Abdullah bin Naafi’ bin Abi Naafi’ as-Saa’igh

Name:

عبد الله بن نافع بن أبى نافع الصائغ القرشى المخزومى مولاهم ، أبو محمد المدنى

Abdullah bin Naafi’ bin Abi Naafi’ as-Saa’igh al-Qurashi al-Makhzoomi, mawlahum, Abu Muhammad al-Madani

Tabaqah: 10 - From Major level of those who narrated from Taba Taabi'een

Death: 206 H and it is also said, after that.

Narrated by: Al-Bukhaari in Adab al-Mufrad – Muslim – Abu Dawood – Tirmidhi – Nasaa'ee – Ibn Maajah

Teachers: Usaamah bin Zayd al-Laythi, Hammaad bin Abi Humayd al-Madani, Abdullah bin Umar al-Umri, Abdullah bin Naafi’ mawla Ibn Umar, Abdur Rahmaan bin Abi az-Zinaad, Al-Laythi bin Sa’d, Maalik bin Anas, and others.

Students: Ahmed bin Saalih al-Misri, Zubayr bin Bakkaar, Abdur Rahmaan bin Ibraaheem ad-Dimashqi Duhaym, Qutaybah bin Sa’eed, Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Numayr, Muhammad bin Yahya adh-Dhuhali, Yoonus bin Abdul A’la, Muhammad bin Idrees ash-Shaafi’ee, and others.

Status: Sadooq Hasan ul-Hadeeth, Saheeh ul-Kitaab

Opinions of Ahl ul-Jarh wat Ta’deel:

Those who praised him:

1-    Imaam Muhammad bin Sa’d (D. 230) said:

“كان قد لزم مالك بن أنس لزوما شديدا لا يقدم عليه أحدًا ، وهو دون معن”

“His companionship with Maalik was extremely severe (meaning he was extremely tightly associted with Malik); no one precedes him in that, and he is next to Ma’n (bin Eesaa – Thiqah Thabat, and is considered the most precise in narrating from Maalik)”

[ Tabaqaah al-Kubra (16/210)]

2-    Uthmaan bin Sa’eed ad-Daarimi, Abbaas ad-Dauri, and Ibn Abi Khaythamah, all three students of Imaam Yahya bin Ma’een (D. 233) narrated from him that he said about Abdullah bin Naafi’:

“ثقة”

“He is Thiqah”

[ Taareekh Ibn Ma’een narrated by Ad-Daarimi (1/152), Al-Kaamil by Ibn Adee (5/398), Al-Jarh wat Ta’deel by Ibn Abi Haatim (5/184), Taareekh Ibn Abi Khaythamah (4/366)]

3-    Imaam Abu al-Hasan al-Ijlee (D. 261) said:

“ثقة”

“He is Thiqah”

 [ Kitaab ath-Thiqaat by al-Ijlee (1/281)]

4-    Imaam Abu Eesa at-Tirmidhi (D. 279) authentic several of his narrations in his Sunan. His sayings include:

“حديث جد كثير حديث حسن، وهو أحسن شيء روي في هذا الباب”

“The hadeeth of the grandfather of Katheer is Hasan Hadeeth, and it is the best thing narrated in this chapter”

[ H. 536]

“هذا حديث حسن صحيح”

“This hadeeth is Hasan Saheeh”

[H. 1114]

“هذا حديث حسن غريب، لا نعرفه من حديث هشام بن عروة إلا من هذا الوجه”

“This hadeeth is Hasan Ghareeb; we do not know it from the hadeeth of Hishaam bin Urwah except through this route/chain”

[H. 1493]

“هذا حديث حسن غريب”

“This hadeeth is Hasan Ghareeb”

[H. 3692]

5-    Imaam Yahya bin Muhammad bin Saa’id (D. 318) said about one of the narrations of Ibn Naafi that he narrated:

“وَهَذَا إِسْنَادٌ غَرِيبٌ حَسَنٌ, مَا عَلِمْتُ أَنَّهُ رَوَاهُ إِلا بْنُ نَافِعٍ”

“This chain is Hasan Ghareeb; I do not know anyone narrated it except Ibn Naafi’”

[ Ath-Thaalith min al-Fawaaid by al-Harbi (1/42)]

6-    Imaam Abu Ahmed bin Adee al-Jarjaani (D. 365) said:

“عبد الله بن نافع قد روى عن مالك غرائب وروى عن غيره من أهل المدينة، وهو في رواياته مستقيم الحديث”

“Abdullah bin Naafi’ narrates Ghareeb narrations from Maalik and he also narrates from other people from the People of Madeenah, and he is Mustaqeem ul-Hadeeth in his narrations”

[ Al-Kaamil by Ibn Adee (5/399)]

7-    Imaam Ibn Khuzaymah (D. 311) authenticated the chain of the narration narrated by Abdullah bin Naafi in his Saheeh (H. 185). And he has also narrated from him in other places of his Saheeh.

8-    Imaam Ibn Hibbaan (D. 354) mentioned him in Kitaab ath-Thiqaat and said:

“وكان صحيح الكتاب وإذا حدث من حفظه ربما أخطأ”

“He was Saheeh ul-Kitaab, and when he narrates from his memory, he errs sometimes”

[ (8/348)]

Note: A narrator does not become Weak until his mistakes are abundant. If he makes a few mistakes as does a normal human being, then this means he is not Thiqah like other major narrators such as: Maalik, Shu’bah… but his level just drops from being “Saheeh ul-Hadeeth” to “Hasan ul-Hadeeth”. That is why, Imaam Ibn Hibbaan has also narrated from him in his “Saheeh” [See, H. 3278, 3706, 4683, 4727, 4819, 6899 etc]

9-    Imaam Abu Abdullah al-Haakim al-Neesaaboori (D. 405) authenticated several of his narrations saying:

“هذا حديث صحيح الإسناد”

“This hadeeth has a Saheeh chain”

[ Mustadrak al-Haakim (H. 1358, 2082, 4429 etc)]

10-          Imaam Abu Ya’la al-Khaleeli (D. 446) said:

“أقدم من روى الموطأ عن مالك ثقة, أثنى عليه الشافعي”

“He is one of the first ones to narrate Al-Muwatta from Maalik, he is Thiqah, and Ash-Shaafi’ee has praised him”

[ Al-Irshaad (1/316)]

11-          Imaam Abu al-Qaasim Ibn Asaakir ad-Dimashqi (D. 571) said about one his narrations in which he was alone in narrating:

“هذا حديث حسن غريب لم يرو إلا بهذا الإسناد”

“This hadeeth is Hasan Ghareeb; it is not narrated except through this chain”

[ Mu’jam Ibn Asaakir (1/343)]

Note: Authentication of a lone narration is a Tawtheeq. See here.

12-          Imaam Ibn Taymiyyah (D. 652) authenticated his hadeeth and said:

“هذا إسناده حسن فإن رواته كلهم ثقات مشاهير لكن عبد الله بن نافع الصائغ الفقيه المدني صاحب مالك فيه لين لا يقدح في حديثه”

“This chain is Hasan, for all its narrators are Thiqah Famous, but Abdullah bin Naafi’ as-Saa’igh al-Faqeeh al-Madani is the companion of Maalik, there is some leniency in him which does not harm his hadeeth”

[ Al-Iqtidaa as-Siraat by Ibn Taymiyyah (1/321)]

After narrating the criticisms of some Scholars on him concerning his Hifdh, Imaam Ibn Taymiyyah said:

“وأن الغالب عليه الضبط، لكن قد يغلط أحيانا”

“And Dhabt (precision) is dominant in him; however, he did make mistakes (but) sometimes (which does not make him weak)”

[Ibid]

13-          Imaam Shams ud-Deen adh-Dhahabi (D. 748) mentioned him in Meezaan al-I’tidaal and mentioned this sign [صح] next to his name, which means that he is Thiqah according to him and Jarh made on him is rejected.

[ 2/513]

Imaam Dhahabi further said in Deewaan ad-Du’afa:

“ثقة لينه بعضهم”

“He is Thiqah; some of them have declared him lenient”

[1/230]

That is why, Imaam Dhahabi also mentioned him in his risaalah named “Man Takallam feehi wahuwa Mawthaq” (1/114 T. 195).

14-          Haafidh Ibn Abdil Haadi (D. 744) said about one of his narrations:

“هذا حديث حسن ورواته ثقات مشاهير، لكن عبد الله بن نافع الصائغ فيه لين لا يمنع الاحتجاج به”

“This hadeeth is Hasan; all its narrators are Thiqah Famous, but there is some leniency in Abdullah bin Naafi’ as-Saa’igh which does not forbid from taking evidence from him”

[ As-Saarim al-Munki (1/121)]

15-          Haafidh Ibn al-Mulaqqin (D. 804) said:

“هُوَ ثِقَة”

“He is Thiqah”

[ Al-Badar al-Muneer (5/509)]

16-          Haafidh Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaani (D. 852) said:

“ثقة صحيح الكتاب في حفظه لين”

“He is Thiqah, Saheeh ul-Kitaab; there is some leniency in his memory”

[ Taqreeb (3659)]

Note: Ibn Hajar did not say “He is Layyin ul-Hadeeth”, rather he just said similar to “feehi layyin” which does not denote towards the consistency of this “leniency”, and the use of word Thiqah before that is also evident. That is why in another place, Ibn Hajar declared his narration to be Hasan [See, Nataa’ij al-Afkaar (4/31)]

17-          Haafidh Noor ud-Deen al-Haythami (D. 807) authenticated his hadeeth saying:

“رِجَالُهُ ثِقَاتٌ”

“Its narrators are Thiqaat”

[ Majma az-Zawaaid (1/294)]

Those who criticized him:

1-    Imaam Ahmed bin Hanbal (D. 241) said:

“لم يكن صاحب حديث كان ضيقا فيه وكان صاحب رأي مالك وكان يفتي أهل المدينة برأي مالك ولم يكن في الحديث بذاك”

“He is not a man of Hadeeth, there is some narrowness in him, and he was the possessor of Maalik’s opinion and he used to give fatwa on Maalik’s opinion to the People of Madeenah, and he was not like that in Hadeeth”

[ Al-Kaamil by Ibn Adee (5/398), Al-Jarh wat Ta’deel by Ibn Abi Haatim (5/184) Chain Hasan] Also see Su’aalaat Abu Dawood lil Imaam Ahmed (1/226)

Note: This Jarh is rejected because:

1. It is not one of the reliable Jarhs which would suffice, in itself, to deem a narrator Weak.

2. It is against the Jumhoor.

2-    Imaam Muhammad bin Ismaa’eel al-Bukhaari (D. 256) said:

“في حفظه شيء”

“There is something in his memory”

[ Al-Kaamil by Ibn Adee (5/398), Chain Saheeh]

At another place, he said:

“يُعرَفُ حِفظُه ويُنكَرُ، وكتابه أصح”

“Somethings of his memory are taken and others rejected, and his book is more authentic”

[Al-Taareekh al-Kabeer by Al-Bukhaari (5/213)]

3-    Imaam Abu Haatim ar-Raazi (D. 275) said:

“ليس بالحافظ هو لين تعرف حفظه وتنكر، وكتابه أصح”

“He is not Haafidh, he is Layyin (lenient), somethings of his memory are taken and others rejected, and his book is more authentic”

[ Al-Jarh wat Ta’deel by Ibn Abi Haatim (5/184)]

4-    Imaam Abu al-Hasan ad-Daaraqutni (D. 385) said:

“مدني فقيه ، يعتبر به”

“Madani, Faqeeh, he is trusted in (mutabi’aat)”

[ Su'aalaat al-Barqaani li'd-Daaraqutni (256)]

In another place, he said:

“عَبْدُ اللَّهِ ضَعَيْفُ الْحَدِيثِ”

“Abdullah is Da’eef ul-Hadeeth”

[Ta’leeqaat ad-Daaraqutni ala al-Majroheen li-Ibn Hibbaan (1/276)]

5-    Imaam Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi (D. 456) said:

“عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ نَافِعٍ هَذَا ضَعِيفٌ بِلَا خِلَافٍ”

“This Abdullah bin Naafi’ is Da’eef without a dispute”

[ Al-Muhalla (5/334)]

Note: This Jarh is rejected because:

1. This is based on Ibn Hazm’s mubalaghah and there is indeed a huge dispute about him, so to say that there is no dispute is wrong.

2. Ibn Hazm is known to be Mutashaddid in Rijaal

3. This Jarh is against Jumhoor.

Contradictory Opinions:

The following saying is contradictory and hence becomes neutral. So it can neither be presented in favor nor against this narrator.

1-    Imaam Abu Zur’ah ar-Raazi (D. 264) said:

“لا بأس به”

“There is nothing wrong in him”

[ Al-Jarh wat Ta’deel by Ibn Abi Haatim (5/184)]

While in another place, he said:

“ابن نافع الصائغ عندي منكر الحديث.... وله عند أهل المدينة قدر في الفقه”

“Ibn Naafi’ as-Saa’igh is Munkar ul-Hadeeth according to me…. And he is respected in Fiqh among the People of Madeenah”

[Ad-Du’fa by Abu Zur’ah (2/375-376)]

Conclusion:

Abdullah bin Naafi’ as-Saa’igh is Sadooq, Hasan ul-Hadeeth according to the Jumhoor Muhadditheen. Most of the criticisms made on him do not negate his being Hasan ul-Hadeeth.