Truthful Drunk Narrators

One of the most discussed issues between Shia and Sunni Muslims today is the reliability of their respective collections of hadith. A notable concern in the Sunni hadith tradition is the presence of narrators known to have consumed intoxicating substances. This is less surprising when we consider that many early Sunni scholars viewed nabidh- a widely consumed drink with the potential to intoxicate- as permissible. This article explores the challenges of accepting hadith from narrators with a history of drinking and offers an overview of the lives of several trusted Sunni narrators who frequently consumed nabidh.

The Drunk One is a Fasiq

One of the criteria's for a reliable narrator is that they are free from fisq (corruption), and this is because if they are willing to spread corruption in the lands it would logically follow they would spread corruption in Hadith. This is a widely established principle in Sunni Hadith science. For reference, refer to Ahmad Shakir's al-Bahith al-Hathih pg. 87:

المقبول: ‌الثقة ‌الضابط لما يرويه. وهو: المسلم العاقل البالغ، سالماً من أسباب الفسق وخوارم المروءة، وأن يكون مع ذلك متيقظاً غير مغفل، حافظاً إن حدَّث من حفظه، فاهماً إن حدث على المعنى فان اختل شرط مما ذكرنا ردت روايته

The acceptable narrator (al-thiqah) in the context of hadith transmission is one who is reliable and precise in what they narrate. This requires the narrator to be a Muslim, of sound mind, and having reached adulthood, while being free from reasons for immorality (fisq) or violations of upright character. Additionally, the narrator must be attentive, not negligent, and capable of preserving what they narrate if reporting from memory, or fully understanding the meaning if narrating conceptually. If any of these conditions are compromised, their narration is rejected.

Moreover, Ibn Taymiyyah affirms that the drinker is considered a fasiq in his Majmu al-Fatawa vol 7, pg. 670:

النَّاسُ فِي ‌الْفَاسِقِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمِلَّةِ مِثْلَ الزَّانِي وَالسَّارِقِ وَالشَّارِبِ وَنَحْوِهِمْ

The people who would be considered as being a fasiq from the people of the (Muslim) nation are the adulterer, thief, drinker and their like. 

This establishes a rule in which we cannot take narrations from an open drunkard, because such a person is not free from fisq, who in turns is not reliable in Hadith.

Narrator 1: Abdullah b. Umar

Ibn Umar is one of the most frequenet narrators in the sunni corpus, who narrates over 2000 reports in the six main books alone. Yet Ibn Umar would patake in openly drinking alchohol and was punished for this act. Just refer to Tarikh al-Medina of Ibn Shabbah vol 3, pg. 842:

حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ، قَالَ: أَنْبَأَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ زِيَادٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنِ السَّائِبِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ قَالَ: صَلَّى عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَلَى جِنَازَةٍ، ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عَلَيْنَا بِوَجْهِهِ فَقَالَ: «‌إِنِّيٍ ‌وَجَدْتُ ‌مِنْ ‌عَبْدِ ‌اللَّهِ ‌بْنِ ‌عُمَرَ ‌رِيحَ ‌شَرَابٍ، وَإِنِّي سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْهُ فَزَعَمَ أَنَّهُ خَلٌّ، وَإِنِّي سَائِلٌ عَنْهُ، فَإِنْ كَانَ مُسْكِرًا جَلَدْتُهُ» قَالَ السَّائِبُ: فَأَنَا شَهِدْتُهُ جَلَدَهُ الْحَدَّ

Narrated by Affan from Abdel-Al-Wahid b. Ziyad from Muamar from Al-Zuhri from Al-Sa’ib b. Yazid who said: Umar prayed Salat Al-Janazah on a person, then Umar passed by us and said: I found Abdullah ibn Umar with the odor of liquor and I asked him about it and he said that it what the odor of vinegar. Umar added: If he was drunk I would whip him. Al-Sa’ib said: I witnessed him (Abdullah) being whipped as a punishment (for drinking).

We find in Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal vol 18, pg. 58 the same chain of narration and the editor of the book Shu'ayb Al-Arna'ut comments on it saying: Sahih on the conditions of Bukhari and Muslim. Keeping in mind that the companion of both narrations changes, but this is not a problem since all companions are reliable according to Ahlul-Sunnah.

Therefore, Abdullah b. Umar who was punished for being drunk openly would be counted among the fasiqeen and his hadith should not be accepted. But, considering how Ibn Umar is a companion, Ahlul-Sunnah would never apply this standard on him. Besides, how would any person take his teachings of the Prophet (saws) from a person with such a lifestyle? Especially, when we observe the number of narrations transmitted by this companion. How would we be aware which hadiths among the 2630 were narrated while he was in a state of drunkenness? This is especially crucial, when we consider that the Sunni Hadith was transmitted Orally. We are certain that all Muslims would agree that the sunnah of the Prophet (saws) should not be preserved by a bunch of drunkards.

Narrators 2 & 3: Ibn Abi Shaybah and Hafs b. Ghiyath

Ibn Abi Shayba is a famous scholar and Hadith collector. He is most famous for his hadith collection ‘Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba’ in which he gathered over 40,000 narrations. He narrates over a thousand reports in Sahih Muslim and Sunan Ibn Majah. Additionally, Hafs b. Ghayath was a famous judge who also happened to be a hadith narrator. It is cited in Muslimscholars that Hafs b. Ghayath narrates the following number of narrations:

Bukhari: 89  Muslim: 58  Nisai’i: 24 Tirmidhi: 25 Abu Dawud: 28  Ibn Majah: 34

We read in Siyar A’lam Al-Nubala vol 12, pg 7: 

قَالَ عَلِيُّ بنُ خَشْرَمٍ: أَخْبَرَنِي يَحْيَى، قَالَ: صِرْتُ إِلَى حَفْصِ بنِ غِيَاثٍ، فَتَعَشَّيْنَا عِنْدَهُ، فَأَتَى بِعُسٍّ، فَشَرِبَ، ‌وَنَاوَلَ ‌أَبَا ‌بَكْرٍ ‌بنَ ‌أَبِي ‌شَيْبَةَ، فَشَرِبَ، وَنَاوَلَنِي. قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ: أَيُسْكِرُ كَثِيْرُهُ؟ قَالَ: إِيْ وَاللهِ، وَقَلِيْلُهُ. فَتَرَكْتُهُ

Ali b. Khushram said: Yahya informed me, saying, “I went to Hafs b. Ghiyath, and we had dinner at his place. He brought a vessel, drank from it, and then passed it to Abu Bakr b. Abi Shaybah, who also drank from it, and then passed it to me.” Yahya continued, “I asked, ‘Does a large amount of this intoxicate?’ He replied, ‘Yes, by Allah, and even a small amount.’ So I refrained from drinking it.”

The narrators of Sunni Prophetic hadith include individuals who consumed highly intoxicating drinks, raising serious concerns about their reliability. It is difficult to believe that Ibn Abi Shayba, known for this vice, could have memorized 40,000 narrations. This concern becomes even more significant considering that he narrated over 1,000 hadiths included in Sahih Muslim, one of the most authoritative collections linked to the Prophet. The same doubts extend to his companion, Hafs b. Ghayat. We leave it to the readers to draw their own conclusions about this matter.

Narrator 4: Ismail b. Ibrahim

Ismaïl b. Ibrahim is a famous hadith scholar and narrator. He is most famously known as Ismail b. Aliyah. It is cited in Muslimscholars that Ismail b. Ibrahim narrates the following number of narrations:

Bukhari: 84  Muslim: 200  Nisa'i: 139 Tirmidhi: 65 Abu Dawud: 87  Ibn Majah: 63

With that being said, we read in Siyar A’lam Al-Nubala vol 9, pg 117:

قَالَ سَهْلُ بنُ شَاذَوَيْهِ: سَمِعْتُ عَلِيَّ بنَ خَشْرَمٍ يَقُوْلُ: قُلْتُ لِوَكِيْعٍ: رَأَيْتُ ‌إِسْمَاعِيْلَ ‌ابْنَ ‌عُلَيَّةَ ‌يَشْرَبُ النَّبِيذَ حَتَّى يُحْمَلَ عَلَى الحِمَارِ، يَحْتَاجُ مَنْ يَرُدُّه إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ. فَقَالَ وَكِيْعٌ: إِذَا رَأَيْتَ البَصْرِيَّ يَشْرَبُ، فَاتَّهِمْه. قُلْتُ: وَكَيْفَ؟ قَالَ: إِنَّ الكُوْفِيَّ يَشْرَبُهُ تَدَيُّناً، وَالبَصرِيُّ يتركه تدينا

Sahl b. Shadhawaih said: I heard Ali b. Khushram say, “I said to Waki‘, ‘I saw Isma‘il b. ‘Ulayyah drinking nabidh until he had to be carried on a donkey, needing someone to escort him back to his house.’ Waki‘ replied, ‘If you see a Basran drinking, then suspect him.’ I asked, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Because the Kufan drinks it out of religious conviction, while the Basran avoids it out of religious conviction.’”

It is troubling to encounter a narrator of the Prophet's Sunnah who was so intoxicated that they had to be transported on a donkey, guided by another person. Such incidents raise significant questions about the standards upheld by the compilers of Sunni hadith collections. If this individual was chosen as a narrator over thousands of others, it underscores the need for a thorough reassessment of their methodology.

Narrator 5: Sufyan al-Thawri

Sufyan Al-Thawri is a famous scholar and jurist. He was the owner of a Sunni school of jurisprudence (madhab) which died out after he passed away. He was also known as a hadith narrator. It is cited in Muslimscholars that Sufyan Al-Thawri narrates the following number of narrations:

Bukhari: 289  Muslim: 214  Nisa'i: 396 Tirmidhi: 298 Abu Dawud: 302  Ibn Majah: 228

Having said that, al-Dhahabi says in his Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, vol 7, pg 259 - 260:

قُلْتُ: مَعَ جَلَالَةِ سُفْيَانَ، ‌كَانَ ‌يُبِيْحُ ‌النَّبِيذَ ‌الَّذِي ‌كَثِيْرُهُ ‌مُسكِرٌ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بنُ سَلَامَةَ كِتَابَةً، عَنِ اللَّبَّانِ، أَنْبَأَنَا الحَدَّادُ، أَنْبَأَنَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بنُ جَعْفَرِ بنِ سَلَمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الأَبَّارُ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ المَلِكِ المَيْمُوْنِيُّ، سَمِعْتُ يَعْلَى بنَ عُبَيْدٍ يَقُوْلُ: قَالَ سُفْيَانُ: إِنِّي لآتي الدعوة، ما أشتهي النبيذ، فأشربه لكي يراني الناس

I said: Despite the esteemed status of Sufyan, he permitted the consumption of nabidh, which, when taken in large quantities, is intoxicating. Ahmad b. Salamah informed us in writing, from al-Labban, who was informed by al-Haddad, who was informed by Abu Nu’aym, who narrated to us from Ahmad b. Ja‘far b. Salm, who narrated to us from al-Abbar, who narrated to us from ‘Abd al-Malik al-Maimuni, who said: I heard Ya‘la b. ‘Ubaid say: Sufyan said, "I attend gatherings where I do not desire nabidh, but I drink it so that people can see me."

Sufyan al-Thawri is regarded as one of the most significant scholars within Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jama’ah and is counted among the Salaf. His permissibility of the highly intoxicating nabidh raises serious concerns, particularly given that he established his own madhab. It is troubling to consider how many individuals, including other hadith narrators, may have been influenced by his stance on this matter. Moreover, according to Imam al-Dhahabi, not only did he permit nabidh, but he also consumed it, as indicated by the narration above. This casts doubt on the reliability of his hadith transmissions, especially since they were all preserved and conveyed through memory.

Narrator 6: Waki'a b. Jarrah

Waki'a is a known Sunni narrator of hadith recognized for his numeros number of narrations. All of the 6 main books of hadith rely on him with multiple narrations. It is cited in Muslimscholars that Waki’a b. Jarrah narrates the following number of narrations:

Bukhari: 43  Muslim: 318  Nisa'i: 94 Tirmidhi: 176 Abu Dawud: 114  Ibn Majah: 446

Despite this, Yahya b. Mo'een records in his Ma'rifat al-Rijal pg 222:

وسمعت يحيى يقول حدثنى رجل ثقة قال شهدت وكيعا وجاءه بكر واثنى عليه يحيى بن معين على بكر هذا خيرا فقال له يا ابا سفيان انى كنت امس صائما وانى ‌لما ‌افطرت ‌شربت قدحين نبيذا فلما كان من الليل اتيت فقيل لى شربت خمرا فقال وكيع ذاك الشيطان قال يا ابا سفيان ما تقول فى النبيذ قال هو عندى مثل الماء قال ابا سفيان فكيق هذا لاذى مثل الماء قال تأخذ التمر اذا انزل من التنور فنصفيه فنشرب منه اول يوم والثانى والثالث فان بقى منه شىء اسقيناه الخدم او صبناه

I heard Yahya say, "A trustworthy man told me that he witnessed Waki‘a, and Bakar came to him. Yahya b. Ma‘in praised Bakar highly. Waki‘a said to him, 'O Abu Sufyan, I was fasting yesterday, and when I broke my fast, I drank two cups of nabidh. Later in the night, I was told that I had drunk wine.' Waki‘a replied, 'That was the devil.' Abu Sufyan asked, 'What do you think of nabidh?' He replied, 'To me, it is like water.' Abu Sufyan said, 'How can this be, something like water?' He said, 'You take dates, when they are taken out of the oven, and you squeeze them, and we drink from it on the first, second, and third day. If there is any left, we give it to the servants or pour it out.'"

This famous Tabiee and Hadith Narrator describes Nabizh as being the same as water for him. Just imagine how many times a normal person drinks water and then imagine replacing all of that with very intoxicating Nabizh. Could anyone be able to live such a lifestyle while transmitting the Sunnah of the Prophet (saws) by memory? This seems very hard to believe. Anyhow, we shall leave the readers to make up their own conclusion on whether a Hadith Narrator can memorize thousands of Hadiths while living a lifestyle of drinking as much Nabizh as a normal person would drink water.

In conclusion, it is undeniable that a strong memory plays a critical role in the transmission of Sunni Hadith, especially given its oral nature. However, the question arises: can narrators who were influenced by the vice of alcohol be trusted to accurately transmit the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him)? Moreover, how can Ahlus-Sunnah rely on these narrators when they themselves acknowledge that a drunkard is considered a fasiq (open sinner), and that the reports of a fasiq cannot be relied upon? By the will of Allah (swt), we leave it to you, the readers, to draw your own conclusions based on the evidence presented.