Navigation Menu
Weakness of the reports that specify the number of prophets and messengers
Other routes from Abu Dharr and their defects
The hadith of Abu Umamah on 124,000 prophets and 315 messengers
Reports of 8,000 prophets and their chains
Position of the imams on these specified numbers
Full Article
Weakness of the reports that specify the number of prophets and messengers
The narrations that give a specific number for the prophets and messengers are all based on very weak chains. The central report is the lengthy hadith of Abu Dharr رضي الله عنه in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is asked about the number of prophets and messengers. In one wording he answers:
“120,000” and in another wording: “124,000” and that the messengers are “313, a great multitude.” (Sahih Ibn Hibban 2/77; Sahih Ibn Hibban no. 94, Mawarid; Hilyat al Awliya 1/166)
The chain for this well known report runs through Ibrahim ibn Hisham ibn Yahya ibn Yahya al Ghassani al Dimashqi who narrates from his father, from his grandfather, from Abu Idris al Khawlani, from Abu Dharr.
Al Tabarani said regarding this route that only Yahya’s son narrates from him and that they are trustworthy. (al Muʿjam al Kabir 1651) Ibn Hibban mentioned Ibrahim in his book al Thiqat and included his hadith in al Anwaʿ wa al Taqasim, and he even labelled this narration authentic. (al Thiqat; al Anwaʿ wa al Taqasim)
Ibrahim was criticised because of this hadith.
Abu Hatim al Razi said he visited his village and examined a book which Ibrahim claimed to have heard from Saʿid ibn ʿAbd al ʿAziz. Abu Hatim found in it narrations of Damrah ibn Rabiah from Ibn Shawdhab and others, and narrations of Suwayd ibn ʿAbd al ʿAziz from Mughirah, yet Ibrahim was attributing them to Saʿid ibn ʿAbd al ʿAziz. Abu Hatim therefore concluded that he had not sought knowledge and ruled that he is a liar. (al Jarh wa al Taʿdil 2/142–143).
ʿAli ibn al Husayn ibn al Junayd agreed with Abu Hatim and said nothing should be narrated from him. Ibn al Jawzi quoted Abu Zurʿah al Razi saying that Ibrahim is a liar. Adh Dhahabi described him as abandoned and noted that he is the one who singularly transmitted the lengthy hadith of Abu Dharr from his father from his grandfather. (Mizan al Iʿtidal 1/72–73, 4/378; al Mawduʿat)
For this reason Ibn al Jawzi placed this report in his book al Mawduʿat and accused Ibrahim of it, and more than one imam spoke against him on account of this narration. (al Mawduʿat; Tafsir Ibn Kathir 2/470–471)
Other routes from Abu Dharr and their defects
Musnad Ahmad contains another long hadith of Abu Dharr in which he comes to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in the masjid.
The Prophet ﷺ orders him to pray, then instructs him to seek refuge from the devils of mankind and jinn, clarifies the virtue of prayer, fasting, charity and recitation of Ayat al Kursi, and answers his questions about who was the first prophet and how many messengers there are, saying that the messengers are “around 310 and some over 10, a great multitude” and in another wording “315.” (Musnad Ahmad 35/431–433; al Nasaʾi al Kubra, Kitab al Istiʿadhah 8/275; al Bazzar 160)
The chain here is: Wakiʿ, from al Masʿudi ʿAbd al Rahman ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUtbah, from Abu ʿUmar al Dimashqi, from ʿUbayd ibn al Khashkhash, from Abu Dharr.
Shuʿayb al Arnaʾut concluded that this isnad is extremely weak due to the unknown status of ʿUbayd ibn al Khashkhash and the weakness of Abu ʿUmar al Dimashqi, and because al Masʿudi’s narration from Abu ʿUmar was declared abandoned by al Daruqutni. (Musnad Ahmad 35/431–433) Al Masʿudi himself is trustworthy, but he became confused in his later years, which affects this route. (Majmaʿ al Zawaʾid 1/160)
The beginning of this hadith, which mentions the question about prayer, fasting, charity, Ayat al Kursi and the number of prophets, is also narrated by Ahmad, al Nasaʾi in al Sunan al Kubra and al Bazzar from al Masʿudi, from Abu ʿUmar al Shami, from ʿUbayd ibn al Khashkhash, from Abu Dharr, and al Haythami said about this chain that it contains al Masʿudi who is trustworthy but mixed up. (Musnad Ahmad 5/178–179; al Sunan al Kubra of al Nasaʾi as indexed in Tuhfat al Ashraf 9/180; al Bazzar 160; Majmaʿ al Zawaʾid 1/160)
There is another route for a similar meaning through Yahya ibn Saʿid (or Saʿd) al Qurashi al Saʿdi, from Ibn Jurayj, from ʿAtaʾ, from ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr, from Abu Dharr.
This was narrated by Ibn ʿAdi, al Bayhaqi, Abu Nuʿaym and Ibn Hibban in al Majruhin. Ibn Hibban said that Yahya narrates inverted reports from Ibn Jurayj and fabricated attachments from other trustworthy narrators and that it is not permissible to use him as proof when he is alone.
Al ʿUqayli said he is not followed in his hadith, and Ibn ʿAdi said this is the most rejected of his narrations. (al Majruhin 3/129; al Kamil 7/2699; Hilyat al Awliya 1/168; al Sunan 4/9; al Duʿafaʾ 4/404)
Al Tabarani also narrated a similar text in al Muʿjam al Awsat through ʿAbd Allah ibn Lahiʿah, from Khalid ibn Yazid, from Safwan ibn Sulaym, from Abu Salih al Samman, from Abu Dharr. In this chain there is an omission which al Haythami pointed out using Majmaʿ al Bahrain, and the chain is weak because of Ibn Lahiʿah. (al Muʿjam al Awsat 4718; Majmaʿ al Bahrain 1/268–269)
In this topic there is also the hadith of Abu Umamah in Musnad Ahmad, but it does not bring comfort. Its chain revolves around ʿAli ibn Yazid al Alhani, and there is agreement upon his weakness. (Musnad Ahmad 5/265; Majmaʿ al Zawaʾid 1/159)
The hadith of Abu Umamah on 124,000 prophets and 315 messengers
There is another explicit report specifying the number. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Muhammad ibn ʿAwf, from Abu al Mughira, from Maʿan ibn Rifaʿah, from ʿAli ibn Yazid, from al Qasim Abu ʿAbd al Rahman, from Abu Umamah that he asked:
“يا نبي الله كم الأنبياء؟” and the Prophet ﷺ answered: “مِائَةُ أَلْفٍ وَأَرْبَعَةٌ وَعِشْرُونَ أَلْفًا، مِنْ ذَلِكَ ثَلَاثُمِائَةٍ وَخَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ جَمًّا غَفِيرًا.”
All three key narrators in this chain are weak: Maʿan ibn Rifaʿah al Salami, ʿAli ibn Yazid and al Qasim Abu ʿAbd al Rahman. (al Durr al Manthur 2/746) Because of that, this route cannot be used as proof for the specified number.
Reports of 8,000 prophets and their chains
Abu Yaʿla al Mawsili narrated from Ahmad ibn Ishaq Abu ʿAbd Allah al Jawhari al Basri, from Makki ibn Ibrahim, from Musa ibn ʿUbaydah al Rabadhi, from Yazid al Raqashi, from Anas that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“بَعَثَ اللهُ ثَمَانِيَةَ آلاَفِ نَبِيٍّ، أَرْبَعَةُ آلاَفٍ إِلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، وَأَرْبَعَةُ آلاَفٍ إِلَى سَائِرِ النَّاسِ.” (Musnad Abi Yaʿla 1607; Hilyat al Awliya 3/53)
This chain is weak because Musa ibn ʿUbaydah al Rabadhi is very weak and his teacher Yazid al Raqashi is even weaker than him. Al Haythami mentioned this and described Musa ibn ʿUbaydah as very weak. (Majmaʿ al Zawaʾid 8/210)
Abu Yaʿla also narrated from Abu al Rabiʿ, from Muhammad ibn Thabit al ʿAbdi, from Muhammad ibn Khalid al Ansari, from Yazid al Raqashi, from Anas that the Prophet ﷺ said there were 8,000 prophets among his previous brothers, then ʿIsa ibn Maryam, then he ﷺ was sent. This chain is weak due to Muhammad ibn Thabit al ʿAbdi, as al Haythami explained. (Musnad Abi Yaʿla 1317; Majmaʿ al Zawaʾid 8/211)
Another report from Anas mentions that the Prophet ﷺ said: “بُعِثْتُ عَلَى إِثْرِ ثَلَاثَةِ آلاَفِ نَبِيٍّ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ.” It is narrated through a long chain in which Ahmad ibn Tariq appears between Muhammad ibn ʿUthman ibn Abi Shaybah and Muslim ibn Khalid. Abu Nuʿaym transmitted it and described it as strange, and although the men of the chain are known, Ahmad ibn Tariq himself is not known with either reliability or criticism, so the isnad cannot be relied upon. (Hilyat al Awliya 3/162)
Position of Imam Ahmad on these specified numbers
In light of these chains, the imams clarified that the reports which mention specific numbers for the prophets and messengers are weak.
Imam Ahmad and Muhammad ibn Nasr al Marwazi pointed out that those who deny increase in iman on the pretext that its extent is unknown are inconsistent, because they still affirm belief in the prophets, books and messengers in general, even though they do not know their exact numbers. This shows that ignorance of the precise limit does not prevent affirming the matter in general. (Majmuʿ al Fatawa 7/409)
Shaykh al Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله indicated that these hadith with exact numbers are not sufficient as proof.
He referred to the report of Abu Dharr with wording such as “it has been narrated in the hadith of Abu Dharr that their number is 313,” which is the style used when hinting at weakness, and he did not build any belief upon the specific figure. Instead, he relied on verses from the Qur’an that show their great number without specifying an exact count, in agreement with the criticism of the chains and narrators mentioned above.
Full Article
It was narrated from Abu Dharr, that he said:
This hadith is very weak. In its chain is Ibrahim ibn Hisham al Ghassani.
Ibrahim ibn Hisham ibn Yahya ibn Yahya al Nasanī (d. 238 AH)
He narrated from his father Yahya ibn Yahya and from Maʿruf al Khayyat. Those who narrated from him include his son Ahmad ibn Ibrahim, Yaʿqub ibn Sufyan al Fasawi (d. 277 AH), Muhammad ibn Yusuf al Firyabi (d. 212 AH), ʿAbdullah ibn Qutaybah (d. 276 AH), al Hasan ibn Sufyan (d. 303 AH), and a group of others.
He is the one who transmitted the lengthy hadith of Abu Dharr. He alone reported it from his father from his grandfather.
Al Tabarani (d. 360 AH) said: This was not narrated from Yahya except by his son, and they are trustworthy.
Ibn Hibban (d. 354 AH) mentioned him in al Thiqat and included his hadith in al Anwaʿ. As for ʿAbd al Rahman ibn Abi Hatim (d. 327 AH), he said: I said to my father Abu Hatim al Razi (d. 277 AH), why do you not narrate from Ibrahim ibn Hisham al Nasanī? He replied: I went to his village, and he brought out to me a book which he claimed he had heard from Saʿid ibn ʿAbd al ʿAziz (d. 167 AH). I examined it and found in it narrations of Damrah ibn Rabīʿah (d. 202 AH) from Ibn Shawdhab (d. 156 AH) and others.
I looked at one hadith which I found good, from the hadith of al Layth ibn Saʿd (d. 175 AH) from ʿUqayl ibn Khalid (d. 141 AH), so I said to him, mention this. He said: Saʿid ibn ʿAbd al ʿAziz narrated to us from Layth ibn Saʿd from ʿUqayl, and he pronounced it with kasrah. I also saw in his book hadiths from Suwayd ibn ʿAbd al ʿAziz (d. 194 AH) from Mughirah ibn Miqsam (d. 136 AH).
I said: These are the hadiths of Suwayd. He said: Saʿid ibn ʿAbd al ʿAziz narrated to us from Suwayd. Abu Hatim said: I think he did not seek knowledge. He is a liar.
ʿAli ibn al Husayn ibn al Junayd (d. 286 AH) said: Abu Hatim spoke the truth. It is necessary that nothing be narrated from him.
Ibn al Jawzi (d. 597 AH) said: Abu Zurʿah al Razi (d. 264 AH) said: He is a liar.
He died in the year 238 AH.
Mizan al-I’tidal fi Naqd ar-Rijal (‘Ilm Jarh wa Ta’dil) by Adh Dhahabi (1/72–73)
The hadith with that number, 124,000, was narrated through another route:
The number of the prophets and the messengers.
The well known report concerning this is the lengthy hadith of Abu Dharr, as narrated by Ibn Mardawayh, may Allah have mercy upon him, in his Tafsir. He said: Ibrahim ibn Muhammad narrated to us, Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad ibn al Hasan and al Husayn ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Yazid narrated to us, both of them said: Ibrahim ibn Hisham ibn Yahya al Ghassani narrated to us, my father narrated to me from my grandfather, from Abu Idris al Khawlani, from Abu Dharr who said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, how many prophets are there?
He said: One hundred and twenty four thousand. I said: O Messenger of Allah, how many of them were messengers?
He said: Three hundred and thirteen, a great multitude.
I said: O Messenger of Allah, who was the first of them?
He said: Adam. I said: O Messenger of Allah, a prophet who was sent? He said: Yes. Allah created him with His Hand and breathed into him from His spirit, then formed him properly.
Then he said: O Abu Dharr, four were Syriac: Adam, Sheeth, Nuh, and Khunukh, and he is Idris, and he was the first to write with a pen. And four were from the Arabs: Hud, Salih, Shuʿayb, and your Prophet O Abu Dharr. The first prophet from the prophets of the Children of Israel was Musa, and the last of them was ʿIsa. The first of the prophets was Adam, and the last of them is your Prophet.
It has also been narrated in full by al Hafiz Abu Hatim ibn Hibban al Busti in his book al Anwaʿ wa al Taqasim, and he labelled it authentic. Abu al Faraj ibn al Jawzi opposed him and mentioned this hadith in his book al Mawduʿat, and he accused Ibrahim ibn Hisham of it. There is no doubt that more than one of the imams of al jarh wa al taʿdil spoke against him because of this hadith. Allah knows best. (Sahih Ibn Hibban no. 94, Mawarid; and it was narrated by Abu Nuʿaym in al Hilyah 1/166 through the route of Ibrahim ibn Hisham ibn Yahya with it. Ibrahim ibn Hisham al Ghassani was declared a liar by Abu Hatim and Abu Zurʿah. Al Dhahabi said: He is the one who narrated the lengthy hadith of Abu Dharr alone from his father from his grandfather.)
This hadith was also narrated from another route from a different Companion. Ibn Abi Hatim said: Muhammad ibn ʿAwf narrated to us, Abu al Mughira narrated to us, Maʿan ibn Rifaʿah narrated to us, from ʿAli ibn Yazid, from al Qasim, from Abu Umamah who said: I said: O Prophet of Allah, how many prophets are there? He said: One hundred and twenty four thousand, of whom three hundred and fifteen were a great multitude.
Maʿan ibn Rifaʿah al Salami is weak, ʿAli ibn Yazid is weak, and al Qasim Abu ʿAbd al Rahman is also weak. (Mentioned by al Suyuti in al Durr al Manthur 2/746.)
Al Hafiz Abu Yaʿla al Mawsili said: Ahmad ibn Ishaq Abu ʿAbd Allah al Jawhari al Basri narrated to us, Makki ibn Ibrahim narrated to us, Musa ibn ʿUbaydah al Rabadhi narrated to us, from Yazid al Raqashi, from Anas who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Allah sent eight thousand prophets, four thousand to the Children of Israel and four thousand to the rest of the people. This chain is also weak. In it is al Rabadhi who is weak, and his shaykh al Raqashi is even weaker than him. Allah knows best. (Musnad Abi Yaʿla 1607, and it was narrated by Abu Nuʿaym in al Hilyah 3/53 through the route of Makki ibn Ibrahim with it. Al Haythami said in al Majmaʿ 8/210: In it is Musa ibn ʿUbaydah al Rabadhi and he is very weak.)
Abu Yaʿla also said: Abu al Rabiʿ narrated to us, Muhammad ibn Thabit al ʿAbdi narrated to us, Muhammad ibn Khalid al Ansari narrated to us, from Yazid al Raqashi, from Anas who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Among those who passed before me from my brothers among the prophets were eight thousand prophets, then there was ʿIsa ibn Maryam, then I was sent. (Musnad Abi Yaʿla 1317. Al Haythami said in al Majmaʿ 8/211: In it is Muhammad ibn Thabit al ʿAbdi and he is weak.)
We have also narrated it from Anas through another route. Al Hafiz Abu ʿAbd Allah al Dhahabi informed me, Abu al Fadl ibn ʿAsakir informed us, the imam Abu Bakr al Qasim ibn Abi Saʿid al Saffar informed us, my paternal aunt ʿAʾishah bint Ahmad ibn Mansur ibn al Saffar informed us, al Sharif Abu al Sanabik Hibbat Allah ibn Abi al Sahbaʾ Muhammad ibn Haydar al Qurashi narrated to us, the imam and teacher Abu Ishaq al Isfarayini said: the imam Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al Ismaʿili informed us, Muhammad ibn ʿUthman ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us, Ahmad ibn Tariq narrated to us, Muslim ibn Khalid narrated to us, Ziyad ibn Saʿd narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn al Munkadir, from Safwan ibn Sulaym, from Anas ibn Malik who said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: I was sent after 3,000 prophets from the Children of Israel. This is strange from this route, and its chain is acceptable. All its men are known except Ahmad ibn Tariq, for I do not know him with reliability nor criticism. Allah knows best. (It was narrated by Abu Nuʿaym in al Hilyah 3/162 through the route of Muslim ibn Khalid al Zanji with it, and he said: It is strange.)
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (2/470–471)
21546 – Wakiʿ narrated to us, al Masʿudi narrated to us, Abu ʿUmar al Dimashqi informed me, from ʿUbayd ibn al Khashkhash, from Abu Dharr who said: I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while he was in the masjid, and I sat down.
He said: O Abu Dharr, have you prayed? I said: No. He said: Stand and pray.
He said: So I stood and prayed, then I sat down. He said: O Abu Dharr, seek refuge in Allah from the evil of the devils of mankind and jinn. I said: O Messenger of Allah, are there devils among mankind? He said: Yes.
I said: O Messenger of Allah, the prayer? He said: It is the best act set forth. Whoever wishes may do little, and whoever wishes may do more.
I said: O Messenger of Allah, then fasting? He said: It is a repaid loan, and with Allah there is increase.
I said: O Messenger of Allah, then charity? He said: Manifold multiplied.
I said: O Messenger of Allah, which of it is best? He said: Effort from one who has little, or giving secretly to a poor person.
I said: O Messenger of Allah, which of the prophets was the first? He said: Adam.
I said: O Messenger of Allah, and was he a prophet? He said: Yes, a prophet who was spoken to.
He said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, how many were the messengers? He said: Around 310, a great multitude. And he said once: 15
He said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, was Adam a prophet? He said: Yes, a prophet who was spoken to.
He said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, which of what was revealed to you is greatest? He said: Ayat al Kursi:
الله لا إله إلا هو الحي القيوم
Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever Living, the Sustainer of all existence (al Baqarah 255).
Shuʿayb al Arnaʾut said: Its chain is extremely weak due to the unknown status of ʿUbayd ibn al Khashkhash and the weakness of Abu ʿUmar al Dimashqi. Al Daruqutni said: The narration of al Masʿudi from Abu ʿUmar al Dimashqi is abandoned.
Al Masʿudi is ʿAbd al Rahman ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUtbah.
It was narrated in full and in abridged form by Ibn Saʿd 1/32, al Nasaʾi 8/275, and al Hakim in al Mustadrak 2/282 through routes from al Masʿudi ʿAbd al Rahman ibn ʿAbd Allah with this chain.
It was also narrated by Ibn Hibban in al Majruhin 3/129, Ibn ʿAdi in al Kamil 7/2699, Abu Nuʿaym in al Hilyah 1/168, and al Bayhaqi in al Sunan 4/9 through the route of Yahya ibn Saʿid al Saʿidi, from Ibn Jurayj, from ʿAtaʾ, from ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr, from Abu Dharr, and they did not transmit its wording in full. This chain is extremely weak. Yahya ibn Saʿid, and it is also said Saʿd, al ʿUqayli said in al Duʿafaʾ 4/404: He is not followed in his hadith. Ibn Hibban said: He narrates inverted reports from Ibn Jurayj and fabricated attachments from other trustworthy narrators. It is not permissible to use him as proof when he narrates alone. Ibn ʿAdi said: This is the most rejected of the narrations.
It was narrated similarly by al Tabarani in al Awsat 4718 through the route of ʿAbd Allah ibn Lahiʿah, from Khalid ibn Yazid, from Safwan ibn Sulaym, from Abu Salih al Samman, from Abu Dharr. In its chain there is an omission that was corrected from Majmaʿ al Bahrain of al Haythami 1/268 to 269. This chain is weak due to Ibn Lahiʿah.
It will come under number 21552 from Yazid ibn Harun from al Masʿudi.
His question about fasting alone previously appeared under number 21365 through another route from Abu Dharr.
In this subject there is also the hadith of Abu Umamah, and it will come in his Musnad 5/265, but it does not bring comfort. In it is ʿAli ibn Yazid al Alhani, and there is agreement upon his weakness.
Musnad Ahmad (35/431–433)
Shaykh al Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: Imam Ahmad said: If they claim that they do not accept an increase in iman because they do not know what its increase is, and that it has no defined limit, then what do they say regarding the prophets of Allah, His books, and His messengers? Do they affirm them in general and claim that this is from iman? If they say yes, it is said to them: Do you specify them and know their number? Is it not the case that they suffice with affirming them in general and refrain from specifying their number? Likewise is the increase of iman.
Majmuʿ al Fatawa 7/409
In this quotation from the two imams Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Muhammad ibn Nasr al Marwazi, there is clarification that the hadiths which mention specific numbers are weak. It is apparent that Shaykh al Islam رحمه الله supported them in this.
He referred to the hadith of Abu Dharr in a form that indicates weakness, when he said: It has been narrated in the hadith of Abu Dharr that their number is three hundred and thirteen. He did not use it as proof. Rather, he used the verses from the Qur’an which indicate their great number.
