Human Efforts to Understand the Ahadith

This is the last in the series of the compilation of hadith. The four previous articles appeared on aslamabdullah.blogspot.com. The series was in response to those who asked about my methodology in understanding the ahadith. I am grateful to Allah for giving me the opportunity to state my understanding of this vast subject to the best of my capabilities. Still, I believe that doors to understanding are wide open. It is a quest that would continue until I leave the world. I requested all who have been receiving my posts on the subject to refrain from making any judgment until they read the last article. Now you have all the articles in front of you and you can form your opinions about how I understand the hadith literature.

When we use the statements, attributed to the Prophet and reproduced in books classified as Sahifas, Aziz, Rasail or Kutub, Musannafs, Musnads, Mujams, Jamis, Sunans, Mstadraks, Mustakhrajs and Arainiyat, to define Islam and develop principles and laws influencing the attitude, behavior, and character of Muslims in all aspects of life, we have to ensure in absolute terms their authenticity, integrity, validity, trustworthiness, and correctness.

With the exceptions of a few letters, treaties and advises that the Prophet asked his companions to write down, the vast majority of statements attributed to him were not seen, verified and approved by him. He did not leave any collection of his words and actions verified by him.

The books on the ahadith of the prophet, thus, are the outcome of human efforts. They cannot be equated with the prophetic efforts, evident in the compilation of the Quran or the divine plan in the revelation of the Quran. The Quran was given by the one whom we deem as the Creator of the universe and preserved by the one who was chosen by the creator as the final and last recipient of the message.

The books of ahadith were compiled by Muslim scholars spread over three centuries through their limited human efforts in preserving what they thought was attributed to the messenger of Allah.

The compilers of the book of ahadith did not choose their collection from a common pool of ahadith. Each one of them developed a distinct methodology and criterion to make their selection.

For instance, Imam Malik bin Anas collected some 500 ahadith in his book al-Muwattaa out of 70,000 ahadith he had access to. Imam Ib Hanbal chose some 40,000 ahadith from 700,000 ahadith. He rejected some 94 percent statements attributed to the prophet based on his methodology. Imam Bukhari had access to some 600,000 ahadith and accepted 7275 confirming his methodology, thus, rejecting some 98 percent of the total. Imam Muslim had access to 300,000 ahadith and he included only 4000 of them in his work rejecting 296,000.

 Ibn al-Jauzi compiled a list of about 1060 companions who related ahadith of the prophet to their followers, while Abu Abd al-Rahman has given a list of 1,300 companions. Not included in the list are the names of over 100,000 companions, whom Abu Zara al Razi , never saw or hear him including the 40,000 who were present in the Farewell Pilgrimage.

The largest number of ahadith is attributed to Abu Hurayra (5374) followed by Abdullah bin Umar (2630) and Ummul Momineen Aisha, (2210). From Caliph Abu Bakr are reported 142 ahadith, from Caliph Umar, 537, from Caliph Uthman 142, from Caliph Ali 536, from muwadhdhin Bilal 44 and from the Ummul Momineen Khadija less than 20.

In other words, the bulk of ahadith was reported by some 300 companions of the Prophet. The muwatta of Imam Malik contains reports from 98 companions, the Musnad of Abu Daud contains reports from 281 companions, the Masnad of Ahmad b Hanbal contains the ahadith from 700 companions; while Sahih Muslim has ahadith from 208 and Sahih Muslim from 213 companions. Only 149 companions are common in the selection of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim.

Of all the companions, only 11 reported more than 500 ahadith each and they are: Abu Hurayra, Abu Abdal Rahman, Abu Hamza Anas bin Malik, AishaAbu al Abbas, Jabir bin Abdallah, Abu Said Sa’ d bin Malik al Khudri, Abdulla bin Masud, Abdullah bin Amr bin al As, Umar bin al Khattab and Ali bin Abi Tallib.

Some of the statements of the Prophet are reported differently by different compilers. For instance, the Farewell Khutbah of the Prophet that was heard by at least 40,000 people present during the Pilgrimage has been reported differently by three different compilers. In  Sahih Muslim and Masnad Ibn Hanbal and the collection of Darimi it is reported that the Prophet said: “I left for you, what if you hold up to, you will never be misguided, the Book of Allah and my family.”

In Muwatta the Prophet is reported to have said: “I left for you, what if you hold up to, you will never be misguided, the Book of Allah and my Sunnah.”

In Sahih Muslim, and in the collection of Ibn Majah and Abu Dawud, the prophet is reported to have said: “I left for you what, if you hold up to, you will never be misguided, the Book of Allah.”

These three ahadith have led to three approaches in our understanding of deen. The Shias accepting the first version argues that the Quran, as well as ahadith reported by members of the family of the Prophet, is the core of deen. The Sunnis say that the Quran and the corpus tradition make the essence of deen while the Ahle Quran say that only the Quran is the essence of deen.

Among the Sunnis, the compilers of the ahadith have different methodologies to make their selections. Each one of them applies different rules pertaining to narration and the study of text. Some of the rules related to the study of the text were developed after the compilers had completed their collections.

In order to develop a comprehensive approach, to understand and explain the deen, the scholars have to renew their efforts to evolve an approach that is all-inclusive. They have to keep the following in mind.

1.      Not everything that the prophet said in his lifetime was recorded. For instance, the Friday congregational prayer was made obligatory in Medina and the Prophet must have given close to 500 Friday sermons. We do not have in our hadith literature every Friday sermon delivered by the Prophet.

2.      Whatever was recorded by the compilers was not seen, approved and verified by the Prophet.

3.      The compilers adopted different methodologies to ascertain the accuracy, integrity, trustworthiness and validity of the statements and actions attributed to the Prophet.

4.      The compilers of the collections put great sincere efforts in developing the rules of the narration and the study of the text with the help of the science of Ama ur Rijal. Yet their evaluation of narrators differs in grading each narrator. The sectarian differences between Shias and Sunnis appear in their methodologies used to collect the ahadith

5.      The purpose was to ensure that the divine guidance, the Quran, is understood clearly and profoundly.

This purpose has remained unchanged in the changed circumstances. It is this purpose that should be the basis of unity among the work of scholars of our times. They are the ones who have the responsibility to review the entire hadith literature and develop consensus beyond sects and schools of thought differences to ensure that the divine message is properly understood in our times The purpose of these efforts is to ensure that the differences between the Quranic text and the ahadith, if there are any, and the differences between various ahadith, if there are any, should be understood in the proper context.

Deen and the understanding of the Quran cannot be left to the whims and wishes of individuals, especially when the differences are vast. It cannot be left to the sectarian differences, ideological schisms and political interests of the interpreters.

But the process to develop a consensual approach will take longer. In the meantime, the students of ahadith and the Quran and the followers of Islam can approach the vast literature with care and responsibility ensuring that the main purpose, i.e. understanding the divine the message, the Quran remains supreme and uncompromised.

Thus, in my personal methodology to understand the deen, I adopt the following approach.

1.  Focus on the Quran and its universal message to humanity.

2.  Study the ahadith in the light of the Quran. And follow those that concur with the well-defined meanings of the Quran.

3.  Approach the scholars of the hadith and the Quran to understand those ahadith that apparently differ with the message of the Quran.

4.  Approach the scholars of hadith to understand the ahadith that differ with each other.

5.  Believe that my understanding is only human and leaves aside the rigidity with the conviction that there is room for change in my understanding.

6.  Accept the sincerity and seriousness on the part of scholars in their efforts to understand believing that they were humans.

7.  Not reject anything that is authentically presented and have differences of opinions within the ethical framework of divine guidance.

8.  Live my life according to my understanding of the deen.

9.  Avoid arguments based on methodologies and differences in approaches and never believe that I have perfected my understanding of the deen

Understanding deen is the most difficult and serious task that each one of us has to undertake personally. It is we who would be accountable for what we believe. Our identity comes from our understanding of the deen in our attitude and practices. We have to return to the Quran to understand that identity and approach the whole literature from that perspective.

Those who use the terms such as munkar hadith (rejectors of hadith) often trivialize the deen. No one claiming to be a Muslim can dare to reject the sayings and actions of the Prophet. But the responsibility of what is attributed to the prophet and what is accurate and not accurate is wholly ours.

For a long time, we have put our efforts in defining people based on our images and subjective understanding of the deen. We must understand that each one of us is sincere in our deen and wants to understand the truth as revealed to the Prophet. We will offer a better example of living the Quran if we acknowledge the efforts of each towards that goal without name-calling and insulting others.  After all we must realize that each one of us is responsible for our actions and understanding. In the words of the Quran; “Say: "Shall I seek for (my) Cherisher other than Allah, when He is the Cherisher of all things (that exist)? Every soul draws the meed of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. Your goal, in the end, is towards Allah. He will tell you the truth of the things wherein you disputed. (6:164)

 

Ilm Riwaya or Science of Narration

Abdullah Ibn Mubarak (d. 181 H.) in the book al-Jirah wat Tadeel says “hadith is part of the deen. Thus, when you narrate from someone you should research them thoroughly and examine them strictly” Ibn Abi Hatim also said that “whenever you want to use the narration of anyone you should examine their character, their religious life, prayers and piety.” Ibn Mehdi also said: “the one who reports a hadith without authenticating it does not deserve to hold the position of an Imam.”
The Science of Riwaya or narration focuses on the following.

1.      The narrators must be trustworthy

2.      The chain of narration should be continuous and unbroken from the beginning to end

3.      The complete chain of narrators and the number of narrators in different stages of narration.

4.      The origin of narration

5.      The method of narration

Based on these five principles, the traditionists categorized the ahadith. All ahadith contain the chains of narrators from the Prophet or from a companion or from a follower of the companions down to the last reporter till the end of the third century of the Hijra. The chain of narrators is called Isnad. Isnad are considered an indispensable part of a tradition. Thus, the traditionsts produced volumes of books on the biographies of the narrators and develop the system into a science known as Asma ur Rijal.

Sahih
The highest status in hadith literature belongs to the narration that is described Sahih. This is the hadith whose continuity reaches to the Prophet with a chain of narrators comprise trustworthy and truthful people. Imam Al-Shafi'i  states in his definition of Sahih "Each reporter should be trustworthy in his religion; he should be known to be truthful in his narrating, to understand what he narrates, to know how a different expression can alter the meaning, and report the wording of the hadith verbatim, not only its meaning. This is because if he does not know how a different expression can change the whole meaning, he will not know if he has changed what is lawful into what is prohibited. Hence, if he reports the hadith according to its wording, no change of meaning will be found at all. Moreover, he should be a good memoriser if he happens to report from his memory, or a good preserver of his writings if he happens to report from them. He should agree with the narrations of the huffaz (leading authorities in Hadith), if he reports something which they do also. He should not be a mudallis, who narrates from someone he met something he did not hear, nor should he report from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) contrary to what reliable sources have reported from him. In addition, the one who is above him (in the isnad) should be of the same quality, [and so on,] until the hadith goes back uninterrupted to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) or any authority below him." al-Shafi'i, p. 370f (Ar Risalam, Eng. trans., pp. 239- 240).

Ibn al-Salah, however, defines a sahih hadith more precisely by saying: "A sahih hadith is the one which has a continuous isnad, made up of reporters of trustworthy memory from similar authorities, and which is found to be free from any irregularities (i.e. in the text) or defects (i.e. in the isnad)."

Hasan

Al-Tirmidhi means by hadith hasan: a hadith which is not shadhdh, nor contains a disparaged reporter in its isnad, and which is reported through more than one route of narration.70

Al-Khattabi (d. 388) states a very concise definition, "It is the one where its source is known and its reporters are unambiguous."

Ibn al-Salah classifies hasan into two categories:

1. one with an isnad containing a reporter who is mastur ("screened", i.e. no prominent person reported from him) but is not totally careless in his reporting, provided that a similar text is reported through another isnad as well;

2. one with an isnad containing a reporter who is known to be truthful and reliable, but is a degree less in his preservation/memory of hadith in comparison to the reporters of sahih ahadith.

In both categories, Ibn al-Salah requires that the hadith be free of any shudhudh (irregularities). (al-Nawawi, Muqaddimah, p. 43).

Al-Dhahabi, after giving the various definitions, says, "A hasan hadith is one which excels the da'if but nevertheless does not reach the standard of a sahih hadith." (al-Dhahabi, Al-Muqizah (Maktab al-Matbu'at al- Islamiyyah)

Da'if

A hadith which fails to reach the status of hasan is da'if. Usually, the weakness is one of discontinuity in the isnad, in which case the hadith could be mursal, mu'allaq, mudallas, munqati' or mu'dal, according to the precise nature of the discontinuity, or one of a reporter having a disparaged character, such as due to his telling lies, excessive mistakes, opposition to the narration of more reliable sources, involvement in innovation, or ambiguity surrounding his person.

Maudu'

Al-Dhahabi defines maudu' (fabricated, forged) as the term applied to a hadith, the text of which goes against the established norms of the Prophet's sayings (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), or its reporters include a liar. al-Dhahabi, Al-Muqizah, pp 36)

 The traditionists focused on isnad for obvious reasons. They knew that they were relying primarily on human memory as the Prophet had not left any collection of ahadith approved and verified by him. In developing the biographies of narrators, the traditionists had to rely on what they heard from the one reporting to them. There was no source available to them to determine the character and reliability of the narrators from previous generations whom they had not met. Moreover, the traditionists differed in their evaluation of the character of narrators. 

Al-Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain is a five volume hadith collection written by Hakim al Nishapuri (d. 405 H.). The author states that Imam Bukhari listed Hadiths taken from 434 people who were not accepted by Muslim in his book "Sahih Muslim" as good trustworthy people. On the other hand Muslim accepted in his book 625 people who narrated Hadiths, who were rejected by Bukhari.”

Obviously, for an average reader, it is almost impossible for to critically examine all the hadith literature and reach to a sound conclusion. He has to rely on the knowledge of an expert on the subject. However, if the experts are themselves not critical thinkers, they would repeat what they have heard from their predecessors. It is, thus, imperative for traditionists to critically examine the ahadith on the basis of the ilm riwaya and darayah continuously. To say that that whatever was collected in the six or seven known authentic books of ahadith is final is against the spirit of the fundamentals of the deen. The collection of ahadith is the outcome of human endeavor, unlike the Quran that has divine origin and that was compiled under the supervision of the one who had received it, i.e. Prophet Muhammad.

The next article will deal with the challenges before Muslims in understanding the hadith literature.

Ashura  and Muharram of Sunni and Shia

At the beginning of each Islamic lunar calendar, in various parts of the Muslim world the first ten days are observed as a commemoration of a most horrific and tragic event. In places like Iran and Iraq, Muslims stage passion plays, in India and Pakistan, the community organizes huge processions full with tazias, (replicas of the tomb of Husain). Shia Muslims relive the story of the first ten days of Muharram that took place in the first century of Islam when the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Imam Hussein challenged the authority of Yezid, the Umayyad ruler and established the principle that sometimes the goals of life become more important than life itself.

Imam Hussein stood for the Quranic principle of justice and fairness. Imam Hussein spoke on behalf of those who were marginalized by a class of rulers who were laying the foundation of dynastic rules in Islam. Imam Hussein refused to surrender to the forces of oppression knowing fully well that he could perish in the process.

It is a month of serious reflections for the Muslim world. While Shia Muslims observe the first ten days as public mourning, the Sunni Muslims evade any overt display of happiness such as weddings, etc., and focus on the fasting of the 10th day of Muharram in memory of the Prophet Moses exodus from Egypt. By and large, most of the Sunni Muslim community avoids any explicit connection of that day to the martyrdom of Imam Hussain. In fact, in many parts of the world, the month has become a point of conflict between Shia and Sunni. Thus, Imam Hussein and his legacy are seen as a sectarian event.

Imam Hussein is the grandson of the Prophet who lived his life the way he watched his grandfather live it. He embodied the qualities of the prophet in his character and he remained deeply committed to the Quranic values of justice and equality. His struggle was for fairness and Islamic values for common men and women. When the power was usurped by the Ummayd rulers and the people's right to elect their Caliph was turned into a dynastic rule with little regard for human life and human dignity, freedom, and justice, Imam Hussein mobilized first, his family than his supporters to challenge the authority of Yezid, the Umayyad ruler at that time. He was betrayed by many of his supporters who withdrew at the last minute, but his family stood by him in Karbala, modern-day province of Iraq, and faced the brutal might of a well organized, well equipped and well-trained army.

The outcome was known from the beginning. Imam Hussein was aware of the imbalance in power. He had the choice to make a tactical withdrawal. He had the choice of accepting the rule of Umayyad's and give legitimacy to their claim. He had the choice to accept the practices of the court in Damascus. Yet he chose to stand his ground, knowing fully well that he and his followers may not survive at the end of the conflict. He did not run away. He knew why he was there and why he had challenged the authority. He fought bravely and left the world with violent wounds as a testimony of his belief that sometimes in the life of nations come moments when liberty and justice become more important than the life itself.

It was a sacrifice given in support of human rights and human dignity. It is this sacrifice that has held a profound impact on the history of ideas in the world as rooted in the famous line of one of America's great founding father, Patrick Henry: "Give me liberty, or give me death." It is this sacrifice that has inspired millions throughout history to challenge injustice and inhumanity on the part of political powers. Imam Hussein is a living legacy of Muslims. It should and it must not be split into Sunni or Shia conflict. Imam Hussein followed the path of the prophets. If the prophets were alive, they would have not done anything differently.

Shia and Sunni both need to work together to uphold the legacy and sacrifice that the Grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Imam Hussain gave. Shias need to look at this observance beyond the passion plays and Sunnis should recognize this historical tragedy beyond a sectarian and political divide.  All Muslims need to remember Imam Hussein for his commitment to justice as taught by the Quran "... Enjoin what is just; forbid what is wrong; bear anything that happens to you steadfastly: these are things to be aspired to." (31:17).

Hadith: Ilm Darayah, the Science to Understand the Hadith Text

When we hear someone narrating or quoting a hadith, we often hear terms such as sahih, ahsan, aziz, gharib, dhaeef or mawdhu. Those who are familiar with hadith terminology understand the dimensions of the narration and those who do not usually accept all narrations at the same level without seeking any clarification. In Friday sermons and in everyday discussion, you would hear people quoting hadith to prove a point. Often, they would identify their status in the eyes of traditionists. For instance, during a Friday Khutbah in one of the Masajid in Southern California, a known speaker quoted a hadith saying that Prophet said” anyone who combines two prayers is standing on the gate of hellfire.” He did not quote any source for this hadith, nor mentioned whether it was sahih, ahsan or gharib. Even if he had mentioned that people would not have known the differences. After the prayer, when he was asked to identify his source, he first said it was in Bukhari, well, there was iPhone where q quick search was made for this hadith. It was not there. He then said that he had heard from someone.
This is how even those who claim to be knowledgeable quote ahadith.
Referring to the terminology, interestingly, most of the terms in hadith literature refer to what is known as ilm Riwayah. As explained earlier, it is a science that enables one to study hadith in the context of narration. It enables one to determine the authenticity of the source and accuracy in the transmission and reporting of the hadith
What is known as Ilm al-Darayah is rarely referred to in public discourse on hadith. `Ilm al-Darayah is the science that enables one to critically examine the meaning of the hadith. It deals with the accuracy of the text and pays attention to all of its nuances and any ruling it might contain. It is often used by a jurist. Its branches include `Ilm Gharib al-Hadith, `Ilm Mukhtalif al-Hadith: `Ilm Ziyadat al-Thiqar, `Ilm al-Nasikh wa'l-Mansukh and `Ilm al-Hadith wa al-Tadlis:

Ilm Darayah is an established branch of Ilm hadith and in fact, it opens up possibilities of inquiry and critical examination of the text as well as it influences the rules of ilm riwayah also. For instance, this science enables one to make a distinction among the companions of the prophet as regards their level of narration. The narrations of Abu Bakr, Omar, Uthman , and Ali are not placed at the level of the narration of a simpleton especially if they deal with complicated or juristic issues. It also helps resolve the conflict between the two narrations. Two prominent Muslim scholars Ibn Yahya As-Saji and Imam Shafai are credited with books about this branch of Ilm Darayah.

Scholars have developed extensive rules to determine the validity of a statement or narration attributed to the Prophet and they have concluded that if following conditions are found in any narration, they would be rejected on the basis of Ilm Darayah. These rules are not divinely revealed as the products of human intellect. They are influenced by the level of scholarship of the scholars, therefore, they cannot be perceived as the final word on the subject. Some of the rules are:

1. If the narration is against facts, it should be rejected. For instance, if there is a narration that says that Abdullah bin Masood participated in the battle of Siffin, it would be rejected because he died during the time of the third Caliph, Uthman bin Affan or the narration that asserts that Muawiya ran away from the battle of Jamal as Muawiya is not reported to be present during the battle.
2. Any narration that uses cussing and cursing against the family of the Prophet or against the companions whose character was well established and well known.
3. If the narration is against the known criterion of wisdom and understanding.
4. If the narration is against any established rule. For instance, if the narration says that earth is flat, then it would be questioned in its authenticity because of the fact that it is against the known principles of Allah’s law of creation.
5. The narration conflicts the Quran and its guidance.
6. The narration is in conflict with the character of the Prophet.
7. The narration is in conflict with a hadith that is considered mutawatir (continuous) hadith.
8. The narration is about an event that may have been witnessed by many but reported by only one. For instance, Asma bint Amees reports that once the sun returned from the course of setting in the West for Caliph Ali or that the dawn delayed its appearance because Bilal did not give azan (call to prayer).
9. The narration that uses offensive or grammatically wrong language with meaningless statements.
10. Narrations that promise bigger rewards or punishment for smaller acts. For instance the narration that says that anyone who offers two units of prayer will get 70,000 homes with 70,000 rooms in every home, 70,000 platforms in each room and 70,000 maidens on each of the platforms
11. Narrations that equate even a minor virtuous act with the reward of Hajj and Umra.
12. Narrations that promise the status of prophets or the reward given to the prophets for minor acts of virtue. For instance one Noah  bin Abi Aasma was exposed for concocting statements attributed to the prophet. When asked why he did that, he admitted that the purpose of concocting these narrations was noble because “when I realized that people had forsaken the Quran and I concocted ahadith to motivate people to focus on the divine guidance and to earn the supposed reward by starting to read the Quran.” Similarly, there are narrations that refer to prohibiting smoking tobacco or hookah or coffee.
13. Narrations that relied on dreams to attribute statements to the Prophet without mentioning their dreams
14. Narrations reported by the courtiers of kings and rulers supporting their behavior and actions.
15. Narrations that include meaningful proverbs popular in other cultures that were attributed to the prophet to enhance his effectiveness.

Scholars such as Imam Abul Faraj ibn al-Jawzi, Hafiz ibn al-Qayyam, Hafiz Sakhawi and others have compiled a list of rules used in the science of Darayat

1. Narrations that describe the Prophet in a manner that demeans his nobility such as 70,000 maidens or 70,000 servants in heaven.
2. Narrations that defy logic and experience. For instance, eggplant is the cure of all illness or the one who eats squash is blessed. It is neither proven through experience nor logic.
3. Narrations repeated to attract the people to one, for instance, if rice were a human, it would have acted in a very graceful manner.
4. Narrations promising the greatest reward for the smallest acts of virtue.
5. Narrations promising worst punishment for smallest sins.
6. Narrations describing the superiority of flowers such as saying that the rose was created from the perspiration of Prophet Muhammad.
7. Narrations that describe the superiority of pigeons or chickens.
8. Narrations about the superiority of Berry trees.
9. Narrations describing the superiority of Hina.
10. Narrations describing that the prophet used the public bathroom to take a bath.
11. Narrations that go against the clear sunnah, for instance, the narration that says that anyone with the name of Ahmad and Muhammad would not go to hellfire.
12. Narrations that go against the Quran. For instance, the night journey began at the home of Umm Hani.
13. Narrations that are clearly against the intellect.
14. Narrations that have no resemblance to the saying of Prophets.
15. Narrations that establish a rule in religion but reported only by one person.
16. Narrations that specify a date or year for a specific event.
17. Narrations that describe the superiority of any city other than Makkah, Medina, and Jerusalem.
18. Narrations that describe the superiority of a mausoleum.
19. Narrations that describe the medical principles.
20. Narrations that describe the superiority of Rajab fasting.
21. Narrations that prescribe certain specific prayers during the night of power.
22.  Narrations that use words below the dignity of the Prophet.
23. Narrations that condemn blacks, Turks, Sudanese or Ethiopians.
24. Narrations that describe the dates for the doomsday.
25. Narrations that describe particular days of the week bringing bad omen.
26. Narrations that condemn castrated people.
27. Narrations that describe the superiority of a precious stone.
28. Narrations that condemn the nurturing of children.
29. Narrations that describe the virtue of visiting the grave of the Prophet.
30. Narrations that describe war with Jinns.
31. Narrations that describe the events surrounding the birth of the Prophet.
32. Narrations that describe the virtue of each and every sura of the Quran.
33. Narrations about the superiority or inferiority of the four Imams.
34. Narrations that condemn the companions of the Prophet.
35. Narrations that describe the virtue of virginity.
36. Narrations that condemn a child born without the identification of his or her father.
37. Narrations that describe the forgiveness for people belonging to a specific race, or family.
38. Narrations that say that on the Day of Judgment people would be identified with their mother's name.
39. Narrations about the virtue of wheat or any bean or lentils
40. Narrations about the virtue of any oil
41. Narrations about the rulership of Banu Abbas.
42. Narrations against the known fact of history.
43. Narrations giving the superiority of certain mountains.
44. Narrations giving news about the birth of the parents of the Prophet.
45. Narrations praising physical beauty or ugliness of certain individuals.
46. Narrations describing the virtue of salat ul awwabeen (the supplementary prayers at the sunset prayers)
47. Narrations that support oppression, injustice, and violence
48. Narrations that describe the virtue of praying with caps or turban on the head.
49. Narrations describing Isaac as the one who was sacrificed by Prophet Ibrahim
50. Narrations condemning the wives of the Prophet.
51. Narrations prescribing shade for somebody on the Day of Judgment.
52. Narrations that attribute actions to the companions they might have not done.
53. Narrations that prescribe the worldly reward for reciting Ism Azam (the greatest sacred name)
54. Narrations that describe the virtue of poverty and starvation.
55. Narration describing that intellect was created first.
56. Narration describing that Prophet Muhammad was the first creation of Allah.
57. Narration describing human beings were first created from the light.
58. Narrations that contradict the consensus.
59. Narrations that give stories about Khidhr.

Some scholars have included rules that reflect the nature of conflicts in their societies. For instance, Mulla Ali Qari in his work on the fabrication of ahadith includes the following rules. The ahadith according to him would be rejected if it comes from the following sources or if it deals with the following subject. Obviously, they are the product of a political culture with no authenticity from either the Prophet of his early companions.

1. Narrations reported by Rafdhi (Shia).
2. Narrations critical to Banu Ummayya.
3. Narrations supportive of Caliph Ali’s claim to Imamat or wilayat.
4. Narrations about Khawrij or Nusibi.
5. Narrations about Bidati or innovators.
6. Narrations attributed to story-tellers.
7. Narrations praising Banu Abbas.
8. Narrations about glorifying Caliph Ali and elevating him to a status higher than Prophets.

Obviously, these rules emerged after the departure of the rightly guided Caliphs as they reflect the political division that the Muslim community was faced with. They revolve around Banu Ummaya, Banu Hashim, and Banu Abbas.

According to the scholars whose name mentioned above, narrations that have any of the above-mentioned weakness would be rejected. Interestingly, in books of ahadith one comes across several narrations that show weaknesses mentioned above. It is almost impossible for an average person to memorize all these principles and then develop his own personal critique of each hadith. Those who hear these ahadith assume that the criteria used to determine the accuracy of the narration have been applied and what they are getting is solid. However, one of the main issues to determine the validity of narration depends on how the Quran is understood and how the other ahadith are related to the one under examination. It is a subjective criterion given the fact that scholars have differences of opinions on several Quranic verses. For instance, some scholars believe that certain verses of the Quran stand canceled while others do not accept this position. Obviously, their outlook to the validity of a particular hadith from a Quranic perspective would depend on how they interrupt a particular verse of the Quran. For instance, those who say the Quranic aya of writing a will is canceled would not approve of any hadith that give details of the virtue of writing a will, while those who believe that the ayah is not canceled would accept ahadith that deal with the subject.

One would never know what was rejected by traditionists on the basis of these criteria.

These were the issues hadith scholars and jurists dealt in applying the rules of Daryat in their work. Those who argue that the task of filtering the narration is complete and over perhaps need to review their position based on the changing dynamics of the scope of knowledge that we are fast gaining. Similarly, those who believe that the scholars of the past did not do their job properly should also realize that what the scholars did was superb within the means they had access to. Imagine, they were living in a world, where paper, pen, computers, printing machines, etc. were not available. The human mind was the only machine available to them. They did their job as best as they could. Interestingly, none of them asserted that their work is the final word on the subject. They admitted that the work they compiled would be reviewed, critically examined and based on new research that would emerge later, more strict guidelines would be developed.

Yet, their expectations have not yet been met fully. Instead, the issue of ahadith has become a battle cry between two groups of people, one who refuses to critically view the hadith literature and the other that rejects the presumptions that the books of ahadith cannot be touched.

The purpose of the scholars was to ensure that the divine message should be understood within the context of what was being attributed to the Prophet. None of them diminished the importance of the Quran. Yet discussion on the issue has reduced both the Quran and the Sunna to a level of factional fight, something that both the Quran and authentic ahadith of the Prophet prohibit. It is this polemics that is preventing Muslims from reaching some conclusive decisions on issues at hand.