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Last Modified: 7th September 2003

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It is interesting to note that Bukhari wrote a book about the narrators (Zuafa-us-sagher). What is even more interesting is that Bukhari's book condemns several narrators including: ... Abdul waris bin Saeed ... as unreliable. However, the Hadith-collection of Bukhari in the its modern form actually includes many traditions narrated by these very individuals! Obviously, these traditions, which Bukhari rejected, were inserted in his book following his death.

a narrator called "Abdul waris bin Saeed".

He is in Kitab al-Du`afa al-Saghir where al-Bukhari says:

240 - `Abd al-Warith Ibn Sa`id, Abu `Ubaydah: The freed slave of Bil`anbar al-Tamimi. `Abd Allah Ibn Abi al-Aswad said: He died in 180 AH. Abu Ja`far said, Khalaf told me, `Abd al-Samad told me: They lied about my father, I never heard him speak regarding qadar nor `Amr Ibn `Ubayd's speech. Abu Ja`far said that he was at Shu`bah's and when he left, Shu`bah said: Mastery shows through the nape of his neck.^[1]

In the footnotes we read:

240 - The freed slave of Banu al-`Anbar, a memorizer [hafidh] and was an example for the pureness of his language, he is at the top in terms of authentication except that he is qadari and chauvinistic to `Amr Ibn `Ubayd. Hammad Ibn Zayd used to forbid the muhaddithun to take from him because of his qadariyya. Yazid Ibn Zuray` said: Let those who attended `Abd al-Warith stay away from me. [refer to al-Mizan 677/2 and al-Kabir 118/6]^[2]

Al-Bukhari elaborates in his Kitab al-Tarikh al-Kabir:

1891 - `Abd al-Warith Ibn Sa`id, Abu `Ubaydah, the freed slave of Bil`anbar al-Tamimi. `Abd Allah Ibn Abi al-Aswad said: He died in 180 AH. Abu Ja`far said `Abd al-Samad swore to me: They lied about my father, I never heard him speak regarding qadar nor `Amr Ibn `Ubayd's speech. Abu Ja`far said that he was at Shu`bah's and when he left, Shu`bah said: Mastery shows through the nape of his neck.^[3]

Ibn Hajar in his Taqrib al-Tahdhib said:

1394 - `Abd al-Warith Ibn Sa`id Ibn Dhikwan al-`Anbari, their freed slave, al-Tannuri with an "a" after the "t" and a double "n", al-Basri, an established thiqah, accused of qadarism, which is not proved about him....^[4]

Al-`Ijli said:

thiqah, accused of being a Qadari but he did not make da'wah to it....^[5]

`Abd al-Warith is neither condemn as "unreliable" and nor it is said that his narrations were "rejected" by al-Bukhari. Rather, he is accused of being a Qadari that is not proven and never did da'wah to it. `Abd al-Warith was also known to be a memorizer of hadith.

Al-Bukhari narrated through him 101 hadiths. We produce two of his hadiths with the isnad bundles. They are representative of the rest when it comes to the study of isnads.

Once the Prophet embraced me and said, "O Allah! Bestow on him the knowledge of the Book (Qur'an)." [Kitab al-`Ilm, No. 73]

The isnad bundle look like this:

The second hadith is:

Allah's Apostle said, "From among the portents of the Hour are (the following): 1. Religious knowledge will be taken away. 2. (Religious) ignorance will prevail. 3. Drinking of Alcoholic drinks (will be very common). 4. There will be prevalence of open illegal sexual intercourse. [Kitab al-`Ilm, No. 78]

It is quite clear that al-Bukhari has narrated the same hadith from `Abd al-Warith as well as narrators. The collectors who came before and after al-Bukhari did the same. Al-Bukhari neither condemned `Abd al-Warith as "unreliable" and nor "rejected" his traditions. The question of "insertion" of hadith in al-Bukhari's book does not even arise.

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References

[1] Muhammad Ibn Isma`il al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Du`afa al-Saghir, 1976 (1396 H), Dar al-Wa`y, p. 79.

[2] ibid.

[3] Muhammad Ibn Isma`il al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Tarikh al-Kabir, 1986, Volume VI, Mu'assasat al-Kutub al-Thaqafiyah: Beirut (Lebanon), p. 118.

[3] Ahmed Ibn `Ali Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib, Volume I, 1960, Al-Maktabat al-`Ilmiyyah: Al-Madinah, p. 527.

[5] Ahmed Ibn `Abdullah Ibn Salih Abu al-Hassan al-`Ijli, Tarikh al-Thiqat, 1984 Edition, Dar al-Kutub al-`Ilmiyyah: Beirut (Lebanon), No. 1046.

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