Which opinion is preferred regarding al-Hasan al-Basri hearing from Samurah, and what is the grade of Samurah’s hadith?

The questioner : The honorable Shaykh saysThe questioner : Which opinion is preferred regarding al-Hasan al-Basri hearing from Samurah, and what is the grade of Samurah’s hadith?

The Shaykh : Al-Hasan al-Basri certainly heard from Samurah. However, he was also known for what is called by hadith scholars as tadlis. I hope that when you hear this term used to describe some of the imams and some of the great figures of the Salaf, such as al-Hasan al-Basri, no one should understand it as a criticism of the person described as having tadlis. The explanation of this term is that al-Hasan al-Basri heard some of the hadiths of Samurah ibn Jundub from him, including the hadith of the 'aqiqah in which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Al-Hasan al-Basri heard this hadith from Samurah. This great Tabi'i narrated other hadiths from Samurah and others among the Companions that he did not hear from them. His narration of some hadiths from Samurah and others is called tadlis. This is a known term and convention among hadith scholars. It does not mean accusing this narrator, al-Hasan al-Basri, of any kind of lying. The whole matter is that he narrated something from someone from whom it was his habit to hear some hadiths, but some of the hadiths he narrated from him he did not hear from him. So, if a hadith comes from al-Hasan al-Basri in which he explicitly states that he heard it from Samurah or from another Companion of the Prophet, then his hadith is valid to the highest degree. But if the hadith comes from him using the 'an expression or something similar, such as saying "from Samurah" or "Samurah said," then one must suspend judgment on this hadith and refrain from using it as evidence, because he did not explicitly state that he heard it in this hadith. His narration from a man between him and this Companion, whose name is not mentioned, is similar to the narration of a trustworthy person from an unknown man, even if the unknown man were named. So how would his narration be from someone whose name is not mentioned? This is the answer to this issue.