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The following hadith is commonly quoted when emphasising the importance of the sunnah:
Whoever holds of to my sunnah at the time of corruption of my Ummah, will get the reward of a
hundred martyrs
References:
This hadith is reported by the following ahabah !radiyallahu "anhum#
$# ayyiduna %bu &urairah !radiyallahu "anhu#:
&is narration appears in 'ish(atul 'asabih) &afidh *bn &a+ar !rahimahullah# states in his ta(hree+ of
this boo(: recorded by ,aihaqi in his (itabu- -uhd on the authority of ayyiduna %bu &urairah
!radiyallahu.anhu# !&idayatur Ruwat, hadith:$/0 #
*mam 1a+i !rahimahullah# has mentioned that ,aihaqi has also recorded it in his %l2'ad(hal on the
authority of ayyiduna %bu &urairah !radiyallahu "anhu# with the reward as a hundred martyrs
!"U+alatul *mla, pg)03 !
1ote: *mam Tabarani !rahimahullah# cites the narration of %bu &urairah in %l2'u.+amul awsat !40$0#
wherein there is mention of the reward of only one martyr
*mam 1a+i !rahimahullah# states that the version of Tabarani was probably altered) &e says:
5erhaps the word hundred was !accidently# omitted from this !Tabarani.s# narration) !"U+alatul
*mla, pg)03#
6ne could also argue that both versions of ayyiduna %bu &urairah !radiyallahu "anhu# be viewed
separately) *t is possible that Rasulullah !sallallahu "alaihi wasallam# initially said one martyr)
Thereafter %lmighty %llah increased the reward to that of one hundred martyrs) This e7planation is
common in such cases) 8urthermore, the narrations of the following ahabah also support the reward of
one hundred martyrs)
9# ayyiduna "%bdullah ibn "%bbas !radiyallahu "anhuma#:
"%llamah 'undhiri !rahimahullah# quotes the very same wording !the reward of a hundred martyrs# in
his %l2Targheeb on the authority of ayyiduna "%bdullah ibn "%bbas !radiyallahu "anhuma#
&e then references it to ,aihaqi also)
!%l2Targheeb, vol)$ pg):3 %nd ;itabu- <uhd of ,aihaqi, hadith:$$9) %lso see %l2;amil of *bn "%diy,
vol)= pg)$/=2$/0#
=# ayyiduna "%li !radiyallahu.anhu#
Recently, a friend drew my attention to this narration in *bn ,atta.s %l2*banatul ;ubra !vol)$, pg)=3>#
This version also has the reward as one hundred martyrs)
The status of the hadith
This hadith can be graded as sound !hasan# according to &afidh ibn &a+ar !rahimahullah# and
acceptable according to "%llamah 'undhiri !rahimahullah#)
The reason for this is that &afidh ibn &a+ar has abstained from criticising the narration in his boo(
&idayatur Ruwat) &afidh ibn &a+ar himself has stated that his silence in this particular chapter !fasl
thani# denotes acceptance) !*ntroduction fo &idayatur Ruwat, vol)$ pg) 4:#
:
)
8urthermore, %l2'undhiri !rahimahullah# has quoted the narration in a manner that indicates
acceptability to him) i)e) &e used the word !"an# when doing so) &e has stated in his introduction to
%l2Targhib that any narration for which he uses the word !"an# will be sahih !authentic#, hasan
!sound# or close to them two) !Targhib, vol)$ pg) =/#
?astly, hay(h 'uhammad Tahir %l28atani !rahimahullah# quotes a similar hadith with the same virtue
of a hundred martyrs for reviving a sunnah, and grades it as hasan !sound# !Tadh(iratul 'awdu.at,
pg)00#
. @
%n 6b+ection
ome people have challenged the authenticity of the narration of ayyiduna "%bdullah ibn "%bbas
!radiyallahu "anhuma# because of a narrator in the chain named: &asan ibn Autaibah) Their claim is
bac(ed by the fact that "%llamah Bhahabi !rahimahullah# has declared him e7tremely wea( !# !%l2
'i-aan, vol)$ 5g)0/= #
%ccording to them, this ought to render the narration as e7tremely wea()
%nswer
&asan ibn Autaibah being e7tremely wea( is not a unanimous verdict)
&afidh %l2'undhiri !who is an earlier muhaddith to Bhahabi# actually viewed &asan ibn Autaibah as
one regarding whom there are mi7ed opinions) &e therefore included him in the chapter of the
narrators that are differed upon at the end of his boo() !Targheeb, vol)0 pg)4C>#
Derdicts of the 'uhaddithun on &asan *bn Autaibah
*mam Baraqutni says:
%l2%-di said:
Bhahabi said:
1ote: The above three verdicts denote e7treme wea(ness)
*mam %bu &atim %l2Ra-i says:
%l2"Uqaily said:
%l2'undhiri, *bn &a+ar and %l2,useeri have all used the term:
1ote: The verdicts of these five 'uhaddithun denote general wea(ness, i)e, not severe)
*mam *bn &ibban has declared him as reliable !thiqah# but added: