Impossible de parler Sunna sans parler d'Abu Huraira
La controverse de ce compagnon est au moins aussi importante que sa contribution à l'islam
Ci après, en anglais plusieurs de ces défenses
A Reply To Some Erroneous Claims
The Shia claims that:
Muslim in his Saheeh in Volume 1, writes that during the time of the Prophet Umar bin Khattaab
beat Aboo Hurayrah for fabricating lies.
In Volume 2 of Saheeh Muslim, he quotes ‘Aa'ishah as, " Aboo Hurayrah is a great liar who
fabricates ahaadeeth and attributes them to the holy Prophet ."
In Volume 4 of Saheeh Muslim, Nadwee says "Imaam Aboo Haneefah said, 'The Companions of
the Prophet were generally pious and just. I accept every haeeth narrated by them, but I do not
accept the ahadeeth whose source is Aboo Hurayrah, Anas ibn Maalik, or Samrah ibn Jundab.'"
I have the following comments:
(1) It is obvious from the initial post that the information quoted is a poor rephrasing of some well
known incidents surrounding Aboo Hurayrah's life - radiyallahu 'anhu - which have been addressed
by the scholars. These events are often used to discount Aboo Hurayrah's veracity and thereby
negate a large section of the Sunnah.
The two prominent sources in contemporary times for raising these allegations against Aboo
Hurayrah are the Shee'ah and the students of the orientalists.
As for the former, many of these allegations are to be found in the work, Aboo Hurayrah, by the
Lebanese Shee'ee author, Abd al-Husayn Sharaf ul-Deen al-'Amalee.
Aspects of this work were refuted by Dr. Muhammad Ajaaj al-Khateeb (Professor at the University of
Damscus, Colleges of Sharia and Education) in his Master's thesis, al-Sunna Qabl al-Tadween
(Cairo: 1483/1963) and also in his work, Aboo Hurayrah Raawiya al-Islaam (Cairo: 1962).
Regarding the latter, most of the arguments of the Orientalists were summarized by Mahmud Abu
Rayyah of Egypt. In his work, Adwa' 'alas-Sunnat-il-Muhammadeeyah (Cairo: 1377/1958), Abu
Rayya attempted to show that the Sunnah is fabricated in the whole and toward that aim he raised
questions on Aboo Hurayrah's veracity.
When Abu Raya's book first appeared, a number of scholars addressed his arguments. The most
prominent responses were
l Dr. Mustafaa as-Sibaa'ee (founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria), in his thesis, al-
Sunna wa Makanatuha fit-Tashree' al-Islaamee, (Cairo: 1380/1961);
l Shaykh 'Abdur-Razzaq Hamza (the head of Darul-Hadeeth in Makkah and Imaam of Masjid
al-Haram), Zulumat Abi Raya amam Adwa' al-Sunnah al-Muhammadeeyah, (Cairo: n.d.);
and
l The definitive response by Shaykh 'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Yahyaa al-Mu'allamee al-Yamanee
(the Librarian of Masjid al-Haram), al-Anwaar ul-Kaashifah lima fee Kitaab Adwaa' 'ala al-
Sunnah min al-Zallal wa l-Tadleel wa l-Mujaazafah, (Cairo: 1378) - may Allah have mercy
with them all.
(2) It should be noted that pertaining to most of the objections raised against Aboo Hurayrah, there
exists a definitive defense written by the Iraqi Muslim Brotherhood scholar, 'Abdul-Mun'im Saalih al-
'Alee al-'Izzee, entitled Dif'a 'an Abee Hurayrah (Baghdad: 1393/1973). In this work, al-'Izzi
reviewed, page by page, over 110 classical works (most of which are in a number of volumes,
extending thousands of pages) with the aim of collecting everything related to Aboo Hurayrah.
With regards to the three specific objections raised against Aboo Hurayrah in the post, the response
is as follows:
(3) 'Umar never beated Aboo Hurayrah during the lifetime of the Prophet - - for lying
against the Prophet.
However, both 'Abdul-Husayn al-'Amalee (p. 268) and Abu Rayya (pp. 163, 171) report that 'Umar
struck Aboo Hurayrah with a shield for relating too many hadeeth upon the Prophet - sallallahu
'alaihi wa sallam - and accused him of lying. The source of this incident is not Saheeh Muslim, but
rather a Shee'ee text, Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, by the Shiite Mu'tazilite Ibn Abi al-Hadid who quotes
Abu Ja'far al-Iskafi. Abu Ja'far al-Iskafi is a third century, Shiite Mu'tazalite. Al-Iskafi relates this
incident with no chain or authorities (sanad). And thus this is an unverified historical incident that
appears centuries after the deaths of 'Umar and Aboo Hurayrah. And moreover it is found in the
works of those who harbor religious animosities against Aboo Hurayrah and adverse theological
positions toward the Sunna. (See: al-Mu'allamee, al-Anwaer al-Kaashifah, pp. 152-153, al-Khateeb,
al-Sunnah Qabl al-Tadween, p. 457, al-'Izzee, Difaa' 'an Abee Hurayrah, p. 123)
Historically, the Jahmee, Bishr al-Mareesee was perhaps the first to claim that 'Umar said that "the
greatest liar among the narrators of hadeeth is Aboo Hurayrah." To this fabrication, Imam al-
Darimee responded, "How could 'Umar accuse him of lying against the Messenger of Allah -
- and [at the same time] place his in charge of important posts. Had [Aboo Hurayrah] been
thought of by 'Umar - radiyallahu 'anhu - as [al-Mareesee] claimed, 'Umar would not have
entrusted [Aboo Hurayrah] with the affairs of the Muslims, placing him in charge, time and
time again."
Also, ad-Darimee rhetorically asks al-Mareesee, "If you were truthful in your claim, then expose
[to us] who narrated such. You will not be able to expose a trustworthy narrator." (See al-
Darimi, Radd al-Imaam al-Darimee 'Uthmaan ibn Sa'eed 'alaa Bishr al-Mareesee al-'Aneed, pp.
132-135.)
Interestingly, al-'Izzee shows that a number of grandsons of 'Umar related hadeeth from Aboo
Hurayrah from the Prophet - . Among whom: (a) Salim ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar, who in Saheeh
al-Bukhaaree alone relates three hadeeth; (b) and Hafs ibn 'Asim ibn 'Umar, who in Saheeh al-
Bukhaaree alone relates eleven hadeeth. al-'Izzi comments (p. 123), "Did they not hear from their
fathers that their grandfather considered Aboo Hurayrah a liar?"
la il faut bien suivre pour bien comprendre la science du hadiths
