Question: I received this on WhatsApp, is it fine to act upon this?
“Muhammad ibn Al-Mubarak narrated to us, Sadaqah ibn Khalid narrated to us, from Yahya ibn Al-Harith, from Abu Rafi’ the Tabi’i – the student of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him –
He said: ‘Whoever reads Ad-Dukhan (Surah 44) on Friday night will wake up forgiven, and will be wedded to the Hur al-‘Ain’.
Musnad of Imam Ad-Darimi with an authentic chain (3484).
And why did the salaf, including Imam Ahmad, accept the sayings of the Tabi’in?
Imam Ahmad explained this saying:
“Hardly anything comes from the Tabi’in except that its origin is found from the companions of the Prophet ﷺ.”
Meaning that their sayings were mostly taken from the companions.”End of the message.
Answer: The Sanad is authentic, and the Maraseel of the Tabi’een is a source of evidence in Islam as long as it is with a seega jazm (قال، أخبرنا etc) and not seega tamreez (قيل ذكر etc.)
This statement of Abu Rafi’ is considered Marfu due to it being said without the possibility of Ijtihad or Qiyas, and because it is a claim with attribution. To reject a Tabi’ee’s Maraseel is akin to accusing him of lying/fabricating a report, and since they were students of the Companions; them hearing such reports is more likely than them not hearing it, and the Hadith دع ما يريبك إلى ما لا يريبك applies here, so their attributions will be relied upon.
If someone says that ‘what if a student of a Tabi’ee said it, would you accept it?’
We say no, because that necessitates the Sanad being Mu’dil (i.e. 2 narrators from 2 tabaqat are necessarily absent), and that is a completely different discussion. The tabi’een were present with the Companions. The students of the Tabi’een weren’t. Two polar opposite scenarios.
A Tabi’ee doing Irsal is fine unless a reason to weaken it exists.
So this Hadith will be acted upon إن شاء الله, and the reward cited is also authentic.
-by Ustadh Tahir Muneer (Student at Islamic University of Lahore).
Saheehus-Seerah 