Response to Hadeeth: 17,000 Verses in the Qur’aan, Saheeh?

The following is a response to Nader Zaveri’s “Hadeeth: 17,000 Verses in the Qur’aan, Saheeh?” article, which can be found on his Revivingalislam website. The article was published on the 10^th of September 2010, and can be found here.

twelvershia.net Team also discuss 10 authentic shia narration which support tahreef in this following article “Authentic Shia Narration Declaring The Corruption of the Qur’an“

In this article, Nader Zaveri attempts to weaken the infamous tahreef narration that can be found in Al-Kafi. The narration is as follows:

Aboo `Abd Allaah (عليه السلام) said: “The Qur’aan that Jibra’eel brought to Muhammad (صلى الله عليه واله وسلم) had 17,000 verses”
Source:
1. Al-Kulayni, Al-Kaafi, vol. 2, Kitaab FaDl Al-Qur’aan, Ch. Rare Traditions, pg. 634, hadeeth # 28
Grading:
1. Al-Majlisi said this hadeeth is Muwaththaq (Reliable)
–> Mir’aat Al-`Uqool, vol. 12, pg. 525
2. Al-Majlisi I (Al-Majlisi’s Father) said this hadeeth is SaHeeH (Authentic)
–> RawDah Al-Muttaqoon, vol. 10, pg. 21
3. Hoor Al-`Aamilee said this hadeeth is SaHeeH (Authentic)
–> Al-Fuwaa’id Al-Toosiyyah, topic # 96, pg. 483

Even though some of the late scholars authenticated this narrator, Nader insists that this was due to some confusion regarding the identity of a narrator. He said:

Any rijaal scholar or muHadithoon (hadeeth scholar) will look at this hadeeeth, and say, “Wow, Great chain.” But in actuality this hadeeth is Da`eef.

The fault in what Al-Majlisi and other hadeeth scholars have done is with aHmad bin Muhammad (in red) in the chain. By looking at this hadeeth and the tareeq (pathway) that `Alee bin Al-Hakam narrates to, the hadeeth scholars automatically assumed that the aHmad bin Muhammad is aHmad bin Muhammad bin `Eesaa. This is incorrect. It is actually aHmad bin Muhammad bin Sayyaar (Al-Sayyaaree), a known da`eef (weak) person.

Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sayyaar is Da`eef Jiddan, Ghuluww, Faasid Madhhab (Very Weak, Exaggerator, and Corrupt beliefs) according to:
1. Ibn Al-GhaDaa’iree, Kitaab Al-Du`afaa, pg. 40, person # 11
2. Al-Najaashee, Rijaal, pg. 80, person # 192
3. Al-Toosi, Fihrist, pg. 57, person # 70
4. Al-Hillee, Al-KhulaaSah, pg. 203, person # 9 & pg. 268, person # 27
5. Al-Khoei, Mu`jam Rijaal Al-Hadeeth, vol. 2, pg. 282, person # 871

Nader provides a few evidences to prove that the narrator in the chain is Al-Sayyari:

1- His name is Ahmad bin Mohammad and his student is Mohammad bin Yahya.

2- The narration is about tahreef, and Al-Sayyari wrote a book about this topic and the narration can be found in the book of Al-Sayyari with the same chain.

Regarding the last point, Nader says:

Al-Sayyaar’s book is still in our possession, alHamdulillaah, and I will present to you a scanned copy of the Front image of the book and this EXACT hadeeth with the same sanad that is in his book. 

In response to these points, we argue the following:

1- As Nader has stated, both are named Ahmad bin Mohammad and both are the shaikh of Mohammad bin Yahya. However, as any student of Shia hadith will know, when Al-Kulayni doesn’t include the full name of a narrator, it is because he is referring to the most famous narrator with that name. We find in Al-Kafi more than one thousand and eight-hundred instances in which Mohammad bin Yahya narrates from Ahmad bin Mohammad. Al-Kulayni makes it a habit to name the narrator in full if he is anyone other than Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Eisa. Al-Kulayni is careful with this, for example when he mentions the narration of Mohammad bin Yahya from Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Khalid. Moreover, Al-Kulayni did not ever include any narrations of Al-Sayyari in his book that are narrated directly by Mohammad bin Yahya. This fact supports that the narrator in this chain is Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Eisa.

2- The existence of Al-Sayyari’s book has proven to be a double edged sword. For starters, the existence of this narration in the book of Al-Sayyari does prove that Al-Sayyari did narrate it. However, it does not prove that Ahmad bin Mohammad in Al-Kafi is Al-Sayyari as well. It is quite possible that both men narrated the same hadith.

Our view does have supplementary proof of course, and is not just a mere suggestion.

We find in Al-Kafi the following narration:

محمد بن يحيى عن أحمد بن محمد عن ابن فضال عن الرضا عليه السلام: (فأنزل الله سكينته على رسوله وأيده بجنود لم تروها)، قلت: هكذا نقرؤها وهكذا تنزيلها

[Muhammad bin Yahya from Ahmad bin Muhammad from ibn Faddal from al-Rida (as): {Then Allah caused His peace of reassurance to descend upon his messenger and supported him with hosts ye cannot see}[9:40], I said: This is how we read it and this is how Allah revealed it.]

NOTE: What is underlined is Tahreef, it is not found in the book of Allah.

Ironically, the narration does not exist in Al-Sayyari’s book. Instead, we find another version:

حماد عن حريز عمن أخبره عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام أنه قرأ: (فأنزل الله سكينته على رسوله وأيده بروح منه)، قلت: ليس هكذا نقرأها، قال: لا، هكذا فاقرأها لأن تنزيلها هكذا

[Hammad from Hurayz from whom he heard from abu Ja`far (as) that he recited: {Then Allah caused His peace of reassurance to descend upon his messenger and supported him with a spirit from him} [9:40] I said: This isn’t how we recite it? He said: No, this is how we recite it because this is how it was revealed.]

As we can see, the chains and the narration are different, even though both narrations are about the same topic. If Ahmad bin Mohammad in the first narration was Al-Sayyari, then we would have found the first narration in the book of Al-Sayyari as well.

Furthermore, we find another narration in Al-Kafi that supports this:

عدة من أصحابنا ، عن أحمد بن محمد ، عن أحمد بن محمد بن أبي نصر ، عن ثعلبة بن ميمون ، عن زرارة قال : سألت أبا جعفر عليه السلام عن قول الله عز وجل : ” وكان رسولا نبيا ” ما الرسول وما النبي ؟ قال : النبي الذي يرى في منامه ويسمع الصوت ولا يعاين الملك ، والرسول الذي يسمع الصوت ويرى في المنام ويعاين الملك ، قلت : الامام ما منزلته ؟ قال : يسمع الصوت ولا يرى ولا يعاين الملك ، ثم تلا هذه الآية : وما أرسلنا من قبلك من رسول ولا نبي ولا محدث

[Some of our companions, from Ahmad bin Muhammad, from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin abi Nasr, from Tha`labah bin Maymoun, from Zurarah that he said: I asked aba Ja`far (as) about the saying of Allah {And he was a messenger, a prophet} what is the messenger and what is the prophet? He replied: The prophet is he who sees in his dream, and hears the voice but doesn’t see the true form with his eyes. The messenger hears and sees in the dream and in reality with his eyes. I asked: The Imam, what is his rank? He said: Listens to the voice but does not see the angel in dreams or with his eyes. Then he (as) recited: {Never sent We a messenger or a prophet or a Muhaddath before thee}[22:52]]

This narration also supports what we have suggested since this narration is nowhere to be found in Al-Sayyari’s book. If Ahmad bin Mohammad in this narration is Al-Sayyari, then surely, he would have added this narration into his book.

It is due to these reasons that we hold the opinion that all these narrations in Al-Kafi are in fact the narrations of Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Eisa, the reliable leader of the Qummis, and not Ahmad bin Mohammad Al-Sayyari, the infamous liar, and therefore, the hadiths are all authentic.