Wahb ibn Munabbih
Encyclopedia
'Wahb ibn Munabbih'was a Muslim
traditionist of Dhimar (two days' journey from Sana'a
) in Yemen
; died at the age of ninety, in a year variously given by Arabic authorities as 725, 728, 732, and 737 C.E.
He is counted among the Tabi‘in
and narrated Isra'iliyat
.
Hi full name was Abu 'Abd Allah al-Ṣana'ani al-Dhimari or Wahb ibn Munabbih ibn Kamil ibn Sirajud-Din Dhee Kibaar Abu-Abdullah al-Yamani al-San'ani .
, had been converted to Islam
in the lifetime of the Prophet
, although a single authority, the "Al-Tibr al-Masluk" (ed. 1306 A.H., p. 41), states that Wahb himself had turned from Judaism to Islam. His other biographers, however, including Al-Nawawi and Ibn Challikan, do not note that he was a Jew either in race or in religion. The fact that he was well versed in Jewish traditions, on which he wrote much, probably gave rise to the statement that he was a Jew, although he might have acquired his knowledge from his teacher Ibn 'Abbas.
He also had a brother named Hammam ibn Munabbih
, who is reported to have written 138 Hadiths in his Sahifa.
Some sources for date of death: (d. c 110 [728/9] )
According to Al-Baghawi
in his "Ma'alim al-Tanzil" (Ignác Goldziher, "Abhandlungen zur Arabischen Philologie," i. 182, Leyden, 1896), Wahb believed that the Shekinah was the spirit of God. On the other hand, Al-ḥabari ("Annals," i. 544), in recording the fact that the Israelites sometimes took the Ark of the Covenant into battle when they were at war with their enemies (comp. I Sam. iv. 4 et seq.), quotes Wahb as saying in the name of a certain Jewish authority that the Shekinah which rested in the Ark was a being in the shape of a cat, and that when the Israelites heard the mewing of cats coming from the interior of the Ark, they were sure of a victory.
The following are the tales of the "Arabian Nights" that appear from several investigations to be from Jewish sources. The numbers are those in W. F. Kirby's comparative list given in all forms of Burton's edition; the letters in parentheses refer to the identifications by Perles :
22. Ala Al-Din Abu Al-Shamat.
41. Ali Shah and Zumurrud.
52. Devout Israelite (F.).
114. Angel of Death and the Proud King.
115. Angel of Death and the Rich King.
116. Angel of Death and the King of the Children of Israel.
117. Izkander (Alexander the Great) and the Poor Folk.
119. The Jewish Cadi and His Pious Wife (A.)
122. Devout Tray-Maker and His Wife (J.).
126. The Moslem Champion.
127. The Christian King's Daughter.
128. Prophet and Providence (C.).
130. Island King and Pious Israelite.
132. Queen of Serpents: (a) Adventures of Bulukuia; (b) Story of Jamshah.
133 gg. The Seventh Voyage of Sindbad.
136. Judar and His Brethren.
137. Ajib and Gharib.
155. Hassan of Bassorah.
161 k. The Blind Man and the Cripple (G.).
163. Abdallah the Fisherman.
168. Abdallah ibn Fazil and His Brothers.
183 a. Harun al-Rashid and TuḦfat al-Ḳulub.
196. Story of Ali Cogia (K.—one of Galland's additions).
203. Sultan of Yemen and His Three Sons.
256. Story of Abdallah (E.).
Besides these stories, there are several others obviously inserted by the same hand. Thus, the whole collection from 114 to 132 appears to be by the hand of Wahb ibn Munabbih.
, declared that in his other writings he simply lied (comp. "Notices et Extraits des Manuscrits," xx.part 1, p. 461; De Slane, Ibn Challikan, iii. 673, note 2).
It is known that Wahb and Ka'b al-Ahbar taught Tafsir their fellow Muslims. Scholars like Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud
had warned people not to learn the Tafsir from the People of the Book
, arguing that they used to interpolate their own biblical beliefs, teachings and history with the Islamic creeds and preaching.
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
said "he was a man of Persian decent" and also "Anyone from Yemen
and has a 'Dhee' in his name, then his lineage is noble. It is said: So and so
has Dhee and so and so
has no Dhee.
Al-'Ijlee said: "He was a trustworthy Taabi'ee, and the judge over San'aa"
Abd-al-Aziz ibn Abd-Allah ibn Baaz
quoted Wahb extensively in a letter were he declared
Osama bin Laden
to be a Kharije
said:
For more on the Sunni view, see "Isra'iliyat
".
He died 110H in San’aa at the beginning of the Caliphate of Hishaam Ibn ’Abdul-Maalik. It is also said that he died 114H. Yaqoot agreed with the latter in his book, Mu’jamul-Udabaa.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
traditionist of Dhimar (two days' journey from Sana'a
Sana'a
-Districts:*Al Wahdah District*As Sabain District*Assafi'yah District*At Tahrir District*Ath'thaorah District*Az'zal District*Bani Al Harith District*Ma'ain District*Old City District*Shu'aub District-Old City:...
) in Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
; died at the age of ninety, in a year variously given by Arabic authorities as 725, 728, 732, and 737 C.E.
He is counted among the Tabi‘in
Tabi‘in
The Tābi‘ūn are the generation of Muslims who were born after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad but who were contemporaries of the Sahaba "Companions". As such, they played an important part in the development of Islamic thought and philosophy, and in the political development of the...
and narrated Isra'iliyat
Isra'iliyat
In the hadith studies of Islamic theology, Isra'iliyat is the body of hadith originating from Judeo-Christian traditions, rather than from other well-accepted sources that quote the Islamic prophet Muhammad...
.
Hi full name was Abu 'Abd Allah al-Ṣana'ani al-Dhimari or Wahb ibn Munabbih ibn Kamil ibn Sirajud-Din Dhee Kibaar Abu-Abdullah al-Yamani al-San'ani .
Family
On his father's side he was descended from Persian knights, while his mother was a Himyarite.Early life
His father, whose name was Munabbih ibn KamilMunabbih ibn Kamil
Munabbih ibn Kamil ibn Sirajud-Din Dhee Kibaar Abu-Abdullah al-Yamani al-San'ani was a companion of Muhammad.He been converted to Islam in the lifetime of Muhammad.He was a Persian knight, and was married to a Himyarite ....
, had been converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in the lifetime of the Prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
, although a single authority, the "Al-Tibr al-Masluk" (ed. 1306 A.H., p. 41), states that Wahb himself had turned from Judaism to Islam. His other biographers, however, including Al-Nawawi and Ibn Challikan, do not note that he was a Jew either in race or in religion. The fact that he was well versed in Jewish traditions, on which he wrote much, probably gave rise to the statement that he was a Jew, although he might have acquired his knowledge from his teacher Ibn 'Abbas.
He also had a brother named Hammam ibn Munabbih
Hammam ibn Munabbih
Hammam ibn Munabbih was an Islamic scholar, from among the Tabi‘in and one of the narrators of hadith.-Works:*Sahifah Hammam ibn Munabbih was one of the 9 students of Abu Hurairah. Abu Hurairah used to narrate the hadith he heard from the Prophet to his 9 students. Out of all 9 students, only...
, who is reported to have written 138 Hadiths in his Sahifa.
724– 737: Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik's era
He died at the age of ninety, in a year variously given by Arabic authorities as 725, 728, 732, and 737 C.E.Some sources for date of death: (d. c 110 [728/9] )
Legacy
Wahb is said to have read more than seventy books on the prophets, and he was an extremely prolific narrator ("rawi") of stories regarding Mohammed and Biblical personages. He had a son named Abdallah al-Abnawi.Works
Among Wahb's many writings may be mentioned his "Qiṣaṣ al-Anbiya'" ("Story of the Prophets") and "Kitab al-Isra'iliyat" ("Book of the Israelites," "Ḥajji Khalfa," iv. 518, v. 40). The former, which is believed to be his earliest literary work, is, as its title indicates, a collection of narratives concerning Biblical personages, the accounts being drawn from Jewish folk-lore though presented in Islamitic guise. Thus, like Ibn 'Abbas and Ka'b al-Aḥbar, he was an authority for many legends narrated by Al-Ṭabari, Mas'udi, and others. The "Kitab al-Isra'iliyat," or "Book of Jewish Matters," is lost, but was apparently a collection of Jewish stories, many of them incorporated by a Jewish compiler into the "Arabian Nights." In the latter collection there are indeed many stories that bear the Jewish stamp, and some of them, such as the "Angel of Death," are ascribed to Wahb by the author of "Al-Tibr al-Masluk." There are also other stories which are attributed to Wahb, and many more which, from their Jewish character, may be traced to him. His Jewish learning may be illustrated by his opinion of the Shekinah (Arabic, "Sakinah") as stated by different Arabic authors.According to Al-Baghawi
Al-Baghawi
Abu Muhammad al-Husayn ibn Mas'ud ibn Muhammad al-Farra' al-Baghawi was a renowned Persian Muslim Mufassir, hadith scholar and a Shafi`i faqih best known for his major work Tafsir al-Baghawi. Al-Farra was in reference to trading with fur, and al-Baghawi was a reference to his hometown Bagh or...
in his "Ma'alim al-Tanzil" (Ignác Goldziher, "Abhandlungen zur Arabischen Philologie," i. 182, Leyden, 1896), Wahb believed that the Shekinah was the spirit of God. On the other hand, Al-ḥabari ("Annals," i. 544), in recording the fact that the Israelites sometimes took the Ark of the Covenant into battle when they were at war with their enemies (comp. I Sam. iv. 4 et seq.), quotes Wahb as saying in the name of a certain Jewish authority that the Shekinah which rested in the Ark was a being in the shape of a cat, and that when the Israelites heard the mewing of cats coming from the interior of the Ark, they were sure of a victory.
Hadith
He narrated hadith from:- Anas ibn MalikAnas ibn MalikAnas bin Malik ibn Nadar al-Khazraji Al-Ansari was a well-known sahabi of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.He was an Ansar of the Banu Khazraj . He is not to be confused with Malik ibn Anas. Anas ibn Malik, the last of the Companions of the Prophet died at al-Basrah in 93 AH aged 103.-Muhammad's...
- Jabir ibn Abd-AllahJabir ibn Abd-AllahJabir ibn 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn Haram al-Ansari was a prominent companion of Muhammad and his descendants, the Shi'a Imams.-Early life:Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari was born in Yathrib 15 years before the Hijra. He belonged to a poor family of Yathrib. He was from the tribe of Khazraj. His mother...
- `Abd Allah ibn `Abbas`Abd Allah ibn `AbbasAbd Allah ibn Abbas was a paternal cousin of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is revered by Muslims for his knowledge and was an expert in Tafsir , as well as an authority on the Islamic Sunnah.-Family:...
- Abd-Allah ibn Umar
- Abu HurairahAbu HurairahAbu Hurairah , was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the narrator of Hadith most quoted in the isnad by Sunnis.-Early life:...
- Abu-Sa'id al-KhudriAbu-Sa'id al-KhudriAbu Sa'id Sa`d ibn Malik ibn Sinan al-Khazraji al-Khudri was one of the younger Companions of the Prophet Muhammad and was an Ansari from the original inhabitants of al-Madinah. Too young to fight at Uhud in 625 where his father Malik ibn Sinan fell, he participated in subsequent campaigns...
- Tawoos ibn Kaysaan
- Amr ibn Dinar
- Amr ibn Shayb
- Hammam ibn MunabbihHammam ibn MunabbihHammam ibn Munabbih was an Islamic scholar, from among the Tabi‘in and one of the narrators of hadith.-Works:*Sahifah Hammam ibn Munabbih was one of the 9 students of Abu Hurairah. Abu Hurairah used to narrate the hadith he heard from the Prophet to his 9 students. Out of all 9 students, only...
- others
Students and intellectual heirs
F. Perles, in a series of papers contributed to "Monatsschrift" (xxii.), has pointed out that several of the stories of the "Arabian Nights"—mainly those taken from the Cairene additions—deal with Jewish topics or are derived from Jewish sources. V. Chauvin, in a special treatise on the Egyptian recension of "One Thousand and One Nights" (Brussels, 1899), has suggested that these Jewish tales and others were introduced by one of the last redactors, a converted Jew, probably the author of the "Story of a Man of Jerusalem," sometimes attributed to Abraham, son of Maimonides. The Jew-ish tales themselves are probably extracted from a work of a Jewish convert to Islam, Wahb ibn Munabbih (638-738), entitled "Jewish Matters."The following are the tales of the "Arabian Nights" that appear from several investigations to be from Jewish sources. The numbers are those in W. F. Kirby's comparative list given in all forms of Burton's edition; the letters in parentheses refer to the identifications by Perles :
22. Ala Al-Din Abu Al-Shamat.
41. Ali Shah and Zumurrud.
52. Devout Israelite (F.).
114. Angel of Death and the Proud King.
115. Angel of Death and the Rich King.
116. Angel of Death and the King of the Children of Israel.
117. Izkander (Alexander the Great) and the Poor Folk.
119. The Jewish Cadi and His Pious Wife (A.)
122. Devout Tray-Maker and His Wife (J.).
126. The Moslem Champion.
127. The Christian King's Daughter.
128. Prophet and Providence (C.).
130. Island King and Pious Israelite.
132. Queen of Serpents: (a) Adventures of Bulukuia; (b) Story of Jamshah.
133 gg. The Seventh Voyage of Sindbad.
136. Judar and His Brethren.
137. Ajib and Gharib.
155. Hassan of Bassorah.
161 k. The Blind Man and the Cripple (G.).
163. Abdallah the Fisherman.
168. Abdallah ibn Fazil and His Brothers.
183 a. Harun al-Rashid and TuḦfat al-Ḳulub.
196. Story of Ali Cogia (K.—one of Galland's additions).
203. Sultan of Yemen and His Three Sons.
256. Story of Abdallah (E.).
Besides these stories, there are several others obviously inserted by the same hand. Thus, the whole collection from 114 to 132 appears to be by the hand of Wahb ibn Munabbih.
Sunni view
Although Muslims regarded him as a reliable authority in these accounts, many of them, such as Ibn KhaldunIbn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun was an Arab Tunisian historiographer and historian who is often viewed as one of the forerunners of modern historiography, sociology and economics...
, declared that in his other writings he simply lied (comp. "Notices et Extraits des Manuscrits," xx.part 1, p. 461; De Slane, Ibn Challikan, iii. 673, note 2).
It is known that Wahb and Ka'b al-Ahbar taught Tafsir their fellow Muslims. Scholars like Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud
Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud
Abdullah ibn Masud was one of the first converts to Islam after Muhammad started preaching in Mecca. He remained one of the closest companions of Muhammad during his lifetime....
had warned people not to learn the Tafsir from the People of the Book
People of the Book
People of the Book is a term used to designate non-Muslim adherents to faiths which have a revealed scripture called, in Arabic, Al-Kitab . The three types of adherents to faiths that the Qur'an mentions as people of the book are the Jews, Sabians and Christians.In Islam, the Muslim scripture, the...
, arguing that they used to interpolate their own biblical beliefs, teachings and history with the Islamic creeds and preaching.
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal Abu `Abd Allah al-Shaybani was an important Muslim scholar and theologian. He is considered the founder of the Hanbali school of fiqh...
said "he was a man of Persian decent" and also "Anyone from Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and has a 'Dhee' in his name, then his lineage is noble. It is said: So and so
So and so
So and so may refer to:* Euphemistic, a person or thing regarded as unpleasant or difficult. It can also refer be used in a non-Euphemitsic sense to accost an individual who the person believes name is not worthy of mention.* So and so, So and so may refer to:* Euphemistic, a person or thing...
has Dhee and so and so
So and so
So and so may refer to:* Euphemistic, a person or thing regarded as unpleasant or difficult. It can also refer be used in a non-Euphemitsic sense to accost an individual who the person believes name is not worthy of mention.* So and so, So and so may refer to:* Euphemistic, a person or thing...
has no Dhee.
Al-'Ijlee said: "He was a trustworthy Taabi'ee, and the judge over San'aa"
Abd-al-Aziz ibn Abd-Allah ibn Baaz
Abd-al-Aziz ibn Abd-Allah ibn Baaz
Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz , was a Saudi Arabian Islamic scholar, considered as one of the renowned Sunni Muslim scholars of the twentieth century...
quoted Wahb extensively in a letter were he declared
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
to be a Kharije
Kharijites
Kharijites is a general term embracing various Muslims who, while initially supporting the authority of the final Rashidun Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib, the son-in-law and cousin of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, then later rejected his leadership...
said:
For more on the Sunni view, see "Isra'iliyat
Isra'iliyat
In the hadith studies of Islamic theology, Isra'iliyat is the body of hadith originating from Judeo-Christian traditions, rather than from other well-accepted sources that quote the Islamic prophet Muhammad...
".
Further reading
He assumed the judiciary over San’aa under the Caliph ’Umar Ibn ’Abdul-’Azeez. His narrations have been recorded in the Saheehayn [4] (al-Bukharee and Muslim). He had much knowledge regarding the people of the Book, and was counted among the pious and God-fearing, who was occupied with worship.He died 110H in San’aa at the beginning of the Caliphate of Hishaam Ibn ’Abdul-Maalik. It is also said that he died 114H. Yaqoot agreed with the latter in his book, Mu’jamul-Udabaa.
See also
- Arabian Nights http://www.jeishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1684&letter=A
- Bible in the Mohammedan literature http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1032&letter=B
- Ark of the CovenantArk of the CovenantThe Ark of the Covenant , also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a chest described in Book of Exodus as solely containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed...
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1777&letter=A - IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=289&letter=I - Wahhab (name)