بسم الله وحده والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده
Ālimah Siddiqa al-Fārsiyyah
Student, Takhassus Fi 'l-Hadith
Checked and Approved:
Mufti Ismail Moosa
www.ulumalhadith.com
Title: Difāʿ ʿan as-Sunnah wa Raddi Shubahi ’l-Mustashriqīn wa ’l-Kuttābi ’l-Muʿāṣirīn wa Bayāni ’sh-Shbuahi ’l-Wāridati ʿala ’s-Sunnati Qadīman wa Ḥadīthan
Genre: Ḥadīth
Language: Arabic
Author: Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad Abū Shuhbah
Publisher: Maktabat as-Sunnah
Pages: 512
Introduction
The ummah of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ has endeavoured in every possible way to not only convey and disseminate the teachings of the Qurʾān and Sunnah, but also to preserve the Sunnah, the second of the two revelations, from erroneous insertions, unintentional alterations, uneducated objections, and unsound transmissions. This is, in reality, a fulfilment and manifestation of the promise of Allah Taʿālā regarding the preservation of the Qurʾān (and its commentary, the ḥadīth), wherein He says: {Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qurʾān and indeed, We will be its guardian.} [Qurʾān15:9]. Undeniably, throughout time, there were always groups of people who questioned the authenticity [ṣiḥḥah] and/or authority [ḥujjah] of the Sunnah, and attempted to weaken its foundation. This, however, does not contradict the promise of Allāh to preserve it, as His promise includes the Qurʾān itself, and its interpretation and commentary, which is the ḥadīth. Allah appointed a group of His servants in every generation, who fulfilled this task of purifying the Sunnah, and conveying it untampered to the generation after it.
Overview of the book
The religion of Islam, being the true religion, has always been afflicted with enemies who have worked openly or discreetly in trying to overthrow it and its teachings. After having witnessed the physical strength and bravery of the mujāhidūn of Islam, from the time of the Companions to the Islamic caliphates thereafter, the disbelievers lost all hope in their efforts to physically resist or wipe-out Islam. Therefore, they turned towards surreptitious and mendacious methods in disrupting the religion of Islam. However, Allah Taʿālā refused to allow them to succeed. One such individual was Maḥmūd Abū Rayyah, who was much like a tape-recorder, highly influenced by the orientalists, repeating their claims and allegations. In the words of Dr. Muṣṭafā as-Sibāʿi, “Abu Rayyah’s fulminations were more wicked than those of the Muʿtazilah, the Rāfiḍah, and the orientalists.”
He had first written a short treatise titled: “Al-Ḥadīth al-Muḥammadī” in 1945 CE and mentioned that it was a prelude for an upcoming book. Shaykh Muḥammad Abū Shuhbah mentions how after reading his treatise, he found the author straying away from the truth in many matters, so he wrote a response to him in hopes of getting him to retract his claims and taking a second look into these matters. However, Abu Rayyah rejected his response and eventually published his promised book in 1958, titled: “Aḍwā’ ʿalā ’s-Sunnah al-Muḥammadiyyah” [lit. Illumination on the Muḥammadan Sunnah]. Consequently, Shaykh Muḥammad Abū Shuhbah authored this book Difāʿ ʿan as-Sunnah [lit. Defending the Sunnah] in response to the book of Maḥmūd Abū Rayyah.
The book contains three parts. Part one, namely, “Defending the Sunnah and Refuting the Doubts of the Orientalists and Modernists” of Shaykh Muḥammad Abū Shuhbah was published in the lifetime of the author. It was reprinted in Al-Majma’ al-Buḥūth al-Islamiyyah in Azhar. Part two is: “Some of the Former and Latter-day Objections Which are Made Against the Sunnah, and Their Answers” which has been printed for the first time from the manuscript of Shaykh Muḥammad, which is included in this print. In the words of the author, this second book is “the product of long-term study and research of the Prophetic Sunnah, and the answers to its objections.” Lastly, the third part of this book is the book of Dr. ʿAbd al-Ghanī ʿAbd al-Khāliq, regarding THE “Explanation of Some of the Objections Made by Those Who Reject the Authority of the Sunnah.” These three books compiled into one has made this book, Difāʿ ʿan as-Sunnah, very invaluable.
The author commences his book by discussing some essential topics relating to the Sunnah, its compilation in the early generations, traveling for ḥadīth, the conditions set by the scholars of ḥadīth for the acceptance and rejection of narrations, transmitting the exact words or meaning of narrations, among other topics. Then, he lists a summary of his analysis and examination of the book of Abū Rayyah, followed by a detailed analysis and refutation until page 248, which is the end of the first part of the book. In short, he mentioned that his flaws were the following:
- He makes baseless statements without bringing any proof for them, or, he brings such proofs that are unsuitable and do not support his claim. He quotes scholars to try to prove his point when in reality, those quotations have no correlation with his point.
- In attempting to prove his notions, he heavily relies on fabricated narrations, whilst rejecting authentic ones, as long as it supports his whims and desires. He has excessively relied upon the statements of the orientalists and referred to sources used by them.
- Especially concerning Abu Hurayrah (radī Allahu ʿanh), he heavily relied on the works of orientalists such as Goldziher, Springer, and Von Kramer. In some cases, he was worse than them when it came to his vicious attacks and allegations. In some cases, he twists and distorts the text, to make it suitable for his preconceived notions.
- He did not adhere to dignified speech and respectful character when speaking about a Companion of the Prophet ﷺ, something Islamic scholarly research is known for. Instead, he used such vulgar language that is not appropriate for any man of knowledge and character.
In the second part of the book, Shaykh Muḥammad Abū Shuhbah elaborates on some other general objections made against the Sunnah, whether they have been made in the past or present, by orientalists or others. He discusses important topics such as whether the scholars of Ḥadīth have scrutinized the chains and texts of Ḥadīth properly, the allegations that Judeo-Christian reports have infiltrated the compilations of Ḥadīth, and regarding the causes of fabricating Ḥadīth, among other topics. Lastly, part three is the book of Dr. ʿAbd al-Ghanī ʿAbd al-Khāliq, which consists of roughly 100 pages and is in regard to the answers to four main objections from those who reject the authority of the Sunnah.
Conclusion
Difāʿ ʿan as-Sunnah is a three-part compilation of books that discuss the authority and authenticity of the Sunnah in general, and the answers to the objections of the orientalists and ḥadīth-rejectors in specific. It seems as though the publication of Maḥmūd Abū Rayyah’s book “Aḍwā’ ʿalā ’s-Sunnah al-Muḥammadiyyah” was the compelling-force behind Shaykh Muḥammad Abū Shuhbah’s desire to write expansively on this important topic. Thus, he authored the first book specifically in response to Abū Rayyah, the second book in response to all other general objections, and the third book was appended to this one too since Dr. ʿAbd al-Ghani ʿAbd al-Khāliq had also responded to some key objections on the topic. Considering that this book is a compilation of three separate books written by two authors, one may find some topics redundant and superfluous, making it one of the drawbacks of the book. Another drawback was the inclusivity of many subtopics, of which some were discussed inadequately, leaving the critical reader unconvinced. Although a drawback, it is understandable that some discussions were shortened considering Abū Rayyah’s immense number of blunders and allegations. Had every topic been fully expanded on, the book would have likely become a 5-volume book. Nonetheless, the author has covered a wide range of topics, and given responses to almost all the accusations and errors of Abū Rayyah, as well as others. Its comprehensiveness makes it a good book for a student of ḥadīth to read, in order to acquire an adequate response to the common objections of the orientalists.
May Allāh Taʿālā be pleased with him, and them all.
The PDF can be accessed here.