Question
Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallahu ‘anhuma) narrated that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Whoever performed Tawaf of the Ka’bah fifty times, he will be as free of his sins as the day his mother bore him [i.e. free of all minor sins].”
After citing the Hadith, Imam Tirmidhi says:
قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى حَدِيثُ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ . سَأَلْتُ مُحَمَّدًا عَنْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فَقَالَ إِنَّمَا يُرْوَى هَذَا عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَوْلُهُ
Is the Hadith really weak? Can you advise what defect is in the Hadith or the chain of narrators which led to it being classified as weak, or is it a Hadith at all?
Answer
Imam Tirmidhi (rahimahullah) has recorded this narration as a Hadith of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) as you have stated. He has also declared the narration as weak, due to a weak narrator appearing in the chain.
After declaring the Hadith as weak, Imam Tirmidhi (rahimahullah) further states that he enquired from Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) regarding this Hadith. Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) stated that [the correct version] is that these are the statements of Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallahu ‘anhuma).
(Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith: 866)
Imam ‘Abdur Razzaq As San’ani and Imam Abu Bakr Ibn Abi Shaybah (rahimahumallah) have recorded this as the statement of Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallahu ‘anhuma).
(Musannaf ‘Abdur Razzaq, Hadith: 9809 and Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, Hadith: 12808, with a reliable chain. Also see Hadith: 12809 and Al ‘Ilalul Mutanahiyah, vol. 2 pg. 573/4, Hadith: 942)
The narration should therefore be reported as the statement of Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallahu ‘anhuma).
Be that as it may, this is still suitable for practice.
Correct translation
Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallahu ‘anhuma) says:
“Whomsoever makes fifty (50) Tawafs of the Ka’bah (ie. fifty by seven rounds), will be free of all his (minor) sins, just as the day his Mother gave birth to him”.
(Refer: Tuhfatul Ahwadhi, Hadith: 866)
And Allah Ta’ala Knows best
Answered by: Moulana Suhail Motala
Approved by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar
Checked by: Moulana Haroon Abasoomar