HADITH AL-THAQALAYN ( THE TWO WEIGHY THINGS )
Some Sahih Versions of the Hadith:
Hadith alThaqalayn is a mutawatir tradition which has been narrated – and following are four of these sahih narrations of the tradition as recorded by Muslim, Al-Hakim and Al-Nasa'i in their compilations:
Sahih Muslim Book 031, 5920 (At Ghadir Khumm):
Zuhayr ibn Harb and Shuja` ibn Makhlad narrated to me from `Ulayyah that he said: Zuhayr said: narrated to us Isma`il ibn Ibrahim, from Abu Hayyan, from Yazid ibn Hayyan, who said: "I, Husayn ibn Sabrah and `Umar ibn Muslim went to see Zayd ibn Arqam. When we sat down with him, Husayn said to him, 'O Zayd, you have been greatly fortunate. You have seen the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be Allah's peace and benedictions, heard his speech, fought with him in battles and have prayed behind him. Indeed, O Zayd, you have been enormously fortunate. Narrate to us what you have heard from the Messenger of Allah , may Allah's peace and benedictions be upon him.'
"Zayd said: 'O brother, by God, I have become aged and old and I have forgotten some of what I used to remember from the Messenger of Allah , upon whom be Allah's peace and benedictions. So accept what I narrate to you and as to what I don't, trouble me not regarding it.' Then he said: 'One day the Messenger of Allah , upon whom be Allah's peace and benedictions, addressed us near a pond called Khumm between Makkah and Madinah. He praised God and extolled Him and preached and reminded (us). Then he said, "Lo, O people, I am only a human being and I am about to respond to the messenger of my Lord [i.e. the call of death]. I am leaving behind two precious things (thaqalayn) among you. The first of the two is the Book of Allah. In it is guidance and light. So get hold of the Book of Allah and adhere to it." Then he urged and motivated (us) regarding the Book of Allah . Then he said, "And my Ahl al Bayt (family). I urge you to remember God regarding my Ahl alBayt. I urge you to remember God regarding my Ahl alBayt. I urge you to remember God regarding my Ahl alBayt"'" ....
At Arafat
Jami` at-Tirmidhi Vol. 6, Book 46, Hadith 3786
....Jabir ibn `Abd Allah said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah - upon whom be God's peace and benedictions - in the course of his hajj pilgrimage on the day of `Arafah. The Prophet (S) was seated on his camel, alQaswa', and was delivering a sermon. I heard him say: 'O people, I am leaving among you that which if you hold on to you shall never go astray: the Book of Allah and my kindred, my household."
AlTirmidhi states that the same tradition has been narrated by Abu Dharr, Abu Sa`id, Zayd ibn Arqam and Hudhayfah ibn Usayd.
Among others who have recorded this tradition are:
- alHafiz Ibn Abi Shaybah, as in Kanz al`ummal (1st ed.), i, 48;
- al`Uqayli in alDu`afa' alKabir, ii, 250;
- alHakim alTirmidhi, Nawadir al-'usul, 68, 50th asl;
- alTabarani, alMu`jam alkabir, iii, 63, no. 2679;
- alKhatib, alMuttafiq wa almuftariq, cf. Kanz al`ummal, i, 48 and Majma' alzawa'id, v, 195; ix, 163, x, 363, 268;
- alBaghawi, al-Masabih, ii, 206;
- Ibn al'Athir, Jami` al'usul, i, 277, no. 65;
- al-Rafi`i, alTadwin, ii, 264 (in the biographical account of Ahmad ibn Mihran alQattan; this hadith has been deleted in the Indian print, but is present in the manuscripts of the book ! );
- alMizzi, Tahdhib alkamal, x, 51, and Tuhfat al'ashraf, ii, 278, no. 2615;
- alQadi alBaydawi, Tuhfat al'ashraf;
- alKhwarazmi, Maqtal alHusayn (A), i, 144;
- alKhatib alTabrizi, Mishkat almasabih, iii, 258;
- Ibn Kathir, Tafsir (Bulaq edition, on the margin of Fath albayan), ix, 115;
- al-Zarandi, Nazm aldurar alsimtayn, 232;
- alMaqrizi, Ma`rifat ma yajib li Al alBayt alNabawi, 38.
At Ghadir Khumm
Al-Nasa'i in his al-Sunan al-kubra, 96, No. 79, records the following tradition in the chapter "Khasa'is `Ali":
Narrates from Muhammad ibn alMuthanna, he from Yahya ibn Hammad, from Abu 'Uwwanah, from Sulayman, from Habib ibn Abi Thabit, from Abu alTufayl, from Zayd ibn Arqam, who said, "When the Messenger of Allah (A) returned from the last hajj and came down at Ghadir Khumm....
"Then he declared: 'I am about to answer the call (of death). Verily, I have left two precious things (thaqalayn) among you, one of which is greater than the other: the Book of God and my `Itrah, my Ahl alBayt. So watch out how you treat them after me. For, indeed, they will never separate until they return to me by the side of the Pond.' Then he said, 'Verily, God is my master (mawlaya) and I am the wali of every believer.' Then he took `Ali's hand and declared, 'To whomever I am his wali, this one is also his wali. My God, befriend whoever befriends him and be hostile to whoever is hostile to him.'" Abu alTufayl says: "I said to Zayd, 'Did you hear it from the Prophet(S)?' He replied, 'There was no one in the caravan who did not see it with his eyes and hear it with his ears,'"
Khasa'is `Ali is part of al-Nasa'i's alSunan alkubra as shown by the 3rd volume of the MS in the king's collection in Morocco, written in 759/1358 folios 81-117. See also in this regard the introduction of alKhasa'is (Kuwait: Maktabat alMu`alla, 1406), ed. by Ahmad Mirayn Balushi. The editor states that this tradition is sahih and its transmitters are thiqah.
Among others who have recorded it in their books are:
- Al-Bukhari, alTa'rikh alkabir, iii, 96;
- Muslim, Sahih, bab fada'il `Ali, no. 2408;
- Ahmad, Musnad, iii, 17, iv, 366;
- `Abd ibn Humayd, Musnad, no. 265;
- Ibn Sa`d, and
- Abu Ya`la from Abu Sa`id, as mentioned in Jam` aljawami` and Kanz al`ummal;
- Ishaq ibn Rahwayh, in his Sahih., as mentioned by Ibn Hajar in alMatalib al`aliyah, iv, 65, no. 1873, where he states that its isnad is sahih, and also by al-Busayri in Ithaf alsadah (MS in Topcopi Library, vol. 3, F.55b) who, too, considers the isnad as sahih;
- Ibn Khuzaymah, Sahih, MS in Topcopi Library, F.240;
- alDarimi, Sunan, ii, 310, no. 2319;
- Abu Dawud, Sunan, as mentioned in Sibt ibn alJawzi, Tadhkirat khawass al'ummah, 322;
- Abu 'Uwwanah, Musnad, as mentioned in alShaykhani, alSirat alsawi;
- alBazzaz, from Umm Hani, as mentioned in Wasilat alma'al;
- Ibn Abi 'Asim, Kitab alSunnah, 629, no. 1551, 630, no. 1555, 629, no. 1551;
- alYa`qubi, Ta'rikh, ii, 112;
- alBaladhuri, Ansab al'ashraf, 110, no. 48, the biographical account of `Ali (A);
- alHafiz alHasan ibn Sufyan alNasawi, the author of Musnad, from Hudhayfah ibn Usayd, as mentioned by Abu Nu`aym, alHilyah, i, 355,
- alFasawi, alMa`rifah wa alta'rikh, i, 536;
- Ibn Jarir alTabari, from Hudhayfah ibn Usayd, Zayd ibn Arqam (with alNasa'i's wording as well as with the wording of Muslim), Abu Sa`id alKhudri, as cited in Jam` aljawami`, ii, 357, 395, Kanz al-`ummal, 12911, xiii, 36441, 36340, 37620, 37621, 36341, Jami` al-'ahadith, vii, 14523, 15112, 15122, 15113, iv, 7773, 8072, 8073;
- alDulabi, alDhurriyyat altahirah, no. 228;
- alHafiz alTahawi, Mushkil al 'athar, ii, 307, iv, 368;
- alHakim alTirmidhi, Nawadir al-'usul, from Hudhayfah ibn Usayd;
- alTabarani, alMu`jam alkabir, iii, 2679, 2681, 2683, 3052, v, 4969, 4970, 4971, 4986, 5026, 5028;
- alHakim, alMustadrak `ala alSahihayn, iii, 109, 110 where he expressly states, as mentioned above, that the tradition is sahih in accordance with the criteria of alBukhari and Muslim; alDhahabi has confirmed his judgement;
Mustadrak Al-Hakim:
Narrated to us Abu alHusayn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Tamim alHanzali in Baghdad, from Abu Qallabah `Abd alMalik ibn Muhammad alRaqqashi, from Yahya ibn Hammad; also narrated to me Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Balawayh and Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Ja`far alBazzaz, both of them from `Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal, from his father, from Yahya ibn Hammad; and also narrated to us Abu Nasr Ahmad ibn Suhayl, the faqih of Bukhara, from Salih ibn Muhammad, the hafiz of Baghdad, from Khalaf ibn Salim alMakhrami, from Yahya ibn Hammad; and Yahya ibn Hammad narrated from Abu `Uwwanah from Sulayman al'A`mash, from Habib ibn Abi Thabit, from Abu alTufayl, from Zayd ibn Arqam, may God be pleased with him, who said: "The Messenger of Allah , may God's peace and benedictions be upon him and his progeny, while returning from his last hajj (hijjat alwada') came down at Ghadir Khumm and ordered (us) towards the big trees, and (the ground) underneath them was swept.
"Then he said, 'I am about to answer the call (of death). Verily, I have left behind two precious things amongst you, one of which is greater than the other. The Book of Allah , the Exalted, and my `itrah (kindred). So watch out how you treat these two after me, for verily they will not separate from each other until they come back to me by the side of the Pond.' Then he said 'Verily, Allah , the Almighty and the Glorious, is my master (mawla) and I am the master of every believer (mu'min).' Then he took `Ali, may God be pleased with him, by the hand and said, 'This (`Ali) is the master of whomever I am his master. O God, love whoever loves him and be the enemy of his enemy.'"
(AlHakim adds:) "This hadith is sahih in accordance with the conditions of sihhah laid down by the Shaykhayn (alBukhari and Muslim)
Mustadrak Al-Hakim:
The first tradition (mentioned above) is supported by this one narrated by Salamah ibn Kuhayl, from Abu alTufayl, which is also sahih according to the requirements of alBukhari and Muslim. Narrated to us Abu Bakr ibn Ishaq and Da`laj ibn Ahmad alSijzi, both of them from Muhammad ibn Ayyub, from al'Azraq ibn `Ali, from Hassan ibn Ibrahim alKirmani, from Muhammad ibn Salamah ibn Kuhayl, from his father, from Abu al-Tufayl, from Ibn Wathilah that he heard Zayd ibn Arqam, may God be pleased with him, say: "The Messenger of Allah , may Allah 's peace and benedictions be upon him and his progeny, came down at a place between Makkah and Madinah near the trees with five big shades and the people swept the ground under the trees. Then the Messenger of Allah , may God's peace and benediction be upon him and his progeny, began to perform the evening prayer. After the prayer he began to address the people. He praised God and extolled Him, preaching and reminding (us), and said what God wanted him to say. Then he said, 'O people! Verily, I am leaving behind two matters (amrayn) among you if you follow them (the two) you will never go astray. These two are: the Book of God and my ahl al bayt, my `itrah.' Then he said thrice: 'Do you know that I have more right over the believers (Inni awla bi almu'minin) than they over themselves?' The people said, 'Yes.' Then the Messenger of Allah , may Allah's peace and benedictions be upon him and his progeny said, 'Of whomever I am his master (mawla) `Ali also is his master.'"
(al'Imam al-Hafiz Abu `Abd Allah alHakim alNaysaburi, alMustadrak `ala al-Sahihayn [Dar alMa`rifah li alTiba`ah wa alNashr: Beirut), vol. iii, pp. 109-110).
Mustadrak Al-Hakim:
Narrated to us Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn alHusayn ibn Muslim, the faqih of Ray, from Muhammad ibn Ayyub, from Yahya ibn al-Mughirah alSa`di, from Jarir ibn `Abd alHamid, from alHasan ibn `Abd Allah alNakha`i, from Muslim ibn Subayh, from Zayd ibn Arqam, may God be pleased with him, who said: "The Messenger of Allah , may Allah's peace and benedictions be upon him and his progeny, said, 'Verily, I leave behind two precious things amongst you: the Book of Allah and my ahl albayt. Verily, the two will never separate until they come back to me by the side of the Pond.'"
(AlHakim says:) This hadith is sahih al'isnad according to the conditions laid down by the Shaykhayn (alBukhari and Muslim), though they did not record it. (alHakim, op. cit., vol. iii, p. 148)
These are four versions of the tradition narrated on the authority of Zayd ibn Arqam. Their sihhah (authenticity) is confirmed by two of the great Sunni Imams of hadith.
In the Mosque of Madinah:
Ibn `Atiyyah in the introduction of his tafsir, alMuharrar alwajiz, i, 34 records the following narration:
...It is narrated that he (i.e. the Prophet) - upon whom be peace - said in the last sermon that he delivered during his illness: "O people, I leave behind two precious things (thaqalayn) amongst you...: the Book of God - which is a rope between Him and you, whose one end is in His hand and whose other end is in your hands so act according to its muhkamat and believe in its mutashabihat; consider as lawful that which it regards as lawful and consider as forbidden that which it regards as unlawful - and my `Itrah and my Ahl alBayt, who are the second thaql. So don't outstrip them (fa la tasbiquhum ), for then you shall perish."
Unfortunately in the printed versions of it fa la tasbiquhum has been altered as fa la tasbi`uhum (a meaningless expression). This tradition has also been narrated by:
- Abu Hayyan in his tafsir, alBahr almuhit, i, 12 (with identical wording, except that in a published version of it there is fa la tasubbuhum, i.e. so don't curse them, instead of fa la tasbiquhum);
- Ibn Hajar, alSawa`iq almuhriqah, 75, 136;
- Yahya ibn alHasan, Akhbar alMadinah with his isnad from Jabir, as cited in Yanabi` almawaddah, 40.
In the Prophet's Chamber During His Last Illness:
Ibn Abi Shaybah, as cited by Al`Isami in Simt alnujum al'awali, ii, 502, no. 136, has narrated the following tradition:
The Messenger of Allah (S) said during his last illness: "Soon I am going to pass away and I have extended to you my plea of excuse. Lo, verily I leave behind amongst you two precious things: the Book of Allah , the Almighty and the Glorious, and my kindred (`Itrah)." Then he took `Ali's hand and raised it, saying, "This `Ali is with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with `Ali. The two will not separate until they return to me by the Pond. Then I will ask the two as to how they were treated after me."
Among the narrators of this tradition are:
- alBazzaz, Musnad, as mentioned in Kashf al'astar, iii, 221, no. 2612;
- Muhammad ibn Ja`far alRazzaz, from Umm Salamah (where she is explicit that the Prophet [S] made this pronouncement in his chamber which was filled by the Companions), as cited in Wasilat alma'al;
- Al'Azhari, Tahdhib allughah, ix, 78;
- alKhatib alKhwarazmi, Maqtal alHusayn (A), i, 164, from Ibn `Abbas;
- Ibn Hajar, alSawa`iq almuhriqah, 89, from Umm Salamah.
