Hadith About Krishna and Authentication of Ahadith by the Saints

The saints of the Ummah had predicted that the Messiah would be opposed and ulama would find him against the Qur’an and Ahadith. Hadrat Imam Sirhindi (rh) has mentioned this and so have many other scholars like Ibn Arabi (rh). If the Messiah was not opposed based on the Qur’an and Ahadith, then we would have something to worry about, so it makes sense that the opponents of the Imam Mahdi are presenting such allegations.

There are many examples in which the Prophet Muhammad (sa) through revelation has given us news of other prophets. We accept all these Ahadith of the Prophet Muhammad (sa) because he is proven to be truthful.

إِنِّي لأُنْذِرُكُمُوهُ، وَمَا مِنْ نَبِيٍّ إِلاَّ وَقَدْ أَنْذَرَهُ قَوْمَهُ

“I warn you of him, and there was no prophet but warned his followers of him” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 7127)

Then the Prophet Muhammad (sa) stated:

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏”‏ احْتَجَّ آدَمُ وَمُوسَى فَقَالَ لَهُ مُوسَى أَنْتَ آدَمُ الَّذِي أَخْرَجَتْكَ خَطِيئَتُكَ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ‏.‏ فَقَالَ لَهُ آدَمُ أَنْتَ مُوسَى الَّذِي اصْطَفَاكَ اللَّهُ بِرِسَالاَتِهِ وَبِكَلاَمِهِ، ثُمَّ تَلُومُنِي عَلَى أَمْرٍ قُدِّرَ عَلَىَّ قَبْلَ أَنْ أُخْلَقَ ‏”‏‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏”‏ فَحَجَّ آدَمُ مُوسَى ‏”‏ مَرَّتَيْنِ‏.

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Adam and Moses argued with each other. Moses said to Adam. ‘You are Adam whose mistake expelled you from Paradise.’ Adam said to him, ‘You are Moses whom Allah selected as His Messenger and as the one to whom He spoke directly; yet you blame me for a thing which had already been written in my fate before my creation?”‘ Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said twice, “So, Adam overpowered Moses.”‏ (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith #3409)

According to the Torah, no one knows where the grave of Hadrat Musa (as) is. It is written in Deuteronomy 34:6:

“And he buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite to Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is”

However, the Prophet Muhammad (sa) stated:

لَوْ كُنْتُ ثَمَّ لأَرَيْتُكُمْ قَبْرَهُ إِلَى جَانِبِ الطَّرِيقِ تَحْتَ الْكَثِيبِ الأَحْمَرِ

“If I were there, I would show you his grave below the red sand hill on the side of the road” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith #3407)

How unfortunate would it be for a non-Muslim to reject the Prophet Muhammad (sa) based on these narrations and other verses of the Qur’an which mention what took place in the lives of other Prophets or what statements they had made?

The non-Ahmadi Muslims cannot prove this but accept it because Hadrat Muhammad (sa) was truthful, and he must have learned this through Allah the Almighty. There are many such examples that can be presented. For example, the Prophet Muhammad (sa) mentions some discussions between other prophets.

Now firstly, what is the context of Chashma-e-Marifat.

Here Hadrat Ahmad (as) is showing the beauty of Islam and is saying that the other religions condition is this that read their books and see what their followers say. They say guidance was only sent in our areas and no other nation was given guidance by Allah. Allah never sent prophets or those to guide to other nations.

Such a belief is against Allah the Almighty. Every nation was given a prophet and someone to guide them. How can we believe this? Allah says Allah is the Lord of All the Worlds.

وَإِنْ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ إِلَّا خَلَا فِيهَا نَذِيرٌ

And there is no people to whom a Warner has not been sent. (Chapter 35 verse 25)

وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ

“And there is a guide for every people” (Chapter 13 verse 8)

وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ

And We did raise among every people a Messenger, preaching: ‘Worship Allah and shun the Evil One (Chapter 16 verse 37)

People who came after twisted the teachings of the truthful prophets. Hadrat Ahmad (as) says that it is the beauty of the Qur’an that Allah is not limited to any nation rather He affirms sending guidance for every nation. He makes us respect the prophets of all nations.

Then Hadrat Ahmad (as) states that the Prophet Muhammad (sa) was asked about Prophets of other countries and he (sa) said a Prophet came to every country and then said that in India, there was a Prophet who was of black color and his name was Kahinan.

There is so much love in the hearts of the Hindus for Krishna and we believe he was a truthful prophet who taught Tauheed and his words were later twisted as Christians have twisted the words of Hadrat Isa (as). It is not possible that the name of Krishna has gained such respect and he is known and loved worldwide unless if he was a truthful Prophet.

Hadrat Ahmad (as) being the Imam Mahdi and Hakam and Adl was given this knowledge by Allah the Almighty just like other Prophets were given news of statements made by the Prophets before them. This is a well known concept among the Sufis as well to authenticate Ahadith through Allah the Almighty.

In the 1900’s, the Khatme Nabuwat mullahs would accuse Ahmadi Muslims of making up Ahadith and Ahmadi Muslims responded to every single challenge, and we continue to do so till today. They raised the allegation on this hadith and it was proven to be in Tarikh-e-Hamdan.

قال صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: “كان في الهند نبياً أسوَد اللون، إسمه “كاهن“. (الحافظ شيرويه الديلمي، تاريخ همذان، باب الكاف)

Meaning, that the Prophet Muhammad (sa) said there was a Prophet of black color whose name was Kahan (Krishna is also called by this name) (Al Hafiz al Dailami, Tareekh Hamdaan, Bab Al-Kaaf)

Sadly, this is a lost book but we have the mention of Al-Dailami in the works of even Imam Dhahabi. Till today, similar Arabic is found in the book Dastur al-Ulama:

In this book, it mentions the statement of Hadrat Ali (ra) speaking of a black prophet and then mentions that it is attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (sa) that if there was a prophet in India, he was black. So in our past literature, we have such narrations attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (sa) which are close to the words of the Messiah.

Hadrat Ahmad (as) also read this hadith in a book of Ibn Arabi (rh). Unfortunately, a lot of the works of Ibn Arabi (rh) are also lost and we see this through works of other scholars who quote Ibn Arabi (rh) and those statements are not found in his works today. This includes scholars like Mullah Ali Qari (rh) and others. We must also remember that Hadrat Ahmad (as) was always challenging the scholars to come and see his references on different subjects. The fact that no one from that time stepped forward shows that they were aware of this narration:

Now if someone says that quoting a hadith from a book we do not have today in our day and age makes the person a liar, then their scholars will all be false. I will present one example from Ibn Kathir :

He says some Ahadith mention that if Hadrat Musa (as) and Hadrat Isa (as) were alive today they would have no option but to accept but. Till today, this narration is not found in any book of Ahadith. This does not mean Ibn Kathir had lied against Rasulullah (sa). In fact, we can show this from countless of scholars and all would have to be declared liars. Its not about Prophet or not, anyone who lies against Rasulullah is a sinner. We say the scholars did not lie nor did Hadrat Ahmad (as). The hadith is authenticated by the Messiah who is Hakam and Adl.

Then many scholars have quoted the hadith that the scholars of the ummah are like the Prophets of Bani Israel. For example, Imam Fakhruddin al-Razi (rh) has written in his commentary:

Now this narration we present of Krishna is found in different wordings in the books of commentary under the verse:

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَمْ نَقْصُصْ عَلَيْكَ

And We did send Messengers before thee; of them are some whom We have mentioned to thee, and of them there are some whom We have not mentioned to thee (Chapter 40 Verse 79)

Now these narrations are given from Hadrat Ali (ra) and it was the way of the Ahle Bait that they would often narrate without saying the Prophet Muhammad (sa) has said this. This is mentioned in the books of the Shia extensively. Not only the Shias but even the Sunnis accept that news of the unseen when narrated from the sahaba are what they have learned from the Prophet Muhammad (sa). This is also accepted by the Sunni Muslims like Imam al-Suyuti (rh) and others.

In Biharul Anwar it is written:

Most importantly, the Prophet Muhammad (sa) taught us that Ahadith can be authenticated through visions and the sahaba and saints of the ummah have authenticated Ahadith through such experiences.

In Musnad Ahmad, it is narrated:

إِذَا سَمِعْتُمُ الْحَدِيثَ عَنِّي تَعْرِفُهُ قُلُوبُكُمْ، وَتَلِينُ لَهُ أَشْعَارُكُمْ، وَأَبْشَارُكُمْ، وَتَرَوْنَ أَنَّهُ مِنْكُمْ قَرِيبٌ، فَأَنَا أَوْلَاكُمْ بِهِ، وَإِذَا سَمِعْتُمُ الْحَدِيثَ عَنِّي تُنْكِرُهُ قُلُوبُكُمْ، وَتَنْفِرُ أَشْعَارُكُمْ، وَأَبْشَارُكُمْ، وَتَرَوْنَ أَنَّهُ مِنْكُمْ بَعِيدٌ فَأَنَا أَبْعَدُكُمْ مِنْهُ

“Abu Humayd reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If you hear a narration from me that your hearts recognize, settles your hair and skin, and you see it as close to you, then I am most deserving of it. If you hear a narration from me that your hearts reject, makes your hair stand and your skin crawl, and you see it as far from you, then I am the furthest from it.”

Then in Sahih Muslim Muqaddamah:

وَحَدَّثَنَا سُوَيْدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُسْهِرٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَنَا وَحَمْزَةُ الزَّيَّاتُ، مِنْ أَبَانَ بْنِ أَبِي عَيَّاشٍ نَحْوًا مِنْ أَلْفِ حَدِيثٍ ‏.‏ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ فَلَقِيتُ حَمْزَةَ فَأَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّهُ رَأَى النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي الْمَنَامِ فَعَرَضَ عَلَيْهِ مَا سَمِعَ مِنْ أَبَانَ فَمَا عَرَفَ مِنْهَا إِلاَّ شَيْئًا يَسِيرًا خَمْسَةً أَوْ سِتَّةً ‏.‏

Suwayd bin Sa’īd narrated to us, Alī bin Mus’hir narrated to us, he said:

‘Hamzah az-Zayyāt and I heard from Abān bin Abī Ayyāsh something like one thousand Ḥadīth’. Alī said: ‘So I met Hamzah then he informed me that he saw the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah upon him, [in a dream], and he produced for him what he heard from Abān. However he [the Prophet] didn’t recognize any except a small amount [like] five or six [Ḥadīth]’. (Sahih Muslim Introduction, Hadith #79)

In Tirmidhi there is a narration in which the companion named Khusaif said that he saw the Prophet Muhammad (sa) in a dream and told him (sa) that the people are differing regarding the Tashahud so the Prophet (sa) said stick to the Tashahud of Abdullah bin Masud (ra).

عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ عَنْ مَعْمَرٍ عَنْ خُصَيْفٍ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي الْمَنَامِ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدِ اخْتَلَفُوا فِي التَّشَهُّدِ فَقَالَ ‏ “‏ عَلَيْكَ بِتَشَهُّدِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ ‏”‏ ‏.

In Ta’aqubat al-Suyuti, it is written: Muhammad bin Harun (rh) saw a dream asking the Prophet Muhammad (sa) if he said the hadith that whoever condoles with someone afflicted, receives the exact same reward! He (sa) said yes.

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Hadrat Ahmad (as) also believed in this and had ahadith authenticated through kashf:

Hadrat Ahmad (as) also made the claim of being the second coming of Krishna based on revelation. He (as) writes:

God Almighty has disclosed to me repeatedly in my visions that a person of the name of Krishan, who appeared among the Aryas, was a chosen one of God and was a Prophet of his time. The expression Avatar which is current among the Hindus is in its essence synonymous with Prophet. There is a prophecy in Hindu scriptures that in the latter days an Avatar would appear, who will possess the qualities of Krishna and will be his reflection. It has been conveyed to me that I am that person. Krishan had two qualities; one, that he was Ruddar i.e. the slayer of wild beasts and swine, [evil characters] that is to say by reasoning and Signs; and, two, that he was Gopal i.e. the nourisher of cows, that is to say he was a helper of the virtuous through his spirit. Both of these are the qualities of the Promised Messiah and God has bestowed both of them upon me.(Tuhfah-e-Golarhviyya, p. 130, sub-footnote, Ruhani Khazain, vol. 17, p. 317 sub-footnote)

Adnan Rashid had said the following words : “Anyone who did that, the first thing ulama said was that he was a liar. Anyone who attributed any hadith to the Prophet of Islam and could not produce its chain or authority, such a man was always known as a liar”

Through this statement of Adnan Rashid, he has declared majority of the saints as liars. He also says why did Hadrat Ahmad (as) say the words قال صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. He forgets that the scholars who authenticated Ahadith through visions used the word “He (sa) said” as well.

Shah Waliullah Muhadith Dehlvi (ra) says that I have ahadith in which the sanad is only me and the Prophet Muhammad (sa):

Allama al-Lacknavi also explains that ahadith can be authenticated through the kashf of those who are righteous He goes to the extent of saying that if one of them declares it, I will most certainly accept it because of his truthfulness!

Imam al-Suyuti also believed in the authentication of Ahadith through visions: Imam al-Suyuti (rh) writes that one of the companions who I think was Ibn Abbas (ra) saw the Prophet Muhammad (sa) in a dream and he was made to remember a hadith he kept thinking of. When he entered upon the wives of the Prophet (sa), he told Maymunah (ra) what happened. So she got up and took out the mirror of the Prophet (sa). He (ra) said that he looked into it and saw the Prophet (sa) Then Imam al-Suyuti writes that many from the Salaf and Khalaf said they saw the Prophet (sa) and asked him about matters about which they were confused and he (sa) informed them of the solution He (ra) then puts a fatwa on those who deny this. He says those who deny such have denied the clear cut evidences from the sunnah He then mentions a story of a Jurist who saw a vision that a hadith was fabricated as well

Ibn Arabi (rh) also authenticated Ahadith through visions:

Then Hadrat Ibn Arabi (rh) is reported to have authenticated the hadith in which the Prophet Muhammad (sa) stated:

مَنْ عَرَفَ نَفْسَهُ فَقَدْ عَرَفَ رَبَّهُ

That whoever knows himself, knows his Lord.

Then in Al-Fatuhat al-Makiyya, Ibn Arabi (rh) also says that the scholars who receive kashf have had a consensus on the hadith that each verse among the verses of the Qur’an has an outward and an inward, and each limit has a horizon

Imam Shairani (rh) also believed in this concept:

Syed Ali Haraazim ibn al-Arabi Baradah al-Maghribi al-Fasi (rh) Hadrat Abu Abbas al-Tajani was asked about some matters and one of the hadith asked about was the scholars of my ummah are like the prophets of Bani Israel.

Mullah Ali Qari (rh) also mentions this concept with an incident of Ibn Arabi (rh):

Hadrat al-Qadi al-Sheikh Yusuf bin Ismail al-Nabahani mentions that Ibn Arabi (rh) would authenticate Ahadith through visions:

Imam Shairani (rh) mentions that Hadrat Imam al-Suyuti would authenticate Ahadith through visions:

Hadrat al-Qadi al-Sheikh Yusuf bin Ismail al-Nabahani mentions that Hadrat Ibn Hajr al-Haythami (rh) said that my Sheikh and his father Shams Muhammad bin Abi Hamaail (rh) would meet the Messenger of Allah (sa) in wakefulness and when he would have difficulty with a matter he would say that he asked Hadrat Muhammad (sa) about it and then he would put his face in his shirt and say Hadrat Muhammad (sa) said this about it and it would always happen as he had said it so we should be careful with rejecting it as it is like poison.

Ibn Hajr al-Haythami (rh) mentions an incident of the saints and that there was a majlis and a Faqih called a hadith false. Then the person replied how do you know this? He said that this is what the Prophet Muhammad (sa) said that I did not say this hadith.

Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi also mentions scholars who authenticate Ahadith through visions.

The Mujadid of the Barelvis Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi also accepts that Ahadith can be authenticated through visions

In fact, there is no room for objections because their own scholars accept that Krishna was a prophet. The ahle hadith scholar Hafiz Abdul Qadir in his book Mizan Munazarah accepts this

Qasim Nanotwi also accepted that Krishna is a prophet in his debate

Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlvi (rh) also accepted that Krishna is among the saints and we should not speak against him:

In the biography of Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Jaan, it is also written that Krishan was among the saints or prophets:

Hadrat Mujadid Alf Thani (rh) also accepts Prophets came to India:

Maulvi Sanaullah also accepted Prophets came to India: