Hadith of the ten promised paradise

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The Islamic prophet Muhammad, in a Hadith accepted by Sunni Muslims, specified ten of his companions who were promised paradise. Those companions named in this Hadith are referred to by Sunnis as The Ten Promised Paradise (Arabic: العشرة المبشرون بالجنة‎; al-`Ashara al-Mubasharîn bi-l-Janna). The authenticity of this Hadith is rejected by the Shias.

The Hadith

Narrated Sa'id ibn Zayd:
AbdurRahman ibn al-Akhnas said that when he was in the mosque, a man mentioned Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). So Sa'id ibn Zayd got up and said: I bear witness to the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) that I heard him say: Ten persons will go to Paradise: The Prophet (peace be upon him) will go to Paradise, AbuBakr will go to Paradise, Umar will go to Paradise, Uthman will go to Paradise, Ali will go to Paradise, Talhah will go to Paradise: az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam will go to paradise, Sa'd ibn Malik will go to Paradise, and AbdurRahman ibn Awf will go to Paradise. If I wish, I can mention the tenth. The People asked: Who is he: So he kept silence. The again asked: Who is he: He replied: He is Sa'id ibn Zayd.

—Collected by Abu Dawood, Sunan Abu Dawood

Abdul Rahman bin `Awf said: The prophet (s) said: Abu Bakr in Paradise, Omar in Paradise, 'Uthman in Paradise, Ali in Paradise, Talha in Paradise, al- Zubair (bin al-'Awwam) in Paradise, AbdulRahman bin `Awf in Paradise, Saad (bin Abi Waqqass) in Paradise, Saeed (bin Zaid), and abu 'Ubaida bin al- Jarrah in Paradise."

—Tirmidhi

Muslim view

Muslims put different weight on this Hadith, the majority of the Sunnis, viewing it as very favourable.

Sunni view

This Hadith was narrated in three collections by Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, and Ibn Majah.

The Sunni canon of Hadith, called the Six major Hadith collections, includes: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawood, Al-Sunan al-Sughra, Sunan al-Tirmidhi and Sunan ibn Majah. Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are considered the most reliable of these collections.

Sunnis say that Muhammad's companions were sorted into twelve groups and of these the ten promised paradise were ranked first.

Shia view

Shia Muslims do not believe in the concept and have concluded that the idea is built on Hadith that were fabricated during Umayyad reign, forged for political reasons to elevate the adversaries of the Shia Imam, Ali, and the Ahl al-Bayt^{[citation needed]}. They also note that Ali is put together with nine other Sahaba who never supported him in his conflicts: Talha and Zubair were generals in the armies against him in the Battle of the Camel and Umar and Abu Bakr were the caliphs before Ali during the succession to Muhammad even though he (Ali) gave them his firm oath of allegiance. In contrast, companions like Ammar ibn Yasir, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and Malik al-Ashtar, who staunchly defended Ali, are not included in the list. Nor is Abu Talib mentioned, the uncle of Muhammad who defended the Muslims in the early years of the prophethood. Abu Talib is not considered to have converted to Islam, however.

Shia mention that the Hadith was not even included in neither Sahih Bukhari nor Sahih Muslim, implying that not even the top Sunni scholars could consider it completely authentic.

Shias, also point out that not one woman is mentioned amongst these 10, not even Khadija, Muhammad's first wife, and the first Muslim, who supported him till death; or Fatima, the leader of women in Paradise, one of three daughters (Ruqayya, Fatima, and Zaynab) whose mother was Khadija.

The idea of promised heaven itself is vague in nature as Muhammad himself always maintained that he was a human being himself and whatever he narrated was related to him by Allah. As such Muhammad is recorded as weeping and asking forgiveness from the Almighty in the middle of the night^{[citation needed]}. So attributing him to ordain heaven for his followers is unthinkable, when he himself understood that he would be judged on his merits. As such if ever a list as the Heavenly Ordained would exist, then it surely would have been incorporated in the Quran. But its absence is noteworthy.

Shias often raise the differences in narration of certain hadith found in Sunni collections as a legitimate reason to disavow their authenticity^{[citation needed]}. Sunnis have argued that slight differences in the narration of a hadith do not dismantle its credibility^{[citation needed]}. Most Hadith have more than one version which tend to be more trustworthy, as the ones with only a single narration are usually found only transmitted through a single isnad. Also, when one considers the fact that these ten were not always on the same side, in some cases fought each other, went to war against each other and killed each other, it becomes logically difficult to resolve.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Sunni view of the Sahaba
• Shi'a view of the Sahaba

References

• Dr. Zakir Naik

External links

• presenting Abu Bakr as the first of "ten promised paradise"
• Great Muslims Of All Times
• Sahaba
• Al-asharatu mubashshirun