Hadith, accounts of the Prophet’s campaigns, and similar narratives are all reports transmitted about our Prophet ﷺ and about other prophets, peace and blessings be upon them. Sound transmission refutes any doubts in this regard. In fact, the same principle applies to everything whose basis is mere report as well as to matters that are established by means other than transmission.
The upshot is that, for the reports the religion truly needs, Allah has set up clear proofs to show which are sound and which are not. It is well known, moreover, that most of what is cited in Qur’anic commentary stands on the same footing as what is related about the military expeditions and the eschatological battles (malāḥim). For this reason Imām Aḥmad said, “Three disciplines have no chains of transmission: tafsīr, the eschatological battles, and the campaigns.” In another wording he said, “They have no foundation,” meaning no isnād, because what predominates in them are mursal reports—such as those narrated by ʿUrwa ibn al-Zubayr (1), al-Shaʿbī (2), al-Zuhrī (3), Mūsā ibn ʿUqba (4), Ibn Isḥāq (5), and, after them, Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Umawī (6), al-Walīd ibn Muslim, al-Wāqidī (7), and others who compiled works on the campaigns.
(1) Urwa was one of the Seven Jurists. He was born in 29 AH and died in 93 AH. He learned from his maternal aunt, Aisha, and narrated from Ali, Muhammad ibn Aslam, and Abu Hurayra. He did not involve himself in any of the civil strife and was a learned, reliable, and devout believer.
(2) Al-Shabi was Amir ibn Sharahil al-Shabi. The eminent imam and scholar died in 103 AH. He met five hundred Companions and served as judge under Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz. He was among the teachers of Ibn Sirin, al-Amash, and Shuba. Al-Fijli said: “The mursal narrations of al-Shabi are sound.”
(3) Al-Zuhri was Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihab al-Zuhri. Born in 50 AH and deceased in 124 AH, he was one of the eminent imams and a leading scholar of the Hijaz and Syria. At the direction of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, he was the first to compile the knowledge of the Sunnah. He would say: “I never entrusted anything to my heart and then forgot it.” He was among the teachers of Malik, al-Layth ibn Sad, and their peers.
(4) Musa ibn Uqba was among the earliest historians of Medina. He learned from Urwa ibn al-Zubayr and Alqama ibn Waqqas al-Laythi. Malik said: “Adhere to Ibn Uqba’s Maghazi, for he is trustworthy, and it is the soundest account of the military campaigns.” He died during the caliphate of Abd al-Malik.
(5) Muhammad ibn Ishaq was Ibn Yasar al-Madani; he has already been introduced.
(6) Yahya ibn Said ibn Aban ibn Said ibn al-As al-Umawi was a hadith master from Kufa. He learned from his father, Hisham ibn Urwa, and Ibn Jurayj. Among those who learned from him were his son Said ibn Yahya, Imam Ahmad, Ishaq, and Ibn Main. He died in 194 AH.
(7) Al-Walid ibn Muslim, an Umayyad client, was affiliated with the Umayyads because he was their mawla. Abu al-Abbas al-Dimashqi was a leading scholar of Syria. He learned from Muhammad ibn Ajlan al-Qurashi, Hisham ibn Hassan, Thawr ibn Yazid, and al-Awzai. He was among the teachers of Imam Ahmad, Ishaq, Ibn al-Madini, and Abu Khaythama. He died in 195 AH.