I say, and knowledge is with Allah:
Regarding the first part of the narration which pertains to the three things the Prophet (peace be upon him) loved, it is authentic and narrated by Ahmad, An-Nasāʼiy, Al-Ḥākim, Abū Yaʽlā, and others. As for the additional narration attributed to the Companions, including the four caliphs and Abū Dhar, it has also been narrated as stated by the Ḥadīth narrator, Imam Al-ʽAjlūniy, in his book “Kashf al-Khafā Wa Muzīl al-ʼIlbās”. Al-ʽAjlūniy is ʼIsmāʽīl ibn Muḥammad ibn ʽAbd al-Hādiy ibn ʽAbd al-Ghaniy al-Jarāḥiy al-ʽAjlūniy al-Dimashqiy al-Shāfiʽiy, also known as Abū al-Fidā. He was a historian, scholar of Ḥadīth, commentator, grammarian, and was born in ʽAjlūn in 1087 AH and grew up in Damascus. He passed away in Damascus in Muharram of 1162 AH. His book, “Kashf al-Khafā,” is a follow-up to the book “Al-Maqāṣid al-Ḥasanah” by Imam As-Sakhāwiy. It includes narrations that have become well-known among people, along with their chains of transmission and their transmitters, grading them as authentic or weak, mentioning any alterations in the wording, and it contains over three thousand Ḥadīths, including both authentic and weak narrations of different types.
Although Al-ʽAjlūniy mentioned the narration in a way that does not indicate its authenticity, its meaning is correct and narrating it is not objectionable because everything mentioned in it is also found in other narrations from the Prophet (peace be upon him). The weakness in the chain of transmission does not necessarily mean that the narration should be abandoned altogether, but rather it should be examined along with the degree of weakness. If we examine the statements of the Companions, including Abu Dhar, we will find that they have evidence from the Quran and Sunnah. Therefore, there is no harm in narrating what the Ḥadīth narrator mentioned. May Allah forgive us and him.
Fatwa by Dr. Khālid Naṣr
