A very weak narration regarding the Prophet’s knowledge of the Unseen

Question (by Muhammad Haroon, Barnala, Azad Kashmir)

It has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that he said:

“إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ رَفَعَ لِيَ الدُّنْيَا فَأَنَا أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهَا وَإِلَى مَا هُوَ كَائِنٌ فِيهَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ كَأَنَّمَا أَنْظُرُ إِلَى كَفِّي هَذِهِ ، جَلِيَّانِ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ جَلاهُ لِنَبِيِّهِ كَمَا جَلاهُ لِلنَّبِيِّينَ قَبْلَهُ”

“Indeed Allah has raised the Dunya(world) in front of me and I am looking at it and at all that is about to happen in it till the Day of Judgement as if I am seeing this palm of mine. This is a vision from Allah that He revealed to his Prophet like He revealed to the Prophets before him(ﷺ)”.

(Kanz ul-Ummaal 11/420 H.31971 ref. Tabaranee[Majma’ az-Zawaaid 8/287] and Hilyatul Awliya’a 6/101)

Is this narration authentic?

Answer (by Sheikh Zubair Alizai Rahimahullah)

The chain of the narration mentioned by Tabaranee and Abu Nu’aym is as follows:

’’بقیۃ عن سعید بن سنان: ثنا أبو الزاھریۃ عن کثیر بن مرۃ عن ابن عمر رضي اللّٰہ عنہ‘‘ مرفوعاً.

A fundamental narrator of this chain i.e. Abu Mahdee Sa’eed bn Sinaan as-Shamee al-Hanafee is extremely criticized.

• Imaam Bukharee said: “He is Munkar ul- Hadeeth”.

  (Kitaab ad-Du’afaa with my checking 136 p.48)

  Imaam Nasaa’ee said: “Matrook ul-Hadeeth”.

  (Kitaab ad-Du’afaa by an-Nasaa’ee)

  Imaam Daraqutnee mentioned him in his book of Du’afaa and Matrookeen.

  (Ad-Du’afaa wa al-Matrookeen: 270)

• Imaam Abu Haatim ar-Razee has classified him as Da’eef ul-Hadeeth and Munkar ul-Hadeeth and he said:

  “He has narrated 30 narrations from Abu Zaahiriyyah(Hudayr bn Kurayb) from Katheer bn Murrah from Ibn Umar”.

  (Al-Jarh wa at-Ta’deel 4/28 under 114)

• Imaam Muslim said: “Munkar ul-Hadeeth”.

  (Kitaab al-Kunaa page 109[185] manuscript photo)

• He has been criticized by many other hadeeth scholars. For example, Haafidh Dhahabee said:“Matrook Muttahamm” (Renounced, Accused).

  (Al-Mughnee fi ad-Du’afaa 1/406 under 2411)

  Haafidh Ibn Hajar al-Asqalanee said: “Matrook , accused by Daraqutnee and others with lying”.

  (Taqreeb at-Tahdheeb 2333)

Compared to this large number, it has been narrated from Sadaqah bn Khaalid: “He was trustworthy and favoured”.

(Al-Jarh wa at-Ta’deel 4/28)

However, ‘A companion of mine from Banee Tameem’ is unknown in the chain of this statement.

And the trustworthiness of an unknown narrator is not depended upon according to the principles of hadeeth.

(See Ikhtisaar Uloom il-Hadeeth by Ibn Katheeer)

Haafidh Noor ud-Deen al-Haythamee said about Abu Mahdee Saeed bn Sinaan:

’’ضعیف جداً ونقل عن بعضھم توثیقہ ولم یصح‘‘

“He is severely weak and his trustworthiness has been mentioned by some and it is not correct”.

(Majm’a az-Zawaaid 5/127)

This narration has a second considerable defect i.e. Baqiyyah bn Waleed despite being Sadooq (trustworthy) is a mudallis. And this narration has been narrated with ‘An’ (عَنْ).

Regarding the mudallisoon, the famous issue in the principle of hadeeth is that their narrations narrated with عَنْ (i.e. muan’an) are rejected (except for the narrations in Saheeh al-Bukharee and Muslim).

The summary of the checking is that narration being asked about is extremely weak and rejected. Hence, it is not allowed to take evidence from it.

وماعلینا إلا البلاغ

Answered by: Hafiz Zubair Alizai Rahimahullah (On: February 2nd, 2013)

Translated by: taalibeilm via (sheikhzubairalizai dot wordpress dot com)

[Monthly AlHadees, Monthly No. 106, Page No. 7-8]