Chapter Six: Nasibi propaganda that certain prominent Shia narrators possessed deviant beliefs

Refuting the allegation that Abdullah Ibn Saba had any link to Shiasm

In this chapter we are going to refute an article that has been circulating on different Nasibi websites with the title “RESPONSE TO THE EMBASSY OF IRAN”. The summary of this article is that in an alleged magazine called Al-Rasheed, published an article titled “Abdullah lbn Saba: Founder of Shi’aism” by an unnamed author, to which the Iranian Embassy on the 15th of August 1999 allegedly wrote a letter to the magazine expressing dissatisfaction at its contents. The unknown author defended his article by defiantly writing back to the Iranian Embassy wherein he sought to ‘prove’ his claim, that in summary was as follows::

Abdullah Ibn Saba existed
He was the founder of Shiaism
He attributed traits of God to Ali bin Abi Talib (as)
Kufa became the place where Ibn Saba’s ideas prevailed
Three or four prominent Shia narrators of Shia Hadith books halied from Kufa
These narrators were cursed by Imams of Ahlulbayt (as) for the same reasons

Whilst we don’t know if the article and subsequent correspondences are fact or fiction, our prime interest is the anti-Shia materials cited in the article that has attracted widespread acclaim from Nasabi quarters.
In relation to the first part of the Nasibi article, namely the existence of Abdullah Ibn Saba, we have no reason to deny this, since whether or not he existed does not effect us a single iota. What really matters are the theories attributed to him that are relied upon to draw an inference that Shias adhere to same beliefs that hence proves Ibn Saba is the founder of the Shiasm. The unknown author in his article has tried to prove that the existence and beliefs espoused by Abdullah Ibn Saba have been recorded in both Shia and Sunni books but as usual, these Nawasib merge both authentic and weak reports sp as to portray an image that best supports their evil machinations. We have already dedicated a chapter on on Abdullah Ibn Saba in our article Who really killed Uthman? when the Pied Piper of Deception, Nasibi author Ibn al-Hashimi sought to shift the blame on those that aided and abetted Uthman’s murder from the Sahaba and Tabayeen to Abdullah Ibn Saba. Hence, our readers are advised to go through that chapter as there isn’t any need to repeat all that here, but we will just repeat the crux of their arguments, namely:

- Authentic texts prove the existence of a Yahud character called Abdullah Ibn Saba who:
a). appeared during the era of the caliphate of Ali bin Abi Talib (as)
b). attested to the divinity of Ali (as)
c). was subsequently murdered by Ali bin Abi Talib (as).

- The weak and rejected traditions [purposely fabricated by the early Sunni and Nasibi scholars] claim that:
a). a Jewish character namely Abdullah Ibn Saba appeared during the era of the caliphate of Uthman
b). claimed that the right of rulership or succession to the Prophet (s) belonged to Ali bin Abi Talib (as)
b). misguided a bulk of the Sahaba and Tabayeen who whist adhering to his footsteps launched a rebellion against the caliph and subsequently assassinated him.

The reason that the early Sunni and Nasibi authorities sought to fabricate such stories was two fold:

To protect the esteemed image of those Sahaba and Tabayeen that had co-ordinated popular movement against Uthman that led to his downfall. Faced with this reality, it was incumbent on the later generations of Sunni and Nasibi adherents of the State religion to shift blame elsewhere, since failure to do so would severely puncture their entire belief system that revolved around ‘each and every Sahabi is just’. They desperately needed to apportion all culpability in relation to this rebellion to Abdullah Ibn Saba as this was only means of protecting their canonical beliefs.
To attack the Shias of the Ahlulbayt (as) by suggesting their beliefs on Imamate echoed those of Ibn Saba, he was hence their founding father and conveniently everything bad in Islamic history was their fault alone.

Fortunately, those Sunni and Shia readers who are desirous of conducting independent research free from bias and bigotry have successfully distinguished both categories of reports regarding Abdullah Ibn Saba and have arrived an informed decision on the basis of the authentic reports, namely that Abdullah Ibn Saba affirmed belief in the divinity of Ali bin Abi Talib (as) a belief that cannot be attributed to the Shias of Ahlulbayt (as) whose belief in relation to the Ahlulbayt (as)’s legal entitlement to Imamate (leadership) was with Ahlulbayt (as) can be evidenced from the Quran and Sunnah.

Refuting the allegation that Kufa was heavily influenced by the Ghulat beliefs propagated by Abdullah Ibn Saba who subsequently fabricated beliefs and attributed it to the Imams of Ahlulbayt (as)

Having refuted the first section of the Nasibi article, let us come to the second portion wherein the author tried to suggest that the Imams of Ahlulbayt (as) were resident in Madina whilst their followers were situate in Kufa, a locality under the influence of Ghluat [extremist] beliefs that had first been propagated by Abdullah Ibn Saba.

Ansar.org stated:

Extremist tendencies like these were originally introduced by Ibn Saba. Before him no one, not even the little group of Sahabah like Abu Dharr and Salman al-Farisi, whom the Shi‘ah look upon as the early Shi‘ah, ever made such claims, neither did any one of them ever speak ill of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. This too, was invented by Ibn Saba.
Extremism did not die with the death of Ibn Saba. It persisted, and the centre of its activities, as Jafri tells us in The Origins and Early Development of Shi‘ah Islam (p. 300), was the city of Kufa. Here we stand before an interesting observation that was brought to light by Jafri. He writes:
There is another important point that must be discussed here briefly. A considerable number of traditions are to be found, especially in the earliest Shi’ite collection of hadith, Al-KAAFI, which describe the Imams as supernatural human beings. What was the origin of these traditions, and to what extent are the Imams themselves responsible for them? These traditions are reported, as indeed are all Shi‘i traditions, on the authority of one of the Imams, in this case from Al-Baqir and Ja‘far. But were these Imams really the authors of such traditions, which describe their supernatural character? The first thing which must be noted in this connection is that while Al-Baqir and Ja‘far themselves lived in Medina, most of their followers lived in Kufa. This fact brings us to a crucial problem. Kufa had long been a centre of ghulat speculations and activities. Whether ‘Abd Allah bin Saba, to whom the history of the ghulat is traced, was a real personality or not, the name as-Saba’iyya is often used to describe the ghulat in Kufa who believed in the supernatural character of ‘Ali. According to the heresiographers, Ibn Saba was the first to preach the doctrine of waqf (refusal to recognise the death of ‘Ali) and the first to condemn the first two caliphs in addition to ‘Uthman. (Jafri, The Origins and Early Development of Shi‘a Islam, p. 300, Ansariyan Publications, Qum)

This same Kufa, which was the hotbed of Shi’ite activities and ghulat tendencies, was also the home of the most prolific narrators of the hadith which the Shi‘ah ascribe to the Imams, and which are documented in their hadith compendiums such as al-KAAFI, Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, Tahdhib al-Ahkam and al-Istibsar. Since it is upon this corpus of narrated material that the entire edifice of Shi‘ism rests, it would be of interest to see what kind of people were these men on whose authority it is narrated from the Imams.

Reply One – Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) lived in Kufa as well as Madina

The impression that the Nasibi author has tried to create to his readers was that Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) lived in Madina, far away from Kufa thus ‘some Ghulat’ capitalized on the situation and attributed false beliefs to the Imams of Ahlulbayt (as) in Kufa. This belief can be refuted by the fact that Madina was not the sole residence of Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) also resided in Kufa. We read in Ryadh al-Masael by Ali Tabatabai, Volume 1 page 17:

انتقل الإمام الصادق عليه السلام إلى الكوفة أيام أبي العباس السفاح واستمر بقاء الإمام الصادق عليه السلام في الكوفة مدة سنتين

“Imam Sadiq (as) moved to Kufa during the reign of Abi al-Abbas al-Safah, and Imam Sadiq resided in Kufa for two years”.

We read in one of the oldest history books of the Shia, Ibrahim Ibn Muhammad Al Thaqafi’s Kitab Al Gharrat Vol 2, pg. 850 - 851:

وروي عن عبد الله بن عبيد قال: رأيت جعفر بن محمد وعبد الله بن الحسن بالغري عند قبر أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام فأذن عبد الله وأقام الصلاة وصلى مع جعفر (عليه السلام)، وسمعت جعفرا يقول: هذا قبر أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام. وعن صفوان الجمال قال: حملت جعفر بن محمد عليهما السلام فلما انتهيت إلى النجف قال: يا صفوان: تياسر حتى نجوز الحيرة فنأتي القائم. قال: فبلغت الموضع الذي وصف لي فنزل فتوضأ ثم تقدم هو وعبد الله بن الحسن فصليا عند قبر فلما فرغا قلت: جعلت فداك أي موضع هذا القبر ؟ - قال هذا قبر علي بن أبي طالب عليه السلام وهو القبر الذي يأتيه الناس هناك. وعن أبي الفرج السندي قال: كنت مع أبي عبد الله بن محمد عليهما السلام حين قدم إلى حيرة فقال ليلة: أسرجوا لي البغلة، فركب وأنا معه حتى انتهينا إلى الظهر، فنزل وصلى ركعتين ثم تنحى فصلى ركعتين ثم تنحى وصلى ركعتين، فقلت: جعلت فداك أني رأيتك صليت في ثلاث مواضع ؟ - فقال: أما الأول فموضع قبر أمير المؤمنين، والثاني موضع رأس الحسين، والثالث موضع منبر القائم عليه السلام.

أقول: هذه الروايات من طريق الجمهور.

وقد روي عن أبان بن تغلب قال: كنت مع الصادق عليه السلام فمر بظهر الكوفة فنزل وصلى ركعتين ثم سار قليلا فنزل فصلى ركعتين ثم تقدم قليلا فصلى ركعتين ثم قال: هذا موضع قبر أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام. قلت: جعلت فداك، الموضعين الذين صليت فيهما ؟ - قال: موضع رأس الحسين، وموضع منبر القائم عليه السلام. وأخبرني الوزير خاتم العلماء نصير الدين محمد بن محمد الطوسي عن والده عن فضل الله الراوندي يرفعه عن مبارك الخباز قال: قال لي أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: أسرج البغل والحمار وهو بالحيرة، فركب وركبت حتى دخل الجرف ثم نزل فصلى ركعتين ثم تقدم قليلا فصلى ركعتين ثم سار قليلا فنزل وصلى ركعتين فسألته عن ذلك فقال: الركعتين الاولتين موضع قبر أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام، و الركعتين الثانيتين موضع رأس الحسين عليه السلام، والركعتين الثالثتين موضع منبر القائم عليه السلام.

And it has been narrated from Abdullah ibn Obaid where he said: “I saw Jafar ibn Muhammad and Abdullah ibn al-Hasan in Al-Ghariy at the grave of Amir Al Mumineen (AS), so Abdullah said the adhan and he prayed with Jafar (AS), and I heard Jafar saying: This is the’ grave of Amir Al Mu’minin (AS).

And on the authority of Safwan Al-Jammal, he said: I accompanied Jaafar ibn Muhammad (AS) to Najaf, and when I finished, Jafar (AS) said: ‘O Safwan: make it easy (on yourself) until we pass Al-Hīra and we arrive to Al Qaim (the marker).’ So Safwan said: I arrived at the place that was described to me, so Imam Jafar (AS) got down and did wudhu then he came with Abdullah Ibn al Hasan so they prayed at the place of the grave, and when they finished, I asked: "May I be your ransom, what place is this grave?" He said: "This is the grave of Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), and it is the grave that people go to there.”

And on the authority of Abu Al Faraj Al Sindi, he said: I was with Abu Abdullah Jafar ibn Muhammad (AS) when he came to Al-Hira and said one night: "Saddle up the mule for me", so he mounted it and I was with him, until we reached the back (of Kufa), so he got down and prayed two rakaats, then he stepped aside and prayed two rakaats then he stepped aside and prayed two rakaats, so I asked: "May I be your ransom, I saw you praying in three places" So he said: "The first place is the place of the grave of Amir Al Mumineen a.s, and the second is the place of the head of Imam Hussein (AS), and the third is the place of the minbar of Al Qaim (AS).

I say: these narrations are from the general people (the public)

And it has been narrated from Aban ibn Taghlib that he said: “I was with Al Sadiq (AS) and he passed by the outskirts of Al-Kufa, so he got down and he prayed two rakaats, then he walked a little and stepped down and prayed two rakaats, then walked a bit and prayed two rakaats, then he said: ‘This is the place of Amir Al Mu'minin (AS)’, so I said: ‘May I be your ransom, (what are) the two places you prayed in?’ So he said: ‘The place of the head of Hussain (AS), and the place of the pulpit (minbar) of Al Qaim (AS).

And the vizier (minister), the seal of scholars, Nasīru Dīn Muhammed ibn Muhammed Al Tūsī, on the authority of his father, from Fadlullah Al-Rawandī, from Mubarak Al Khabbāz, where he said: ‘Abu Abdullah (AS) said to me: ‘Saddle up the mule and the donkey while he was in Al-Hīra, so we road until we entered Al-Jarf, then he got down and prayed two rakaats then walked a bit then prayed two rakats, then he walked a little and got down and prayed two rakaats, so I asked Imam Sadiq (AS) about that so he said: ‘The first two rakaats were at the place of the grave of Amir Al Mumineen (AS), and the second two rakaats were at the place of the head of Hussain (AS) and the third 2 rakaats were at the place of the pulpit of Al Qaim.”

We further read on pg. 852 - 853:

وعن المعلى بن خنيس قال: كنت مع أبي عبد الله عليه السلام بالحيرة فقال: افرشوا لي في الصحراء، ففعل ذلك. ثم قال: يا معلى، قلت: لبيك، قال: ما ترى النجوم ما أحسنها ؟ - إنها أمان لأهل السماء فإذا ذهبت جاء أهل السماء ما يوعدون، ونحن أمان لأهل الأرض فإذا ذهبنا جاء أهل الأرض ما يوعدون . قل لهم: يسرجوا البغل والحمار ثم قال: اركب البغل ؟ قال: فركبت وركب الحمار، وقال: أمامك، فجئنا الغريين فقال: هما هما ؟ قلت: نعم. قال: خذ يسرة.

فمضينا حتى انتهينا إلى موضع فقال لي: انزل: ونزل، وقال: هذا قبر أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام فصلى وصليت.

وعن صفوان الجمال قال: كنت أنا وعامر بن عبد الله عند أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: فقال له عامر: إن الناس يزعمون أن أمير المؤمنين دفن بالرحبة. قال: كذبوا.

قال: فأين دفن؟- قال: بالغري بين ذكوات بيض.

وعن زيد بن طلحة قال: قال لي أبو عبد الله عليه السلام وهو بالحيرة: أما تريد ما وعدتك؟ - قال: قلت بلى، يعني الذهاب إلى قبر أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام. قال: فركب وركب ابنه إسماعيل وأنا حتى إذا جاز الثوية وكان بين الحيرة والنجف عند ذكوات بيض نزل ونزل إسماعيل ونزلت، فصلى وصلى إسماعيل وصليت، فقال لإسماعيل: قم فسلم على جدك الحسين عليه السلام، فقلت: جعلت فداك أليس الحسين بكربلاء؟ - فقال: نعم ولكن لما حمل رأسه إلى الشام سرقه مولى لنا فدفنه بجنب أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام.

And on the authority of Al Mua'lla ibn Khunays, he said: “I was with Abu Abdullah (AS) in Hira, so he said: ‘Spread (a blanket) on the desert land’, and that was done. Then he said: ‘O Mua'lla'.’ I replied: ‘At your service.’ He said: "Don't you see how good the stars are? It's safety for the people of the heavens, so if the stars go away, the people of the heavens get what they were promised with, and we are the safety for the people of the Earth, so if we go away, then the people of the Earth will get what they were promised with. Tell them to saddle the mule and the donkey.’ Then he said: ‘You mount the mule,’ So I mounted (the mule) and he mounted the donkey, he then said, ‘In front of you", so we arrived at the Gherriyain and he said, ‘They are the two? I replied: ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Take a left.’ So we kept walking until we reached a place, so Jafar (AS) ordered me, ‘Get down.’ Then he got down, and said ‘This is the grave of Amir Al Mu'minin (AS)’, so he prayed and I prayed.”

And on the authority of Safwan Al Jammal, he said: “I was with ‘Āmir ibn Abdullah with Abu Abdullah (AS), and ‘Āmir asked him, ‘The people claim that Amir Al Mu'minin (AS) was buried in Al-Rahba. He replied: ‘They've lied. So ‘Āmir asked, ‘Then where was he buried?’ He replied, ‘In Al Ghirri between Al-Dhukuwat Al Beed.’”

And on the authority of Zaid ibn Talha: “Abu Abdullah (AS) said to me when he was in Al-Hira, ‘Don't you want what I promised you with?’ I said, ‘Yes’, (which means going to the grave of Amir Al Mu'minin AS). So he, his son Ismail and I mounted (animals) until he passed Al Thuwayya and it was between Al-Hira and Najaf at the Dhukuwat Beed so we all dismounted, then we prayed, then he told Ismail ‘Get up and say Salam to your grandfather Al Hussein (AS), so I asked, ‘May I be your ransom, isn't Hussein (AS) in Karbala?" So Al Sadiq (AS) replied, ‘Yes, but when his head was taken to the Levant, one of our loyalists stole it for us and he was buried beside Amir Al Mumineen (AS).’”

Lastly, we read in on pg. 853 - 854:

وعن عمر بن عبد الله النهدي عن أبيه قال: دخلت على أبي عبد الله عليه السلام فقام وركب وركبنا معه حتى انتهينا إلى الغري فصلى فأتى موضعا فصلى ثم قال لإسماعيل: قم فصل عند رأس أبيك الحسين عليه السلام. قلت: أليس قد ذهب برأسه إلى الشام؟ - قال: بلى ولكن فلان هو مولى لنا سرقه وجاء به فدفنه ههنا.

وعن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: قبر علي عليه السلام في الغري ما بين صدر نوح ومفرق رأسه مما يلي القبلة.

And on the authority of Omar ibn Abu Abdullah Al Mahdi from his father who said: “I entered upon Abu Abdullah (AS), so he got up and we all rode together until we arrived at Al-Ghurri, so he prayed then he went to another place and prayed, then he said to Ismail, ‘Get up and pray on your grandfather Al-Hussein (AS)’, so I asked him, ‘Wasn't his head taken to the Levant?’, So Imam Sadiq (AS) replied: ‘Indeed, however, someone though who was our loyalists stole it and brought it here and buried it.’"

And on the authority of Abu Abdullah (AS) he said: “The grave of Imam Ali (AS) in Al Ghiri between Sadr Nuh and his head which faces the qibla.’”

This one book provided 10 different narrations which indicate Imam Sadiq’s presence in Iraq, and it is not even a book of hadith but rather a book of history. When it comes to books of hadith, there are even more proofs. We read in Kamil Al Ziyarat Chapter 66, Hadith # 7:

حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ الْكُوفِيُّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنِ الْخَيْبَرِيِّ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ الْقَاسِمِ الْحَضْرَمِيِّ قَالَ قَدِمَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (ع) فِي أَوَّلِ وَلَايَةِ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ فَنَزَلَ النَّجَفَ فَقَالَ يَا مُوسَى اذْهَبْ إِلَى الطَّرِيقِ الْأَعْظَمِ فَقِفْ عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ فَانْظُرْ فَإِنَّهُ سَيَأْتِيكَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ نَاحِيَةِ الْقَادِسِيَّةِ

Abul ‘Abbās Al-Kūfi narrated to me from Muĥammad ibn Ĥusain, from Muĥammad ibn Ismā’ǐl, from Al-Khaybari, from Mūsā ibn Qāsim Al-Ĥaďrami, who said: Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Šādiq (a.s.)) came (to Iraq) during the early days of the reign of Abǐ Ja’far (Manšūr Al-Dawānǐqi). When he stopped in Najaf, he said to me: O Mūsā! Go and stand on the main route and wait until you see a man from the direction of Qādisiyyah…

We also read in Al-Kafi, Vol. 4, Book of Hajj, Chapter 229, Hadith #2:

عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ عُقْبَةَ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ الْخَزَّازِ عَنِ الْوَشَّاءِ أَبِي الْفَرَجِ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ تَغْلِبَ قَالَ كُنْتُ مَعَ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) فَمَرَّ بِظَهْرِ الْكُوفَةِ

A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ibrahim ibn ‘Uqbah from al-Hassan al-Khazzaz from al-Washsha’ Abu al-Faraj from Aban ibn Taghlib who has said the following: “I once was with abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, when he passed by the backside of al-Kufah…

This narration clearly indicates that Imam Sadiq (AS) visited Iraq in order to perform ziyarat of his ancestors. We also read in Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, The Book of Dresses, Beautification and Kindness, Chapter 4, Hadith #3:

عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ الْجَمَّالِ قَالَ حَمَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) الْحَمْلَةَ الثَّانِيَةَ إِلَى الْكُوفَةِ وَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ الْمَنْصُورُ بِهَا فَلَمَّا أَشْرَفَ عَلَى الْهَاشِمِيَّةِ مَدِينَةِ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ أَخْرَجَ رِجْلَهُ مِنْ غَرْزِ الرِّجْلِ ثُمَّ نَزَلَ

A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn abu ‘Abd Allah from certain persons of his people from Safwan al-Jammal who has said the following: “I provided abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, transportation to al-Kufah for the second time and abu Ja‘far al-Mansur was in it. When he (the Imam) arrived in al-Hashimiyah, the city of Abu Ja‘far, al- Mansur, he (the Imam) pulled out his feet from the saddle’s stirrups and dismounted…

We also read in Al Kafi Vol 8, Hadith #118:

وَ بِهَذَا الْإِسْنَادِ عَنْ حَفْصٍ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) يَتَخَلَّلُ بَسَاتِينَ الْكُوفَةِ فَانْتَهَى إِلَى نَخْلَةٍ فَتَوَضَّأَ عِنْدَهَا ثُمَّ رَكَعَ وَ سَجَدَ

And by this chain, from Hafs who said: I saw Abu Abdullah (asws) alone in the gardens of Al-Kufa. He (asws) came to a palm tree, so he (asws) performed ablution near it, then bowed and prostrated…

Lastly, we read in Al Kafi Vol 8 Hadith #420:

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ هِشَامٍ الْخُرَاسَانِيِّ عَنِ الْمُفَضَّلِ بْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) بِالْكُوفَةِ أَيَّامَ قَدِمَ عَلَى أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ

Ali Bin Ibrahim, from his father, from Ibn Mahboub, from Hisham Al-Khurasany, from Al-Mufazzal Bin Umar who said: I was in the presence of Abu Abdullah (asws) at Al-Kufa in the days of Ali Bin Al-Abbas. So when we ended up to Al-Kunasa, he (asws) said: ‘Over there is where they crucified my (asws) uncle Zayd, may Allah (azwj) have Mercy upon him’. Then we went until we ended up at the (market) stall of the oilmen, and it was at the end of the two lamps. So he (asws) descended and said: ‘Descend, for this is the place where the Masjid Al-Kufa used to be at first which Adam (as) had marked,

These narrations demonstrate that Imam Sadiq was summoned to Iraq by Abu Jafar Al Mansur, thus it is not far-fetched at all there while he was there he would have narrated to students. As if this wasn’t enough, there are even Sunni narrations that indicate that Imam Sadiq was summoned to Iraq! We read in Siyar A'lam Al Nubala Vol 6, pg. 257 - 258:

ابْنُ عُقْدَةَ الحَافِظُ: حَدَّثَنَا جَعْفَرُ بنُ مُحَمَّدِ بنِ حُسَيْنِ بنِ حَازِمٍ، حَدَّثَنِي إِبْرَاهِيْمُ بنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الرُّمَّانِيُّ أَبُو نَجِيْحٍ، سَمِعْتُ حَسَنَ بنَ زِيَادٍ، سَمِعْتُ أَبَا حَنِيْفَةَ، وَسُئِلَ: مَنْ أَفْقَهُ مَنْ رَأَيْتَ؟ قَالَ: مَا رَأَيْتُ أَحَداً أَفْقَهَ مِنْ جَعْفَرِ بنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، لَمَّا أَقدَمَهُ المَنْصُوْرُ الحِيْرَةَ، بَعَثَ إِلَيّ، فقال: يا أبا حنيفة! إن الناس قد فتنوا بجعفر بن محمد، فهيئ له من مسائلك الصعاب. فهيأت له أربعين مسألة، ثم أتيت أبا جعفر وجعفر جالس عن يمينه، فلما بصرت بهما، دخلني لجعفر من الهيبة ما لا يدخلني لأبي جعفر، فسلمت، وأذن لي، فجلست. ثم التفت إلي جعفر، فقال: يا أبا عبد الله! تعرف هذا؟قال: نعم، هذا أبو حنيفة. ثم أتبعها: قد أتانا. ثم قال: يا أبا حنيفة! هات من مسائلك، نسأل أبا عبد الله. فابتدأت أسأله، فكان يقول في المسألة: أنتم تقولون فيها كذا وكذا، وأهل المدينة يقولون كذا وكذا، ونحن نقول كذا وكذا، فربما تابعنا، وربما تابع أهل المدينة، وربما خالفنا جميعا، حتى أتيت على أربعين مسألة، ما أخرم منها مسألة. ثم قال أبو حنيفة: أليس قد روينا أن أعلم الناس أعلمهم باختلاف الناس؟

Narrated Ibn Uqdah Al-Hāfiz who said that Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Hussein ibn Hāzim narrated to us, Ibrahim ibn Muhammad Ali Rummāni Abu Najeeh narrated to me, I heard Hasan ibn Ziyad, I heard Abu Hanifa who was asked: "Who is the most knowledgeable person in jurisprudence that you've seen?' So Abu Hanifa replied, 'I haven't seen anyone more knowledgeable in fiqh than Ja'far ibn Muhammad, when Al Mansur summoned him to Al Hira, he sent me a message saying, 'O Abu Hanifa, the people were fascinated by Ja`far b. Muhammad, so prepare difficult questions for him (to solve)." So I prepared for him 40 problems, then I came to Abu Ja'far, and Ja'far was sitting on his right, so when I looked at them both, I felt that Ja'far had more prestige than Abi Jafar, so I said Salam and he let me in, so I sat down. Then (Abu) Ja'far ushered at me, and said: "O Abu Abdullah, do you know this (man)?". He said, "Yes. This is Abu Hanifa." Then he continued, "He has come to us", then he said, 'O Abu Hanifa, give us your problems to ask Abu Abdullah, and so I started asking him. And he would respond, 'You say about this problem such and such, and the people of Medina say such and such, and we say such and such', so maybe he followed us and maybe he followed the people of Medina, and maybe he didn't follow any of us at all, until I came to those 40 problems which didn't have, then Abu Hanifa said, "Didn't we narrate that the most knowledgeable of people is the most knowledgeable in their disagreements?!"

We also read Tarikh Madinat Dimashq Vol 18, pg. 135 - 136 in the bio of Rizam Abu Qays:

رزام أبو قيس ويقال أبو الغصن ويقال أبو القصر ويقال أبو القسر الكاتب مولى خالد القسري حكى عن جعفر بن محمد الصادق وإسماعيل بن عبد الله القسري أخي خالد حكى عنه منصور بن أبي مزاحم التركي ومولى من موالي بجيلة لم يسم قرأت بخط أبي الحسن رشأبن نظيف وأنبأنيه أبو القاسم علي بن إبراهيم وأبو الوحش سبيع بن المسلم عنه أنا أبو القاسم حمزة بن عبد الله بن الحسين الطرابلسي بها نا أبو الحسن محمد بن أحمد بن طالب البغدادي نا أبو بكر بن دريد نا الحسن بن حضر عن أبيه حدثني مولى لبجيلة من أهل الكوفة حدثني رزام مولى خالد بن عبد الله القسري فقال بعث بي المنصور إلى جعفر بن محمد بن علي بن الحسين عليهم السلام وأمه أم فروة بنت قاسم بن محمد بن أبي بكر قال فلما أقبلت به إليه والمنصور بالحيرة (1) وعلونا النجف نزل جعفر بن محمد عن راحلته

Rizām Abu Qays, also known as: Abul Ghusn, and another said name for him: Abul Qaṣr, and: Abul Qasr, the writer Mawla Khālid Al-Qasrī.

He narrated from Ja'far ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq, and Ismaīl ibn Abdullah Al-Qasrī brother of Khālid.

I have read in the handwriting of Abil Hasan Rasha bin Nadhif, and Abul Qasim Ali ibn Ibrahim told me about him, and Abul Wahsh Subay' ibn Al-Musallam from him, that it is has been narrated on the authority of Abul Qasim Hamza ibn Abdullah ibn Hussein Al-Tarablusi, in it, Abul Hasan Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Talib Al-Baghdadī narrated, Abu Bakr ibn Durayd narrated, Al-Hasan bin Hadr narrated, from his father, who narrated to me that a Mawla of a Bajeela from the people of Kufa narrated to me, Rizām Mawla Khālid ibn Abdullah Al-Qasrī narrated to me, he said: Al Mansur sent me to Ja'far b. Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Hussein (AS), and his mother was Umm Farwa bint Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, then he said: so when I got to him, and Al Mansur was in Hira (1) and we arrived to Najaf, Ja'far ibn Muhammad got down from his carriage…

The footnote regarding Al Hira reads:

(1) مدينة كانت على ثلاثة أميال من الكوفة على موضع يقال له النجف

A city three miles from Kufa at a place called Najaf.

Even Salafi scholar Sheikh Muhammad Qutub in his book Aema al-Fiqh al-Islami, Vol. 7 pg. 18 admitted that Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) attended Kufa frequently:

ثم كثرت زياراته بعد ذلك في أيام المنصور أبي جعفر

“Then his visits increased during the reign of Abu Ja'far al-Mansur.”

Reply Two– Iraqis would visit Imam Jafar Sadiq (as)

In addition to the fact that Imam Sadiq visited Iraq, it is well recorded that Imam Sadiq has people come to Hejaz to visit him, as the Shia would regularly visit him in Medina on their way to Mecca to do Hajj. We shall cite a few examples to demonstrate this. We read in Al Kafi Vol 4, Book of Hajj, Chapter of al-Hajj followed by visits, Hadith #3:

الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَسْبَاطٍ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ يَسَارٍ قَالَ حَجَجْنَا فَمَرَرْنَا بِأَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) فَقَالَ حَاجُّ بَيْتِ الله وَزُوَّارُ قَبْرِ نَبِيِّهِ (صلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَشِيعَةُ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ هَنِيئاً لَكُمْ.

Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu‘alla’ ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn Asbat from Yahya ibn Yasar who has said the following: “We performed al-Hajj. We then visited abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam. He (the Imam) said, ‘Welcome, visitors of the House of Allah, visitors of the grave of His prophet and followers of the family of Muhammad, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, wholesome and delightful indeed are your visits.’”

We also read in Al Kafi Vol 1, The Book on Oneness of Allah, Chapter on Contingency of the Universe and Proof of the Existence of its Creator, Hadith #1:

أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ هَاشِمٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَنْصُورٍ قَالَ قَالَ لِي هِشَامُ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ كَانَ بِمِصْرَ زِنْدِيقٌ تَبْلُغُهُ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) أَشْيَاءُ فَخَرَجَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ لِيُنَاظِرَهُ فَلَمْ يُصَادِفْهُ بِهَا وَقِيلَ لَهُ إِنَّهُ خَارِجٌ بِمَكَّةَ فَخَرَجَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ وَنَحْنُ مَعَ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله … قَالَ فَ‏آمَنَ الزِّنْدِيقُ عَلَى يَدَيْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَقَالَ لَهُ حُمْرَانُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنْ آمَنَتِ الزَّنَادِقَةُ عَلَى يَدِكَ فَقَدْ آمَنَ الْكُفَّارُ عَلَى يَدَيْ أَبِيكَ فَقَالَ الْمُؤْمِنُ الَّذِي آمَنَ عَلَى يَدَيْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) اجْعَلْنِي مِنْ تَلامِذَتِكَ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله يَا هِشَامَ بْنَ الْحَكَمِ خُذْهُ إِلَيْكَ وَعَلِّمْهُ فَعَلَّمَهُ هِشَامٌ فَكَانَ مُعَلِّمَ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ وَأَهْلِ مِصْرَ الايمَانَ وَحَسُنَتْ طَهَارَتُهُ حَتَّى رَضِيَ بِهَا أَبُو عَبْدِ الله.

Abu Ja‘far Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub has narrated from Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim from his father, from al-Hassan ibn Ibrahim from Yunus ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman from Ali ibn Mansur who narrated the following. “Hisham ibn al-Hakam has reported that in Egypt there lived a heretic who had heard about Imam Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) a great deal. He traveled to Madina to debate the Imam but he missed to find the Imam therein. He was told that the Imam had traveled to the city of Makkah. He then left for Makkah and we were with the Imam (a.s.)... Hisham has said, “He professed belief in God in the presence of Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.).” “Humran then said to the Imam, “May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, if heretics profess belief in Allah (God) before you it is because the unbelievers converted to faith because of your father.” The man who had just professed belief in Allah requested Imam Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) to allow him to become one of his students. The Imam then asked Hisham to teach him. Hisham taught him well and he became a teacher for the people in Syria and Egypt. His purification was very well and the Imam (a.s.) became happy with him.”

We further read Kafi Vol 2, Book of Belief and Disbelief, Things that Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, gave Adam at the Time of Repentance, Hadith #4:

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ وَهْبٍ قَالَ خَرَجْنَا إِلَى مَكَّةَ وَمَعَنَا شَيْخٌ مُتَأَلِّهٌ مُتَعَبِّدٌ لا يَعْرِفُ هَذَا الأمْرَ يُتِمُّ الصَّلاةَ فِي الطَّرِيقِ وَمَعَهُ ابْنُ أَخٍ لَهُ مُسْلِمٌ فَمَرِضَ الشَّيْخُ فَقُلْتُ لإبْنِ أَخِيهِ لَوْ عَرَضْتَ هَذَا الأمْرَ عَلَى عَمِّكَ لَعَلَّ الله أَنْ يُخَلِّصَهُ فَقَالَ كُلُّهُمْ دَعُوا الشَّيْخَ حَتَّى يَمُوتَ عَلَى حَالِهِ فَإِنَّهُ حَسَنُ الْهَيْئَةِ فَلَمْ يَصْبِرْ ابْنُ أَخِيهِ حَتَّى قَالَ لَهُ يَا عَمِّ إِنَّ النَّاسَ ارْتَدُّوا بَعْدَ رَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) إِلا نَفَراً يَسِيراً وَكَانَ لِعَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) مِنَ الطَّاعَةِ مَا كَانَ لِرَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) وَكَانَ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ الله الْحَقُّ وَالطَّاعَةُ لَهُ قَالَ فَتَنَفَّسَ الشَّيْخُ وَشَهَقَ وَقَالَ أَنَا عَلَى هَذَا وَخَرَجَتْ نَفْسُهُ فَدَخَلْنَا عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) فَعَرَضَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ السَّرِيِّ هَذَا الْكَلامَ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) فَقَالَ هُوَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ قَالَ لَهُ عَلِيُّ بْنُ السَّرِيِّ إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ شَيْئاً مِنْ هَذَا غَيْرَ سَاعَتِهِ تِلْكَ قَالَ فَتُرِيدُونَ مِنْهُ مَا ذَا قَدْ دَخَلَ وَالله الْجَنَّةَ.

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad ibn Sinan from Mu’awiyah ibn Wahab who has said the following: “Once we left for Makka and with us there was an old man, very religious and worshipping but did not know this cause (Shi’a Muslim belief). He would pray full (not in reduced form) on a journey and with him there was the son of his brother, also a Muslim. The old man became ill and I said to the son of his brother, ‘If you introduce this cause to your uncle perhaps Allah may grant him freedom.’ All of them said, ‘Leave the old man alone to die in his condition; he looks just fine.’ The son of his brother did not wait and said, ‘Uncle, people after the Messenger of Allah turned (gave up their religion) except a very few people. Ali ibn abu Talib must have been obeyed just like the Messenger of Allah had been obeyed. After the Messenger of Allah it was the right of Ali to be obeyed.’ “The narrator has said that the old man sighed deeply and said, ‘I am upon this (belief),’ and he died. We then went in the presence of Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) and Ali ibn al-Sariy narrated the story before Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) and he said, ‘He was a man of paradise.’ Ali ibn al-Sariy said, ‘He had no knowledge of this cause except for one Sa’ah there. ’ The Imam said, ‘What else do you want from him? He, by Allah, has entered paradise.’”

We also read in Al Kafi Vol 1, Book of Hujjah, The Imams (a.s.) do have the knowledge of what was and will be, and that nothing is unknown to them (a.s.), Hadith #5:

عليُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَعْبَدٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) بِمِنًى عَنْ خَمْسِمِائَةِ حَرْفٍ مِنَ الْكَلامِ

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ali ibn Ma‘bad from Hisham ibn al-Hakam who has said the following. “I asked Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) at Mina five hundred letters from al-Kalam (theology)...”

We also read in Al Kafi Vol 2, Book of Belief and Disbelief, Chapter of Respecting Parents, Hadith #11:

عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ وَهْبٍ عَنْ زَكَرِيَّا بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ كُنْتُ نَصْرَانِيّاً فَأَسْلَمْتُ وَحَجَجْتُ فَدَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام)

A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Mu’awiyah ibn Wahab from Zakariya ibn Ibrahim who has said the following: “I was a Christian, then I became a Muslim. I went for Hajj, where I met Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.)...

We also read in Al Kafi Vol 8, Hadith # 26:

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ مَنْصُورِ بْنِ يُونُسَ عَنْ عَنْبَسَةَ بْنِ مُصْعَبٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) يَقُولُ أَشْكُو إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَحْدَتِي وَ تَقَلْقُلِي بَيْنَ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ حَتَّى تَقْدَمُوا وَ أَرَاكُمْ وَ آنَسَ بِكُمْ فَلَيْتَ هَذِهِ الطَّاغِيَةَ أَذِنَ لِي فَأَتَّخِذَ قَصْراً فِي الطَّائِفِ فَسَكَنْتُهُ وَ أَسْكَنْتُكُمْ مَعِيَ وَ أَضْمَنَ لَهُ أَنْ لَا يَجِي‏ءَ مِنْ نَاحِيَتِنَا مَكْرُوهٌ أَبَداً.

Muhammad Bin Yahya, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Isa, from Ali Bin Al-Hakam, from Mansur Bin Yunus, from Anbasa Bin Mus’ab who said: “I heard Abu Abdullah (asws) saying: ‘I (asws) complain to Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic of my (asws) loneliness, and restlessness among the people of Al-Medina, until you (Shites) come over and I (asws) see you, and be comforted by you. If only this tyrant would allow me, so I (asws) would take a fort in Al-Taif, so I (asws) would dwell in it and you would all dwell in it with me (asws). I (asws) would guarantee to him that there would not come from our area any harm to him ever’.

Lastly, we read in Man La Yahduruhu Al Faqih Vol 2, pg. 321:

3111 - روي عن بكير بن أعين، عن أخيه زرارة قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله عليه السلام: جعلني الله فداك أسألك في الحج منذ أربعين عاما فتفتيني، فقال: يا زرارة بيت يحج قبل آدم عليه السلام بألفي عام تريد أن تفنى مسائله في أربعين عاما؟

Narrated on the authority of Bukayr b. A’yan from his brother Zurara who said, “I asked Abu Abdillah (AS): ‘May Allah make me your ransom, I ask you regarding Hajj for forty years and you give me fatwa!’ Thus he replied, ‘Oh Zurara, it is a house which has been the site of pilgrimage for two thousand years before Adam, and you wish to resolve all of it’s issues in forty years?”

This hadith not only indicates that Zurara had known the Imam for quite some time, but also that Zurara regularly traveled to Hejaz to meet the Imam.

Reply Three – Most Sunni narrations attributed to Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) come via Iraqis

The embarrassment for our opponents does not end there, as they claim all the hadiths of the Imamis are lies because most of the Shia narrators who narrate from Al Sadiq are Kufan while he lived in Medina. Our ignorant opponents have failed to realize that they have the exact same issue when it comes to their narrations from Imam Sadiq, as the majority of reliable narrators who narrate from Imam Sadiq in Sunni books also come from Kufa!

20 Thiqah Kufan narrators from Sunni books

The following is a list of reliable narrators who narrate from Imam Sadiq in Sunni books:

3 Thiqah Ajam narrators from Sunni books

1 Thiqah Egyptian narrators from sunni books

Yahya b. Ayyub Al Ghafiqi Al Masri

^{^[1]} Narrates 144 in the 4 books, see here.

^{^[2]} Narrates 85 in the 4 books, see here.

^{^[3]} Narrates 16 hadiths in the 4 books

^{^[4]} Narrates 30 hadiths in the 4

^{^[5]} Narrates in the Shia books

^{^[6]} Narrates 223 hadiths in our books, see here

^{^[7]} Narrates in the Shia books

^{^[8]} Narrates 41 hadiths in the 4 Shia books

Reply Four - Ibn Saba was not the first to abuse the Caliphs

The author has tried to suggest to its readership that prior to Abdullah Ibn Saba, no one even contemplated abusing the early caliphs, on account of the venerated position they enjoyed in the eyes of Muslims. Tragically, this is the typical example of blind Sahaba worship, the reality is very different after all:

In a famed tradition in Sahih Muslim, Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (as) deemed Abu Bakr to be ‘a liar, sinful, treacherous and dishonest’.
the Sahabi Ammar bin Yasir abused Uthman by calling him Nathal (Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3 pg. 260)
Similar opinions of Uthman were also expressed by prominent personalities such as Muhammad the son of Abu Bakr as recorded in Sunni works.

Abusing a man is a lower grade offence compared to physically assaulting him, and we see that Uthman was not only abused by notable Sahaba and Tabayeen but was subsequently murdered on account of their activities. Thus, the suggestion that no one would have contemplated speaking ill of the ‘revered’ three caliphs until Ibn Saba appeared on the scene is an absolute fairytale..

It is also apt to address the claim of S.M Jaffri, that Ibn Saba was the first person to introduce the belief of Waqf (the refusal to recognize the death of Ali) when it was Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (as) personally burnt Ibn Saba alive for attesting to him being God (Rijal al-Kashi pg. 107)

Reply Five - There is a difference between the Ghulat belief that Ali was a ‘supernatural human being’ and the Shia belief that those selected by Allah (swt) can perform miracles

The author has not gone into the specifics as to how the beliefs propagated by Ibn Saba regarding Ali bin Abi Talib (as) compared to the Shias (followers) of the Imams of Ahlulbayt (as) as according to the former, Ali bin Abi Talib (as) was God whilst according to the latter, the Imams (as) were appointed by Allah (swt) alone and He (swt) has designated them with the power to perform miracles. There is a big difference between miracles and one being a supernatural human. A belief that the Awliyah of Allah (swt) can perform miracles is equally shared by AhleSunnah and we have discussed it at length in our article on Imamate. Therefore, just because of the existence of Hadiths what author thinks describe Imams as ‘super natural human beings’ he has casted doubts on whether the Imams (as) were really responsible for the origins of Shia Hadith, is nothing but a desperate attempt to deviate his readers.

Reply Six– Kufa was a city comprising of residents with all manner of beliefs

The author has tried to create an impression that Kufa was a place wherein the majority were Ghulat and on the basis of this assumption, he further assumes that since some of the famed narrators of Shia Hadith books hailed from Kufa, they must have also been under the same Ghulat influence. This is totally incorrect and this bizarre strategy introduced by hardcore Salafis has led to some naïve Sunnies rejecting any narrator hailing from Kufa whilst ignoring the fact that Kufa was a city wherein the residents were from various sects. This same Kufa was infact the hotbed of Sunni activities as numerous Sunni scholars hailed from this city, including Abu Hanifa, Sufyan al-Thawri, Sufyan ibn Uyayna, Hafs bin Sulayman (the narrator of the Quran), Asem bin Abi al-Nujud (the narrator of Quran), Abdullah al-Salami (the narrator of Quran), Shurayk bin Abdullah al-Qazi, Zafar bin Hudayl, Abu Yusuf, Hamaad bin Abi Sulayman. Imam Ibn Qaym in his book ‘Elam al-Muwaqeen’ Volume 1 pages 20-21 mentioned a number of Tabayeen and Sunni scholars hailng from Kufa. In fact we should point out that the entire chain of the Quran has been narrated by the Kufis.

Reply Seven– The Imams (as) were fully aware of such Ghulat beliefs and constantly told their actual followers of the correct position

The author’s notion that just because some Ghulat people lived in Kufa, the narrators of Shia Hadith books ‘must have’ ascribed to the same deviant beliefs about the Imams, is totally absurd because we see that hypocrites also lived in Madina alongside Prophet Muhammad (s) but this doesn’t mean that we should just abandon the Prophet (s). The Imams from the Ahlulbayt (as) were fully aware of the presence of such Ghulat and constantly told their true adherents in their respective eras about such Ghulat, their beliefs and the actual true beliefs that they should ascribe to. For example, we read this tradition in Amali, pg. 419 - 420 that was the litmus test for distinguishing the Ghulat from true beliefs:

حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن موسى الدقاق (رضي الله عنه) وعلي بن عبد الله الوراق جميعا، قالا: حدثنا محمد بن هارون الصوفي، قال: حدثنا أبو تراب عبيد الله بن موسى الروياني، عن عبد العظيم بن عبد الله الحسني، قال: دخلت على سيدي علي بن محمد بن علي بن موسى بن جعفر بن محمد بن علي بن الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب )عليهم السلام(، فلما بصر بي قال لي: مرحبا بك يا أبا القاسم، أنت ولينا حقا. قال: فقلت له: يا بن رسول الله، إني أريد أن أعرض عليك ديني، فإن كان ،مرضيا ثبت عليه حتى ألقى الله عز وجل. فقال: هات يا أبا القاسم. فقلت: إني أقول أن الله تعالى واحد ليس كمثله شئ ،خارج من الحدين: حد الابطال، وحد التشبيه، وإنه ليس بجسم ولا صورة ولا عرض ولا جوهر، بل هو مجسم الأجسام ومصور الصور، وخالق الأعراض والجواهر، ورب كل شئ ومالكه وخالقه، وجاعله ومحدثه، وإن محمدا عبده ورسوله خاتم النبيين، فلا نبي بعده إلى يوم القيامة، وأن شريعته خاتمة الشرائع، فلا شريعة بعدها إلى يوم القيامة، وأقول إن الإمام والخليفة وولي الأمر بعده أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب )عليه السلام(، ثم الحسن، ثم الحسين، ثم علي بن الحسين، ثم محمد بن علي، ثم جعفر بن محمد، ثم موسى بن جعفر، ثم علي بن موسى، ثم محمد بن علي، ثم أنت يا مولاي. فقال علي عليه السلام(: ومن بعدي الحسن ابني، فكيف للناس بالخلف من بعده؟ قال: فقلت: وكيف ذاك، يا مولاي؟ قال: لأنه لا يرى) شخصه، ولا يحل ذكره باسمه حتى يخرج فيملا الارض قسطا وعدلا كما ملئت ظلما وجورا. قال: فقلت: أقررت. وأقول إن وليهم ولي الله، وعدوهم عدو الله، وطاعتهم طاعة الله، ومعصيتهم معصية الله، وأقول إن المعراج حق، والمسألة في، القبر حق ،وأن الجنة حق، والنار حق، والصراط حق، والميزان حق، وإن الساعة آتية لا ريب فيها، وأن الله يبعث من في القبور .وأقول إن الفرائض الواجبة بعد الولاية الصلاة، والزكاة، والصوم، والحج، والجهاد، والأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر فقال علي بن محمد )عليهما السلام(، يا أبا القاسم، هذا والله دين الله الذي ارتضاه لعباده، فاثبت عليه، ثبتك الله بالقول(الثابت في الحياة الدنيا وفي الآخرة )

`Ali b. Ahmad b. Musa al-Daqqaq (ra) and `Ali b. `Abdullah al-Warraq together narrated to us. They said: Muhammad b. Harun al-Sufi narrated to us. He said: Abu Turab `Ubaydullah b. Musa al-Rawyani narrated to us from `Abd al-Athim b. `Abdullah al-Hasani.

He said: “I visited my Master `Ali b. Muhammad b. `Ali b. Musa b. Ja`far b. Muhammad b. `Ali b. al-Husayn b. `Ali b. Abi Talib (as). When he saw me, he said to me: ‘Greetings to you, Aba’l Qasim. You are truly our friend. He said: I said to him: ‘O son of the Messenger of Allah! I wish to present to you my religion. If it is pleasing, then I will remain steadfast upon it until I meet Allah.’ So, he said: ‘Give it to me, Aba’l Qasim.’ So, I said: ‘I say that Allah is One and there is nothing like unto Him. He is free from two limits: (1) The limit of negation, and (2) the limit of similarity [to creation]. He does not have a body, nor a form, nor a size, nor a substance. Rather, He is the creator of bodies, the former of forms, and the creator of sizes and substances. He is the Lord, Master, Creator, and Initiator of all things. And [I say that] Muhammad is His Servant, His Messenger, and the Seal of Prophets. There is no prophet after him until the Day of Resurrection. His Law (shari`a) is the Seal of Laws, and there is no Law after it until the Day of Resurrection. And I say thzzat the Imam, Caliph, and Master of the Order after him is the Commander of the Faithful `Ali b. Abi Talib [a], then al-Hasan, then al-Husayn, then `Ali b. al-Husayn, then Muhammad b. `Ali, then Ja`far b. Muhammad, then Musa b. Ja`far, then `Ali b. Musa, then Muhammad b. `Ali, then you, my master.’ So, `Ali (as) said: ‘And after me is my son al-Hasan, so what will the people do with the successor after him?’ He said: So, I said: ‘Why, my master?’ He said: ‘Because his person will not be seen, nor will it be permissible to say his name until he appears, when he fills the Earth with equity and justice just as it would be fraught with injustice and oppression.’ I said: ‘I accept. And I say that their friends are the friends of Allah, and their enemies are the enemies of Allah, and their obedience is the obedience of Allah, and their disobedience is the disobedience of Allah. And I say that the ascension (mi`raj) is true, and the questioning at the grave is true, and Paradise is true, and Hellfire is true, and the Path is true, and the Scale is true, and that the Hour is coming and that there is no doubt in it, and that Allah will resurrect those in their graves. And I say that the obligatory tasks after wilaya are prayer, zakat, fasting, Hajj, jihad, enjoining in the established virtues, and forbidding what is evil.’ So `Ali b. Muhammad (as) said: ‘O Aba’l Qasim! This, by Allah, is the religion of Allah that He has chosen for His servants, so be steadfast upon it. May Allah make you steadfast upon the steadfast doctrine in this world and in the Hereafter.’”

Refuting the allegation against Zurarah Ibn Ayun

Ansar.org stated:

Some of the most prolific narrators of the Shi‘ah are

Zurarah ibn A`yan

Muhammad ibn Muslim at-Ta’ifi

Abu Basir Layth ibn al-Bakhtari al-Muradi

al-Mufaddal ibn ‘Umar al-Ju‘fi

All four of these men were from Kufah. Let us take a closer look at these men:

Zurarah ibn A‘yan
Sayyid Bahr al-‘Ulum states that the family of A‘yan, of which Zurarah was a scion, was the largest Shi‘i family of Kufa. (Rijal as-Sayyid Bahr al-‘Ulum, a.k.a al-Fawa’id ar-Rijaliyyah, vol. 1 p. 222)

Zurarah has always posed a problem in Shi‘ism, because while is on the one hand regarded as the most prolific narrator from the Imams al-Baqir and as-Sadiq, the Imams are also recorded as having cursed and excommunicated him. The Shi‘ah attempt to reconcile these two contradictory attitudes through the dubious and completely unconvincing explanation of taqiyyah by the Imams.

Regarding the wealth of narrations which Zurarah reports, we are informed by al-Kashshi that had it not been for Zurarah, the ahadith of al-Baqir would have been lost. (Ikhtiyar Ma‘rifat ar-Rijal vol. 1 p. 345) Sayyid Abul Qasim al-Khu’i has counted 2094 of his narrations in the four books, all of them from the Imams al-Baqir and as-Sadiq, (al-Khu’i, Mu‘jam Rijal al-Hadith vol. 7 p. 249)

On the other hand, al-Kashshi records that Imam Ja‘far as-Sadiq cursed Zurarah. The following quotation is but one of several places where his cursing of Zurarah is on record:

By Allah, he has ascribed lies to me! By Allah, he has ascribed lies to me! By Allah, he has ascribed lies to me! May Allah curse Zurarah! May Allah curse Zurarah! May Allah curse Zurarah! (Ikhtiyar Ma‘`rifat ar-Rijal, vol. 1 p. 361)

Despite Imam Ja‘far as-Sadiq’s cursing of Zurarah, he is still accepted by the Shi‘ah as the most prolific and reliable authority for the ahadith of the Imams. He hails from Kufa, the centre of the successors of Ibn Saba; he is cursed by the Imam as Ibn Saba was cursed by Sayyiduna ‘Ali; and yet he is respected as a trustworthy and reliable narrator of the ahadith which form the basis of Shi‘ism!

Reply One

To parahrpase the Nasibi author, “the simple reason why Zurarah is still accepted by the Shiah as the most prolific and reliable authority for the ahadith of the Imams despite Imam Ja‘far as-Sadiq’s cursing of him” is that the report is not authentic and has been considered weak by Al-Khoei in his book Mu’jam Rijal al-Hadith, Vol. 8 pg. 249 as well as by Muhammad al-Abtahi in Tarikh Ale Zurara, pg. 65. The chain of narration is broken between the narrators Majelwyeh and Ziyad bin Abi al-Halal. On the contrary we have authentic traditions from Imams of Ahlulbayt (as) praising Zurarah and others of their companions, we read in Rijal al-Kashi, pg. 151 which has been declared ‘Sahih’ by Al-Khoei in Mu'jam Rijal al-Hadith, Vol. 4 pg. 197 and in Vol. 18 pg. 268:

حدثني حمدويه بن نصير ، قال : حدثنا يعقوب بن يزيد ، عن محمد بن أبي عمير ، عن جميل بن دراج ، قال : سمعت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام يقول : بشر المخبتين بالجنة : بريد بن معاوية العجلي ، وأبا بصير ليث بن البختري المرادي ، ومحمد بن مسلم ، وزرارة ، أربعة نجباء أمناء الله على حلاله وحرامه ، لولا هؤلاء انقطعت آثار النبوة واندرست

Jami bin Daraj said: ‘I heard Abu Abdullah (a) saying ‘Give glad tidings to the humble ones of Paradise, Buraid bin Abi Mu’awyia al-Ejli, Abu Basir Laith bin al-Bakhtari al-Muradi, Muhammad bin Muslim and Zurara, four pious and faithful to Allah in (the matters of) Halal and Haram, without them the prophetic traditions would have been lost’’.

Similarly we read in Rijal al-Kashi Vol. 2 pg. 423 a narration declared ‘Sahih’ by Al-Khoei in Mu'jam Rijal al-Hadith, Vol. 18 pg. 268:

حمدويه قال حدثني محمد بن عيسى بن عبيد ويعقوب بن يزيد عن ابن أبي عمير عن أبي العباس البقباق عني ابي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: أربعة أحب الناس إلى أحياءا وأمواتا ، بريد بن معاوية العجلي ، وزرارة بن أعين ، ومحمد بن مسلم ، وأبو جعفر الأحول ، أحب الناس إلي أحيائا وأمواتا

Imam Jafar al-Sadiq said: ‘Four people are the most lovable to me during their lives and after their deaths. Buraid bin Mu’awyia al-Ejli, Zurara bin Ayun, Muhammad bin Muslim and Abu Jaffar al-Ahwal, they are the most lovable people to me during their lives and after their deaths.’

Reply Two

Although ‘Reply One’ shall suffice let us for the sake of argument deem the condemnation of Zurara by Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) to be true, even then it bears no weight because the act of cursing Zurara would have had a genuine motive that narrow-minded Nawasib will obviously not comprehend. Our readers should know that our Imam (as) was not preaching during an era of Government transparency wherein subjects were afforded the freedom of expression and the freedom to promote religious thoughts. The Imam (as) lived during the reign of a brutal tyrannical dictatorship that ruled through fear and intimidation. Imam Sadiq (as) as the legitimate heir to the seat of Caliphate was seen as a threat to the Head of State and his cronies. Recognising this threat the Sunni state always had officials surveying the speeches and activities of the Imam (as) and his supporters. Surveillance on his (as) loyal followers would have been greater, after all a supporters that converted people to the teaching of the Ahlul bayt (as) would in effect convert critics of the State, who would question their raison d’etre of the man made caliphate to exist. The State therefore deemed it imperative that they identified these loyal supporters of the Imam (as), since their presence formed the greatest threat to their reign. Az-Zurara was one such threat, he vehemently believed in the Imamate of the Ahlulbayt (as) and openly opposed the Sheikain. He was counted amongst those who submitted logical proofs for the Imamate being designated by Allah (swt). Due to his open activities in Kufa many people recognized the right path and began adhering to the teachings of the Ahlulbayt (as) and turned against the Government. Such activities had come to the notice of the State and Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) recognized that Az-Zurara was at risk of significant harm, his liberty and even his life was at risk. Thus, to protect him from such hardships, Imam Jafar Sadiq (as), resorted to the principle of Taqiyya and disavowed him and cursed him as a mechanism of deflecting State surveillance away from him. This very public dressing down, meant that Az-Zurara could be removed from the State surveillance radar. By publicly distancing himself from Zurara his life and liberty was safeguarded, so what is the objection in that? If anything it demonstrates the lengths the Imam (as) was prepared to go to protect his ardent supporter. The Imam (as) had adopted steps that are commonplace in the business world, namely health and safety risk assessments, wherein astute employers assess the potential risk their staff could be exposed to in the working environment. Once such risks are identified they formulate control measures to eliminate that risk. That is precisely what the Imam (as) had done here, he conducted a risk assessment of the foreseeable harm that Az-Zurara could be exposed to, if he continued propagating the true Islamic teachings to the masses, identifying the likely risk of harm, he adopted the appropriate control measures to mitigate that risk.. Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) adopted these steps to save Az-Zurara, he had acted in the same way as the Prophet Khidr, when he sank a ship to save it from being taken from its owners by a tyrannous king. [see Rijal Kasshi, p.127-128]. Since we find ourselves fortunate to be the followers of those who actually represent the Holy Book, the stance of our Imams (as) was in complete conformity with those Quranic teachings that our opponent’s man made leaders had been deprived of. Can any one provide a more coherent explanation than that provided by the Imam (as) himself?

Keeping this in mind, let us shed light on further logical proofs:

Az-Zurara lived in Kufa, whilst Imam Jaffar Sadiq (as) was in Madina but Az-Zurara frequently visited Imam Jaffar Sadiq (as). Every time he visited, he was warmly welcomed by the Imam (as). This itself evidences his close relationship with the Imam Jafar Sadiq (as). Could anyone imagine giving a warm welcome to a man that attributes lies to him?
Imam Jaffar Sadiq (as) never asked the students of Az-Zurara to leave him. Amongst Zurara’s pupils, (who were all devoted followers of Jafar Sadiq (as)), were his own sons Hasan, Husayn, and Ubayd Allah; his brother Hurman, the grammarian and one of the foremost companions of Al-Baqir; Hamra, the son of Hurman; Bukayr b. Ayan and his son Abdullah; Muhammad bin al-Hakam; Humayd bin Rabbah; Muhammad bin an-Nu’man al-Ahwal, and Hisham b. Salim al-Jawaliqi. All of these pupils got the opportunity to get Ahadith directly from Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq (as) and after him Imam Musa Al-Kadhim (as). Neither Imam Jaffar Sadiq (as) nor Imam Imam Musa Kadhim (as) ever asked these great Shia scholars to disassociate themselves from Az-Zurara. [See a detailed account of the activities of Zurara and his circle in Rijal al-Kashi, pg. 345-383].
Had Az-Zurara really attributed lies to Imam Jafar (as), at least Imam Musa Kadhim (as) who had ordered the great pupils of Az-Zurara to disassociate themselves from him. The visiting of these pupils to both Imams (as) their being warmly received by both Imams (as) evidences that both Imams (as) were pleased with Az-Zurara and deemed him truthful.
Not only Musa Al-Kadhim (as) but Imam Ali Raza (as) also never condemned Zurara.

Refuting the allegation against Muhamad bin Muslim

Ansar.org stated:

Muhammad ibn Muslim
Muhammad ibn Muslim is another Kufan narrator whose credentials as a narrator are extremely suspect, but who is accepted by the Shi‘ah as a reliable narrator all the same. This Muhammad ibn Mus, who claims to have heard 30 000 ahadith from Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, and a further 16 000 from his son Imam Ja‘far as-Sadiq (See Ikhtiyar Ma‘rifat ar-Rijal vol. 1 p. 391) is also recorded by al-Kashshi to have been cursed by Imam Ja‘far as-Sadiq (vol. 1 p. 394) just as Ibn Saba was cursed by his great-grandfather!

Reply

Once again, the tradition wherein Muhammad bin Muslim was cursed is not authentic whilst the traditions praising him are authentic as we had cited above. The tradition cited by our opponents has been declared weak by Al-Khoei in Mu'jam Rijal al-Hadith, Vol. 18 pg. 269. Compare this to the previously cited ‘Sahih’ tradition wherein the Imam (as) gave glad tidings and praised Zurara, Muhammad bin Muslim and othe

Refuting the allegation against Abu Basir al-Muradi

Ansar.org stated:

Abu Basir al-Muradi
In Abu Basir we have another very prolific Kufan narrator whose character fails to convince anyone of his trustworthiness. He, together with Zurarah, is regarded of those who preserved the legacy of the Imams al-Baqir and as-Sadiq. He is one of a very select group of narrators about whom it is said that “there is consensus amongst the Shi‘ah to accept what is authentically narrated from them.” (See al-Mamaqani, Miqbas al-Hidayah vol. 2 p. 171)
However, Mir Damad in his annotations to Rijal al-Kashshi notes that the Shi‘i hadith critic Abul Husayn ibn al-Ghada’iri said of him:
Abu ‘Abdillah (Imam Ja‘far as-Sadiq) used to get annoyed and upset with his presence, and his companions are in disagreement amongst themselves about him. I (Ibn al-Ghada’iri) believe that he was cursed on account of (matters pertaining to) his religion, not his narrations. To me he is a trustworthy narrator. (Ikhtiyar Ma‘`rifat ar-Rijal, vol. 1 p. 397. See also al-Ardabili, Jami‘ ar-Ruwat vol. 3 p. 43)
Again we have here a most prolific Kufan narrator who was cursed by Imam Ja‘far as-Sadiq just like Ibn Saba was cursed by Sayyiduna ‘Ali!

Reply One

We are unsure why the author inserted the word ‘cursed’ into the text when it does not exist in the original reference. Allow us to cite the actual Arabic wording from Rijal al-Ghadaeri, pg. 111 along with its correct English translation:

ليث بن البختري المرادي : أبو بصير ، يكنى أبا محمد ، كان أبو عبد الله عليه السلام يتضجر به ويتبرم ، وأصحابه مختلفون في شأنه ، وعندي أن الطعن إنما وقع على دينه لا على حديثه ، وهو عندي ثقة

Laith bin al-Bakhtari al-Muradi Abu Basir, his nickname is Abu Ahmad, Abu Abdillah (Imam Jafar as-Sadiq) used to get annoyed and upset with his presence, and his companions are in disagreement amongst themselves about him. I (Ibn al-Ghada’iri) believes that he was criticized on account of (matters pertaining to) his religion, not his narrations. To me he is a trustworthy narrator.

Reply Two

The narration wherein the Imam (as) commented on Abu Basir Laith al-Bakhtari al-Muradi which Ghadairi was alluding to are recorded in Rijal al-Kashi and is not authentic and this and similar narrations have been graded as weak by Al-Khoei in his book Mu'jam Rijal al-Hadith, Vol. 15 pg.s 144 to 157. Contrary to this, we have already cited the authentic tradition wherein Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) explicitly praised Abu Basir

Refuting the allegation against al-Mufaddal ibn Umar

Ansar.org stated:

al-Mufaddal ibn ‘Umar
Here we have another Kufan narrator who is regarded by eminent Shi‘i hadith critics as a reliable transmitter of the Imams’ hadith. Al-Ardabili in Jami‘ ar-Ruwat (vol. 2 p. 258) records that Shaykh Mufid mentioned al-Mufaddal as belonging to the “inner circle, reliable and pious Fuqaha” of Imam Ja‘far as-Sadiq’s followers. Abu Ja‘far at-Tusi too, is quoted as having mentioned al-Mufaddal amongst the mamduhin (praiseworthy).
But Imam Ja‘far is recorded by al-Kashshi to have addressed by calling him, “You Kafir! You Mushrik!” (See Ikhtiyar Ma‘rifat ar-Rijal vol. 2 p. 612) Another lengthier narration of al-Kashshi runs as follows:
‘Abdullah ibn Miskan says: Hujr ibn Za’idah and ‘Amir ibn Judha‘ah al-Azdi came to Abu ‘Abdillah [Imam Ja‘far] and told him: “May we be ransomed for you! Mufaddal says that you [the Imams] determine the sustenance of the people.” He [Imam Ja‘far said]: “By Allah, no one besides Allah determines our sustenance. One day I needed food for my family. I was under difficult circumstances and thought hard about it, until I managed to secure food for them. Only then did I feel content. May Allah curse him and disown him.” They asked: “Do you curse and disown him?” He replied: “Yes, so you too, curse him and disown him. May Allah and His messenger disown him.” (Ikhtiyar Ma‘rifat ar-Rijal vol. 2 p. 614)
The above narration clearly identifies al-Mufaddal with the heresy originally introduced by Ibn Saba. In the biography of Ibn Saba given in al-Kashshi’s Rijal, Imam al-Baqir is reported to have stated that Ibn Saba claimed himself to be a prophet, and ‘Ali to be Allah (See Ikhtiyar Ma‘rifat ar-Rijal vol. 1 p. 323). If we return to al-Mufaddal’s biography in the same book we find the following:
Al-Kashshi says: The extremist Tayyarah mention in some of their books on the authority of al-Mufaddal that he said: “Seventy prophets were killed with Abu Isma‘il, meaning Abul Khattab, each one of whom had seen and announced his prophethood.”
[They also say] that he said: Twelve of us were admitted to the presence of Abu ‘Abdillah [Imam Ja‘far as-Sadiq]. Abu ‘Abdillah started greeting each one of us, calling each of us by the name of a prophet. To some he said, “Peace be upon you, O Nuh.” To some he said, “Peace be upon you, O Ibrahim,” To last one he greeted he said, “Peace be upon you, O Yunus.” Then he said, “Do not distinguish between the Prophets.” (Ikhtiyar Ma‘rifat ar-Rijal vol. 2 p. 614)
This Mufaddal, whom al-Kashshi says was of the extremist Khattabiyyah sect, the followers of Abul Khattab, whose beliefs derived directly from Ibn Saba himself—this Mufaddal is exonerated by contemporary Shi‘i scholars such as Shaykh ‘Abdullah al-Mamaqani, and Sayyid Abul Qasim al-Khu’i as a most reliable and trustworthy transmitter of the knowledge of the Imams. Al-Mamaqani gives a lengthy explanation about what exactly constitutes ghuluww (See Tanqih al-Maqal vol. 3 p. 240 and Miqbas al-Hidayah vol. 2 p. 397) and concludes that the kind of things on account of which al-Mufaddal was labelled as a ghali has since become of the undeniable tenets (daririyyat) of Shi‘ism.

Reply One

The narrations where the Imam (as) condemned Mufaddal Ibn Umar has been declared weak by Khoei in Mu’ajam Rijal al-Hadith, Vol. 19 pg. 317 to 330.

Reply Two

The case of Mufadhal Ibn Umar is different from the previously cited three people that have been deemed indisputably authentic. There exists a difference of opinion in relation to the authenticity level of Mufadhal Ibn Umar with greater weighting being given to the fact that he is unreliable. This has not been due to the narrations cited by the Nasibi author wherein Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) condemned him, as we have already mentioned all of these narrations are weak. The negative opinions made by scholars on his reliability are for different reasons. It is stated that initially Mufadhal Ibn Umar was on the right path but then subsequently deviated as we read in Rijal ibn Dawud, pg. 280:

إنه رجع خطابياً بعد استقامته وحمل ما ورد في مدحه على حال استقامته أولاً

“He (Mufadhal bin Umar) became Khattabi after being straight, and the praises about him relate to his period of straightness”.

Ahle Sunnah have taken Hadith from those who have been cursed by Allah (swt) and His Apostle (s), namely Walid bin Uqba

Although the above discussion shall suffice to negate Nasibi suggestions that the corpus of Shia Hadith literature originates from deviant narrators cursed by the Imams (as) allow us to counter attack their suggestion, by urging our opponents to examine the contents of their own house. We had in earlier chapter evidenced the fact that the ancestors of present day Ahle Sunnah were Nawasib, and shed specific light on Marwan bin al-Hakam who was despite being cursed by Allah (swt) and His Apostle (s) was vehemently defended by the Sunni scholars who sought to incorporate him within the Sahaba category, the net result being Hadith narrated by him have been accepted and graded as authentic. Why has the author of this article failed to recognize that cursed people have been declared and accepted as the source of guidance in his own school?

Apart from Marwan, we have another example of Walid bin Uqbah who was condemned in Holy Quran as follows:

O ye who believe! if a wicked person (fasiq) comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest ye harm people unwittingly, and afterwards become full of repentance for what ye have done. (Surah al-Hujurat, verse 6)

It is interesting to note that the exegesis of this verse indicates another incident where the same al-Walid lied about a matter that led to the revelation of this verse declaring him a transgressor (fasiq).

1. al-Suyuti and al-Mahalli, Tafsir al-Jalalayn, (Cairo, 1924), vol. 1, p. 185

2. Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs pg. 548

3. Asbab al Nuzul by Wahidi

4. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, Tafseer Soorah al-Hujuraat, (Riyadh), pp. 62-63 (quoting Tafsir Tabari)

Let us quote the exegesis of Philips on pg. 61:

“…The Prophet (s) sent al-Walid ibn al Uqbah to collect the Zakaah from al-Haarith. However, on the way al Walid heard that a group from Banu Mustaliq had set out and he became afraid. He returned swiftly to the Prophet and told him that al-Haarith had refused to turn over the Zakaah and had threatened his life…Then the verse, ‘O Believers, if an unrighteous person comes to you with news, you should verify it’ was revealed”

Despite Allah (swt) condemning this individual as a liar, he is still revered as a Sahaba whose reliability is such that he can act as a source for attaining religious guidance, evident from the fact that Imam of Ahle Sunnah Abu Dawud narrated Hadith from Walid in Sunan Abi Dawud 4181:
Narrated Al-Walid ibn Uqbah:

When the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) conquered Makkah.The people of Makkah began to bring their boys and he would invoke a blessing on them and rub their heads. I was brought, but as I had been perfumed with khaluq, he did not touch me because of the khaluq.
Ibn Abi Shayba also recorded a hadith from Walid in Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba Vol 17, pg. 104, Hadith # 32573:

Ubaydallah narrated from Israel, from Abu Ishaq, from Haritha from Walid Ibn Uqba: There has never been prophethood except that it was followed by kingdom.

The editor frantically tried to weaken this hadith by suggesting that Abu Ishaq never narrated directly from Haritha, but this is not true, as his hadith from Haritha is recorded in Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Vol 2, pg. 81, Hadith # 654 and Shu’ayb Al Arna’ut deemed the narration to be Sahih.

It has also been narrated from the Prophet himself that Uqba Ibn Abi Mu’ayt’s kids will go to hell. We read in Sunan Abi Dawud 2686:

Narrated Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud:

Ibrahim said: Ad-Dahhak ibn Qays intended to appoint Masruq as governor. Thereupon Umarah ibn Uqbah said to him: Are you appointing a man from the remnants of the murderers of Uthman? Masruq said to him: Ibn Mas'ud narrated to us, and he was trustworthy in respect of traditions, that when the Prophet (ﷺ) intended to kill your father, he said: Who will look after my children? He replied: Fire. I also like for you what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) liked for you.

It would be apt at this point to remind our readers that Imam Abu Dawud only Hadith from those he deemed to be reliable sources for acquiring religious guidance, evident what we find in Tamam aena by Albaani, pg. 27:

أبي داود أنه قال في حق كتابه السنن : ما كان في كتابي هذا من حديث فيه وهن شديد بينته ومالم أذكر فيه شيئا فهو صالح.

Abu Dawud said about his book al-Sunan: ‘In relation to that which is recorded in my book, if anything unreliable existed, I would comment on it, anything I didn’t comment on, is reliable’

With this fact in mind let us now cite Beloved of the Salafi Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips in his analysis of the repercussions of this verse on pg. 62 of his Tafseer al Hujuraat followed by our comments:

“Great caution must always be taken when dealing with information conveyed by people of doubtful character, those whose honesty has not yet been proven or by known sinners…”It should be noted that based on this verse, Islamic scholars have unanimously ruled that the testimony of one who is known to be unrighteous should be rejected as evidence in court unless verified…On the basis of the above mentioned ruling, the scholars of Hadith decided to reject any Hadith which had in its chain narrators an individual classified as Majhool al-Haal, that is one whose name is known but character is unknown, for any such narrator might be of bad moral character and his statement false. This shows the great care taken by Hadith scholars in weeding out all the questionable narrations thereby preserving the Sunnah in its pristine purity for later generations”.

· Was great caution exercised by Abu Dawud when he took a narration on the authority of a man deemed a liar by Allah (swt)?

· If the testimony of an unreliable man requires verification in court, why were the same principles not adopted when it came to recording a Hadith from a proven liar?

· If Hadith scholars preserved the Sunnah by ensuring they never took Hadith from those whose characters they were unaware of, was the Sunnah preserved and kept pure when Abu Dawud took a narration from one graded by Allah (swt) as an untruthful man?

The admission of Walid into the alumni of truthful Sahaba turns this Sunni doctrine on its head. Perhaps the unnamed author of his critique of Shia narrators should answer these questions:

1. If Walid is a lying Fasiq in the eyes of Allah (swt), on account of his attempt to dupe the Prophet (s), how is he deemed truthful enough to narrate Hadith?

2. When it comes to assessing the testimony of Walid bin Utbah, whose opinion should give credence to Allah (swt) or Abo Dawud?

3. If the ruling of Allah (swt) is paramount (as it should be) and Walid is indeed a lying transgressor how does that concur with the Sunni doctrine that all the Sahaba are just and truthful?

As one can see it would have been far wiser for the author tosteer clear of this polemical approach, for by doing so without looking at his own house, he has in effect shot himself in the foot!

Nawasib, Khawarij and liars laid the foundations for the Sunni ‘Saha Satta’

It is fascinating that the Nasibi author sought reliance on weak Shia narrations wherein Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) condemned these four narrators who are considered the foundations of Shia Hadith works so as to conclude that the Shia faith is based on these four alleged liars. We wonder why he had the audacity to point fingers at Shia sources when his own ancestors were Nawasib and Khawarij, from whom they ascertained knowledge on different aspects of religion! We have already dedicated two chapters to unveil the roots of AhleSunnah in terms of Nasibism and Kharijism but let us now unveil another segment of the founding fathers of AhleSunnah that comprised of liars, that creates a big question mark over the myth created and taught by AhleSunnah to their adherents about their ‘six most authentic books of Hadith’.

We attach herewith a list of narrators of the six principle Hadith books of Ahle Sunnah who have been declared ‘liars’ by Sunni scholars:

1. Aban bin Aby Ayash

2. Ibrahim bin Muhammad bin Abi Yehya

3. Isacc bin Abdullah bin Abi Farwa

4. Usaid bin Zaid bin Nujaih

5. Ayub bin Khaout al-Azdi

6. Bazam the slave of Umm Hani

7. Al-Bakhtari bin Ubaid

8. Bishr bin Numair al-Qushairi

9. Talid bin Sulayman al-Muharebi

10. Thabit bin Musa bin Abdulrahman bin Salamah al-Dhabi

11. Jaber bin Yazid al-Ju’afi

12. Jabara bin al-Mughales al-Hamani

13. Al-Harith bin Abdullah al-Hamadani

14. Al-Hussain bin al-Mutwakel Abi al-Sari

15. Husain bin Umar al-Ahmasi

16. Hafs bin Sulayman

17. Al-Hakam bin Dhuhairal-Farazi

18. Hakim bin Jubair al-Asadi

19. Kharija bin Mus’ab al-Dhabee

20. Al-Khalil bin Zakarya al-Sheybani

21. Dawoud bin al-Zurqaban

22. Rauh bin Aslam al-Baheli

23. Zyad bin al-Munder al-Hamadani

24. Slem bin Ibrahim al-Waraq

25. Salaam bin Salim

26. Sayf bin Muhammad al-Thawri

27. Amer bin Saleh bin Abdullah bin Arwa al-Zubairi

28. Abdullah bin Kharash

29. Abdullah bin Zyad al-Makhzoomi

30. Abdul Alaa bin Abi al-Musawer

31. Abdulhakim bin Mansour al-Khuzaei

32. Abdulrahman bin Qays al-Dhabee

33. Abdulrahman bin Yazid bin Tamim al-Salami

34. Abdulrahim bin Zaid al-Hawary

35. Abdulrazaq bin Umar al-Dimashqi

36. Abdulaziz bin Aban

37. Abdulwahab bin Mujahed

38. Ubaid bin al-Qasem

39. Atta bin Ajlan

40. Ali bin Zabyan bin Hilal

41. Ali bin Mujahed bin Muslem

42. Amarah bin Juwain

43. Umar bin Ismail bin Mujaled

44. Umar bin Subh bin Omran

45. Amro bin Jaber al-Hadhrami

46. Amro bin Khalid al-Wasiti

47. Amro bin Waqed

48. Anbasa bin Abdulrahman bin Anbasa

49. Isa bin Qurtas

50. Al-Qasem bin Abdullah bin Umar bin Hafs

51. Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin al-Alaa

52. Muhammad bin al-Hassan bin Zabala

53. Muahammad bin al-Hassan al-M’ashari

54. Muhammad bin Khalid al-Wasety

55. Muhammad bin Ziyad al-Yashkuri

56. Muhammad bin al-Saeb al-Kalbi

57. Muhammad bin Saeed al-Aorduni

58. Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Zyad al-Ansary

59. Muhammad bin Abdulrahman al-Qushairi

60. Muhammad bin Umar al-Waqidi

61. Muhammad bin al-Furat al-Tamimi

62. Muhammad bin al-Fadel al-Abesi

63. Muhammad bin al-Qasem al-Asadi

64. Muhammad bin Muhsen al-Ukashi

65. Marwan bin Salem al-Ghefari

66. Mu’ala bin Abdulrahman al-Wasety

67. Mu’ala bin Hilal

68. Mu’amar bin Muhammad bin Ubaidullah bin Abi Rafee

69. Muqatel bin Sulazman

70. Nasr bin Hamaad

71. Naheshal bin Saeed

72. Noah bin Daraaj

73. Al-Walid bin Muhammad al-Mauwqari

74. Yehya bin Abi Anysa

75. Yehya bin al-Alaa

76. Yazid bin Ayadh bin J’abeda

77. Yaqoob bin al-Walidn al-Azdi

78. Yusuf bin Khalid al-Samti

79. Abu Khalaf al-Basry

80. Abu Salamah al-Shaami

Moreover, those narrators of Sunni Hadith books who have been declared weak by Sunni scholars are:

1. Ahmad bin Saleh al-Masry

2. Ahmad bin Abdulrahman bin Wahab

3. Ahmad bin Isa bin Hasaan al-Masry

4. Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Ayub

5. Ismail bin Abdullah bin Abdullah bin Auwais

6. Ismail bin Abdulrahman bin Abi Karima al-Sedy

7. Al-Harith bin Umair

8. Al-Hassan bin Madrak al-Sedoosi

9. Al-Hussain bin al-Hassan al-Ashqar

10. Dinar bin Umar al-Asadi

11. Sulazman bin Abdulhamid bin Rafee

12. Asem bin Ali bin Asem bin Suhaib al-wasety

13. Ayez bin Habib bin al-Malah

14. Abdullah bin Beshr al-Nabhan

15. Abdullah bin Shurayk al-Ameri

16. Abdullah bin Saleh al-Juhani

17. Abdulsalam bin Saleh Abu al-Salt al-Harawy

18. Uthman bin Abdulrahman al-Haraani

19. Ekrema the slave of Ibn Abbas

20. Ali bin Asem bin Suhaib al-Waseti

21. Al-Qasem al-M’amary

22. Muhammad bin Hatim bin Maymun

23. Muhammad bin Hasaan al-Samti

24. Yunus bin Khabab al-Usaidi

The truth about Imam Muhamad bin Ismaeel Bukhari and his Sahih

Imam Ibn Hajar Asqalani in his book Enba al-Ghumur, pg. 269 has recorded this statement of Imam Yusuf bin Musa al-Multi al-Hanafi (d. 803 H):

وأنه كان يقول: من نظر في كتاب البخاري تزندق

He (al-Multi al-Hanafi) used to say: ‘Whoever looked into the book of Bukhari, shall become a heretic’.

Imam of Salafies Nasiruddin Albaani graded some traditions of Sahih Bukhari as weak. We read his statement in ‘Fatawa Sheikh Albani’ by Ukasha bin Abdulmanan, page 524:

أما أنه سبق لي أن ضعفت [بعض] أحاديث البخاري فهذا حقيقة يجب الاعتراف بها ولا يجوز إنكارها

“My declaring some traditions of Bukhari as weak is a fact which I have to admit and cannot deny the same”.

According to Imam Ibn Hajar Asqalani in Fatah al-Bari, Vol. 8 page 338 Imams of Ahle Sunnah such as Abu Bakr al-Baqelani, Imam Juwaini, Abu Hamed Ghazali and Al-Dawoudi have also marked a weakness in Bukhari. Moreover the Salafi scholar Sheikh Muhammad Reshid Reza in his book Tafsir al-Manar Vol. 10 page 580 also highlighted weak traditions in Sahih Bukhari.

We should also highlight an untold aspect of the great Imam Muhammad bin Ismaeel Bukhari wherein he bribed somebody as a means of acquiring a book of his master. We read in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, Vol. 9 pg. 46:

قال مسلمة وألف علي بن المديني كتاب العلل وكان ضنينا به فغاب يوما في بعض ضياعه فجاء البخاري إلى بعض بنية ورغبه بالمال على أن يرى الكتاب يوما واحدا فأعطاه له فدفعه إلى النساخ فكتبوه له ورده إليه فلما حضر على تكلم بشيء فأجابه البخاري بنص كلامه مرارا ففهم القضيه واغتنم لذلك فلم يزل مغموما حتى مات بعد يسير

Maslama said: ‘Ali bin al-Madini authored a book named al-Elal and he was so concerned for it, once he traveled to his farm, thus Bukhari came to one of his sons and lured him through money as a reward from borrowing this book from him for one day. He borrowed the book from him and he (Bukhari) gave it to the scribers to copy. When Ali (Ibn al-Madini) returned it back, he asked something, thus Bukhari answered, responded in the same style as the book, thus he (ibn al-Madini) understood the matter and felt sad, he exhibited such feelings until he died that was within the next few days.’

Al-Elal was a book about the unclear defects in chains of narrations which cannot be identified except through an expert scholar. Since Bukhari had, through fraud and deceit, acquired possession of the book, he did not deem it necessary to analyze the narrators of Hadith, he just returned to Khurasan, (Iran) and began to compile his book ‘Sahih’.

In Tarikh Baghdad, Vol. 2 page 12, we read the method via which Imam Bukhari achieved the task of collecting and recording the traditions in his book:

Ohaid bin Abi Jaffar said: ‘I heard Muhammad bin Ismail saying: ‘I heard some Hadiths in Basra and wrote them in Syria and heard some Hadith in Syria and wrote them in Egypt’. Then I asked him: ‘O Aba Abdullah, have you written them completely as they were?’ He did not respond and remained silent’

Imam Dhahabi in Siyar alam al-Nubala, Vol. 12 page 455 records the fatwa of Kufr by Imam Muhammad bin Yahya al-Duhali (d. 258 H) regarding Bukhari the great:

“Muhammad bin Yahya al-Duhali said: ‘the Quran is the word of Allah, it is certainly not created…whoever claims that the Quran is created a is a kafir, he is expelled from Iman, his wife is unlawful to him, he must repent otherwise his neck should be struck off, his money shall be made booty for the Muslims and he should not be buried in a Muslims cemetery. Whoever stops and says: ‘I neither say created or uncreated’ he is almost a Kafir and whoever says that the verses that we recite are created is an innovator, no one should befriend him nor talk to him and suspicions should be raised over anyone that attends Muhammad bin Ismail al-Bukhari’s gatherings.”

Moreover we read:

Muhammad bin Yahya said: “Whoever attends his (Bukhari’s) assembly should not attend ours”

On the next page we read:

Muhammad bin Yahya said: ‘This Bukhari claims that the verses which he recites are created and such a statement according to me is worse than the Jahamis’.

On page 462 we read the stance of Imam Abu Zar’a (d. 264 H) and Imam Abu Hatim al-Razi (d. 277 H):

Abdulrahman bin Abi Hatim said in his book ‘al-Jarh wa al-Tadil’: Muhammad bin Ismail came to Ray (city) in the year 250, my father and Abu Zar’a heard hadith from him but they subsequently abandoned his hadith when Muhammad bin Yahya wrote to them that he (Bukhari) declared in Nisabur (city) that his belief was that the verses which he recited were created.

It gets even worse, Imam Ibn Hajar deemed Bukhari as “Mudalis” in his book Tabaqat al-Mudaliseen that can be downloaded from the following Salafi library: http://www.almeshkat.net/books/open.php?cat=12&book=1144

Mudalis is an individual that commits fraud in Hadith as recorded by Ibn Kathir in his book al-Baeth al-Hathith, page 50/51/52:

“Tadlis are of two types, the first type is to narrate from someone he met that which he didn’t hear from him or to narrate from someone he didn’t”

We also read:

“Whilst the second type of Tadlis is to mention the unpopular name or the nickname of the narrator in a manner which keeps his identity unknown.”

In order to understand the seriousness of such criticism, let us shed some light on the definition advanced by Sunni scholars of a ‘Mudalis’. We read in Al-Yawaqit wa al-Durrar, by Abdulrauf al-Manawi, Vol. 1 page 128:

Shu’ba said: ‘To perform adultery is better than doing Tadlis’

And he also said: ‘Tadlis is the brother of a lie’

We read in Al-Kefaya Fi Elm al-Rewaya by Khatib Baghdadi, page 356:

Shu’ba said: ‘To perform Tadlis in hadith is worse than committing adultery’

On page 356 we read:

Abu Osama said: ‘May Allah destroy the homes of those that perform Tadlis, verily they are liars’

We also read:

Ibn al-Mubarak said: ‘To fall down from the sky is better than performing Tadlis in a single hadith’.

Thus, in the light of these definitions advanced by Sunni scholars, we come to know that in their eyes Bukhari was a person who performed something worse than adultery, told lies and fell from the sky.

The truth about Imam Muslim bin al-Hajaj and his Sahih

Our opponents teach their naïve followers that they, on account of the Saha Satta, have in their possession the most authentic information regarding the religion that has accordingly led to the blind following of these texts. From the Sihah al sitta, the two books that enjoy the highest status are Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. In relation to Sahih Muslim let us unveil some ‘merits’ of this work from Sunni sources. We read the following statement by abu bakr alhazmi in his book Shuroot alaaima alkhamsa pg. 73 - 75:

وقد قال الحفاظ أن مسلماً لما وضع كتابه الصحيح عرضه على أبي زرعة الرازي فأنكر عليه وتغيظ وقال سميته الصحيح فجعلت سلما لأهل البدع

“The scholars said that when Muslim prepared his book, the Sahih, he showed it to Abu Zu’ara al-Razi, he subsequently condemned it and exhibited anger towards him, saying: ‘You called it Sahih, and have hence created a ladder for the innovators’

Similarly we read in Siyar Alam al-Nubala, Vol. 12 page 571:

قال سعيد البرذعي: شهدت أبا زرعة ذكر ” صحيح ” مسلم، وأن الفضل الصائغ ألف على مثاله، فقال: هؤلاء أرادوا التقدم قبل أوانه، فعملوا شيئا يتسوقون به.

Saeed al-Barzai said: ‘It was mentioned in Abu Zu’ara presence that al-Fadhel bin al-Saeqgh made a book similar to Sahih Muslim. He (Abu Zu’ara) said: ‘These people wanted to rise in a short time thus they made something for (the purposes of) marketing’.

Imam Nawawi records in Sharh Muslim, Vol. 1 page 16:

وأما قول مسلم رحمه الله في صحيحه في باب صفة صلاة رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم ليس كل شيء صحيح عندي وضعته ها هنا يعنى في كتابه هذا الصحيح وانما وضعت ها هنا ما أجمعوا عليه فمشكل فقد وضع فيه أحاديث كثيرة مختلفا في صحتها

The statement of Muslim may Allah’s mercy be upon him, in his Sahih in the chapter of ‘The prayers of Allah’s Messenger’ i.e. ‘Not all the Sahih traditions according to me have been recorded here’ refers to his book, the Sahih, ‘but I recorded here what has been agreed unanimously on’ – this is a debatable statement because he recorded many traditions on the authenticity of which there is disagreement.

We should also point out that Muslim bin al-Hajajj ascribed to the beliefs of Bukhari and hence came under the edict of Kufr passed by the grand Imam Muhammad bin Yahya al-Duhali (d. 258 H) and was accordingly expelled from his gathering and was severely criticized by the Sunni scholars of Iraq and Hijaz. Ibn Khallikan records in Wafiya al-Ayan, Vol. 5 page 194 Biography 717:

قطعه أكثر الناس غير مسلم، فإنه لم يتخلف عن زيارته، فأنهي إلى محمد بن يحيى أن مسلم بن الحجاج على مذهبه قديما وحديثا وأنه عوتب على ذلك بالحجاز والعراق ولم يرجع عنه فلما كان يوم مجلس محمد ابن يحيى قال في آخر مجلسه: ألا من قال باللفظ فلا يحل له أن يحضر مجلسنا، فأخذ مسلم الرداء فوق عمامته، وقام على روؤس الناس وخرج من مجلسه،

‘Most of the people boycotted of him (Bukhari) save Muslim, he didn’t stop visiting him, thus Muhammad bin Yahya was informed that Muslim bin al-Hajaj was deemed to adhere to the same belief in the past and (more) recently, thus he (Muslim) was criticized in Hijaz and Iraq but he didn’t repent. Then when it was the day of Muhammad ibn Yahya’s assembly he said: ‘Whoever believes that the Word is created, surely its not allowed for him to attend my assembly’. Thus Muslim took his cloak and turban in front of the people and left the assembly’

Imam Dhahabi likewise records in Tazkirat al-Huffaz, Vol. 2 page 589:

قال ابن الشرقي : حضرت مجلس محمد بن يحيى فقال: الا من قال لفظي بالقرآن مخلوق فلا يحضر مجلسنا ، فقام مسلم من المجلس

Ibn al-Sharqi said: ‘I attended the assembly of Muhammad bin Yahya and he said: ‘Whoever believes that the words of the Quran are created, surely he should not attend our assembly, thus Muslim left the assembly’.

In Fateh al-Qadeer Sharah Hidayah, Vol. 1 page 462 , we read the rejection of the notion that only the two Sahihs contain the most authentic traditions whilst the truth is that more authentic traditions can be found in other books:

وَقَوْلُ مَنْ قَالَ أَصَحَّ الْأَحَادِيثِ مَا فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ ثُمَّ مَا انْفَرَدَ بِهِ الْبُخَارِيُّ ثُمَّ مَا انْفَرَدَ بِهِ مُسْلِمٌ … تَحَكُّمٌ لَا يَجُوزُ التَّقْلِيدُ فِيهِ

“The statement wherein someone deemed the most reliable traditions to be those located in the two Sahih (Bukhari & Muslim) starting with what has been recorded in Bukhari, then what has been recorded in Muslim… is to rule tyrannically and it is impermissible to adhere to such (a ruling)”

The truth about Sunan Ibn Majah

Imam Ibn Hajar Asqalani records in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, Vol. 2 page 737/738:

وفيه أحاديث ضعيفة جداً

“It contains very weak Hadiths”

We also read:

وذكر ابن طاهر في المسور أن ابا زرعة وقف عليه فقال : ليس فيه الا نحو سبعة أحاديث

Ibn Tahir said in al-Musawar (book) that Abu Zu’ara looked at it and said: ‘It doesn’t contain any (authentic) Hadiths, save seven’.

The truth about Tirmidhi

According to Ibn Tamiyah, Tirmidhi recorded a number of weak and fabricated traditions in his ‘esteemed’ book. We read in in Minhaj al-Sunnah, Vol. 5 page 356:

والترمذي قد ذكر أحاديث متعددة في فضائله وفيها ما هو ضعيف بل موضوع

“Tirmidhi recorded various traditions in favor of him (Imam Ali) including weak and fabricated (traditions)”

The truth about the Mu’watta of Imam Malik

Imam Ghazali records in Ihya Uloom al-Deen, Vol. 1 page 79:

وكان أحمد بن حنبل ينكر على مالك في تصنيفه الموطأ ويقول ابتدع ما لم تفعله الصحابة رضي الله عنهم

“Ahmad bin Hanbal used to condemn Malik for authoring al-Mu’wata and he used to say that he innovated in what the companions had never done”

The truth about Sunni Tafsir books

In Faydh al-Qadeer, Vol. 1 page 20-21 we read the following revelation of the Sunni commentaries of the Holy Quran:

قال ابن الكمال : كتب التفسير مشحونة بالأحاديث الموضوعة

Ibn al-Kamal said: ‘Tafsir books are filled with fabricated traditions’

Imam Jalaluddin Suyuti in his book Al-Itqan, pg. 766 has recorded the opinion of Imam Ahmed regarding the the Sunni books on Tafseer:

قال الإمام أحمد ثلاثة ليس لها أصل التفسير والملاحم والمغازي وذلك لأن الغالب عليها المراسيل

Imam Ahmad said: ‘Three things are unreliable, Tafsir, epics and battles (stories) because most of them are narrated through disconnect chains’.

Sunni myth of love and adherence to the Ahlulbayt (as)

Chapter One: Introduction Chapter Two: The verdict of Rasulullah (s) with regards to the lovers and the enemies of the Ahl’ul bayt (as) Chapter Three: Nasibism in the roots Ahle Sunnah Chapter Four: Kharjism in the roots of Ahle Sunnah Chapter Five: The blasphemous views of some Sunni scholars about the Imams of Ahlulbayt (as) Chapter Six: Nasibi propaganda that certain prominent Shia narrators possessed deviant beliefs Chapter Seven: Conclusion

Chapter Six: Nasibi propaganda that certain prominent Shia narrators possessed deviant beliefs

Refuting the allegation that Abdullah Ibn Saba had any link to Shiasm

Refuting the allegation that Kufa was heavily influenced by the Ghulat beliefs propagated by Abdullah Ibn Saba who subsequently fabricated beliefs and attributed it to the Imams of Ahlulbayt (as)

Reply One – Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) lived in Kufa as well as Madina

Reply Two– Iraqis would visit Imam Jafar Sadiq (as)

Reply Three – Most Sunni narrations attributed to Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) come via Iraqis

13 Thiqah Medinian narrators from Sunni books

9 Thiqah Basran narrators form Sunni books

3 Thiqah Meccan narrators from Sunni books

3 Thiqah Ajam narrators from Sunni books

1 Thiqah Egyptian narrators from sunni books

Reply Four - Ibn Saba was not the first to abuse the Caliphs

Reply Six– Kufa was a city comprising of residents with all manner of beliefs

Reply Seven– The Imams (as) were fully aware of such Ghulat beliefs and constantly told their actual followers of the correct position

Refuting the allegation against Zurarah Ibn Ayun

Reply One

Reply Two

Refuting the allegation against Muhamad bin Muslim

Reply

Refuting the allegation against Abu Basir al-Muradi

Reply One

Reply Two

Refuting the allegation against al-Mufaddal ibn Umar

Reply One

Reply Two

Ahle Sunnah have taken Hadith from those who have been cursed by Allah (swt) and His Apostle (s), namely Walid bin Uqba

Nawasib, Khawarij and liars laid the foundations for the Sunni ‘Saha Satta’

The truth about Imam Muhamad bin Ismaeel Bukhari and his Sahih

The truth about Imam Muslim bin al-Hajaj and his Sahih

The truth about Sunan Ibn Majah

The truth about Tirmidhi

The truth about the Mu’watta of Imam Malik

The truth about Sunni Tafsir books

Sunni myth of love and adherence to the Ahlulbayt (as)

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