Fadha'il A'maal vs Kitaab ar-Ruh

Recently, Shaykh Mohammad Yasir al-Hanafi shared a strange narration found in Kitab al-Ruh of Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim ؒ . The purpose of sharing this narration in his video was to answer those individuals who accuse Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhalwi's ؒ Fada'il A'mal of containing strange stories. The narration found in Kitab al-Ruh states:


وقد ذكر ابن أبى الدنيا في كتاب القبور عن الشعبى أنه ذكر رجلا قال للنبي مررت ببدر فرأيت رجلا يخرج من الأرض فيضربه رجل بمقمعة حتى يغيب في الأرض ثم يخرج فيفعل به ذلك فقال رسول الله ذاك أبو جهل بن هشام يعذب إلى يوم القيامة


It has been narrated by Ibn Abi 'l-Dunya in Kitab al-Qubur from Sha'bi that he mentioned a man said to the Prophet ﷺ: "I passed by Badr and saw a man coming out of the earth. Another man was hitting him with a hammer until he disappeared into the earth, then climbing out again. This occurred many times." Then, the Prophet ﷺ said: "That is Abu Jahl Ibn Hisham being punished until the day of judgement."


The full chain for the narration is found in Ibn Abi 'l-Dunya's Kitab al-Qubur [4/536 (8425)]. He narrates from his father, who narrates from Hushaym, who narrates from Mujalid Ibn Sa'id, from Sha'bi, from the Prophet ﷺ.


Firstly, Imam Sha'bi is a tabi'i (he did not meet the Prophet ﷺ,) so this hadith is mursal (it has a broken link). Although a mursal hadith can be authenticated, there are certain criteria which must be met. This narration does not meet them: firstly, Imam Sha'bi is among the junior tabi'in; secondly, a narrator within the chain is weak; and thirdly, it contradicts other sahih (authenticated) hadiths.

The narration is also found in al-Bidayah of Imam Ibn Kathir:


وقال الأموي في " مغازيه " : سمعت أبي ، ثنا المجالد بن سعيد ، عن عامر قال : جاء رجل إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال : إني رأيت رجلا جالسا في بدر ورجل يضرب رأسه بعمود من حديد ، حتى يغيب في الأرض . فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ذاك أبو جهل ، وكل به ملك يفعل به كلما خرج ، فهو يتجلجل فيها إلى يوم القيامة


Both chains in Kitab al-Qubur and al-Bidayah contain a narrator by the name Mujalid ibn Sa'id, who has been criticised by many scholars:

Imam Bukhari, in his Al-Tarikh al-Kabir, states regarding Mujalid:


كان يحيى القطان يضعفه ، وكان ابن مهدي لا يروي عنه عن الشعبي


"Yahya al-Qattan used to weaken him, and Ibn Mahdi used to not relate his [Mujalid's] narrations from al-Sha'bi."

This is the case in both of the above narrations.


Further regarding Mujalid Ibn Sa'id, al-Tirmidhi narrates a hadith wherein he appears in the chain; he then says:


وهذا حديث ليس إسناده بالقائم ، لأن مجالد بن سعيد قد ضعفه بعض أهل العلم ، منهم : أحمد بن حنبل


"This is a hadith the isnad of which is not established because Mujalid Ibn Sa'id has been weakened by some of the people of knowledge, one of whom is Ahmad Ibn Hanbal." [Jami' al-Tirmidhi 3/429 (1119)]


Imam al-Haythami narrates a hadith from from Musnad Abu Ya'la and says:


وفي إسناد أبي يعلى مجالد بن سعيد ، وهو ضعيف .


"And in the isnad of Abu Ya'la is Mujalid Ibn Sa'id, and he is weak". [Majma' al-Zawai'd (5/108)]


Even a Mutasahil (lenient) scholar like Imam Ibn Hibban weakened him severely and placed him in his book al-Majruhin:


من أهل الكوفة ، يروي عن الشعبي ، وقيس بن أبي خازم ، روى عنه أهل العراق ، مات سنة ثلاث أو أربع وأربعين ومائة من ذي الحجة ، وكان رديء الحفظ ، يقلب الأسانيد ، ويرفع المراسيل ، لا يجوز الاحتجاج به.


"(Mujalid) is from amongst the people of Kufa. He narrates from al-Sha'bi and Qays Ibn Abi Khazim. The people of Iraq have narrated from him (Mujalid). He died 143 or 144 AH in the month of Dhu 'l-Hijjah. He had a poor memory: he used to change isnads and raise the marasil [broken chains] (to marfu', i.e. he used to attribute them to the Prophet ﷺ). It is not permissible to use him as proof".


After narrating a hadith of Mujalid, al-Shawkani rightly sums him up as saying:


وحديث ابن مسعود أخرجه أيضا البيهقي في شعب الإيمان والبزار ، وفي إسناده مجالد بن سعيد ، وثقه النسائي وضعفه جماعة


"The hadith of Ibn Mas'ud is also narrated by al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman, and [by] al-Bazzar. Its isnad entails Mujalid Ibn Sa'id; al-Nasa'i accredited him (tawthiq), and a group [of scholars] weakened him". [Nayl al-Awtar (8/301)]


In conclusion:

1. The narration is mursal and cannot be attributed to the Prophet ﷺ.

2. Mujalid bin Sa'id is not a reliable narrator as he has been found, by several scholars of hadith, to have many faults.


- One should also note that this narration does not exist in any of the major works of hadith, which is a sign that it is not accepted by the hadith scholars.


- It also contradicts the established opinion that the 'Adhab al-Qabr (punishment of the grave) takes place inside the grave and not outside of it.


- It contradicts the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ that one does not hear the punishment of the grave (let alone witness it!). The Prophet ﷺ said: "... Were you not [at risk of abandoning the] burying of your deceased, I would have asked Allah ﷻ to make you hear the punishment of the grave that I hear." [Muslim (2867)]


- The narrations from Kitab al-Ruh and al-Bidayah both mention that Abu Jahl climbed out of the earth. This goes against the well-known hadith of Bukhari that Abu Jahl was thrown (along with the other disbelievers) into a well on the day of Badr. [Al-Bukhari (3185)]


In light of all of the above, this narration cannot be considered a reliable hadith, and those who have attempted to defend it are mistaken.



May Allah ﷻ forgive us for any shortcomings.