Abu Hurayra Rawiyat al-Islam
- Author died
- 1443 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat Wahba
Abu Hurayra Rawiyat al-Islam (Abu Hurayra, the Transmitter of Islam) is a biographical and apologetic study by the hadith scholar Muhammad Ajjaj al-Khatib (d. 1443 AH / 2021 CE), devoted to examining the life, narrations, and scholarly standing of the Companion Abu Hurayra .
Background and Purpose
Al-Khatib composed the work in Cairo, completing it on 10 Ramadan 1381 AH (15 February 1962 CE) . The author was motivated to write the monograph in response to modern critiques and polemical campaigns directed against Abu Hurayra and his transmissions, viewing attacks against the most prolific narrator among the Companions as a targeted effort to undermine the authority and reliability of the prophetic Sunnah itself . Prior to its publication, the manuscript was reviewed and read closely by Ali Hasaballah, professor of Islamic Shariah and graduate studies at the Faculty of Dar al-Ulum at Cairo University .
Structure and Contents
The book is arranged into an introductory prologue (tamhid) followed by two main parts (bab) :
- Prologue (al-Tamhid): Provides foundational context regarding the Arabs and the message of Islam, defines the Sunnah in linguistic and legal terms, clarifies its legislative standing relative to the Quran, establishes the collective probity (‘adala) of the Prophet's Companions, and outlines the preservation, dissemination, and early compilation of hadith literature .
- Part One (al-Bab al-Awwal): Covers Abu Hurayra's biography across two chapters. The first chapter treats his general life, including his lineage in the tribe of Daws from Azd Shanu’a, physical description, pre-Islamic upbringing, conversion, migration, his mother's conversion, his companionship of the Prophet ﷺ, piety, poverty, generosity, administrative roles under the caliphs Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan, and Ali ibn Abi Talib, governorship of Medina, participation in jihad, humor, character, illness, death, and family . The second chapter details his intellectual life, exploring his dedication to hadith, his prayer for retention, his teaching assemblies, the breadth and volume of his narrations, his legal opinions (fatwa) and judicial rulings (qada), his teachers and students, sample narrations across major collections (such as the Muwatta of Malik ibn Anas, the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and the Six Books), soundest transmission routes (asahh al-turuq), and scholarly praise .
- Part Two (al-Bab al-Thani): Focuses on refuting doubts (shubuhat) raised by orientalists and modern polemicists, directly addressing arguments found in works such as Abu Hurayra by Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din al-Musawi and writings by Mahmud Abu Rayya . The author systematically replies to allegations concerning Abu Hurayra's conversion, motives, political stances under the Umayyads, and alleged hadith fabrication . It also examines his interactions with fellow Companions—including Umar, Uthman, Ali, Aisha bint Abi Bakr, Abdullah ibn Umar, Abdullah ibn Abbas, and al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam—and refutes claims that he derived his narrations from Ka'b al-Ahbar .
Publication History
The first edition was published in Cairo in 1383 AH (1963 CE) and sold out rapidly . A second reprint was subsequently issued in Lebanon . In Sha'ban 1402 AH (June 1982 CE), Maktabat Wahba published a single-volume third edition, incorporating revisions and supplementary material added by the author .
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