Discussion of Sahih Ibn Majah and Some of His Writings
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : ... and *Sahih al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib*. Now, here is this second example, which is *Sahih* in two words. I removed it after I realized its weakness, and this is one of them.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And you as well.
The questioner : Was it printed?
The Shaykh : No, it was printed.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : I say *Sahih al-Kalim al-Tayyib* is a small treatise.
The questioner : Yes, a treatise... Ibn Hajar discussed it and identified two defects in it.
The Shaykh : We removed it from *al-Kalim al-Tayyib*—sorry, we did not remove it; we explained its defect and then removed it from *Sahih al-Kalim al-Tayyib* and *al-Kalim al-Tayyib*. After important corrections and many benefits, a new edition will be printed, if Allah wills. As for *Sahih al-Kalim al-Tayyib*, the treatise is small and has been printed.
The questioner : Yes...
The Shaykh : Yes, but may Allah reward you, the winds blow as the ships do not wish... I mean, for example, you have seen what is called—and I mean what I say—*Sahih Ibn Majah*.
You are now saying: Was it not better to preserve the chains of narration?
The questioner : Yes, I do.
The Shaykh : If the chains of narration had been preserved, the name would have been a name fitting its referent. But when the chains of narration were removed, it was not correct to call it *Sahih Ibn Majah*; rather, this is an abridgment of *Sahih Ibn Majah*. But the truth is, my work contains other errors. If you examine them, they are other errors in the abridgment and in the comments taken from the edition of Fu'ad 'Abd al-Baqi. The worst of them is that the one who printed this *Sahih Ibn Majah* came to the hadith or as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said. He quoted 'Abd al-Baqi's comment in his edition, which he had taken from Abu al-Hasan al-Sindi, stating that this hadith indicates the virtue of Madinah. Then he went on in his discussion and mentioned two hadiths, the best of whose states is that they are weak. One is the hadith: This is what al-Subki and others use as evidence for visiting the grave. Yes, this is a weak hadith, and another hadith with the same meaning. How does this appear in *Sahih Ibn Majah* when it is supposed that *Sahih Ibn Majah* was compiled by him and he did not rule on the weakness of these hadiths?
The reason, may Allah reward you, is that I was tasked—and one word leads to another—I was tasked to assign grades to the hadiths of *Sunan Ibn Majah*, then *Sunan al-Tirmidhi*, then *Sunan al-Nasa'i*, then *Sunan Abu Dawud*, and I did so. But someone else took it, printed it, then removed or abridged the chains of narration, and so on, and then commented on it. So the matter became problematic. Do you see how?
The second point was from the discussion: This offer was presented to me. Some people came to me, including some of my old Salafi friends. Perhaps you know 'Abd al-Rahman al-Bani?
The questioner : I have heard of him.
The Shaykh : Have you heard of him? Anyway, they offered me the work on this project, and it would benefit the Muslim community. The state sponsors it and publishes it, and so on. I told him, let me think and seek guidance from Allah. My heart was at ease with this project because one of the reasons was that it would not take much of my time, as I would only assign the grades and move on. But if I had known then what I know now, I would not have done it, because it later became clear that this work should be undertaken by one person, not with some parts done by one person and other parts by another. The point is, when this offer was presented to me and I was convinced by it, what then?
The questioner : If I had insisted on supervision, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : What do I do with the previous projects? They must stop, meaning, and so on, "the winds blow as the sailor does not wish".
The Shaykh : I don't know, what is Barbur? He is one of his group.
The questioner : American or...
The Shaykh : No, Arab. The point is, he said to him, "Okay, let's take him and put him here in the front rows." So he walks and I walk, he walks and I walk, he walks until the end of the plane. There were only two rows of seats left behind us. The plane is the large plane called a Jumbo.
The questioner : Jumbo, yes.
The Shaykh : The one with one row in the middle with four seats and three on the right.
The questioner : Three and three on the left.
The Shaykh : Three on the right and three on the left, what?
The questioner : Three, yes.
The Shaykh : They put us in the back. They wanted to put us in first class.
The questioner : But this was because they did not find seats.
The Shaykh : Allah knows best.
The questioner : No, it might be intentional, glory be to Allah, I mean.
Another questioner: As a punishment for the recommendation.
Another questioner: As a punishment for the recommendation.
The Shaykh : Therefore, you are the trustee of your companions, they put us in a seat.
The questioner : No, the situation is different here. The plane is empty in the morning, and the young people here, may Allah preserve them, have goodness in them.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : ... the trips are in the morning during work hours, I mean.
Another questioner: He took revenge, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : So when I returned, I cut off that project. Did you call me this morning by phone?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : Someone else from Makkah called me.
The questioner : I called you in Amman and no one answered, no one.
The Shaykh : Did you call by phone?
The questioner : Yes, in Amman.
The Shaykh : At what time?
The questioner : Muhammad ibn Rizq al-Tarhunni has published letters, they are good, I mean.
Another questioner: Was your research in the College of Hadith?
Another questioner: No, the College of Qur'an.
Another questioner: Huh?
Another questioner: Qur'an.
The Shaykh : ... we pray Fajr and we set off.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : ... when the volume is reprinted.
The questioner : Ah, I mean, I looked.
The Shaykh : No... a note I consider important when I review what was said.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Between your opinion and that's it, between your opinion and that's it.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes, thank you, may Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : So that we can benefit too, in case what I understood is wrong, because I recorded this in the book which is coming out now, so I want to be sure if this statement will be corrected. I don't know, did Brother 'Ali Hasan tell you about it...
The Shaykh : Do not be severe, lest Allah be severe with you.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good, if Allah wills, we will pray for your well-being, may Allah preserve you. That is enough, my brother.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And you as well.
The questioner : Was it printed?
The Shaykh : No, it was printed.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : I say *Sahih al-Kalim al-Tayyib* is a small treatise.
The questioner : Yes, a treatise... Ibn Hajar discussed it and identified two defects in it.
The Shaykh : We removed it from *al-Kalim al-Tayyib*—sorry, we did not remove it; we explained its defect and then removed it from *Sahih al-Kalim al-Tayyib* and *al-Kalim al-Tayyib*. After important corrections and many benefits, a new edition will be printed, if Allah wills. As for *Sahih al-Kalim al-Tayyib*, the treatise is small and has been printed.
The questioner : Yes...
The Shaykh : Yes, but may Allah reward you, the winds blow as the ships do not wish... I mean, for example, you have seen what is called—and I mean what I say—*Sahih Ibn Majah*.
You are now saying: Was it not better to preserve the chains of narration?
The questioner : Yes, I do.
The Shaykh : If the chains of narration had been preserved, the name would have been a name fitting its referent. But when the chains of narration were removed, it was not correct to call it *Sahih Ibn Majah*; rather, this is an abridgment of *Sahih Ibn Majah*. But the truth is, my work contains other errors. If you examine them, they are other errors in the abridgment and in the comments taken from the edition of Fu'ad 'Abd al-Baqi. The worst of them is that the one who printed this *Sahih Ibn Majah* came to the hadith
Whoever is able to die in Madinah, let him die there, for whoever dies there, I will be his intercessor on the Day of Resurrection.
من استطاع أن يموت في المدينة فليمت فإنه من مات فيها كنت له شفيعًا يوم القيامةWhoever comes to me, and nothing carries him or moves him except visiting me, I will be his intercessor on the Day of Resurrection.
من جاءني لا يحمله أو يُعمله إلا زيارتي كنت له شفيعًا يوم القيامةThe reason, may Allah reward you, is that I was tasked—and one word leads to another—I was tasked to assign grades to the hadiths of *Sunan Ibn Majah*, then *Sunan al-Tirmidhi*, then *Sunan al-Nasa'i*, then *Sunan Abu Dawud*, and I did so. But someone else took it, printed it, then removed or abridged the chains of narration, and so on, and then commented on it. So the matter became problematic. Do you see how?
The second point was from the discussion: This offer was presented to me. Some people came to me, including some of my old Salafi friends. Perhaps you know 'Abd al-Rahman al-Bani?
The questioner : I have heard of him.
The Shaykh : Have you heard of him? Anyway, they offered me the work on this project, and it would benefit the Muslim community. The state sponsors it and publishes it, and so on. I told him, let me think and seek guidance from Allah. My heart was at ease with this project because one of the reasons was that it would not take much of my time, as I would only assign the grades and move on. But if I had known then what I know now, I would not have done it, because it later became clear that this work should be undertaken by one person, not with some parts done by one person and other parts by another. The point is, when this offer was presented to me and I was convinced by it, what then?
The questioner : If I had insisted on supervision, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : What do I do with the previous projects? They must stop, meaning, and so on, "the winds blow as the sailor does not wish".
The Shaykh : I don't know, what is Barbur? He is one of his group.
The questioner : American or...
The Shaykh : No, Arab. The point is, he said to him, "Okay, let's take him and put him here in the front rows." So he walks and I walk, he walks and I walk, he walks until the end of the plane. There were only two rows of seats left behind us. The plane is the large plane called a Jumbo.
The questioner : Jumbo, yes.
The Shaykh : The one with one row in the middle with four seats and three on the right.
The questioner : Three and three on the left.
The Shaykh : Three on the right and three on the left, what?
The questioner : Three, yes.
The Shaykh : They put us in the back. They wanted to put us in first class.
The questioner : But this was because they did not find seats.
The Shaykh : Allah knows best.
The questioner : No, it might be intentional, glory be to Allah, I mean.
Another questioner: As a punishment for the recommendation.
Another questioner: As a punishment for the recommendation.
The Shaykh : Therefore, you are the trustee of your companions, they put us in a seat.
The questioner : No, the situation is different here. The plane is empty in the morning, and the young people here, may Allah preserve them, have goodness in them.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : ... the trips are in the morning during work hours, I mean.
Another questioner: He took revenge, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : So when I returned, I cut off that project. Did you call me this morning by phone?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : Someone else from Makkah called me.
The questioner : I called you in Amman and no one answered, no one.
The Shaykh : Did you call by phone?
The questioner : Yes, in Amman.
The Shaykh : At what time?
The questioner : Muhammad ibn Rizq al-Tarhunni has published letters, they are good, I mean.
Another questioner: Was your research in the College of Hadith?
Another questioner: No, the College of Qur'an.
Another questioner: Huh?
Another questioner: Qur'an.
The Shaykh : ... we pray Fajr and we set off.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : ... when the volume is reprinted.
The questioner : Ah, I mean, I looked.
The Shaykh : No... a note I consider important when I review what was said.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Between your opinion and that's it, between your opinion and that's it.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes, thank you, may Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : So that we can benefit too, in case what I understood is wrong, because I recorded this in the book which is coming out now, so I want to be sure if this statement will be corrected. I don't know, did Brother 'Ali Hasan tell you about it...
The Shaykh : Do not be severe, lest Allah be severe with you.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good, if Allah wills, we will pray for your well-being, may Allah preserve you. That is enough, my brother.