In The Name Of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatuallahi wa barakatuhu

First read Final sermon click here Final sermon

Three versions of the final sermon? Or correct understanding required?

 

The farewell Pilgrimage of the Prophet Muhammed is a corner stone in the Muslim history. The Final Sermon given by the Prophet during this pilgrimage was witnessed by thousands of Muslims. There are assumptions that there are THREE versions of this sermon in the Hadiths books.

 [A] 1- First version, " I left for you what if you hold up to, you will never be misguided, the book of God and my Family.

[B]2-Second version, "I left for you what if you hold up to, you will never be misguided, the book of God and my Sunnah" . 

[C]3- Third version, "I left for you what if you hold up to, you will never be misguided, the BOOK OF GOD."

 

Refutations:Dealing with each claim one by one.A,B.& C

[A] 1- First version, " I left for you what if you hold up to, you will never be misguided, the book of God and my Family.

 EXPLANATION OF [A]

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6143 Narrated byJabir ibn Abdullah

Jabir saw Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) when performing the hajj seated on his she-camel al-Qaswa' on the day of Arafah giving an address,and he heard him saying, "O people, I have left among you something of such a nature that if you adhere to it you will not go astray: Allah's Book and my close relatives who belong to my household."Tirmidhi transmitted it. 

Muslim :: Book 31 : Hadith 5920 Yazid b. Hayyan reported, I went along with Husain b. Sabra and 'Umar b. Muslim to Zaid b. Arqam and, as we sat by his side, Husain said to him: Zaid. you have been able to acquire a great virtue that you saw Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) listened to his talk, fought by his side in (different) battles, offered prayer behind me. Zaid, you have in fact earned a great virtue. Zaid, narrate to us what you heard from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). He said: I have grown old and have almost spent my age and I have forgotten some of the things which I remembered in connection with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), so accept whatever I narrate to you, and which I do not narrate do not compel me to do that. He then said: One day Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) stood up to deliver sermon at a watering place known as Khumm situated between Mecca and Medina. He praised Allah, extolled Him and delivered the sermon and. exhorted (us) and said: Now to our purpose. O people, I am a human being. I am about to receive a messenger (the angel of death) from my Lord and I, in response to Allah's call, (would bid good-bye to you), but I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it. He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and then said: The second are the members of my household I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family. He (Husain) said to Zaid: Who are the members of his household? Aren't his wives the members of his family? Thereupon he said: His wives are the members of his family (but here) the members of his family are those for whom acceptance of Zakat is forbidden. And he said: Who are they? Thereupon he said: 'Ali and the offspring of 'Ali, 'Aqil and the offspring of 'Aqil and the offspring of Ja'far and the offspring of 'Abbas. Husain said: These are those for whom the acceptance of Zakat is forbidden. Zaid said: Yes.

 

Following Allah's book and close relatives as close relatives used to follow sunnah of Rasool Allah salla lahu alaihi wa sallam. 

[B]2-Second version, "I left for you what if you hold up to, you will never be misguided, the book of God and my Sunnah" .

 

EXPLANATION OF B 

Sunnah is in Hadith.

Muwatta Book 46, Number 46.1.3:

Yahya related to me from Malik that he heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I have left two matters with you. As long as you hold to them, you will not go the wrong way. They are the Book of Allah and the Sunna of His Prophet." 

Sunnah was followed by Prophet Muhammad salla lahu alaihi wa sallam's family as well.

This is self explanatory. 

[C]3- Third version, "I left for you what if you hold up to, you will never be misguided, the BOOK OF GOD."

 

EXPLANATION OF C

Excerpt of last sermon,

Sahih Muslim HadithHadith 1885 Narrated byJabir ibn Abdullah

.................. I have left among you the Book of Allah, and if you hold fast to it, you would never go astray. And you would be asked about me (on the Day of Resurrection), (now tell me) what would you say? They (the audience) said: We will bear witness that you have conveyed (the message),discharged (the ministry of Prophethood) and given wise (sincere) counsel. He (the narrator) said: He (the Holy Prophet) then raised his forefinger towards the sky and pointing it at the people (said): "O Allah, be witness. O Allah be witness," saying it thrice ...............................

 

Implementing Quran itself requires Hadith as it carries to an extent laws and explanations of Quran.From prayer to capital punishments. 

There are three versions ,this is where we require hadith exegesis,just like Quran explains some other parts of Quran,An example Quran exegesis:EXAMPLE. 

First version-2:34 And when We said unto the angels: Prostrate yourselves before Adam, they fell prostrate, all save Iblis. He demurred through pride,and so became a disbeliever.

35 And We said: O Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden, and eat ye freely (of the fruits) thereof where ye will; but come not nigh this tree lest ye become wrongdoers. 

 

Second version-7:11 And We created you, then fashioned you, then told the angels: Fall ye prostrate before Adam! And they fell prostrate, all save Iblis, who was not of those who make prostration.

12:He said: What hindered thee that thou didst not fall prostrate when I bade thee? (Iblis) said: I am better than him. Thou createdst me of fire while him Thou didst create of mud.

  

Third version:20:116 When We said to the angels "Prostrate yourselves to Adam" they prostrated themselves but not Iblis: he refused.

117 Then We said: "O Adam! verily this is an enemy to thee and thy wife: so let him not get you both out of the Garden so that thou art landed in misery.

 

Common sense works very well here, 

To simply explain,Satan was haughty,thinking he is better,thus he refused,but the point here is to note that the way verses were revealed,each has its own sequence hence we require Quran exegesis.

 

The same law of exegesis[An explanation or critical(Characterized by careful evaluation and judgment) interpretation ] 

Follow Quran,its details of implementing are in sunnah[hadith] which was followed by Prophets close relatives.Simple!!!

 

Allah says in Quran to pray and the method in detail is in Hadith,hajj details are in hadith,even how many times circumambulate around kaba is in

 Quran mentions circumambulate Kaba without giving any number.Hadith gives the number as seven.

Final point  :There are many versions of Final sermon,some sahaba gave some part of information from entire sermon while others gave  other part of information.

one such incomplete version is below.

Commercial Transactions (Kitab Al-Buyu) Dawud :: Book 22 : Hadith 3328
Narrated Amr ibn al-Ahwas al-Jushami:
I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) say in the Farewell Pilgrimage: "Lo, all claims to usury of the pre-Islamic period have been abolished. You shall have your capital sums, deal not unjustly and you shall not be dealt with unjustly.
Lo, all claims for blood-vengeance belonging to the pre-Islamic period have been abolished. The first of those murdered among us whose blood-vengeance I remit is al-Harith ibn AbdulMuttalib, who suckled among Banu Layth and killed by Hudhayl."
He then said: O Allah, have I conveyed the message? They said: Yes, saying it three times. He then said: O Allah, be witness, saying it three times.


 

Allah knows best.