Clarification of the ruling on the addition of: "He gives life and causes death" in his saying (peace and blessings be upon him)
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The questioner : O Shaykh, the wording: after the Maghrib prayer and after the Fajr prayer.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : One of the young men researched it and says: The hadith hinges on Shu'ayb ibn Husayb, and he was inconsistent in both the chain and the text. Sometimes he narrates it from Abu Dharr, sometimes from Mu'adh, and sometimes from Umm Salama. He also has another route in al-Tabarani, and in its chain there is a man who is abandoned (matruk) whom I do not remember. His inconsistency in the text is that sometimes he says: after Maghrib, sometimes he says after Fajr, sometimes he says after 'Asr. Those who authenticated it bring corroborating narrations, but the word is not in the corroborating narrations.
The Shaykh : As we said yesterday, it requires gathering all the routes and conducting a practical study of them so that we can accept the claim that this hadith, which is authenticated by the totality of its routes, does not have the addition "He gives life and causes death" authenticated by the totality of its routes, because it is from the narration of the weak Shu'ayb ibn Husayb. And who is the other one?
The questioner : The other man in al-Tabarani's chain, I do not remember him, but he is abandoned (matruk).
The Shaykh : Ah, so I say!
The questioner : And al-Sabai as well. I do not know what the stronger position is in your view regarding al-Sabai: is he a Companion or not a Companion?!
The Shaykh : Do you mean al-Sabai or al-Sabai?
The questioner : Al-Sabai, yes.
The Shaykh : In any case, the addition is established in my view, but not solely from the route of Shu'ayb and the abandoned man. I have explained this in *Al-Ta'liq al-Raghib 'ala al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib*, and this has not been printed. So I do not know if I mentioned it in some other books. Did you find the tracing (takhrij) of the hadith in some of my books and see that I relied only on the route of Shu'ayb ibn Husayb?!
The questioner : The one in your books: the hadith of al-Sabai is mursal (disconnected), and the hadith of Abu Dharr is in *Da'if al-Jami'*. As for in *Al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib*, you said: authentic (sahih).
The Shaykh : Yes, I do.
The questioner : So I do not know, I mean?
The Shaykh : The authenticity came from other routes, meaning: authentic due to other evidence (sahih li-ghayrihi). But as you see in *Sahih al-Jami'* and *Da'if al-Jami'*, there is only the final ruling. As for how we arrived at the authenticity or weakness, its explanation is in the books to which I referred. So when we mentioned its authentication in *Al-Jami'*, what is the source to which we referred for the authentication?
The questioner : You referred to *Sahih al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib*.
The Shaykh : No, *Sahih al-Targhib* and not *Al-Ta'liq al-Raghib*. Please?
The questioner : *Al-Silsilah al-Sahihah*, Part One.
The Shaykh : Okay, do you have it?
The questioner : No, in Part One of *Al-Silsilah al-Sahihah*, I authenticated the hadith regarding morning and evening, which implies that the hadith of Imam Ahmad is for morning and evening, not after Maghrib and Fajr.
The Shaykh : I did not authenticate it for after Maghrib and Fajr.
The questioner : Yes?
The Shaykh : After 'Asr. What is the wording of the one in *Al-Musnad* that I authenticated?
The questioner : Its wording is:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3534Hasan (Darussalam) after morning, I think, or after Fajr.
The Shaykh : After Maghrib or after Fajr.
The questioner : Before he folds his legs, or not?
Another questioner: No, that is the other hadith. I seem to remember that its implication is that it is from the dhikr of morning and evening, not from the dhikr of prayer.
The Shaykh : No, in some narrations it is restricted to after Fajr.
The questioner : Did you mention the two hadiths in *Al-Sahihah*?
The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : The second hadith is in this.
Another questioner: In *Al-Sahihah*?
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : A group of hadiths are in it.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is why I say: such research is not valid to be conducted based on your memory and my memory. The issue requires gathering the book that contains the detailed statement regarding the tracing of the original hadith on one hand, and the clarification of what is authentic of its wordings and what is not authentic on the other hand. I say: The narration of Shu'ayb ibn Husayb in itself is weak, and I cannot improve it, let alone authenticate it, unless there are considerable corroborating narrations for it. And this exists. I remember that one of the hadiths I relied upon in authenticating some additions is a hadith of Abu Dharr mentioned by al-Mundhiri in *Al-Targhib*. Do you have anything from al-Mundhiri's *Al-Targhib*?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : You do not have it. And the chain of this hadith is strong, but it contains a statement that the number of the dhikr is one hundred times. This is what stuck in my memory over the passing years. But to clarify the statement in a session like this, it is necessary to gather the research and discuss each route individually.
If the hadith of al-Sabai is mursal, then you probably know that regarding the mursal hadith, if its chain is sound, a group of scholars said it is authentic. However, the stronger position is that it is not used as evidence unless it comes from another connected route. If this hadith comes connected from another route and that route is not weak, then the hadith is established as good (hasan) at the least. And if it comes from a third route, its strength increases.
In summary: Scientific research requires reviewing each route individually, then conducting the process of elimination or preference (tarjih). And this requires gathering all the routes.
He gives life and causes death.
يحيي ويميتThe Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : One of the young men researched it and says: The hadith hinges on Shu'ayb ibn Husayb, and he was inconsistent in both the chain and the text. Sometimes he narrates it from Abu Dharr, sometimes from Mu'adh, and sometimes from Umm Salama. He also has another route in al-Tabarani, and in its chain there is a man who is abandoned (matruk) whom I do not remember. His inconsistency in the text is that sometimes he says: after Maghrib, sometimes he says after Fajr, sometimes he says after 'Asr. Those who authenticated it bring corroborating narrations, but the word
He gives life and causes death.
يحيي ويميتThe Shaykh : As we said yesterday, it requires gathering all the routes and conducting a practical study of them so that we can accept the claim that this hadith, which is authenticated by the totality of its routes, does not have the addition "He gives life and causes death" authenticated by the totality of its routes, because it is from the narration of the weak Shu'ayb ibn Husayb. And who is the other one?
The questioner : The other man in al-Tabarani's chain, I do not remember him, but he is abandoned (matruk).
The Shaykh : Ah, so I say!
The questioner : And al-Sabai as well. I do not know what the stronger position is in your view regarding al-Sabai: is he a Companion or not a Companion?!
The Shaykh : Do you mean al-Sabai or al-Sabai?
The questioner : Al-Sabai, yes.
The Shaykh : In any case, the addition is established in my view, but not solely from the route of Shu'ayb and the abandoned man. I have explained this in *Al-Ta'liq al-Raghib 'ala al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib*, and this has not been printed. So I do not know if I mentioned it in some other books. Did you find the tracing (takhrij) of the hadith in some of my books and see that I relied only on the route of Shu'ayb ibn Husayb?!
The questioner : The one in your books: the hadith of al-Sabai is mursal (disconnected), and the hadith of Abu Dharr is in *Da'if al-Jami'*. As for in *Al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib*, you said: authentic (sahih).
The Shaykh : Yes, I do.
The questioner : So I do not know, I mean?
The Shaykh : The authenticity came from other routes, meaning: authentic due to other evidence (sahih li-ghayrihi). But as you see in *Sahih al-Jami'* and *Da'if al-Jami'*, there is only the final ruling. As for how we arrived at the authenticity or weakness, its explanation is in the books to which I referred. So when we mentioned its authentication in *Al-Jami'*, what is the source to which we referred for the authentication?
The questioner : You referred to *Sahih al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib*.
The Shaykh : No, *Sahih al-Targhib* and not *Al-Ta'liq al-Raghib*. Please?
The questioner : *Al-Silsilah al-Sahihah*, Part One.
The Shaykh : Okay, do you have it?
The questioner : No, in Part One of *Al-Silsilah al-Sahihah*, I authenticated the hadith regarding morning and evening, which implies that the hadith of Imam Ahmad is for morning and evening, not after Maghrib and Fajr.
The Shaykh : I did not authenticate it for after Maghrib and Fajr.
The questioner : Yes?
The Shaykh : After 'Asr. What is the wording of the one in *Al-Musnad* that I authenticated?
The questioner : Its wording is:
Whoever says: none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, Alone, without partner, to Him belongs all that exists, and to Him belongs the praise, He gives life and causes death, and He is powerful over all things
من قال : لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ، له الملك وله الحمد يحي ويميت وهو على كل شيء قديرThe Shaykh : After Maghrib or after Fajr.
The questioner : Before he folds his legs, or not?
Another questioner: No, that is the other hadith. I seem to remember that its implication is that it is from the dhikr of morning and evening, not from the dhikr of prayer.
The Shaykh : No, in some narrations it is restricted to after Fajr.
The questioner : Did you mention the two hadiths in *Al-Sahihah*?
The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : The second hadith is in this.
Another questioner: In *Al-Sahihah*?
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : A group of hadiths are in it.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is why I say: such research is not valid to be conducted based on your memory and my memory. The issue requires gathering the book that contains the detailed statement regarding the tracing of the original hadith on one hand, and the clarification of what is authentic of its wordings and what is not authentic on the other hand. I say: The narration of Shu'ayb ibn Husayb in itself is weak, and I cannot improve it, let alone authenticate it, unless there are considerable corroborating narrations for it. And this exists. I remember that one of the hadiths I relied upon in authenticating some additions is a hadith of Abu Dharr mentioned by al-Mundhiri in *Al-Targhib*. Do you have anything from al-Mundhiri's *Al-Targhib*?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : You do not have it. And the chain of this hadith is strong, but it contains a statement that the number of the dhikr is one hundred times. This is what stuck in my memory over the passing years. But to clarify the statement in a session like this, it is necessary to gather the research and discuss each route individually.
If the hadith of al-Sabai is mursal, then you probably know that regarding the mursal hadith, if its chain is sound, a group of scholars said it is authentic. However, the stronger position is that it is not used as evidence unless it comes from another connected route. If this hadith comes connected from another route and that route is not weak, then the hadith is established as good (hasan) at the least. And if it comes from a third route, its strength increases.
In summary: Scientific research requires reviewing each route individually, then conducting the process of elimination or preference (tarjih). And this requires gathering all the routes.