Waqar Akbar Cheema has an analysis of the narrations and related narrations.
warm/murky water” appear are not believed to be attributed to Prophet Muhammad
(p). Thus, Muslims do not consider them to be reliable.
simple, if you look at the analysis you will see there are numerous Hadiths
with different chains of narrators (after the first three links) which all report the SAME
saying of Abu Darr but they do not include the words “it sets in a spring of warm/murky
water.”
narration (see the fourth person in the chain) while the versions not
containing “it sets in a spring of warm/murky water” are of 5 different chains
(5 different people at the 4th link) – thus overwhelming numerical evidence
shows that the Hadith containing “it sets in a spring of warm/murky water” cannot
be attributed to Prophet Muhammad p. Basically it’s a case of 1 person
reported it with the words “it sets in a spring of warm/murky water” compared
to 5 who did not report those words.
contains Sufyan bin Husain who was considered as a person who made mistakes in
his narrations as seen in Waqar Cheema’s analysis:
(Tabaqat al-Kubra, Dar al-Kotob al-Ilmiyya, Beirut, 1990, vol.7 p.227 No. 3417)
accepts the more numerous and reliable Hadiths which are those that do NOT
contain the words “it sets in a spring of warm/murky water”
mistake – see Cheema’s analysis
which impugn the reliability of such hadiths:
what other people relate.” (An Introduction to the Science of Hadith,
Translated by Dr. Eerik Dickinson, Garnet Publishing Ltd. Berkshire 2006 p.57)
it outwardly appears to be free of the defect. That may apply to an isnad made
up of reliable transmitters which outwardly seems to fulfill the conditions of
soundness. Someone being alone in transmitting the hadith as well as others
contradicting him aid in catching the defect.” (An Introduction to the Science
of Hadith, p.67)
And when a report or a part of it becomes “shaadh” it ceases to be a sahih
(sound) report. For this the definition of a “Sahih hadith” will help.
Hafiz Ibn Salah writes;
“The sahih (sound) hadith is a “supported” hadith (al-hadith al-musnad), the
isnad of which coheres continuously through the transmission of one upright and
accurate person from another up to its point of termination. The sound hadith
can be neither anomalous (shaadh) nor defective (mu’allal),” (An Introduction
to the Science of Hadith, p.5)
So merely being “sahih al-isnaad” is not enough for the report itself to be
sahih.
Conclusion
If you come across aChristian missionary or any other Anti-Islam zealot
quoting any Hadith saying the sun “sets in a spring of warm/murky water”
then just dismiss it. Kindly let that person know that the Hadith is unreliable
and there are numerous Hadith which contradict that and these are the more
reliable Hadith. Let the person know, the Hadith he/she is citing cannot be
attributed to the Prophet – due to intellectual honesty.
For more information see Waqar Cheema’s analysis.
The narrations which you may come across:
Yazid bin Harun- Sufyan bin Husain- Al-Hakam bin ‘Utaybah- Ibrahim (b. Yazid
al-Taymi)- Yazid al-Taymi- Abu Dharr said: I was sitting behind the
Apostle of Allah who was riding a donkey while the sun was setting. He asked:
Do you know where this sets? I replied: Allah and his Apostle know best. He
said: It sets in a spring of warm water. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 3991)
Related narrations:
In Musnad Ahmad these words are part of a longer narration reported through
same chain of narrators;
Abu Dharr narrated, “Once I was with the Prophet riding a donkey on which
there was a saddle or a (piece of) velvet. That was at sunset. He said to me,
‘O Abu Dharr, do you know where this (sun) sets?’ I said, ‘Allah and His
Messenger know better.’ He said, ‘It sets in a spring of murky water, (then) it
goes and prostrates before its Lord, the Exalted in Might and the
Ever-Majestic, under the Throne. And when it is time to go out, Allah allows it
to go out and thus it rises. But, when He wants to make it rise where it sets,
He locks it up. The sun will then say, “O my Lord, I have a long distance to
run.” Allah will say, “Rise where you have set.” That (will take place) when no
(disbelieving) soul will get any good by believing then.’” (Musnad Ahmad,
Hadith 21459 al-Risala ed.)
This narration is quite similar to the narration found in many hadith works
including Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim etc. except the words “It sets in a
spring of warm water.”
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