Abu Dawud

Scholars differ on whether ‘Imran al-Qattan can be used as evidence.

Al-Bukhari published traditions of his only as additional evidence, and not as the sole basis. Yahya alQattan used not to transmit any traditions on his authority.

In the days of Ibrahim b. ‘Abdallah b. Hasan, he gave an unfortunate legal opinion that led to bloodshed.

At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and al-Hakim published the following tradition of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri through Zayd al’Ammi,862 on the authority of Abus-Siddiq an-Naji, 8 63 on the authority of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, who said= “We feared that something might happen after our Prophet (had died). Therefore we asked him, and he said= ‘In my nation, there will come forth the Mahdi. He will live five, or seven, or nine’-increasing the number, as if in doubt.” He said= “We asked what (the numbers meant). He replied ‘Years.’

Then he continued= ‘Someone will come to the Mahdi and say to him= “O Mahdi, give me something.” ’ He said= ‘And (the Madhi) will pour into his garment as much as he can carry.’ " This is the recension of at-Tirmidhi, who said= “It is a ‘good’ tradition. It was transmitted in more than one way, on the authority of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, on the authority of the Prophet.”

The recension of Ibn Majah and al-Hakim has= “There will be in my nation the Mahdi. If he lives (among you) a short time, it will be seven years; if not, it will be nine. My nation will experience a prosperity the like of which they have never experienced before. The earth will bring forth its food and will not hoard any of it.

There will be piles of money.

A man will get up and say= ‘O Mahdi, give me something,’ and he will reply= ‘Just take.’

Ad-Daraqutni, Ahmad b. Hanbal, and Yahya b. Main said that Zayd al-‘Ammi was all right. Ahmad added that he was superior to Yazid ar-Raqashi and Fadl b. ‘Isa.866 However, Abu Hatim said concerning him that he was weak, and that his traditions may be written down but not used as evidence. Yahya b. Main said of him in connection with another tradition= “(He is) nothing.” He once also said: “His traditions may be written down, but he is weak.” AlJuzajani said= “He is just holding on (mutamasik).”

Abu Zur’ah said: “He is not strong, his traditions are futile, and he is weak.” Abu Hatim said= “He is not such (a good man). 867 Shu’bah transmitted traditions on his authority.”

An-Nasa’i said: “He is weak.” Ibn ‘Adi said: “Most of his traditions and authorities are weak, even though Shu’bah transmitted traditions on his authority. Shu’bah possibly did not transmit traditions on the authority of anyone weaker than he.”

At-Tirmidhi’s tradition is an interpretation of Jabir’s.

Abu Sa’id’s traditions are transmitted by Muslims in the Sahih.

Jabir said:

“The Messenger of God said= ‘At the end of my nation, there will be a caliph who will not count money, but just throw it around.’ " Abu Sa’id’s tradition reads= “. . .

among your caliphs a caliph who will throw the money around.” As transmitted by another chain of transmitters, the tradition on the authority of (Jabir and Abu Sa’id) reads= “At the end of time, there will be a caliph who will distribute money without counting it.” End of the quotation.

Muslim’s traditions do not mention the Mahdi, and there is nothing in them to show that the Mahdi is meant in them. Another tradition was transmitted by al-Hakim through ‘Awf al-A’rabi, 8 70 on the authority of Abu s-Siddiq an-Naji, on the authority of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, who said= “The Messenger of God said= ‘The Hour will not arise before the earth is filled with injustice, crime, and transgression. Then there will come forth from my family one who will fill it with equity and justice, as it had been filled with crime and transgression.’ "

Al-Hakim said with regard to this tradition: “It is sound according to the conditions (for the soundness of traditions) laid down by (al-Bukhari and Muslim), though none of them published it.”

The following tradition was transmitted by al-Hakim through Sulayman b. ‘Abid, on the authority of Abu s-Siddiq an-Naji, on the authority of Abu Sa’id alKhudri: “The Messenger of God said= ‘At the end of my nation, there will come forth the Mahdi. God will give him spring rain to drink, and the earth will sprout forth its plants.

He will give money away in fairness. 872 The cattle will become numerous, and the nation will be great. He will live seven, or eight-that is, seasons.’ "

Al-Hakim said with regard to (this tradition) that it is a sound one as far as its chain of transmitters is concerned, though neither (alBukhari nor Muslim) published it.

Also, none of the authors of the six authoritative collections of traditions published a tradition of Sulayman b. ‘Abid. However, Ibn Hibban 873 mentioned him in the Thiqat (on reliable transmitters). We have seen nobody who discussed him (adversely).

This tradition was also transmitted by al-Hakim through Asad b. Musa,874 on the authority of Hammad b. Salamah, 875 on the authority of Matar al-Warraq 876 and Abu Harun al’Abdi,877 on the authority of Abu s-Siddiq an-Naji, on the authority of Abu Sa’id, as follows: “The Messenger of God said= ‘The earth will be filled with injustice and crime, and there will come forth a man from my family. He will rule seven or nine, and the earth will be filled with justice and equity, as it had been filled with injustice and crime.’

“Al-Hakim said with regard to (this tradition) that it was sound according to the conditions (for the soundness of traditions) laid down by Muslim. He mentioned Muslim because he published traditions on the authority of Hammad b. Salamah and his shaykh, Matar al-Warraq. He published no traditions on the authority of Hammad’s other shaykh, Abu Harun al-‘Abdi. Abu Harun is very weak and suspected of lying. There is no need to present in detail the opinions of the religious leaders who consider (Abu Harun) weak.

Asad b. Musa, who transmits the tradition on the authority of Hammad b. Salamah, is called “The Lion (asad) of the Sunnah.” Al-Bukhari said that he is known (favorably) with regard to the traditions he transmits. 878 He used him to support the reliability of traditions in his Sahih. Abu Dawud and an-Nasa’i used him as evidence. However, (an-Nasa’i) said on another occasion= “He is reliable, but it would have been better for him if he had not become an author.” Abu Muhammad b. Hazm 8 79 said regarding him= “He is not known (favorably) with regard to the traditions he transmits.”

The tradition was also transmitted by at-Tabarani in his Medium Mu’jam, as transmitted by Abul-Wasil ‘Abd-alHamid b. Wasil, 880 on the authority of Abu Siddiq an-Naji, on the authority of al-Hasan b. Yazid as-Sa’di, 881 one of the Banu Bahdalah, on the authority of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, who said= “I heard the Messenger of God say= ‘There will come forth a man from my nation who will talk according to my Sunnah. God will send upon him rain from heaven, and the earth will sprout forth for him its blessing.

The earth will be filled through him with equity and justice, as it has been filled with injustice and crime. He will direct the affairs of this nation for 7 years, and he will settle in Jerusalem.’ "

At-Tabarani said concerning (this tradition)= “It was transmitted by a number of persons on the authority of Abu s-Siddiq. None of them inserted another transmitter between him and Abu Sa’id, except Abu 1-Wasil. He transmitted it on the authority of al-Hasan b. Yazid, on the authority of Abu Sa’id. -

End of quotation.

This al-Hasan b. Yazid was mentioned by Ibn Abi Hatim, 881a who has no more information on him than that chain of transmitters, in which he appears as a transmitter on the authority of Abu Sa’id, and in which Abu s-Siddiq appears as a transmitter on his authority. In the Mizan, adh-Dhahabi said that he was little known but was mentioned by Ibn Hibban in the Thiqat (on reliable transmitters)

No tradition of Abul-Wasil, who functions as transmitter of (this tradition) on the authority of Abu s-Siddiq, was published by any of the six authors of authoritative collections of traditions. He was mentioned by Ibn Hibban in the Thiqat (on reliable transmitters), in the second class.

Ibn Hibban said regarding him: “He transmitted traditions on the authority of Anas, and Shu’bah and ‘Attab b. Bashir 883 transmitted traditions on his authority.”