by Dwi Nugroho, MAIS IOU Students
Introduction
As-Sunnah is one of the two main sources in Islam which are the foundation of all Islamic creed and sharia. When enemy of Islam – particularly the orientalist – didn’t succeed to make doubt about Al-Quran then they try to attack Al-Hadith. Some said that most of hadiths are fabricated since there are no evidences if Al-Hadiths were scribed during the time of Rasulullah life. But this effort also failed as many evidences proved if many Rasulullah hadith were scribed by some companions and the narration method to next generation proved accurate to ensure the its validity until it is finally recorded and compiled by many muhadith in their books.
As it is failed, the orientalist changed their attacks by make a doubt to the quality of the narrator and their relation with the ruler to show if they are not trustable. This method similar what that Shia did i.e. spread the distrust to companions that they claimed opposed Ali RA and their descendants particularly Hassan and Hussein sons of Ali Ra. An orientalist such as Ignaz Goldziher made a doubt to Imam Zuhri (d 124H) are not independent from Umayyad ruler as he didn’t opposed the Umayyad ruler and several times appointed as judges and teachers for Umayyad ruler’s family.
To defend Imam Zuhri is important since he had great contribution to Islam by making foundation to hadith science and he had great contribution to hadith’s writing and compilation. Accepting Goldhizer claim cause many hadiths will not accepted as he became categorized as non credible narrator. This paper is intended to give brief history Imam Zuhri effort in hadith and his connection to Umayad ruler during for hadith’s compilation
His Life
Imam Zuhri name was Muhammad bin Muslim bin Ubaydullah bin Abdullah bin Zuhri. He was born in Madinah Al-Munawarah in 51 AH and died in 17 Ramadhan 124 AH (Duri, 1957). He was Quraish tribe from banu Fihr. He got education from the kuttab in Prophet Mosque and participated in study circles under supervision of males and females lecturers. Some of his lectures were Sayyid ibn Musasyyib, Abu Bakr ibn Abdur Rahman, Urwah bin Zubayr, Amra bint Abdur Rahman and Hind bint Al-Harith. He also ever meet and learn from prophet companions such as Abdullah ibn Umar and Anas ibn Malik (Zafar, 2005) He transmitted directly from Thumamah the grandson of the caliph Abu Bakr, from Salim and Abdullah the sons of Ibn Umar, from Ali ibn Husain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (Nabia, 1964)
Imam Zuhri had a strong and sharp memory. He can memorized Al-Quran in few days only. He can memorized fifty to one hundred hadith from his lectures in circles without mix each other. He wrote hadith that he heard as he thought it was sunnah and that writing helped him when caliph Umar ibn Abdul Aziz asked him to codify sunnah (Zafar, 2005) Hisham – caliph after Umar II – ever tested him about 400 hadiths that Imam Zuhri gave him – in manuscript – but missing, and Imam Zuhri dictated him again precisely with the manuscript.
Imam Zuhri lived in Madina until year 80 AH (age 30 years) when he left to Damascus since there was the economic distress Madina due to widespread plague. Hisham ibn Ismail began the Madina Governor in 82 AH (Nabia, 1964). Tradition of Zuhri shows that he was critical of ‘Abd al-Malik during the war with Ibn al-Zubair. And from a stormy argument with caliph Hisham were evident that Zuhri was free from Umayyad influence (Duri, 1957)
During Hajj session, he visited Makkah al-Mukaramah and Madinah Munawarah and met Hijazi scholars. He used that session to teach hadith in Sacred Mosque and in his house in Madinah and many students from Syria, Hijazi, Egyptian, Iraqi and Yemen learned from him. (Zafar, 2005) It is not known how much students wrote from Imam Zuhri but Azami (1997) found about fifty references to his students who maid their collections from him (Azami, 1977).
Hadith Writing and Compilation
At those times, many narrator were reluctant to write hadith since they said it was not sunnah. But Imam Zuhri had opinion if writing hadith is sunnah. So even he had good memories, he wrote the hadith in pappers. So Imam Zuhri affect the major shift from oral to written transmission. He was the first to write hadith since he student. He wrote everything he heard including companion traditions. He even wrote on the back of his sandal (Cook, 1997). While other student like Abu az-Zinad wrote down hadith only the lawful and the prohibited, Imam Zuhri wrote down everything he heard (al-Sibai, 2009)
He wrote down not only hadith from Rasulullah, but also from companions and their leading successors. Ibrahim ibn Saad said if Imam Zuhri asked elderly and young person, came to anshar district and questioned every man and every woman (Al-Sibai, 2009). He also asked his pupils to write his narrations. Although he had good memories, he considered attending a scholarly session without one’s manuscript is a professional weakness. He handed his copy to a trusted pupil for copying or collation with permission (ijazah) to transmit the content on his authority. (Beeston, 1983)
Imam Zuhri is the first person to compile hadith in dawawin (collections). Umar ibn Abdul Aziz wrote to governors in various provinces to collect original letters / instructions / documents from Rasulullah and Khulafaur Rashidin and to collect sunan relating to blood money (diyat) from reliable scholars in many provinces. When it all completed, Umar II ordered Imam Zuhri to wrote down the selected materials in daftar (list) according the subject of jurisprudence and then Umar II make copies and send each copy to provinces (Zafar, 2005)
In the time of caliph Hashim ibn Abdul Malik, he to teach his son – Al Walid that later on became next caliph -, and he got order to compile hadith. He agreed with condition caliph gave him two assistances to become scribers and to compile what Imam Zuhri dictated in dafatir. The work continued for one year and copied to several dafatir which some of them are kept by Hisham in library. Zafar, 2005)
Imam Zuhri also had great contribution to Sirah life stories of Rasulullah PBUH. This effort that known as Maghazi start from beginning with relevant pre-Islamic events, and prophetic era in Mecca and Medina. His first source was ‘Urwa b. al-Zubair as he studied with him probably for a fairly long period. He observed the chronological events in his work such as such dates as the Hijra possibly of Badr, ‘Uhud, and Khandaq etc. Since Imam Zuhri also a Quraysh, he also expert about Quraysh genealogy and put it in his Maghazi. Many historians took his narration about those genealogy (Duri, 1957). So he was the first biographer Rasulullah who gave a specific mode and a distinct sphere of action to the art of Shirah writing. (Rehman, 2012) Zuhri took an important step in introducing “the collective tradition” by combining many sunnah into a connected simple narrative-preceded by the authorities-and thus making a significant contribution towards connected historical narrative (Duri, 1957)
Hadith Transmission and Verification
In early period, in tabiuun (successor) quote Rasulullah saying (hadith) without mentioned the intermediate authority (companion’s names) and those hadith became mursal. That situation require scholar to start checking the isnad. Imam Zuhri put a foundation of science of hadith. Whenever he got hadith from a narrator, he would go to another narrator who was at least equal in knowledge and reliability. He not narrate hadith after he sure the trustworthiness of the narration and verified if there were no errors or defects in them. Imam Zuhri engaged in the task of warning the people against fabricated hadith and falsely attributing them to Prophet Muhammad PBUH. (Zafar, 2005)
Imam Malik said: “The first one to utilize the isnad is Ibn Shihab Az-Zuhri” (Hasan, 1994). Imam Zuhri said if he heard hadith from Amrah and Urwah narrated it, he would have to discern which narration to believe. If differently, he prefer to choose Urwah narration as Urwah according to him is inexhaustible sea. He also condemned Abi Farwah who narrated hadith without relating the isnad (Sallabi, 2011). He use word balaghana and balaghani that later on will be interchangeably with hadatsana and hadatsani. (Nabia, 1964).
Imam Zuhri in writing traditions (sunnah/hadith) also became strong foundations for next development of hadiths. His pupils also participating to continue writing transmission such as Ibn Juraij, Malik ibn Anas, Sufyan ibn Uyainah, Sufyan al-Thauri, and Ibn al-Mubarak. Some of Imam Zuhri materials are found in the Muwatta. Imam Zuhri writing that kept by Hisyam and inherited to his son, later on also shown to Imam Ahmad (Nabia, 1964)
Studens from other countries such as Laith ibn Sa’d (d 175H) from Egypt also take benefit from the writing transmission. He met Zuhri during Hajj in 113 AH and wrote traditions from Imam Zuhri particularly through Imam Zuhri leading pupils including Uqail ibn Khalid. The isnad Zuhri – Uqail – Laith appears frequently in the standard hadith collections. Papyrus isnad Zuhri – Uqail – Laith also appears in Al-Amwal by Abu Ubaid. (Nabia, 1964)
There are several hadith transmission. The common transmission were sama (listening), ardh (students read to teacher), ijazah (permission to tansmit). Imam Zuhri is the first person who introduce munawalah transmission i.e. gave manuscript along the authority to transmit it. He gave his manuscript to several scholars such as Al-Thawri, Al-Auzai and Ubaydullah ibn Umar. This transmission method (munawalah) was not a common practice in the early days (Azami, 1977)
A great scholar in his time – Yahya ibn Said Al-Anshari – was reluctance to use written texts earlier. But later on he requested his former pupil which is also Imam Zuhri pupil – Imam Malik – to send him a collection of Zuhri’s traditions. Imam Zuhri writing contribution is including his sirah/maghazi that later on cited by many Islamic historians. These two Medina people whose became great people in Umayyad era put a foundation of professional jurist and traditionalist (Nabia, 1964).
Imam Ahmad, An-Nasai and Abu Zurah mentioned that some of golden chain of hadith transmission are came from Imam Zuhri from Ali bin Hassan from his father and Rasulullah, another golden chain is from Zuhri from Ubaydullah from Ibnu Abbas, from Zuhri from Salim from his fathers et. (Al-Sibai, 2009)
But critiques also came to Imam Zuhri writing since he also transmitted many material without indicating his sources (Nabiia). Those critiques for incomplete isnad (marasil) came by Imam Shafii (d 150 AH) and also by Yahya ibn Said Al-Anshari (d 143 AH) (Duri, 1957)
Conclusion
Imam Zuhri have two major significant contribution in hadith science and hadith development. First he put foundation of writing tradition which is at his time many scholars still stay in oral transmission. Imam Malik said Zuhri was the first to put ilm in writing (Duri, 1957). Imam Malik also said if the first one to utilize the isnaad was Ibn Shiab Al-Zuhri
The second great contribution of Imam Zuhri he the first person in makes equal between oral and writing transmission. He didn’t differentiate transmission source if it is from oral or from text transmission as long the sources are credible.
The third great contribution if Imam Zuhri is that he made effort to compile Islamic documents (letter etc) from Rasulullah and Khulafaur Rashidin and also all jurist decisions in all provinces as evidence of Islamic implementation. In my opinion, this became first library of Islamic Jurisprudence library.
References
- Azami MM (1997) Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature. The Other Press
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- Beston, A.F.L (1983) Arabic Literature to the end of Umayyad Period (vol 1). Cambridge University Press. www
- Cook, M. (1997). The opponents of the writing of Tradition in early Islam. Arabica, 44(Fasc. 4), 437-530.
- Duri, A. A. A. (1957). Al-Zuhrī: A Study on the Beginning of History Writing in Islam. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 19(1), 1-12.
- Hassan, S (1994). An Introduction to The Science of Hadith. Darussalam Publisher, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Lecker, M. (1996). Biographical Notes on Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri. Journal of Semitic Studies, 41(1), 21-63.
- Nabia Abbot (1964) Studies in Arabic Literary Papry. The University of Chicago Press
- Sallabi, Muhammad Ali (2011) Umar bin Abdil Aziz. Darussalam Publisher, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- ur Rehman, A., Dad, K., Khan, J., Rafiullah, M., & Ali, I. (2012). Ibne Shahab Zuhri’s “Al-Maghazi” Its Methodology and Critical Analysis. International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2(11), 1980-1983.
- Zafar, A. R.(2005) Al-Zuhri His Life and Services for Hadith. Sheikh Zaid Islamic Centre, University of Karachi.
Something inside my minds 