Getting a Fair Picture

Getting a Fair Picture.

1987 12 December 22 Getting a Fair Picture. (287) “There is no one who has related more of the Prophet’s traditions than I have, with the exception of Abdullah a in Amr ibn AI Aas, for he was in the habit of writing them down, whereas I was not.” So said Abu Hurayrah.

It would appear from this statement that the number of traditions related by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al Aas is greater than those attributed to Abu Hurayrah, whereas the traditions traced back to himself numbered, 5,374, those traceable to Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al Aas number only 700.

Anyone accepting this statement at its face value, and then finding that the recorded figures apparently did not tally with this, might find himself in a quandary as to which set of figures was correct – Abu Hurayrah’s statement, or the figures.

The reason for this apparent discrepancy was quite simple. Up to the period shortly after the Hijrah (emigration), it was a fact that Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas had recorded more of the Prophet’s traditions than Abu Hurayrah. But subsequently, the former, being of considerable military capability, was placed in command of an Islamic army, after which he spent most of his time away from Medina. During this period, Abu Hurayrah spent much more time in the company of the Prophet and, therefore, was in a position to hear many more Hadiths than Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas, and pass them on to posterity.

It so often happens that there is more than one side to a question, and if we concern ourselves with only one side of it, we are not really getting at the truth. Only when a question is looked at from all sides do we do justice to all concerned.

To criticize is to point our mistakes, not to blame

1987 12 December 22 To criticize is to point our mistakes, not to blame (161) Abdullah Ibn Umer stayed absolutely apart from all the civil strife that followed Ali’s martyrdom. He used to say time and time again that he did not believe that it was right that Muslims should be spilling Muslims’ blood. That, he said, was why he was staying aloof. No one has any doubt about Ibn Umer’s sincerity, piety and discernment, but some of his contemporaries blamed him from one angle. “Why,” they said to him, “do you not go out and fight in this “holy war?” “Because I don’t think it is a holy war,” Ibn Umer replied. “this is internal strife amongst the Muslims themselves, nor hold war.” But they were not satisfied with his answer. “We dismiss your opinion out of hand,” they said. “It seems that you want the companions of the Prophet to die out fighting among themselves. Then, when no one besides you is left, your name will be put forwards for leadership of the Muslims.”