21- Hadîth-i gharîb: Any hadîth-i sahîh that was transmitted by only one person. Or it is a hadîth of which one of the transmitters was repudiated by a hadîth savant.
22- Hadîth-i da’if: Those hadîths that are not sahîh or hasan. One of their transmitters had a slack memory or was unjust, or there was doubt in his belief. Much worship is done in accordance with da’îf hadîths. But they are not relied on for ijtihâd.
23- Hadîth-i muhkam: Those hadîths which do not need an interpretation.
24- Hadîth-i mutashâbih: Those hadîths that need an interpretation.
25- Hadîth-i munfasil: Those hadîths with more than one forgotten transmitters in between.
26- Hadîth-i mustafîd: Any hadîth with more than three transmitters.
27- Hadîth-i muddarib: Those hadîths that were reported to authors of books through various incongruous ways.
28- Hadîth-i merdûd: An expression that does not bear any meaning or any of the conditions of hadîth-transmitting.
29- Hadîth-i muftarî: Words of Musaylamat-ul-kazzâb. Or they are the concocted words of those munâfiqs, zindiqs and irreligious people disguised as Muslims who succeeded him. Savants of Ahl as-sunnat found those hadîths that are merdûd or muftarî and discarded them. Books written by religious superiors do not contain such words.
30- Hadîth-i mawdû’: Explained in the previous pages.
31- Athar: Means a mawqûf or maqtû’ hadîth, or a merfû’ hadîth teaching a prayer.Sanad means a savant who transmits hadîths ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’aleyh’.
GREAT HADÎTH SAVANTS: Hadîth savants are very exalted people. He who knows by heart a hundred thousand hadîths together with their transmitters is called a Hâfiz. He who has memorized the entire Qur’ân is not called a hâfiz, he is called Qâri’. Because there is nobody today who knows hadîths by heart we erroneously say hâfiz instead of qâri’. He who knows two hundred thousand hadîths by heart is called Shaikh-ul-hadîth. He who has memorized three hundred thousand is called a Hujjat-ul-Islâm. He who knows by heart more than three hundred thousand hadîths together with their transmitters and proofs is called an Imâm of hadîth or Mujtahid of hadîth. Today’s world does not have such an Islamic savant. The knowledge of hadîth is now in the hands of junior and unimportant people. Of the hadîth books that have been unanimously confirmed to be correct by all Islamic savants, six have become famous all over the world. These six books are called Kutub-i sitta. [It is stated in ijmâ’ (unanimity of scholars) that the hadîth-i-sherîfs in these books are sahîh.] The six savants who wrote the Kutub-i sitta are:
1- Imâm-i Bukhâri ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’aleyh’. His name is Muhammad bin Ismâ’îl. He is briefly signified with the letter (H). There are seven thousand two hundred and seventy-five hadîths in his book entitled Sahîh-i-Bukhârî. He selected these out of six hundred thousand hadîths. Before writing down each hadîth, he would perform ghusl, perform a namâz of two rak’ats, and then go to sleep for istikhâra. He wrote his Bukhârî-i sherîf in sixteen years. He was born in Bukhâra in 194 hijrî and died in Semerkand in 256, on the night before fitr bayram [’Iyd-i fitr].
2- Imâm-i Abdul-Husayn Muslim Nishâpûrî ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’aleyh’. He is briefly signified with the letter (M). He wrote his book entitled Jâmi’us-sahîh with selections from three hundred thousand hadîths. He was born in 206 and died in 261.
3- Imâm-i Mâlik bin Enes ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’aleyh’. He is signified with the letters(Mâ). His book entitled Muwattâ is the first hadîth book written. He was born in Medîna in 95, and died there in 179. It is written in the book Mawdû’ât-ul’ulûm that when listing the names of the Kutub-i sitta some savants mentioned the book Sunan by Ibni Mâja instead of Muwattâ.
4- Imâm-i Tirmuzî ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’aleyh’. His name is Muhammad bin Îsâ. He is signified with the letter (T). His book entitled Jâmi’us-sahîh is so valuable. He was born in 209, and died in 279.
5- Abû Dâwûd Suleymân bin Ash’as Sijstânî ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’aleyh’. He is signified with the letter (D). There are forty-eight hundred hadîths in his book entitled Sunan. He selected these from among half a million hadîths. He was born in 202, and died in Basra in 275.
6- Imam-i Nasâî ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’aleyh’. His name is Abû Abdurrahmân Ahmad bin Alî. He is signified with the letter (S). His two books, one entitled Sunan-i kebîr and the other Sunan-i saghîr, are very valuable. Sunan-i saghîr is one of the Kutub-i sitta. He was born in 215, and died in 303.
It is written in the book Mawdû’ât-ul’ulûm that the word Sunan, when used alone, is construed as one of the books of four savants. These are Abû Dâwûd (D), Tirmuzî (T), Nasâî (S) and Ibni Mâja. Ibni Mâja is briefly signified with the letters (MJ). When the word Sunan is mentioned in reference to books other than these four, it is used together with the name of its author. For example, Sunan-i Dâra Qutnî (QTin) and Sunan-i kebîr-i Bayhakî (Hak).
Of the famous and very precious hadîth books, Musnad by Imâm-i Ahmad bin Hanbal is signified with (HD), Abû Ya’lâ’s Musnad is signified with (Ya’lâ), Abdullah Dârimî’s Musnad is signified with (DR), and Ahmad Bezzar’s Musnad is signified with (Z). These books are called Masânîd.
7- FIRST VOLUME, 50th LETTER
This letter, sent to Sayyid Shaikh Ferîd ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’aleyh’, describes the baseness, the wickedness of this world.
May Allâhu ta’âlâ, for the sake of His beloved Prophet ‘alaihi wa ’alâ âlihissalawâtu wattaslîmât’, rescue us from being the slaves of those other than Himself! May He bless us with the lot of being attached to Him with all of our being!
On the surface the world is very sweet and is supposed to be beautiful. But in actual fact it is a fatal venom. It is a possession which is good for nothing. There is no safety for those who love it, who are attached to it. Those whom it kills become carrion. Its lovers become crazy. The world is like filth decked out. It is like a poison covered with sweets. He who has wisdom will not let his heart be seized by this foul possession. Savants say, “If a person who is about to die requests that his property be given to the wisest of the time, it is necessary to give it to the zâhid.” For the zâhid does not esteem or desire or set his heart on the world. His not being fond of the world shows that he has much wisdom.
This letter would be too long if I were to write some more. However, let me add that shaikh Zakariyya, an owner of virtues, has been keeping a note-book. Taken to this as he has, he fears worldly accounts, which are much easier than the accounts in the Hereafter. In the world of causation he deems your honourable tawajjuh and aid a powerful support. And he hopes that he will be mentioned in the new diwân as one of the attendants of that exalted station.
May Allâhu ta’âlâ give you visible and hidden fortunes and happinesses!
[Wisdom is different from the intellect. Wisdom distinguishes good from bad, useful from harmful. He who has little wisdom may have much intelligence. It is not correct to think of the disbelievers, of the enemies of religion, who have much intelligence, as wise].
[It is stated in the hadîths in Ma’rifatnâma, “The happy person is the one who abandons the world before the world abandons him;” “For him who desires the next world and works for the next world Allâhu ta’âlâ makes this world a servant;” “He who works only for the world gets only what is in his qadar. His matters are complicated and his worries are many;” “It is so astonishing that a person believes that the next world is eternal and yet holds fast to this world;” “The world was created for you, and you were created for the next world. And in the next world there is no place other than Paradise and Hell fire;” “May the person who worships money and food be annihilated!;” “I do not think about your becoming poor, nor do I worry about it. I fear that you, having obtained plenty of the world, may become disobedient towards Allâhu ta’âlâ and hostile against one onether, exactly as it happened to your predecessors;” “The harm of the ambition of property and fame to man is more than the harm of two hungry wolves that have run among a flock of sheep;” “Abandon the world so that Allâhu ta’âlâ will love you! Do not cast a covetous eye upon others’ property so that everybody will love you;” “The world is like a bridge to be passed. Do not try to repair this bridge. Pass it as soon as you can and go!”; “Work for the world as much as the length of time you will stay here, and work for the next world as much as the length of time you will stay there!”
The world is zill-i zâil. He who trusts it will rue it. Even if it remains with you, you will not remain with it. Take the love of the world out of your heart before you leave the world. He who is not steeped in worldly flavours will attain the blessings of Paradise. He will be cherished and respectable in both worlds. The world is ruin. Its sherbets are mirages. Its blessings are poisonous and its pleasures are sorrowful. It wears out bodies. It whets desires. It runs away from those who chase it, and chases those who run away from it. The world is like honey and those who have fallen into it are like flies. Its blessings are transient and its states are evanescent. The world and those who are fond of it are not believable. For, there is no loyalty or peace in them.
Give up what is transient so that you may obtain what is permanent. It would be astonishing if a person with self-consciousness were fond of this world. The wicked will be fond of this world. And the good will hold fast to what is eternal. Be in the world with your body, and enjoy the next world with your heart! He who forsakes the desires of the nafs will become clean and will be rescued from disasters. For the person who forsakes what Allâhu ta’âlâ disapproves, Allâhu ta’âlâ will bestow something better. He who knows the world will not lament over its inconveniences. He who understands the world abstains from it. He who abstains from the world knows his nafs. He who knows his nafs finds his Allah. He who serves his Allah is served by the world. The world is like a man’s shadow. If you chase it, it will evade you. If you run away from it, it will chase you. The world is a place of troubles for its lovers. It is a place of blessings for those who are not deceived by its flavours. It is a place of profit for worshippers. It is a place of hikmat for those who take warning. It is a place of salvation for those who know it. It is like Paradise when compared with one’s mother’s womb. It is like a rubbish-heap when compared with the Hereafter.
All the things that come before death are called the world. Of these, the ones that are useful after death are not considered to be worldly. They are counted as part of the next world. For, the world is a field of tillage for the next world. Those worldly things that are not useful for the next world are harmful. So are the harâms, the sins and excessive mubâhs. If the things that are in the world are used compatibly with the Sharî’at, they will be useful in the next world. Both the worldly flavor and the blessings of the next world will be attained. Property is neither good nor bad. Virtue or evil is in the person who uses it. Then, the world which is cursed as bad is the thing which Allâhu ta’âlâ disapproves and which is used in such ways as to demolish the next world. Those who forget about themselves and Allah are like the stranded traveller who while on the way busies himself with his horse’s ornament, saddle and grass, and, thereby, remains behind his companions. Being left alone in the desert, he will perish. Likewise, if man forgets about what he was created for, falls for worldly charms, and does not make preparations for the next world, he will drag himself towards eternal perdition. Love of the world prevents one from getting ready for the next world. For, the heart, thinking about it, forgets about Allah. The body, striving to obtain it, cannot worship any more. The world and the next world are like the East and the West. He who tries to approach one of them distances himself from the other. If a person does not practise Islam and does not observe Allah’s commands and prohibitions in his living and earning, he has held fast to the world. Allâhu ta’âlâ makes everybody’s heart feel discord against him. Nobody likes him.]
Who on earth is free from the bane of griefs?
Everybody has cares since he is Adam’s son.
A thousand cares chase one pleasure phoenix;
I don’t see why people should fall for such a fancy.
8- FIRST VOLUME, 76th LETTER
This letter, written to Kilinj Khan, explains that progress is possible only through wara’ and taqwâ. It enjoins us to cease from more than necessary mubâhs, or at least to refrain from the harâms and to pare down on the mubâhs. It also states that there are two ways of abstaining from the harâms:
May Allâhu ta’âlâ protect you against every kind of sorrow! May He protect you against every defect for the sake of the most superior human being ‘sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam’!
Allâhu ta’âlâ declares in the seventh âyat of Sûrat-ul-Hashr “... Take and obey the commands which My Messenger has brought for you! Refrain from what he has prohibited!” As it is seen, two things are necessary for escaping the disasters in the world and the torments of Hell in the next world: hold fast to the commands, and abstain from the prohibitions! Of these two, the greater one, the more necessary one is the second one, which is called wara’ and taqwâ. In the presence of Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ they said that a person worshipped, struggled hard. When they said that another person abstained from what is prohibited very much, he stated, “Nothing can be like wara’.” That is, he said that it was more valuable to abstain from the prohibitions. In a hadîth he stated, “Wara’ is the pillar of dîn.” Man’s becoming superior to angels is due to wara’ and their progress, becoming exalted, is, again, owing to wara’. Angels also obey the commands. But angels cannot make progress. Therefore, holding fast to wara’ and having taqwâ is more necessary than anything else. In Islam the most valuable thing is taqwâ. The basis of the religion is taqwâ.
Wara’ and taqwâ means to refrain from the harâms. In order to be able to refrain from the harâms entirely, it is necessary to refrain from the more than necessary mubâhs. We should use the mubâhs as much as necessary. If a person does whatever he likes with the mubâhs, that is, with the things which the Sharî’at has permitted, and if he uses the mubâhs exceedingly, he will begin to do what is doubtful. And the doubtful are close to those things that are harâm. Man’s nafs is greedy, like a beast. He who walks around an abyss may fall down into the abyss one day. To be able to have wara’ and taqwâ properly, one should be abstemious in using the mubâhs, and should not exceed the limit of necessity. When using this amount, one should intend to use them in order to do one’s duties as a slave of Allah’s. It is a sin also to use them a little without intending so. It is harmful whether it is little or much. It is next to impossible to always abstain entirely from more than the necessary mubâhs, especially in this time. At least, one must abstain from the harâms and do one’s best to abstain from the more than necessary mubâhs. When the mubâhs are done more than needed, one must repent and make tawba. One should deem these deeds as the beginning of committing harâms. One must trust oneself to Allâhu ta’âlâ and beg Him. This repentance, asking for pardon and begging may stand for abstaining from more than the necessary mubâhs entirely, thus protecting one against the harm and mischief of such deeds. One of our superiors says, “Sinners’ hanging their heads seems better to me than worshippers’ swelling their chests.”
There are two kinds of abstention from the harâms. First, to abstain from those sins which only violate the rights of Allâhu ta’âlâ. Second, to abstain from those sins in which other people’s and creatures’ rights are also involved. The second kind is more important. Allâhu ta’âlâ does not need anything, and He is very merciful. But human beings not only need a lot of things but are also very stingy and mean. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ said: “A person who has violated others’ rights or who has encroached on others’ property and chastity should pay the rights back and have himself forgiven before dying! For on that day gold and property will not have any value. On that day, his thawâbs will be taken away until the rights have been paid, or, if he does not have any thawâbs, the sufferer’s will be loaded on him.”
[Ibni Âbidîn ‘rahmatullâhi ’aleyh’, while explaining the book Durr-ul-mukhtâr, says on the two hundred and ninety-fifth page of the chapter dealing with the subject of intending for namâz, “On the Day of Judgement, if the right-owner does not forgive his right, for a right of one dank, seven hundred prayers of namâz that have been performed in jamâ’at and accepted will be taken away and will be given to the right-owner.” One dank is one-sixth of a dirhem, about half a gram, of silver, which is worth about twenty-five kurush, about 0.000020833 cents, as of today.][22]
One day, when Rasûlullah asked the Sahâba, “Do you know who is called bankrupt?” they said, “The person without any money or property left.” He stated,“Among my Ummat, a bankrupt is the person whose deed-book contains many thawâbs of namâz, fasting and zakât on the day of last judgement. But he has sworn at a person, slandered him and taken away his property. His thawâbs will be divided and distributed to such right-owners. If his thawâbs are finished before the rights are paid, the sins of the right-owners will be loaded upon him. Then he will be flung down into the fire of Hell.” [As this hadîth points out, he who speaks ill of or swears at any one of the Sahâba ‘ridwânullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaihim ajma’în’ will certainly be punished in the next world.]
It would still be of little consequence no matter how much we thanked you, no matter how grateful we felt towards you. Owing to your blessed existence, the majority of the rules of the Sharî’at have been appearing and are being carried out in the big city of Lahore at such a time as this. In this city, Islam has been becoming strong and has settled. To this faqîr, Lahore city is like the heart of India. The usefulness and abundance of this city have been spreading all over the other cities of India. Islam’s becoming stronger in this city has been opening a way for its becoming strong in all the other cities. May Allâhu ta’âlâ increase your energy. May He help you on everything you do! Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ said: “Of my Ummat, those who are in the right way will exist in every age. Those who oppose them cannot do them any harm. They will do their tasks until the hour Allâhu ta’âlâ has predestined.” Thinking about your loyalty to my master, an ocean of knowledge, my most beloved one, I wanted to refresh that love through these few lines of mine. I write only this much lest I bother you. May Allâhu ta’âlâ bless your exalted person with real fortunes and endless happiness. For the sake of His beloved Prophet ‘alaihi wa ’alâ âlihissalawât wattaslîmât’, may He accept this prayer of mine! Âmîn.
9- FIRST VOLUME, 48th LETTER
This letter, written to Naqîb Sayyid Shaikh Ferîd, informs us that ’ulamâ-i dîn should be respected:
May Allâhu ta’âlâ, for the sake of the most exalted of Prophets ‘alaihi wa âlihissalawât wattaslîmât wattahiyyât’, help you in your struggle against the enemies of din! We have been honoured with reading your blessed letter, which pleases the faqîrs and which you wrote out of mercy. You write that you have sent some money to be spent for youngsters who learn knowledge and who strive on the path of tasawwuf. We are glad to see that you give precedence to the students who study Islam over those who endeavour in tasawwuf in your writing. They said that the outward is an indicator of the inward. Inshâallah, in your blessed heart also these students will take precedence. Translation of an Arabic line:
Every container will leak out what is inside it!
Putting the students of knowledge in the front causes the Sharî’at to make progress. These are the guards of the Shar’îat. These will protect Hadrat Muhammad’s dîn against the ignoble. On the Day of Judgement everybody will be questioned about the Sharî’at, not about tasawwuf. Entering Paradise, being rescued from Hell will be possible only by having followed the Sharî’at. Prophets ‘salawâtullâhi ta’âlâ wa taslîmâtuhu ’alaihim’ who were the best, distinguished human beings, invited everybody to the Sharî’at. The way of salvation is the Sharî’at. Those great people were sent in order to teach the Sharî’at. Then, the most valuable worship, the greatest favour to be done to humanity is to strive so that the Sharî’at is learned and practised and to recover one command of the Sharî’at. Causing one of the commands of Allâhu ta’âlâ to be practised brings more thawâb than giving thousands, millions of dollars as alms, especially in a time when the enemies of Islam assault the religion furiously. [They try to change the namâz, the fast, the hajj, the zakât and other worships, say harâm about the things that are halâl, and beautiful, modern about the harâms, call Islam bigotry, and disbelief and irreligiousness improvement and modernness, make fun of those who perform namâz and those who fast by calling them fanatics and idiots.] For, this small effort means to follow Prophets ‘alaihimussalawâtu wattaslîmât’ and become their partners in their tasks. And these people, in their turn, are given the most valuable share from worships and their thawâb. Giving millions as alms, doing many favours may fall to anybody’s lot. Striving to uncover the Sharî’at is something which the nafs loathes. He who strives to do this will have performed jihâd against his nafs. Yet doing favours may be liked by the nafs. No doubt, however, it is very valuable to spend money for the learning and practising of the Sharî’at. Giving little with this intention is no less than giving millions without this intention.
Question: How can a student of knowledge who follows his nafs be superior to a sûfî who struggles against his nafs?
Answer: Though the person who learns knowledge harms himself by following his nafs, everybody benefits from his knowledge. Though he burns himself, he causes others to be saved. For, the honour of learning the rules of the Sharî’at has fallen to his lot. But the sûfî strives to save himself. He is not useful to others. Islam holds those who strive for the happiness of others superior to those who strive to save themselves.
Yes, if a devotee who makes progress on the path of tasawwuf reaches the stations of Fanâ and Baqâ, is sent back to this world, and is honoured with inviting people, he will have a share from the rank of prophethood. He will become one of those who teach the Sharî’at and who enable others to attain to happiness. He will be exalted and valuable like the savants of the Sharî’at. This is such a blessing of Allah’s that He bestows it upon whomever He likes of the distinguished. His blessings are so great.
10- FIRST VOLUME, 53rd LETTER
This letter, written to Sayyid Shaikh Ferîd again, states that lack of unison among savants will cause confusion.
May Allâhu ta’âlâ not separate you from the way of your blessed ancestor! We have heard that, having a pure heart suitable for Islam, you have selected four savants who love their faith and have invited them to the palace to teach the commandments of the Sharî’at, so that nothing should be done in contradiction with the Sharî’at. May gratitude be to Allah for this news. What good news could be greater than this for Muslims? What news could be sweeter than this for those with afflicted hearts? This faqîr [Imâm-i Rabbânî ‘quddissa sirruh’ means himself] wanted to visit you in order that this useful deed could be done, and I wrote to you several times that I would come over. I therefore cannot help writing a few things now. Please forgive me! As the saying goes, “A person with determination is like a lunatic.” The most important thing that I would like to write to you about is that among today’s men of dîn there is next to no one who does not desire rank and money and who strives only for the spreading of the Sharî’at and for the strengthening of Islam. When the desire of obtaining a post or seizing a chair is mixed with the matter, each man of dîn will take a different way and try to show his own superiority. They will contradict one another and (exploit this situation to) ingratiate themselves with you. Sad to say, religious matters have become of secondary importance. In the time of the previous government, every catastrophe that befell the Muslims were caused by these so-called men of dîn. [In order to curry favour, they wrote fabled translations of the Qur’ân, wrong fatwâs, and books which disagreed with the words of Ahl as-sunnat savants. And the enemies of religion masked themselves as men of dîn and wrote as they liked, misrepresenting Islam as if it were incompatible with mind, science and improvement.] We, Muslims, fear such a disaster now, too. We are afraid that the dîn, let alone being improved, may be demolished again. May Allâhu ta’âlâ protect Muslims against the evils of these false men of religion! It will be difficult enough for you to find or choose a savant who loves his faith, which is a great blessing. For the words and writings of the savant who thinks of the next world will bring everyone with wisdom and conscience round to the right course. They will affect the hearts. Where on earth is such a savant now? If you cannot find him, try to find the least harmful one from among others. There is a famous saying: “If something cannot be obtained altogether, it should not be given up altogether.” I am at a loss as to what to write. As the happiness of people is in the hands of savants, so it is that the enemies of dîn disguised as religious men lead people towards perdition, towards Hell. A good man of dîn is the best of people. And a man of dîn who makes the dîn a means for his worldly desires and who deranges others’ îmân is the worst of the world. Men’s happiness and destruction, their coming round to the right way and their leaving of the right way are in the hands of men of dîn. One of our superiors saw the devil sitting idly and asked him why. The devil said: “The religious men of today do our job. They do not leave us any work to misguide people.” Translation of a Persian couplet:
The person disguised as a
religious man who hoards worldlies
Has lost his own way; how can he ever guide others?
For this reason, be very careful with your behavior. Once the chance has been missed it will not come back again. I should have felt ashamed to advise you. But I wrote this letter of mine deeming it a document for my salvation in the Hereafter. Wassalâm.
11- FIRST VOLUME, 33rd LETTER
This letter, written to Molla Hadji Muhammad Lâhôrî, describes the harm of the wicked men of knowledge who love the world and who barter knowledge for the world, and praises those savants who are not fond of the world.
Savants’ loving the world and being fond of it is like a black stain on their beautiful faces. Though such men of knowledge are useful to people, they are not useful to themselves. The honour of strengthening Islam and spreading the Sharî’at belongs to them, yet sometimes a disbeliever or a fâsiq also does this job. As a matter of fact, the Master of Prophets ‘alaihi wa ’alâ âlihissalawâtu wattaslîmât’ indicated that evil people also will strengthen t