Distinguishing Between Authentic and Weak Hadiths
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Question:
We begin with a message from one of the brothers. He says: Honorable Shaykh, how does a person distinguish between authentic and weak hadiths? I read a hadith in one of the books: "My servants were afflicted with calamities so that I might purify them of their faults." What is the authenticity of this hadith? Please speak to us in light of this question.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. A hadith is known to be authentic or weak by studying the terminology of hadith. There are books written on this subject that you should read under the guidance of scholars so that they can explain them to you and you can benefit from them. Also, what distinguishes the authentic from the weak is referring to hadith books that deal with these matters, for the scholars have paid attention to this issue and have distinguished the authentic hadiths from the weak ones. I advise you not to enter this field without having a scientific foundation, as some beginners do who impose themselves on hadith and begin to declare them weak or authentic according to their own understanding, without knowledge or insight. This is very dangerous.
This is a very important field, namely referring to books of terminology and studying them with scholars. Also, ask the scholars about whatever is unclear to you in this area when a hadith comes up and you do not know its status. So, ask the scholars present with you about this hadith, and do not rush.
As for the fact that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, tests His servants with calamities to purify them and refine them, calamities are of two types: one type is a punishment, which is for the disbeliever and the one who associates partners with Allah, and the other type is a purification, which is for the believer, by which Allah purifies him of his sins. For this reason, He said:[Ali 'Imran 3:141]. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you and bless you.
We begin with a message from one of the brothers. He says: Honorable Shaykh, how does a person distinguish between authentic and weak hadiths? I read a hadith in one of the books: "My servants were afflicted with calamities so that I might purify them of their faults." What is the authenticity of this hadith? Please speak to us in light of this question.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. A hadith is known to be authentic or weak by studying the terminology of hadith. There are books written on this subject that you should read under the guidance of scholars so that they can explain them to you and you can benefit from them. Also, what distinguishes the authentic from the weak is referring to hadith books that deal with these matters, for the scholars have paid attention to this issue and have distinguished the authentic hadiths from the weak ones. I advise you not to enter this field without having a scientific foundation, as some beginners do who impose themselves on hadith and begin to declare them weak or authentic according to their own understanding, without knowledge or insight. This is very dangerous.
This is a very important field, namely referring to books of terminology and studying them with scholars. Also, ask the scholars about whatever is unclear to you in this area when a hadith comes up and you do not know its status. So, ask the scholars present with you about this hadith, and do not rush.
As for the fact that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, tests His servants with calamities to purify them and refine them, calamities are of two types: one type is a punishment, which is for the disbeliever and the one who associates partners with Allah, and the other type is a purification, which is for the believer, by which Allah purifies him of his sins. For this reason, He said:
And that Allah may purify the believers [through trials] and destroy the disbelievers.
وَلِيُمَحِّصَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَيَمْحَقَ الْكَافِرِينَThe presenter:
May Allah reward you and bless you.
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/202 — archive.org (0:55)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.