Explanation of the Introduction to the Book *Bulugh al-Maram min Adillat al-Ahkam*.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (may Allah have mercy on him) said in the introduction to his book *Bulugh al-Maram min Adillat al-Ahkam*: "Praise be to Allah for His apparent and hidden blessings, past and present, and peace and blessings be upon His Prophet and Messenger Muhammad, his family, and his Companions, who walked in support of His religion with a swift pace, and upon his followers who inherited their knowledge, for the scholars are the heirs of the prophets; may they be the most honored of heirs and the most honored of the bequeathed. As for what follows:
This is an abridgment that encompasses the foundational hadith evidence for the rulings of the Shari'ah. I have formulated it with utmost precision so that whoever memorizes it among his peers will be distinguished, and so that the beginner student may benefit from it, while the advanced seeker will not be able to do without it.
I have specified after each hadith which of the Imams narrated it, with the intention of advising the Muslim community. By "the seven" is meant: Ahmad, al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah. By "the six" is meant: all except Ahmad. By "the five" is meant: all except al-Bukhari and Muslim.
I may also say "the four and Ahmad," where "the four" means all except the first three. By "the three" is meant: all except those mentioned and the last one. By "agreed upon" is meant: al-Bukhari and Muslim. I may not mention anyone else with them, and anything beyond that is clarified.
I named it: *Bulugh al-Maram min Adillat al-Ahkam*, and I ask Allah that He not make what we have learned a burden upon us, and that He grant us the ability to act upon what pleases Him (Blessed and Exalted is He)".
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows:
Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said:[Al-Hijr 15:9]. And the remembrance is the Noble Qur'an, as He (Blessed and Exalted is He) said: [Ya-Sin 36:69]. And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: [Az-Zukhruf 43:44].
Allah the Exalted has preserved this Qur'an from distortion, alteration, substitution, addition, and subtraction. Whoever attempts to distort the words of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), Allah will cause someone to appear who exposes his falsehood and the falsity of his claim, so the Book of Allah remains preserved. And by this we know.
We say that the Book of Allah is preserved:[Fussilat 41:42].
Then Allah the Exalted preserved the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) by providing for it sincere scholars, to whom Allah the Exalted granted knowledge and wisdom. They distinguished its authentic from its weak, its anomalous from its preserved, and its denounced from its well-known. And the Sunnah, praise be to Allah, by the grace of Allah the Exalted upon these scholars, has become clear, distinct, and bright, such that the authentic, the weak, and the false are known from it.
The opinions of the scholars varied regarding the documentation of the Sunnah:
Some of them documented it according to the chains of narration (musnad), some according to the chapters, and some according to the narrators.
They differed greatly in this, but it is, praise be to Allah, preserved.
Some of them documented it according to the chains of narration, meaning he mentions the musnad of Abu Bakr alone, meaning everything narrated from Abu Bakr; the musnad of 'Umar alone, meaning everything narrated from 'Umar; the musnad of 'Uthman alone, meaning everything narrated from 'Uthman; the musnad of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib alone, meaning everything narrated from 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, and so on.
Some of them compiled it according to chapters: chapters meaning such-and-such a chapter, such-and-such a chapter, such-and-such a book, and this is also common.
Some of them compiled it in a concise manner.
Some of them compiled it in an extended manner.
Among the best books compiled in a concise manner is the book *Bulugh al-Maram* by Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (may Allah have mercy on him), for it is one of the most beautiful and comprehensive books. In it, the author (may Allah have mercy on him) indicated the grade of the hadiths, and this is a feature that distinguishes it from others, because in many of the books of scholars who compiled according to chapters, you find that he mentions the hadith and who narrated it and its source, but he does not mention its grade in terms of authenticity or lack thereof.
As for this book, it is distinguished by this feature, because its author is an Imam and a Hafiz (may Allah have mercy on him) in the science of hadith.
This book began with his saying: "Praise be to Allah for His apparent and hidden blessings, past and present": He praises Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) for His innumerable blessings, and how many great and numerous blessings Allah has upon us that we can never count:[An-Nahl 16:18], [Ibrahim 14:34]. The blessings of Allah upon us are apparent and hidden, past and present.
In his saying: "past and present": This is what is called by the rhetoricians as the excellence of the introduction, because the subject of the book is hadith, and this is an excellent introduction.
Then he mentioned the prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions, who walked in support of His religion with a swift pace, and upon their followers who inherited their knowledge, for the scholars are the heirs of the prophets; may they be the most honored of heirs and the most honored of the bequeathed.
The scholars are the heirs of the prophets, because there is no prophet in this Ummah after the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). So who guides the people? Who leads the people? Who clarifies their religion to them? Who bears the responsibility among them? It is the scholars, the scholars who inherited Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), inheriting him in knowledge, inheriting him in calling to Islam, inheriting him in worship, inheriting him in guidance, and inheriting him in patience for that.
Not everyone who has knowledge is an heir to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The heir must be a successor to the bequeathed in what he left for those after him. It is not possible for a scholar to be an heir to the Prophet unless he carries out his call, clarifies his Sunnah, acts upon it, and becomes a caller to Allah by his speech and his state. This is the scholar who is said to be an heir to the scholars. I ask Allah to make me and you among them.
"The scholars who inherited his knowledge, may they be the most honored of heirs and the most honored of the bequeathed": This means how honored they are as heirs, and they are the scholars, and how honored is the bequeathed, and he is the prophets.
Then he (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned his terminology regarding what he mentions after each hadith. He mentioned after each hadith who narrated it from the seven, who are: Imam Ahmad, al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah, or some of them, and he clarified this in detail.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that what al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated is called: agreed upon, and this is his terminology, and most people have followed it.
Some of the scholars said: "The agreed upon is what al-Bukhari, Muslim, and Imam Ahmad narrated": such as the author of *Al-Muntaqa* (may Allah have mercy on him), Majd al-Din 'Abd al-Salam ibn Taymiyyah, the grandfather of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy and satisfaction upon them).
He said that: "If he says agreed upon, the meaning is that Ahmad, al-Bukhari, and Muslim narrated it". Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said: "I may not mention anyone else with them": meaning: with al-Bukhari and Muslim "anyone else", being content with what they narrated, because the Ummah accepted the books of al-Bukhari and Muslim, *Sahih al-Bukhari* and *Sahih Muslim*, with acceptance and reliance, to the extent that some scholars mentioned: "That what al-Bukhari and Muslim agreed upon is beneficial for certain knowledge".
In any case, this book is one of the most beautiful books written on this subject, and we have begun it today, praise be to Allah, and it is Sunday, the twenty-seventh of the month of Rabi' al-Awwal, in the year 1417, may Allah the Exalted grant us its completion in goodness.
The author said in the end of his introduction: "We ask Allah the Exalted that He not make what we have learned a burden upon us": meaning he asks Allah to make our knowledge a good for us, not a burden upon us, because knowledge, my brothers, knowledge is either a burden upon a person, or it is a good. If it leads him to the pleasure of Allah, then it is a good, and if it does not lead him to the pleasure of Allah, then it is a burden upon him, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan an-Nasa'i 2437Sahih (Darussalam).
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I ask Allah that He not make what we have learned a burden upon us, and that He grant us the ability to act upon what pleases Him (Blessed and Exalted is He)": We ask Allah for that for us and for him, and that He accept from us and from him.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (may Allah have mercy on him) said in the introduction to his book *Bulugh al-Maram min Adillat al-Ahkam*: "Praise be to Allah for His apparent and hidden blessings, past and present, and peace and blessings be upon His Prophet and Messenger Muhammad, his family, and his Companions, who walked in support of His religion with a swift pace, and upon his followers who inherited their knowledge, for the scholars are the heirs of the prophets; may they be the most honored of heirs and the most honored of the bequeathed. As for what follows:
This is an abridgment that encompasses the foundational hadith evidence for the rulings of the Shari'ah. I have formulated it with utmost precision so that whoever memorizes it among his peers will be distinguished, and so that the beginner student may benefit from it, while the advanced seeker will not be able to do without it.
I have specified after each hadith which of the Imams narrated it, with the intention of advising the Muslim community. By "the seven" is meant: Ahmad, al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah. By "the six" is meant: all except Ahmad. By "the five" is meant: all except al-Bukhari and Muslim.
I may also say "the four and Ahmad," where "the four" means all except the first three. By "the three" is meant: all except those mentioned and the last one. By "agreed upon" is meant: al-Bukhari and Muslim. I may not mention anyone else with them, and anything beyond that is clarified.
I named it: *Bulugh al-Maram min Adillat al-Ahkam*, and I ask Allah that He not make what we have learned a burden upon us, and that He grant us the ability to act upon what pleases Him (Blessed and Exalted is He)".
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows:
Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said:
Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.
إنا نحن نزلنا الذكر وإنا له لحافظونIt is not but a message and a clear Qur'an
إن هو إلا ذكر وقرآن مبينAnd indeed, it is a remembrance for you and your people, and you [all] are going to be questioned.
وإنه لذكر لك ولقومك وسوف تسألونAllah the Exalted has preserved this Qur'an from distortion, alteration, substitution, addition, and subtraction. Whoever attempts to distort the words of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), Allah will cause someone to appear who exposes his falsehood and the falsity of his claim, so the Book of Allah remains preserved. And by this we know.
We say that the Book of Allah is preserved:
Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from a [Lord who is] Wise and Praiseworthy.
لا يأتيه الباطل من بين يديه ولا من خلفه تنزيل من حكيم حميدThen Allah the Exalted preserved the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) by providing for it sincere scholars, to whom Allah the Exalted granted knowledge and wisdom. They distinguished its authentic from its weak, its anomalous from its preserved, and its denounced from its well-known. And the Sunnah, praise be to Allah, by the grace of Allah the Exalted upon these scholars, has become clear, distinct, and bright, such that the authentic, the weak, and the false are known from it.
The opinions of the scholars varied regarding the documentation of the Sunnah:
Some of them documented it according to the chains of narration (musnad), some according to the chapters, and some according to the narrators.
They differed greatly in this, but it is, praise be to Allah, preserved.
Some of them documented it according to the chains of narration, meaning he mentions the musnad of Abu Bakr alone, meaning everything narrated from Abu Bakr; the musnad of 'Umar alone, meaning everything narrated from 'Umar; the musnad of 'Uthman alone, meaning everything narrated from 'Uthman; the musnad of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib alone, meaning everything narrated from 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, and so on.
Some of them compiled it according to chapters: chapters meaning such-and-such a chapter, such-and-such a chapter, such-and-such a book, and this is also common.
Some of them compiled it in a concise manner.
Some of them compiled it in an extended manner.
Among the best books compiled in a concise manner is the book *Bulugh al-Maram* by Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (may Allah have mercy on him), for it is one of the most beautiful and comprehensive books. In it, the author (may Allah have mercy on him) indicated the grade of the hadiths, and this is a feature that distinguishes it from others, because in many of the books of scholars who compiled according to chapters, you find that he mentions the hadith and who narrated it and its source, but he does not mention its grade in terms of authenticity or lack thereof.
As for this book, it is distinguished by this feature, because its author is an Imam and a Hafiz (may Allah have mercy on him) in the science of hadith.
This book began with his saying: "Praise be to Allah for His apparent and hidden blessings, past and present": He praises Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) for His innumerable blessings, and how many great and numerous blessings Allah has upon us that we can never count:
And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
وإن تعدوا نعمة الله لا تحصوها إن الله لغفور رحيمAnd if you should count the favor of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, mankind is [generally] most unjust and ungrateful.
وإن تعدوا نعمة الله لا تحصوها إن الإنسان لظلوم كفارIn his saying: "past and present": This is what is called by the rhetoricians as the excellence of the introduction, because the subject of the book is hadith, and this is an excellent introduction.
Then he mentioned the prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions, who walked in support of His religion with a swift pace, and upon their followers who inherited their knowledge, for the scholars are the heirs of the prophets; may they be the most honored of heirs and the most honored of the bequeathed.
The scholars are the heirs of the prophets, because there is no prophet in this Ummah after the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). So who guides the people? Who leads the people? Who clarifies their religion to them? Who bears the responsibility among them? It is the scholars, the scholars who inherited Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), inheriting him in knowledge, inheriting him in calling to Islam, inheriting him in worship, inheriting him in guidance, and inheriting him in patience for that.
Not everyone who has knowledge is an heir to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The heir must be a successor to the bequeathed in what he left for those after him. It is not possible for a scholar to be an heir to the Prophet unless he carries out his call, clarifies his Sunnah, acts upon it, and becomes a caller to Allah by his speech and his state. This is the scholar who is said to be an heir to the scholars. I ask Allah to make me and you among them.
"The scholars who inherited his knowledge, may they be the most honored of heirs and the most honored of the bequeathed": This means how honored they are as heirs, and they are the scholars, and how honored is the bequeathed, and he is the prophets.
Then he (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned his terminology regarding what he mentions after each hadith. He mentioned after each hadith who narrated it from the seven, who are: Imam Ahmad, al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah, or some of them, and he clarified this in detail.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that what al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated is called: agreed upon, and this is his terminology, and most people have followed it.
Some of the scholars said: "The agreed upon is what al-Bukhari, Muslim, and Imam Ahmad narrated": such as the author of *Al-Muntaqa* (may Allah have mercy on him), Majd al-Din 'Abd al-Salam ibn Taymiyyah, the grandfather of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy and satisfaction upon them).
He said that: "If he says agreed upon, the meaning is that Ahmad, al-Bukhari, and Muslim narrated it". Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said: "I may not mention anyone else with them": meaning: with al-Bukhari and Muslim "anyone else", being content with what they narrated, because the Ummah accepted the books of al-Bukhari and Muslim, *Sahih al-Bukhari* and *Sahih Muslim*, with acceptance and reliance, to the extent that some scholars mentioned: "That what al-Bukhari and Muslim agreed upon is beneficial for certain knowledge".
In any case, this book is one of the most beautiful books written on this subject, and we have begun it today, praise be to Allah, and it is Sunday, the twenty-seventh of the month of Rabi' al-Awwal, in the year 1417, may Allah the Exalted grant us its completion in goodness.
The author said in the end of his introduction: "We ask Allah the Exalted that He not make what we have learned a burden upon us": meaning he asks Allah to make our knowledge a good for us, not a burden upon us, because knowledge, my brothers, knowledge is either a burden upon a person, or it is a good. If it leads him to the pleasure of Allah, then it is a good, and if it does not lead him to the pleasure of Allah, then it is a burden upon him, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
the Qur'an is proof, either for you or against you
القرآن حجة لك أو عليكHe (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I ask Allah that He not make what we have learned a burden upon us, and that He grant us the ability to act upon what pleases Him (Blessed and Exalted is He)": We ask Allah for that for us and for him, and that He accept from us and from him.