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Thursday, May 14, 2015

Who Are The People of Hadeeth?



Imaam ar-Raamaharmazee[1] [may Allaah have Mercy on him] said in describing Ahl as-Sunnah:

There are group of people who are adversaries to the people of Hadeeth and have abhorrence towards them. They concoct allegations against the People of al-Hadeeth and even claim that they are sinners - exceeding all bounds in their accusations against them.

However, Allaah has Honoured the Ahaadeeth (Pl. Hadeeth) and its people and has given them status. They possess the highest of ranking. They are the ones who are able to place a ruling on all issues and the ones who possess the most virtuous of knowledge.

They are raised in their mentioned and they are the guardians of Hadeeth. 

Their understanding of the religion is pure and are beacons of reasoning, so how can anyone not love them for the honour they have been given? How can one not want to be raised in their ranking, just like them?

They are the ones who protect this Ummah from losing their religion. They spread information that has been revealed upon a Prophet. They decipher for them what is abrogating (Naasikh) and what is abrogated (Mansookh). They rule for the Ummah upon what is clear (Muhkam) and clarify what is not (Mutashaabih).

What an acclaim they hold with Allaah, the Glorified and the Exalted, as they are bearers of the Messenger [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him]!?

They transmit His Sharee’ah and uphold its identity. They explain its symbols and establish its proofs.

They proclaim its virtues and respect its people.

They leave behind praiseworthy conducts and their demeanor is that of the Prophets. Their station is that of the pious and they inform us of the martyrs and sincere ones (as-Sideeqoon).

They express in their works every aspect of the life of the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him]; his residence, his travel, every moment of his waking and that of his sleeping nights.

His every movement and every utterance, his louder speech and his silent whispers, his eating and his drinking, his clothes and his transportation, what made him joyous and what angered him, what he rejected and what he accepted, to the extent that the limit of his nail clippings and what he used to cut them with has been clearly recorded.

How he spat and what he spat in, what he used to say when he used to do certain actions, what he did in public and what he did in private – all of this illustrates the respect and status they gave to the Messenger of Allaah [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him].

The recorded everything back to him with chains of transmission. So whoever knows al-Islaam in its true reality and have a true reverence for the Messenger of Allaah, will realize that is it obligatory upon them to honour his status, make high his mention, make clear his message and illuminate his many virtues.
That they must refrain from insulting this party of the Messenger of Allaah, rather they must follow the revelation and preserve the religion by following its narrations and rulings – by the Quraan, that which declares their mentioning as He, the Glorified and the Exalted Said:

{وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ}
“and also those who followed them (i.e. the Companions) exactly (in Faith)” [at-Tawbah 9:100]

So if you want to have a connection with the generation of the Companions, then you will not reach them except through the People of al-Hadeeth, who are the true representatives of them and that you ally yourself with them.

As for any other group other than them, then Allaah Knows Best about them.

[al-Muhadith al-Faasil (1/162)]


[1] He was the Imaam, the Haafidh, the Muhaddith - Aboo Muhammad al-Hasan bin ‘Abdur-Rahmaan bij Khallad ar-Raamaharmazee. He was the first one to ever to write about the Sciences of Hadeeth (‘Uloom al-Hadeeth) after he and Imaam az-Zuhree were ordered by the ruler at that time, ‘Umar bin ‘Abdul-‘Azeez to do so and what an amazing book he wrote. He used to say, “The Salafee cannot let his life go to waste.” He passed away around 360AH in city of Raamharmaz in Persia. [Summarised from Siyaar ‘Alaam an-Nubalaa’ (16/73-75)]

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