‘Abbas comments...

‘Abbas comments: إسناده صحيح Its chain is sahih ^5 As for Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, both of them did not even have sufficient knowledge of either the Qur’an or Sunnah – much less anything else! For instance, ‘Umar did not know the basic Islamic ruling on tayammum . Imam Muslim records: حدثني عبدالله بن هاشم العبدي حدثنا يحيى (يعني ابن سعيد القطان) عن شعبة قال حدثني الحكم عن ذر عن سعيد بن عبدالرحمن بن أبزي عن أبيه أن رجلا أتى عمر فقال :إني أجنبت فلم أجد ماء فقال لا تصل ‘Abd Allah b.

Hisham al-‘Abdi – Yahya b. Sa’id al-Qaṭṭan – Shu’bah – al-Hakam – Dharr – Sa’id b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Abza – his father: A man came to 'Umar and said: “I have seminal discharges and I cannot find water (to do the ghusl )”.

He (‘Umar) said, “Do not perform Salat **.”**[^6] Meanwhile, this is the answer to that question in the Qur’an: وإن كنتم مرضى أو على سفر أو جاء أحد منكم من الغائط أو لامستم النساء فلم تجدوا ماء فتيمموا صعيدا طيبا فامسحوا بوجوهكم وأيديكم And if you are ill, or on a journey, or one of you comes after answering the call of nature, or you have had sexual intercourse with women and you cannot find water, perform tayammum with clean soil and rub therewith your faces and hands.[^7] ‘Umar apparently did not know the verses, or even the explicit Prophetic traditions which also explain the matter.

As such, it was naturally impossible for him to have issued any challenge to any people to ask him anything ! He completely lacked the capability, and would have been instantly humiliated with such beginner’s topics as tayammum . Moreover, as Imam al-Bukhari (d.

256 H) records below, ‘Umar also lacked knowledge of some other topics in Islamic jurisprudence: حدثنا أحمد بن أبي رجاء حدثنا يحيى عن أبي حيان التيمي عن الشعبي عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال :خطب عمر على منبر رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فقال إنه قد نزل تحريم الخمر وهي من خمسة أشياء العنب والتمر والحنطة والشعير والعسل والخمر ما خامر العقل . وثلاث وددت أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم لم يفارقنا حتى يعهد إلينا عهدا الجد والكلالة وأبواب من أبواب الربا Ahmad b.

Abi Rajah – Yahya – Abu Hayyan al-Tamimi – Shu’bi – Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both: ‘Umar delivered a sermon on the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying, “Verily, there was revealed an order making alcohol haram , and it is made from five things: grape, date, wheat, barley and honey. Alcohol is whatsoever clouds the mind.