The Ruling on Citing Reports from a Single Narrator (Ahad) Regarding the Attributes of Allah
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The questioner:
And this questioner says: Is it true that some of them say that many of the attributes of Allah the Exalted came only in reports from a single narrator, so it is not obligatory for the common people to learn them?
The Shaykh:
I seek refuge in Allah from this statement and from its speaker. If reports from a single narrator (ahad) are authentic, it is obligatory to act upon them in matters of creed and in other matters, because they convey knowledge. Authentic reports from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)—if the hadith is sound, the Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “If the hadith is sound, then it is my madhhab (school of jurisprudence).” If my statement contradicts the statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), then take the statement of the Messenger of Allah and cast my statement aside.
Therefore, this is not permissible. There is no disagreement regarding this explicit text. As long as there is an explicit text, there is no room for disagreement, except among those who deviate, go astray, distort, and interpret figuratively.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh:
And there is no distinction between a report from a single narrator (ahad) and a mass-transmitted report (mutawatir). Everything that is sound from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is based on its soundness. Whatever is sound, it is obligatory to act upon it and to adhere to it. Yes.
And this questioner says: Is it true that some of them say that many of the attributes of Allah the Exalted came only in reports from a single narrator, so it is not obligatory for the common people to learn them?
The Shaykh:
I seek refuge in Allah from this statement and from its speaker. If reports from a single narrator (ahad) are authentic, it is obligatory to act upon them in matters of creed and in other matters, because they convey knowledge. Authentic reports from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)—if the hadith is sound, the Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “If the hadith is sound, then it is my madhhab (school of jurisprudence).” If my statement contradicts the statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), then take the statement of the Messenger of Allah and cast my statement aside.
Therefore, this is not permissible. There is no disagreement regarding this explicit text. As long as there is an explicit text, there is no room for disagreement, except among those who deviate, go astray, distort, and interpret figuratively.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh:
And there is no distinction between a report from a single narrator (ahad) and a mass-transmitted report (mutawatir). Everything that is sound from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is based on its soundness. Whatever is sound, it is obligatory to act upon it and to adhere to it. Yes.
Source
شرح أحاديث في الفتن والحوادث، تابع باب في الفتن 2 — islamhouse.com (50:57)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.