Abu Umayr al-Haarith bin Umayr al-Basari al-Makki

Name:

الحارث بن عمير ، أبو عمير البصرى ( نزيل مكة ، والد حمزة بن الحارث بن عمير )

Al-Haarith bin Umayr, Abu Umayr al-Basari (resident of Makkah, and the father of the famous Thiqah Imaam, Hamzah bin al-Haarith bin Umayr)

Tabaqah: 8 – From the Middle level of Taba Taabi’een

Narrated by: Al-Bukhaari in Ta’leeq form, Abu Dawood – Tirmidhi – Nasaa’ee – Ibn Maajah

Teachers: Ayyoob as-Sakhtiyaani, Humayd at-Ta’weel, Sulemaan bin al-Mugheerah, Ubaydullah bin Umar, Yahya bin Sa’eed al-Ansaari and others.

Students: Ibraaheem bin Muhammad bin Abbaas ash-Shaafi’ee al-Mutlabi, Abu Usaamah Hammaad bin Usaamah, Hamzah bin al-Haarith bin Umayr, Sufyaan ibn Uyaynah, Abdur Rahmaan bin Mahdi, Abdul Malik bin Qurayb al-Asma’ee, Ya’la bin Ubayd at-Tanaafsi and others.

Status: He is Thiqah; however his narration specifically from Muhammad bin Zanboor al-Makki (who is Thiqah according to the Jumhoor as well) is weak.

Opinions of Ahl ul-Jarh wat Ta’deel:

Those who praised him:

1-    Imaam Ahmed bin Hanbal said: “Al-Haarith bin Umayr from the companions of Ayyoob (as-Sakhtiyaani) is Thiqah Thiqah (twice for emphasis); Ismaa’eel (bin Ulayyah) used to narrate to us from him, and Ibn Uyaynah used to narrate from him”

[Su’alaat Abi Dawood: 233; Also see, Al-Ma’rifat wal Taareekh: 2/196, Chain Saheeh]

2-    Imaam Hammaad bin Zayd used to prefer Al-Haarith bin Umayr and praise him

[Kitaab al-Jarh wat Ta’deel: 3/83, Chain Saheeh]

Note: Imaam Abu Dawood has narrated without any chain from Imaam Hammaad bin Zayd that Hammaad bin Zayd looked at Haarith bin Umayr and said: “He is among the Thiqah companions of Ayyoob”

[Sunan Abu Dawood: 3604]

This saying is not on our condition since it is not proven authentically, wallahu a’lam

3-    Imaam Yahya ibn Ma’een said: “He is Thiqah”

[Al-Jarh wat Ta’deel: 3/83, Chain Saheeh]

He also said: “Thiqah Basari, and he is from Makkah”

[Su’alaat Ibn al-Junayd: 689]

He also said: “And al-Haarith bin Umayr is Thiqah”

[Taareekh Ibn Ma’een, narrated by ad-Dauri: 4297]

4-    Imaam Abu Zur’ah ar-Raazi said: “He is Thiqah, and a righteous person”

[Al-Jarh wat Ta’deel: 3/83]

5-    Imaam Abu Haatim ar-Raazi said: “He is Thiqah”

[Al-Jarh wat Ta’deel: 3/83]

6-    Imaam ad-Daaraqutni said: “He is Basari, lived in Makkah, he is Thiqah”

[Su’alaat al-Barqaani: 105]

7-    Imaam al-Ijlee said: “Al-Haarith bin Umayr is Thiqah”

[Ath-Thiqaat: 234]

8-    Imaam Bukhaari narrated Ta’leeqaat from him in Saheeh Bukhaari

[H. 1802]

Haafidh Ibn Hajar said: “And he is from the narrators of Bukhaari”

[Fath ul-Baari: 8/609 Under H. 4855]

Aynee Hanafi said: “Bukhaari has done Istish-haad from him”

[Sharh Sunan Abi Dawood lil Aynee: 5/47]

Muhammad bin Taahir al-Maqdisi said about Hammaad bin Salamah: “In fact, (Bukhaari) has done Istish-haad from him in several places to indicate that he is Thiqah”

[Shuroot al-Aimmah as-Sittah: P. 2]

9-    Imaam Ahmed bin Hanbal said: “When Abdur Rahmaan (bin Mahdi) narrates from a narrator then his narration is Hujjah (according to Ibn Mahdi)”

[Al-Kifaayah lil Khateeb: 1/298 H. 246, Chain Saheeh]

Imaam Abu Dawood asked Imaam Ahmed that if Yahya (bin Sa’eed al-Qattaan) and Abdur Rahmaan bin Mahdi narrate from a Majhool narrator, then will his narration be Hujjah? He replied: “Yes it will”

[Su’alaat Abu Dawood: 137]

Also see, Tadreeb ar-Raawi (1/317) and I’laa us-Sunan (19/216)

For the narration of Abdur Rahmaan bin Mahdi from Haarith bin Umayr see: Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah (1/57 H. 625)

10-          Thiqah Imaam, Ibraaheem bin Muhammad bin Abbaas ash-Shaafi’ee al-Mutlabi said that I heard (Imaam) Fudayl bin Ayyaadh saying in the funeral of Haarith bin Umayr that: “Have you heard anyone, he would not but say that Haarith bin Umayr was a good person”

[Su’alaat Ibn al-Junayd: 689, Chain Saheeh]

This proves that every person was praising him on his death – rahimahullah.

11-          Imaam Tirmidhi said about a narration of Haarith bin Umayr that: “This hadeeth is Hasan Saheeh Ghareeb from this route”

[Sunan at-Tirmidhi: 3707]

12-          Imaam Abu Awaanah al-Asfaraaini has narrated from Haarith bin Umayr in his Saheeh Abi Awaanah

[2/496 H. 3975, 4/439 H. 7242]

13-          Imaam Abu Nu’aym al-Asbahaani has narrated from him in Al-Mustakhraj Ala Saheeh Muslim

[4/123 H. 3394]

14-          Imaam al-Zaya al-Maqdisi has narrated from him in al-Mukhtaarah

[10/64-65 H. 58]

15-          Al-Busayri said about a hadeeth of Haarith bin Umayr that: “Its chain is Saheeh”

[Misbaah uz-Zajaajah: 1002]

16-          Haafidh Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaani said: “The Jumhoor has declared him Thiqah, and there are some Manaakeer in his ahadeeth due to which Al-Azdi and Ibn Hibbaan etc have weakened him, thus it is possible that his memory got deteriorated at the end”

[Taqreeb at-Tahdheeb: 1041]

Apart from the claim of the Tawtheeq of Jumhoor, the four criticisms mentioned in this saying are Mardood:

1.     The cause of Munkar narrations is not Haarith bin Umayr but his student Muhammad bin Zanboor al-Makki, as is coming ahead – in-shaa-Allaah

2.     Al-Azdi himself is weak, and this Jarh itself is also not proven from him.

3.     The Jarh of Ibn Hibbaan is unacceptable in this case because of being against the Jumhoor.

4.     The accusation of Deterioration is without any proof.

In another place, Haafidh Ibn Hajar himself has written that: “The Jumhoor has declared him Thiqah, Al-Azdi has acted strangely by weakening him and Haakim has followed him. And Ibn Hibbaan exaggerated when he said: His ahaadeeth are Mawdoo’”

[Hadi us-Saari: P. 456]

17-          Imaam Sulemaan bin Harb narrated the praise of Imaam Hammaad bin Zayd concerning Haarith bin Umayr and did not oppose it in any way, which in this case being in accordance to the Jumhoor is a proof of his agreement.

[See, Al-Jarh wat Ta’deel: 3/83; See Point # 2 above]

18-          Imaam Ya’qoob bin Sufyaan al-Faarsi narrated the tawtheeq of Imaam Ahmed bin Hanbal about Haarith bin Umayr and did not oppose it in any way.

[See, Kitaab al-Ma’rifat wal Taareekh: 2/196]

In fact the authors of al-Jaami fi al-Jarh wal Ta’deel have narrated this tawtheeq directly from Ya’qoob bin Sufyaan, wallahu a’lam

[See, 1/143 T. 749]

19-          Imaam Abu Dawood narrated a Munqati’ narration of Haarith bin Umayr (H. 1193) so Haafidh Abdul Haqq al-Ashbaylee took evidence from it in al-Ahkaam al-Wusta and did not make any Jarh on Haarith bin Umayr

[See, 2/88]

In fact, it is written in al-Ahkaam al-Kubra that: “This Al-Haarith bin Umayr is a pious person, Thiqah, Famous”

[2/435]

20-          Haafidh Dhahabi mentioned him in “Man Takallam Feehi Wahuwa Mawthaq”

[1/62 T. 73]

Those who criticized him:

1-    Haafidh Ibn Hibbaan said: “He is from those who narrates fabricated things from established narrators”

[Al-Majroheen: 1/223]

2-    Haakim al-Neesaaboori said: “He narrated fabricated narrations from Humayd at-Ta’weel and Ja’far bin Muhammad as-Saadiq, wallahu a’lam”

[Al-Madkhal Ila as-Saheeh: P. 127 T. 33]

3-    Ibn al-Jawzee mentioned him in Kitaab ad-Du’afa wal Matrokeen and narrated the Jarh of Ibn Hibbaan

[1/183 T. 722]

4-    Husayn bin Ibraaheem al-Jurqaani al-Hamdaani said about a narration attributed to Haarith bin Umayr that: “This hadeeth is Baatil” and narrated from Imaam Ibn Khuzaymah without any chain that: “Haarith bin Umayr is a Liar”

[Al-Abaateel wal Manaakeer: 2/279 H. 682]

Note: It is not at all proven with an authentic chain from Imaam Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Ishaaq bin Khuzaymah that he declared Haarith bin Umayr to be a Kadh-dhaab, therefore, the references of all the Muta’khireen are rejected because of being chain-less.

Note: The Jarh of Muhammad bin Husayn al-Azdi is not proven with an authentic chain, and Azdi himself is a weak person.

Note: The Jarh of Abu Sa’eed al-Naqaash is not proven with an authentic chain.

From this detail we come to know that only four or five or a little more people have criticized Haarith bin Umayr. Whereas, twenty (20) or more Muhadditheen have praised declared him Thiqah. Therefore, the Jarh of some people as compared to the Jumhoor is rejected.

Note: The narration of Haarith bin Umayr from Muhammad bin Zanboor is Da’eef, see al-Tankeel bima fee Ta’neeb al-Kawthari min al-Abaateel by Shaykh al-Mu’allami (1/223)

Conclusion:

Haarith bin Umayr al-Makki al-Basari – rahimahullah is Thiqah and Sadooq according to the Jumhoor and the Jarh of Haafidh Ibn Hibbaan on him is rejected.