What is your opinion of those who say that dividing the Sunnah into authentic and weak, and shortening its chains of narration, destroys the scholarly aptitude and the study of chains of narration among students of knowledge?

The questioner : What is your opinion, O Shaykh, of those who say that the current methodology of separating the books of Sunnah into "Authentic" and "Weak" destroys the scholarly aptitude of students of knowledge in research and the study of chains of narration?

The Shaykh : My brother, we have heard this objection.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : This objection would be valid if the principles were abolished, but the principles are preserved, praise be to Allah. Furthermore, abbreviation brings the distant closer to the general public. In reality, this achieves two benefits: the benefit for the general people, which is the abbreviation, and the first and other benefit is that the books of Sunnah remain as they are so that scholars and students of knowledge can circulate them and study their chains of narration. But what is the proportion of those who benefit from the chains of narration of the six books, let alone others, compared to all Muslims?
A few out of many, meaning one or two in a million. Does this justify for us, in the Shari'ah, not to facilitate for the general Muslims access to knowing the authentic from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? No. And so, when I began about forty years ago with the project I called "Bringing the Sunnah Closer to the Ummah," and I started with "Sunan Abu Dawud," the matter settled in my mind: should I authenticate the Sunnah and publish it, distinguishing the authentic from the weak? Or should I separate the authentic from the weak? The second opinion prevailed over me for the reason I mentioned earlier: that this is more beneficial for the general Muslims. Nevertheless, I took care of the first aspect even in this project. I placed the text of the hadith at the top, and the chain of narration of the hadith at the bottom, and I discussed it and spoke about its narrators, and I clarified what is authentic and what is not. So, when I divide the book into two sections, "Authentic Abu Dawud" containing the chains and texts, and "Weak Abu Dawud" containing the chains and texts, what harm is there in that?

The questioner : May Allah reward you.

The Shaykh : May Allah bless you.

The questioner : Our professor, on the same topic.
Abu Layla : If you please, leave this time for our guest brothers, so I ask you, this appointment is specifically for them. Yes, if they have no more questions, one...