بسم الله وحده والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده
ʿĀlimah Siddiqa al-Fārsiyyah
Student, Takhassus Fil Hadith
Checked and Approved:
Mufti Ismail Moosa
www.ulumalhadith.com
Title: Sharafu Aṣḥāb Al-Ḥadīth
Genre: Ḥadīth, Advice
Language: Arabic
Author: Imām Abūbakr Ahmad bin ‘Alī Al-Khatīb Al-Baghdādī
Researcher: Abū Abdillāh Ad-Dānī bin Munīr Āl Zahwī
Publisher: Dār Al-Lu’lu’ah
Pages: Approx. 296
Overview
Sharafu Asḥāb Al-Ḥadīth (lit. The Eminence of the Ḥadīth Adherents) is a book authored by the prominent Imām Al-Khaṭīb Al-Baghdādī (may Allāh have mercy on him). It discusses the merits of scholars who devoted most of their lives in pursuit of Ḥadīth, the virtues of their noble journeys, and inspiration and valuable lessons for a student of Ḥadīth to take. The Muhaqqiq mentioned that the author is commonly known as Imām “Al-Khatīb” because he was attributed to his father, who was a well-known Khaṭīb (sermonizer) in a masjid in the village of Darzījān for 20 years. His father was a great Ḥāfidh of the Qur’ān, thus he imbedded this love of the Qur’ān and the love of seeking knowledge in his son Abūbakr, and would send him off to attend the circles of scholars from a young age. From this we learn that as parents, guardians, and teachers, we are to spend time in giving the youth correct Tarbiyah (upbringing). Concurrently, advice we give the youth should be brought into practice.
Merits of seeking the knowledge of Ḥadīth
- Succeeding the Prophet (ﷺ)
‘Alī (may Allāh be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (ﷺ) came out and said: O Allāh, have mercy on my successors! We said: Who are your successors? He (ﷺ) said: ‘Those who will come after me, they will narrate my Ḥadīth and my Sunnah, and they will teach it to the people.’” [p.125]
- Propagating Correct Knowledge
Thābit bin Qais said, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “You hear from me, and others will hear from you; and people will hear from those who heard from you. Then extravagant people will come who will love corpulence; they will testify before they are even asked.” (Meaning they will speak without knowledge.) [p.138]
- Self-restraint
Wakī’ bin Al-Jarrāḥ said: “If a man did not obtain anything from (studying) Ḥadīth except that it prevented him from (acting upon his) desires, then indeed he has achieved something (great).” [p. 170]
- Precedence of Knowledge
‘Umar bin Suhail asked a man from the people of Ḥadīth named Abū ‘Imrān: “What is more beloved to you, that I pray (voluntary prayers), or that I write Ḥadīth?” He replied: “Writing one Ḥadīth is more beloved to me than night prayer.” [p.202]
Commentary: This can be understood in the light of the Ḥadīth of the Prophet (ﷺ): “One Faqīh has more power over the shayṭān than a thousand worshippers.” Commentary: This is the loftiness of Ḥadīth specifically, and of the Islāmic sciences in general. What Abū ‘Imrān meant was that when a man busies himself in the writing of Ḥadīth, then he seeks more knowledge and understanding of the laws of Allāh, and the teachings of Rasūlullāh (ﷺ) through it. Thus, he betters himself as a Muslim, he contributes to his community, and he saves himself from the whispers and doubts of shayṭān. Contrary to this, if another person prays the whole night, but does not seek the knowledge of Dīn, then shayṭān can easily cast doubts and confusion into him which can be detrimental to his Dīn.
- Descendant Blessings
Abū Al-Qāsim Al-Marwazī said: “My father and I would review Ḥadīth at night, when a ray of light was seen in the place that we would study that reached the sky. It was asked: What is this light? It was said: (This light is) the blessings and salutations that they send to the Prophet (ﷺ) whilst they study.” [p. 137]
- Status of a Scholar
On one occasion, Hārūn Ar-Rashīd asked Yaḥyā bin Aktham: “What is the most noble status?” Yaḥyā replied: “The position that you are in, O Amīr Al-Mu’minīn (Leader of the Believers)’. Hārūn said: “Do you know anyone more dignified than me?” Yaḥyā replied in the negative. Hārūn said: “However, I know! The most dignified man is the one who sits in a gathering saying: so and so narrated from so and so from the Prophet (ﷺ).” Yaḥyā said: “O Amīr Al-Mu’minīn! Such a person is better than you whilst you are the cousin of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the leader of the believers?!” Hārūn replied: “Yes, because his name is linked with that of the Prophet (ﷺ), he will never pass away (meaning his legacy will live on) whilst we will die and perish. Scholars remain so long as time remains. [pp. 225-226]
Commentary: Hārūn Ar-Rashīd was one of the rulers of the Abbasid dynasty. His lineage went back to Abdullāh bin ‘Abbās, which is why Yaḥyā bin Aktham said that he was the ‘cousin of the Prophet (ﷺ)’. We learn that the status of Ḥadīth is so noble and blessed, that not even the status of a leader of an Islamic Khilāfah can surpass it. As Hārūn Ar-Rashīd mentioned, those who study and contribute to the Dīn of Islām, continue to live through their works after their deaths. They continue to receive reward in the Ākhirah, and du’ā and recognition in the Dunyā for their contributions and efforts. No other profession or status can match that of the scholars of Dīn, and of Ḥadīth in particular.
To read the full book, access it here. Please note that the PDF in the link contains a different print from the one mentioned above. It also contains another book of Imām Al-Khatīb in the same PDF.