Hadith of Umar and religion
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A famous recorded oral tradition among Muslims (Arabic: Hadith) is about Umar, a famous contemporary of the prophet Muhammad. Although the narration is prominently quoted and referred to, it is not given any formal name, in contrast to other hadith such as the Hadith of the pond of Khumm or the Hadith of Qur'an and Sunnah
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[edit] Narration
A narration attributed to Abu-Sa'id al-Khudri reports:
| I heard Allah's Apostle saying, While I was sleeping, I saw (in a dream) the people being displayed before me, wearing shirts, some of which (were so short that it) reached as far as their breasts and some reached below that. Then 'Umar ibn al-Khattab was shown to me and he was wearing a shirt which he was dragging (behind him)."
They asked:
He said, |
A narration attributed to Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reports:
| I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, 'While I was sleeping I saw people being shown to me and they had shirts on. Some of them reached to the breast, and some of them reached lower than that. 'Umar was shown to me and he had on a shirt which he was dragging along.' They said, 'How did you interpret it, Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'The deen.' [2] |
[edit] Muslim view
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In Muslim view, the most notable thing about this hadith is that it is Umar that is receiving the merit. Umar would later become the second Sunni Caliph, while Shi'a regard him as a usurper of Ali's rights, who was the first Shi'a Imam.
[edit] Sunni view
Sunni Muslims regard this hadith as so credible that it is included in their collection of most trusted hadith, the Sahih Bukhari.
They view this hadith as an evidence of Umar's extraordinary qualities, and are known to quote it to that effect when iterating Umar's merits [2], [3], [4], [5].
In the book Then i was Guided, Muhammad al-Tijani describes how a scholar answered with this hadith in an argument regarding Umar merits [6] and islam Q&A mentioned this hadith in regards to who deserves most honour, Ali or Umar [7]
The hadith have become so popular that it influences how Sunni interpret dream:
- SHIRT: Wearing a shirt in a dream indicates adherences to the religion. The longer the shirt, the greater commitment to Islam. [8]
[edit] Shi'a view
Shia Muslims dismiss the narration as a unauthentic (Arabic: Maudu') late fabrication by the Banu Umayyad Sunni Caliph dynasty, fabricated as a series of hadith aimed at to giving honour to the people that helped them establish their dynasty. Shi'a also note that the hadith is narrated by Abu-Sa'id al-Khudri, whom they hold for limited credibility for narrating hadith such as the Hadith of seeing God as clear as the sun, while not always dismissing him. Shi'a also view it as a possibility that the hadith might have been falsely attributed to him [citation needed].
While Shi'a argue that this hadith is fabricated to imply that Umar is the most pious person, they view it as contradictory to the Hadith of Uthman's modesty and the Hadith of Abu Bakr's superior faith. Shi'a view this as discrediting the hadith, stating that it implies that whoever fabricated the narrations did not even bother to make sure they where not contradictory on the matter of who is the "best" [9].
