The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 21
I - Early Sources of Sīrat & Islāmic History 21 In this Ḥadīth , Ḥaḍrat Abū Ayyūb Anṣārī ra refused to accept a narration on the basis of Dirāyat , though it seemed authentic with reference to Riwāyat. It is quite possible that the argumentation and rationalization of Ḥaḍrat Abū Ayyūb Anṣārī ra is incorrect, but nonetheless, this Ḥadīth is proof of the fact that the companions of the Holy Prophet sa did not blindly accept every Ḥadīth that reached them. Quite the contrary, they would accept Aḥādīth only after a thorough investigation, whilst utilising both the principles of Riwāyat and Dirāyat. Furthermore, in another Ḥadīth it is mentioned: قَال َ ابْن ُ عَبَّاس ٍ فَلَمَّا مَات َ عُمَر ُ ذَكَرْت ُ ذَالِك َ لَعَائِشَة َ فَقَالَت ْ یَرْحَم ُ اللّٰه ُ عُمَر َ وَاللّٰه ِ مَا ْ م َ اَن َّ الْمَیِّت َ لَیُعَذَّب ُ بِبُكَاء ِ اَھْلِه ٖ عَلَیْه ِ وَلٰكِن َّ حَدَث َ رَسُوْل ُ اللّٰه ِ صَلَّی اللّٰه ُ عَلَیْه ِ وَسَل قَال َ اِن َّ اللّٰه َ یَزِیْد ُ الْكَافِر ِ عَذَابًا بِبُكَاء ِ اَھْلِه ٖ عَلَیْه ِ قَال َ وَقَالَت ْ عَائِشَة ُ حَسْبُكُم ُ الْقُرْاٰن ُ وَلَا ٰ تَزِر ُ وَازِرَة ٌ وِزْر َ اُخْری Ibni ‘Abbās ra narrates that Ḥaḍrat ‘ Umar ra would relate that the Holy Prophet sa stated, “By weeping over the corpse of a person that person is subject to the punishment of God. ” After the death of ‘Umar ra , when I mentioned this narration to Ḥaḍrat ‘ Ā’ishah ra , she said, “May Allāh have mercy upon ‘Umar, by God the Prophet of Allāh sa did not say that, rather he said that ‘If the kinsmen of a disbeliever weep after his death they only increase his punishment. ” Then Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra said that “The statement of the Qur’ān is sufficient that no soul shall bear the burden of another. ” 1 This Ḥadīth conspicuously exhibits the utilisation of the aspect of Dirāyat. Ḥaḍrat ‘ Ā’ishah ra rejected the narration related by an illustrious person, the likes of Ḥaḍrat ‘ Umar ra , not only by presenting an opposing narration in rebuttal, but also furnished proof her own belief, by presenting argumentation from the Holy Qur’ān. At this point it is irrelevant to discuss whether Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra was correct or Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar ra ; the sole objective is to prove that the allegation that Muslim research scholars accepted Aḥādīth merely on the basis of Riwāyat is completely false. The truth is that Muslim research scholars 1 Mishkātul-Maṣābīḥ, Kitābul-Janā’iz, Bābul-Bukā’i ‘alal-Maiyyiti, Al-Faṣluth-Thālith, Ḥadīth No. 1742, Volume 1, Part 1, pp. 329-330 , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2003)