Azami 3993

Bukhari related it in Tarikh al-Kabir (4/97) from Ibrahim bin Munzir, from Muhammad bin Sadaqa, who said, Muhammad bin Yahya bin Sahl bin Abu Hathma narrated to me, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Prophet ﷺ sent Abu Hathma as an assessor, and he mentioned the account.Its chain is hasan because of Muhammad bin Sadaqa, for he is hasan al-hadith. Tabarani related this hadith in Awsat (Majma Bahrayn 1357) from Masada bin Saad, from Ibrahim bin Munzir, with a similar chain. But Haythami said in Majma (3/76), after attributing it to Awsat, "It contains Muhammad bin Sadaqa, and he is daif."I say, if Muhammad bin Sadaqa is the Jabalani, Abu Abdullah al-Himsi, one of the men found in Tahzib Kamal, then I have not found anyone who declared him daif. Rather, Nasai said of him, "There is no harm in him," and Abu Hatim said, "Truthful." If it is someone else, I have not been able to identify him. Ibn Hibban did not include a biography of him either in Duafa or in Thiqat, and likewise Aqeeli did not mention him in Duafa. So it is most likely that Hafiz Haythami confused him with someone else. Allah, exalted is He, knows best.As for what Abu Dawud (1605), Tirmidhi (643), and Nasai (2491) related, and which Ibn Khuzayma (2319, 2320), Ibn Hibban (3280), and Hakim (1/402) all graded sahih, all of them from the route of Shuba, who said, I heard Khubayb bin Abdul-Rahman narrating from Abdul-Rahman bin Masud bin Niyar, who said, Sahl bin Abu Hathma came to our gathering and said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us, saying, "When you make your assessment, be strict, but leave a third, and if you do not leave a third, then leave a fourth."It appears there is an error here, because the hadith about assessment belongs to his father, Abu Hathma, whom the Prophet ﷺ sent as an assessor. As for Sahl, he was born in the third year after the Hijrah, and his age at the time of the Prophet's ﷺ death was between seven and eight years, even though hadiths have been narrated from him. Some scholars have classified this hadith as part of the musnad of Sahl bin Abu Hathma, but it contains Abdul-Rahman bin Masud bin Niyar, whom no one has confirmed as reliable, Ibn Hibban having merely mentioned him in Thiqat. Dhahabi said, "Khubayb bin Abdul-Rahman is the sole narrator from him," and Ibn Qattan said, "He is unknown," meaning that he is majhul. See also Bayan Wahm wal-Ihaam (4/215).As for Tirmidhi, he remained silent about it and did not address it with any statement, neither grading it sahih, nor hasan, nor daif. Tirmidhi said following the hadith of Sahl bin Abu Hathma, "The practice, according to most scholars, is based on the hadith of Sahl bin Abu Hathma regarding assessment. Ahmad and Ishaq hold the view expressed in the hadith of Sahl bin Abu Hathma. Assessment means that when the fruits ripen, whether fresh dates or grapes, which are subject to zakat, the ruler sends an assessor to assess them for the people. Assessment means that someone who understands this matter looks at the crop and says, so much will come from these raisins, and so much from these dates, thereby calculating for them and determining the amount of the tenth due from that, and fixing it upon them. Then the fruits are left in their possession, and they do as they wish with them, and when the fruits ripen fully, the tenth is taken from them. This is how some scholars have explained it, and Malik, Shafii, Ahmad, and Ishaq hold this view." End of quote.I say, assessment and estimation carry the same meaning, namely calculation. For more, see Minna Kubra (3/177–178).On this subject there is also what was related from Ayesha, who said, while recounting the affair of Khaybar, "The Prophet ﷺ used to send Abdullah bin Rawaha to the Jews, and he would assess the palm trees before their produce ripened and before anything was eaten from them." Abu Dawud (1606) related this from Yahya bin Main, from Hajjaj, from Ibn Jurayj, who said, I was informed regarding Ibn Shihab, from Urwa, from Ayesha, and he mentioned it.It contains an unknown man, for Ibn Jurayj did not hear directly from Zuhri, since he says, "I was informed regarding Ibn Shihab," and he is also known for concealing his sources, so even if he had used the ambiguous form "an" it would not be accepted without clarification, let alone when he explicitly says "I was informed." Hajjaj is Ibn Muhammad al-Masissi, one of the most reliable companions of Ibn Jurayj. So whoever transmitted from him using the ambiguous form, without his statement "I was informed," has likely simply followed the common pattern, or failed to preserve the precise wording of transmission. What is recorded in Abdul-Razzaq's own Musannaf (7219), and from him Ibn Khuzayma (2315), has been precisely preserved by Imam Ahmad (25305), who related it from Abdul-Razzaq, Ibn Jurayj informed us, saying, I was informed regarding Ibn Shihab, with a similar chain.On this subject there is also what was related from Itaab bin Usayd, "The Prophet ﷺ used to send someone to the people to assess their vineyards and fruit orchards for them." Abu Dawud (1603, 1604), Tirmidhi (644), and Ibn Majah (1819) all related this from the route of Muhammad bin Salih al-Tammar, from Ibn Shihab, from Saeed bin Musayab, from Itaab bin Usayd, who said, and he mentioned it. Tirmidhi said, "Hasan gharib." Ibn Hibban (3278), Ibn Khuzayma (2316), and Hakim (3/595) graded it sahih.I say, it contains a break in transmission, for Saeed bin Musayab did not hear anything directly from Itaab, as Abu Dawud stated. Hafiz has quoted, in the biography of Itaab bin Usayd in Isaba, a similar statement from Abu Hatim Razi. However, we have not found this statement of his in the books of his son, such as Marasil, Jarh wa Tadil, and Ilal, so one wonders where he said it. This is because Itaab bin Usayd died on the same day that Abu Bakr Siddiq died, as Waqidi stated. It has also been said that his death was delayed until Umar bin Khattab appointed him over Makkah, as mentioned in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib (7/90). The birth of Saeed bin Musayab occurred during the caliphate of Umar, in the year fifteen, according to the well-known account, though it has also been said that his birth was after that. Munziri mentioned this in his commentary on Sunan Abu Dawud. Nevertheless, Tirmidhi graded it hasan, and Ibn Khuzayma and Ibn Hibban related it in their two Sahihs.There is yet another defect, namely the disagreement over its chain of transmission, as found in Sunan Daraqutni (3/48–53). Abu Zura and Abu Hatim Razi both found fault with it on the grounds that it is disconnected. See Ilal (1/213).On this subject there is also what was related from Ibn Umar, "The Prophet ﷺ sent Ibn Rawaha to Khaybar to assess their produce for them, then gave them the choice of taking it or returning it, and they said, this is justice, upon this the heavens and the earth stand firm." Imam Ahmad (4768) related this from Waki, from al-Umari, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, and he mentioned it. Al-Umari is Abdullah bin Umar bin Hafs bin Asim bin Umar bin Khattab, who is daif, while his brother Ubaydullah is reliable. So the sound version of this account comes through the route of Ubaydullah, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, "The Prophet ﷺ made an agreement with the people of Khaybar for half of whatever produce came forth..." and this is found in the Sahihayn, Bukhari (2328, 2329) and Muslim (1551). It will come in its proper place, Allah willing.Among the assessors mentioned in the biographical works is Farwa bin Amr al-Ansari. Abdul-Razzaq narrated in his Musannaf (7200) from Mamar, from Haram bin Uthman, from the two sons of Jabir, from the Prophet ﷺ, "He used to send a man of the Ansar from Banu Bayada called Farwa bin Amr, who would assess the date produce of the people of Madinah for them." Mamar said, "I have not heard of assessment except regarding palm trees and grapevines."Its chain is extremely daif, containing Haram bin Uthman, who is discarded as a narrator. Haythami found fault with it on this basis in Majma (3/76), attributing it to Tabarani in Kabir (18/327). I say, it contains yet another defect, namely Ibrahim bin Abu Yahya, who is al-Aslami, and he too is discarded as a narrator.It has also been related from Rafi bin Khadij, "The Prophet ﷺ used to send Farwa bin Amr to assess the palm trees, and when he entered an orchard he would count the clusters of dates in it, then multiply some by others according to his estimation, and he never erred." Abdul-Razzaq related this in his Musannaf (7209) from Ibrahim bin Abu Yahya, who said, Ishaq narrated to me, from Sulayman bin Sahl, from Rafi bin Khadij, and he mentioned it.Ishaq is Ibn Abdullah bin Abu Farwa, extremely daif, and Haythami found fault with it on this basis in Majma (3/76), attributing it to Tabarani in Kabir (18/328).Among the assessors whom the Prophet ﷺ used to send is Jabbar bin Sakhr bin Khansa al-Ansari al-Salami. From Abdullah bin Abu Bakr bin Muhammad bin Amr bin Hazm, who said, "Abdullah bin Rawaha assessed the produce for the people of Khaybar for only one year, then he was killed on the day of Muta. After that, Jabbar bin Sakhr bin Khansa was the one whom the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would send after Ibn Rawaha, and he would assess their produce for them." Tabarani related this in Kabir (2/303) from the route of Muhammad bin Ishaq, who said, Abdullah bin Abu Bakr bin Muhammad bin Amr bin Hazm narrated to me, and he mentioned it.This is a mursal narration, as Haythami said in Majma (3/76), "Tabarani related it in Kabir, and it is mursal, but its chain is sahih."In the Maghazi of Ibn Ishaq, he said, Abdullah bin Abu Bakr narrated to me, from Abdullah bin Muknif, who said, Haritha narrated to me, saying, "When Umar expelled the Jews of Khaybar, he rode out among the Muhajirun and Ansar, and Jabbar bin Sakhr went out with him, he who had been the assessor for the people of Madinah, and he calculated their accounts for them." Hafiz mentioned this in Isaba (1/220).