Sidi Gibril on: The Permissibility of Loud Dhikr

Salam `alaykum:

Sunan Abu Dawud: Book 25, Number 3659:
Narrated Anas ibn Malik:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: That I sit in the company of the people who remember Allah the Exalted from morning prayer till the sun rises is clearer to me than that I emancipate four slaves from the children of Isra’il, and that I sit with the people who remember Allah from afternoon prayer till the sun sets is dearer to me than that I emancipate four slaves.

I have not rechecked Imam al-Lacknawi’s actual words but I am sure he knew that the hadith of Ibn Mas`ud’s supposed blame of loud group dhikr is actually in al-Darimi’s Sunan. However, he did indicate that it is weak and this is what I mentioned in a previous reply on the same hadith appended below. Was-Salam

Hajj Gibril

— Appended reply —

Recently I was shown by somebody a response by some Sheikh Saleem Al-Hilali regarding the Athaar of Ibn Masood. I have read in Sheikh Hishaam Kabaani’s (damatay barka tahoum) book that the athaar from Darimi’s book is WEAK because of Amr Ibn Yahaya al hamdaani. Saleem Al-Hilali says that this ATHAAR IS Saheeh. Because it has come from two chains. And Imaam Bukhari (rahmatullahi alayhi)has confirmed and Ibn Katheer has taken from that narrator and that here is no opposition (JARH). Could you please give details on this athaar.

The report of Ibn Mas`ud comes only through `Amr ibn Yahya al-Hamadani who is da`if.

Al-Darimi in the Muqaddima of his Sunan, narrated from al-Hakam ibn al-Mubarak who narrates from `Amr ibn Salama al-Hamadani. This `Amr ibn
Yahya ibn `Amr ibn Salima al-Hamadani is da`if. Ibn Ma`in saw him and said: “his narrations are worth nothing”; Ibn Kharrash: “he is not accepted”; al-Dhahabi listed him among those who are weak and whose hadith is not retained in al-Du`afa’ wa al-Matrukin (p. 212 #3229), Mizan al-i`tidal (3:293), and al-Mughni fi al-Du`afa’ (2:491); and al-Haythami declared him weak (da`if) in Majma` al-Zawa’id, chapter entitled Bab al-`Ummal `ala al-Sadaqa.

As for the claim that Imam al-Bukhari said anything to authentify this report or to declare `Amr reliable, then where did they make such a claim? All Bukhari said in al-Tarikh al-Kabir (6:382 #2708) is: “`Amr ibn Yahya ibn `Amr ibn Salama ibn al-Harith al-Hamadani al-Kufi, he heard hadith from his father, and Sa`id ibn Sulayman heard from him, and he is nicknamed Sinan.” This does not constitute a commendation nor a discreditation. In fact, al-Bukhari was not even clear who this narrator was since he apparently confused him with the trustworthy narrator `Amr ibn Salama ibn al-Kharib al-Hamdani al-Jarmi as shown by the words of Ibn Abi Hatim in al-Jarh wa al-Ta`dil (6:235 #1302): “My father [Abu Hatim] said that al-Bukhari made a mistake over `Amr ibn Salama by confusing him with someone else called by that name whereas the latter is al-Jarmi while this one is al-Hamdani.” This was confirmed by al-Khatib in Mawdi` Awham al-Jam` wa al-Tafriq (1:333), a book on the errors of the hadith masters caused by resemblance in names. Elsewhere (6:169 #1487) Ibn Abi Hatim narrates from his father, from Yahya ibn Ma`in, the grading of thiqa (trustworthy) for him. However, both Ibn al-Jawzi in al-Du`afa’ wa al-Matrukin (2:233 #2601) and Ibn `Adi in al-Kamil fi al-Du`afa’ (5:122 #1287) narrate two opposite verdicts from Yahya ibn Ma`in concerning him, and this is what al-Dhahabi retains in Mizan al-I`tidal (5:352 #6480) and al-Mughni fi al-Du`afa’ (2:491 #4729) as well as Ibn Hajar in Lisan al-Mizan (4:378 #1128). Both ignore Ibn Hibban’s inclusion of `Amr among the trustworthy narrators in al-Thiqat (4:480 #14547).

Further, its authenticity was questioned by al-Suyuti in al-Hawi (2:31); al-Hifni in Fadl al-Tasbih wa al-Tahlil as cited by al-Lacknawi, Sibahat al-Fikr (p. 25 and 42-43);

Further, it is belied by Imam Ahmad’s narration in al-Zuhd from Abu Wa’il who said: “Those who claim that `Abd Allah [= Ibn Mas`ud] forbade dhikr [are lying]: I never sat with him in any gathering except he made dhikr of Allah in it.” Cited by al-Munawi in Fayd al-Qadir (1:457), al-Suyuti in Natijat al-Fikr fi al-Jahr bil-Dhikr in al-Hawi, al-Nabulusi in Jam` al-Asrar (p. 66), al-Hifni in Fadl al-Tasbih wa al-Tahlil as cited in al-Lacknawi, Sibahat al-Fikr (p. 25).

In addition, the narrations affirming loud dhikr are sahih and innumerable, and definitely take precedence over this mawquf report even if we should consider it authentic.

And Allah knows best.
Hajj Gibril