In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger ﷺ.
Continuation of the chapter on the solitary report:
In this section Imam al-Shafi’i continues to argue for the authority of the solitary report (khabar al-wahid). He answers those who cast doubt on accepting it, and shows that the proofs from the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the practice of the Companions indicate that it is to be accepted and acted upon.
The main points Imam al-Shafi’i addressed in this section:
- Arguing from the Qur’an for the authority of the solitary report: Imam al-Shafi’i cites verses of the Qur’an showing that Allah the Exalted sent the prophets singly to their peoples, such as Nuh, Hud, Salih, Shu’ayb, Lut, and Muhammad, peace be upon them, and explains that the proof was established through them as single individuals; likewise, when the authenticity of a solitary report is established, the proof is established by it. He mentions the story of the people of the town to whom three messengers were sent, and explains that sending three was for added emphasis, not because a number is a condition for the proof to be established.
- Arguing from the Sunnah and the practice of the Companions for the authority of the solitary report: Imam al-Shafi’i mentions examples from the Sunnah and the practice of the Companions showing that they accepted the solitary report and acted upon it:
- The story of al-Furay’a bint Malik ibn Sinan: The Prophet ﷺ ruled that she should remain in her house until her waiting period (‘idda) ended, on the basis of a report from her alone, and the Companions acted on this.
- The story of Ibn ‘Abbas, Zayd ibn Thabit, and the woman of the Ansar: Zayd ibn Thabit retracted his fatwa when the report of the Ansari woman from the Prophet ﷺ reached him, and Ibn ‘Abbas acted on it.
- The story of Ibn ‘Abbas, Nawf al-Mikali, and Ubayy ibn Ka’b: Ibn ‘Abbas declared Nawf to be lying when he contradicted the report of Ubayy ibn Ka’b from the Prophet ﷺ about the story of Musa and al-Khidr, and the Companions acted on this.
- The story of Ibn ‘Abbas and Tawus: Ibn ‘Abbas used a report from the Prophet ﷺ prohibiting prayer after ‘Asr as proof against Tawus, and Tawus acted on it.
- The story of Ibn ‘Umar and mukhabara: Ibn ‘Umar stopped practising mukhabara (a form of sharecropping) when a report from the Prophet ﷺ prohibiting it reached him.
- The story of Abu al-Darda’ and Mu’awiya ibn Abi Sufyan: Abu al-Darda’ objected to Mu’awiya selling a drinking vessel for more than its weight when a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ prohibiting that reached him, and Mu’awiya retracted his action when the report reached him from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.
- The story of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri and the man who told him a hadith contradicting his own: Abu Sa’id objected to the man for contradicting his hadith from the Prophet ﷺ.
- The story of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz and ‘Urwa ibn al-Zubayr: ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz reversed his judgement when the hadith of ‘A’isha from the Prophet ﷺ, “Entitlement to revenue goes with liability for loss” (al-kharaj bi-l-daman), reached him.
- The story of Sa’d ibn Ibrahim and Rabi’a ibn Abi ‘Abd al-Rahman: Sa’d ibn Ibrahim reversed his judgement when a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ contradicting it reached him.
- The story of Abu Hanifa and Ibn Abi Dhi’b: Ibn Abi Dhi’b used the hadith of Abu Shurayh al-Ka’bi from the Prophet ﷺ on retaliation (qisas) and blood money as proof against Abu Hanifa, and censured him for contradicting the hadith.
- Arguing from consensus for the authority of the solitary report: Imam al-Shafi’i points out that there is something close to a consensus of the early generations (Salaf) and the generations after them on accepting the solitary report and acting upon it, and that this is the way of the people of knowledge in all the lands.
- Response to those who require additional evidence or corroboration before accepting the solitary report: Imam al-Shafi’i responds to those who require additional evidence or corroboration before accepting the solitary report, and explains that this does not prevent the solitary report from serving as proof when it meets the conditions of acceptance, just as a judge’s asking for more witnesses does not prevent him from ruling on the basis of two witnesses.
- A warning against rejecting authentic hadiths: Imam al-Shafi’i warns against rejecting authentic hadiths for any reason whatsoever, such as Israelite reports (Isra’iliyyat), considerations of analogy or reason, or what some imagine to be the unsoundness of the report, and explains that whoever does that deserves to be dealt with severely.
- The difference between prohibited and permissible sharecropping: Imam al-Shafi’i explains that the prohibited sharecropping (muzara’a) is sharecropping of a particular kind, such as setting aside one part of the land for one party and the rest for the other, whereas sharecropping for an undivided proportion of the produce is permissible.
Additional clarifications:
- Al-Qadum: A place near Madinah.
- The room or the mosque: What is meant is the dwelling in which she was living when the news of her husband’s death reached her.
- Al-kharaj bi-l-daman: It means that whoever benefits from a thing bears liability for it if it perishes, so he is entitled to benefit from it in return for his liability for it.
- Al-mukhabara: A type of sharecropping; the Prophet ﷺ prohibited one form of it.
Final summary:
In this section Imam al-Shafi’i sets out the authority of the solitary report with strong proofs from the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the practice of the Companions. He answers the doubts raised against accepting it, stresses the obligation to act on the authentic hadith and not to contradict it by opinion, analogy, or the practice of some people, and warns against rejecting authentic hadiths for any reason whatsoever.
All parts of Summary of the Explanation of al-Shafi'i's al-Risala by Dr. Yasir Burhami