Sayings of Madhahib Imitators:
After completing the speech of those who refuted Ibn al-Salah, I am going to cite a number of sayings about imitators of madhahib and their
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standpoint in respect of hadith, so as to perfect what al-Izz ibn Abd al-Salam previously said.
The indisputable fact being that a certain hadith may be adopted by some Hanafi due to its good fame, but some Shafi’i may come then and reject it due to weakness (he claimed) in its sanad! While some Maliki follower may neglect the same hadith since the practices and acts proceeded in its contrariety, with a Shafi’i acting according to it due to strength of its sanad in his view, and so on and so forth.
In Mir’at al-usul and its exposition Mirqat al-wusul, there can be found principles laid by the Hanafis on investigating the position of the narrator. They hold that if he was a faqih, all of his narrations will be approved, whether he agreeing with the analogy (qiyas) or contradicting it. But if he was not a faqih, like Abu Hurayrah and Anas, his narration would be rejected when disagreeing with the hadith he reported.
Some ulama’ hold: Riwayah of akhbar from the Messenger of Allah (S) is not accepted but only when being khabar by common people from common people, or the ulama’ of all regions concurring on acting according to them. This method was followed by the fuqaha’ of Iraq: Abu Hanifah and his companions.
This matter was elucidated by al-Imam Abu Yusuf, the companion of Abu Hanifah, in his book which he compiled from al-Awza’i. And in the book al-Umm of al-Imam al-Shafi’i692 the following statement was quoted from Abu Yusuf the disciple of al-Shafi’I: “You have to take the hadith which is widely-known by common people (‘ammah)693 and beware of the odd one, as Ibn Abi Karimah related to us from Ja’far that the Messenger of Allah has one day summoned the Jews and put to them some questions, when they related to him some traditions in which they told lies about Jesus Christ. Thereafter he assumed the pulpit and addressed the people saying:
Verily the traditions ascribed to me will spread among you. When what is reported to you from me agrees with the Qur’an, it is certainly from me, but when it contradicts the Qur’an it is verily not from me. And as we
692. Al-Umm, vol. II, pp.307, 308.
693. With the words ammah (common people) the jumhur (Sunnis) not the opposite of khassah (the upper class).
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were told, Umar was not approving of any hadith reported from the Messenger of Allah (S) but only with two witnesses (confirming it). Ali ibn Abi Talib also used to reject every hadith reported from the Messenger of Allah. The narrations are multiplied, producing strange things unknown by the fuqaha’, and inconsistent with the Book and Sunnah, so avoid the odd traditions, and take only the traditions approved unanimously by men of hadith and fiqh, and which agree with the Book and the (Prophetic) Sunnah.694 So you have to measure everything according to this rule, whatever contradicting the Qur’an is verily not uttered by the Messenger of Allah, even if cited through narrations. And even if related by trustworthy narrators from the Messenger of Allah (S), that he said when was on death-bed: I forbid — in another narration: I never forbid but only — what is forbidden by the Qur’an and Allah, and they never retain anything against me.695 Make the Qur’an and the Sunnah your Imam and leader, and keep on this, and take it as a criterion for measuring whatever is cited to you, of that which was never clarified in the Book and the Sunnah!
Al-Imam Alam al-Din al-Maliki, in his book Iqaz al-himam,696 writes:
We may see someone that when coming across some hadith agreeing with his madhhab, he would be delighted and would admit and yield to it. But if coming across a correct hadith free from abrogation and contradiction, supporting the madhhab of other than his imam, he would open wide the door for remote probabilities, turning away from it, seeking for his leader’s madhhab aspects of preponderation, despite its contradiction with the Suhabah, Followers and express text; when failing in all this he would claim abrogation697, without any evidence, or specification, or non-acting according to it, or any other plea presented by ill-minded people. When being unable to do all this, he would allege that his imam had knowledge of all the narrations or most of them, and he (imam) had left this noble hadith only when coming across a refutation against it in his view. Hence he would take of the ulama of his madhhab as lords, opening for their excellences and noble acts many
694. The Sunnah is the practical one (acts), which was comonly known among them in this way.
695. See Sirat Ibn Hisham, vol.IV, P.332.
696. Qawa'id al-tahdith, p.72.
697. Al-Zuhri says: The weariest and most incompetent among fuqaha' is that who failed to recongnize the abrogating hadith and abrogated one of the Messenger of Allah.
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doors, thinking that whoever opposing this to be mistaken and misled. And if he being counselled by anyone of the Sunni ulama, he would take him as an enemy, even if he was an intimate friend before!
Opinion of Malik and His Companions:
The opinion held by Malik and his companions being thus: The Sunnah can be established through two manners: One of them lies in finding some leaders among the Prophet’s Companions holding an opinion agreeing with it. The second way being: Not to find people disagreeing in its regard. And he (Malik) used to toil and exert efforts all the time, abandoning every other thing though several traditions were cited in its regard, saying: The most beloved traditions to me are those upon which there being unanimous agreement among people.
We have to return to the original topic. Al-Shatibi, in al-Muwafiqat,698 said. About the hadith “washing the pot from the licking of the dog seven times”, the imam (of madhhab) said: This hadith is cited, and I don’t know the truth about it! He deemed it weak saying: When its (dog’s) game trophy is eaten so how its saliva being abhorred? Malik also disregarded the hadith: “Whoever dies while owing some days fasting, his wali (custodian) should fast on his behalf,699 in accordance with the Qur’anic principle: “No laden soul can bear another’s load.”
Ibn al-Arabi says: If khabar al-wahid comes contradictory to any of the legal rules, is it permissible to act according to it or not? Abu Hanifah said: No, it is impermissible to act according to it. Whereas al-Shafi’i holds: It is permissible. Malik said: When the hadith be supported by a rule, it can be adopted, but if it be alone it should be neglected, as in the case of the dog’s licking. That is because this hadith contradicted two great principles: One of them being the Almighty’s saying: “... so eat of that which they catch for you...”. The second one is that: The cause of purity (taharah), which is animation (hayat), is incarnated in the dog. He also forbade from fasting six
698. Al-Muwafiqat, vol.III, P.21.
699. It is reported by the two Shaykhs and Abu Dawud.
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days of the Month of Shawwal – despite the establishment of the hadith that is reported by al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud and al-Nasa‘i, saying: Whoever fasts Month of Ramadan, following it with six days of Shawwal it will counted as he has fasted all the life – which he refuted, relying on the principle of sadd al-dhara’i.
Abu Hanifah holds: When khabar al-wahid is cited contradictory to the qiyas (analogy) it will never be accepted, that is why they have never approved of the hadith of al-misrat.
Al-Tahawi,700 the Imam of the Hanafis, who was mujtahid in the madhhab, used to disagree with his father when the evidence being established, criticizing the hadith in respect of its meaning despite the veracity of the sanad in the view of the traditionists.
Al-Awza’i and Abu Hanifah:
Ibn al-Hammam reported that al-Awza’i said: Why don’t you raise your hands (to the chest) during ruku’ and standing up? He (Abu Hanifah) said: Because there is no confirmed hadith about it from the Messenger of Allah. Al-Awza’i said: “How is that, while al-Zuhri related to me from Salim, from his father Ibn Umar, that the Messenger of Allah used to raise his hands when starting the prayers and during ruku’ and when standing up after it. Abu Hanifah said: It was related to us by Hammad, from Ibrahim (i.e. al-Nakha’i), from Alqamah and al-Aswad, from Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud that the Prophet was not raising his hands but only when starting the prayers, not returning to it again. Al-Awza’i said: I relate to you from al-Zuhri, from Salim, from his father, and you say: It was related to me by Hammad, from Ibrahim! Abu Hanifah said: Hammad was afqah (more knowledgeable) than Salim, and Alqamah was not lower than Ibn Umar in fiqh ... and if Ibn Umar was merited with his company (to the Prophet), al-Aswad also was of great virtue.
The Moroccan Hafiz, in al-Intiqa’,701 said:
700. He is Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi, who learnt fiqh under his uncle al-Muzni the companion of al-Shafi'i. He compiled Ma'ani al-Qur'an and Mushkil al-athar and other books. He was born in 229 H. and died in 321 H.
701. Al-Intiqa', p.149.
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Many of men of hadith used to permit sarcasm against Abu Hanifah because of his refuting a large number of reliable akhbar al-ahad, as he used to compare them to what got unanimous agreement of traditions and meanings of the Qur’an, rejecting whatever deviated of them and calling it odd.
Al-Nawawi says: Abu Hanifah was keen in taking the knowledge, defending God’s sanctuaries against violation, taking only those traditions he considered to be correct that were reported by trustworthy narrators, beside the acts of the Messenger and Kufah ulama’ he could see.
Al-Awza’i used to say: We never harbour malice against Abu Hanifah because of exerting his opinion,702 as we all do that also, but the reason for our malice against him lies in the fact that when relating to him any hadith from the Messenger of Allah he would disagree with it by approving of another hadith.703
Despite all these facts, Abu Hanifah is and will be counted as the greatest Imam, and his followers are spreading all over the world, east and west, with no one being allowed to doubt their faith or suspect their devotion. In A’lam al-muq’in Ibn al-Qayyim enumerated about one hundred traditions that were not adopted by imitators of the fuqaha’, taking them from the books regarded authentic by Ahl al-Sunnah.
Sibt ibn al-Jawzi has also cited a number of traditions taken from the two Sahihs, that were disregarded by the Shafi’is, when they approved other contradictory ones. And so also was the case with other madhahib.
Al-Khatib reported from Abu Salih al-Farra’ as he said: I heard Yusuf ibn Asbat saying: Abu Hanifah refuted four hundred or more traditions reported from the Messenger of Allah. He also reported from Wukay’ as saying: We know about Abu Hanifah that he disapproved of two hundred traditions. Further he reported from Hammad ibn Salamah through two ways, as saying: Abu Hanifah received the athar (old traditions) and sunan and refuted them by his opinion.704
We conclude this chapter with a statement uttered by Abu Shamah:
702.Abu Hanifah was leader of men of opinion (who used to exert their opinion).
703. Ta'wil mukhtalif al-hadith, p.63.
704. See vol.XIII, p.390.
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Madhhab being Altered Religion:
He (Abu Shamah), in his Mukhtasar Kitab al-Mu‘ammal li al-radd ila al-amr al-awwal, writes: One of gnostics was inquired about the meaning of the madhhab, when he replied: It gives the meaning of an altered Din, as Allah the Exalted said: “... and be not of those who ascribe partners (unto Him). Of those who split up their religion and became schismatics.”705
Points of Disagreement among Fuqaha’:
The opinions of fuqaha’ differed due to the fact that everyone of them adopted a single hadith, adhering to it alone with ignoring others, the example for which can be seen in the hadith related by Abd al-Warith706 ibn Sa’id who said: I came to Makkah where I found Abu Hanifah. I said to him: What is your opinion regarding a man who sold something with stipulating a certain provision? He replied: The selling transaction is invalid and the provision is invalid! I came then to Ibn Abi Layla and inquired him about the same issue, when he said: The selling is valid and the condition is invalid. Then I (Abd al-Warith) put the question to Ibn Shubrimah, who said: The selling is valid and the condition is valid. I said to myself: Glorified is Allah, three of the fuqaha’ of Iraq do not concur in opinion on one issue! After that I returned to Abu Hanifah and apprised him with what his two companions said, when he said: I don’t know what they said to you. It was related to me by ‘Amr ibn Shu’ayb, from his father, from his grandfather saying: The Messenger of Allah has forbidden from selling with condition, so the selling transaction is invalid then and the condition. Then I betook myself again to Ibn Abi Layla and informed him of what his friends said, when he said: I have nothing to do with what they said to you, I was told by Hisham, reporting from his father, that A’ishah said: The Messenger of Allah ordered me to buy a slave girl and set her free ... the selling is valid and the condition is invalid.707
Then I went to Shubrimah and made him aware of the opinions of his two companions, when he said: It is not my business to know what are the
705. See p.10.
706. In another narration: al-Layth ibn Sa'd.
707. This hadith was reported by al-Bukhari under bab "al-Shurut fi al-wala".
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opinions of them. It was reported to me by Mis’ar ibn Kudam, from Muharib ibn Dithar, from Jabir who said: I sold to the Prophet (S) a camel, and he stipulated to me to carry it to al-Madinah, so the selling is valid and the condition is valid.708
I suffice with these evidences, as citing all of them will need a full volume.
Grammarians and Linguists:
As was stated before, the Ummah ulama’ were divided, in respect of manners of receiving the hadith, into three parts: Mutakallimun, Usulis – fuqaha’ – and Muhaddithun. For perfecting this discussion, I have to refer to the viewpoint of the grammarians and linguists, who have not depended on hadith as an evidence for proving rules of language and grammar. Al-Suyuti, in his book al-Iqtirah fi usul al-nahw, stated: From his (Prophet’s) speech, it can be inferred as was confirmed, that he said it with the narrated wording, which is very rare, but it can be found in the short traditions, so rarely too. Because most of the traditions were reported on the basis of meaning, and were transmitted by the non-Arabs who were born before committing them to writing. So they narrated them in accordance with the meaning indicated by the expressions they used, increasing and omitting, changing the places of the words, and substituting words with other ones. That is why we see different narrations with unsimilar expressions for the same hadith related to one subject. Then he disapproved for Ibn Malik his confirmation of grammatical rules with the words used in the hadith.
Then he reported from Abu al-Hasan ibn al-Da’i’ (d. 86 H.) as saying in Sharh al-jumal:
Permitting narration through the meaning is the reason – as I believe – behind relinquishing inference of hadith to establish rules of language, by imams (of linguistics) like Sibawayh and others. They relied in this regard upon the Qur’an and correct traditions reported by the Arabs (from the
708. Al-Batliyosi, al-Insaf, pp.70, 71.
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Messenger), and had not been there the declaration of ulama’ in permitting the reporting of hadith on basis of meaning, the Prophet’s speech would have more deserving to be used in confirming the rules of language, as he being the most eloquent of all the Arabs.
The author of Thimar al-sina’ah says: “Grammar (nahw) is a science deduced through qiyas and istiqra‘ (investigation) into the Book of Allah and speech of the eloquent among the Arabs.” So he confined it (grammar) to these two ways without citing the hadith.
In Sharh al-Tashil, responding to Ibn Malik (d. 672) who permitted inference of hadith and compiled al-Alfiyyah, Abu Hayyan (d. 740) said:
“The compiler has abundantly inferred what came in the traditions for establishing the universal rules in the language of Arabs. I have never come across anyone among the formers and latters to adopt this method other than him. But the first founders of ilm al-nahw (grammar), the investigators of ahkam from language of Arabs, like `Amr ibn al-Ala’ (d.154), Isa ibn Umar (d.149), al-Khalil (d.175), Sibawayh (d.188) among the Basran notable ulama’, al-Kisa’i (d.189), al-Farra’ (d.207), Ali Ibn Mubarak al-Ahmar (d.194) and Hisham ibn al-Darir, the Kufah leaders, have never done so. They were followed by the latters among the two sects and others among the grammarians of all regions, like those of Baghdad and al-Andalus. On this topic there was some discussion with one of the smart latters who said: The ulama’ have in fact abandoned this (inference by hadith) due to not trusting the words to be uttered actually by the Messenger of Allah (may God’s peace and benediction be upon him and his Progeny), as if they trusted that it would be counted identical to the Qur’an in establishing the general rules. But that was for two factors:
First: The narrators permitted reporting on basis of meaning, as a result of which we may see a certain event occurred in his (S) time, but never reported with the same words uttered by the Prophet, like: his saying: “I married her to you (zawwajtukaha) with what you know (by heart) of the Qur’an” and “I made her your property (mallaktukaha) with what you
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have...” and other alike words mentioned in this story. Thus we can realize for sure that he (S) has not disclosed all these words, or rather we can never determine that he said some of them, since it is probable he said some words identical to these ones, and the narrators have used the identical words not the original ones. Because what is intended being the meaning, particularly with passage of long time on hearing without precising the hadith by writing, and depending upon memorization with precision of meaning,709 as precising of words being far-reaching especially in the long traditions. Sufyan al-Thawri said: If I tell you that I relate to you the hadith exactly in the way I heard it, never believe me, as it is verily the denotation. And whoever making the least glance at the hadith he would recognize certainly that they (narrators) used to relate hadith on basis of meaning.
Second: So much solecism occurred in the narrated traditions, because a large number of narrators were non-Arabs and unaware of the language of Arabs in the art of nahw, the fact leading to occurrence of solecism in their speech unknowingly. Hence their words and narrations included so many non-eloquent words, of and it is certainly known for all that the Messenger of Allah (S) was the most eloquent among people, not using but the chaste language with the best, most famous and clearest expressions. And the compiler (i.e. Ibn Malik) has abundantly inferred what is cited in the athar pursuing - as he alleged - the grammarians, without meditating much in this nor accompanying that who was of acute discernment, as Badr al-Din ibn Jama’ah — who was among those taking from Ibn Malik — said to me. I said to him: Sir, this hadith is narrated by the non-Arabs, and their narrations are known to contain within them words and expressions which were never uttered by the Messenger (S)! But he couldn’t give any answer. Abu Hayyan says: I have insisted on discussing this issue so that no beginner would say: What is the matter with the grammarians, they infer the utterances of the Arabs, among whom Muslims, and disbelievers are there, and do not infer what is narrated in the hadith reported by reliable narrators like al-Bukhari and Muslim and their equals. Whoever going through what I have mentioned,
709. It is too difficult for him to convey the meaning exactly and accurately.
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he would verily realize the reason why hadn’t the grammarians inferred the hadith.
Ibn al-Anbari, in al-Insaf, discussed the prevention of (inna) in the khabar (predicate) of kada (almost be), saying: Concerning the hadith “Poverty has almost been infidelity (kufr)” was changed and altered by the narrators, since he (may God’s peace and benediction be upon him and his Progeny) was the most eloquent among the Arabs, and this hadith is da’if (weak). Also in the book al-Nahw of Ibrahim Mustafa, a hadith is recorded, that reads: Verily the severest torment on the Day of Resurrection will befall the photographers,” so its narrator has solecized.710 This hadith was reported by Muslim.
Among those who refuted Ibn Malik, we can mention also Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Andalusi al-Shatibi al-Ghirnati, in his exposition (sharh) of Alfiyyat Ibn Malik, who said.711
Ibn Malik, by inferring the Prophetic hadith, has in fact disagreed with all the earliers (grammarians), as in none of their grammar books we can see inference of a hadith reported from the Prophet (S), but only in a way which I later on will indicate, God-willing. This while they quote the speech of the insolent and uncivil men among the Arabs, and their poems which include obscene words and abomination. Abu Hatam reported from al-Jarmi that Abu Ubaydah Mu’ammar ibn al-Muthanna brought him some portion of his book Tafsir Gharib al-Qur’an al-Karim, when he said to him: From whom you have taken this, O Abu Ubaydah? As it contradicts the tafsir of fuqaha’! He replied: This is the tafsir of the backward bedouins (who urinate on their heels)!! If you like you can take, or otherwise you can leave!! Thus they depend on such people and forsake the correct traditions, for such people and forsake the correct traditions, for the only reason that they infer in grammar and language those ones proved to be, in their view, reported on basis of meaning, and permitted by imams, as what is intended for understanding the legal rules being the meaning not the words. Therefore we see so many differences in the traditions as for the same hadith on one event
710. Al-Insaf, p.65.
711. I have quoted this statement from the book al-Mawahib al-fathiyyah, of al-Shaykh Hamzah Fath Allah, vol.I, pp.39-41, in which he briefed what was reported by al-Allamah Abu Ubayd Allah Muhammad al-Andalusi al-Maliki, who was widely-known with al-Ra'i, from chief of his shaykhs Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Andalusi.
Among those who talked about the standpoint of the grammarians toward the hadith, claiming that they were never inferring it, was Abd al-Qadir al-Baghdadi, the author of Khazanat al-adab, so refer to pages 5 and 6 of vol.I of his book.
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we find the expressions differ greatly between what is agreeing with what was commonly known of speech of Arabs and what was unknown. Hadn’t the case been another way, it was unjustifiable for the narrators to report hadith on basis of meaning, in contravention to the case with transmitting poetry and utterances of Arabs, as the intention in quoting them being the words not the meaning, as indicated by tongue rules. Hence the grammarians cared much for inference from the speech of Arabs reported from trustworthy men, leaving the traditions reported due to possibility of the narrator’s perverting the wording of the hadith from the Arabic criterion (standard), the fact leading to base it on other than the origin, and that was one of the things they prohibited for safeguarding the tongue rules. If we make a glance at their ijtihad in taking from the Arabs we would be astonished, as it was not abominable in their view to refrain from inferring the Prophetic traditions and deducing from them. How is that while they used to depend upon the narrations reported by men of readings, from the Qur’anic words, since they paid much attention to reporting of words.
Then he (al-Shatibi) said: I have never known any other one among the earlier grammarians be equal to him (Ibn Malik) but only Ibn Kharuf. It is probable that Ibn Malik has Allah knows better — adopted the opinion of forbidding from narration of hadith through meaning outright, which is a weak notion refuted by the determined reporting of the same issues through different words, the fact that was not specified to the time of the Sahabah alone, not to the Arabs other than them. Whoever pondering over books of hadith will verily find a lot of such instances, with a large number of words that are perverted from their Arabic origin, to the extent leading to charge with error the narrators among the scrutinizing imams and ulama’ knowledgeable of speech of Arabs, without distinguishing them from others. Al-Shaykh Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi says: Ibn Malik is surely not right in respect of this rule... etc.
The dear reader may have noticed in this book abundance of quotations of utterances of leaders of grammar about this theme. That was
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due to the fact that in each utterance of everyone of them there can be found benefits that cannot be seen in that of the other, and their evidences altogether can convince men of thought and opinion (with truth), so that no dispute can be there but only by the ignorant and bigoted.
There were several other cults and groups who took various positions toward hadith, like the Shi’ah, Zaydis, Kharijites (Khawarij) and others, as every people have their own sunnah and their own leader (imam).
In regard of the Shi’ah, in particular the Imamiyyah, they never approve but only the traditions that proved to be correct in their view, through the way of Ahl al-Bayt from their grandfather (S). That means, they accept only those traditions reported by al-Sadiq (Ja’far), from his father al-Baqir, from his father Zayn al-Abidin, from al-Husayn al-Sibt, from his father Amir al-Mu’minin, from the Messenger of Allah, (God’s peace be upon them all. Whereas the traditions reported by people like Abu Hurayrah, Samurah ibn Jundub, Marwan ibn al-Hakam, Imran ibn Hittan, and Amr ibn al-As and their likes, have no consideration even an atom in their view.712
Concerning the Khawarij,713 they used to take and adopt only those traditions reported by the Sahabah followed by them. So the traditions accepted and deemed authentic by them being only those which were propagated to people before the fitnah (disorder, sedition),714 white after it they have disregarded all the Jumhur due to their following of the imams of tyranny — as they claimed — as a result of which they could not attain their trust.
Opinion of al-Imam Muhammad Abduh:
Hadith al-ahad, whatever degree of veracity it attained with the traditionists, was rejected and disapproved alright by al-Imam Muhammad Abduh, when it be contradictory to and disagreeing with reason, Qur’an and knowledge. The following are some excerpts of his sayings in this regard.
712. Al-Allamah Muhammad Husayn Al-Kashif al-Ghita', Asl al-Shi'ah wa usuluha, p.149, 10th edition.
713. They are those who renounced allegiance and revolted against Ali (A).
714. How is it possible to distinguish between what was producted before the fitnah and what was produced after it.
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Talking about the sorcery ascribed to the Prophet, he said: Many of (blind) imitators who never recognize what the Prophethood is and the rights to be considered for it, were of the opinion that effect of sorcery on the noble soul of the Prophet was correct,715 so it should be believed, with disapproving and rejecting all the innovations of the heretics since they denied sorcery while some Qur’anic verses were revealed on confirming it.!! We can clearly notice here how the correct Din and manifest truth being rendered to heresy by the imitators!! We seek God’s protection!! That the Qur’an is used as a hujjah to prove and establish presence of sorcery (sihr)! While it is ignored and disregarded when negating sorcery to be a trait of the Prophet (S), with, considering that only a lie fabricated by the polytheists. How is it possible that interpretation is applied to this fact while it is unallowed in that case? Though what is intended by the polytheists being so manifest. Because they say that the Satan used to transfigurate the Prophet (S), and this transfiguration was counted by them to be sorcery and one of its modes. This being the very sorcery ascribed to Labid,716 in regard of whom they claimed that sorcery had intermixed with his mind and perception!
The fact in which all should strongly believe is that the Qur’an being confidently affirmed, and the Book of Allah through successive transmission (tawatur) from the Infallible (may God’s peace and benediction be upon him and his Progeny). So we should be believe in whatever it establishes, and disbelieve in whatever it denies. And in it there being verses refuting the charge of sorcery from his (S), when ascribing assertion of this charge to the polytheists, his enemies, censuring them for this allegation. So he is definitely not afflicted with sorcery.
715. The hadith of sorcery was reported by Ahmad and the two Shaykhs and Nasa'i.
716. Labid ibn al-A'sam, who was said to have bewitched the Prophet (S).
