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Hadith al-Aman
Issued byProphet (s)
NarratorsImam 'Ali (a), Ibn 'Abbas, Salama b. al-Akwa', Jabir b. Abd Allah al-Ansari, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri
Validity of the chain of transmissionMutawatir, Sahih
Shi'a sources'Uyun akhbar al-Rida (a), Amali of Shaykh al-Tusi, Kamal al-din of Shaykh al-Saduq
Sunni sourcesAl-Mustadrak, Fada'il al-Sahaba of Ibn Hanbal, Al-Mu'jam al-kabir of al-Tabarani


Hadith al-Amān (Arabic: حدیث الأمان) or Hadith al-Nujūm (Arabic: حدیث النجوم) is a hadith attributed to the Prophet (s) in which the Ahl al-Bayt (a) are identified as the source of security and salvation for the inhabitants of the earth, just as the stars provide security for the inhabitants of the sky. This tradition has been transmitted with varying phrasings in both Shi'a and Sunni sources via the companions of the Prophet through numerous chains of transmission. The multiplicity of these chains is regarded as an indicator of the narrators' confidence in the hadith's authenticity. Al-Hakim al-Nishapuri, a prominent Sunni hadith scholar, cited the tradition in his al-Mustadrak, classifying it as sahih (authentic). According to certain Shi'a researchers, this hadith is Mutawatir (frequently transmitted).

According to some narrations, the term "Ahl al-Bayt" refers specifically to the Shi'a Imams. Shi'a theologians interpret the Ahl al-Bayt's role as guarantors of security for the people of the earth as evidence of the infallibility of the Imams, their superiority over others and the validity of their Imamate. According to Hadith al-Aman, the Ahl al-Bayt serve as the agents of guidance for humanity until the end of time, safeguarding them from sinking into misguidance, disbelief, corruption and sin.

In some Sunni sources, the term "Sahaba" (companions) is substituted for "Ahl al-Bayt"; however, these variations are widely considered fabricated due to weaknesses in both their chains of transmission and textual content.

Text of the Hadith

Hadith al-Aman, also known as Hadith al-Nujum,[1] is a well-known tradition from the Prophet (s) narrated in Shi'a[2] and Sunni[3] sources with various wordings. The most widely cited version[4] reads as follows: "Al-nujumu amanun li-ahli l-sama'i wa ahlu bayti amanun li-ahli l-ardi; The stars are the security for the people of the sky and my Ahl al-Bayt are the security for the people of the earth."[5] The phrase "people of the earth" (ahl al-ard) is understood to encompass both humans and Jinn.[6]

Certain narrative sources record the phrase "amanun li-ummati" (security for my Umma) instead of "amanun li-ahli l-ard," thereby designating the Ahl al-Bayt (a) as the security specifically for the Prophet's (s) Umma.[7] Scholars maintain that there is no contradiction between being the security for the people of the earth and the security for the Islamic Umma; rather in this instance, (the Umma) has been sepcified alongside the general (people of the earth). The specific mention of the Islamic Umma highlights its nobility and status relative to other communities; nevertheless, the Ahl al-Bayt remain the security for the Islamic Umma, other communities and all inhabitants of the earth.[8]

Explanation of the Hadith Text

Various sources append explanatory phrases to the standard narration, including: "If the stars fall, the people of the sky will perish, and if the Ahl al-Bayt are absent, the people of the earth will also perish."[9] In the exegesis attributed to Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (a), the Ahl al-Bayt are described as the means of the Umma's salvation from religious discord and misguidance, such that whoever follows their path and Sunna will be preserved from destruction.[10] Al-Hakim al-Nishapuri narrates in al-Mustadrak 'ala al-sahihayn that the Ahl al-Bayt are the security of the Umma against discord; should an Arab tribe oppose them, that tribe would join the party of Satan.[11]

This hadith has also been narrated with slight variations from Shi'a Imams such as Imam 'Ali (a),[12] Imam al-Sajjad (a)[13] and Imam al-Sadiq (a).[14]

According to Nasir Makarim Shirazi, a prominent Shi'a Marja', Hadith al-Aman asserts that the Ahl al-Bayt function like stars, saving humanity from misguidance, corruption, disbelief and sin. They illuminate the path to the ultimate destination and prevent the distortion of Islam and its rulings. Just as the stars provide perpetual security for the sky—where as one sets, another rises—the guidance of the Ahl al-Bayt is continuous, ensuring their constant presence on the path of guidance.[15]

In Nahj al-balagha, Imam 'Ali (a) states: "The Family of Muhammad are like stars; whenever a star sets, another star rises."[16]

Authenticity and Documentation

Hadith al-Aman is reported to have 22 independent chains of transmission[17] and has been transmitted through several companions of the Prophet, including Imam 'Ali (a),[18] Jabir b. Abd Allah al-Ansari,[19] Ibn 'Abbas,[20] Salama b. al-Akwa'[21] and Abu Sa'id al-Khudri.[22][23] The Sunni scholar Al-Hakim al-Nishapuri narrated Hadith al-Aman from both Ibn 'Abbas and Jabir b. Abd Allah al-Ansari, classifying it as sahih.[24] The large number of chains is considered evidence of the narrators' confidence that the hadith was indeed issued by the Prophet.[25] Some scholars argue that, based on Sunni principles where a multiplicity of narrations compensates for weaknesses in individual chains of transmission, this hadith is authentic and reliable.[26]

According to Ali Rabbani Gulpaygani, a Shi'a theological researcher, an aggregate analysis of the hadiths narrated in both Shi'a and Sunni sources supports the claim that Hadith al-Aman is Mutawatir and originates from the Prophet (s).[27]

The chain involving "Salama b. al-Akwa'" is the most famous chain for this hadith and its narrators are deemed trustworthy.[28]

Meaning of Ahl al-Bayt

Main article: Ahl al-Bayt (a)

In some narrations, the term "Ahl al-Bayt (a)" in Hadith al-Aman is interpreted as referring specifically to the Shi'a Imams.[29] Conversely, some Sunni scholars assert that "Ahl al-Bayt" refers to Fatima (a) and all her descendants, whether direct or indirect.[30] In their view, the creation and continued existence of the world are contingent upon the Prophet (s), who, according to Qur'an 8:33, is the security of the Umma. The Ahl al-Bayt are linked to the Prophet in this regard, functioning as the security of the Umma and the preservers of the world; this is because his Ahl al-Bayt are comparable to the Prophet (s) in many respects, and through Fatima (a), they are considered his flesh and blood (part/bad'a).[31]

Nasir Makarim Shirazi argues that the term "Ahl al-Bayt" cannot refer to the Wives of the Prophet (s), as they lived during a specific period and played no role in preventing discord or misguidance after that time.[32]

Theological Interpretations

Theologians have derived several key points regarding the Ahl al-Bayt from Hadith al-Aman, including:

  • Infallibility of the Ahl al-Bayt: Muhammad Hasan al-Muzaffar, arguing from Hadith al-Aman, posits that only those endowed with nobility and infallibility from God can serve as security for the people. He maintains that a sinner, lacking security for themselves, cannot provide it for others. Therefore, the designation of the Ahl al-Bayt as security implies their infallibility.[33] It is further argued that the Prophet's (s) description of the Ahl al-Bayt as stars of guidance and safeguards against misguidance necessitates their infallibility, as such a role would be impossible without it.[34] The narration in Kifayat al-athar also explicitly mentions the infallibility of the Ahl al-Bayt.[35]
  • Superiority of the Ahl al-Bayt: Hadith al-Aman is cited as evidence for the Superiority of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), as being the source of security for the earth's inhabitants signifies a rank superior to that of other people.[36]
  • Imamate of the Ahl al-Bayt: In the view of Muhammad Hasan al-Muzaffar, this hadith serves not only as proof of the infallibility and superiority of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) but also as one of the strongest arguments for their Imamate; once their superiority and infallibility are established, their right to the Imamate is simultaneously proven.[37]

The Sahaba as Security in Sunni Sources

In certain Sunni sources, the word "ashabi" (my companions) is narrated instead of "ahli bayti," presenting the companions of the Prophet (s) as the security of the Umma.[38] These narrations are generally regarded as fabricated due to issues with both their chains of transmission and their content.[39] A primary textual critique is that if the Prophet's (s) companions were indeed the security of the earth or the Umma, such that their absence would cause destruction, then at least one companion would need to remain among the people at all times. However, historical records confirm that all companions of the Prophet (s) had passed away by the 1st/7th century.[40] Furthermore, critics argue that the Qur'an[41] and history testify that some companions committed sins (such as drinking wine) or fell into ideological deviations (such as hypocrisy), rendering them unfit to be the security of the Umma.[42]

Some Sunni sources also contain the statement: "My companions are like stars; whichever one of them you follow, you will be guided."[43] Shi'a scholars such as Nasir Makarim Shirazi[44] and Ja'far Subhani,[45] as well as some Sunni scholars like Abu Hayyan al-Andalusi and Ibn Hazm,[46] reject this hadith as fabricated, maintaining that the Prophet never uttered such words.

Notes

  1. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Qur'ān, 1386 Sh, vol. 9, p. 85.
  2. ↑ For example see: Al-Tafsīr al-mansūb ilā l-Imām al-Ḥasan al-ʿAskarī, 1409 AH, p. 546; Al-Ṣadūq, ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā (a), 1378 Sh, vol. 2, p. 27; Al-Ṭūsī, Al-Amālī, 1414 AH, pp. 259 & 379.
  3. ↑ For example see: Ibn Ḥanbal, Faḍāʾil al-ṣaḥāba, 1403 AH, vol. 2, p. 671; Al-Ḥākim al-Nayshābūrī, Al-Mustadrak ʿalā l-ṣaḥīḥayn, 1411 AH, vol. 2, p. 486 & vol. 3, pp. 162 & 517; Al-Ṭabarānī, Al-Muʿjam al-kabīr, vol. 7, p. 22; Ibn ʿAsākir, Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq, 1415 AH, vol. 40, p. 20.
  4. ↑ Rabbānī Gulpāygānī & Fāṭimīniyād, "Ḥadīth-i amān wa imāmat-i ahl-i bayt ʿalayhim al-salām", pp. 9-10.
  5. ↑ Khazzāz al-Qummī, Kifāyat al-athar, 1401 AH, pp. 29 & 210; Ibn Ḥanbal, Faḍāʾil al-ṣaḥāba, 1403 AH, vol. 2, p. 671; Al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān, Sharḥ al-akhbār, 1409 AH, vol. 2, p. 502 & vol. 3, pp. 10 & 13; Al-Ṭabarī, Dhakhāʾir al-ʿuqbā, 1356 AH, p. 17.
  6. ↑ Rabbānī Gulpāygānī & Fāṭimīniyād, "Ḥadīth-i amān wa imāmat-i ahl-i bayt ʿalayhim al-salām", p. 18.
  7. ↑ For example see: Al-Ṣadūq, ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā (a), 1378 Sh, vol. 2, p. 27; Al-Ṭūsī, Al-Amālī, 1414 AH, pp. 259 & 379; Al-Ḥākim al-Nayshābūrī, Al-Mustadrak ʿalā l-ṣaḥīḥayn, 1411 AH, vol. 2, p. 486 & vol. 3, pp. 162 & 517; Al-Ṭabarī, Dhakhāʾir al-ʿuqbā, 1356 AH, p. 17.
  8. ↑ Rabbānī Gulpāygānī & Fāṭimīniyād, "Ḥadīth-i amān wa imāmat-i ahl-i bayt ʿalayhim al-salām", p. 18.
  9. ↑ See: Al-Ṣadūq, Kamāl al-dīn wa tamām al-niʿma, 1395 AH, vol. 1, p. 205; Ibn Ḥanbal, Faḍāʾil al-ṣaḥāba, 1403 AH, vol. 2, p. 671.
  10. ↑ Al-Tafsīr al-mansūb ilā l-Imām al-Ḥasan al-ʿAskarī, 1409 AH, p. 546.
  11. ↑ Al-Ḥākim al-Nayshābūrī, Al-Mustadrak ʿalā l-ṣaḥīḥayn, 1411 AH, vol. 3, p. 162.
  12. ↑ Al-Laythī al-Wāsiṭī, ʿUyūn al-ḥikam wa l-mawāʿiẓ, 1376 Sh, p. 165; Tamīmī Āmidī, Ghurar al-ḥikam wa durar al-kalim, 1410 AH, p. 262.
  13. ↑ Al-Ṣadūq, Kamāl al-dīn wa tamām al-niʿma, 1395 AH, vol. 1, p. 207.
  14. ↑ Ibn Qūlawayh, Kāmil al-ziyārāt, 1356 Sh, p. 36; Ibn ʿUqda al-Kūfī, Faḍāʾil Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a), 1424 AH, p. 138.
  15. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Qur'ān, 1386 Sh, vol. 9, pp. 89-90.
  16. ↑ Al-Sharīf al-Raḍī, Nahj al-balāgha, Sermon 100, p. 146.
  17. ↑ Rabbānī Gulpāygānī & Fāṭimīniyād, "Ḥadīth-i amān wa imāmat-i ahl-i bayt ʿalayhim al-salām", p. 11.
  18. ↑ Ibn Ḥanbal, Faḍāʾil al-ṣaḥāba, 1403 AH, vol. 2, p. 671; Al-Ṭabarī, Dhakhāʾir al-ʿuqbā, 1356 AH, p. 17.
  19. ↑ Al-Ḥākim al-Nayshābūrī, Al-Mustadrak ʿalā l-ṣaḥīḥayn, 1411 AH, vol. 2, p. 486.
  20. ↑ Al-Ṭūsī, Al-Amālī, 1414 AH, p. 379; Al-Ḥākim al-Nayshābūrī, Al-Mustadrak ʿalā l-ṣaḥīḥayn, 1411 AH, vol. 3, p. 162.
  21. ↑ Al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān, Sharḥ al-akhbār, 1409 AH, vol. 3, p. 13; Al-Ṭabarī, Dhakhāʾir al-ʿuqbā, 1356 AH, p. 17.
  22. ↑ Khazzāz al-Qummī, Kifāyat al-athar, 1401 AH, p. 29.
  23. ↑ See: Shūshtarī, Iḥqāq al-ḥaqq, 1409 AH, vol. 9, pp. 294-308 & vol. 18, pp. 323-330.
  24. ↑ Al-Ḥākim al-Nayshābūrī, Al-Mustadrak ʿalā l-ṣaḥīḥayn, 1411 AH, vol. 2, p. 486.
  25. ↑ Rabbānī Gulpāygānī & Fāṭimīniyād, "Ḥadīth-i amān wa imāmat-i ahl-i bayt ʿalayhim al-salām", p. 11.
  26. ↑ Rabbānī Gulpāygānī & Fāṭimīniyād, "Ḥadīth-i amān wa imāmat-i ahl-i bayt ʿalayhim al-salām", p. 13.
  27. ↑ "Imamate Lesson - Al-Muraja'at - Professor Rabbani", Eshia website.
  28. ↑ Rabbānī Gulpāygānī & Fāṭimīniyād, "Ḥadīth-i amān wa imāmat-i ahl-i bayt ʿalayhim al-salām", pp. 11-13.
  29. ↑ See: Al-Ṣadūq, ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ, 1385 Sh, vol. 1, p. 124; Khazzāz al-Qummī, Kifāyat al-athar, 1401 AH, p. 29.
  30. ↑ Samhūdī, Jawāhir al-ʿiqdayn, 1405 AH, vol. 2, pp. 124-125; Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, Al-Ṣawāʿiq al-muḥriqa, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 446.
  31. ↑ Samhūdī, Jawāhir al-ʿiqdayn, 1405 AH, vol. 2, pp. 124-125; Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, Al-Ṣawāʿiq al-muḥriqa, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 446.
  32. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Qur'ān, 1386 Sh, vol. 9, p. 90.
  33. ↑ Al-Muẓaffar, Dalāʾil al-ṣidq, 1422 AH, vol. 6, p. 259.
  34. ↑ See: Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Qur'ān, 1386 Sh, vol. 9, p. 90; Rabbānī Gulpāygānī & Fāṭimīniyād, "Ḥadīth-i amān wa imāmat-i ahl-i bayt ʿalayhim al-salām", p. 31.
  35. ↑ Khazzāz al-Qummī, Kifāyat al-athar, 1401 AH, p. 29.
  36. ↑ See: Ibn ʿAṭiyya, Abhā al-midād, 1423 AH, vol. 1, p. 819; Al-Muẓaffar, Dalāʾil al-ṣidq, 1422 AH, vol. 6, p. 259.
  37. ↑ Al-Muẓaffar, Dalāʾil al-ṣidq, 1422 AH, vol. 6, p. 259.
  38. ↑ For example see: Muslim al-Nayshābūrī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, vol. 4, p. 1961; Al-Ṭabarānī, Al-Muʿjam al-kabīr, vol. 11, p. 53 & vol. 20, p. 360.
  39. ↑ See: Zaynalī, "Ḥadīth-i amān", pp. 56-61.
  40. ↑ See: Zaynalī, "Ḥadīth-i amān", pp. 56-57.
  41. ↑ For example see: Qur'an 24:11-12; Qur'an 9:101.
  42. ↑ See: Zaynalī, "Ḥadīth-i amān", pp. 58-61.
  43. ↑ Ibn ʿAsākir, Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq, 1415 AH, vol. 22, p. 359.
  44. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Qur'ān, 1386 Sh, vol. 9, p. 91.
  45. ↑ Subḥānī, Al-Ilāhiyyāt, 1412 AH, vol. 4, p. 443.
  46. ↑ See: Abū Ḥayyān al-Andalusī, Al-Baḥr al-muḥīṭ, 1420 AH, vol. 6, pp. 582-583.

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