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MAULID NABIYI (MAULIDI) BY BABA ALI MUSTAPHA

Posted by: 247tops blog Posted date: Monday, December 18, 2017 / comment : 0 , ,



             

Maulid Nabiyi (Maulidi) is celebrated by Sunni (Ah al Sunna Wal Ja’ma) Muslims throughout the Muslim world to commemorate the birth of Prophet Mohammed every year. It is usually observed in Rabial Auwal, the third month of the Islamic Calender.
            To observe this ceremony with my fellow Sunni (Ah al Sunna Wal Ja’ma) Muslims throughout the world this year I put up this research to know more about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s morals and what fair-minded impartial non Muslims thinkers tell us about the Messenger (SAW).
            In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Ever Merciful.
            All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, the seal of the Prophets, the best of the First and the latter generations, Our Master and Ideal.
            He is the possessor of the Hawdh (Basin) from which the believers will drink in the day of Judgement, the banner under which the believers will gather, the station of praise and glory, the bright marks on his face, hands and feet (i.e. the traces of ablution). He is the One who was mentioned in Al-Tawraah (Torah) and Al-Injeel (Gospel), and supported by Jibreel (Gabriel).
            His Lord distinguished him with the Al-Israa’ and Al-Miraj (Night journey to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa and Ascent to Heaven). He split the moon for him, made cure and blessing in his Saliva and sweat. With his invocation the rain was sent down. To him the tree submitted. Upon him, camels and stones sent their salutations. He was made victorious by awe, (Allah frightened his enemies at a distance of one month’s journey). He is the master of the sons of Adam, and he is not boasting.
            The evidence of his Prophethood are numerous and his noble manners and attributes are countless.
            The best of creation in his childhood, the most purified in his youth, the superior in his old age, the most righteous throughout his lifetime, the most just of judges, and the bravest in the battlefield. Allah the Almighty endowed him with every sublime moral and refined manner, purified him from every impurity, guarded him against every slip, taught him good manners and taught him well and endowed him with every noble trait. Thus, no one is like him in his perfection, nobility, truthfulness, honesty, asceticisin, bashfulness and chastity.
Such is the Messenger of Allah (SAW). All those who knew him well acknowledged his nobility, excellent nature, kind-heartedness, gentleness, wisdom, intelligent, firm determination and leniency.

What fair minded thinkers said about the bestman who ever lived (Muhammad (SAW)
No one can read about the Magnanimous manners and the noble character of the Messenger (SAW) without expressing their admiration of his character and their bedazzlement by it. Thus, it is no wander, that we see such fragrant praise fair testimonies from many of those who have not reverted to Islam and of which history recorded their quotations and in their books and heritage, to provide firm evidence and decisive proof of his sublime morals and characteristics (SAW).
Fair minded impartial non Muslim thinkers tell us about the Messenger (SAW) Muhammad (SAW) in the eyes of the Orientalist.
1. The American Orientalist, Washington Irving said, “Muhammad (SAW) was the last and greatest Prophet Allah has sent to call people to worship Him Alone” (Excerpted from Qaaloo ‘an Al-Islam (What they said about Islam) by Professor Imaad Addeen Khaleel).
2. The Spanish Orientalist, Jan Lake, in his book The Arabs said: “The life of Muhammad cannot be described using any words that are better than what Allah says; ‘And we have not sent you, (O Muhammad), except as a mercy to the world’) (Quran 21:107). Actually, Muhammad was a real mercy, and I ask for blessings upon passionately and ardently”.
3. The Italian Orientalist, Laura Veccia Vagelieri said: Muhammad, who always held on to the divine principles, was very tolerant especially with those who believe in One God. He knew how to have much patience with pagans, ever showing deliberation” ‘Apologia dell’ Islamismo (translated into English as: An interpretation of Islam by Laura Veccia Vaglieri).
4. The French Orientalist, Gustave Lee Bon, said: “Muhammad met all the harm and torture with much patience and endurance. Muhammad treated the people of Quraysh, who were his enemies for twenty years, with kindness and forbearance”. (La Civilization des Arabes, (The civilization of Arabs) by Gustave Le Bon).

Muhammad (SAW) in the eyes of the Philosophers:
1. The renowned British Philosopher and Playwright, Sir Bernard Shaw, said: “I have studied the life of the Messenger of Islam, very well, time after time, and I have found nothing but moral standards as they should be. I always wished that Islam would become the way of the world (Ar-Rasool, Sallallahu alayhi wasallam, fe uyoon Gharbiyyah Munsifah by Al Husaini Ma’di).
2. The English Philosopher, Thomas Carlyle, who was said to be the best British Mind after Shakespeare said: “This great, kind hearted merciful wise man had other thoughts in his mind than worldly ambitions, and other intentions than seeking authority and high status”. (Ar-Rasool , Sallallahu alayhi wasallam, fe uyoon Gharbiyyah Munsifah by Al Husaini Ma’di).

Muhammad (SAW) in the eyes of Historians.
1. The British Historian, Sir William Muir, said: Mahomet, Peace be upon Him, was characterized by his distinct and emphatic speech. His religion is uncomplicated. He did amazing actions. Actually, history has never witnessed a reformer like the Prophet of Islam who increased awareness and revived the proper meaning of noble manners and virtue in such short time.
            He added: A remarkable feature was the urbanity and consideration with which Mohamet treated even the most insignificant of his followers. Modesty and kindness, patience, self denial, and generosity, pervaded his conduct and riveted the affections of all around him. He was not known ever to refuse an invitation to the house of even of the meanest, nor to decline a proffered present however small. When seated by a friend, he did not haughtily advance his knees toward him. He possessed the rare faculty of making each the individual in a company think he was the most fevered guest. When he met anyone rejoicing, he would seize him eagerly and cordially by his hand. With the bereaved and afflicted he sympathized tenderly. He share his food, even in times of scarcity, with others; and was sedulously solicitous for the personal comfort of everyone about him”. (The Life of Mahomet by William Muir and Ar-Rasool Sallahu alaihu wasallam by Sa’eed Hawa).

Muhammad (SAW) in the eyes of Poets and Linguists:
1. The famous French Poet, Alphonse de Lamartine said: “I have studied the life of Muhammad well and realized the greatness of it”. (Voyage en Orient (Travelling to the Orient).
2. The well known German Poet and Writer, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, said: “I have searched the history of humanity for a role model for man and found it in the Arab Prophet Muhammad” (Allahs Sonne Uber dem Abendland (Allah’s sun over the occident) by Sigrid Hunke).
3. The French Writer, Edward Montet, Professor of Oriented Languages at the University of Geneva said in his book Muhammad and the Quran: “Muhammad, Peace be upon him, had magnanimous manners, sublime morality, sweet speech and soundness of judgement, truthfulness of words and a firm belief in what he did and said”.
            These are testimonies of some European Orientalist, Philosophers, historians and poets about the noble character of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the seal of the Prophet Muhammad. We aim to prove that the Western people acknowledge the Prophethood of Muhammad (SAW), his noble traits and his favor that will last until the day of judgement over mankind in all part of the world.
            Although Christians European fanaticism is always partial and make no attempt to be objective, there are still fair-minded thinkers who affirmed the truth unequivocally. However, the dominant western cultural trends that are filled with fanaticism, stubbornness and self centeredness explored every possible avenue to hide and suppress these obvious facts, so that European lay person would not know these facts that his fellow countrymen had proved true about Islam, its Prophet and his universal everlasting message. All such things are done only to realize two aims:
            First, to keep the Christians of Europe away from Islam whose effectiveness in attacking the human personality was evidently proved. In fact, the people in the West are afraid of Islam because of the steady decline in the number of those converting to Christianity in the world inspite of the enormous amounts of money and time they spend to make people Christians.
            The well known evangelist, Lawrence Brown said, “ we have found that the real danger for us is Islam and its ability to expand and to submit people to its teachings and its remarkable vitality”. He added: “the real universal danger in this age is Muslims. So we have to unify our powers, mobilize armies and be aware of it.
            …..the cause of Islam is totally different from the Jewish One. The religion of Muslims differs from that of the Jews. It calls all people to embrace it. It is spreading among the Christians themselves and among non-christians. As a matter of fact, Muslims engaged in a long struggle in Europe. Muslims, as the Evangelist view, have never been a trodden-upon minority….Therefore, we see evangelist supporting the Jews against Muslims in Palestine. We used to fear the Jews, the yellow danger (Japan when it defeated China), and the Bolsherik danger, however, none of those dangers have been realized as we expected. We have found that the Jews are our friends and thus, whoever oppresses them will be our sworn enemy. Furthermore, we have discovered that the Bolsheriks are our allies. As for the yellow people, there are big democratic states resisting them. Indeed, the real danger lie in the system of Islam” (At Tabsheer wal-isti-maar (Evangelization and occupation) by Dr. Mustafa Al-Khaalidy and Dr. Amr Farrookh, excerpted from Al-Bayaan Magazine, Issue no. 174 p.92 and Ar-Rasol fi uyoon Gharbiyya Munsifah (The Messenger (PBUH) in fair minded Western eyes).
            Second, guaranteeing the continuation of the conflict between the West and Islam, and their disagreement for the interest of Zionism and free masonry that believe they are the first party to be harmed by any agreement or serious dialogue between Islam and the West.
            Finally, just last two weeks, Mr. Donald Trump, the President of U.S.A. breaking all the international laws and United Nation Resolutions, recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. It is the biggest mistake, the government of U.S.A. ever did. The only option for the Muslim countries is not violent, but for the organization of Islamic Countries (O.I.C) with strong members about 63 countries and headquarters at Jidda Saudi Arabia to call emergency meeting of its foreign affairs ministers and inform them to recall their ambassadors from Washington (U.S.A.) and sent packing the ambassadors of U.S.A and Israel from their soil. In addition all the member countries of organization of Islamic Countries (O.I.C) should refuse to recognize New York as headquarters of United Nation. UN either moved its headquarters to either London or Berlin (Germany) the neutral ground or they quit the organization (UN) and set up a parallel organization for the Muslims. That is the only solution.
            Baba Ali Mustapha is with the department of Planning and Research in the Ministry of Environment, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
Reference:
For further knowledge look for the book Muhammad (SAW) The Best Man who ever lived by Abu Abdurahaman, Hishaam Muhammad-Sa’eed Barghash, published by Muslim World League, The Global Centre for introducing the Messenger. Kingdom Saudi Arabia, P.O. BOX, 361199 Riyadh, 11311. www.mercyprophet.com , info@mercyprophet.com



ISAAC NEWTON (The Greatest Scientist Ever Lived) By Baba Ali Mustapha

Posted by: 247tops blog Posted date: Saturday, December 16, 2017 / comment : 0 , ,


                This research is the concluding part of the research work that was posted on the internet on Friday 10th November 2017, under the title 'MUHAMMAD (PBUH) THE GREATEST, where Michael H. Hart chose Muhammed to lead the list of the world's most influential persons in history in his book, but what surprise many is that he listed ISAAC NEWTON second, in series below Muhammad, but above even his Prophet Jesus Christ who is third in the series and Moses who is in No. 16 in his book. So who is that Isaac Newton.
                I here by privileged to present to you the entire chapter of Isaac Newton, from the second Michael Hart's book THE 100 A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN HISTORY. After that i will list the remaining 98 names of most influential people in history.
2. ISAAC NEWTON 1642-1727
                Isaac Newton, the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived, was born in Woolsthope, England, on Christmas day, 1642, the same year that Galilio died, like Muhammad he was born after the death of his father. As a child, he showed considerable mechanical aptitude, and was very clever with his hands. although, a bright child, he was inattentive in school and did not attract much attention. When he was a teenager, his mother took him out of school, hoping that he would become a successful farmer fortunately she was persuaded that his principal talents lay elsewhere, and at eighteen, he entered Cambridge University. There he rapidly absorbed what was then known of Science and Mathematic, and soon move on his independent research. Between his twenty-first and twenty-seventh years, he laid the foundations for the scientific theories that sequently revolutionized the world.
                The middle of the seventeenth century was a period of great scientific ferment. The invention of the telescope near the beginning of the century had revolutionized the entire study of astronomy. The English Francis Bacon and the French Philosopher Rene Descartes had both urged scientists throughout Europe to cease relying on the authority of Aristotle and to experiment and observe for themselves. What Bacon and Descartes had preached, the great Galilio had practiced. His astronomical observations, using the newly invented telescope, had revolutionized the study of astronomy and his mechanical experiments had established what is known as Newton's First Law of motion.
                Other great scientists, such as William Harvey, who discovered the circulation of the blood, and Johannes Kepler, who discovered the laws describing the motions of the planets around the sun, were bringing new basic information to the scientific community. Still, pure science was largely a play thing of intellectual’s and as yet there was no proof that when applied to technology, science could revolutionize the whole mode of human life, as Francis a Bacon has predicted.
                Although Copernicus and Galileo had swept aside some of the misconceptions of ancient science and contributed to a greater understanding of the universe, no set of Principles had been formulated that could turn this collection of seemingly unrelated fact into a unified theory with which to make scientific predictions. It was Isaac Newton who supplied that unified theory and set Modern science on the course which it has followed ever since.
                Newton was always reluctant to publish his results, and although he had formulated the basic ideas behind most of his work by 1669, many of his theories were not made public until much later. The first of his discoveries to be published was his ground breaking work on the nature of light. In a series of careful experiments, Newton had discovered that ordinary white light is a mixture of all the colors of the rainbow. He had also made a careful analysis of the consequences of the laws of the reflection and refraction of light. Using these laws, he had in 1668 designed and actually built the first reflection telescope, the type of telescope that is used in most major astronomical observations today. These discoveries together with the results of many other optical experiments which he performed, were presented by Newton before the British Royal Society when he was twenty-nine years old.
                Newton's achievements in the optics alone would probably entitle him to a place on this list; however, they considerably less important than his accomplishments in pure mathematics and mechanics. His major mathematical contribution was his invention of integral calculus, which he probably devised when he was twenty-three or twenty four years old. That modern mathematics, is not merely the seed out of which of modern mathematical theory has grown, it is also the essential tool without which most of the subsequent progress in modern science would have been impossible. Had Newton done nothing else, the invention of integral calculus by itself would have entitled him to a fairly high place on this list.
                Newton's most important discoveries however, were in the field of mechanics, the science of how material object move. Galileo had discovered the first law of motion, which describes the motion of objects if they are not subjected to any exterior forces. In practice, of course, all objects are subjected to exterior forces, and the most in important question in mechanics is how subject move under such circumstances. This problem was solved by Newton in his famous second law of motion, which may rightly be considered the most fundamental law of classical physics. The second law (described mathematically by the equation F=Ma) states that the acceleration of an object (i.e. the rate at which its velocity changes (is equal to the net force on the object divided by the object mass. To these first two laws, Newton added his famous third law of motion (which states that for each action-i.e, physical force-there is an equal and opposite reaction), and the most famous of his scientific laws, the law of universal gravitation. This set of four laws, taken conjointly, from a unified system by means of which virtually all macroscopic mechanical systems, form the swinging of a pendulum to the motion of the planets in the orbit  around the sun, may be investigated and their behaviour-predicted. Newton did not merely state these laws of mechanics; have himself using the Mathematical tools of the calculus, showed how these fundamental laws could be applied to the solution of actual problems.
                Newton's laws can be and have been applied to an extremely broad range of scientific and engineering problems. During his lifetime, the most dramatic application of his laws was made in the field of astronomy. In this area, too Newton led the way. In 1687, he published his greatest work, the mathematical principle of natural philosophy (usually referred to simple, as Principles) , in which he presented his law of gravitation and laws of motion. Newton showed how these laws could be used to predict precisely the motions of the planets around the sun. The principal problem of dynamical astronomy that is, the problem of predicting exactly the positions and motion s of the stars and planets was thereby completely solved by Newton in one magnificent sweep. For this reason, Newton often considered the greatest of all astronomers.
                What then is our assessment Newton scientific importance? if one look at the index of encyclopedia of science, one will find more references(perhaps two or three times as many) to Newton and to Vis law and discoveries than any other individual scientist. Furthermore, one should consider what other great scientists have said about Newton. Leibniz, no friend of Sir Isaac's, and a man with whom he engaged in bitter dispute wrote " Taking mathematics from the beginning of the world to the time when Newton lived, what he has done is much better part. Te great French scientist Uplale wrote: The principia is pre-eminent above any other production of human genius", Lagrange frequently stated that Newton was the greatest genius who ever lived while Ernst Mach, writing in 1901 said, "All that has been accomplished in mathematics since Vies day Vas been a deductive, formal and mathematical development of mechanics on the basis of Newton’s laws", this perhaps is the crux of Newton's great accomplishment; he found science a Vadgepodge of isolated facts, and laws, capable of describing some phenomenal but of predicting only a few, he left us, a unified system of laws, which were capable of application to an enormous range of physical phenomena and which could be used to make exact predictions.
                In a brief summary like this, it is not possible to detail all of Newton's discoveries, consequently, many of the lesser one have been omitted, although they were important achievements in their own right. Newton made significant contributions to thermodynamic (the study of heat) and to acoustic (the study of sound); he enunciated the extremely important physical principles of conservation of angular momentums; he discovered the binomial theorem on mathematics and he gave the first cogent explanation of the origin of the stars.
                Now, one might grant that Newton  was by far the greatest most influential scientist who ever lived but still ask why he should be ranked higher than such major political figure as Alexander the great or George Washington, and ahead of such major religious figures as Jesus and Gautama Buddha. My own view is that even the political changes are of significance, it is fair to say that most people in the world were living the same way 500 years after Alexander's death as their forebears had lived five centuries, before his time. Similarly, in most of their daily activities, the majority of human beings were living the same way in 1500 A.D. as human beings shad been living in 1500 B.C. In the last five centuries however with the rise of modern science, the everyday life of most human being has been completely revolutionized. We dress differently, eat completely different food, work at different jobs and spend our leisure time a great deal differently than people did in 1500 A.D. Scientific discoveries have not only revolutionized technology and economic, they have also completely changed politics, religious thinking, art and philosophy. Few aspect of human activity have remained unchanged by this scientific revolution, and it is for this reason that so many scientists and inventors are to be found on this list, Newton was not only the brilliant of all scientists, he was also the most influential figure in the development of scientific theory, and therefore well merits a position at or near the top of any list of world's most influential persons.
                Newton died in 1727, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, the first scientist to be accorded that honor.
                This is tve end of the chapter on Isaac Newton from the book "THE 100 A RANKING OF MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY by Michael H. Hart in which he ranked Isaac Newton as the second most influential person in the history, above both Jesus Christ and Moses.
                HERE IS COMPLETE LIST OF NAMES OF MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY by Michael H. Hart; serially:
1. Muhammad
2. Isaac Newton
3. Jesus Christ
4. Buddha
5. Confucius
6. St. Paul
7. Ts'ai Lun
8. Johann Gutenberg
9. Christopher Columbus
10. Albert Einstein
11. Karl Max
12. Lois Pasteur
13. Galileo Galilei
14. Aristotle
15. Lenin
16. Moses
17. Charles Darwin
18. Shih Huang Ti
19. Augustus Caesar
24. Niclous Copernicus
25. James Watt
26. Constantine The Great
27. George Washington
28. Michael Faraday
29. James Clerk Maxwell
30. Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright
31. Antione Laurent Laveisier
32. Sigmund Frend
33. Alexander The Great
34. Napoleon Banaparte
35. Adolf Hitler
36. William Shakespeare
37. Adam Smith
38. Thomas Edison
39. Anthony Van Leeuwenheak
40. Plato
41. Guglielmo Marconi
42. Ludwig Van Beethoven
43. Werner Heisenberg
44. Alexander Fleing
45. Alexander Grahambell
46. Simon Boliver
47. Oliver Cromwell
48. John Locke
49. Michelangelo
50. Pope Urben II
51. Umar Ibn al Khattab
52. Asoka
53. St. Augustine
54. Max Planck
55. John Caluin
56. William T.G. Morton
57. William Harvey
58. Antoine Henri Beequerel
59. Gregor Mendel
60. Joseph Lister
61. Nikolaus sAugust Otto
62. Louis Daguerre
63. Joseph Stalin
64. Rene Descartes
65. Julius Caesar
66. Francisco Pizarro
67. Hernando Cartes
68. Queen Isabella I
69. William The Conqueror
70. Thomas Jefferson
71. Jean Jacques Rousseau
72. Edward Jenner
73. Wihelm Conrad Rontgen
74. Johann Sebastian Bach
75. Lao Tzu
76. Enrico Fermi
77. Thomas Malthus
78. Francis Bacon
79. Voltaire
80. John F. Kennedy
81. Gregory Pincus
82. Sus Wen Ti
83. Mani
84. Vasco da Gama
85. Charlemagne
86. Cyrus The Great
87. Leohard Euler
88. Niccolo Machiarelli
89. Zoroaster
90. Menes
91. Peter The Great
92. Mencius
93. John Dalton
94. Homer
95. Queen Elizabeth
96. Justinian I
97. Johannes Kepler
98. Pablo Picasso
99. Mahavira
100. Niels Bohr
                Baba Ali Mustapha is of Ngranam Ward, Bolori II, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
Reference:
1. For the chapter on each of these personalities, you look for the book " THE 100 A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY by Michael H. Hart published in United State of America (USA).
2. Locally in Nigeria Sarumedi @08039090800 has published a book with the same title containing most of the notable personalities with chapters.


MUHAMMED (PHUH) THE GREATEST BY BABA ALI MUSTAPHA

Posted by: 247tops blog Posted date: Friday, November 10, 2017 / comment : 0 , ,



To every Muslim on this planet earth irrespective of cultural, geographical and political differences, Muhammed (PBUH) is Allah's greatest creation and was sent as a mercy for all mankind. A thousand million Muslims however, do not require any surveys, list or research to arrive at this conclusion. It is a non-negotiable article of faith that Muhammed (PBUH) is the greatest

THE SCIENCE OF HADITH BY BABA ALI MUSTAPHA

Posted by: 247tops blog Posted date: Tuesday, June 20, 2017 / comment : 0 , ,



THE ORIGIN OF HADITH
            The activities of Muhammad, the Prophet, interested his followers who considered that their success depended on his success. All his actions served them as precedent, a Sunnah, every word of his was law to them; all his actions were virtuous in their eyes; all these they wanted to follow as faithfully as they could. The reports of these passed from one to the other among his followers. Some of them wrote down these reports which later generations read and studied. Most of the companions of the Prophet naturally sought after the knowledge of what the Prophet did or said. For example, Abu Hurayrah kept his constant company for three years, at the expense of his other worldly affairs, in order to see and hear, first hand, of what the Prophet said and did. He also regularly devoted a considerable time to getting by heart what he had heard from him. Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Caliph in Islam, who was living at a distance from Medina, and was unable to attend the Prophet everyday, made an agreement with one of the Ansar (the Medinese Muslims) to attend to him every alternate day and report to each other whatever they saw or heard from the Prophet. Such other of his followers who were unable to attend to him everyday some from those who had seen or heard from him. It is said to have been a common practice among the companions that whatever any two of them met, they inquired from each other whether there was something new.
            During the Prophet’s lifetime, his followers had free access to him for advice, judgement and decision. The quest for knowledge of the Prophet’s stand on many issues increased with his death, and the reports of eye witness and ear-witnesses among the companions were elicited and collected. These reports gradually acquired great weight and authority. With the passing of time, the collection of eye witness and ear witness accounts became systematic. The death of the companions made it necessary to rely on the second hand reports by their sons and servants, and later those of their grandsons. Eventually, chains of transmitters developed in such a way that it bridged the gap between living generation and the Prophet’s age in which each scholar would refer to an earlier authority from which he had heard the report. The word hadith which originally meant “an event” , “a report”, “an incident”, come to be technically applied to these special reports as well as for the resulting theological system. Thus hadith came to be translated apostolic traditions. If these traditions were to be accepted as reliable, then the transmitting authorities had to have an acknowledged reputation for trustworthiness, honesty and scholarship. In  the eyes of the early scholars the reliability of the transmitting authorities vouched for the truth of the report. In this manner, the hadith became an embodiment for the “way” of the Prophet-that is , the method be followed in his ablutions, his prayer, pilgrimage or in his buying and selling things; in his judgement and command about a marriage or the manumission of slaves and so on. Also, his discourses and utterances, his actions and even his silent approval of the practice of the people of Medina of his time and also his passive conduct, all these acquired a binding force and formed the basis of every Muslim’s life.
TRANSMISSION OF THE HADITH
            Scholars used to take along journeys to attend the lectures of such person as were as famous as reliable authorities of traditions. These traditions were delivered orally by the teachers. It was also usual for one student to read out a copy while the other student listened and the teacher improved where necessary, what was read and gave explanatory notes. In this way, it was the custom of say that X told me or informed me in the presence of Y etc.  One who heard traditions in this way under the direction of a teacher could in his pass them to others. Later copying and collation of written texts become in use and oral transmission fell into disuse. The traditions were then simply copied and permission was obtained to transmit them with the usual formula, haddathani meaning “X told me”, just as if the contents had been acquired by oral intercourse from the teacher.
COLLECTION OF THE HADITH
            The collection of hadith was carried on from the beginning and also for a long time as a private concern. That is, only those who were interested in this science undertook to study and collect it. A time came when many of those who knew and memorized the traditions were dying because of old age. Then a new anxiety began to develop, a fear that the knowledge of traditions of the Prophet might perish with the death of those who possessed them, we read that the Umayyad Caliph Umar b Abdul Aziz (717-720AD) gave an order to the great traditionist Abu Bakar b Muhammad b. Hazm (d, 719 AD) who lived in Medina, and instructed him to write down all the tradition of the Prophet which he could collect, particularly those he could learn from “Amrah the daughter of Abdulrahman. Amrah was at that time the best custodian of such traditions as were related by Aisha, the widow of the Prophet. This Abubakr was one of the Ansar and he was the judge in Medina and Amrah was his aunt.

            This same Caliph was also reported to have asked some scholars like Sa’ad b. Ibrahim and Ibn Shinab al-Zuhri, to collect hadith in the form of book in order to have them circulated throughout his empire. He was also reported to have written a circular letter asking the traditionalists (Scholars of traditions) living in the various part of the empire to collect in the form of books as many traditions as were available.
            Many scholars responded to the request and advice the Caliph and many collectors of traditions followed in the various provinces. Later scholars travelled from one place to another in search of traditions. Then there emerged many collections in form of books. When more formal books were compiled a system of criticism also emerged and was applied to each of the collections. The first book compiled was the Muwatta of Malik (Circa-93-179AH) the great Medina doctor of Law. He gives Isnads and arranges his material according to subject matter. Although, the Muwatta is really a handbook on law, it has been helped by some to be one of the basic hadith works.  Malik sometimes traces traditions back to Prophet, sometime to content to trace them back to a companion of the Prophet and sometimes gives his own opinion about matters.
            In the course of time, six books came to be recognized as the most authoritative of all. These were Salih of Bukhari (194-256AH), the Salih of Muslim (202-261AH), and the four sunan work of Abu Dawud 9202-275AH), Tirmidhi (d.279AH), Nasa’I (215-303 AH), and Ibn Majah (209-273 AH). They were not all recognized immediately but the two Salih fairly quickly commended themselves.
            The subject matter of Hadith is very comprehensive, covering every topic on which guidance might be sought. This being illustrated from a consideration of the subject covered by Bukhari and Muslim in their Salih. Bukhari, in his Salih which is divided into 97 books, stars with three books on the beginning of the revelation, faith and knowledge. Next came 30 books connected with ablution, prayer, zakat, pilgrimage and fasting. This is followed by 22 books dealing with matters of business, trusteeship, and in general with conditions of employment and various legal matters.
            Then came three books on fighting for the faith and dealing with subject people, followed by one on the beginning of creation. The next four deal with Prophets and with some account of the life of the Prophet Muhammad up to Hijra. The next book deal with the Prophet’s career in Medina. The following two books give a commentary on passages from the Qu’ran. The next three deal with marriage, divorce and maintenance due to one’s family.
            From  here to book 95, various subjects are treated, among them are such matters as food, drink, clothing, seeming behavior, medicine, invitations, vows, the expiration of broken vows, blood-revenge, persecution, the interpretation of visions, civil strife and the trials before the end of the world. Book 96 stresses the importance of adhering to the Qu’ran and the Sunna, and the last book, which is fairly lengthy, deals with God’s unity.
            Muslim’s Salih covers very much the same ground. The four sunnan work confine themselves to matters of religious observance, law, personal relationships and eschatology. But Tirmidhi includes some commentary on the Qu’ran, and devoted to the fine qualities of various people, a book in which he includes material about the Prophet, his family and his companions. Tirmidhi’s work is sometime called a Salih.
THE SIX COMPILER OF THE HADITH
            The six book recognized as the most authoritative works of the compilations of the Hadith are:
(a)    Salihul Bukhari
(b)   Salih Muslim
(c)    The sunan work of Dawud
(d)   The sunan work of al-Tirmidhi
(e)    The sunan work of al-Nasal
(f)    The sunan work of Ibn Majah.
The compilers of these works are:
Al-Imam al Bukhari (194-256 AH): His full name is Muhammad Ibn Ismail Abu Abdullahi, he was born in Bukhara on the 13th Shawwal 194 AH (21st July 810 AD). He lost his father when he was young, and was left under the care of his mother. Since his childhood, he had been known to his people by his wonderfully retentive memory. It was stated that his class-fellows used to correct their manuscript from  his recitation.
            Being interested in the hadith and its relations. Al-Bukhari, when reached the age of eleven, he corrected his recitation by a well known traditionalist. When he was sixteen he became a master of hadith.
            When he was eighteen, he compiled a book relating to the judgement of the Prophet’s companions. He was encouraged by one of his teachers, and became more interested and ambitious when he saw the Prophet Muhammad one night in his dream. His dream was interpreted as indication that he should undertake the work of sighting the true hadiths from the falseones.
            Al-Bukhari from that time devoted himself to the compilation of the hadith and travelled throughout the Muslim world for nearly forty years to quest his knowledge.
            He claims to have heard traditions from over 1,000 sheiks. He was noted for his responsibility in detecting defects in traditions and never accepted any hadith unless all its transmitters were reliable person and until there was proof of one meeting the other in the chain of narrators.
            Al-Bukhari collected 600,000 traditions out of which he knew by heart 220,000, but of this mass, he took only 7,257 tradition as the most authentic. This does not mean the rest were fabrications. But many were repetitions with different chains of narrators.

Al Imam Muslim: (204-261 AH): His full name was Abul-Husain Muslim Ibn el-Hajjaji. He was born in Khurasan in 204 AH). He studied the hadith under many teachers throughout the Muslim world. He travelled far and wide with the object of learning hadith. He learnt the hadith from Yahya of Khurasan, Ahmed Ibn Hambal in Iraq, Said Ibn Mansur in Hijaz and Umar Ibn Dawad in Egypt.
            The book of Al-Imam Muslim is called Salih of Muslim, the same with al-Bukhari. The Salih of Muslim is a selection of 9, 200 hadith, selected out of 300,000. Muslim has more or less followed the Pattern of Al-Imam Al Bukhari, whom he met in his last days at Nisabur.
            This compilation is considered just next to Bukhari’s in accuracy and authenticity. He wrote many books of which the most renowed is the Salih.
Abu Dawud (203-275 AH). His full name was Abu Dawud Sulaiman Ibn Asha’ath Ibn Ishaq. He was born in 203 AH (889AD). He was a great traditionalist, and had written many books of which the most noted is the sunan. The well versed authentic one, next to the Salihs of Imans Bukhari and Muslim. It took him twenty years to compile the work which contain 4,600 traditions, selected out of 500,000 traditions and taken to be a standard work on hadith. There is another book of him on hadith called the Musnad.
Al-Tirmidhy (209-279AH) His name was Abu-Isa Muhammad. He was born in 209 AH and died in 279 AH (892AD). His work on hadith which he called Jami, is one of the six authentic works on hadith. Trying to fix the degree of reliability of the narrators he was able to fix the identity of names, surnames and titles of those persons.  Al Trimidhy includes some commentary of the Qur’an and in a book which deals also about the Prophet, his family and about his companions.
Al Nasai’i (214-303 AH). His name was Abu Abdulrahman, Ahmed Ibn Shu’ab Ibn al-Nasai. He was also a leading traditionalist. His books contains some traditions among which those not favour of Mu’awiyah, the first Umayyad Caliph of Islam, and had a leaning towards the family of the Prophet. Because of his sympathies with Ali the fourth well guided Caliph of Islam, he was persecuted by the Umayyads and beaten to death in a mosque after writing a book in favour of Ali.
Ibn Majah (209-273AH). His full name is Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Yazid Ibn Majah. He was a well known traditionalist who had travelled to various Islamic cities to collect materials and then compiled his sunan books, the last of the six authentic books. Apart from this book he had written the history of the companions with those who followed them till his age, and also the commentary of the holy Qur’an named AL TAFSIR.
THE DIVISIONS OF HADITH
            Traditions may commonly be divided into four main groups; (1) Sahih (sound), (2) Hassan (good), (3) Hassan Sahih, (4) Daif (Weak).
            All the tradition given by Bukhari and Muslim are reckoned Salih, as are those not given by them which fulfill the conditions laid down by either or both of these men, and also others which are thoroughly reliable in the opinion of other authorities.
            Hassan traditions are (a) those whose source is known and whose man are well known for their reliability and accuracy, (b) those whose Isnad contain no one suspected of falsehood, which does not disagree with what is generally reported. Hassan tradition have been recognized as valid base for legal decision.
            Hassan Salih is used for a tradition whose Isnad is the type known as Hassan, but which is supported by another which has an Isnad which is Salih.
            Daif (weak) traditions are those chain of authorities (Isnad) has links missing, defect in the transmission, or traditions which disagree with what is commonly reported.
            Although Daif traditions have not been recognized as valid bases for legal decisions, all traditions called Daif are not rejected out of hand. Those which exhort people to do good, or which tell incident may be quoted. Abu Dawud quite often uses Daif tradition when he can find nothing better to illustrate the point with which he is dealing.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HADITH
            The hadith of the Holy Prophet is the second source from which the teachings of Islam are drawn. As we know, the Qur’an generally deals with the broad principles or essentials of religion, going into details in rare cases.
            The details were generally supplied by the Holy Prophet himself, either by showing in his practice how an injunction can be carried out, by giving an explanation in words.
            The sunna or the hadith of the Holy Prophet was a thing whose need had been felt in his lifetime and much more so after his death. The two most important institutions of Islam, for instance, are prayer and zakat (almsgiving). Yet when injunctions relating to prayer and zakat were delivered and they were repeatedly met  with both in Mecca and Medina revelation, no detail were supplied. Keep up prayer is the Qur’anic injunction, and it was the Prophet himself who by his own action gave the details of the service.
“pay alms” is again an injunction frequency repeated in the Holy Qur’an, yet it was the Holy Prophet who gave the rules and regulations for the payment and collection.
            These are but two examples, but since Islam covered the whole sphere of human activities, hundreds of points has to be explained by the Holy Prophet by his example in action and word, while on the other side, this was the pattern which every Muslim was required to follow.
            “verily in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow (Sura 33:21).
            The man, therefore, who embraced Islam stood in need of both the Holy Qur’an and the Sunna. The role of Sunna is not limited to clarifying the duties implied in general commandments revealed in the Qur’an. Often the Sunna establishes new obligations and prohibition for which no clear reference can be found in the Qur’an.
            This is not, however, an addition to the legislation of the Qur’an, for a careful study may show that each of the traditions expresses the spirit of a more general teaching in the book, even though the ties connected each tradition with each appropriate foundation in the Qur’an are not easily discovered.
            For example, the Qur’an instituted the fast during the month of Ramadan as training in piety and patience, and an opportunity to express the thankfulness of divine blessings, the Prophet added the requirement that alms be given at the end of the fast of Ramadan as an act which is in an addition mean of accomplishing these purposes.
            The Qur’an forbids usury; the Sunna forbids those usurious sales in which the increase of price has the same effect. Since such sales, halfway between the legitimate sale and forbidden usury, fell within a doubtful and suspected area of business activity, tradition rightly forbade them under the legislation of the Qur’an which recommends that  we abstain from any action when in doubt.
            The Sunna, based on the verified traditions concerning the teachings, actions and tacit approval of the Prophet, is justifiable binding on all Muslims. Since the Qur’an gave the Prophet full power to enlighten men concerning the meaning of the revelations, he was the best qualified to legislate in matter requiring clarification.
            And also, Muhammad’s role was limited to receiving the revelations, learning it, writing it down, transmitting, explaining and applying it. Muhammad could not go beyond or change or modify the Qur’an in way, nor can any other believer.
            The Prophet led us out of the darkness of ignorance into the light of truth. Lost and vicious we were, he brought us back to the straight path of Islam.
            In conclusion, for the knowledge on the text in Arabic, transliteration, translation and commentary of the FORTY-TWO HADITH OF AL NAWAWI, I refer you to these books, HADITH by M. Bashir Sambo and Muhammad Hiqah, THE SELECTED TRADITIONS OF AL NAWAWI by Musa O.A. Abdul and Introduction to the Hadith by A. Rahman. Doi.
            Baba Ali Mustapha is with the department of Planning/Research, Ministry of Environment, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.

Reference:
 The selected traditions of Al Nawawi by Dr. Musa O.A. Abdul, published by Islamic Publication Bureau, 136A Isolo road, Mushin, Lagos, Nigeria.
2.      Introduction to the hadith by A. Rahman .I. Doi, published by Hudahuda publication company, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
3.      Hadith (book 3)by M. Bashir Sambo and Muhammed Hiqab, published by Islamic Publication Bureau, 136A Isolo road, Mushin, Lagos, Nigeria.
4.      Usool Al- Hadith (The Methodology of Hadith) by Dr. Abu Ameenah, Bilal Philips, published by International Islamic Publication House.
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