What is your opinion on listening to the foundational books with chains of narration in this time, rather than being content with reading them from the books?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Regarding listening to the books of the Sunnah, and not being content with reading from the books, what is your opinion on this matter?
The Shaykh : What do you mean by the books?
The questioner : The foundational books.
The Shaykh : Other than the books of the Sunnah?
The questioner : The books of the Sunnah, al-Bukhari and Muslim.
The Shaykh : What corresponds to that in your question?
The questioner : Listening to these books, meaning that one should not stop; they should be heard from those who have a narration or who have an ijazah in this subject.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And not being content with just looking through the books or reading from the books?
The Shaykh : Personal reading?
The questioner : With the chain of narration, and the disappearance of this practice in this era.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : What is your opinion on this matter?
The Shaykh : This is the reality. The narration of hadith with chains of narration has disappeared, and the only way left for reading the books of hadith is through the method of discovery (wujadah). Therefore, the scholars of hadith said: "That the narration of hadith through the method of discovery is the only way for later scholars to narrate the books of hadith, according to the conditions known in the books of terminology." As for the chain of narration, it does not exist now except in very rare cases and in the form of certificates that they used to call ijazah. Some scholars used to title the hearing of the ijazah with a hadith with a chain, saying:
The Shaykh : "So-and-so narrated to me from so-and-so from so-and-so with the full chain, completely." And I personally, one of the shaykhs in Aleppo granted me an ijazah, and I think you know his name because he is a famous historian, Shaykh Raghib al-Tabakh. But this ijazah became formal in reality, or rather, it was for the sake of seeking blessing; in truth, it did not have a significant impact on narrating the books through complete chains of narration. The one granting the ijazah would say, "I heard such-and-such a book from so-and-so from so-and-so from so-and-so to the author, to al-Bukhari, to Muslim." But in reality, those who were granted ijazah, and I am among them, did not benefit from this ijazah except in a purely formal way. Yes, that is right. As for narrating hadith with connected chains of narration, there is absolutely no way to do that anymore. And on this basis, the scholars of hadith have mentioned from long ago that correct discovery (wujadah) is the way to rely on for narrating the books of the Sunnah. That is all.
The Shaykh : What do you mean by the books?
The questioner : The foundational books.
The Shaykh : Other than the books of the Sunnah?
The questioner : The books of the Sunnah, al-Bukhari and Muslim.
The Shaykh : What corresponds to that in your question?
The questioner : Listening to these books, meaning that one should not stop; they should be heard from those who have a narration or who have an ijazah in this subject.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And not being content with just looking through the books or reading from the books?
The Shaykh : Personal reading?
The questioner : With the chain of narration, and the disappearance of this practice in this era.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : What is your opinion on this matter?
The Shaykh : This is the reality. The narration of hadith with chains of narration has disappeared, and the only way left for reading the books of hadith is through the method of discovery (wujadah). Therefore, the scholars of hadith said: "That the narration of hadith through the method of discovery is the only way for later scholars to narrate the books of hadith, according to the conditions known in the books of terminology." As for the chain of narration, it does not exist now except in very rare cases and in the form of certificates that they used to call ijazah. Some scholars used to title the hearing of the ijazah with a hadith with a chain, saying:
The Shaykh : "So-and-so narrated to me from so-and-so from so-and-so with the full chain, completely." And I personally, one of the shaykhs in Aleppo granted me an ijazah, and I think you know his name because he is a famous historian, Shaykh Raghib al-Tabakh. But this ijazah became formal in reality, or rather, it was for the sake of seeking blessing; in truth, it did not have a significant impact on narrating the books through complete chains of narration. The one granting the ijazah would say, "I heard such-and-such a book from so-and-so from so-and-so from so-and-so to the author, to al-Bukhari, to Muslim." But in reality, those who were granted ijazah, and I am among them, did not benefit from this ijazah except in a purely formal way. Yes, that is right. As for narrating hadith with connected chains of narration, there is absolutely no way to do that anymore. And on this basis, the scholars of hadith have mentioned from long ago that correct discovery (wujadah) is the way to rely on for narrating the books of the Sunnah. That is all.
Source
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