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Abu Hurayra
nameAbu Hurayra
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Abu Hurayra pledged allegiance to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) at the age of thirty in the seventh year after the Hijra. He was among the Ahl al-Ṣuffa. Historical records contain no accounts of his being assigned missions, participating in battles, or accompanying the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) on specific occasions. Although he spent only three years in the company of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), the number of narrations attributed to Abu Hurayra in Sunni sources vastly exceeds those transmitted from other Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), such as Ali (peace be upon him), Abu Bakr, Umar, and Aisha. The fabrication of hadith by Abu Hurayra reached such an extent that during his caliphate, Umar flogged him and warned him against attributing false statements to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny). The majority of narrations attributed to Abu Hurayra emerged during the caliphates of Uthman and Muawiyah. His lineage traces back to the tribe of al-Azd al-Aʿẓam, one of the tribes of Yemen. He arrived in Yathrib following the conquest of Khaybar and ostensibly embraced Islam there.


Introduction to Abu Hurayra

ʿUmayr ibn ʿĀmir ibn Dhī al-Sharā[1] belonged to the Dawss clan of the Azd tribe of Yemen[2]. Due to significant discrepancies regarding his name, biographers have documented his biography under his kunya (agnomen). Biographical and historical books record more than eighteen names for him, including:

  1. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ṣakhr;
  2. ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿĀmir;
  3. ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿĀʾidh;
  4. Sukayn ibn Ṣakhr;
  5. ʿĀmir ibn ʿAbd Shams[3].

Maymūna and Umayma[4] were daughters of Ṣufayḥ; his mother was Ṣubayḥ ibn al-Ḥārith[5], who, according to Abu Hurayra's own report, embraced Islam through the Prophet's supplication. Given that he died in 58 AH at the age of 78, his birth can be estimated to have occurred approximately twenty years before the Hijra[6].

He became widely known by the kunya Abu Hurayra. According to his own account, his father bestowed this agnomen upon him because he used to keep a cat during his youth[7][8]. Some assert that the Messenger of God conferred this kunya upon him[9]. This claim is untenable, as the Messenger of God never assigned derogatory nicknames; rather, he would change inappropriate names and titles. He was also referred to by the epithet Shaykh al-Muḍīra because he frequently partook of Muḍīra (a special and delicacy dish served by Muawiyah)[10]. He has been described as a humorous individual, wheat-complexioned, broad-shouldered, with long hair, widely spaced teeth, a long beard dyed yellow, and a shaved mustache[11].


Abu Hurayra among the Ahl al-Ṣuffa

Abu Hurayra was among the Ahl al-Ṣuffa, as explicitly stated by Abu Nuʿaym al-Isfahani, who noted that Abu Hurayra was the most renowned member of the Ahl al-Ṣuffa, never left their quarters throughout the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), and knew all its members well.

In a narration concerning himself, Abu Hurayra stated: "I was among the Ahl al-Ṣuffa and observed fasting. When night fell, I went out due to stomach pain to relieve myself. Upon returning, the food had been consumed. I said to myself, 'Now that the food is gone, to whom shall I go?' Someone suggested, 'Go to Umar ibn al-Khattab.' When I approached Umar, he was reciting tasbīḥ after prayer. Once he finished, I asked him to recite the Quran for me, although I desired nothing but food. He then recited several verses from Surah Al Imran. Upon reaching his home, he left me by the door and entered inside, but delayed considerably. I thought to myself, 'Perhaps he is changing his clothes and will then order food to be brought to me.' However, I saw nothing. After a prolonged wait, I rose and departed, encountering the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his progeny). I accompanied him until we reached his residence. He called out to a black slave-girl, saying, 'Bring that vessel.' She brought a bowl containing a small amount of food, seemingly barley, remnants of which remained along the sides of the bowl after some had been eaten. I ate from it until I was fully satisfied"[12].


Prolific Narration of Hadith

Although Abu Hurayra cited hunger as his reason for accompanying the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny)[13], the volume of his narrations over three years surpasses that of all other Companions combined. As he himself stated: "None of the Companions of the Prophet transmitted more hadith than I, except Abd Allah ibn Amr ibn al-As, because he used to write down [[hadith|hadiths], whereas I did not"[14]. However, all hadiths narrated from Abd Allah ibn Amr total only 724 hadith, all pertaining to supplication. Al-Bukhari narrated seven hadiths and Muslim twenty-one hadiths from Abd Allah ibn Amr, whereas the narrations attributed to Abu Hurayra in the Musnads and the Six Authentic Books amount to 5,374 hadith. Below is a enumeration of narrations transmitted from some of the prominent Companions of the Prophet, demonstrating that Abu Hurayra's narrations exceed the combined total of these individuals:

  1. Abu Bakr, 142 hadiths[15].
  2. Umar, 537 hadiths[16].
  3. Uthman, 146 narrations[17].
  4. Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), 586 hadiths[18].
  5. Aisha and Anas, more than 2,300 hadiths[19].

Fabrication of Hadith

Abu Hurayrah narrated to a group that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: "The most excellent charity…" Everyone asked Abu Hurayrah: "Did you hear this from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his progeny)?" In response, Abu Hurayrah told the questioners: "No, this is from the blessing of Abu Hurayrah's pouch"[20]. Abu Hurayrah explicitly confessed before the assembly to fabricating hadith. Considering the abundance of narrations and the status of the Companions of the Suffah, it appears that the number of fabricated hadiths by Abu Hurayrah and the attribution of such fabrications to him is not implausible.

Abu Hurayrah narrated far more hadiths than all other Companions; for this very reason, he was already known during his lifetime for fabricating hadith and falsely attributing statements to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny). Saʿīd al-ʿAqīrī reports that Abu Hurayrah would constantly say: "People say that Abu Hurayrah fabricates hadith and attributes lies to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), and he multiplies narrations…"[21].

The extent of Abu Hurayrah's multiplication and fabrication of hadith reached such a point that ʿUmar flogged him and said: "O Abu Hurayrah, you multiply hadiths; fear attributing falsehood to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his progeny)"[22].

The majority of his narrations were issued during the caliphates of Muʿāwiyah and ʿUthmān, encouraged by Marwan ibn al-Ḥakam and Muʿāwiyah himself. In one narration, Abu Hurayrah reports from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his progeny) that the Prophet said: "God has appointed three as trustees of His revelation: myself, Gabriel, and Muʿāwiyah"[23]!


Abu Hurayrah in the View of Others

Shams al-Dīn al-Dhahabī, one of the greatest scholars of biographical evaluation among the Sunnis, writes: "Sāʾib ibn Yazīd heard ʿUmar say to Abu Hurayrah: 'Either you cease narrating hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), or I shall exile you to the land of Daws (the homeland of Abu Hurayrah)'[24]."

If the hadiths narrated by Abu Hurayrah were truly from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), why did ʿUmar prohibit him from doing so and even threaten him with exile? Is it conceivable that ʿUmar would punish one of the Companions of the Prophet without cause? Perhaps for this very reason, in another narration, Abu Hurayrah himself confesses: "The hadiths I now narrate, if I had narrated them during the time of ʿUmar, he would have broken my head": "Abu Hurayrah said: 'I narrate hadiths which, if I had spoken of them during the time of ʿUmar, he would surely have split my head'[25]."

Abu Hurayrah as the greatest liar in the view of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him):

Ibn Abi al-Hadid, a Shafiʿi and Muʿtazilī scholar, reporting from his teacher Abu Ja'far al-Iskafi, writes: "It has been narrated from ʿAlī (peace be upon him) that he said: 'Behold! The greatest liar among people—or he said: the greatest liar among the living—against the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his progeny) is Abu Hurayrah al-Dawsī'[26]."

Deceptions and trickeries of Abu Hurayrah in narrating hadith:

The deception and trickery of Abu Hurayrah in transmitting narrations is among the matters upon which scholars of biographical evaluation among [[Sunni Islam|the Sunnis] agree; as Shams al-Dīn al-Dhahabī writes in his biography of Abu Hurayrah: "Yazīd ibn Hārūn said: 'I heard Shuʿbah say: Abu Hurayrah practiced tadlīs (concealment of sources) in narrating hadith'[27]."

Abu Hurayrah's enmity toward God from the perspective of Umar ibn al-Khattab:

Historians have reported that in the year 21 AH, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb appointed Abu Hurayrah as governor of Bahrain. After some time, he was informed that Abu Hurayrah had amassed enormous wealth. Consequently, in the year 23 AH, he summoned Abu Hurayrah to Medina, and after dismissing him from office, addressed him saying: "O enemy of God and enemy of the Book of God! Do you steal the property of God?" Abu Hurayrah replied: "I have not stolen; these are gifts that people have given me"[28]!"

Although it is natural for Abu Hurayrah to justify his actions, even assuming this to be true, one must ask him: If he had not been governor, would people still have given him such gifts? Finally, it is necessary to note that it may be argued that the majority of narrations in Sunni books are transmitted through Abu Hurayrah; therefore, how can his reliability be questioned? In response, we say: Not only does the abundance of narrations not indicate reliability; rather, this very fact may increase the suspicion and probability of tadlīs (deception) occurring in the narrations.


See Also


Footnotes

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  1. ↑ Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, vol. 2, p. 578; Tahdhīb al-Kamāl, vol. 34, p. 366.
  2. ↑ Al-Ṭabaqāt, Ibn Saʿd, vol. 5, p. 196; Jamharat Ansāb al-ʿArab, pp. 381–382; Al-Bidāya wa al-Nihāya, vol. 8, p. 103.
  3. ↑ Al-Istīʿāb, vol. 4, pp. 1768–1769; Usd al-Ghāba, vol. 5, p. 319; Al-Iṣāba, vol. 7, p. 352.
  4. ↑ Al-Maʿārif, p. 277; Al-Iṣāba, vol. 8, p. 32.
  5. ↑ Al-Maʿārif, p. 227; Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, vol. 2, p. 579.
  6. ↑ Al-Iṣāba, vol. 7, p. 362.
  7. ↑ Al-Ṭabaqāt, Ibn Saʿd, vol. 4, p. 245; Usd al-Ghāba, vol. 5, p. 320.
  8. ↑ Tārīkh Dimashq, vol. 67, p. 298; Al-Bidāya wa al-Nihāya, vol. 8, p. 103.
  9. ↑ Al-Istīʿāb, vol. 4, p. 1770; Al-Bidāya wa al-Nihāya, vol. 8, p. 103.
  10. ↑ Rabīʿ al-Abrār, vol. 3, p. 227; Al-Kunā wa al-Alqāb, vol. 1, p. 181.
  11. ↑ Al-Maʿārif, p. 278; Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, vol. 2, p. 586.
  12. ↑ Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 1, p. 378, Abu Nuʿaym al-Isfahani, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, Beirut, 1st ed., 1409 AH; died 430 AH.
  13. ↑ Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 1, p. 378, Abu Nuʿaym al-Isfahani, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, Beirut, 1st ed., 1409 AH; died 430 AH.
  14. ↑ Aḍwāʾ ʿalā al-Sunna al-Muḥammadiyya, p. 201, Mahmud Abu Rayya, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya.
  15. ↑ Tārīkh al-Khulafāʾ, p. 81, Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī, Dār al-Fikr, Beirut, 1421 AH.
  16. ↑ Tārīkh al-Khulafāʾ, p. 102.
  17. ↑ Tārīkh al-Khulafāʾ, p. 139.
  18. ↑ Tārīkh al-Khulafāʾ, p. 157.
  19. ↑ Naẓara ʿĀbira ilā Ṣiḥāḥ al-Sitta, ʿAbd al-Ṣamad Shākir.
  20. ↑ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, vol. 7, p. 120, no. 269, Dār al-Qalam, Beirut, 1st ed., 1407 AH, al-Bukhārī.
  21. ↑ Usd al-Ghābah, vol. 5, p. 320, Ibn al-Athīr ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Jazarī, Dār al-Fikr, Beirut, ed. 1409 AH.
  22. ↑ Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, vol. 4, p. 188, Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Dhahabī, d. 748, Dār al-Fikr, Beirut, 1st ed., 1417 AH.
  23. ↑ Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, vol. 4, p. 210.
  24. ↑ "ʿAn al-Sāʾib ibn Yazīd: Samiʿa ʿUmar yaqūlu li-Abī Hurayrah: La-tatrukanna al-ḥadīth ʿan Rasūl Allāh (ṣallā Allāh ʿalayhi wa ālihi wa sallam) aw la-alḥaqannaka bi-arḍ Daws." Tārīkh Abī Razʿah al-Dimashqī, Shaykh al-Shabāb, Dār al-Nashr, Beirut, vol. 1, p. 73.
  25. ↑ "ʿAn Ibn ʿAjlān: Anna Abā Hurayrah kāna yaqūlu: Innī la-uḥaddithu aḥādīth, law takallamtu bihā fī zamani ʿUmar, la-shajja raʾsī." Tārīkh Madīnat Dimashq, Ibn Hibat Allāh al-Shāfiʿī, Dār al-Fikr, Beirut, vol. 67, p. 343.
  26. ↑ "Wa qad ruwiya ʿan ʿAlīyy (ʿalayhi al-salām) annahu qāla: Alā inna akdhaba al-nās, aw qāla: akdhaba al-aḥyāʾ, ʿalā Rasūl Allāh (ṣallā Allāh ʿalayhi wa ālihi wa sallam) Abū Hurayrah al-Dawsī." Sharḥ Nahj al-Balāghah, Ibn Abī al-Ḥadīd, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, Beirut, vol. 4, p. 40.
  27. ↑ "Qāla Yazīd ibn Hārūn: Samiʿtu Shuʿbah yaqūlu: Kāna Abū Hurayrah yudallis." Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, al-Dhahabī, Muʾassasat al-Risālah, Beirut, vol. 2, p. 608.
  28. ↑ "Yā ʿaduwwa Allāh wa ʿaduwwa kitābih, asraqta māla Allāh?! Lam asraq wa innamā hiya ʿaṭāyā al-nās lī." Al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā, al-Baṣrī al-Zuhrī, Dār Ṣādir, Beirut, vol. 4, p. 335.
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