What is the response to those who cast doubt on the two Sahihs?
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The questioner : There are those who say: When you say, in *Al-'Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah*, "Narrated by Muslim, and it is authentic," or "Narrated by al-Bukhari, and it is authentic," they raise doubt about the two Sahihs. What is the response?
The Shaykh : This is a trick we know from Akhzam. We have spoken simply about this shubhah (doubtful matter) raised by one of the enemies of the Sunnah, who did not content himself with establishing his intense enmity toward the people of the Sunnah and the followers of the Sunnah in practice, but also claimed a lineage to those who preceded him in such enmity by claiming that lineage. He spoke of himself, though he is not of that lineage, but out of pride in his Shaykh, he said: "I am so-and-so al-Kawthari," meaning: he takes pride in his Shaykh, al-Kawthari, who is known for his intense enmity toward the people of the Sunnah. This man has tried for many years to criticize those who traced the hadiths in the tracing of *Al-Tahawiyyah* in the manner the questioner refers to. Even if there is some transposition and reordering, this transposition and reordering is actually acceptable to that young al-Kawthari. The young al-Kawthari criticized my concise style in my tracing of *Sharh Ahadith al-Tahawiyyah*. I followed the following style: "Authentic, narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim," and so on; "Authentic, narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Nasa'i," and so on; "Good, narrated by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad"; "Weak, narrated by Abu Ya'la in his Musnad," and so on. So he misled and spread throughout the Islamic world his false and slanderous claim that a hadith narrated in *Sahih al-Bukhari* and *Muslim* does not become authentic according to this tracer, al-Albani, unless he authenticates it from his own perspective. Therefore, he says: "Authentic, narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim," and so on, as I mentioned.
And the reality is that, first, I am not the one who invented this style. I have established the proof against him and silenced him with quotes from a manuscript book that is now printed and known among students of knowledge, let alone scholars. I mean the book *Sharh al-Sunnah* by Imam al-Baghawi. This noble man narrates the hadith with its chain to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and sometimes he narrates it through the route of Imam al-Bukhari, and sometimes through the route of Imam Muslim. After narrating the text, he says: "This is an authentic hadith agreed upon", "This is an authentic hadith narrated by al-Bukhari". If he accuses me of this accusation, does that mean Imam al-Baghawi did not authenticate a hadith narrated by the two Shaykhs unless he authenticated it himself? No, rather this is a style of presenting the hadith from the closest route with a clear phrase: this is authentic, or good, or weak, and so on. Then the tracing follows. We said in our response to this man, indicating that he is a person of bias and not a sincere advisor: Why did the young al-Kawthari not criticize the great al-Kawthari when he explicitly weakened many hadiths from *Sahih al-Bukhari* and *Sahih Muslim*? I cited some examples from that introduction. Why does he not criticize his Shaykh who explicitly weakens them, but criticizes us because we followed this style of saying: "Authentic, narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim," and so on?
And finally: we said "And people have different tastes in what they love". We have adopted this style, and we do not mean that a hadith is not authentic unless we authenticate it. Therefore—and I say this clearly—students of knowledge ask me: Are there hadiths in the two Sahihs that are criticized? I say: Yes. They say to me: Why do you not alert us to them? I say: We have thousands of hadiths that need more attention than those, and what Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim traced is, as al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi said: "What al-Bukhari and Muslim have narrated has crossed the bridge", meaning: it is safe from criticism. We are not the ones who should criticize these two books. And this is, in reality, a very great task, and none of us is sufficient for it. I mean, the hadiths that we need to clarify and distinguish the authentic from the weak are what occupy us. As for criticizing al-Bukhari and Muslim, that is not our way and not our methodology.
And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is the one to be asked to guide the Muslims to follow the ways of the Master of the Messengers (upon him be the best of prayers and the most perfect of peace). Is there anything else?
The questioner : I say: May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Please.
The questioner : In addition to what you mentioned.
The Shaykh : Please proceed.
The questioner : That al-Baghawi preceded you in this; he traces the hadith from al-Bukhari and Muslim and says: "Authentic, agreed upon, narrated by al-Bukhari, narrated by Muslim," and so on. Al-Baghawi was preceded in this by Imam al-Tirmidhi, for he traces the hadith agreed upon or in one of the two Sahihs and says in it: "Good, authentic." Al-Jawzaqi, in his book *Al-Abatil*, brings weak hadiths and criticizes them, clarifies the authentic hadiths, and says: "Authentic, narrated by al-Bukhari" or "Authentic, narrated by Muslim."
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good. You have done well.
The Shaykh : This is a trick we know from Akhzam. We have spoken simply about this shubhah (doubtful matter) raised by one of the enemies of the Sunnah, who did not content himself with establishing his intense enmity toward the people of the Sunnah and the followers of the Sunnah in practice, but also claimed a lineage to those who preceded him in such enmity by claiming that lineage. He spoke of himself, though he is not of that lineage, but out of pride in his Shaykh, he said: "I am so-and-so al-Kawthari," meaning: he takes pride in his Shaykh, al-Kawthari, who is known for his intense enmity toward the people of the Sunnah. This man has tried for many years to criticize those who traced the hadiths in the tracing of *Al-Tahawiyyah* in the manner the questioner refers to. Even if there is some transposition and reordering, this transposition and reordering is actually acceptable to that young al-Kawthari. The young al-Kawthari criticized my concise style in my tracing of *Sharh Ahadith al-Tahawiyyah*. I followed the following style: "Authentic, narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim," and so on; "Authentic, narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Nasa'i," and so on; "Good, narrated by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad"; "Weak, narrated by Abu Ya'la in his Musnad," and so on. So he misled and spread throughout the Islamic world his false and slanderous claim that a hadith narrated in *Sahih al-Bukhari* and *Muslim* does not become authentic according to this tracer, al-Albani, unless he authenticates it from his own perspective. Therefore, he says: "Authentic, narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim," and so on, as I mentioned.
And the reality is that, first, I am not the one who invented this style. I have established the proof against him and silenced him with quotes from a manuscript book that is now printed and known among students of knowledge, let alone scholars. I mean the book *Sharh al-Sunnah* by Imam al-Baghawi. This noble man narrates the hadith with its chain to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and sometimes he narrates it through the route of Imam al-Bukhari, and sometimes through the route of Imam Muslim. After narrating the text, he says: "This is an authentic hadith agreed upon", "This is an authentic hadith narrated by al-Bukhari". If he accuses me of this accusation, does that mean Imam al-Baghawi did not authenticate a hadith narrated by the two Shaykhs unless he authenticated it himself? No, rather this is a style of presenting the hadith from the closest route with a clear phrase: this is authentic, or good, or weak, and so on. Then the tracing follows. We said in our response to this man, indicating that he is a person of bias and not a sincere advisor: Why did the young al-Kawthari not criticize the great al-Kawthari when he explicitly weakened many hadiths from *Sahih al-Bukhari* and *Sahih Muslim*? I cited some examples from that introduction. Why does he not criticize his Shaykh who explicitly weakens them, but criticizes us because we followed this style of saying: "Authentic, narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim," and so on?
And finally: we said "And people have different tastes in what they love". We have adopted this style, and we do not mean that a hadith is not authentic unless we authenticate it. Therefore—and I say this clearly—students of knowledge ask me: Are there hadiths in the two Sahihs that are criticized? I say: Yes. They say to me: Why do you not alert us to them? I say: We have thousands of hadiths that need more attention than those, and what Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim traced is, as al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi said: "What al-Bukhari and Muslim have narrated has crossed the bridge", meaning: it is safe from criticism. We are not the ones who should criticize these two books. And this is, in reality, a very great task, and none of us is sufficient for it. I mean, the hadiths that we need to clarify and distinguish the authentic from the weak are what occupy us. As for criticizing al-Bukhari and Muslim, that is not our way and not our methodology.
And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is the one to be asked to guide the Muslims to follow the ways of the Master of the Messengers (upon him be the best of prayers and the most perfect of peace). Is there anything else?
The questioner : I say: May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Please.
The questioner : In addition to what you mentioned.
The Shaykh : Please proceed.
The questioner : That al-Baghawi preceded you in this; he traces the hadith from al-Bukhari and Muslim and says: "Authentic, agreed upon, narrated by al-Bukhari, narrated by Muslim," and so on. Al-Baghawi was preceded in this by Imam al-Tirmidhi, for he traces the hadith agreed upon or in one of the two Sahihs and says in it: "Good, authentic." Al-Jawzaqi, in his book *Al-Abatil*, brings weak hadiths and criticizes them, clarifies the authentic hadiths, and says: "Authentic, narrated by al-Bukhari" or "Authentic, narrated by Muslim."
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good. You have done well.