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1st millennium AH

1st century AH: (622 – 719 CE) Ubay ibn Ka'b (d. 22) Umar (-40 – 23) Ibn Mas'ud (d. 32) Ka'ab al-Ahbar (d. 32) Wahb ibn Munabbih (d. 34) Ali (-23 – 40) Abdullah ibn Salam (d. 43) Ahmad ibn Tawoos (d. 53?) Abu Hurairah (d. 57) Masruq ibn al-Ajda' (d. 62?) Alqama ibn Qays (d. 62?) Ibn Abbas (-3 – 68) Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali (-16 – 69) Sulaym ibn Qays (d. 70) Ibn Umar (-8? – 74) Aswad ibn Yazid (d. 75) Ma'bad al-Juhani (d. 80) Sahl ibn Sa'd (d. 91) Urwah ibn Zubayr (d. 94) Said ibn Al-Musayyib (d. 94) Raja ibn Haywah Ali ibn Abi Talha Uqbah ibn Amir 2nd century AH: (719 – 816 CE) 3rd century AH: (816 – 913 CE) 4th century AH: (913 – 1010 CE) 5th century AH: (1010 – 1107 CE) 6th century AH: (1107 – 1204 CE) 7th century AH: (1204 – 1301 CE) 8th century AH: (1301 – 1398 CE) 9th century AH: (1398 – 1495 CE) 10th century AH: (1495 – 1592 CE)

2nd millennium AH

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Abu Hurairah (Arabic: أبو هريرة‎), (also known as `Abd al-Rahman ibn Sakhr Al-Azdi (Arabic: عبدالرحمن بن صخر الأذدي‎), Abu Hurayrah, or Abu Horaira) (603 – 681) was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the narrator of Hadith most quoted in the isnad by Muslims^{[citation needed]}.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Conversion 3 Medina and Mecca 4 Death and Legacy 5 Sunni view 6 Shi'a view 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Early life

Abu Hurairah was born in Baha, Yemen into the Banu Daws tribe from the region of Tihamah on the coast of the Red Sea. He was an orphan with only a mother and no other relatives. His name at birth was Abd al-Shams (servant of the sun). However, as a child, he had a cat and became known as "Abu Hurairah" (which literally means "Father of the Kitten" or more idiomatically "Of the kitten").

As a young man, he worked for Bushra bint Ghazwan. Through this phrase millions of Muslims from the early history of Islam to the present have come to be familiar with the name Abu Hurayrah. In speeches and lectures, in Friday khutbahs and seminars, in the books of hadith and sirah, fiqh and ibadah, the name Abu Hurayrah is mentioned in this fashion:

"On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may God be pleased with him who said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said... ".

[edit] Conversion

Abu Hurairah embraced Islam through Tufayl ibn Amr the chieftain of his tribe.^[1]

Tufayl had returned to his village after meeting Muhammad and become a Muslim in the early years of his mission. Abu Hurairah was one of the first to respond to his call, unlike the majority of Tufayl's tribesmen.

Abu Hurairah accompanied Tufayl to Mecca to meet Muhammad who, according to Sunni tradition, renamed him Abd al-Rahman (servant of the Merciful, one of the 99 beautiful names of God). Hurairah then returned to his tribe for several years.

[edit] Medina and Mecca

In 629 he went to Medina with some others from his tribe. Since Muhammad was absent due to the Battle of Khaybar, he stayed in the masjid.

He was single without a wife or child. His mother, who was still a polytheist, was with him. He prayed for her to become a Muslim, but she refused. Sunni sources report:

One day, he again invited his mother to believe in the One God and His Prophet. She answered with some bad words about the Prophet. Abu Huraira went to the Prophet with tears in his eyes. “Why are you crying, Abu Huraira?” asked the Prophet. “I always invite my mother to Islam, and she always refuses,” said Abu Huraira. “I asked her again today. But she said some things about you that made me sad. Can you pray to God for her to turn to Islam?” The Prophet prayed for Abu Huraira’s mother to accept Islam. When Abu Huraira went home, he found the door closed. He heard the splashing of water. He tried to enter the house, but his mother said, “Wait a minute. Don’t come in yet.” Then she got dressed and said, “You can come in now.” When Abu Huraira went inside, his mother said, “I declare that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.” Abu Huraira again went to the Prophet crying. But this time his tears were tears of joy. “I have good news, Rasul Allah,” he said. “God has answered your prayer and guided my mother to Islam.” ^[2]

Abu Huraira, with other Muslim, suffered from hunger when the Muslims were poor in Madina.

When I was afflicted with severe hunger, I would go to a companion of the Prophet and asked him about an ayah of the Qur'an and (stay with him) learning it so that he would take me with him to his house and give food. One day, my hunger became so severe that I placed a stone on my stomach. I then sat down in the path of the companions. Abu Bakr passed by and I asked him about an ayah of the Book of God. I only asked him so that he would invite me but he didn't. Then Umar ibn al-Khattab passed by me and I asked him about an ayah but he also did not invite me. Then the Messenger of God, passed by and realized that I was hungry and said: "Abu Huraira!" "At your command" I replied and followed him until we entered his house. He found a bowl of milk and asked his family: "From where did you get this?" "Someone sent it to you" they replied. He then said to me: "O Abu Huraira, go to the Ahl as-Suffah and invite them." Abu Huraira did as he was told and they all drank from the milk. ^[1] Abu Hurairah then spent one year and ten months with Muhammad in Madinah, before the Prohet's death on 8 June 632 in Madinah.

[edit] Death and Legacy

Abu Hurairah died in 681 at the age of 78.

Of the hadith held as authentic by the majority Sunnis, Abu Hurraira is the most quoted person in mens. Next to him comes the names of such companions as Abdullah ibn Umar, Anas ibn Malik, Jabir ibn Abdullah and Abu Said al-Khudri all of whom transmitted over a thousand sayings of Muhammad.

He is quoted saying:

“I grew up as an orphan. I emigrated as a poor person. I used to serve Gazevan’s daughter, Bushra. I served others when they stopped on the road. I drove the camels on the road. Then God made it possible for me to marry Bushra. Praise be to God who has strengthened His religion and made me an imam (leader).” ^[2]

His daughter married Said ibn Al-Musayyib.

[edit] Sunni view

A majority of the Sunni scholars consider Abu Hurairah to be one of the major narrators of Hadith, and like all of the Sahabah, trustworthy.

[edit] Shi'a view

Shi'a tradition rejects the authenticity of Abu Hurairah's hadith, seldom accepting only when the are similar hadith narrated by reliable Sahabah (companions) and family of the Prophet who were just, pious and religious. They consider him an enemy of Imam Ali, Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain due to having been in favor with Mu'awiya, and thus hold him in low regard. Shia's allege Mu'awiya to have killed the Holy Prophets Cousin and Grandson, who the Holy Prophet loved and cared for. Shia's believe that Abu Hurairah defended and cherished Mu'awiya. Shia's also believe Mu'awiya killed the 4th Caliph, Aisha's Brother and most of the original Sahaabas of the Prophet.

Imam Ali was the leader of the Muslims at that time and Shia's believe that Mu'awaiya wanted to usurp this for his own power. They allege that he ripped up Qurans, put it on the end of his armies swords and killed 70,000 Muslims. Mu'awiya then installed his son Yazid who was half Pagan and half Christian (Mu'awaiya's Christian wife's son).

Yazid used to focus on Pagan and Christian methods. Yazid massacred the rest of the Holy Prophets family and killing many people who were being Islamic. Shia's believe that Abu Hurairah takes the side of the people who rip the Quran up and then put it on the end of Spears to kill the Prophets family and 70,000 Muslims.^[3]

Historical texts indicate Abu Hurairah appeared in and around the Islamic camp around the end of the Battle of Khyber after the Muslim victory. Shia's claim he was able to include himself in the Muslim elite of that time, having done the same previously with the Jewish rulers who were defeated in Khyber.

Shia's allege that Abu Hurairah was convicted of lying, whipped and instructed to not make hadiths by Umar Khattab. It's documented in Sunni texts that when a person is convicted of lying all their hadiths become void. Shia's claim that many of Abu Hurairah's hadiths were based on events that took place when he was not even present or in the vicinity, for example, he would be hundreds of miles away from an event that he narrates like he is there. ^[4]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Sunni links
  • Biography of a Companion: Abu Hurayrah - www.usc.edu
  • Defense of Abu Hurayrah, A Reply to some erroneous claims - islamicweb.com
  • Abu Huraira: The Beloved Narrator - geocities.com
  • Narrations sited by Imam Bukhari - www.SearchTruth.com
  • Narrations sited by Imam Muslim - www.SearchTruth.com
  • Abu Hurayra THE PARAGON OF THE PROPHETIC SUNNA By Shiekh G. F. Haddad
  • Abu Hurayra's Two Vessels of Knowledge By Shiekh G. F. Haddad

• Shi'a links
  • Abu Huraira's Character and Hadith Calling for His Condemnation (excerpt from Peshawar Nights) - al-islam.org
  • Abu Hurairah or Paul? - al-islam.org
  • critical Shi'a biography - rafed.net

• Critical Muslim links
  • Free-Minds.org critique of Abu Hurairah in one aspect of Islam

• Non-Muslim links
  • Mausoleum of Abu Huraira - archnet.org

v • d • e List of Sahaba     Abbad ibn Bishr `Abbas ibn `Abd al-Muttalib `Abd Allah ibn `Abbas `Abd Allah ibn `Abd al-Asad Abd-Allah ibn Mas'ud `Abd Allah ibn Rawahah Abd-Allah ibn Sailam Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy Abd-Allah ibn Umm-Maktum Abd-Allah ibn al-Zubayr Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr Abdullah ibn Hudhafah as-Sahmi Abdullah ibn Ja'far Abdullah ibn Sailam Abu Ayyub al-Ansari Abu Bakr Abu Dharr al-Ghifari Abu Dujana Abu Fuhayra Abu Hudhaifah ibn al-Mughirah Abu Hurairah Abu Lubaba ibn Abd al-Mundhir Abu Sufyan ibn Harb Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith Abu Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah Abu al-Aas ibn al-Rabiah Abu al-Dardaa Abu-Hudhayfah ibn Utbah Abu-Musa al-Asha'ari Abu-Sa'id al-Khudri Akib ibn Usaid Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami Al-Baraa ibn Malik al-Ansari Al-Hasan Al-Husayn Al-Nahdiah Ali Aminah bint Wahab Ammar ibn Yasir Amr ibn al-Jamuh An-Numan ibn Muqarrin Anas ibn Malik Aqeel ibn Abi Talib Ashaab Bashir ibn Sa'ad Bilal ibn Ribah Bilal ibn al-Harith Fadl ibn Abbas Fatima bint Asad Fatima bint Hizam Fayruz al-Daylami Habibah bint Ubayd-Allah Halima Sadia Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib Harithah bint al-Muammil Hatib ibn Abi Baitah Hisham ibn Al-Aas Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman Hujr ibn Adi Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl Ja`far bin Abī Tālib Julaybib Khabbab ibn al-Aratt Khalid ibn Sa`id Khalid ibn al-Walid Khunais ibn Hudhaifa Kumayl ibn Ziyad Khuzaymat ibn sabet Layla bint al-Minhal Lubaba bint al-Harith Lubaynah Malik Bin Deenar Malik al-Dar Malik ibn Ashter Malik ibn Nuwayrah Mus`ab ibn `Umair Miqdad ibn Aswad Muadh ibn Jabal Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan Mughira ibn Shu'ba Muhammad Ibn Maslamah Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr Muhammad ibn Maslamah Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid Nusaybah bint Ka'ab Qatadah Rab'ah ibn Umayah Rabi'ah ibn al-Harith Sa`ad ibn ar-Rabi` Sa`ad ibn Abi Waqqas Saffiyah bint ‘Abd al-Muttalib Said ibn Aamir al-Jumahi Sa'id ibn Zayd Salim Mawla Abu Hudhayfah Salman the Persian Suhayb ar-Rumi Tamim al-Dari Ubaydah ibn al-Harith Umamah bint Zainab Umar Umm Kulthum bint Ali Umm Kulthum bint Jarwila Khuzima Umm Shareek Umm Ubays Uqbah ibn Amir Urwah ibn Mas'ud Usama ibn Zayd Utbah ibn Ghazwan Uthman ibn Hunaif Wahb ibn Abd Manaf Zayd ibn Arqam Zayd ibn Harithah Zayd ibn Thabit Zaynab bint Ali