There is a hadith recited in the mosques: “I do not forget, but I am old.” Does this hadith contradict the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is a human being who forgets?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : And when he compiled a book in the space of Ramadan, he mentioned that it is the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) account that he does not forget.
The Shaykh : Yes, he does not forget.
The questioner : That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I did not forget, but I am old, or I am forgetful.”
The Shaykh : What is this?
The questioner : This contradicts the hadith that he does not forget, and also another hadith. I mean, Shaykh, this book is currently being studied in the mosques, or I have heard it in more than one mosque, and this falls under
The Shaykh : This is the view held by some scholars, and they brought this fabricated hadith. “I am only forgetful” — this is not authentic. Rather, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) saidSahih al-Bukhari 401 and human natures are not deficient. In fact, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) sometimes forgets a verse of the Qur’an. He passed by a man reciting in the night prayer and said, “May Allah have mercy on so-and-so; he reminded me of a verse I had forgotten.” And Allah the Exalted says: [Al-A'la 87:6-7] He teaches him. So the correct view is that human natures apply to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) just as they apply to others.
The questioner : Shaykh, what should a person do if he knows of an error?
The Shaykh : He should be alerted. For example, if he hears it in the mosque, he tells the imam: when the lesson is finished, you see the issue is such and such, so he reviews it. And if the author is present and alive, he discusses this matter with him so that he can correct the book.
The questioner : With you.
The Shaykh : It is better than writing rebuttals. We do not know that people, or rather scholars, respond to one another except in cases of extreme necessity, because using this method weakens both parties: it weakens the one being responded to and the one responding, and it causes people to form factions. This group takes sides with this one, and that group takes sides with that one. So it is obligatory to address matters through dialogue and discussion. And if it happens that the one you thought was wrong remains in his position, you can compile a book, but do not say, for example, “A response to so-and-so.” Compile a book that clarifies that the correct matter is such and such, meaning, compile a book based on the correct opinion.
The Shaykh : Yes, he does not forget.
The questioner : That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I did not forget, but I am old, or I am forgetful.”
The Shaykh : What is this?
The questioner : This contradicts the hadith that he does not forget, and also another hadith. I mean, Shaykh, this book is currently being studied in the mosques, or I have heard it in more than one mosque, and this falls under
The Shaykh : This is the view held by some scholars, and they brought this fabricated hadith. “I am only forgetful” — this is not authentic. Rather, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said
but I am a human being like you and liable to forget like you. So if I forget remind me
إنما أنا بشر مثلكم أنسى كما تنسون فإذا نسيت فذكروني(6) We will make you recite, [O Muhammad], and you will not forget, (7) Except what Allah should will. Indeed, He knows what is declared and
سَنُقْرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنسَىٰ إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ إِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ الْجَهْرَ وَمَاThe questioner : Shaykh, what should a person do if he knows of an error?
The Shaykh : He should be alerted. For example, if he hears it in the mosque, he tells the imam: when the lesson is finished, you see the issue is such and such, so he reviews it. And if the author is present and alive, he discusses this matter with him so that he can correct the book.
The questioner : With you.
The Shaykh : It is better than writing rebuttals. We do not know that people, or rather scholars, respond to one another except in cases of extreme necessity, because using this method weakens both parties: it weakens the one being responded to and the one responding, and it causes people to form factions. This group takes sides with this one, and that group takes sides with that one. So it is obligatory to address matters through dialogue and discussion. And if it happens that the one you thought was wrong remains in his position, you can compile a book, but do not say, for example, “A response to so-and-so.” Compile a book that clarifies that the correct matter is such and such, meaning, compile a book based on the correct opinion.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 1070 - هناك حديث يقرأ في المساجد (إني لن أنسى ولكن لأسن) وهذا الحديث يخالف من أن النبي ﷺ بشر ينسى؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.