I ask your excellence to clarify the correct and recognized methodology for entering the science of hadith and seeking it

The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy. And prayers and peace be upon the noblest of the prophets and messengers, our master and our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows:
The lesson will continue, if Allah wills, until eight o'clock.
The first question: Your EminenceThe Shaykh : May Allah reward you. I ask your excellence to clarify the correct and recognized methodology for entering the science of hadith and seeking it, and we also ask for clarification of your method in this, along with guidance and advice for anyone who wishes to follow that path and direct themselves toward it?

The Shaykh : This is a topic that cannot be explained in such a short time; rather, we mention the main points—as they say—for whoever wishes to enter this great science, upon which correct Islamic jurisprudence is built. This is because it is agreed upon among the scholars of the Muslims that the rulings of the Shari'ah are based solely on the Book and the Sunnah, and what branches from that from some of the principles, such as scholarly consensus, for example, and analogical reasoning, and unlegislated public interests, and the chapter on blocking the means to harm, and the like. All of this is derived from the Book and the Sunnah. So the Qur'an and the Sunnah are the sole reference for every true scholar and jurist. As for whoever does not refer to both together, but relies on one of them without the other, he is like a broken man who walks on one leg; and there is no doubt that he cannot walk steadily on a straight path. For that reason, you will find that the verses and the hadiths all respond to one another and affirm that salvation is only by holding fast to the Book and the Sunnah. You are not in need now of being reminded of any of those texts, but I say:
The Qur'an is preserved between the two covers of the mushaf, as is known with certainty. As for the Sunnah, it is distributed in the bellies of the books, and it is in thousands upon thousands. Then, into this Sunnah have entered strange and wondrous things, and denounced and fabricated hadiths, reaching volumes. Therefore, it is obligatory upon everyone who wishes to gain knowledge of the religion of Allah and to interpret the Book of Allah that his interpretation be based on the Sunnah and the authentic Sunnah. Because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says to His Prophet: , meaning: the Qur'an, .
His explanation (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) of the Qur'an is his Sunnah (peace and blessings be upon him); whether it was in the form of speech, action, or approval. Since the matter is such, and since what is not of the Sunnah has entered into the Sunnah, the jurisprudence of any jurist whatsoever who does not know the authentic hadith from the weak one is not sound. And whoever engages in arguing with hadiths or interpreting the Qur'an with hadiths, without distinguishing the authentic from the weak, will undoubtedly and without doubt fall into error first, and then into attributing lies to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) second, whether he wills it or not. For this reason, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Let no one imagine that the intent of this hadith and the hadith transmitted with the wording: is that this punishment is specific to whoever intentionally lies about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and does not include whoever narrates a lie about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). It is not permissible for anyone to fall into such a misconception; and that is because of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): a profound wisdom, This hadith is a principle among the principles and a criterion among the criteria of narrations; whether these narrations are hadiths traced to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or are sayings attributed to people in general. If a person's habit is to say: "The Messenger of Allah said, the Messenger of Allah said, the Messenger of Allah said," with whatever he reads in any book, there is no escape and he must fall into lying about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), whether he wills it or not. Because he said: . And this also includes, as I said earlier, speaking about some people; because the matter, as it was said, is: "And the defect of news is only in its narrators." So we often hear false sayings; it is said that so-and-so said such-and-such, it is said that so-and-so said such-and-such. So when a person frequently narrates from any person without verification and deliberation, there is no doubt that he will fall into lying.
And the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), when it contains good and blessing, and is counted in thousands upon thousands, and is spread in the books in their various types and chains of narration, some of which narrate hadiths with chains, and some narrate hadiths suspended without chains, and each of these two categories contains some that narrate what is authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and some that narrate whatever comes and goes. So whoever narrates from these books will undoubtedly fall into lying about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); as you heard his saying warning about that: . And this means, O brothers, take heed; do not narrate or speak of a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) until you verify its authenticity; either by transmitting it from a book whose author commits to authenticity, or by hearing it from a scholar of hadith who distinguishes between the authentic and the weak. Otherwise, it is not permissible for you to say in every hadith: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said"; otherwise, you will fall into lying about him, whether you will it or not.
Due to the importance of hadith—as has now become clear to you—it was obligatory for some of the scholars of the Muslims to have special care in knowing the methods of distinguishing the authentic hadith from the weak one. This distinction is based on two sciences: one is what is known as the science of hadith terminology, and the other is what is known as the science of the critique and vindication of narrators. And each of these two sciences has many, many references and sources, which differ in terms of length and brevity, and precision and conciseness. For this reason, we advise whoever wishes and finds in himself a readiness and a general legal culture, and has a readiness to study this science in its two parts, we advise him to study first, in relation to the science of terminology, the book of the Hafiz Ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi, known as "Al-Khulasah fi 'Ulum al-Hadith" (The Summary of the Sciences of Hadith). "Al-'Ulum al-Hadith" (The Sciences of Hadith) is a book by Ibn al-Salah, and it is known as "The Introduction of Ibn al-Salah," a concise volume in this science, the science of terminology. The Hafiz Ibn Kathir came after him... and summarized it in a small part he named: "Al-Khulasah fi 'Ulum al-Hadith" (The Summary of the Sciences of Hadith). Then, in the present era, one of the precise scholars of hadith in this science, in both theory and practice, came; namelyThe Shaykh : Ahmad Shakir, the Egyptian judge (may Allah have mercy on him), who explained the book of Ibn Kathir and named it: "Al-Ba'ith al-Hathith Sharh wa Ikhtisar 'Ulum al-Hadith" (The Eager Inciter: Explanation and Summary of the Sciences of Hadith). This book is one that the beginner in this science should begin his study of this science with. And I advise that if it is not available for himThe student : a shaykh who is well-established in this science, he should seek the help of some of his brothers who share with him; I mean, he should not be alone in studying this science; because there is clear difficulty in it, and the principle is that this should be studied with one of the scholars who are well-established in it. But if that is not facilitated for him, let him seek the help of some of his brothers and they study this science together, cooperating on it.
I also advise, on this occasion, that one not focus on studying this book from beginning to end, but rather study its first half; because the second half mostly deals with the narration of hadith through chains of transmission, such as knowing the status of a narrator as elevated or lowered, and the names of fathers and grandfathers, and so on. One should leave that aside after mastering the first section. A student of this knowledge, if he looks at the index of the aforementioned book, will find that he should select some of the topics, or most of them, and not study every chapter there; because some of them deal with the method of narrating hadith through chains of transmission, and this method has become, unfortunately, a forgotten thing today; because we take the narrations not from a shaykh to a shaykh so that we know the names in detail, but rather we take them from the well-known books of the Sunnah today, such as the Six Books and the like.
When he finishes studying this section of this book, he then moves on to studying the book of al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, which is concise and condensed. It is known as "Sharh al-Nukhba" (Commentary on al-Nukhba). "Sharh al-Nukhba" by al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar is among the best works composed on this terminology; because its author is one of the geniuses among the scholars of hadith who knew this science both theoretically and practically. Then the student of this knowledge continues to ascend from book to book until he finally returns to the original books, such as "Muqaddimat 'Ulum al-Hadith" (Introduction to the Sciences of Hadith) by al-Hafiz al-'Iraqi, such as "al-Kufiyyah" by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, which was printed in India long ago, and "Ulum al-Hadith" by Abu 'Abd Allah al-Hakim al-Nisaburi, as well as a book by al-Ramahurmuzi. These are the mother books from which the later scholars drew the sciences of this terminology.
As for the science of al-jarh wa al-ta'dil (the critique and vindication of narrators), it is good for the student of knowledge to review and make it his habit to return to this book, which is "al-Mizan al-'Itidal fi Naqd al-Rijal" (The Scale of Balance in the Critique of Men) by al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi al-Dimashqi. Attached to the study of this is the appendix that al-Hafiz al-Asqalani composed for it, which is known as "Lisan al-Mizan" (The Tongue of the Scale). In "Lisan al-Mizan," Ibn Hajar added thousands of narrators whom al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi did not mention in his book "al-Mizan," along with a modification he made in "Lisan." That is, al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) restricted his book "al-Mizan" to biographies of every person who was criticized, whether that criticized person was in one of the Six Books or in others. This is al-Dhahabi's method of biography in "al-Mizan." As for al-Hafiz in "al-Lisan," he made some modifications, as he added those additions I mentioned. As for the modification, he did not mention in "Lisan" anyone who was biographed in "al-Mizan" from the men of the Six Books. Those who were biographed in "al-Mizan" and have a narration in the Six Books, al-Hafiz al-Asqalani does not mention them in his book "al-Lisan"; because he stated in the introduction that he was satisfied with his book "Tahdhib al-Tahdhib" regarding the biographies that al-Dhahabi included in "al-Mizan" that are also in "al-Tahdhib," fearing repetition. But the truth is that a person finds—and this is specific to the in-depth researcher—finds that the book "al-Tahdhib" does not suffice for the biographies mentioned in "al-Mizan" from every aspect. It does not suffice from every aspect, and this is very clear in the following example:
Al-Dhahabi in "al-Mizan," when he biographies each individual, he usually presents examples of the narrated hadiths of the subject, especially if that subject is criticized for weakness or accused of lying and fabrication. So when he biographies such people, he mentions examples of their hadiths that indicate to the student that this subject indeed deserves to be criticized for what is in these hadiths of anomaly, defects, and false implications. For this subject, al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi mentioned some examples of his narrated hadiths. When al-Hafiz al-Asqalani deleted this biography, it is supposed that these hadiths mentioned by al-Dhahabi should also be in "al-Tahdhib" as examples to clarify or confirm this narrator's deviation in weakness or fabrication. This is what al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar does not mention in his book "al-Tahdhib." Therefore, the student of this knowledge should not be satisfied with referring to "al-Lisan" by Ibn Hajar, considering "Ibn Hajar's Lisan" and "his Tahdhib" sufficient. No, he must also review "al-Mizan"; because he will find in it benefits that he will not find in either "al-Lisan" or "al-Tahdhib."
Then, also, the beginner in this science must use another book that complements "al-Mizan" and "al-Lisan," which is the book "Taqrib al-Tahdhib" by the aforementioned al-Hafiz, who is al-Asqalani. I can say that the book "Taqrib al-Tahdhib" is the most correct or most important book that the student of this knowledge should refer to; because it summarizes the biography, which may sometimes be several pages in the original "Taqrib"—which is "al-Tahdhib." Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, with the knowledge and mastery he was given, summarizes that biography in two lines, rarely exceeding that. In these two lines, he mentions the birth of the subject after his lineage, his death (date of his passing), and his status in narration; for example, he might say: trustworthy and firm, or trustworthy and trustworthy, or trustworthy, or acceptable, or truthful, or truthful but makes mistakes, or weak, or obscure, or unknown, or liar, or fabricator. He summarizes all of this for you in concise words, which is a summary of those extended biographies in the original book, which is "Tahdhib al-Tahdhib."
And when the student of knowledge trains himself on this book, he should remember a fact: that the book "al-Taqrib" represents al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar's independent legal reasoning in summarizing those extended biographies. It is seen sometimes that al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar has some independent legal reasoning that is considered the weaker position by others, such as al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi, for example. Al-Dhahabi might say about a narrator biographed in "al-Tahdhib," in another book of his named "al-Kashif," that there is a difference between al-Dhahabi's statement in "al-Kashif," where he says the subject is truthful, and al-Hafiz's statement, where he says he is obscure. This is what he findsThe student : for this science to keep in mind a fact concerning man as a human being, that he is subject to error and forgetfulness; even the most perfect human being, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), said about himself: ; if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) explicitly stated in clear Arabic: ; then who is there who does not forget after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family)?!
No one. So, if we find a discrepancy between al-Dhahabi’s statement regarding a narrator whose reliability is established and Ibn Hajar’s statement regarding him, the matter remains in need of extensive knowledge in the science of al-jarh wa al-ta'dil (the critique and vindication of narrators), of some of whose books we spoke earlier, and in the science of terminology, which we are now concluding. In that case, whoever has become proficient in this science can sometimes prefer al-Dhahabi’s statement over Ibn Hajar’s, and sometimes the reverse; and this is by returning to the source of these books, namely "Tahdhib al-Kamal" by al-Hafiz al-Mizzi. He, too, was a Damascene, and this indicates to you that Damascus was once the capital of Islamic sciences. "Tahdhib al-Kamal" by al-Hafiz al-Mizzi is currently being printed in Oman, and more than ten volumes have been published. One marvels at the capability and the unmatched ambition of those scholars, which does not resemble the ambitions of the men of the last age. Al-Hafiz al-Mizzi, in his book "Tahdhib al-Kamal," has a style that al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar did not adhere to in his summary of it in the book he named "Tahdhib al-Tahdhib," which means "The Refinement of Tahdhib al-Kamal." Ibn Hajar did not follow al-Hafiz al-Mizzi’s style in "Tahdhib al-Tahdhib" because of its difficulty and because it requires a long, very long time. Al-Hafiz al-Mizzi, in his precision in composing this book, mentions the subject of the biography, then mentions his teachers, then the narrators from him. And when he mentions these and those, he arranges them according to the letters of the alphabet. He mentions the teachers of the subject; these teachers he arranges according to the letters of the alphabet, as is the case with all biographical dictionaries. We arrange the books "Tahdhib" and "Taqrib" entirely in alphabetical order to facilitate reference. So, if a name passes in a chain of narration that the researcher encounters, orThe student : a man who narrated from so-and-so, and he wants to find out who this so-and-so is? Let us suppose it is UrwahThe Shaykh : Urwah; but he is not named with his full lineage. You return to the biography of Ahmad ibn Mas'ud, for example. You look for the biography of Ahmad ibn Mas'ud in the book "Tahdhib al-Kamal." You want to know who Urwah is. Ahmad ibn Mas'ud has fifty teachers, so al-Hafiz al-Mizzi lists the names of these fifty arranged according to the letters. If you are aware of this convention, you do not need to read the names of all these teachers; rather, you jump straight to the letter 'ayn and ra', and you look, and there he is: Urwah ibn Zuhayr. Thus, with the least amount of time, this Imam al-Hafiz has saved you, through his strong, mighty effort, by arranging not only the names of the subjects of the biographies, but also the names of the teachers of the subjects, and also the names of the narrators from them. This precise arrangement saves the researcher a great deal of time, and a very great deal. If you return to "Tahdhib al-Tahdhib," al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar neglected this precise organization. Therefore, the researcher needs to sometimes review all the names of the teachers or all the names of the narrators to know who this man is who was not named. This is "Tahdhib al-Kamal" by al-Hafiz al-Mizzi.
"Al-Kamil" is the book composed by Shaykh 'Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi. There is no doubt that this is a good fruit, and it is a selection made by the early scholars, like "Al-Kamil" by Ibn 'Adi, and "Al-Du'afa" by al-'Uqayli, and "Tarikh Baghdad" by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, and so on. But "Al-Kamil" specialized in the Six Books. And so it was with "Tahdhib al-Kamal" and "Tahdhib al-Tahdhib," and everyone who came after them, such as the summary of "Tahdhib al-Kamal." This is sufficient... regarding this issue.