11. According to ‘Abdu’llah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be well pleased with him and his father), the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“He who upholds my Sunna at the time of strife will be granted reward of one hundred martyrs.”
[Set forth by al-Imam al-Bayhaqi in Kitab az-Zuhd al-Kabir, vol. 2, p. 118 # 207.]
12. According to Abu Hurayra (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“The holders of justice from among the successors will learn the knowledge of hadith. They will put an end to the extravagance of the extravagant, the fabrication of the heretic and false interpretations of the ignorant.”
[Set forth by at-Tabarani in Musnad ash-Shamiyyin, vol. 1, p. 344 # 599; al-Bayhaqi in as-Sunan al-Kubra, vol. 10, p. 209 # 20700; and ad-Daylami in al-Firdaws, vol. 5, p. 537 # 9012.]
13. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi reports in al-Kifaya (p. 121) through ‘Abdu’llah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be well pleased with him and his father) that the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) said:
“O Ibn ‘Umar! Your din is your faith. Indeed it is but your flesh and blood (it is your life). Therefore, you should be very careful about whom you are receiving it from. Receive it from the pious and the steadfast and do not take it from those who are leaning astray.”
14. Our master ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be well pleased with him) used to say:
“Soon there will come people who will discuss and debate with you on the Qur’anic verses which are figurative (i.e. they contain abstract and allusive meaning). So deal with them by means of sunan because the people of sunan know the Book of Allah more (than others).”
[Related by ad-Darimi in as-Sunan, vol. 1, p. 62 # 119.]
15. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi reports from our master ‘Ali ibn ‘Abi Talib (may Allah be well pleased with him) in al-Kifaya (p. 121) who said in the mosque of Kufa:
“Inquire about the people from whom you are receiving this knowledge (of Qur’an and Sunna). Indeed this is your din.”
16. Al-Imam Muslim in the preface (al-Muqaddimma) of his as-Sahih (vol. 1, p. 8) has entitled a chapter:
“Narration from a reliable authority and leaving liars aside is mandatory in ash-shari‘a and science of hadith in order to eliminate any doubt of perjury in narrating knowledge from the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him).”
Following this, al-Imam Muslim entitled another chapter in the preface (al-Muqaddimma) of his as-Sahih (vol. 1, p. 14):
“Declaration of the fact that the chain of authority is part of the din and there should be no narration except from a reliable chain of authority.”
17. Al-Imam Muslim also reports from al-Imam Muhammad ibn Sirin (through his own chain), who states:
“The science of chain of authority and narration of hadith is din itself. You should check whom you are receiving your din from.”
[Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, p. 14.]
This saying of al-Imam Muhammad ibn Sirin was narrated by Ibn Abi Shayba with some different words:
“The science of chain of authority and narration of hadith is din itself. You should check whom you are receiving it from.”
[Related by Ibn Abi Shayba in al-Musannaf, vol. 5, p. 334 # 26636].
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi reports these words from the Successor ad-Dahhak ibn Mazahim in al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya (p. 121).
18. Al-Imam Ibn Sirin again states as reported by al-Imam Muslim:
“Before the fitna (civil war and political segmentation which emerged as the reason of fabrication of hadith), they never felt any necessity to ask about the chain (because all authorities before the period of fitna were undoubtedly honest, truthful, trustworthy and reliable). After this fitna had occurred they started asking the narrator to mention their chain of authority before them; and if the knowledge of din was narrated from an authority belonging to Ahl as-Sunna they used to accept his transmission; and if he belonged to Ahl al-Bid‘a they rejected it.”
[Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, p. 15; and Tirmidhi in al-‘Ilal, p. 739.]
19. Al-Imam Ibn Sirin again states as reported by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi:
“In the early days, people never felt any necessity to ask about the chain (because all authorities before the period of fitna were undoubtedly honest, truthful, trustworthy and reliable). But when this fitna had occurred they started asking the narrator to mention their chain of authority before them so that they could accept the hadith transmitted by an authority belonging to Ahl as-Sunna and could reject the hadith transmitted by Ahl al-Bid‘a.”
[Related by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 122.]
20. Al-Imam Ibn Sirin states:
“(In the early days,) people never felt any necessity to ask about the chain (because all authorities before the period of fitna were undoubtedly honest, truthful, trustworthy and reliable). But in later times people started asking the narrator to mention their chain of authority before them so that they might check. If the narrator belonged to the people of Sunna, they wrote down the hadith, and if he did not belong to people of Sunna, they did not write down the hadith from him.”
[Related by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 122.]
21. Sa‘d ibn Ibrahim narrated:
“Nobody should narrate the knowledge of Allah’s Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) except the reliable authorities.”
[Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, p. 15.]
22. Furthermore, al-Imam Muslim quotes from amir al-mu’minin fi’l-hadith ‘Abdu’llah ibn al-Mubarak, who states:
“Al-Isnad (the chain of authority) is a necessary part of din. If there was no chain of authority then everyone would have said whatever he wanted to say.”
[Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, p. 15.]
23. Al-Imam Muslim elaborated further from al-Imam ‘Abdu’llah ibn al-Mubarak, who says:
“Between us and between the people who receive from us there are pillars of reliance and these are the chains of authority.”
[Related by Muslim in al-Muqaddima (preface) to his as-Sahih, vol. 1, pp. 15, 16.]
24. Al-Imam Sufyan ath-Thawri is reported by Ibn Hibban and al-Khatib al-Baghdadi as saying:
“The isnad is the weapon of a Muslim (who is the receiver of the knowledge). If he is not equipped with the arms, how is he going to fight (and defend himself)?”
[Ibn Hibban, al-Majruhin, vol. 1, p. 27; al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Sharaf Ashab al-Hadith, p. 42.]
25. Al-Imam Abu Hanifa says as related by Yahya ibn Ma‘in and reported by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya (p. 231):
“Knowledge should be received only from a transmitter who learns the text by heart and has a deep and perfect understanding of the meanings of what he is transmitting.”
26. Al-Imam Abu Hanifa further says, as related by ‘Abdu’llah ibn al-Mubarak and reported by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi:
“When someone reads the text in front of a muhaddith or an authority (to get it verified), then he is allowed to transmit from him to others.”
[al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 303.]
27. Al-Imam Malik is reported by al-Khatib in al-Kifaya as saying:
“Be Godfearing and scrutinize the credibility of the person whom you are receiving this knowledge from.”
[al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 124.]
28. Al-Imam ash-Shafi‘i is reported by al-Bayhaqi as saying:
“The one who accepts the knowledge from somebody without the sanad (chain of authority) is like a person carrying a bundle of wood with a snake in it and he does not know. It may bite him (anytime).”
[al-Bayhaqi, al-Madkhal ila as-Sunan al-Kubra, p. 211.]
Al-Imam ash-Shafi‘i is quoted by as-Sakhawi as saying:
“He who seeks to collect hadith without chains of transmission is like the one who collects wood at night.”
[Related by as-Sakhawi in Fatha’l-Mughith, vol. 3, p. 4.]
29. Al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal is reported by as-Sakhawi in Fatha’l-Mughith (vol. 2, p. 69) as saying:
“If the ijazat (license of transmission through a chain of authority) was neglected and denied, then the reliable knowledge would be destroyed.”
30. Al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal also said:
“Asking for the higher chain of authority (al-isnad al-‘ali) is the sunna of the righteous predecessors.”
[Ibn as-Salah, ‘Ulum al-Hadith, p. 150; al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Jam‘ li-Akhlaq ar-Rawi wa Adab as-Sam‘, vol. 1, p. 123.]
“A hadith without any chain of transmission is nothing. Certainly the chains of transmission are a ladder of the texts by which one reaches the texts.”
[Related by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 393.]
32. Ibn ‘Awn is reported by al-Khatib in al-Kifaya as saying:
“I said to ash-Sha‘bi: ‘Shall I not narrate a tradition to you?’ Ash-Sha‘bi replied: ‘Do you narrate the tradition from the alive or the dead?’ I said: ‘From the alive.’ (To this) he said: ‘Do not narrate to me the traditions from the alive.’”
[al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 139.]
33. Ibn ‘Abd al-Hakam is reported by al-Khatib in al-Kifaya as saying:
“One day I mentioned a hadith in the presence of al-Imam ash-Shafi‘i in my childhood. So he said: ‘Who has narrated it to you?’ I replied: ‘You.’ He asked: ‘Whatever tradition I narrated to you it is as I narrated to you, but beware of narrating traditions from the alive.’”
[al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 140.]
34. Ibn as-Salah has reported in ‘Ulum al-Hadith (p. 150) from al-Imam Yahya ibn Ma‘in. When he was asked about his wish, he replied:
“(My wish contains two things:) seclusion in my house (for uninterrupted remembrance of Allah) and isnad of high ranking authorities (to receive the righteous knowledge through the shortest chain).”
35. Hammad ibn Zayd is reported by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya as saying:
“We visited Anas ibn Sirin in his disease. So he said, ‘Be Godfearing, O group of the youths, and scrutinize the credibility of the person whom you are receiving these ahadith from, because this is your din.’”
[Related by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm ar-Riwaya, p. 122.]
36. Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Aslam at-Tusi said:
“A short chain of transmission is in fact being close to Allah.”
[Related by Ibn as-Salah in ‘Ulum al-Hadith, p. 151; and al-Khatib al-Jami‘ li-Akhlaq ar-Rawi wa Adab as-Sam‘, vol. 1, p. 123.]
37. Al-Imam Ibn Hibban says in Kitab al-Majruhin (vol. 1, p. 89):
“I hope that out of this Umma they (the travellers and the seekers of the knowledge of as-Sunna, al-hadith, al-athar and al-akhbar who put their efforts to differentiate between the sahih and the mawdu‘ through the verification of the isnad) will enjoy the extreme proximity of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) in Paradise. (This is so, because they spent their lives in a very highly esteemed service to the Holy Prophet [blessings and peace be upon him]).”
38. ‘Allama ibn Taymiyya states in Minhaj as-Sunna an-Nabawiyya (vol. 7, p. 37):
“The isnad is one of the exclusive virtuous characteristics and Allah’s great blessings on this Umma. It is also a great peculiarity of the din of Islam and it is a salient identity of Ahl as-Sunna. Ar-Rafida did not pay great attention to isnad, because they confirmed only such as accorded to their desires and the sign of a false isnad (in their eyes) was opposing their desires.”
So, Allah created for us trusty reporters for chains of transmission and promulgation of din because both chains of transmission and promulgation are of the characteristics of Umma. None of the preceding communities of the former Prophets has passed who was granted such a high status of learning that the Prophet and his scholars would preach din by means of unbroken and uninterrupted chains of transmission between them. Allah Most High bestowed this superiority on the Umma of the Final Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) which is the best of the communities and honoured the scholars of this Umma from the Companions down to the hadith-narrators with the proprieties of hadith. And in this Revelation: “Or some remnant of knowledge (of the bygone people in transit down the line) [al-Qur’an, al-Ahqaf, 46:4.],” there is a pointer to the chains of transmission of hadith and its narration. This pronouncement in the glory of chains of transmission is due to the narration of din and the eminent authorities from the Successors have described it as we have mentioned before in detail.
39. The significance of the chain of transmitters and authorities can be further illustrated through the statement of al-Imam Ibn Maja (one of the six great Imams of as-sihah as-sitta). He has reported a hadith on the reality of iman in the preface of his as-Sunan (the same has been reported by al-Imam at-Tabarani and al-Imam al-Bayhaqi), whereby he narrates from ‘Abd as-Salam ibn Abi as-Salih Abi as-Salt al-Harawi from Sayyiduna ‘Ali ibn Musa ar-Rida, from Sayyiduna Musa ibn Ja‘far al-Kazim, from Sayyiduna Ja‘far ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq, from Sayyiduna Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Baqir, from Sayyiduna ‘Ali ibn Husayn from Sayyiduna Husayn ibn ‘Ali, from Sayyiduna ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, from Allah’s Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him). At the end of the text of hadith he quotes:
“If this isnad (chain of transmitters and authorities) is read upon a person who is insane (majnun) he will certainly be cured.”
[Reported by Ibn Maja in as-Sunan, vol. 1, p. 25 # 65; at-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat, vol. 6, p. 226 # 6254 & vol. 8, p. 262 # 8580; and al-Bayhaqi in Shu‘ab al-Iman, vol. 1, p. 47 # 16.]
Here lies the blessings (al-barakat) of the names of the blessed persons who belong to Ahl al-Bayt and all of them are the Imams of al-wilaya (sainthood).
The words of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) are always contained in the text of hadith and not in the chain of authorities; the chain of authorities only consists of the names of reliable persons who are the blessed transmitters. Al-Imam Ibn Maja has not directed towards reading the text of the hadith upon an insane person, but has rather emphasized reading the names of the transmitters, which is the chain of authorities; just invoking the names on a patient has become a spiritual treatment. This is the ‘aqida of al-Imam Ibn Maja, al-Imam at-Tabarani and al-Imam al-Bayhaqi; the same has been mentioned by al-Imam as-Suyuti, as well as by al-Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, the great and famous student of ‘Allama Ibn Taymiyya. According to all of these authoritative statements of the Imams, who are the real transmitters of din and the knowledge of hadith to us, it is clear and evident that before the substance and content one is inevitably supposed to rely on the chain and authority. These are the people who narrated the knowledge of din. If they are proven to be reliable, it is only then one would have access to the acceptance of substance and contents of the hadith. Before placing emphasis on the text, they have given all the importance to the chain. In any hadith the text is known as the matn and the chain of authority is known as the sanad or isnad.
The text contains the message of Islam, the teachings of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) and the substance of the Shari‘a and the Sunna, whereas the chain consists of personalities. Reliance has been placed on the personalities, prior to the actual content. The Imams have declared the chain of these reliable personalities as a part of din. Here lies the significance of personalities in Islam — the real transmitters of the din from the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him).
40. Al-Imam at-Tabarani reports through ‘Abdu’llah ibn ‘Abbas:
“The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said: ‘Oh Allah! Bestow mercy on our khulafa’.’ The Companions asked: ‘Who are your khulafa’?’ He (blessings and peace be upon him) replied: ‘Those who will come after me and narrate my ahadith and my sunna and transmit them to the Umma.’”
[Related by al-Imam at-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat, vol. 6, p. 395 # 5842.]
41. That is why the Holy Qur’an in sura al-Fatiha has commanded us to follow in the footsteps of the blessed personalities in order to achieve al-hidaya (guidance) and al-istiqama (steadfastness):
42. “Show us the straight path, the path of those (personalities) upon whom You have bestowed Your favours.”
[al-Qur’an, al-Fatiha, 1: 6, 7.]
43. Reliable and blessed personalities have been declared to be symbols of al-hidaya and it has been made compulsory to identify and follow them. On the other hand some people have been made symbols of ad-dalala (misguidance) and the wrath of Allah. The Qur’an has commanded us neither to follow them nor to be in their company. As stated in sura al-Fatiha:
44. “Not of those who have been afflicted with wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.”
[al-Qur’an, al-Fatiha, 1: 7.]
45. The Holy Qur’an has defined the “blessed people” in sura an-Nisa’:
46. “And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him), they are the people who shall be in the company of those (spiritual dignitaries on the Last Day) whom Allah has blessed with His (special) favour: Prophets (an-Nabiyyun), the Truthful (al-awliya’ and as-siddiqun), the Witnesses (of Truth [ash-shuhada’]), and the Pious ones (possessing Allah’s nearness – as-salihun). And how excellent these companions are!”
[al-Qur’an, an-Nisa’, 4: 69.]
47. Shaykh-ul-Islam is one of the chosen and blessed people of Allah among the community of the Prophet’s khulafa’ (vicegerents). He is the man of reliable authority and one of the great authentic transmitters of the Prophet’s (blessings and peace be upon him) knowledge to the Umma from whom scholars of East and West, both Arab and non-Arab, have derived benefit, who come to him to receive ijazat (permission) and isnad (authority) as an Imam of ‘ilm in this century. He is the one who received his permission and authority from the greatest scholars of their time, and he delivers his permission and authority to hundreds of great scholars of his time. Being the author of one thousand books and a transmitter of the Holy Prophet’s (blessings and peace be upon him) knowledge through five thousand orations and narrations, he has revived numerous Islamic sciences, including ‘ulum al-Qur’an, ‘ulum al-hadith, ‘ilm al-fiqh, al-‘aqida, at-tasawwuf, and ideology through his reconstructive efforts of Islamic thought and philosophy in the modern age. He is the revivalist of the present century. As the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) stated, reported by Abu Hurayra (may Allah be well pleased with him):
48. “Indeed Allah raises in the Umma at the beginning of every Islamic century one that revives the din for this Umma.”
[Related by Abu Dawud in as-Sunan, vol. 4, p. 109 # 4291; al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, vol. 4, pp. 567, 568 # 8592, 8593; and at-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat, vol. 7, p. 272 # 6523.]
49. The scholars and authorities serving the din of the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) are in hundreds and thousands who render their services according to their position and status, but the mujaddid is only one in a century; if there is to be another, he will be in another part of the world. Shaykh-ul-Islam was born in 1951 (1370 Hegira) and started his revivalist work in 1981 (1401 Hegira), exactly at the beginning of the 15th Islamic century, by founding Minhaj-ul-Qur’an. The door of Prophethood has been completely closed in all respects and no Prophet will ever come after the raising of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) himself. The Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) stated that before him every Prophet used to succeed another; with his raising, the chain of Prophethood became closed. From now he will be succeeded by the khulafa’ [Narrated by al-Bukhari in as-Sahih, vol. 3, p. 1273 # 3268; and Muslim in as-Sahih, vol. 3, p. 1471 # 1842.]. The khulafa’ are the mujaddidun, al-awliya’, and the al-‘ulama’ ar-rasikhun. The mujadidun are the revivalists and a mujaddid receives blessings directly from the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) in addition to his other chains of receiving knowledge. A hadith of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) reported through Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab, which is quoted by al-Imam Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr [Related by Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr in Jami‘ Bayan al-‘Ilm wa Fadli-hi, vol. 1, pp. 102, 191, 192 # 169, 379.], indicates that the transmitter of knowledge who revives the din is the direct recipient of blessings of the Prophets and spiritually linked with them. That is why the practice of isnad and ijazat has been continuously and emphatically observed and transmitted since the first century of Hegira (period of followers) up to the present time by the great Imams, authorities and the high ranking scholars of the Umma.
50. Every textbook requires some competent teacher who can interpret its true meanings and the correct implications of the text. It is pertinent to note that if one suffers from a physical ailment, treatment will not be sought from someone who has just collected knowledge from books of medical science. Rather a professional doctor who has studied the medical sciences under competent professors and doctors will be asked for assistance and treatment. The severity of the disease will dictate the required competency level of the medical practitioner. Similarly, one needs to question how it is possible to rely upon a man, for information and spiritual guidance, who has just collected his knowledge through reading several books and websites and has never received the knowledge through a proper chain of authority. Thus, following the same sunna, some of the asanid (chains of authorities) of Shaykh-ul-Islam have been mentioned above.
