Hadith of the Ark Hadith of the Ark The Hadith of the Ark () is a tradition narrated from the Islamic prophet Muhammad by different narrators such as Ali ibn Abu Talib, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (known as "Sadiq") and Abd Allah ibn Abbas. In this tradition, Muhammad compares his household ("Ahl al-Bayt") to Noah's ark, the only way to salvation in a sea of darkness, deviations, innovations and passions. According to Shi‘ism, the Twelve Imams are the Ulu'l-Amr, who are like the ark of Noah, and refers to them. Both Shi'a and Sunni scholars agree that prophet narrated this hadith. The Hadith is as
Criticism of Hadith highly of Mutawatir: However, orthodox hadith scholars find non-mutawatir hadith adequate. "According to the majority of the ulama of the four Sunni schools, acting upon ahad is obligatory even if ahad fails to engender positive knowledge. Thus, in practical legal matters," but not in "matters of belief", "a preferable "zann" [meaning, speculative] "is sufficient as a basis of obligation." Ibn al-Salah ( (d. 643/1245), "one of the most distinguished traditionists of the muta'akhkhirun", argues (according to Farooq), that because mutawatir type hadith is rare, "for much of Islamic praxis, certainty of knowledge is neither feasible nor required. Rather, probable or