Narrative on ‘Ali’s Afflicted Eyes
I Sunni Sources
حدثنا عُثْمَانُ بن أبي شَيْبَةَ ثنا وَكِيعٌ ثنا بن أبي لَيْلَى ثنا الْحَكَمُ عن عبد الرحمن بن أبي لَيْلَى قال كان أبو لَيْلَى يَسْمُرُ مع عَلِيٍّ فَكَانَ يَلْبَسُ ثِيَابَ الصَّيْفِ في الشِّتَاءِ وَثِيَابَ الشِّتَاءِ في الصَّيْفِ فَقُلْنَا لو سَأَلْتَهُ فقال إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَعَثَ إلي وأنا أَرْمَدُ الْعَيْنِ يوم خَيْبَرَ قلت يا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إني أَرْمَدُ الْعَيْنِ فَتَفَلَ في عَيْنِي ثُمَّ قال اللهم أَذْهِبْ عنه الْحَرَّ وَالْبَرْدَ قال فما وَجَدْتُ حَرًّا ولا بَرْدًا بَعْدَ يَوْمِئِذٍ
‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla said: “Abu Layla would travel with ‘Ali. The latter would wear summer clothes in winter and winter clothes in summer. So we asked Abu Layla to ask ‘Ali why was this so. Thereupon ‘Ali said: ‘God’s Messenger called for me on the day of Khaybar when my eyes were afflicted. I said: “God’s Messenger! I have red-eyes. So he spat on my eyes and then said: ‘O God! Take away hot and cold from him.’”’ So ‘Ali said: ‘After that day I did not feel heat or cold.’”[1]
Following is the schematic illustration of the isnad of this narrative’s variants:
Ibn Hibban has recorded Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla in his Al-Majruhin.[2] Al-Nasa’i says that he is laysa bi al-qawi fi al-hadith.[3] Ibn Hajar records that he is saduq sayy al-hifẓ.[4]
Ibn ‘Adi records:[5] in the opinion of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, he is da‘if, mudtarib al-hadith; al-Sa‘di says that he is wahi al-hadith sayy al-hifẓ; Shu‘bah says that he has not seen anyone having a worse memory than Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla; Yahya ibn Ma‘in says that he is da‘if al-hadith.
Ibn al-Jawzi records:[6] in the opinion of Abu Hatim, he is la yuhtajju bihi; Ibn Hibban says that he makes blatant mistakes, has a bad memory and as a result there are many manakir in his narratives and he deserves to be forsaken; al-Daraqutni says that he is radi al-hifẓ kathir al-wahm.
II Shiite Narratives
أخبرنا محمد بن محمد ، قال : حدثنا أبو بكر محمد بن عمر الجعابي ، قال : حدثني الحسن بن حماد بن حمزة أبو علي من أصل كتابه ، قال : حدثنا الحسن بن عبد الرحمن بن أبي ليلي ، قال : حدثنا محمد بن سليمان الأصفهاني ، عن عبد الرحمن الأصفهاني ، عن عبد الرحمن بن أبي ليلي ، عن علي بن أبي طالب (عليه السلام) ، قال : د عاني النبي (صلي الله عليه وآله) وأنا أرمد العين ، فتفل في عيني وشد العمامة علي رأسي ، وقال : اللهم اذهب عنه الحر والبرد ، فما وجدت بعدها حرا ولا بردا
‘Ali ibn Abi Talib said: “God’s Messenger called me while my eyes were afflicted with an ailment. He then spat on my eye and tied his turban on my head and prayed: ‘God take away heat and cold from him.’ After that, I did not feel any heat or cold.”[7]
Following is the schematic illustration of the isnad of this narrative’s variants:
Shiite sources record no information about Makhlad ibn Abi Quraysh. Among Sunni sources, Al-Khatib mentions him but without any jarh or ta‘dil.[8]
Shiite sources are also silent on Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Siraj and so are Sunni ones.
About Bukayr ibn Sa‘d also, Shiite sources record no information nor do Sunni ones.
About al-Husayn ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Azdi, al-Namari says: lam yadhkuruhu.[9]
About al-Hasan ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla,[10] ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Asbahani[11] and al-Hasan ibn Hammad ibn Hamzah[12] too, al-Namari says: lam yadhkuruhu.
According to al-Jawahiri, Shu‘ayb ibn Waqid[13] and ‘Ali ibn Hashim[14] are majhul.
Shiite sources are silent on ‘Isa ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla.
According to al-Jawahiri, al-Minhal ibn ‘Amr is majhul.[15]
About Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Ja‘far ibn Hamdan ibn Malik al-Qati‘i[16] and Muhammad ibn’Ali ibn Yusuf,[17] al-Namari says: lam yadhkuruhu.
Shiite sources are silent on al-Ma‘mar ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Ubaydullah.
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[1]. Ibn Majah, Sunan, vol. 1, 43, (no. 117). See also: Al-Nasa’i, Sunan al-kubra, vol. 5, 108, (no, 8401); Ibid., vol. 5, 152, (no. 8536); Al-Tabarani, Al-Mu‘jam al-awsat, vol. 2, 380-381, (no. 2286); Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 1, 99, (no. 778); Ibid., vol. 1, 133, (no. 1117); Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Fada’il, vol. 2, 564, (no. 950); Ibid., vol. 2, 638, (no. 1084); Al-Maqdisi, Al-Ahadith al-mukhtarah, vol, 2, 274-275, (No. 655); Ibn Abi Shaybah, Musannaf, vol. 6, 368, (no. 32080); Ibid., vol. 7, 394, (no. 36883); Al-Nasa’i, Khasa’is ‘Ali, 39, (14); Ibid., 159-160, (no. 151); Al-Hakim, Al-Mustadrak, vol. 3, 39, (no. 4338); Al-Bazzar, Musnad, vol. 2, 135-136, (no. 496); Ibn ‘Asakir, Tarikh Madinah Dimashq, vol. 42, 105-107.
[2]. Ibn Hibban, Al-Majruhin, vol. 2, 243.
[3]. Al-Nasa’i, Al-Ḍu‘afa’, 92.
[4]. Ibn Hajar, Taqrib al-tahdhib, 493.
[5]. Ibn ‘Adi, Al-Kamil fi al-du‘afa’, vol. 6, 183-185.
[6]. Ibn al-Jawzi, Al-Ḍu‘afa’ wa al-matrukin, vol. 3, 76.
[7]. Al-Tusi, Al-Amali, 89. See also: Al-Mufid, Al-Amali, 317-318; Ibn Bitriq, Al-‘Umdah, 139; Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Kufi, Manaqib ‘Ali, vol. 2, 88-90; Ibn ‘Uqdah al-Kufi, Fada’il amir al-mu’minin, 80-82.
[8]. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad, vol. 13, 174.
[9]. Al-Namari, Mustadrakat, vol. 3, 143.
[10]. Ibid., vol. 2, 418.
[11]. Ibid., vol. 4, 387.
[12]. Ibid., vol. 2, 378.
[13]. Al-Jawahiri, Mufid, 279.
[14]. Ibid., 417.
[15]. Ibid., 622.
[16]. Al-Namari, Mustadrakat, vol. 1, 269.
[17]. Ibid., vol. 7, 252.