Abu Hurayrah
If the traditions of the Messenger of Allah were altogether the cornerstone of religion — like the Qur'an — upon which Din is set up, and source of all rulings that every Muslim should know and follow, as he follows the Qur'an and if the Prophet (S) commanded his Companions to memorize these traditions so as to be followed after his demise, those Companions exaggerating in narrating them would be of higher religious position, firmer firm in faith, and sublimer in knowledge. Further, those narrating less would be lower than them in religious status, having degree of knowledge, honour and consideration beyond theirs. But in fact the situation — as revealed in the well-known hadith books — being on the contrary of this!! as the best of Companions in rank, higher in status, broader in knowledge of Din and sincerest in safe-guarding it, who were entrusted with shouldering the precepts of religion which they learnt from their teacher, like the Rightly-guided Caliphs and the Ten who claimed that he (S) died while being pleased with them or augured them with paradise, beside magnates of the Muhajirun and Ansar and others, were less than others in relating hadith to the extent that some of them have not reported from the Messenger even one hadith!!
Being unsatisfied with all this, the magnates among the Companions shunned relating the hadith and forbade others from doing so. Their extreme precaution in this regard led them to set to fire whatever was written down, as was known before. This fact made us dedicate a separate biography for the most prolific in relating hadith from the Messenger of Allah among the Companions, and broader in narration, though being one of the common
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companions who was neither here nor there... that was. Abu Hurayrah.
Had not these abundant traditions — due to the commoners trust in them filled the hadith books deserved respect and trust inside the Muslims' hearts and seized their minds and thinking, to the extent they regarded them of the general rules of religion, though having intricate problems embarrassing the minds of the believers, with suspicions and superstitions constituting weak points in religion and reliable asanid to confirm the Israeliyyat and Masihiyyat (Jewish and Christian fabricated traditions) and other creeds... had not all these things been there, I would have never prepared this research, nor cared that much for it.
Disagreement about His Name:
During the pre-Islamic era and advent of Islam, there was no disagreement regarding any name like the one that was in regard of the name of Abu Hurayrah. No one had verified knowledge of the name his family gave to him so as to be called with among people.
Al-Nawawi says: Abu Hurayrah's name is Abd al-Rahman ibn Sakhr, according to authentic reports from thirty sources.
The Moroccan Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Barr, in al-Isti‘ab358 writes:
There was much controversy and disagreement regarding the original names of Abu Hurayrah and his father, in a way that no one could know it exactly and accurately whether during the pre-Islamic period or after it in the Islamic era.. With such disagreement and confusion, nothing can be so reliable, and his nickname was more common than his name, as if he had no name other than that, with which he was called everywhere .
The author of al-Mishkat said: People differed much concerning the name of Abu Hurayrah and his descent, and he was only called with that
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kunyah as if he having no other name. The kunyah became so widely known to the extent that the original name was forgotten, since much disagreement was there regarding it.
From what is exposed, giving him any definite special name would be no more than conjecture. So we suffice with mentioning his kunyah, which he himself manifested its real cause saying: I used to pasture the sheep of my family, having a little pussy (hirrah) which I used to place inside a tree at night. During daytime I would take it with me and play with it. That is why people gave me the nickname of "Abu Hurayrah"!!
His Growth and Origin:
Beside the disagreement regarding the name of Abu Hurayrah, nothing was known about his growing up or his biography before embracing Islam, except what he exposed about himself: that he used to play with a little she-cat, and he was poor and destitute, serving people in return for having food for living on. The only information available about his origin and descent, being that he descended from Tribe of Sulaym ibn Fahm that belonged to Tribe of Azd and of Dous then.
About this he said: I grew up as an orphan, and migrated as a destitute, and was a servant in return for food as sustenance (as a payment).
In his book al-Ma'arif, after referring to the disagreement among people regarding his name, and that he was from a tribe in Yemen called Dous, stated what follows:
"Abu Hurayrah said: I grew up as an orphan, and migrated as a destitute, and was a servant hired by Bisrah bint Ghazwan with my pay being only some food to sustain on... I used to serve them when they got down, and urge forward by singing when they mounted the horsebacks. And I was
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nicknamed with Abu Hurayrah because of having a little pussy (hirrah) I used to play with."
His coming to Medina and Going to Khaybar:
After passing the thirty, Abu Hurayrah came to al-Medina, when the Prophet (S) was out (participating) in the Battle of Khaybar which took place in the seventh Hijrah year.
Ibn Sa'd in al-Tabaqat al-kubra, writes: The Dousis including Abu Hurayrah arrived at al-Madinah while the Messenger of Allah was in Khaybar. Thereat the Messenger asked his Companions to give Abu Hurayrah a share from the booty, which they did. And due to being poor, he betook himself to the Siffah359 after r returning to al-Madina, living in it as long as he was residing in al-Madinah, being the most famous among those frequenting to it.
Reason of His Companionship to the Prophet:
Abu Hurayrah was frank and honest in revealing the reason behind his companionship to the Prophet (S), as he was honest in uncovering the truth about his growth. He didn't claim that he kept his company out of affection and seeking guidance — as the case with other Muslims but he said: "I kept his company for only filling my abdomen"
In a hadith reported by Ahmad and the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim), from Sufyan, from al Zuhri, Abd al-Rahman al-A'raj360 said: "I heard Abu Hurayrah saying: I was a destitute man, who used to keep the company of the Messenger of Allah in return for filling my belly." In another narration by Muslim, he said: I used to serve the Messenger of Allah, and according to him also... for satiating my abdomen."
359. The Saffah is a shadowy place in the rear northern part of the Mosque of Prophet. And Ahl al-Suffah are - as said by Abu al-Fida' in his al-Ta'rikh al-mukhtasar - poor people having neither houses nor tribes, sleeping during lifetime of the Prophet in the mosque and staying there all night. So the ledge of the mosque was their abode, hence they were called with this nickname. When the Messenger of Allah was having supper, he would invite some of them to share him, dispersing the others among the Sahabah to feed them.
360. Al-A'raj is his disciple and companion.
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In another narration by Muslim. He said: I was a destitute man, serving the Messenger of Allah in return for satiating my belly. In another narration by him too. I accompanied the Messenger of Allah (as a servant) with satiating my abdomen in return.
In history books it is recorded that he was gluttonous and greedy, being fed everyday in the Prophet's house, or the house of any of his Companions to the extent that some of them were averse to him.
Al-Bukhari reported that he said: I used to ask someone to cite for me a Qur'anic verse that was with me, so as to make him turn toward me and give me food. And the most benevolent of people to the needy was Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, who used to receive us and feed us of whatever he had in his house (of food).
From him too al-Tirmidhi reported: Whenever asking Ja'far about a verse, he would not give me any reply but only after going home (i.e. bringing food). That is why this Ja'far was considered by Abu Hurayrah as the best of all the Companions, giving him priority over Abu Bakr, Umar, Ali and Uthman, beside other great Companions (may God be pleased with them all).
Al-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim, through a reliable isnad (chain), reported that Abu Hurayrah said: No man has ever put on a sandal, or got on mounts, or trodden the earth, after the Messenger of Allah, better than Ja'far ibn Abi Talib.361
Shaykh al-Mudirah:
The title given to Abu Hurayrah was Shaykh al-Mudirah. The care given by the ulama’, writers and poets to this mudirah was never given to similar sorts of sweets. These people kept on mocking it, calumniating Abu Hurayrah because of it for several centuries. Following are some of their
361. Fath al-Bari, vol.VII, p.62.
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reports about the mudirah:
In his book Thimar al-qulub fi al-mudaf wa al-mansub al-Tha'alibi writes:362
Shaykh al-Mudirah was Abu Hurayrah, for his excellence and nearness to the Prophet (S), as a jester and glutton. Marwan ibn al-Hakam used to depute him (as a governor) on al-Madinah, when he would mount a donkey on which a saddle was tied. On meeting any man on his way he would say: The road! the road! (i.e. make room), the emir is coming.
He further was claiming to be expert in medicine. Al Taha'alibi, after referring to a part of his medicine, all of which being only food that heals the intestine disease, and cures gluttony, stated: “He had strong love for mudirah, and used to have it with Mu'awiyah, but in time of prayers he used to pray behind Ali (may God be pleased with him). When questioned about this, he would reply: mudirah of Mu'awiyah is verily fattier and tastier, while performing prayer behind Ali is better. He was widely known and called with the name of "Shaykh al-Mudirah."
Al-Tha'alibi concluded his statement with two poetic lines for some poet, in which he satirized Abu Hurayrah, I preferred not to state here.
Badi' al-Zaman al-Hamadani has dedicated one of his maqamat for this mudirah, in which he harshly satirized Abu Hurayrah saying: "Isa ibn Hisham related to us saying: I was once in Basrah with Abu al-Fath al-Exandari, the man of high eloquence and rhetoric. I attended with him a banquet to which we were invited by some merchants. There a mudirah was served for us, that was so tasty, luxuriant, auguring of healthiness, and acknowledging imamate for Mu'awiyah.
Al-Imam Muhammad Abduh, in his exposition of this, said:
362. See pp.86, 87.
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"Mu'awiyah claimed to be the caliph after swearing allegiance to Ali ibn Abi Talib (A), but no one was there to acknowledge his caliphate during lifetime of Ali except some of pleasure-seeking people, and runners after lusts.
Had this mudirah been among the ordinary food of Mu'awiyah, it would have enticed its eaters to acknowledge his caliphate, even though the real owner of the legitimate allegiance was alive. Ascribing acknowledgement to it (mudirah) is due to its being the only factor causing it to exist, with the fact that Imamate and caliphate having the same meaning."
In al-Asas, Jar Allah writes: Ali with the wretched condition is verily better then Mu'awiyah with the mudirah.
Abu Nu'aym in Hilyat al-awliya’ says: Abu Hurayrah, while circumambulating round the House (Ka'bah), used to say: Woe to my belly, when satisfying it, it would seize me, and if I starve it, it would defame me. In another narration by Ibn Kathir in al-Bidayah wa al-nihayah, he said:...it would weaken me.
In Khass al-khass363 al-Tha'alibi stated:
Abu Hurayrah used to say: I have never smelled a scent nicer than that of hot bread, nor seen a knight better than butter on dates!
Besides, Abu Hurayrah was counting eating (part) of manliness. When asked once: What is manliness? He replied: Fear of God (taqwa) and doing favour, and having lunch and supper in the courtyards.
I abandoned many other reports, since some of them contain things that hurt the feelings of some people.
Hadith: Visit at Intervals You Increase in Love:
Once upon a day, the Messenger of Allah said to Abu Hurayrah: Visit at long intervals, you verily increase in love. He (S) was the best
363. See p.43.
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educator for his Companions, taking charge of them all the time with his wisdom and sagacity, planting in them of his noble morals through his conduct. It was not proper for him(S) to let one like Abu Hurayrah to keep on his past practice of frequenting to houses whenever he liked, that was either received by some and repelled by some, without educating him with his sublime morality. As a consequence of this, the Messenger said once to Abu Hurayrah: Where were you yesterday O Abu Hurayrah? He replied: I visited some of my relatives. He said to him: Visit at long intervals, you verily increase in love.
Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi, in his book al-sadaqah wa al-sadiq, writes that Abu Hurayrah said: The Arabs' dictum "Visit at long intervals you verily increase in love" became widely circulated among people till I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (upon whom be God's peace and benediction), and "he verily said it to me."
Al-Masjidi said: "This dictum is not to be taken in general, but there are certain situations in which it should be said, since the visitor deserving it! Don't you see that he never utters such words to Abu Bakr or to Ali ibn Abi Talib or their likes, while Abu Hurayrah being competent for that hadith! because of some slips that he should avoid and shun."364
Abu Hurayrah's slips for which al-Masjidi slanders being his frequenting to the Companions' houses every now and then, out of his gluttony, with some of them shunning and averting him. So the Messenger decided to teach him the etiquette of visiting and entering the houses, citing for him the Arabic proverb. "Visit at long intervals you verily increase in love." Besides, he (S) used to, through all occasions, teaching his companions manners of conduct and the ways of attaining good morality.
364. See p.51.
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His Jesting and Nonsense:
All the historians writing about biography of Abu Hurayrah concur that he was joking and hallucinating all the time, showing love to people and entertaining them with abundance of traditions, and strange sayings so as to attract their attention, making them keen to meet him. Following some of the narrations they cited in this regard:
A'ishah – who was the greatest among people for him due to their long age both – in al-mihras tradition, said about him: he was a hallucinating man.
Scorning Him:
People used to scorn Abu Hurayrah making fun of his narrations, because of the variety he followed in inventing them, and his exaggeration in multiplying them.
Abu Rafi' is reported to have said: A man from Quraysh met Abu Hurayrah while he was wearing a new garment, swaggering with it, when he said to him: O Abu Hurayrah, you relate abundant traditions from the Messenger of Allah, have you heard him say anything regarding this garment?!! He said, I heard Abu al-Qasim saying: A man from those who were before you, while swaggering in a vestment God caused the earth to sink with him, and he will keep on rattling with it till the Doomsday. By God I don't know, he may be of your folk or flock.365
Out of the question put forth by this man, we can conceive that he was not inquiring (to know something) but sarcasting, as didn't say to him: You commit to memory the traditions of the Messenger of Allah! but he said: You relate abundant traditions from the Messenger of Allah. Besides, the course of the tale indicates also that he was mocking and ridiculing him.
365. Al-Bidayah wa al-nihayah, vol.VIII, p.10.
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Multiplicity of His Traditions:
All men of hadith concur that Abu Hurayrah was the most prolific among the Sahabah in relating traditions from the Messenger of Allah! Whilst his company to the Prophet was only for a year and nine months.366 Muhammad ibn Hazm states that Musnad Ibn Mukhallad contained 5,374 traditions narrated by Abu Hurayrah of which 446 ones reported by al-Bukhari.
He himself said about himself – as reported by al Bukhari – None among the Companions of the Prophet (S) exceeds me in relating traditions from him except Abd Allah ibn `Amr,367 as he used to write down (the traditions) while I was not.368 If we go through all the traditions related by Ibn Amr we would find Seven hundred ones recorded by Ibn al-Jawzi, 722 ones recorded in Musnad Ahmad, with seven ones reported by al-Bukhari and twenty by Muslim. The multiplicity of traditions narrated by Abu Hurayrah stunned Umar ibn al-Khattab, who hit him with his pearl saying to him: O Abu Hurayrah, you have exaggerated in narration (riwayah) and I think you to be ascribing false traditions to the Messenger of Allah. Then he threatened to exile him to his homeland if he didn't give up relating hadith of the Messenger of Allah.
Ibn Asakir reported the hadith of al-Sa'ib ibn Yazid, that he said: You should give up relating hadith of the Messenger of Allah, or otherwise I shall exile you to the land of Dous.
Therefore, after death of Umar and going away of his pearl, he started again relating so numerous traditions since no one was there to be afraid from other than him (Umar). In this regard he said: I relate to you traditions which had I related during the lifetime of Umar, he would have hit me with the pearl — (in another narration: he would have fractured my skull).
366. Refer to my book Shaykh al-mudirah.
367. He is one of the three Abds who reported from Ka'b al-Ahbar. He got two Zamilahs of the books of Ahl al-Kitab, which he used to narrqate to people, the reason why most of leaders of Tabi'un refrained from reporting from him, and used to say to him: Never relate to us (anything) from the two Zamilahs. In regard of his Sahifah which he called al-Sadiqah (the truthful) and used to covet eagerly, it was only comprised of supplications and prayers, as stated by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi. In its regard al-Mughirah said: "What pleases me is that its worth can never be in my view more than two fils" - (Ta'wil mukhtalif al-hadith, p.93).
368. Ibn Hajar, in Fath al-Bari, p.167, says: It was established that Abu Hurayrah was never writing down (hadith) and was never meorizing the Qur'an.
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Al-Zuhri reported from Abu Salamah as saying: I heard Abu Hurayrah saying: We were unable to say: "The Messenger of Allah said, but till when Umar deceased! Then he said: Had I been relating to you such traditions when Umar was alive, by God I would have been certain that the beater (mikhfaqah) would be hitting my back, as Umar used to say: Engage yourselves with the Qur'an as it is the speech of Allah.
The faqih traditionist al-Sayyid. Rashid Rida (may God's mercy be upon him) said about this: Had Umar survived till after the death of Abu Hurayrah, all these abundant traditions would have never reached us at all.369 And about his fabricated miscellaneous traditions he said: "None of them can be taken as a base to establish any of the principles of religion.370
His Justification for Narrating Abundantly:
Abu Hurayrah was justifying his relating abundantly from the Prophet (S) by saying that: as long as he neither deems lawful what is unlawful nor forbidding what is lawful, so no harm in narrating, supporting his practice with traditions he ascribed to the Prophet. Of these traditions I can refer to some that were reported by al Tabarrani in his al-Tafsir al-kabir, from Abu Hurayrah:
The Messenger of Allah said: "If you neither deem lawful what is unlawful nor prohibit what is lawful (halal), but convey the meaning, there is no harm in it" (relating the hadith).
He also said that he heard the Prophet saying: "Whoever relates a hadith pleasing Allah, the Glorious and Mighty, it is verily said by me, though I haven't (really) uttered it." This hadith is reported by Ibn Asakir in his Ta’rikh.
Al-Tahawi reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah
369. Al-Manar Journal, vol.X, p.851.
370. Ibid., vol.XIX, p.100.
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said: "Whenever relating any hadith from me, that you hold to be reasonable and never deny, you should believe it whether I said it or not ... as I utter that which is known and not disapproved. And whenever you relate from me a hadith that you disapprove (by reason) and can never be acquainted with, you should belie it, as I never utter that which is disapproved and can never be reasoned."371
Beside some other similar traditions he reported, whereas what is established for us that the Prophet said: "Whoever relates from me a hadith that I never uttered, he should settle in hell as his abode." Umar was obliged to remind Abu Hurayrah with this hadith when he drew the long bow in narration.
His Imposture (Tadlis)
Ulama’ of hadith state that Abu Hurayrah used to defraud; and imposture, as is known, is to relate from whoever meeting him that which he didn't hear from him, or from that who lived contemporaneously with him without meeting him, deluding people that he heard it from him. Imposture is of several kinds, with all being absolutely abominable,372 and a number of ulama’ were averse to tadlis, with Shu'bah373 being the severest in disapproving this practice, till saying: To practise adultery is more desirable to me than practising imposture! He also said: Imposture is the brother of falsity."
"Among the memorizers are some who vilified whoever known of practising tadlis among the narrators, refuting totally his narration, though he using the word of chain, even he was known of defrauding only once, as was stated by al-Sahfi'i. "Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj reported from Busr ibn Sa'id, as saying: Observe your duty to Allah and be cautious toward relating hadith.
371. Al-Shatibi, al-Muwafiqat vol.II, p.23.
372. Al-Shaykh Ahmad Shakir, Sharh Alfiyyat al-Suyuti, p.35.
373. He is Shu'bah ibn al-Hajjaj, the leader of men of hadit. He died in Basrah in 160 H. He was so explicit in his utterances. An example for his candidness is his saying: "By God I am more well-versed in poetry than in hadith. If I intended (to please) God I would never come out to you, and if you sought (pleasure of) God you would never come toward me. But we love flattery adn detest censure."
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By God, we used to sit with Abu Hurayrah, and he was relating traditions of the Messenger of Allah (upon whom be God's peace and benediction) and those of Ka'b al Ahbar. On his departure, I would hear some of the attendants making the hadith of the Messenger of Allah to be from Ka'b, and hadith of Ka'b to be of the Messenger! In another narration: They would make Ka'b's utterance as if said by the Messenger of Allah, and what is said by the Messenger of Allah as if uttered by Ka'b! So guard against Allah and beware in relating hadith.
Yazid ibn Harun is reported to have said: I heard Shu'bah saying: Abu Hurayrah used to defraud – i.e. used to narrate whatever he heard from Ka'b and from the Messenger of Allah, without any discernment between the two. This hadith was reported by Ibn Asakir. It seems that Shu'bah is referring through this to the hadith "Whoever enters upon the morning with the state of ritual impurity (during Ramadan), his fasting is invalid. And when this hadith was disapproved of him he said: I was told by some narrator, and did not hear it from the Messenger of Allah."374
In Ta’wil mukhtalif al-hadith375 Ibn Qutaybah said: "Abu Hurayrah used to say: The Messenger of Allah (may God's peace and benediction be upon him and his Progeny) said so and so, but in fact he heard it from some trustworthy (thiqah) and related it."
374. Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wa al-nihayah, vol.VIII, p.109; And refer also to my book on Abu Hurayrah, which has elaboration on this saying.
375. See p.50.
