Ma Lahu Hukm al-Raf min Aqwal al-Sahaba wa Afaaluhum
- Author died
- 1427 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Khuḍayrī lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzī‘
Ma Lahu Hukm al-Raf min Aqwal al-Sahaba wa Afaaluhum (What Takes the Ruling of Being Elevated Among the Statements and Actions of the Companions) is a treatise on Hadith methodology and legal theory by Muhammad ibn Matar al-Zahrani (d. 1427 AH / 2006 CE) . The work examines the transmission formulas and reports of the Sahaba (Companions) to determine which statements and actions are granted the effective ruling of being elevated (marfu' hukman) to the Prophet rather than halted (mawquf) as non-prophetic statements .
Composition and Scope
Al-Zahrani completed the book in Medina on 29 Rajab 1418 AH (1997 CE), and it was published there by Dar al-Khudayri in the same year in a single volume of 93 pages . The author introduces the work by highlighting the efforts of early Muslim scholars in preserving the Sunnah and their meticulous scrutiny of delivery formulas (sighat al-ada) and the varying ranks of narration, citing the five tiers of reports outlined by Majd al-Din Ibn al-Athir (d. 606 AH) in the introduction to Jami al-Usul .
Structure and Contents
The book is arranged into an introduction, five thematic sections (mabahith), and a conclusion :
- First Section: Examines statements by a Companion such as "We used to say...", "We used to do...", or "We used to consider..." (kunna naqul, kunna naf'al, kunna nara), evaluating whether such expressions are considered elevated unconditionally or only when explicitly linked to the lifetime of the Prophet .
- Second Section: Addresses passive and customary formulas used by Companions, such as "We were commanded to...", "We were forbidden from...", or "It is of the Sunnah to..." (umirna bi-kadha, nuhina 'an kadha, min al-sunnah kadha) .
- Third Section: Discusses phrases used by Successors (Tabi'un) when attributing a narration to a Companion with indirect elevating terminology, such as "he traces it back" (yablughu bihi), "he elevates it" (yarfa'uhu / rafa'ahu), "he attributes it" (yanmihi), or "as a narration" (riwayah) .
- Fourth Section: Investigates reports halted (mawquf) upon a Companion concerning unseen or devotional matters in which rational opinion (ra'y) has no scope .
- Fifth Section: Analyzes the legal and hadith status of the Companion's commentary and interpretation (tafsir) of the Qur'an .
In the conclusion, al-Zahrani classifies the formulas into two broad categories: plural phrases indicating habitual or communal practice among the Companions (which generally carry the ruling of being elevated, unless the act was typically private or concealed), and singular phrases of an individual Companion (which remain halted unless they pertain to reasons of revelation or topics beyond the scope of personal opinion, such as accounts of past prophets, the beginning of creation, future tribulations, and descriptions of the Day of Judgment, Paradise, and Hellfire) .
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