The Righteous Fabricators

Fabrication of hadith against the Messenger of Allah was not confined only to enemies of Din and capricious people – as we stated before – but some of the righteous among Muslims used to do so thinking it to be a merit bringing them nearer to Allah, and yet they reckon that by this they do good work. When questioning them: Why do you lie against the Messenger of Allah? They would say: We lie for him not against him! And the one to blame for falsity is that who did it on purpose!
Muslim reported in his book from Yahya ibn Sa’id al-Qattan as saying: We have never found the righteous falsifying in anything more than that in hadith. In another narration: We have never seen the munificent people telling lies in anything more than in hadith. That is as Muslim put it: falsity comes out from their mouths incidentally or inadvertently not deliberately.228 Muslim reported on the authority of Abu al-Zinad that he said: I met a hundred men in Medina, all of whom were trustworthy, and hadith was not taken from them.229

Ibn Hajar writes: Some of the ignorants, after being self-conceited, embarked on fabricating traditions of temptation and intimidation saying: We haven’t told lies against him, but we did so for backing his Shari’ah!!230

They were unaware that ascribing to him (S) that which he never said, entails falsity against Allah, since it asserts a legal judgement or decree, whether an obligatory or recommendable one. And so also regarding their opposites: the haram (unlawful) and makruh (reprehensible). No consideration is to be given to opposers to this from among the Karamiyyah, who permitted composing of falsity in cases of temptation and intimidation, for confirming the rules cited in the Qur’an and the Sunnah, arguing that it be falsity for him not against him, which is verily an ignorance of the Arabic language.231

Abd Allah al-Nahawandi says: I said to the lad of Ahmad: Wherefrom you brought these traditions which you relate through the parchments? He replied: We fabricated them for making the hearts of people mild and sympathetic. About this lad (servant), Ibn al-Jawzi said: He was an ascetic who used to forsake the worldly pleasures and lusts, living on eating the broad-beans merely... on the day of his death all the markets of Baghdad were closed (as a sign of mourning).

And Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Faqih al-Maruzi was the most opinionated and strongest defender of the Sunnah in his time, degrading whoever contradicting it. Despite all that, he was among those known of composing and perverting the hadith.

In al-Ta’rikh al-awsat, al-Bukhari reported from Umar ibn Sabih ibn Imran al-Tamimi, that he said: I was the one who composed the Prophet’s sermon.

In al-Madkhal, al-Hakim on the authority of Abu Ammar al-Maruzi, that it was said to Abu ‘Ismah: Wherefrom you got these traditions from ‘Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas on the merits of the Qur’an, surah by surah, while they can never be found with the companions of ‘Ikrimah? He said: When I found people turning away from the Qur’an, engaging themselves in the fiqh of Abu Hanifah and incursions of Ibn Ishaq, I fabricated this hadith for seeking favour.

Notes:

228. This being in fact one of the misfortunes of that word "mata'ammidan" (deliberately), to which cling those who claim to be among the muhaddithun (Fath al-mulham, Vol.I, p.132).

229. One of the rules in which they believe being.

230. Fath al-Bari, Vol.I, p.161.

231. I wish the Hashwiyyah apprehend what is said by Ibn Hajar. But wherefrom they can have understanding or apprehension!