The Hadeeth is honour. Whoever wants the world for it will get the world and whoever wants the
Hereafter by it will get the Hereafter.

The Virtues of Hadeeth:

[1] From ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Umar Ibnul-‘Aas who said that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:

"Relate from me even if it is one aayah and report from the Children of Israa’eel and there is no problem. And whoever lies upon me, then let him take his seat in the Fire." [2]

"The isnaad (chain of narrators for hadeeth) is from the Religion."

Through another chain of narrators he reported to have said:

"According to me, the isnaad is from the Religion. If it were not for the isnaad, whoever wished could have said whatever he said."

He also said:

"The example of the one who studies his Religion without an isnaad is like the one who attempts to ascend a roof without a ladder." [3]

"The isnaad is the weapon of the Believer. So if he does not have a weapon with him, what will he fight with?"[4]

"Whoever wants the worldly life and the Hereafter, then let him write the Hadeeth." [5]

"The Hadeeth is honour. Whoever wants the world for it will get the world and whoever wants the Hereafter by it will get the Hereafter." [6]

"I said to Ahmad Ibn Hanbal: To what point should a man write Hadeeth? He said: Until he dies."

Aboo ‘Abdullaah Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said:

"I shall study Hadeeth until I enter the grave." [7]

"Every speech after the Qur`aan is heresy,

Except for the Hadeeth and except for understanding (fiqh) in the Religion.

And knowledge emanates from "It was narrated to us." (haddathanaa)

And everything other than this is a whispering from the devils." [8]

"I do not know of any action upon the face of the earth more noble than the study of Hadeeth for whoever wishes to seek the Face of Allaah by it." [9]

"If the Hadeeth were not more noble to me than tasbeeh (glorifying Allaah), I would not have narrated." [10]

"Allaah has not been worshipped by something more noble than the Hadeeth." [11]

"Al-Awzaa‘ee said to me: O Abaa Yuhmad! What do you say about a people who hate the Hadeeth? I said: They are an evil people. He said: There is not a person of innovation upon whom a hadeeth of the Messenger of Allaah is narrated which opposes his innovation, except that he hates the Hadeeth." [12]

"There is nothing heavier upon the people of heresy and more hated by them than listening to the Hadeeth and its narration with its isnaad. [13]

"The Religion is only based upon narrations, not upon opinion. The Religion is only based upon narrations, not upon opinion. The Religion is only based upon narrations, not upon opinion." [14]

"A group from my Ummah will always remain victorious. Those who abandon them will not be able to harm them, until the Hour is established." [15]

"This knowledge will be carried by the trustworthy ones of every generation. They will remove from it the distortions of the transgressors and the attributions of the fabricators and the explanations of the ignorant." [16]

"Ahmad Ibn Sinaan informed us from a man who mentioned that he saw the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in a dream and the Prophet was standing in the mosque between to circles. In the first of them was Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and in the other was Ibn Abee Du’aad. [17] The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was reciting:

"So when these people disbelieved in it..."

And he pointed to Ibn Abee Du’aad and his companions. [Then he recited:]

"So indeed we entrusted it to a people who are not disbelievers in it." [Sooratul An‘aam 6:89]

And the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) pointed to Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and his companions." [18]

"The Children of Israa’eel divided into seventy-one sects and the Christians divided into seventy-two sects. And my Ummah shall divide into seventy-three sects, all of them being in the Fire except one sect." [19]

"If they are not the people of Hadeeth, then I do not know who they are!" [20]

"I saw the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in a dream so I said: Who is the Saved Sect from the seventy-three sects? He said: You, O people of Hadeeth." [21]

"Ibnul Mubaarak mentioned the hadeeth of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam): "There shall remain a group from my Ummah..." Then he said:

"According to me, they are the people of Hadeeth." [22]

"I asked Ahmad Ibn Hanbal - and he was mentioning the hadeeth: "There shall remain a group from my Ummah..." - so he said:

"If they are not the people of Hadeeth, then I do not who they are!" [23]

"Aboo ‘Eesaa at-Tirmidthee informed us while he was mentioning the hadeeth of Mu‘aawiyah Ibn Qurah from his father who said that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: "A group from my Ummah shall remain victorious. Those who forsake them will not be able to harm them..." Aboo ‘Eesaa said: Muhammad Ibn Ismaa‘eel [al-Bukhaaree] said: ‘Alee Ibnul Madeenee said: They are the people of Hadeeth." [24]

"Muhammad Ibn Ismaa‘eel al-Bukhaaree informed us - and he was mentioning the hadeeth of Moosaa Ibn ‘Uqbah from Abee az-Zubayr from Jubayr from the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam): "There shall remain a group from my Ummah..." So al-Bukhaaree said: It means the people of Hadeeth." [25]

"Verily Islaam began as something strange and it will return to being something strange. So Toobaa is for the strangers." [26]

"They are the early people of Hadeeth." [28]

"There has not been in any nation from amongst the nations since Allaah created Aadam (‘alayhis-salaam), trustworthy ones memorizing the narrations of the Messengers except in this Ummah."

So a man said: 'O Abaa Haatim, perhaps they may relate a hadeeth which has no basis, nor is it authentic.' So he said:

"Their scholars know the authentic from the weak, so they relate that with knowledge in order to explain to those who come after them that they distinguished the narrations and memorized them."

Then the man said: 'May Allaah have mercy upon Aboo Zur‘ah. He - by Allaah - used to exert himself in the memorization of narrations from the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).' [29]

"The Angels are the guardians of the sky and the people of Hadeeth are the guardians of the earth." [30]

"If I were to see a man from the people of Hadeeth, it would be as if I had seen the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) living." [31]

"Ibraaheem Ibn Moosaa was asked: 'Who are the people who enjoin the good and forbid the evil?' He said: 'We are they. We say: 'The Messenger of Allaah said: Do such and such…' and 'The Messenger of Allaah said do not do such and such..' [32]

"According to me, there are not a people better than the people of Hadeeth. They do not know anything except the Hadeeth." [33]

"If the people of the Qur’aan and the Hadeeth are not the awliyaa (close allies) of Allaah, then Allaah does not have a walee (close ally) upon the earth." [34]

"I searched for four, so I found them in four. I searched for disbelief (kufr), so I found it in the Jahmiyyah. I searched for kalaam (rhetoric) and controversy (shaghab), so I found it in the Mu‘tazilah. I searched for the lie, so I found it with the Raafidhah. I searched for the truth, so I found it with the people of Hadeeth." [35]

"If there is anyone upon the face of the earth who is saved, then it is these who study the Hadeeth." [36]

"If you see a man loving the people of Hadeeth like Yahyaa Ibn Sa‘eed al-Qattaan and ‘Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Mahdee and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and Ishaaq Ibn Raahawayh - and he mentioned some people - then he is upon the Sunnah, and whoever opposes this, then know that he is an innovator." [37]

[1] The following article is a series of excerpts from the book, 'Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth' by al-Haafidh Khateeb al-Baghdaadee.

[2] Related by al-Bukhaaree (6/496/3461). See Saheehut Tirmidthee (no. 1250) and Saheehul Jaami‘ (no. 2834).

[3] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (1/15)

[4] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (1/15)

[5] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (2/26)

[6] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (2/26)

[7] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (2/32)

[8] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (2/37)

[9] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (2/39)

[10] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (2/40)

[11] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (2/39)

[12] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (2/36)

[13] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (2/36)

[14] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (p. 38)

[15] Related by Muslim (no. 1920-1925), by Ibn Hibbaan in al-Majrooheen (1/88-89) and by Shaykh al-Albaanee in as-Saheehah (no. 1108, 1955-1962).

[16] Related by Ibnul Wazeer al-Yamaanee in ar-Rawdhun Naas (1/21-23). It was authenticated by Shaykh al-Albaanee in Takhreejul Mishkaat (1/28-38/248) and by Shaykh Saleem al-Hilaalee in Hidaayatus Sultaan (no. 38).

[17] He is Abu ‘Abdullaah Ibn Ahmad Ibn Farj Ibn Hareez al-’Iyaadee al-Basree, then al-Baghdaadee - the Jahmee. He was the enemy of Imaamus-Sunnah Ahmad Ibn Hanbal. He called to the creation of the Qur’aan. He died in the year 240H. See Siyar A‘laamun Nubalaa (11/169-171).

[18] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (p. 44)

[19] Related by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak with the Talkhees of adh-Dhahabee (1/128), it is related in Majmoo‘ul Fataawaa (3/340) and (16/491) of Ibn Taymiyyah and ash-Shaatibee in al-I‘tisaam (2/189-191) and by al-‘Iraaqee in Takhreejul Ihyaa (3/230) and Ibn Hajar in Takhreej Ahaadeethul Kashaaf (p. 63). It was authenticated by Shaykh al-Albaanee in as-Saheehah (no. 203-204, 1492) and in Saheeh Sunan Ibn Maajah (no. 3225-3227) and in Dhilaalul Jannah (no. 63-67).

[20] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (1/7)

[21] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (1/7)

[22] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (1/8)

[23] Sharaf Ashaabul Hadeeth (1/8)

[24] Ibid.

[25] Ibid.

[26] Related by Muslim (no. 45). It has been mentioned by Shaykh al-Albaanee in as-Saheehah (no. 1273), Saheehul-Jaami‘ (no. 1576) and in Saheeh Sunan Ibn Maajah (no. 3221-3223).

[27] He is ‘Abdaan al-Qaadee, a narrator of Hadeeth Abee Bakr Ibn Abee Shaybah as is found in the chain of narrators of the author. Refer to the checking of Aboo ‘Abdur-Rahmaan Mahmood of Sharaf Ashaabul-Hadeeth (p. 53).

[28] Sharaf Ashaabul-Hadeeth (1/6).

[29] Sharaf Ashaabul-Hadeeth (1/16)

[30] Sharaf Ashaabul-Hadeeth (1/17)

[31] Sharaf Ashaabul-Hadeeth (1/18)

[32] Sharaf Ashaabul-Hadeeth (1/19)

[33] Sharaf Ashaabul-Hadeeth (1/20)

[34] Sharaf Ashaabul-Hadeeth (1/21)

[35] Sharaf Ashaabul-Hadeeth (2/23)

[36] Sharaf Ashaabul-Hadeeth (2/24)

[37] Sharaf Ashaabul-Hadeeth (2/35)

Translated by Maaz Qureshi[1]