Waqidi requires no introduction for those that peruse through history. His narrating the detestable activities committed by the ancestors of the present day Nawasib has lead to them casting doubts over his authenticity.
In their attempt to absolve their spiritual fathers such as Muawiyah and Yazeed [la], they have cunningly cited the negative opinions of Sunni scholars regarding Waqidi in the field of ‘hadith’. Once people appreciate the difference between the various fields such as Hadith, Fiqh, Tafsir, Qirat, Lughat and History that is further divided into branches such as Siyar (biography), Maghazi (accounts of wars) and Tabaqat (generations/categories) etc, they will never get tricked, since it is not incumbent for an authority in one field to be an authority in others also. The very Sunni scholars, who have called Waqidi weak in the field of hadith, have praised, admired and have heavily relied on the Waqidi’s work in the field of ‘history’ but these filthy Nawasib hide those positive remarks.
Our prudent readers, whether they are Sunni or Shia should understand the difference between various fields such as Hadith, Fiqh, Tafsir, Qirat, Lughat and History, and should not be trapped by the filthy propagandas of the present day Nawasib, since it is not necessary that a person who is deemed an authority in one of these fields shall be an authority in anothers also.
Waqidi may have been criticized for his work in the field of ‘hadith’ but as far as ‘history’ is concerned, scholars have graded Waqidi extremely Thiqa. The Ahle-Hadeeth in this regard deem him highly truthful, particularly in the light of the accreditation by his student Imam Ibn Sa’ad. Ahle-Hadeeth have called him weak in the field of ‘hadith’ but only those hadith pertaining to injunctions such as Halal and Haram (Ahkam). Those that have graded him weak in hadith, didn’t do so because of his narrations but due his mixing-up the chain of narrations.
The staunch Sunni Imam with anti-Shia tendencies Ibn Katheer wrote of Waqidi in Al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, Volume 3 page 288:
“Al-Waqidi (may Allah’s mercy be upon him) has some accepted additions and often deliberated history, he is from the grand leaders of this field, he is trustworthy in himself and generous “.
One of the revered Sunni Imams in the field of Rijal namely Ibn Hajar Asqalani records:
‘He is acceptable in the narrations of the battles according to our companions and Allah knows the best.
Talkhis al-Habir, Volume 7 page 57
Another great Sunni Imam in the field of Rijal namely Dhahabi has the following views on al-Waqidi:
“He is truthful and high valued”
Siyar alam al-Nubla, Volume 7 page 142
At another place imam Dhahabi records:
“Muhammad bin Umar bin Waqid al-Aslami al-Madini, the judge, an author of many books and Maghazi, the Allamah, the Imam, Abu Abdullah, one of the containers of knowledge despite his agreeing on weak reports. He was born after year 120. He started to obtain knowledge around year 140, he heard from the late generation of Tabayeen, after them he heard from (the people of) Hijaz, Syiria etc. He narrated from Muhammad bin Ajlan, Ibn Jurayj, Thawr bin Yazid, Mu’ammar bin Rashid, Usama bin Zaid al-Laithy, Kathir bin Zaid, Abdulhamid bin Jaffar, al-Dahak bin Uthman, ibn Abi Deab, Aflah bin Hamid, Al Uza’i, Hisham bin al-Ghaz, Abi bak bin Abi Sabrah, Malik, Fulayh bin Salman and many others specially from the people of Madina. He gathered, contained and mixed the weak with strong, and the stones with the gems, so they ignored him for this reason but despite this, he can’t be ruled out from the reports of wars [Maghazi] and the lives of the Sahaba etc”
Siyar alam al-Nubla, Volume 9 page 454
Imam Dhahabi also recorded the views of other Sunni scholars about Muhammad bin Umar al-Waqidi:
Muhammad bin Salam Al-Jumahi said: ‘al-Waqidi is the scholar of his time’.
Siyar alam al-Nubla, Volume 9 page 457
We further read:
Ibrahim Al Harbi said: ‘He is amongst the most secured persons on Islam, he was the most knowledgeable man about Islam’ … Al Darawurdi said: ‘He is Amir-ul Mu’minin in Hadiths.”
Siyar alam al-Nubla, Volume 9 page 458
On page 459 we read:
Ahmad bin Ali al-Abar said: ‘I heard Mujahid bin Musa say: ‘I never wrote from someone more preserved than al-Waqidi.’
On page 461 we read:
Ibrahim bin Jabir al-Faqih said: ‘I heard Aba Bakr al-Saghati saying when he mentioned al-Waqidi: ‘By Allah, if he wasn’t thiqah, I would have not narrated from him’…Yazid bin Haroun said: ‘al-Waqidi is thiqah’. Ibrahim al-Harbi said: I heard Aba Abdullah say: ‘al-Waqidi is thiqah’
Imam of Ahle Sunnah Ibn Hajar Asqalani records the views of Sunni scholars about Muhammad bin Umar al-Waqidi:
“Mus’ab al-Zubairi said: ‘He is thiqah and secure’… Aba Ubaid said: ‘al-Waqidi is thiqah’.
Tahdeeb al Tahdeeb, Volume 9 page 325 Translation No. 606
Allamah Khateeb Baghdadi records about al-Waqidi:
“He is amongst those whose name was across the east and the west of earth, he is known among those who are interested in humanity history and people spread his books that contained art of the sciences of wars [Maghazi], biography [Siyar], events took place during His [s] life and after His [s] death and the books of jurisprudence [Fiqh], the disagreement of the people on hadith and many others and he was famous for generosity”
Tarikh Baghdad, Volume 3 page 3
His student and great Sunni Imam Ibn Sa’ad records about him:
“Muhammad bin Umar bin Waqid, popularly known as Aba Abdillah al-Waqidi, slave of Bani Sahim from Aslam (tribe), he had migrated from Madina to Baghdad and was appointed as a judge for four years during the reign of the prince of the believers Abdullah bin Harun in Askar al-Mahdi (area), he was a scholar in Maghazi [war’s history], biography, conquests, disagreement of people on hadith, the law [Ahkam] and the agreement of the people.”
Tabaqat al-Kubra, Volume 5 page 425
Imam Ibn Sa’ad in his authority work ‘Tabaqat al-Kabura’ has relied on al-Waqidi at various places while it is firmly believed in the circles of Sunni clergy that Imam Ibn Sa’ad was too careful in taking narrations, therfore it serves as an evidence that al-Waqidi was reliable according to Imam Ibn Sa’ad. Khatib Baghdadi records about Imam Ibn Sa’ad:
I say: ‘Muhammad bin Sa’ad is amongst the just people according to us, his narrations are proof for being a truthful, he is careful in narrating many of his narrations’
Tarikh Baghdad, Volume 2 page 369
Great Sunni biographer Ibn Nadeem records about al-Waqidi:
“He was a savant in Maghazi, Futuh (conquers), Siyar and the disagreements between the people on Hadiths, Fiqh, Ahkam (rulings) and narrations”
Al-Fehrist, page 144
Imam Ibn Emaad Hanbali records the follwing:
“Al-Waqidi the judge of Baghdad, Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Umar bin Waqid al-Aslami al-Madani, a scholar and container of knowledge”
Shadharat Al-Dahab, volume 2 page 18
Now let us also analyze the objections recorded by Imam Nasai and Imam Abu Dawud against al-Waqidi which the malicious Nawasib cite copiously in order to deceive the naïve Muslims. Imam Nasai said:
“There are four people who fabricate things regarding Holy Prophet [s], Ibn Abi Yahyah in Madina, al-Waqidi in Baghdad…”
Imam Abu Dawood stated:
“Verily, Muhammad bin Umar al-Waqidi used to make narrations”
We have already made it clear that those Sunni scholars have gone in depth and objected to al-Waqidi, have objected to his incautious nature regarding the chains of narration in the field of hadith. As for refuting the remarks of Nasai and Abu Dauud, we will present the words of the great Sunni Imam, the master in the science of Rijal namely Dhahabi who criticized those people (such as Nasai and Abu Dawood) who raised unnecessary objections against al-Waqidi. Imam Dhahabi said:
“It was decided that al-Waqidi is weak, but he is required in wars [Ghazawat] and in ‘history’ and we mention what he narrates without using it for argument, but in Faraid (fiqh) he shouldn’t be mentioned. These six books and Musnad Ahmad and in general those who collected the rulings [Ahkam], we see them mentioning hadiths from weak narrators and even from the abandoned narrators but despite this, they didn’t mention anything of Muhammad bin Umar [al-Waqidi], while according to me despite defects in him, his narrations and hadith should be written and narrated because I don’t accuse him of inventing hadith and there is an exaggeration in the sayings of those who have ignored him .”
Siyar Alam al-Nubla, Volume 9 page 469
Dhahabi is amongst the latter Sunni scholars (khalaf) and he is deemed as an authority in terms of grading of narrators by Ahle Sunnah as a whole including the Nasibi cult, and the aforementioned solid defense of al-Waqidi and criticism of his rejecters serves as a big slap on the filthy faces of the present day Nawasib. No doubt some shall still seek solace in the comments of Imam Nasai against al-Waqidi, for such lunatics, allow us to cite the views recorded by Imam Nasai regarding their great Imam of Ahle Sunnah Abu Hanifa written right after those above words against Waqidi which najis Nawasib would never reveal:
Abdulrahman bin Ahmad bin Shu’aib said: ‘Abu Hanifa is not strong in hadith, he commits many mistakes (in narration) though his narrations are few and there is weakness in his companions too’.
1. Rasael fi Uloom al-Hadith by Imam Nasai, page 71
2. Min lam Yarwe anho Ghair Wahid, by Imam Nasai, page 266
So, those filthy Nawasib who defend their father Yazeed [la] by citing Nasai’s comments against al-Waqidi (in the field of hadith) should either accept his views against their ‘Imam e Azam’ Abu Hafina also or they should not raise objections to al Waqidi.
Modern day Salafi/Wahabi scholar namely Hassan bin Farhan al-Maliki records in his book Naho Enqad al-Tarikh, page 258:
“al-Waqidi has been authenticated by seven scholars, nay some of them called him Amir al-Mominin in hadith”
In his another book Al-Suhba wa al-Sahaba, page 87, Hassan bin Farhan al-Maliki states:
“al-Waqidi, there is disagreement about him but he is not totally rejected”
In the footnotes, he states:
“He has been authenticated by ten scholars and some of them called him Amir al-Mominin in hadith”
Dhahabi, Ibn Katheer and Ibn Hajar Asqalani are amongst the Khalaf scholars i.e they came after Imam Nasai and they deemed al-Waqidi an Imam in all branches of history such as Siyar, Maghazi, Tabaqat etc. The Sahaba worshippers and defenders heavily rely on Ibn Hajar Asqalani’s book ‘Al-Isaba’ in order to know the lives and merits of their beloved Sahaba while Imam Asqalani referred to al-Waqidi through out his book approximately 600 times.