0/5.1. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 77 — Accuracy in Hadith Text
Unveiling Defects of the Transmitters of Ḥadīth and Relaters of Reports and the Statements of the A’immah Regarding That
Hadith Text Accuracy and Wording Mistakes
Sahih Muslim : 77
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 77
حَدَّثَنَا حَسَنٌ الْحُلْوَانِيُّ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ شَبَابَةَ، قَالَ كَانَ عَبْدُ الْقُدُّوسِ يُحَدِّثُنَا فَيَقُولُ سُوَيْدُ بْنُ عَقَلَةَ . قَالَ شَبَابَةُ وَسَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ الْقُدُّوسِ يَقُولُ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّ يُتَّخَذَ الرَّوْحُ عَرْضًا . قَالَ فَقِيلَ لَهُ أَىُّ شَىْءٍ هَذَا قَالَ يَعْنِي تُتَّخَذُ كُوَّةٌ فِي حَائِطٍ لِيَدْخُلَ عَلَيْهِ الرَّوْحُ . قَالَ مُسْلِمٌ وَسَمِعْتُ عُبَيْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ الْقَوَارِيرِيَّ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ حَمَّادَ بْنَ زَيْدٍ، يَقُولُ لِرَجُلٍ بَعْدَ مَا جَلَسَ مَهْدِيُّ بْنُ هِلاَلٍ بِأَيَّامٍ مَا هَذِهِ الْعَيْنُ الْمَالِحَةُ الَّتِي نَبَعَتْ قِبَلَكُمْ قَالَ نَعَمْ يَا أَبَا إِسْمَاعِيلَ .
Hasan al-Hulwānī Narrated from:
I heard Shabābah say: ‘Abd ul-Quddūs was narrating to us saying,‘Suwayd bin Aqalah said…’ [when it should be ‘bin Ghafalah’] Shabābah said: ‘And I heard Abd ul-Quddūs saying, ‘The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah upon him, prohibited taking a Rawḥ by accident’.[Shabābah] said: ‘So it was said to him, ‘What does this mean?’ [Abd ul-Quddūs] said: ‘It means to make an opening in a wall [thus letting] a breeze enter [by accident]’.’ [He changed the original Ḥadīth, switching ‘Rūḥ’ meaning ‘soul’ to ‘Rawḥ’ or ‘breeze’, and he switched ‘Gharaḍān’ meaning ‘as a target’ to ‘Arḍān’ or ‘accidentally’. All simply by changing a few letters in the words]Muslim said, I heard Ubayd Allah bin Umar al-Qawārīrī saying, I heard Hammād bin Zayd saying to a man after he sat with Mahdī bin Hilāl for days: ‘What is this salty well [i.e. useless or harmful] which has sprung up in your direction?’ He said: ‘Yes, oh Abā Ismā’īl [in agreement]’.
[1] While the name is Suwaid bin Ghafalah. [2] The issue here has to do with the phrase Yuttakhadhu ar-rûh ghardan (taking a living creature as a target), which is the correct wording of the narration. However, it was misread and recited by ‘Abdul-Quddûs as Yuttakhadhu ar-rawh ‘ardan (making a space to let the air in). Both of these examples were mentioned to demonstrate his lack of abilities as a narrator. [3] Meaning that he felt he was weak and not fit to narrate Hadîth .Reference : Sahih Muslim Introduction 77In-book reference : Introduction, Narration 76
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 77
This narration focuses on hadith text accuracy. It shows how Abd ul-Quddus misnamed Suwayd bin Ghafalah as Suwayd bin Aqalah, then gave a strange explanation of a report by changing words in a way that altered the meaning. The translation explains that changing only a few letters shifted the wording from one meaning to another. The report also mentions Hammād bin Zayd’s sharp criticism of sitting with Mahdi bin Hilal. The main lesson is easy to see: Hadith is not only about the chain. The exact words matter too. Small changes can lead to a very different meaning.
What we learn from this hadith
- Small changes in Hadith wording can change the meaning.
- Names of narrators must be preserved accurately.
- Strange explanations may expose a problem in understanding or transmission.
- Hadith learning requires care with both chain and text.
