The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) – Volume III — Page 78
Seal of the Prophets - Volume III 78 different accounts? However, we do not rest on this rational argumentation alone, rather, researchers of the past have clearly written that the account of Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and Sunan Abū Dāwūd is the same one which Ibni Sa‘d has recorded in another manner. As such, ‘Allāmah Zurqānī, 1 Imām Suhailī 2 and ‘Allāmah Ḥalabī 3 have clearly written that this is the same account which Ibni Sa‘d and Ibni Isḥāq have erroneously mentioned in the story of Ummi Qirfah. However, more than this, proof of the fact that this is the same account is that Ṭabarī has mentioned both these narrations side by side and clearly written that both these accounts are but one and the same thing. 4 Therefore, it is completely undeniable that in the narration of Salmah bin Akwa‘ ra recorded by Muslim and Abū Dāwūd, the very same account has been mentioned, which Ibni Sa‘d and Ibni Hishām have erroneously recorded by the name of ‘ Sariyyah of Ummi Qirfah’. Moreover, the narration of the Ṣiḥāḥ which has been mentioned with authentication, and is narrated by one who participated in the event, is in any case, worthy of precedence to the unauthenticated narration of Ibni Sa‘d and Ibni Hishām. For this reason, there is no room for doubt in the fact that the account of the ‘barbaric murder’ of Ummi Qirfah is a completely false account without foundation, which due to the ‘favour’ of a hidden enemy of Islām or a hypocrite, has found its way into some historical narrations. The truth is that the verity of this Sariyyah is nothing more than what Muslim and Abū Dāwūd have mentioned. It is not surprising for an erroneous account to be recorded in history, because such examples are found in the history of every country and nation. It is surprising however, for a man like Sir William to give this erroneous account a place in his book without any investigation and to openly confess that the purpose of his 1 * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 3, pp. 139-141, Sariyyatu Zaidin Ilā Ummi Qirfah , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) (Publishers) 2 Ar-Rauḍul-Unufi Fī Tafsīris-Sīratin-Nabawiyyati libni Hishām, By Abul-Qāsim ‘Abdur-Raḥmān bin ‘Abdillāh bin Aḥmad, Volume 4, p. 409, Dhikru Jumlatis-Sarāyā Wal-Bu‘ūthi/Ghazwatu Zaid-ibni Ḥārithata Banī Fazārata Wa Muṣābu Ummi Qirfah, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition 3 As-Sīratul-Ḥalabiyyah, By Abul-Faraj Nūruddīn ‘Alī bin Ibrāhīm, Volume 3, pp. 252-255, Bābu Sarāyāhu sa Wa Bu‘ūthihī/Sariyyatu Amīril-Mu’minīn Abī Bakrin Aṣ-Ṣiddīqi ra Li-Banī Fazārata, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon (2002) 4 Tārīkhur-Rusuli Wal-Mulūk (Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī), By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Jarīr Aṭ-Ṭabarī, Volume 3, pp. 136-137, Dhikru Aḥdāthallati Kānat Fī Sanati Sittim-Minal-Hijrati/Dhikrul-Khabari ‘An ‘Umratin-Nabiyyi sa Allati Ṣaddāhul-Mushrikūna Fīhā ‘Anil-Baiti, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002)