Hadith No. 1
“The Ummah is not without a Mahdi (a guided one).”
رَوَى الْحَاكِمُ النَّيْسَابُورِيُّ [ت405هـ] فِي «الْمُسْتَدْرَكِ عَلَى الصَّحِيحَيْنِ»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ بَالَوَيْهِ، حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ هَارُونَ، حَدَّثَنَا الْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَظِيمِ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مَيْمُونَ الْعَدَنِيُّ، وَكَانَ يُسَمَّى قُرَيْشَ الْيَمَنِ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْعَابِدِينَ الْمُجْتَهِدِينَ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ: وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ طَاوُسٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ يَقُولُ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
لَا يَجْمَعُ اللَّهُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى ضَلَالَةٍ أَبَدًا.
Translation:
Hakim al-Nishaburi [d. 405 AH] has narrated in the book al-Mustadrak Ala al-Sahihain, (in this manner that) he has said: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Balawayh narrated to us, (he said:) Musa ibn Harun narrated to us, (he said:) Abbas ibn Abd al-Azim narrated to us, (he said:) Abd al-Razzaq narrated to us, (he said:) Ibrahim ibn Maimun al-Adani—who was called Quraysh al-Yaman and was one of the diligent worshippers—narrated to us, (he said:) I said to Abu Ja‘far: By Allah, ibn Tawus narrated to me from his father, who said: I heard ibn Abbas say: The Messenger of Allah said:
Allah never gathers my Ummah on misguidance.
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ نَحْوُهُ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، وَأَنَسِ بْنِ مَالْكٍ، وَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، وَسَمُرَةَ بْنِ جُنْدُبٍ، وَأَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، وَأَبِي مَالِكٍ الْأَشْعَرِيِّ، وَأَبِي بَصْرَةَ الْغِفَارِيِّ، وَقُدَامَةِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْكِلَابِيِّ، وَهُوَ يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ لَا تَخْلُو مِنْ مَهْدِيٍّ، وَلَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَزَالُونَ مَهْدِيِّينَ، وَالْعَجَبُ مِنْ رُوَاةٍ عَقَّبُوا الْحَدِيثَ بِقَوْلِهِمْ: «فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِالسَّوَادِ الْأَعْظَمِ»، كَأَنَّهُ جُزْءُ الْحَدِيثِ أَوْ مُفَادُهُ، وَمَا كَانَ كَذَلِكَ، لَكِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا لَا يَفْقَهُونَ مَا يَرْوُونَ، فَيَزِيدُونَ وَيَنْقُصُونَ، وَلِذَلِكَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «نَضَّرَ اللَّهُ امْرَءًا سَمِعَ مَقَالَتِي فَأَدَّاهَا كَمَا سَمِعَهَا، فَرُبَّ حَامِلِ فِقْهٍ غَيْرِ فَقِيهٍ، وَرُبَّ حَامِلِ فِقْهٍ إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أَفْقَهُ مِنْهُ»[2].
Translation:
Mansoor said: This is an authentic Hadith, and something similar to it has been narrated by ibn Umar, Anas ibn Malik, Abdullah ibn Amr, Samurah ibn Jundub, Abu Hurairah, Abu Malik al-Ash‘ari, Abu Basrah al-Ghifari, and Qudamah ibn Abdullah al-Kilabi. And it indicates that this Ummah is not without a Mahdi (a guided one), and it does not indicate that the majority of them will always be guided. And what is surprising is that some narrators have said after quoting the Hadith: “You shall adhere to Sawad al-A‘zam” (meaning the majority,) as if it were part of the Hadith or its intended meaning! While this is not the case, but they did not understand what they were narrating, so they added to it and omit from it. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah
said: “May Allah brighten the face of one who, upon hearing my speech, conveys it to others exactly as he has heard it; for many are those who carry knowledge but possess no knowledge themselves, and many are those who convey knowledge to one more learned than themselves.”