Part 1: Sayings of Sunni Leaders and Memorizers about Hadith of al-Nujum — part 1/2

Clear Words

The fact is that a great many Sunni scholars and experts in hadith, exegesis, and biography (rijal) have clearly and explicitly considered Hadith of al-Nujum and its entire text and chains of transmission to be poor so much that it leaves no doubt as to the fact that it is unreliable and inauthentic. Some Sunni scholars' sayings regarding the said tradition will be mentioned below along with a brief account of their lives.¹

Ahmad bin Hanbal Sheibani: a glimpse of his life

Ahmad bin Hanbal Sheybani, born in 241, does not consider Hadith of al-Nujum as authentic and valid. This opinion has been narrated by a group of scholars including Ibn Amir al-Haj in Al-Taqrir al-Tahbir fi Sharh al-Tahrir, Ibn Qudamah in al-Muntakhab and Amir Padshah

Hanafi in Al-Taysir fi Sharh al-Tahrir.²

All biographical books have somehow dealt with Ahmad bin Hanbal's life. Commenting on him, Zahabi says: Ahmad bin Hanbal was Shaykh al-Islam³ and master of Muslims in his era. He was a memorizer (hafiz) and authority for Muslims.

Ali bin Madini says about him: "Verily, God endorsed this religion through Abu Bakr and in the days of tribulation through Ahmad bin Hanbal. It was at a time when Arab clans had apostatized after the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family."

Commenting on Ahmad bin Hanbal, Abu Ubaidah also says, "Knowledge ended up in four people the most learned of whom was Ahmad bin Hanbal."

Quoting Ibn Ayyash about Ahmad bin Hanbal, Ibn Mu'een says: "The clerics wanted me to become like Ahmad bin Hanbal but I could not become like him."

Hamam Sakooni has also made a remark about him; he says: "Ahmad bin Hanbal has not seen the like of himself."

Muhammad bin Hammad Tehrani says: "I heard Aba Thawr say: Ahmad bin Hanbal is more learned and more knowledgeable than Thawri.”⁴

Abu Ibrahim Mazna: a glimpse of his life

Abu Ibrahim Mazna is another scholar who believes that Hadith of al-Nujum is not authentic. Abu Ibrahim Mazna is Shafi'ei's student and companion. He was born in the year 264 A.H. Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Barr quotes him as such: "Mazna says about Hadith of al-Nujum, the alleged prophetic tradition:

"If this hadith were true, then that means that whatever the companions have narrated from the Holy Prophet (S) and evidences they present can be trusted. Therefore, based on the tradition in question, all the companions are reliable and they quote the Prophet (S) honestly.

That is what I believe is the meaning of the Hadith. However, if what the companions have uttered were acceptable to them, they would not contradict or falsify one another. None of them would turn to another companion to seek his advice. So, think over it."⁵

What is useful for our discussion is the sentence "If this hadith were true…" but the connotation he has drawn out of Hadth al-Nujum should be judged by hadith experts.⁶

Now, we shall have a short glimpse of Abu Ibrahim Mazna's life keeping in view that all the biographers have praised him for his reliability.⁷

Yafi'ei writes about him: Imam Abu Ibrahim Ismail bin Yahya Mazna was Shafi'ei, a pious jurist, and a profound thinker, a precise debater who tutored and trained many students.

Commenting on him, Shafi'ei says: "Manza is a helper of my religion."

He is the leader of Shafi'eites and most acquainted with the Shafi'ei methods and verdicts and whatever is narrated from him. He has written many books and was most pious and God-fearing who were learned and mediocre in knowledge and of little knowledge?! Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Dha'eifa wa al-Mawdhu'ah, 1/82.

Abu Bakr Bazzaz: a glimpse of his life

Hafiz Abu Bakr Bazzaz has also criticized Hadith of al-Nujum and elaborated on various dimension of the hadith finally considering it as poor and unreliable. Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Barr writes:

Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Saeid narrated to me that Muhammad bin Ahmed had reported that Muhammad bin Abyyub had said: "Abu Bakr Ahmed bin Amr bin Abdul Khaliq says: "He is asked about the traditions on the tongue of people ascribed to the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, and it is said by people that he said:

"Verily, the like of my companions is that of the starts – or my companions are like stars – whomever you follow, you will rightly guided."

This saying has not been correctly reported from the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family. This tradition has been narrated by Abdur Rahim bin Zayd Ammi, from his father, from Saeid bin Musayib, from Ibn Umar, from the Prophet (S).

In some versions of the report, Abdur Rahim has reported from his father, from Ibn Amr omitting Saeid bin Musayyib. Moreover, this hadith is weak because the scholars of hadith have refrained to quote him or narrate any traditions from him.

On the other hand, this saying narrated from the Prophet (S) is unknown and does not seem to be from him because it has been reported from the Prophet (S), with a reliable chain of transmission that he said:

“Adhere to my sunnah and the sunnah of the rightly-guided successors after me. Hold on to it and cling on to it stubbornly.”

If Abdur Rahim's tradition is proved to be true, this hadith will be in contravention with that hadith. If it is not proved to be true and authentic, there will be no contravention.

Moreover, the Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him and his family, does not allow Musims to have differences after him and God knows best.⁸

As for this saying of Bazzaz, it suffers from many setbacks and the foregoing tradition, "Adhere to my sunnah and the sunnah of the rightly-guided successors after me. Hold on to it and cling on to it stubbornly," has been discussed in a separate article.⁹

Having mentioned Abu Bakr Bazzaz's viewpoint, we shall now have a glimpse of his life. Abu Bakr Bazzaz was born in the year 292 A.H. Biographers have commented on him. Zahabi writes in Tazkerat al-Huffaz: Allamah Abu Bakr Ahmad bin Amr bin Abdul Khaliq Basri is the writer of Musnad Kabir and Kitab Mu'allah.

He has heard traditions from people like Hudbah bin Khaled, Abdul A'laa bin Hammad, Hasan bin Ali bin Rashed, Abdullah bin Mu'awiyah Jamhi, Muhammad bin Yahya bin Fayyadh Zamani and people of the same ranks with them. Narrators such as Abdul Baqir bin Qani', Muhammad bin Abbas Najih, Abu Bakr Khatla, Abdullah bin Hasan, Abu Al- Shaykh and many others have reported traditions from him.

He migrated to cities like Isfahan, Syria and other regions to spread his knowledge and wisdom. Daru Qutni has recorded his biography and praised him as such: "Bazzaz is a reliable person who sometimes errs and he is someone who relies on his memory."¹⁰

Ibn Adi: a glimpse of his life

Another Sunni scholar who has reported Hadith of al-Nujum in his book is Abu Ahmad Abdullah bin Adi, better known as Ibn Qattan. In his al-Kamil – which has been written about poor and reprimanded narrators as well as bout fabricated traditions – Ibn Qattan deals with the life of Ja'far bin Abdul Wahid Hashemi Qadhi and Hamza Nasibi.

Now we shall take a brief look at Ibn Adi's life. Different scholars have praised him and commented on him. Sam'ani writes the following about him:

"Hafiz Abu Ahmad Abdullah bin Ali bin Muhammad Gorgani, better known as Ibn Qattan, is the great memorizer of his time. He moved to Alexandria and Samarqand as well as entered many other cities and studied with many teachers. He was a strong and unmatched memorizer. Hamzah bin Yusuf Sahmi says that he asked Daru Qutni to write a book on weak and unreliable narrators and he asked me in return if I did not have Ibn Adi's book.

I said that I did.

He said: "That book is enough and nothing is added to it." Ibn Adi died in the year 365 of the Islamic calendar.¹¹

Abul Hasan Daru Qutni: a glimpse of his life

One of the scholars who have considered Hadth al-Nujum to be weak and unreliable is Daru Qutni (d. 385 A.H). Ibn Hajar Asqalani says: He has pointed out this tradition in Malik's Gharaib considering the tradition as weak.¹² A text of what he has said will follow.

Biographers have looked upon him with high regard. Ibn Kathir writes in this regard:

The great memorizer, Ali bin Umar bin Ahmad bin Mahdi bin Masud bin Dinar bin Abdullah Daru Qutni was an expert in criticism of narrators from his time as of this era. He had seen many narrators. He was a skilled writer, critique and a leader of his time in the science of biography (rijal) and criticism of narrators (jarh and ta'dil). He has authored and composed a valuable book in this regard. He had extensive knowledge of traditions and complete information of Ilm al-Dirayah (science of the text of Hadith).

His book is the best and most famous book in this regard. He has excelled his predecessors and his followers will not be able to write a book like him unless they seek assistance from the sea of his knowledge and act like him.

He has authored another book titled Al-Ilal in which he has precisely elaborated on hadith- related points and expressions. Another book authored by him is al-Ifrad which none is able to understand unless he is a good memorizer and critique and profound thinker.

Daru Qutni used to be described as having a strong memory, keen-mind and profound knowledge. Hakim Neishabouri writes about him: "The like of Daru Qutni has never been seen."

Ibn Jawzi says: Daru Qutni had combined merits and knowledge of many fields including knowledge of hadith, recitation, syntax, jurisprudence and poetry. He was just and correct in his beliefs.

Daru Qutni was asked if he had met anyone like himself and he answered: "When it comes to a specific field, I have seen people superior to me but I have not seen anyone to have knowledge of different skills and sciences as I do."

Ibn Hazm Andalusi: a glimpse of his life

One of the Sunni scholars who have expressly rejected Hadith of al-Nujum and asserted its invalidity is Ibn Hazm Andulusi (d. 456 A.H.). As reported by a number of Sunni scholars, he has stated in clear terms that this hadith is fabricated. For instance, while narrating this tradition, Ibn Hayyan says: "Abu Muhammad Ali bin Ahmad bin Hazm writes in a treatise in criticism of ra'y (lit. Opinion)¹³ analogy, istihsan (lit. preference), ta'lil and taqlid: "This false report is fabricated and forged; it is never authentic."¹⁴

Biographers have written about Ibn Hazm Andalusi's life. Ibn Hajar Asqalani writes about him: "He is a jurist, memorizer, literalist¹⁵ and prolific writer. Indeed, he had a strong memory as he had memorized numerous traditions but since he relied too much on his memory, he was careless in his utterances and speech especially when he was talking for and against narrators or when he was making mention of their names, thus creating a very bad impression of himself."

Saa'ed bin Ahmad Rab'ei says: "Amongst the Andalusids, Ibn Hazm had more knowledge of various branches of sciences as compared to others. Besides, he was acquainted with figurative science (bayan), eloquence and genealogy."

Humaidi describes him as such: "He was a memorizer and had the ability to derive and deduce Islamic laws from the Quran and tradition. He was an expert of and adherent to different branches of science. I have not seen a clever and sharp-minded man, a fast memorizer, a pious and dignified man like him."

An Andalusid historiographer, Abu Marwan bin Hebban, have also commented on him describing him as such: "Ibn Hazm was an expert in hadith, jurisprudence, genealogy and literature. Additionally, he also had knowledge of old sciences. There is no doubt that he was not free of mistakes in acquiring those skills but he had sought all those skills with courage and confidence."¹⁶

There are accounts and reports about Ibn Hazm's life in other Sunni books also.¹⁷

Ahmad bin al-Hussein Bayhaqi: a glimpse of his life

One of the Sunni scholars who have criticized the soundness Hadith of al-Nujum and described it as poor and unreliable is Abu Bakr, Ahmad bin Hussein Bayhaqi (d. 457). Ibn Hajar al- Asqalani has said that in his Al-Madkhal, Bayhaqi has considered Hadith of al-Nujum to be poor and inauthentic.¹⁸

Sunni scholars' books in Ilm Rijal (biography of narrators) are replete with praises and recommendations about Bayhaqi. Ibn Taghari Bardi says: Ahmad bin Hussein bin Abdullah Hafiz Abu Bakr Bayhaqi was born in the year 384 after Hegira. He was the leading figure of his time in the science of hadith and jurisprudence. He authored many books and compiled Imam

Shafi'ei's works in ten volumes. He died in the month of Jamadi al-Thani in Neishabour.¹⁹

Ibn Abd al-Barr: a glimpse of his life

Another renowned Sunni scholar who has studied and criticized Hadith of al-Nujum is Abu Umar ibn Abd al-Barr (d. 463). He writes:

Abu Shahab Hannat narrates from Jazri from Naafi' that Ibn Umar said: The Messenger of Allah said:

Verily, my companions are like stars. Whoever's saying you act upon, you will be guided aright.

This isnad or chain of transmission is not authentic because no one reports any tradition from Nafi' to be used for argument. This hadith has been narrated by Bazzaz with another chain of transmission: Ahmad bin Umar narrates from Abd bin Rooh, from Salam bin Sulaym, from Harith bin Ghusayn, from A'mash, from Abu Sufyan that Jabir said: The Messenger of Allah (S) said:

“My Companions are like the stars; whoever among them you follow, you will be rightly guided.”

Abu Umar says: "There is no evidence to indicate that this chain of transmission is authentic because Harith bin Ghusayn is an anonymous and unknown individual."²⁰

With that said, we shall now take a look at Ibn Abd al-Barr's life. Biographers have studied his life and commented on him. Zahabi is one of the Sunni scholars who writes about him as such: He was the imam, memorizer and Shaykh al-Islam of Tunisia (Maghrib).

He was born in Rabi' al-Thani 368 A.H. During his teenage period, he engaged in acquiring knowledge of hadith. Indeed, he was the chief of his time in terms of memorizing traditions, precision and profundity.

Abu Walid Baji says: "In Andalusia, no one was as learned as Abu Umar in the science of hadith."

Ibn Hazm says: "Al-Tamhid is a book authored by my friend Abu Umar. I know no one as strong and capable in theology, jurisprudence and hadith as he let alone being superior to him."

Ibn Sakrah also has commented on him as such: I heard Abu Walid Baji say: "Abu Umar is a person best known for his memorization in Tunisia."

Humaidi has also commented on him. He says: Abu Umar is a jurisprudent, memorizer, kathir al-hadith (i.e. one who narrates a lot of traditions), expert in readings and discrepancy of the Quran, in the sciences of hadith and biography. He lived with ilm al-hadith and was inclined jurisprudentially towards Imam Shafi'ei.²¹

Ali bin Hasan ibn Asaker: a glimpse of his life

Another renowned Sunni scholar who has considered Hadith of al-Nujum to be weak and inauthentic is Abul Qasim ibn Asaker. The text of his statement will be mentioned together with Mannwi's comment. Some biographers have praised and commended him. Yafi'ei describes him as such:

Abul Qasim Ali bin Hasan Hebatullah bin Asaker was a jurisprudent, imam (leader), outstanding traditionist, profound memorizer, precise, having extensive knowledge, Shaykh al-Islam, muhaddith (narrator) of sham (Levant), helper of prophetic tradition, eliminator of innovations, pride of memorizers, sea of knowledge, head of traditionists, capable mystic, reliable in religion, known during his time as a person of high status with none being like him amongst his contemporaries.

He possessed both intelligible and textual knowledge and distinguished authentic from inauthentic traditions. He was one of the great scholars of his time. He was considered a prominent Shafi'ei jurisprudent. He had made advancements in the science of traditions and was known for his progress in this field. He was an honest memorizer who gathered both texts and chains of transmission…²²

Ibn Jawzi: a glimpse of his life

Another prominent Sunni scholar who has discredited Hadith of al-Nujum and denied its soundness is Ibn Jawzi. In his Al-Ilal al-Mutanahiyah, he writes:

Nu‘aym bin Hammad is quoted as saying: Abdur Rahim bin Zayd al-Ammi related to us from Saeid bin Musayyib from Umar bin al-Khattab that the Apostle of Allah (S) has said: "I asked my Lord about what my companions would differ in after me. Then, He revealed to me:

“O Muhammad! To Me your companions are like stars in the sky, some of them are brighter than others; so, to Me, whoever takes hold of any of the things they differ about would be rightly guided."

And he goes on to add:

The soundness of this tradition is uncertain on the side of two transmitters, hence unreliable; one is Nu‘aym bin Hammad who is discredited and disapproved, and the other is ‘Abdur Rahim bin Zayd al-Ammi about whom Yahya bin Mu'een has said: "‘Abdur Rahim is a liar".²³

It should be noted that historians have given Ibn Jawzi's biography with praise and admiration. Ibn Khalakan says in his admiration as such:

Abul Faraj Abdur Rahman bin Abul Hasan Ali bin Muhamamd bin Ali bin Ubaiduallah bin Abdullah bin Hammadi bin Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Ja'far Jawzi is one of the Hanbali jurisprudents. He was a sermonizer who was given the epithet Jamaluddin, the great memorizer. He was the most learned scholar of his time, the leader of his age in hadith, oratory skill and in giving sermons. He has written books on different arts and skills.²⁴ He died in the year 597 A.H.

Ibn Dihya: a glimpse of his life

Ibn Dihya (d. 633 A.H) has also discredited hadith of al-Nujum and denied its soundness. His very words as quoted by Zayn Iraqi in this respect are as follows:

Ibn Dahiyya has said: "I have related the hadith (My companions are like stars); this hadith is not sound."²⁵

Biographers have reported his biography with respect and admiration. In his Husn al- Muhadherah, Jalaluddin Suyuti writes about him: Al-Imam al-Allama, the great memorizer, was insightful on hadith, and attached great importance to that knowledge. He had knowledge of etymology and Arabic literature. He has authored works in this regard. He lived in Egypt and undertook training the prince as well as teaching in Kamiliyah School.²⁶

Abu Hayyan al-Andalusi

Another scholar and great memorizer who has discredited Hadith of al-Nujum is Abu Hayyan Andalusi (d. 745). He has an interesting research about the Hadith of al-Nujum which we will partly quote here because of its usefulness. First, he relates the following from al- Zamakhshari:

Al-Zamakhshari said: If you ask how the Qur'an elucidates everything, I would say it means that the Qur'an has explicated everything of religious affairs; it has asserted some of them and has referred some to sunna since He (Allah) has commanded to follow the Apostle of Allah (S) and obey him, and has said:

“Nor does he speak out of [his own] desire.”²⁷

Moreover, He has encouraged Muslims to follow what has been unanimously agreed. He says:

"And follows other than the way of the believers."²⁸

The Apostle of Allah (S) has permitted his umma to follow his companions and emulate his deeds as he said: "My companions are like stars, whomever among them you follow, you will be guided". The fact, this hadith is not uttered by the Apostle of Allah (S) and this fabricated hadith is by no means true to be from the Apostle of Allah (S).

He states that Hafiz Abu Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Hazm has also said in his treatise in refutation of al-Ra’y wa al-Qiyas, Ta'lil and Taqlid:

This [i.e., the Hadith of al-Nujum] is a tradition which is a fabricated lie against the Prophet (S) and it can never have been said by the Prophet (S).

Bazzaz, the author of Musnad, has mentioned the chain of transmission. He says: The people narrate from the Prophet (S.) as saying: "My companions are comparable to the stars – or are like stars –, whomever among them you follow, you will be guided". This saying does not belong to the Prophet (S).

Abdur Rahim bin Zayd al-Ammi has related on the authority of his father from Saeid bin Musayyib from Ibn Umar from the Prophet (S). The weakness of this hadith is on the side of Abd al-Rahim, as the scholars have avoided transmitting his hadith.

It is to be said that the popular biographer, Ibn Mu'een, has commented in his Al- Mawdhu‘at about Abdur Rahim bin Zayd al-Ammi, one of the transmitters in the chain of the transmission of the above hadith, as follows: "Abdur Rahim bin Zayd is a liar and untrustworthy." Similarly, Bukhari has said in his Al-Dhu'afa: "He [i.e., ‘Abdur Rahim] is abandoned".

Hamza al-Jazri has also narrated the same tradition. Hamza's narration is disreputable and abandoned.²⁹

A Look at Abu Hayyan Andalusi's Life

Now we shall look at Abu Hayyan Andalusi's life who died in the year 745 A.H. He has been praised by biographers. Ibn Imad said about him: "Al-Imam Athir al-Din Abu Hayyan, the renowned grammarian of his time and a philologist, interpreter, and traditionist, expert in syntax, reciter, historiographer etc. He became well-known and was known everywhere. Many great scholars acquired knowledge from him and achieved progress during his lifetime.

Safdi praises him as such: Amongst my teachers, I have never seen anyone more preoccupied and busier than him because I have always seen him glorifying Allah, writing and studying. He was precise and exact in narrating and recording traditions. He had a good command of etymology. He was the leading and peerless figure in syntax and deflections. He had spent most of his time acquiring these two skills. He had a lot of experience and knowledge in the field of exegesis, hadith, lives and biographies of people especially those of the people of the Maghrib (Morocco and Tunisia).

Kamaluddin Odfoi says: Abu Hayyan was a precise and honest authority with a sound belief.³⁰

Shams al-Din Zahabi: a short glimpse of his lifeShams al-Din Zahabi: a short glimpse of his life

Shams al-Din Zahabi (d. 748 A.H.) has in numerous cases discredited the Hadith of al- Nujum in his Mizan al-I'tidal fi Naqd al-Rijal. For instance, in a biography of Ja'far bin Abd al-Wahid Hashimi al-Qadhi, after quoting the scholars' sayings about him, he adds:

Among his evils is his narration on the authority of Wahab bin Jarir from his father from A‘mash from Abu Salih from Abu Huraira, from the Prophet (S) that he said:

"My companions are like stars, whoever follows anything from them, he will be guided."³¹

In another instance, writing the biography of Zayd al-Ammi, and after relating the hadith, he said: "This hadith is invalid."³²

Now we shall take a short look at Zahabi's life. All books of biography have admired and praised him. Ibn Taghri Burdi said about him: "Al-Shaykh, al-Imam, the memorizer, the historian, and the author of fruitful writings, Shams al-Din Abu Abdullah Zahabi Shafi'ei is one of famous memorizers."

He had heard a lot of traditions and travelled to many cities. He was a writer, author, compiler and historiographer. He checked and corrected traditions and had special knowledge in the science of hadith and other related sciences. He obtained principles, processed them and read out the seven qira'at (recitations) to a group of experts in qira'aat (recitations).³³

Taj al-Din Ibn Maktum: a glimpse of his life

Another scholar who has discredited and questioned the credibility of Hadith of al- Nujum is Taj al-Din Ibn Maktum (d. 749 A.H.) Attesting to the sayings of his teacher,

Abu Hayyan, whom we have talked about before, he (Ibn Maktum) has related his very statement about the Hadith of al-Nujum from Al-Bahr al-Muhit in his (Ibn Maktum's) Al-Dur al-Laqit min al-Bahr al-Muhit. It is pertinent to mention that Ibn Maktum's biography is presented with praise in different Sunni sources. Jalaluddin Suyuti has said about him:

"Ahmad bin Adul Qadir bin Ahmad bin Maktum Taj al-Din Abu Muhammad al-Qaysi was an embodiment of jurisprudence, syntax and philology." He wrote the history book Al-Najat and Al-Dur al-Laqit min al-Bahr al-Muhit. He was born in the year 682 A.H. and departed in 749 A.H."³⁴

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzi: a glimpse of his life

Another Sunni scholar who has criticized the soundness of Hadith of al-Nujum is Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzi (d. 751 A.H.). He has discredited the Hadith of al-Nujum and has commented in rejection of the "imitators" and their reasons as follows:

The forty fifth reason is this saying of theirs: For the validity of emulation this well- known hadith suffices that: "My companions are like the stars, whomever among them you follow, you will be guided."

The answer to this saying can be given from several perspectives: One is that this hadith has been transmitted by way of Al-A‘mash from Abu Sufyan bin Jabir from Saeid bin al-Musayyib's hadith from Ibn Umar, and by way of Hamza al-Jazri from Nafi' from Ibn Umar, and none of them is proven and authenticated.

He goes on to say:

Ibn Abd al-Barr said: Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Saeid has related to us that Abu Abdullah bin Mufarraj has narrated to him on the authority of Muhammad bin Ayyub Samut that Bazzaz has said: As for what is related from the Prophet (S) as having said, "My companions are like the stars, whomever among them you follow, you will be guided" is not a sound hadith from the Prophet , peace be upon him and his family, because it has not been reported through a valid chain of transmission.³⁵

Now we shall take a brief look at Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzi's life. Most biography books have mentioned and praised him. Ibn Kathir says about him: "On Thursday night, the 13th of the month of Rajab, our friend, Al-Shaykh al-Imam al-Allama Shams al-Din, the leader of al-Jawziya and their custodian, died.

He began his education by acquiring knowledge of Ilm al-Hadith. He carried on his studies until he acquired proficiency in several branches of sciences including exegesis, hadith, theology, jurisprudence etc.

He recited the Quran beautifully and was well-mannered. He was kind and never felt jealous of anyone nor did he hurt anyone. He did not backbite anyone nor did he carry any spite against any people.³⁶

Zayn al-Din Iraqi

Another scholar who has rejected Hadith of al-Nujm and considered it as inauthentic is Zayn al-Din Iraqi (d. 806 A.H). He has the following to say about the Hadith of al- Nujum:

The hadith "My companions are like the stars, whomever among them you follow, you will be guided" has been related by Daru Qutni in Al-Fadha’il, and Ibn Abd al-Barr in his Jami' Bayan Al-‘Ilm has narrated from Jabir's hadith on his own authority that: "This isnad is not authentic and there is nothing to indicate that it is authentic, since al-Harith bin Ghusayn, one of its narrators, is unknown and anonymous.

He also relates:

Abd bin Humaid has related it in his Musnad and Ibn Adi has related it in Al-Kamil from the narration by Hamza bin Abi Nusaybi from Nafi' from Umar by the phrase "whomever among them you adopt his words " instead of "you followed" and said that "its isnad is weak because of the presence of Abu Hamza, as he is accused of lying.

Also, Bayhaqi in his Al-Madkhal has related it from Amr and Ibn Abbas and the same hadith in another way with an incomplete isnad (mursal) and has said that: "Its text is well-known but its isnad is poor and unproven."

Bazzaz has also quoted Abdur Rahim bin Zayd Ammi who narrated from his father, from Ibn Umar that he said: "This hadith is unknown and inauthentic."

Ibn Hazm has commented on this tradition. He says: "This tradition is false, fabricated and invalid."

Bayhaqi's remark about this tradition is the following: Part of this tradition (My companions are like stars) is implied by Abu Musa's tradition which has been reported by Muslim Neishaburi. In that hadith, the Holy Prophet (S) has been quoted as having said: