A brother's suggestion to the Shaykh to author a book containing his hadithic retractions.
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The Shaykh : Other than that?
The questioner : Do you not see, O Shaykh, the value of authoring a book on the hadiths that were weak and you retracted their classification as weak, or were authentic and you retracted that, or assigning the task to someone if you are unable to do it yourself? You could assign one of the students of knowledge or the Shaykhs, such as Salim al-Hilali, to author this book, or make it my role, for example, to publish it twice a year on the hadiths you have retracted?
The Shaykh : Of course, what you are asking is not impossible! Yes, it is possible, but how is it possible?!
For whoever finds the time to assist in realizing this possible matter, and the solution you mentioned, which is that we assign one of our brothers there, do you imagine, O so-and-so, that we assigned you to do such-and-such, and I am now at ease with nothing left to do? It is necessary to supervise this work, and that is the problem. Yes, this lightens the burden, but it does not mean that I have appointed a person to represent me one hundred percent. I must also cast a glance at what this person has done; that is a requirement.
The second point: knowledge, my brother, is maturing, stabilizing, and expanding every day. Therefore, a person cannot assert that the opinion he has adopted is one hundred percent correct, especially regarding the science of hadith, where its books were buried in the treasuries and libraries of the world. I, who have lived within the walls of the Zahiriyyah Library, know the value of accessing many manuscripts that had never seen the light of day. But now, praise be to Allah, this is part of the complete awakening: students, university scholars, and doctors have begun to publish for the people some of the works that were previously only in manuscript. Thus, the circle of information has become wider than it was before. This obliges us not to remain rigid on what has been issued from us. Although, by the grace of Allah the Exalted and Majestic, I have returned to thousands of books that are not even returned to today, despite the abundance of new printed works in this era, knowledge has no end. Your suggestion would have been exactly right if I did not have projects that I must complete, but as it is said:
"Not everything a man wishes for does he attain *** The winds blow with what the ships do not desire".
The questioner : Do you not see, O Shaykh, the value of authoring a book on the hadiths that were weak and you retracted their classification as weak, or were authentic and you retracted that, or assigning the task to someone if you are unable to do it yourself? You could assign one of the students of knowledge or the Shaykhs, such as Salim al-Hilali, to author this book, or make it my role, for example, to publish it twice a year on the hadiths you have retracted?
The Shaykh : Of course, what you are asking is not impossible! Yes, it is possible, but how is it possible?!
For whoever finds the time to assist in realizing this possible matter, and the solution you mentioned, which is that we assign one of our brothers there, do you imagine, O so-and-so, that we assigned you to do such-and-such, and I am now at ease with nothing left to do? It is necessary to supervise this work, and that is the problem. Yes, this lightens the burden, but it does not mean that I have appointed a person to represent me one hundred percent. I must also cast a glance at what this person has done; that is a requirement.
The second point: knowledge, my brother, is maturing, stabilizing, and expanding every day. Therefore, a person cannot assert that the opinion he has adopted is one hundred percent correct, especially regarding the science of hadith, where its books were buried in the treasuries and libraries of the world. I, who have lived within the walls of the Zahiriyyah Library, know the value of accessing many manuscripts that had never seen the light of day. But now, praise be to Allah, this is part of the complete awakening: students, university scholars, and doctors have begun to publish for the people some of the works that were previously only in manuscript. Thus, the circle of information has become wider than it was before. This obliges us not to remain rigid on what has been issued from us. Although, by the grace of Allah the Exalted and Majestic, I have returned to thousands of books that are not even returned to today, despite the abundance of new printed works in this era, knowledge has no end. Your suggestion would have been exactly right if I did not have projects that I must complete, but as it is said:
"Not everything a man wishes for does he attain *** The winds blow with what the ships do not desire".