The authenticity of history books are generally not verified

19-12-2014 | IslamWeb

Question:

A shia said in response to Abu Talib breastfeeding the Prophet mentioned in Al Kafi. The Hadith goes like this in Tarikh Baghdad V15 page 146: Narrated on the authority of Abul Hassan Muhammed Ibn Assad Ibn Ali al-Katib and al-Hassan Ibn Abu bakr al-mu’adal from Ahmad Ibn Abu ‘awf who said I heard my uncle and my dad both say ” we were in the gathering of yazeed Ibn harun, at the garden of umm Jafar, then we saw a tall man holding a boy in his hands and breast feeding him, that man then said the mother of this child gave birth to him and then she passed away in the lands of mufazah or Falat so I placed him on my breast, so Allah gave us this blessing. We saw him and the milk was coming out of his breast to child. is this saheeh narration?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

This Hadeeth as you quoted it in the question was reported by Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdaadi in Taareekh Baghdaad, but we have not found any scholar assessing whether it is Saheeh (sound) or Dha‘eef (weak).

Indeed, the history literature cannot be relied upon as it comprises everything that was reported without verification of its authenticity. Imaam Ahmad said: "There are three literatures that have no basis: (the literature on) the Maghaazi (battles of the early Islamic community), the Malaahim (great Islamic wars) and Tafseer (interpretation of the Quran)."

Ibn Taymiyyah said clarifying what Imaam Ahmad had meant: "Because the Ahaadeeth in these books are generally Mursal Ahaadeeth." (a Mursal Hadeeth is a Hadeeth narrated by a Tabi'i [successor of the Prophet's Companions]).

Allaah Knows best.