What we see from Waqar
Cheema's analysis is that the Hadiths in which the words “it sets in a spring of
warm/murky water” appear are not believed to be attributed to Prophet Muhammad
(p). Thus, Muslims do not consider them to be reliable.
Now somebody may well be
thinking, how it can be dismissed as not being from Prophet Muhammad p? It's
simple, if you look at the analysis you will see there are numerous Hadiths
with different chains of narrators (after the first three links) which all report the SAME
saying of Abu Darr but they do not include the words “it sets in a spring of warm/murky
water.”
So clearly both versions
cannot be right.
The versions containing
“it sets in a spring of warm/murky water” are based on the SAME chain of
narration (see the fourth person in the chain) while the versions not
containing “it sets in a spring of warm/murky water” are of 5 different chains
(5 different people at the 4th link) - thus overwhelming numerical evidence
shows that the Hadith containing “it sets in a spring of warm/murky water” cannot
be attributed to Prophet Muhammad p. Basically it's a case of 1 person
reported it with the words “it sets in a spring of warm/murky water” compared
to 5 who did not report those words.
Not only this, the chain
in which the words “it sets in a spring of warm/murky water” are included
contains Sufyan bin Husain who was considered as a person who made mistakes in
his narrations as seen in Waqar Cheema's analysis:
Muhammad ibn Sa’d said
about him: “He was reliable (but) he made many mistakes in his narrations.”
(Tabaqat al-Kubra, Dar al-Kotob al-Ilmiyya, Beirut, 1990, vol.7 p.227 No. 3417)
Obviously quality and
quantity would mean that the Muslim does not accept this narration but rather
accepts the more numerous and reliable Hadiths which are those that do NOT
contain the words “it sets in a spring of warm/murky water”
There's even a theory
how the words “it sets in a spring of warm/murky water” got into the Hadith by
mistake - see Cheema's analysis
Cheema points out the
Hadith in question is Anomolous and Defective and supplies the definitions
which impugn the reliability of such hadiths
“… the anomalous hadith
is the one which a reliable transmitter relates and which is in conflict with
what other people relate.” (An Introduction to the Science of Hadith,
Translated by Dr. Eerik Dickinson, Garnet Publishing Ltd. Berkshire
“A defective
hadith is one in which a defect impugning its soundness is detected, although
it outwardly appears to be free of the defect. That may apply to an isnad made
up of reliable transmitters which outwardly seems to fulfill the conditions of
soundness. Someone being alone in transmitting the hadith as well as others
contradicting him aid in catching the defect.” (An Introduction to the Science
of Hadith, p.67)
And when a report or a part of it becomes “shaadh” it ceases to be a sahih (sound) report. For this the definition of a “Sahih hadith” will help.
Hafiz Ibn Salah writes;
“The sahih (sound) hadith is a “supported” hadith (al-hadith al-musnad), the isnad of which coheres continuously through the transmission of one upright and accurate person from another up to its point of termination. The sound hadith can be neither anomalous (shaadh) nor defective (mu’allal),” (An Introduction to the Science of Hadith, p.5)
So merely being “sahih al-isnaad” is not enough for the report itself to be sahih.
And when a report or a part of it becomes “shaadh” it ceases to be a sahih (sound) report. For this the definition of a “Sahih hadith” will help.
Hafiz Ibn Salah writes;
“The sahih (sound) hadith is a “supported” hadith (al-hadith al-musnad), the isnad of which coheres continuously through the transmission of one upright and accurate person from another up to its point of termination. The sound hadith can be neither anomalous (shaadh) nor defective (mu’allal),” (An Introduction to the Science of Hadith, p.5)
So merely being “sahih al-isnaad” is not enough for the report itself to be sahih.
Conclusion
If you come across aChristian missionary or any other Anti-Islam zealot quoting any Hadith saying the sun “sets in a spring of warm/murky water”
For more information see Waqar Cheema's analysis.
The narrations which you may come across:
Yazid bin Harun- Sufyan bin Husain- Al-Hakam bin ‘Utaybah- Ibrahim (b. Yazid al-Taymi)- Yazid al-Taymi- Abu Dharr said: I was sitting behind the Apostle of Allah who was riding a donkey while the sun was setting. He asked: Do you know where this sets? I replied: Allah and his Apostle know best. He said: It sets in a spring of warm water. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 3991)
Related narrations:
In Musnad Ahmad these words are part of a longer narration reported through same chain of narrators;
Abu Dharr narrated, “Once I was with the Prophet riding a donkey on which there was a saddle or a (piece of) velvet. That was at sunset. He said to me, ‘O Abu Dharr, do you know where this (sun) sets?’ I said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know better.’ He said, ‘It sets in a spring of murky water, (then) it goes and prostrates before its Lord, the Exalted in Might and the Ever-Majestic, under the Throne. And when it is time to go out, Allah allows it to go out and thus it rises. But, when He wants to make it rise where it sets, He locks it up. The sun will then say, “O my Lord, I have a long distance to run.” Allah will say, “Rise where you have set.” That (will take place) when no (disbelieving) soul will get any good by believing then.’” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 21459 al-Risala ed.)
This narration is quite similar to the narration found in many hadith works including Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim etc. except the words “It sets in a spring of warm water.”
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