An explanation of what may be confusing for some students regarding the Shaykh authenticating hadiths in one book and weakening them in another.
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The questioner : Regarding some of the hadiths, it appears that you weaken them and authenticate them in other books. So, in the books that have recently been published from the authentic Sunan, which were commissioned by the library of ..., we find some hadiths that are in a state of being authentic and in a state of being weak, or the reverse. How is this possible?
The Shaykh : Your question contains two questions or one question? Now is not the time for scrutiny until I know what to answer you.
The questioner : I mean, how is it, for example, let us take for example the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kissing Uthman ibn Maz'un in Ibn Majah.
The Shaykh : No, I am not asking for an example. I want you to clarify this question of yours. Does it contain two questions or one question? First, you are asking about this point, which is clear. And second, what appears to me that you may mean is that I mention a hadith and say it is authentic and attribute it to *Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da'ifah* or the reverse.
The questioner : No, that is not my intention.
The Shaykh : So, the first intention?
The questioner : The intention is that if we go back.
The Shaykh : So, the first intention?
The questioner : I do not know what you mean by the first intention.
The Shaykh : Okay, may Allah reward you. If we leave this, you find it difficult, and you are not the first to find it difficult, that I sometimes authenticate a hadith in one book and weaken it in another, and it may be the reverse. Is this it or something else?
The questioner : This is clear. The answer to it may be that you found a path for it that authenticates it, meaning it should be weakened. But regarding the Sunan, it appears to me that it is only the references without presenting a new view, that it is only ... For example, in Ibn Majah or in al-Tirmidhi or in Abu Dawud, the hadith is written as authentic or weak, and the reference is, for example, in *al-Irwaa'* to hadith number so-and-so. So, if we go back to it and find it authentic, but if we go back to it and find it weak, how is this possible?
The Shaykh : How is it if we go back to it and find it authentic? And if we go back to it and find it weak, how is it?
The questioner : I mean that the hadith itself, for example, in Ibn Majah is authentic. You indicated this by saying "authentic" and the reference is to *al-Irwaa'* hadith number so-and-so. So, we go back to the hadith and find it weak.
The Shaykh : I mean, in *Sunan Ibn Majah* we said it is authentic, and in *al-Irwaa'* we said it is weak. Do you have an example? Do you have the book? *Al-Irwaa'* with *Sunan Ibn Majah*?
The questioner : Yes. In Abu Dawud, the authentic hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kissing Uthman ibn Maz'un. This hadith was authenticated in Ibn Majah, and when referring to the reference, it was found to be weak in *al-Irwaa'*. Likewise, the hadith of Ibn Umar.
The Shaykh : One example is enough now so that the topic does not branch out. Do you know that a hadith may be authentic in itself and may be authentic due to other evidence?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, did you notice, for example, that the weakening in *al-Irwaa'* is a weakening of the chain of narration in *Sunan Ibn Majah*, but there may be other hadiths in the chapter that support the meaning of this hadith? Did you notice anything of this or not?
The questioner : This is what I am asking about, but the other hadith.
The Shaykh : You did not answer me. Did you notice or not?
The questioner : From which aspect?
The Shaykh : Of course, I am saying that the ruling on the hadith in *Sahih Ibn Majah* is in one word, and the reference in detail is to *al-Irwaa'* in our example. So, when you go back to *al-Irwaa'*, you find in it the explicit statement of weakening the hadith of Ibn Majah. Is the talk proceeding up to here?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, the continuation of my speech: Do you not notice, for example, that there may be in the chapter on kissing the dead another hadith or other hadiths? These other hadiths meet the hadith of Ibn Majah, whose chain was weakened in *al-Irwaa'*, in their chains. It is possible that the chain of the hadith of Ibn Majah is weak, but its text is authentic, so it becomes authentic due to other evidence. Is it possible that this is the case?
The questioner : It is possible.
The Shaykh : Well, did you look carefully at such an example, in case it is of this type?
The questioner : Yes, I looked carefully at the second example.
The Shaykh : No, excuse me, may Allah reward you. It is not right to research and go east and west. Our topic now is about this specific hadith. And I am asking out of caution: did you do that or not? Because this is a matter that requires precision. And as he (peace be upon him) said in the Farewell Pilgrimage: "If I were to face what I have turned my back to, I would have divided authentication and grading into two categories, as is known in the science of hadith, and as I mentioned earlier. If the chain of the hadith is authentic in itself, I would say 'authentic.' If I were to face what I have turned my back to, I would say, regarding what has an authentic chain, 'authentic,' and regarding what has a weak chain, 'authentic due to other evidence,' pointing to this issue that many beginners in this science do not pay attention to, so that the confusion is removed. But it may have been, and I fear it may be, that we are returning to Allah. Therefore, I hope that students of knowledge do not stop only at *al-Irwaa'* or *al-Silsilah* or similar other sources. They must take the entire research with its details in the book *al-Irwaa'* because it is a detailed tracing. If the tracing ends with strengthening the hadith, then at that time we understand that the authentication there is not for the specific chain of Ibn Majah that was weakened in *al-Irwaa'*, but for the specific group of hadiths that came in the book. This is it.
The Shaykh : Your question contains two questions or one question? Now is not the time for scrutiny until I know what to answer you.
The questioner : I mean, how is it, for example, let us take for example the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kissing Uthman ibn Maz'un in Ibn Majah.
The Shaykh : No, I am not asking for an example. I want you to clarify this question of yours. Does it contain two questions or one question? First, you are asking about this point, which is clear. And second, what appears to me that you may mean is that I mention a hadith and say it is authentic and attribute it to *Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da'ifah* or the reverse.
The questioner : No, that is not my intention.
The Shaykh : So, the first intention?
The questioner : The intention is that if we go back.
The Shaykh : So, the first intention?
The questioner : I do not know what you mean by the first intention.
The Shaykh : Okay, may Allah reward you. If we leave this, you find it difficult, and you are not the first to find it difficult, that I sometimes authenticate a hadith in one book and weaken it in another, and it may be the reverse. Is this it or something else?
The questioner : This is clear. The answer to it may be that you found a path for it that authenticates it, meaning it should be weakened. But regarding the Sunan, it appears to me that it is only the references without presenting a new view, that it is only ... For example, in Ibn Majah or in al-Tirmidhi or in Abu Dawud, the hadith is written as authentic or weak, and the reference is, for example, in *al-Irwaa'* to hadith number so-and-so. So, if we go back to it and find it authentic, but if we go back to it and find it weak, how is this possible?
The Shaykh : How is it if we go back to it and find it authentic? And if we go back to it and find it weak, how is it?
The questioner : I mean that the hadith itself, for example, in Ibn Majah is authentic. You indicated this by saying "authentic" and the reference is to *al-Irwaa'* hadith number so-and-so. So, we go back to the hadith and find it weak.
The Shaykh : I mean, in *Sunan Ibn Majah* we said it is authentic, and in *al-Irwaa'* we said it is weak. Do you have an example? Do you have the book? *Al-Irwaa'* with *Sunan Ibn Majah*?
The questioner : Yes. In Abu Dawud, the authentic hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kissing Uthman ibn Maz'un. This hadith was authenticated in Ibn Majah, and when referring to the reference, it was found to be weak in *al-Irwaa'*. Likewise, the hadith of Ibn Umar.
The Shaykh : One example is enough now so that the topic does not branch out. Do you know that a hadith may be authentic in itself and may be authentic due to other evidence?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, did you notice, for example, that the weakening in *al-Irwaa'* is a weakening of the chain of narration in *Sunan Ibn Majah*, but there may be other hadiths in the chapter that support the meaning of this hadith? Did you notice anything of this or not?
The questioner : This is what I am asking about, but the other hadith.
The Shaykh : You did not answer me. Did you notice or not?
The questioner : From which aspect?
The Shaykh : Of course, I am saying that the ruling on the hadith in *Sahih Ibn Majah* is in one word, and the reference in detail is to *al-Irwaa'* in our example. So, when you go back to *al-Irwaa'*, you find in it the explicit statement of weakening the hadith of Ibn Majah. Is the talk proceeding up to here?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, the continuation of my speech: Do you not notice, for example, that there may be in the chapter on kissing the dead another hadith or other hadiths? These other hadiths meet the hadith of Ibn Majah, whose chain was weakened in *al-Irwaa'*, in their chains. It is possible that the chain of the hadith of Ibn Majah is weak, but its text is authentic, so it becomes authentic due to other evidence. Is it possible that this is the case?
The questioner : It is possible.
The Shaykh : Well, did you look carefully at such an example, in case it is of this type?
The questioner : Yes, I looked carefully at the second example.
The Shaykh : No, excuse me, may Allah reward you. It is not right to research and go east and west. Our topic now is about this specific hadith. And I am asking out of caution: did you do that or not? Because this is a matter that requires precision. And as he (peace be upon him) said in the Farewell Pilgrimage: "If I were to face what I have turned my back to, I would have divided authentication and grading into two categories, as is known in the science of hadith, and as I mentioned earlier. If the chain of the hadith is authentic in itself, I would say 'authentic.' If I were to face what I have turned my back to, I would say, regarding what has an authentic chain, 'authentic,' and regarding what has a weak chain, 'authentic due to other evidence,' pointing to this issue that many beginners in this science do not pay attention to, so that the confusion is removed. But it may have been, and I fear it may be, that we are returning to Allah. Therefore, I hope that students of knowledge do not stop only at *al-Irwaa'* or *al-Silsilah* or similar other sources. They must take the entire research with its details in the book *al-Irwaa'* because it is a detailed tracing. If the tracing ends with strengthening the hadith, then at that time we understand that the authentication there is not for the specific chain of Ibn Majah that was weakened in *al-Irwaa'*, but for the specific group of hadiths that came in the book. This is it.