Authenticity of Abu Abdirrahman Muhammad Ibn Ubaidillah Al-Arzami Al-Kufi

Ali Ibn Ibrahim Al-Qumi writes:

ونحن ذاكرون ومخبرون بما ينتهى الينا ورواه مشايخنا وثقاتنا عن الذين فرض الله طاعتهم واوجب ولايتهم

“We mention and report that which has reached us and what our teachers and trustworthy ones (Thiqah) have narrated from those (a.) to whom God obligated the obedience and whose leadership He has imposed.” [Tafsir-ul-Qumi, Volume 1, page 4]

حدثني أبي عن العرزمي عن ابيه عن ابي إسحاق عن الحارث الاعور عن امير المؤمنين عليه السلام قال: سئل عن السحاب أين يكون ؟ قال: يكون على شجر كثيف على ساحل البحر

“I was told by my father, from Al-Arzami, from his father, from Ibn Ishaq, from Harith Al-A’war, from the Commander of the Believers (a.), that he was asked about the cloud: “Where is it?” He said: “It is on a thick tree on the ocean shore.” [Tafsir-ul-Qumi, vol. 2, p. 276]

Muhammad ibn Ya’qub Al-Kulaini writes:

وقلت إنك تحب أن يكون عندك كتاب كاف يجمع فيه من جميع فنون علم الدين ما يكتفي به المتعلم، ويرجع إليه المسترشد ويأخذ منه من يريد علم الدين والعمل به بالآثار الصحيحة عن الصادقين عليهم السلام [ … ] وقد يسر الله وله الحمد تأليف ما سألت

“You said that you desired, to have a book that is sufficient, in which there are all the disciplines of religious knowledge, which is sufficient for the one, who seeks knowledge and to which the one, who asks for clarification resorts to and from which he takes, who seeks to act according to the religious knowledge and follow the traditions of the truthful (a.), which are authentic (Sahih) [ … ] and God, praise be to Him, has made easy the composing of what you asked for.” [Al-Kafi, vol. 1, pp. 8 – 9]

محمد بن يحيى عن أحمد بن محمد عن علي بن الحكم عن عبد الرحمن العرزمي عن أبيه عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: كان قنبر غلام علي يحب عليا عليه السلام حبا شديدا

“Muhammad ibn Yahya, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from Ali ibn Hakam, from Abd-ur-Rahman Al-Arzami, from his father, from Abu Abdillah (As-Sadiq), who said: “Qanbar was a boy, who loved Ali (a.) very much.” [Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 59.]

Muhammad Ibn Hasan At-Tusi writes:

وأذكر مسألة مسألة فاستدل عليها إما من ظاهر القرآن أو من صريحه أو فحواه أو دليله أو معناه، وإما من السنة المقطوع بها من الاخبار المتواترة أو الاخبار التي تقترن إليها القرائن التي تدل على صحتها

“I mention fact by fact, after which I give the proof. Either from the outward literal sense of the Qur’an, or its unambiguity, or its meaning, or its hint, or its significance, or from the custom (Sunnah) about which there is certainty by means of consecutive traditions, or the traditions for which there is indicative evidence that they are authentic (Sahih).” [Tahdhib-ul-Ahkam, vol. 1, p. 3]

وعنه عن محمد بن الحسين عن العباس بن عامر القصباني وايوب بن نوح عن العباس عن داود بن الحصين عن سفيان الجريري عن العرزمي عن ابيه رفع الحديث الى النبي صلى الله عليه وآله قال: من أم قوما وفيهم من هو أعلم منه لم يزل أمرهم الى السفال الى يوم القيامة

“From him, from Muhammad ibn Husain, from Abbas ibn Amir Al-Qasbani and Ayyub ibn Nuh, from Abbas, from Dawud ibn Husain, from Sufyan Al-Jariri, from Al-Arzami, from his father, who attributed the saying to the Prophet (s.), who said: “Whoever led people in prayer while there was among them someone more knowledgeable than him, their matter continually goes downhill until the Day of Resurrection.” [Tahdhib-ul-Ahkam, vol. 3, p. 56]

Muhammad Al-Hurr Al-Amili writes:

الكتب المعتمدة التي نقلت منها أحاديث هذا الكتاب وشهد بصحتها مؤلفوها وغيرهم [ … ] ٥ – كتاب عيون الأخبار تأليف الصدوق محمد بن علي بن الحسين بن بابويه ٦ – كتاب معاني الأخبار له ٧ – كتاب إكمال الدين وإتمام النعمة له ٨ – كتاب الأمالي ويسمى المجالس له

“The trustworthy books from which I transmitted the sayings of this book and about which their authors and others testified that they are authentic (Sahih), [ … ] 5 – the book Uyun-ul-Akhbar which Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn Husain Ibn Babawaih compiled, 6 – his book Ma’ani l-Akhbar, 7 – his book Ikmal-ud-Din Wa-Tamam-un-Ni’mah, 8 – his book Al-Amali which is called Al-Majalis. ” [Wasa’il-ush-Shi’ah, Vol. 30, p. 152.]

محمد بن الحسن باسناده عن محمد بن أحمد بن يحيى، عن محمد بن الحسين، عن العباس بن عامر وأيوب بن نوح، عن معرو ف، عن داود بن الحصين، عن سفيان الجريري، عن العرزمي، عن أبيه رفع الحديث إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وآله قال: من أم قوما وفيهم من هو أعلم منه لم يزل أمرهم إلى السفال إلى يوم القيامة ورواه الصدوق في عقاب الأعمال عن أبيه، عن سعد، عن أحمد بن محمد، عن محمد بن خالد، عن القاسم بن محمد، عن الحسين بن أبي العلاء عن ابن العرزمي عن أبيه، إلا أنه قال: أعلم منه وأفقه

“Muhammad ibn Hasan with his chain from Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yahya, from Muhammad ibn Husain, from Abbas ibn Amir and Ayyub ibn Nuh, from Ma’ruf, from Dawud ibn Husain, from Sufyan Al-Jariri, from Al-Arzami, from his father who attributed the saying to the Prophet (s. ) who said: “Whoever led people in prayer while there was among them someone more knowledgeable than him, their matter continually goes downhill until the Day of Resurrection.” And As-Saduq narrated it in Iqab-ul-A’mal, from his father, from Sa’d, from Ahmad Ibn Muhammad, from Muhammad Ibn Khalid, from Qasim Ibn Muhammad, from Husain Ibn Abi l-A’la, from Ibn-ul-Arzami, from his father. However, he said: “More knowledgeable and understanding than him.” [Wasa’il-ush-Shi’ah, Vol. 8, p. 346.]

Yusuf Ibn Ahmad Al-Bahrani writes:

إذا عرفت ذلك فاعلم أن المشهور بين الأصحاب رضوان الله عليهم هو تقديم الأقرأ على الأفقه كما دلت عليه هذه الأخبار وذهب جملة من الأصحاب منهم العلامة في المختلف إلى العكس وعليه جملة من أفاضل متأخري المتأخرين كالسيد السند في المدارك والفاضل الخراساني في الذخيرة والمحدث الكاشاني والمحدث الشيخ محمد بن الحسن الحر العاملي وغيرهم، وهو الحق الحقيق بالاتباع وإن كان قليل الاتباع للأدلة العقلية والنقلية كتابا وسنة كما سيظهر لك إن شاء الله تعالى. قال في المختلف لنا إن الأفقه أشرف واعلم بأركان الصلاة وامكان تدارك السهو ومراتبه وكيفية الصلاة فيكون أولى بالتقديم، قال الله تعالى قل هل يستوي الذين يعلمون والذين لا يعلمون وما رواه العرزمي عن أبيه رفع الحديث إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وآله قال: من أم قوما وفيهم من هو أعلم منه لم يزل أمرهم إلى سفال إلى يوم القيامة

“When you have realized this, then know that the widely held belief of the Companions, May God be pleased with them, is that the most learned is preferred over the most intelligent as the leader of the prayer, which is what the traditions indicate, and a group of the Companions, including the Scholar (Al-Hilli), believed in the opposite and that was advocated by a group of virtuous late scholars such as Sayyid As-Sanad in Al-Madarik and the virtuous Al-Khurasani in Adh-Dhakhirah and the traditionalist Al-Kashani and the traditionalist and scholar Muhammad Ibn Hasan Al-Hurr Al-Amili and others and that is the legitimately right thing to follow, although it is little followed, since the intellectual and transmitted evidence according to the scripture (Qur’an) and the custom (Sunnah) is in favor of it, as it will become apparent to you, God willing. He (Al-Hilli) said in Al-Mukhtalaf: “It speaks for us that the most understanding is nobler and more knowledgeable about the pillars of prayer, the prevention of carelessness, and the methodology of prayer. Therefore, he is more preferable as the prayer leader. God said: “Say: Are those who know and those who do not know equal?” (39:9) And that which Al-Arzami narrated from his father who attributed the saying to the Prophet (s.) who said: “Whoever led people in prayer while there was among them someone more knowledgeable than him, their matter continually goes downhill until the Day of Resurrection.” [Al-Hada’iq-un-Nadirah, vol. 11, p. 204]

Comment:

Al-Khu’i classified Muhammad Al-Arzami as weak (Kitab-us-Salah, Volume 5, page 362) and doubted his traditions with extreme ambition.