Which is correct, “wa ‘iṭratī” [and my progeny], or “wa sunnatī” [and my tradition]?

The hadīth scholars [muḥaddithūn] have narrated hadīth ath-thaqalayn [Tradition on the Two Weighty Things] in two ways and it has been recorded in the books of hadīth.  An examination must be made to see which way is correct:

1. “Kitāb Allāh wa ‘iṭratī ahli baytī” [“The Book of Allah and my progeny, the members of my Household”], or

2. “Kitāb Allāh wa sunnatī” [“The Book of Allah and my tradition”].

Reply: The authentic [ṣaḥīḥ] and established [thābit] hadīth of the Holy Prophet (ṣ)[1] is the one with the phrase, “wa ahl bayti” [and the members of my Household]. The chain of transmission [sanad] of the narration which contains the phrase, “sunnatī” [my tradition] instead of “ahla bayti” [the members of my Household] is invalid, therefore it is rejected [mardūd] and the chain of transmission of the hadīth, “wa ahla bayti” is absolutely sound.

The chain of transmission of the narration, “wa ahli baytī” [and my Household]

This text has been narrated by two prominent muḥaddiths [ḥadīth scholars]:

1. In his Ṣaḥīḥ, Muslim narrates from Zayd ibn al-Arqam, thus: One day Allah’s Messenger (ṣ) stood up to deliver sermon near a pool known as Khumm situated between Mecca and Medina. In the said sermon, he extolled Allah and exhorted the people, and then he said:

ربِّي رسول يأتي أن يوشك بشرٌ أَنَا فانّما الناس أيُّها ألاّ”

و الهدىٰ فيه الله كتاب أولهما :الثَّقلين فيكم تارك أنا و فأجيب

كتاب علىٰ فحث – به واستمسكوا الله بكتاب فخذوا النور

أهل في الله أذكركم بيتي أهل و – :قال ثمّ فيه رغّب و الله

“.بيتي أهل في الله أذكركم بيتي اهل في الله أذكركم بيتي

Now to our purpose: O people, I am a human being. I am about to receive a messenger (the angel of death) from my Lord and I, in response to Allah’s call, (would bid goodbye to you), but I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it. He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and then said: The second are the members of my Household; I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family. I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family. I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family.[2]

Dārmī has also mentioned this text in his Sunan.[3] It must be said that the chain of transmission of each of the two is as bright as the sun and there is no room for doubt about it.

2. In his narration which contains the phrase, “And my progeny, the members of my Household” [wa ‘iṭratī ahla baytī], Tirmidhī writes that the Prophet (ṣ) has said:

أحدهما بعدي تضلّوا لن به تمسّكتم ان ما فيكم تارك إنّي”

إلىٰ السّماء من ممدود حبل الله كتاب :الآخر من أعظم

الحوض عَليَّ يَردا حتى يفترقا لن بيتي أهل عترتي و الأرض

“.فيها تخلفوني كيف فانظروا

Verily, I am leaving among you two weighty things to which if you hold fast, you shall never go astray. One is greater than the other: the Book of Allah, which is the cord extending from the heaven to the earth and my progeny, the members of my Household. These two will never separate from each other until they meet me at the Pond [ḥawḍ] (of Kawthar). Be careful as to how you will behave toward them after me.[4]

Both Muslim and Tirmidhī, who are among the compilers of Ṣaḥīḥs and Sunans (compilations of hadīths regarded as authentic by the Ahl as-Sunnah), highlight the phrase, “Ahl al-Bayt”, and this evidence supports our view, and the chains of transmission of both hadīths enjoy such accuracy and special reliability that they need no discussion and argumentation.

The chain of transmission of the narration, “wa sunnatī” [and my tradition] 

The tradition, which mentions the phrase, “sunnatī” [my tradition] instead of “ahli baytī” [members of my Household], is a fabricated hadīth, which apart from the weakness of its chain of transmission, was concocted and transmitted by the ‘Umayyad agents:

1. In his Mustadrak (‘alā’ṣ-Ṣaḥiḥayn), Ḥakīm al-Nayshābūrī relates this narration with the following chain of transmission:

الدّيلمي زيد بن ثور عن اويس ابي عن أويس أبي بن عن عبّاس

:الله رسول قال: قال عبّاس ابن عن عكرمة عن

تضلّوا فلن به اعتصمتم أن و فيكم تركت قد إنِّى النّاس ايّها يا”

“!نبيّه سنّة و الله كتاب أبدًا

‘Abbās ibn Abī Uways narrates on the authority of Abī Uways from Thawr ibn Zayd ad-Daylamī from ‘Ukrumah from Ibn ‘Abbās: The Messenger of Allah (ṣ) said:

“O people, I am leaving among you two things to which if you hold fast, you shall never go astray: the Book of Allah and the tradition of His prophet!”[5]

Among the transmitters of this narration are Ismā‘īl ibn Abī Uways and Abū Uways—a father and a son who were not found trustworthy, and they were also accused of lying, fabrication and forgery.