Hadith No. 15
After the Prophet, there are disciples who guide people to his religion and follow his way.
رَوَى مُسْلِمٌ [ت261هـ] فِي «صَحِيحِهِ»[1]، وَأَبُو عَوَانَةَ [ت316هـ] فِي «مُسْتَخْرَجِهِ»[2]، قَالَا: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ الصَّاغَانِيُّ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي مَرْيَمَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا الْحَارِثُ بْنُ فُضَيْلٍ الْخَطْمِيُّ، عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ مِسْوَرِ بْنِ مَخْرَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي رَافِعٍ مَوْلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
مَا كَانَ مِنْ نَبِيٍّ إِلَّا وَلَهُ حَوَارِيُّونَ يَهْدُونَ بِهَدْيِهِ وَيَسْتَنُّونَ بِسُنَّتِهِ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خُلُوفٌ يَقُولُونَ مَا لَا يَفْعَلُونَ وَيَعْمَلُونَ مَا يُنْكِرُونَ، فَمَنْ جَاهَدَهُمْ بِيَدِهِ فَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ، وَمَنْ جَاهَدَهُمْ بِلِسَانِهِ فَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ، وَمَنْ جَاهَدَهُمْ بِقَلْبِهِ فَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ، وَلَيْسَ وَرَاءَ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ مِثْقَالُ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ.
Translation:
Muslim [d. 261 AH], in his Sahih, and Abu Awanah [d. 316 AH], in his Mustakhraj, have narrated, (in this manner that) they have said: Abu Bakr al-Saghani narrated to us, he said: Ibn Abi Maryam informed us, he said: Abd al-Aziz ibn Muhammad narrated to us, he said: Harith ibn Fudayl al-Khatmi narrated to us, from Ja‘far ibn Abdullah ibn al-Hakam, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Miswar ibn Makhramah, from Abu Rafi‘—the freed slave of the Prophet 
—from Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud that the Prophet said:
There is no Prophet unless he has disciples who guide (people) to his religion and follow his way. Then there come those after them who say what they do not do and do what they consider evil. So whoever strives against them with his hand is a believer, and whoever strives against them with his tongue is a believer, and whoever strives against them with his heart is a believer, and there is no faith—even to the weight of a mustard seed—in anyone other than them.
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ أَوْرَدَهُ ابْنُ حِبَّانَ [ت354هـ] فِي بَابِ «الْبَيَانِ بِأَنَّ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ كَانَ لَهُمْ حَوَارِيُّونَ يَهْدُونَ بِهَدْيِهِمْ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ»[3]، وَفِي بَعْضِ طُرُقِهِ: «قَالَ أَبُو رَافِعٍ: فَحَدَّثْتُهُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ، فَأَنْكَرَهُ عَلَيَّ، فَقَدِمَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ، فَنَزَلَ بِقَنَاةَ، فَاسْتَتْبَعَنِي إِلَيْهِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ يَعُودُهُ، فَانْطَلَقْتُ مَعَهُ، فَلَمَّا جَلَسْنَا سَأَلْتُ ابْنَ مَسْعُودٍ عَنْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ، فَحَدَّثَنِيهِ كَمَا حَدَّثْتُهُ ابْنَ عُمَرَ»[4]، وَرَوَى بَعْضَهُ عَطَاءُ بْنُ يَسَارٍ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، وَقَالَ: «فَحِينَ سَمِعْتُ الْحَدِيثَ مِنْهُ انْطَلَقْتُ بِهِ إِلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ، فَقَالَ: أَنْتَ سَمِعْتَ ابْنَ مَسْعُودٍ يَقُولُ هَذَا؟! كَالْمُدْخِلِ عَلَيْهِ فِي حَدِيثِهِ، قَالَ عَطَاءٌ: فَقُلْتُ: هُوَ مَرِيضٌ فَمَا يَمْنَعُكَ أَنْ تَعُودَهُ؟ قَالَ: فَانْطَلِقْ بِنَا إِلَيْهِ، فَانْطَلَقَ وَانْطَلَقْتُ مَعَهُ، فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ شَكْوَاهُ، ثُمَّ سَأَلَهُ عَنِ الْحَدِيثِ، قَالَ: فَخَرَجَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ وَهُوَ يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّهُ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ: مَا كَانَ ابْنُ أُمِّ عَبْدٍ يَكْذِبُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ»[5]، وَإِنَّمَا كَبُرَ الْحَدِيثُ عَلَى ابْنِ عُمَرَ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ يَرَى السَّمْعَ وَالطَّاعَةَ لِأَئِمَّةِ الْجَوْرِ وَتَرْكَ الْخُرُوجِ عَلَيْهِمْ، كَمَا يَرَى هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ أَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ، وَالْحَدِيثُ صَرِيحٌ فِي جَوَازِ الْخُرُوجِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَفَضْلِهِ، كَمَا رَأَى الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ، وَالْمُرَادُ بِحَوَارِيِّي النَّبِيِّ أَوْصِيَاؤُهُ، وَقِيلَ: «الَّذِينَ يَصْلُحُونَ لِلْخِلَافَةِ بَعْدَهُ»، قَالَهُ قَتَادَةُ [ت117هـ][6]، وَقِيلَ: «صَفْوَتُهُ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَاهُمْ»، قَالَهُ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ [ت209هـ][7]، وَهُمَا فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِنَا؛ لِأَنَّ أَوْصِيَاءَ النَّبِيِّ هُمُ الَّذِينَ يَصْلُحُونَ لِلْخِلَافَةِ بَعْدَهُ، وَاصْطَفَاهُمْ، وَقِيلَ: «أَصْحَابُهُ»، وَلَيْسَ كَذَلِكَ؛ فَقَدْ كَانَ لِعِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَصْحَابٌ كَثِيرُونَ، وَمَا سُمِّيَ بِحَوَارِيِّيهِ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَاهُمْ وَأَوْصَى إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْهُمْ، وَكَانُوا اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ رَجُلًا، وَكَذَلِكَ حَوَارِيُّو مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ.
Translation:
Mansoor 
said: This is an authentic Hadith that ibn Hibban [d. 354 AH] has included in the chapter titled “Stating that the Prophets have disciples who guide (people) to their religion after them.” And in some of its chains of transmission, it has been stated: “Abu Rafi‘ said: ‘I narrated it to Abdullah ibn Umar, but he did not accept it from me. Then ibn Mas‘ud came and stayed in Qanat[8]. Abdullah ibn Umar later asked me to accompany him to visit him. So I went with him. When we sat down, I asked ibn Mas‘ud about this Hadith. So he narrated it to me in the same way that I had narrated it to ibn Umar.’” Also, Ata’ ibn Yasar has narrated part of it from ibn Mas‘ud and said: “When I heard the Hadith from him, I went to Abdullah ibn Umar to quote it, and I informed him of it. So he said: ‘Did you hear ibn Mas‘ud say this yourself?!’ As if he doubted his Hadith. Ata’ said: I said: ‘He is sick. So what prevents you from visiting him?’ He said: ‘Come. Let us go to him.’ So he set off, and I went with him. Then, (when we arrived) he asked him about his illness and then about the Hadith. (Ata’) said: Then ibn Umar went out while turning his hand (out of improbability) and saying: ‘Ibn Umm Abd—meaning ibn Mas‘ud—would not attribute lies to the Messenger of Allah !’” And the Hadith was hard on ibn Umar because he believed in listening to and obeying the unjust Imams, as well as the impermissibility of rising against them, just as those who consider themselves Ahl al-Sunnah believe. However, the Hadith is explicit about the permissibility and virtue of rising against them, just as Husain ibn Ali 
believed. And the intended meaning of the disciples of the Prophet is his successors. And it has been said: “Those who are worthy of the caliphate after him,” which is the view of Qatadah [d. 117 AH]. And it has been said: “The pure ones who have been chosen by him,” which is the view of Abu Ubaidah [d. 209 AH]. And both of these views align with ours; because the successors of the Prophet are the ones who are worthy of the caliphate after him, and he has chosen them. And it has also been said: “(They are) his companions.” But this is not the case; because Isa had many companions, yet only those among them whom he chose and entrusted with a will were called his disciples, and they were twelve men. And the disciples of Muhammad are also like this.
Attestation
وَرَوَى الْبُخَارِيُّ [ت256هـ] فِي «تَارِيخِهِ الْكَبِيرِ»[9]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مِهْرَانَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ مَخْلَدٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ، عَنْ شَرِيكِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي نَمِرٍ، عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْعَاصِ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ يَعْنِي ابْنَ أَبِي رَافِعٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَا بَعَثَ اللَّهُ نَبِيًّا إِلَّا لَهُ حَوَارِيُّونَ»، فَذَكَرَ الْخُلَفَاءَ.
Translation:
Also, al-Bukhari [d. 256 AH] has narrated in his book al-Tarikh al-Kabir and said: Muhammad ibn Mihran narrated to me, he said: Khalid ibn Makhlad narrated to us, he said: Sulayman narrated to us, from Sharik ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Namir, from Isma‘il ibn Amr ibn Sa‘id ibn al-Aas, from Ubaidullah—meaning ibn Abi Rafi‘—from ibn Mas‘ud that the Prophet said: “Allah did not send any Prophet unless he had disciples.” Then he mentioned the caliphs.
