What is your opinion of the book *Al-Tabsirah* by Ibn al-Jawzi? And the Shaykh’s words regarding Ibn al-Jawzi’s methodology in his books.
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The questioner : ... the book *Al-Tabsirah* by Ibn al-Jawzi?
The Shaykh : *Al-Tabsirah* by Ibn al-Jawzi? I do not know it. What is *Al-Tabsirah* about?
The questioner : It contains some ... likewise, it contains ... Isra'iliyyat or hadiths that may not be verified?
The Shaykh : I have not looked into this book, but Ibn al-Jawzi’s books, especially those dealing with admonition, morals, and the like, are—Glorified and Exalted is He—lenient in their citation of weak hadiths, some of which are fabricated, unlike his approach in his book *Al-Mawdu'at*; so in this field, he has two personalities. In his book *Al-Mawdu'at*, he is extremely strict in his critique of hadiths, to the point that his critique reached judging some authentic hadiths as fabricated, and the scholars followed up on this with strong, indeed harsh, rebuttals. As for his other books, he is the opposite of that, as he is lenient and mentions hadiths without qualification, because he cites them from memory. Therefore, many, and indeed very many, hadiths that are not permissible to narrate due to their weakness have ended up in his books. So if a person reads a book by Ibn al-Jawzi, he should be cautious regarding this aspect.
His book, for example, is well-known and very beneficial: *Tala'is Iblis* or *Naqd al-'Ulama'*; it is very precious in terms of critique, because many people do not dare to direct their critique at the scholars, as they are the role models. But if he is a true scholar like Ibn al-Jawzi, he is able to expose some of their deviations. So despite the value of this book, you will find that he cites hadiths that, as it is said, have neither a hump nor a bridle! And one of our brothers in Damascus wrote a commentary on this book, and the name of this brother is "Khaer al-Din al-Wanli." So one can benefit from this edition of *Tala'is Iblis* by Ibn al-Jawzi.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, *Tala'is Iblis* with the commentary by Khaer al-Din al-Wanli.
The Shaykh : *Al-Tabsirah* by Ibn al-Jawzi? I do not know it. What is *Al-Tabsirah* about?
The questioner : It contains some ... likewise, it contains ... Isra'iliyyat or hadiths that may not be verified?
The Shaykh : I have not looked into this book, but Ibn al-Jawzi’s books, especially those dealing with admonition, morals, and the like, are—Glorified and Exalted is He—lenient in their citation of weak hadiths, some of which are fabricated, unlike his approach in his book *Al-Mawdu'at*; so in this field, he has two personalities. In his book *Al-Mawdu'at*, he is extremely strict in his critique of hadiths, to the point that his critique reached judging some authentic hadiths as fabricated, and the scholars followed up on this with strong, indeed harsh, rebuttals. As for his other books, he is the opposite of that, as he is lenient and mentions hadiths without qualification, because he cites them from memory. Therefore, many, and indeed very many, hadiths that are not permissible to narrate due to their weakness have ended up in his books. So if a person reads a book by Ibn al-Jawzi, he should be cautious regarding this aspect.
His book, for example, is well-known and very beneficial: *Tala'is Iblis* or *Naqd al-'Ulama'*; it is very precious in terms of critique, because many people do not dare to direct their critique at the scholars, as they are the role models. But if he is a true scholar like Ibn al-Jawzi, he is able to expose some of their deviations. So despite the value of this book, you will find that he cites hadiths that, as it is said, have neither a hump nor a bridle! And one of our brothers in Damascus wrote a commentary on this book, and the name of this brother is "Khaer al-Din al-Wanli." So one can benefit from this edition of *Tala'is Iblis* by Ibn al-Jawzi.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, *Tala'is Iblis* with the commentary by Khaer al-Din al-Wanli.
Source
www.al-albany.com
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