslim's collection is also a partial collection of authentic material and not a partially authentic collection of material. He followed a certain set of criteria that demanded a proof for the inclusion of each and every hadith in his collection.

4. Conclusions
Imam al-Bukhari's collection of ahadith was maintained to be authentic on account of his authority, and it has been maintained as authentic ever since. The missionaries' assertion, that Imam al-Bukhari regarded almost 99% of his own collection as spurious, is among the most rash and foolhardy statements ever dared by Christian missionaries. On the contrary, the 7,397 refers to the number of hadiths that Imam al-Bukhari chose to include in his Al-Jami` and left out many authentic narrations from his vast collection for the fear of excessive length.

Again, according to the Vargo:

In fact, it is difficult, in spite of the Muslim "science" of Hadith to know which traditions are strong or weak!

We should wonder whether the neophyte is as quick to demonstrate the same puerile enthusiasm over the question of his own religious texts. Regardless, we will quote the famous trial of Imam al-Bukhari to show how maqlub[14] (changed, reversed) ahadith can be identified with ease by a scholar of hadith:

The famous trial of al-Bukhari by the scholars of Baghdad provides a good example of a Maqlub isnad. The traditionists, in order to test their visitor, al-Bukhari, appointed ten men, each with ten ahadith. Now, each hadith (text) of these ten people was prefixed with the isnad of another. Imam al-Bukhari listened to each of the ten men as they narrated their ahadith and denied the correctness of every hadith. When they had finished narrating these ahadith, he addressed each person in turn and recounted to him each of his ahadith with its correct isnad. This trial earned him great honour among the scholars of Baghdad.[15]

Finally, it is worth citing a significant trend in modern Western scholarship of the Prophetic traditions of Islam. For the past several decades, criticism of these traditions has been the Orientalist's whipping post, an opportunity to invalidate the traditions of Islam, which culminated in the work of Joseph Schacht, mentioned earlier. However, this position has practically been reversed in recent times, with the advent of academic honesty on the part of Western scholars. Professor John Esposito of Georgetown University has made the following counter-criticism of Schacht's traditional position:

Accepting Schacht's conclusion regarding the many traditions he did examine does not warrant its automatic extension to all the traditions. To consider all Prophetic traditions apocryphal until proven otherwise is to reverse the burden of proof. Moreover, even where differences of opinion exist regarding the authenticity of the chain of narrators, they need not detract from the authenticity of a tradition's content and common acceptance of the importance of tradition literature as a record of the early history and development of Islamic belief and practice.[16]

The position of Esposito perhaps reflects the growing attitude among Western educational institutions that entertain any study of Islam and its traditions. This is simply evidenced by the fact that Professor Esposito has become one of the reigning authorities on Islam in the West, whose textbooks are considered university standards for courses on Islam.

Considering the missionaries' abuse of hadiths to denigrate the Prophet(P) of Islam, it would be too generous to assume that Vargo, Shorrosh, Geisler and Abdul Saleeb "misunderstood" the nature of the collection of Imam al-Bukhari. As for the Rand Corporation's report, their "objectivity" lies in the unverified use of source material. An honest misunderstanding entails at least some understanding of the issue, which doesn't even seem to be their case. Perhaps the Christian missionaries might consider beginning a genuine study of the science of hadith before they embarrasses themselves further.

Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Abu Hudhayfah for providing us necessary help and allowing us to use his material.

And Allah knows best!





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


References
[1] Dr. A. A. Shorrosh, Islam Revealed: A Christian Arab's View Of Islam, 1988, Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville, p. 22.

[2] N. L. Geisler & A. Saleeb, Answering Islam: The Crescent In The Light Of The Cross, 1993, Baker Books: Grand Rapids (MI), p. 165.

[3] "Muhammad, Alleged Miracles Of", in N. L. Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia Of Christian Apologetics, 2002, Baker Books: Grand Rapids (MI), p. 512.

[4] A. A. Abdul-Haqq, Sharing Your Faith With A Muslim, 1980, Bethany House Publications: Minneapolis, p. 45.

[5] J. Ankerberg & J. Weldon, Fast Facts On Islam, 2001, Harvest House Publishers: Eugene (OR), pp. 50-51.

[6] C. Benard, "Civil Democratic Islam: Partners, Resources, and Strategies", 2003, Rand Corporation, p. 67.

[7] Muhammad Ajaj al-Khatib, Al-Mukhtasar al-Wajiz fi `Ulum al-Hadith, 1991, Mu'assasat al-Risalah, p. 135.

[8] Abi Bakr Ahmad Ibn `Ali al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad Aw Madinah as-Salam, 1931 (1349 AH), Volume II, Maktabat al-Khanji, Cairo & Al-Maktabah al-`Arabiyyah, Baghdad and Matba'at as-S'adah near the State Department, Cairo, pp. 8-9.

[9] M. M. al-Azami, Studies In Early Hadith Literature, 1992, American Trust Publications: Indianapolis (USA), pp. 305-306.

[10] ibid., p. 306.

[11] N. Abbott, Studies In Arabic Literary Papyri, Volume II [Qur'anic Commentary & Tradition], 1967, University Of Chicago Press: Chicago (USA), p. 2.

[12] ibid., p. 72.

[13] Al-Imam Muhyee ad-Din Abi Zakariyya Yahya bin Sharaf al-Nawawi, Sahih Muslim Bi Sharh al-Imam al-Nawawi, Volume I, 1994/1414, Dar al-Khair, p. 1.

[14] A hadith is known as maqlub (changed, reversed) when its isnad is grafted to a different text or vice versa, or if a reporter happens to reverse the order of a sentence in the text.

[15] S. Hasan, An Introduction To The Science Of Hadith, 1995, Darussalam Publishers: Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) available online, quote taken from here.

[16] J. Esposito, Islam: The Straight Path, 1998, Oxford University Press, p. 81.

Issues Concerning Hadith

 

[Eeman]

Dear Brother's

Salam alaikum.
Couldwe please get to the actual question that asked then we will debate regards the hadiths.

can someone please bring forth one ayah or surah in the Qur'an that refers to imam mahdi.

thank you

peace

 

[IceQueen~]

Won't he lead the prayer in the mosque of Damascus when Prophet Isa descends and prays behind him? I've never heard of it being in Makkah. (This prayer will be just around the time Prophet Isa arrives and will arrive at the white minaret of Damascus...?)

 

[Umar001]

Dear Brother's

Salam alaikum.
Couldwe please get to the actual question that asked then we will debate regards the hadiths.

can someone please bring forth one ayah or surah in the Qur'an that refers to imam mahdi.

thank you

peace

From Tafsir Ibn Kathir, just thought I'd add this here;

Allah the Exalted said,


وَمَآ ءَاتَـكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَـكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُواْ


(And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it).) meaning, `whatever the Messenger commands you, then do it and whatever he forbids you, then avoid it. Surely, He only commands righteousness and forbids evil.' Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said, "Allah curses women who practice tattooing and those who get themselves tattooed, and the women who remove the hair from their eyebrows and faces and those who make artificial spaces between their teeth in order to look more beautiful, whereby changing Allah's creation.'' His statement reached a woman from Bani Asad called, Umm Ya`qub, who came to `Abdullah and said, "I have come to know that you have cursed such and such'' He replied, "Why should I not curse those whom Allah's Messenger has cursed and who are cursed in Allah's Book!'' Umm Ya`qub said, "I have read the whole Qur'an, but did not find in it what you say.'' He said, "Verily, if you have read the Qur'an, you have found it. Didn't you read,


وَمَآ ءَاتَـكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَـكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُواْ


(And whatsoever the Messenger gives you take it and whatsoever he forbids you, you abstain (from it).)'' She replied, "Yes, I did.'' He said, "Verily, Allah's Messenger forbade such things. '' "She said, "But I think that your wife does these things'' He said, "Go and look at her.'' She went and watched her, but could not see anything in support of her claim. She went back to `Abdullah bin Mas`ud and said that she did not notice anything on his wife. On that he said, "If my wife was as you thought, I would not keep her with me.'' The Two Sahihs recorded this from the Hadith of Sufyan Ath-Thawri.

​

And Allah knows best.

 

[Eeman]

Dear brother.

im sorry but you still have not answered my question.
in none of the references of the Qur'an was the mentioning of imam mahdi.

now regards the refernce you made wich was one reference from the Qur'an and 2 from hadith.

you haven't mentioned what verse of what surah it is.
And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it).

but non the less wouldnt you out of logic think that the prophet saw at the time when he was alive would be giving true guidance through the mercy of Allah swt by revealing the revelation? therefore he'd be givng you true guidance.
now what would he saw be forbiding us to do or the people of his time when he was alive?
abstaining from evil.

somehow that in no way is an arguement to argue the point where Allah swt orders us in the Qur'an to follow the hadiths.

Salam alaikum

 

[Umar001]

Sr Eeman,

I personally do not believe inthe coming of imam mahdi.

Dear Brother it is 5:15am right now...
I am tired so therefore will reply to y

Dear brother
before i go...

I have moved the discussion of ahadith into the Refuation area, here is the thread: http://www.islamicboard.com/refutations/134268068-ahadith.html

So as to keep this thread on track.

 

[Eeman]

Thank you brother Habeshi i must say you did send me a message regards it but somehow it does not allow me to read the message due to my limitations on my membership or something.
lol i dont know im new to forums.

but thank you once again

Salam alaikum

 

[Umar001]

Dear brother.

im sorry but you still have not answered my question.
in none of the references of the Qur'an was the mentioning of imam mahdi.

now regards the refernce you made wich was one reference from the Qur'an and 2 from hadith.

you haven't mentioned what verse of what surah it is.
And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it).

but non the less wouldnt you out of logic think that the prophet saw at the time when he was alive would be giving true guidance through the mercy of Allah swt by revealing the revelation? therefore he'd be givng you true guidance.
now what would he saw be forbiding us to do or the people of his time when he was alive?
abstaining from evil.

somehow that in no way is an arguement to argue the point where Allah swt orders us in the Qur'an to follow the hadiths.

Salam alaikum

Wa alaykum salam,

Surah 59, I dont recall the ayah.

You have mentioned points, which are of no avail, if possible please try to enumare them to as to show the number of points and thus make it easier for us reading.

From what I gather your points are:

1. The Prophet, sal Allahu alayhi wa salam, calls to guidance by revelation of Allah.

I agree.

2. Prophet, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam prohibits people from evil.

I agree, though also from what leads to evil. You have to take into account that the Shareeah defines what is evil or good, not humans, for us humans although born on fitrah become lead by others to think what is good and bad, to the point that the greatest evil, shirk, is seen as an amazing thing, i.e. We are all born on fitra, but our parents/society guides us to be Jews/Christians or other than that.


Let me explain the quotation, I brought forth the example to indicate that Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud, the famous companion whom Allah is pleased with, cursed someone (type of people) and this was relayed to a Sister, who in turn questioned this and he put forth that this is found in the book of Allah, she said I have read it all and did not find this, he stated this verse, thus, the Book of Allah in this verse pointed to the statements of the Prophet, thus, if the Prophet Muhammad, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, spoke of Imam Mahdi, then verily the Qur'an points to this.

And Allah knows best.

Thank you brother Habeshi i must say you did send me a message regards it but somehow it does not allow me to read the message due to my limitations on my membership or something.
lol i dont know im new to forums.

but thank you once again

Salam alaikum

Yes, it is an automated message just indicating where to post has been moved to.

 

[Eeman]

I think you have confused the concept of believing in all without distinction with the concept of status. There is no distinction in believing in them, however as Allaah has mentioned in the Qur'an, some Messengers were of a higher position (daraja) than others.

2:253 Those messengers - some of them We caused to exceed others...

17:55 ..And We have made some of the prophets exceed others..



Dear brother,

I much appreciate your time and energy put into the long post MashaAllah, i pray Allah swt multiplies your efforts and deeds in abundance InshaAllah.


regards distinction between messengers :3:84 Say (O Muhammad): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and that which was vouchsafed unto Moses and Jesus and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered. Pickthall

Say: "We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets, from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another among them, and to Allah do we bow our will (in Islam)." Y Ali


Say: We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us, and what was revealed to Ibrahim and Ismail and Ishaq and Yaqoub and the tribes, and what was given to Musa and Isa and to the prophets from their Lord; we do not make any distinction between any of them, and to Him do we submit. Shakir.

Say (O Muhammad SAW): "We believe in Allâh and in what has been sent down to us, and what was sent down to Ibrâhim (Abraham), Ismâ'il (Ishmael), Ishâque (Isaac), Ya'qûb (Jacob) and Al-Asbât [the twelve sons of Ya'qûb (Jacob)] and what was given to Mûsa (Moses), 'Iesa (Jesus) and the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between one another among them and to Him (Allâh) we have submitted (in Islâm)." Halili and Khan.

So from this clear ayah you can see that what Allah swt is trying to tell us is that there is NO distinction between the prophets (pbuta)

now the ayah that you came with for this argument it is quite clear that Allah swt is refering to His own preference 2:253 Those Messengers! We preferred some to others; to some of them Allâh spoke (directly); others He raised to degrees (of honour); and to 'Iesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), We gave clear proofs and evidences, and supported him with Rûh-ul-Qudus [Jibrael (Gabriel)]. If Allâh had willed, succeeding generations would not have fought against each other, after clear Verses of Allâh had come to them, but they differed - some of them believed and others disbelieved. If Allâh had willed, they would not have fought against one another, but Allâh does what He likes. halili and khan.

In 3:84 Allah swt is telling us what we mankind should regard them as "Say (O Mohammad)" Allah swt is commanding the prophet (saw) to tell the people to make no distinction between them and no distinction means no distinction!! I'm sure if Allah swt wanted us to think of some prophets higher ranked than others He swt would mention so.

Now in 2:253 it is clear that Allah swt is refering to His own preference!




Dear brother i do apologise as promised i will get back to you with each and every comment you have made. I just have so much going on right now InshaAllah i will soon answer each and everyone of them.

Ma salama