A number of leading imams declared the ḥadith sound on the strength of the afore-mentioned document, not because of its chain of transmission but owing to its wide circulation and acceptance. Al-Shāfiʿī said: “They did not accept this ḥadith until it had been firmly established for them that it was a letter from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr remarked: “This letter is famous among the scholars of sīrah; its contents are so well-known to the people of knowledge that its renown dispenses with an isnād. It has come down almost with the force of tawātur, for people have unanimously received it with acceptance and recognition.”
Al-ʿUqaylī said: “This is an authentic and well-preserved ḥadith, except that we do not consider it a document heard from those above al-Zuhrī.”
Yaʿqūb ibn Sufyān stated: “I know of no transmitted document more authentic than this letter of ʿAmr ibn Ḥazm; the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Successors would refer to it and set aside their own opinions.”
Al-Ḥākim added: “ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, together with the leading scholar of his age, al-Zuhrī, attested to the soundness of this document.”
Key terms in the ḥadith:
– “Except one who is ṭāhir (ritually pure)”: The word ṭāhir is polyvalent. It can denote freedom from major ritual impurity, freedom from minor ritual impurity, or freedom from physical filth on one’s body or clothes. The stronger view here is that it refers to purity from minor ritual impurity, as will be explained in the legal discussion of the ḥadith, Allah willing.
– “Qur’an”: Linguistically it is a verbal noun meaning “recitation,” then the term was transferred to become the proper name for the miraculous speech revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ—an instance of the verbal noun being applied to its object.
Points derived from the ḥadith:
- When the Prophet ﷺ sent ʿAmr ibn Ḥazm al-Anṣārī to Najrān to teach them their religion, he wrote for him this remarkable letter, which gathers many prophetic rulings and has been received by the Muslim community with unanimous acceptance.