رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی طرف جھوٹ منسوب کرنا

Narrated from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): He said, “What prevents me from narrating a greater number of ahadith to you is that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: ‘Whoever deliberately attributes a lie to me, let him take his abode in the Fire (of Hell).’”

If the knowledge of the Qur’an holds the position of the heart among the Islamic sciences, then the knowledge of hadith is like the jugular vein, which carries blood to all the limbs and organs of the Islamic sciences and at every moment continually supplies them with fresh life. The occasion of a verse’s revelation and its interpretation, the explanation and precise definition of the rulings of the Qur’an, the detailing of what is stated concisely, the particularising of what is general, and the clarifying of what is ambiguous — all of these are known through the knowledge of hadith. Likewise the biography of the bearer of the Qur’an, Muhammad the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, his blessed life, his noble character and habits, his sayings and deeds, his Sunan and recommended practices, and his rulings and injunctions have reached us through this very knowledge of hadith. In the same way, the history of Islam itself, the states and sayings of the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all), their deeds, and the treasury of their independent reasoning and derived rulings have also reached us through it. On this basis it is correct to say that a true portrait of the living embodiment of Islam has, through this knowledge, remained forever present and established among the Muslims, and — Allah willing — it will remain so until the Day of Judgement.

From the beginning of Islam until today, throughout this history of fourteen hundred years, the Muslims have held this knowledge to their hearts with more importance than anything else after the Holy Qur’an, and have served it with all their abilities and with complete devotion and sincerity in such a way that no nation in the world can present a comparable example of preserving its own records. In every age the Muslims understood this: “The speech of Muhammad is a beautiful speech.”

And that the Islamic Shariah has only two sources: the Noble Qur’an and the pure Sunnah. The Noble Qur’an has the status of the root and the primary text, while the pure Sunnah is its explainer and clarifier. Allah, the Lord of Might, says: “This Reminder (the Noble Qur’an) We have sent down to you [O Prophet] so that you may clearly explain to the people what has been revealed to them, and that they may reflect.” (An-Nahl 44)

This is precisely why, in the age of prophethood and in every age thereafter, the sayings and deeds of Muhammad the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم were held to be as binding to obey as the Noble Qur’an, and both were regarded as divine revelation, as Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, says: “Whoever obeys this Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم has indeed obeyed Allah.” (An-Nisa 80)

After understanding all this, and in light of the Prophet’s صلى الله عليه وسلم statement in this blessed hadith, there is not the slightest difficulty in understanding that whoever attributes to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم something he did not say has not only lied against the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم but has also fabricated a lie against Allah Himself, which is so grave a crime that it is unforgivable. That is why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم warned such a person with the threat of Hell.

This is a highly reliable and mass-transmitted (mutawatir) hadith, narrated by more than sixty Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all), including the ten who were given glad tidings of Paradise. The meaning of this noble hadith is that statements, rulings, verdicts, and narrations that are not established from the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, when those who convey them attribute them to him, are as though they have attributed a lie to him. So such preachers, scholars, and orators should know that their abode is the Fire. This hadith establishes that conveying the religion is a matter of great responsibility, and every scholar and every preacher should tremble at the thought of relating unsupported and unreliable narrations and rulings, for such an act, instead of bringing reward, brings punishment. It should be well remembered that until it has been established and verified that a given ruling, verdict, statement, or deed is authentically from the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, it should never be conveyed as a matter of the religion or the Shariah.

This hadith is very strong. Because of this instruction of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, the people of piety have always exercised great caution in relating any narration attributed to him. But how regrettable it is that, despite this warning and threat, so many fabricated ahadith became widespread in the Ummah, and even today the carelessness that some preachers and authors show in this regard is not hidden from the discerning.