until Allah punishes you. I relate to you what the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, yet you relate to us what Abū Bakr and ‘Umar said?” ‘Urwah replied: “They knew the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, better than you and followed it more closely.”
In Sahīh Muslim (1), Ibn Abī Mulaykah reports that ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr said to one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: “Do you instruct people to perform ‘umrah during these (2) ten days, when there is no ‘umrah during them?!” The man replied: “Why not ask your mother about that?” ‘Urwah said: “But Abū Bakr and ‘Umar did not do that.” The man replied: “This is how you have brought ruin upon yourselves! I can only think that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will punish you. I relate to you what the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, yet you tell me what Abū Bakr and ‘Umar said!” ‘Urwah replied: “By Allah, they knew the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, better than you.” The man then fell silent.
Abū Muhammad ibn Hazm answered this statement of ‘Urwah with a response that we shall quote, followed by an even better response from our shaykh.
Abū Muhammad said (3): “We say to ‘Urwah: Ibn ‘Abbās knew the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and knew Abū Bakr and ‘Umar better than you. He was better than you and had a greater claim to all three of them than you did. No Muslim doubts this. And ‘Ā’ishah, the Mother of the Believers, was more knowledgeable and more truthful than you.” He then cited a report through al-Thawrī, from Abū Ishāq al-Sabī‘ī, from ‘Abd Allāh, who said: “‘Ā’ishah asked: ‘Who has been appointed to oversee the Hajj?’ They replied: ‘Ibn ‘Abbās.’ She said: ‘He is the most knowledgeable of all people concerning Hajj.’”