In many places you weaken an authentic hadith, and in other places you declare an authentic hadith to be weak; could you clarify this?
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The questioner : Regarding some of the hadiths...
The Shaykh: - And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings -
The questioner : In many places you weaken an authentic hadith, and in other places you declare an authentic hadith to be weak; clarify this?
The Shaykh : Your question contains two questions in one.
The questioner : That may be the case.
The Shaykh : No... the time for that is not now; until I know what to answer you.
The questioner : I mean, how is it, for example, take for example a hadith... in "Sunan Ibn Majah".
The Shaykh : No, I am not asking for an example, I want you to clarify this question of yours, it contains two questions in one, I will mention to you... First, I ask about this point which is clear, and the second, which seems to be what you mean, is that I mention a hadith whose original source is authentic and I attribute it to "Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da'ifah" or the reverse.
The questioner : No, that is not it.
The Shaykh : So, the first opinion?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : So, the first opinion?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Fine - may Allah reward you - so let us stick to this, you are finding it difficult and you are not the first to find it difficult, that I sometimes authenticate a hadith in one book and weaken it in another, and it may be the reverse, is this it or something else?
The questioner : This is clear, the answer to it may be...?
The Shaykh : How is it if we go back to it and find it authentic? And if we go back to it and find it weak; how?
The questioner : The original hadith, for example... in "Al-Irwaa" hadith number so-and-so, so we go back to the hadith and find it weak.
The Shaykh : I mean, in "Sunan Ibn Majah" we said: authentic, in "Al-Irwaa" we said: it is weak; do you have an example?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, just a moment, "Al-Irwaa" with "Sunan Ibn Majah".
The questioner : And "Al-Tirmidhi" and "Abu Dawud"... likewise the hadith of Ibn 'Umar that...
The Shaykh : Fine; have you noticed - for example - that the weakening in "Al-Irwaa" is a weakening of the chain of narration in "Sunan Ibn Majah"? But there may be other hadiths in the chapter that support the meaning of this hadith; have you noticed anything of this or not?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Now, did you notice, for example, that the criticism in *Al-Irwaa'* is a criticism of the chain of the narration in *Sunan Ibn Majah*? But there may be other narrations in that chapter that support the meaning of this hadith; did you notice any of that or not?
The questioner : This is what... but the other hadith.
The Shaykh : You have not answered me, have you noticed or not?
The questioner : From which side...?
The Shaykh : Of course, I am saying: the ruling on the hadith in "Sahih Ibn Majah" is in one word, and the reference for authentication is to "Al-Irwaa" in our example here, so when you go back to "Al-Irwaa" you find in it an explicit statement weakening the hadith of Ibn Majah, is the talk clear up to here?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Fine; the rest of my talk: do you not notice - for example - that there may be in the chapter on kissing the deceased another hadith or other hadiths; these other hadiths meet with the hadith of Ibn Majah whose chain was weakened by "Al-Irwaa", so it is possible that the hadith of Ibn Majah has a weak chain but its text is authentic, so it becomes authentic due to other evidence; is it possible that this is the case?
The questioner : Yes, you may.
The Shaykh : Well, have you looked carefully at such an example in case it is of this kind?
The questioner : Yes, I looked carefully at the example...
The Shaykh : No, excuse me - may Allah reward you - it is not right to search and go east and west, our topic now is about this specific hadith, and I am asking out of caution; did you do that or not? Because this issue has precision, and I - as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said - in the Farewell Pilgrimage - if I were to face what I have gone through, I would have divided authentication and grading into two categories as is known in the science of hadith, and as I mentioned earlier; if the chain of the hadith is authentic in itself, I say: authentic, if I were to face what I have gone through, I would say in what has an authentic chain: authentic, and in what has a weak chain I would say: authentic due to other evidence, pointing to this issue which many beginners in this science do not pay attention to; so that the confusion is removed, but:
What I feared has come to pass, indeed we return to Allah
And therefore, while I hope that students of knowledge do not stop only at this phenomenon; I authenticated the hadith in "Sunan Ibn Majah" and weakened its chain in "Al-Irwaa" or in "Al-Silsilah" or similar other sources, they must take the entire research with its details in the book "Al-Irwaa"; because it is a detailed tracing of sources, if the tracing ends with strengthening the hadith; then we understand that the authentication there is not for the specific chain of Ibn Majah which was weakened in "Al-Irwaa", but for the specific total of the hadiths that came in the book, this is a possibility, and I do not want...
The questioner : With the first example I did not look carefully, but the second example I looked carefully at, and read its tracing...
The Shaykh : No harm, bring any example; the purpose is the benefit.
The questioner : If... "Abu Dawud" is authentic it will suffice, this hadith... the title of the chapter in "Sahih Abu Dawud", the hadith was written as weak here...
The Shaykh : This is it, this example clarifies to you what I told you earlier, here did it come as good due to other evidence or in itself?
The questioner : Due to other evidence.
The Shaykh : Fine; and there, if its weakening came, it came only for its specific chain.
The questioner : So fine... these books, do we look at this book only or at all the chains?
The Shaykh : If you reviewed the introduction to "Sunan Ibn Majah" specifically, you would find that I stated there what was possible for me to verify in the speech, I spoke about the method I followed in all my books; meaning authentic in itself or authentic due to other evidence, good in itself, good due to other evidence, and what was not possible for me, I looked at "Sunan Abu Dawud" or "Ibn Majah" or similar and gave it the ruling that its chain itself requires, therefore I said in order to address these questions which people do not pay attention to the details of, I wished I had corrected the matter and made the division and grading into two categories: authentic in itself and authentic due to other evidence, we restrict "authentic in itself" to authentic, and it can be said: authentic with a chain, and we say in what is authentic due to other evidence, we add the word "due to other" so that the person pays attention that this chain specifically has an issue, and this is exactly like Al-Tirmidhi, it is known that if he says in a hadith: good and strange; then he means it is good in itself, and if he says in another hadith: a good hadith; then he means good due to other evidence, so I interpret - for example - with my wide practice and experience that Al-Tirmidhi if he says in a hadith: a good hadith; I interpret its chain as weak, and I do not think that most of those engaged in the science of hadith in these days pay attention to this precision, Al-Tirmidhi says in a hadith: a good hadith; I understand that its chain is weak, and a lenient person is lenient; for example, like the hadith of Ibn Lahi'ah who is famous for his poor memory, we find Al-Tirmidhi saying in some of his hadiths: a good hadith, he stated in his book "Al-'Ilal" which is at the end of the Sunan that if he says in a hadith: a good hadith; then he means it is a hadith with a good text, and that conditions came for it that did not make its weakness severe, in this style I proceeded in these very brief tracings, but it was better to come with this detail so that people do not fall into confusion, this means one aspect, and the other aspect is that a person's opinion and independent legal reasoning may change; so my ruling - for example - twenty years ago or more on a hadith may become clear to me from references and sources that reveals to me that there is a defect in it, or the reverse; we may have weakened a hadith for the weakness of its chain and then we find corroborating narrations that strengthen it, so we say in a later book that it is a good or authentic hadith, this naturally causes difficulty for those who have no knowledge in this field.
Finally, we say: the nature of man is to err and to hit the mark. As Imam Malik said, "There is no one among us but that he has been returned to and returned upon." I have noticed a very strange attack on Al-Albani—regarding intentions, their knowledge is with my Lord—criticizing me for saying here: authentic, here: good, here: weak, and so on. This is the nature of this science. Al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) stated in his book al-Muqaddimah that the hasan hadith in itself is one of the most precise sciences of hadith; because the opinion of a single hadith scholar may differ regarding this hasan hadith, as its narrator may be the subject of disagreement, with some authenticating him, some weakening him, and some saying there is no harm with him, or similar. Thus, the researcher's view wavers regarding the biography of such a narrator; sometimes he leans toward grading his hadith as good, and sometimes he leans toward grading it as weak. The opinion of a single hadith scholar may differ regarding a single hadith, let alone two hadith scholars differing on a single hadith; because it is a source of dispute and independent legal reasoning. We must be mindful of these facts. Therefore, the issue that arises on such an occasion is resolved. We do not mean by this that infallibility belongs to anyone after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); rather, every son of Adam errs, and the best of those who err are the repentant. Perhaps you have noticed in some or many of my books that I myself point out an error that preceded me, whether it was authenticating or weakening, and the reason for this is what I mentioned earlier.
The Shaykh: - And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings -
The questioner : In many places you weaken an authentic hadith, and in other places you declare an authentic hadith to be weak; clarify this?
The Shaykh : Your question contains two questions in one.
The questioner : That may be the case.
The Shaykh : No... the time for that is not now; until I know what to answer you.
The questioner : I mean, how is it, for example, take for example a hadith... in "Sunan Ibn Majah".
The Shaykh : No, I am not asking for an example, I want you to clarify this question of yours, it contains two questions in one, I will mention to you... First, I ask about this point which is clear, and the second, which seems to be what you mean, is that I mention a hadith whose original source is authentic and I attribute it to "Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da'ifah" or the reverse.
The questioner : No, that is not it.
The Shaykh : So, the first opinion?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : So, the first opinion?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Fine - may Allah reward you - so let us stick to this, you are finding it difficult and you are not the first to find it difficult, that I sometimes authenticate a hadith in one book and weaken it in another, and it may be the reverse, is this it or something else?
The questioner : This is clear, the answer to it may be...?
The Shaykh : How is it if we go back to it and find it authentic? And if we go back to it and find it weak; how?
The questioner : The original hadith, for example... in "Al-Irwaa" hadith number so-and-so, so we go back to the hadith and find it weak.
The Shaykh : I mean, in "Sunan Ibn Majah" we said: authentic, in "Al-Irwaa" we said: it is weak; do you have an example?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, just a moment, "Al-Irwaa" with "Sunan Ibn Majah".
The questioner : And "Al-Tirmidhi" and "Abu Dawud"... likewise the hadith of Ibn 'Umar that...
The Shaykh : Fine; have you noticed - for example - that the weakening in "Al-Irwaa" is a weakening of the chain of narration in "Sunan Ibn Majah"? But there may be other hadiths in the chapter that support the meaning of this hadith; have you noticed anything of this or not?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Now, did you notice, for example, that the criticism in *Al-Irwaa'* is a criticism of the chain of the narration in *Sunan Ibn Majah*? But there may be other narrations in that chapter that support the meaning of this hadith; did you notice any of that or not?
The questioner : This is what... but the other hadith.
The Shaykh : You have not answered me, have you noticed or not?
The questioner : From which side...?
The Shaykh : Of course, I am saying: the ruling on the hadith in "Sahih Ibn Majah" is in one word, and the reference for authentication is to "Al-Irwaa" in our example here, so when you go back to "Al-Irwaa" you find in it an explicit statement weakening the hadith of Ibn Majah, is the talk clear up to here?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Fine; the rest of my talk: do you not notice - for example - that there may be in the chapter on kissing the deceased another hadith or other hadiths; these other hadiths meet with the hadith of Ibn Majah whose chain was weakened by "Al-Irwaa", so it is possible that the hadith of Ibn Majah has a weak chain but its text is authentic, so it becomes authentic due to other evidence; is it possible that this is the case?
The questioner : Yes, you may.
The Shaykh : Well, have you looked carefully at such an example in case it is of this kind?
The questioner : Yes, I looked carefully at the example...
The Shaykh : No, excuse me - may Allah reward you - it is not right to search and go east and west, our topic now is about this specific hadith, and I am asking out of caution; did you do that or not? Because this issue has precision, and I - as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said - in the Farewell Pilgrimage - if I were to face what I have gone through, I would have divided authentication and grading into two categories as is known in the science of hadith, and as I mentioned earlier; if the chain of the hadith is authentic in itself, I say: authentic, if I were to face what I have gone through, I would say in what has an authentic chain: authentic, and in what has a weak chain I would say: authentic due to other evidence, pointing to this issue which many beginners in this science do not pay attention to; so that the confusion is removed, but:
What I feared has come to pass, indeed we return to Allah
And therefore, while I hope that students of knowledge do not stop only at this phenomenon; I authenticated the hadith in "Sunan Ibn Majah" and weakened its chain in "Al-Irwaa" or in "Al-Silsilah" or similar other sources, they must take the entire research with its details in the book "Al-Irwaa"; because it is a detailed tracing of sources, if the tracing ends with strengthening the hadith; then we understand that the authentication there is not for the specific chain of Ibn Majah which was weakened in "Al-Irwaa", but for the specific total of the hadiths that came in the book, this is a possibility, and I do not want...
The questioner : With the first example I did not look carefully, but the second example I looked carefully at, and read its tracing...
The Shaykh : No harm, bring any example; the purpose is the benefit.
The questioner : If... "Abu Dawud" is authentic it will suffice, this hadith... the title of the chapter in "Sahih Abu Dawud", the hadith was written as weak here...
The Shaykh : This is it, this example clarifies to you what I told you earlier, here did it come as good due to other evidence or in itself?
The questioner : Due to other evidence.
The Shaykh : Fine; and there, if its weakening came, it came only for its specific chain.
The questioner : So fine... these books, do we look at this book only or at all the chains?
The Shaykh : If you reviewed the introduction to "Sunan Ibn Majah" specifically, you would find that I stated there what was possible for me to verify in the speech, I spoke about the method I followed in all my books; meaning authentic in itself or authentic due to other evidence, good in itself, good due to other evidence, and what was not possible for me, I looked at "Sunan Abu Dawud" or "Ibn Majah" or similar and gave it the ruling that its chain itself requires, therefore I said in order to address these questions which people do not pay attention to the details of, I wished I had corrected the matter and made the division and grading into two categories: authentic in itself and authentic due to other evidence, we restrict "authentic in itself" to authentic, and it can be said: authentic with a chain, and we say in what is authentic due to other evidence, we add the word "due to other" so that the person pays attention that this chain specifically has an issue, and this is exactly like Al-Tirmidhi, it is known that if he says in a hadith: good and strange; then he means it is good in itself, and if he says in another hadith: a good hadith; then he means good due to other evidence, so I interpret - for example - with my wide practice and experience that Al-Tirmidhi if he says in a hadith: a good hadith; I interpret its chain as weak, and I do not think that most of those engaged in the science of hadith in these days pay attention to this precision, Al-Tirmidhi says in a hadith: a good hadith; I understand that its chain is weak, and a lenient person is lenient; for example, like the hadith of Ibn Lahi'ah who is famous for his poor memory, we find Al-Tirmidhi saying in some of his hadiths: a good hadith, he stated in his book "Al-'Ilal" which is at the end of the Sunan that if he says in a hadith: a good hadith; then he means it is a hadith with a good text, and that conditions came for it that did not make its weakness severe, in this style I proceeded in these very brief tracings, but it was better to come with this detail so that people do not fall into confusion, this means one aspect, and the other aspect is that a person's opinion and independent legal reasoning may change; so my ruling - for example - twenty years ago or more on a hadith may become clear to me from references and sources that reveals to me that there is a defect in it, or the reverse; we may have weakened a hadith for the weakness of its chain and then we find corroborating narrations that strengthen it, so we say in a later book that it is a good or authentic hadith, this naturally causes difficulty for those who have no knowledge in this field.
Finally, we say: the nature of man is to err and to hit the mark. As Imam Malik said, "There is no one among us but that he has been returned to and returned upon." I have noticed a very strange attack on Al-Albani—regarding intentions, their knowledge is with my Lord—criticizing me for saying here: authentic, here: good, here: weak, and so on. This is the nature of this science. Al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) stated in his book al-Muqaddimah that the hasan hadith in itself is one of the most precise sciences of hadith; because the opinion of a single hadith scholar may differ regarding this hasan hadith, as its narrator may be the subject of disagreement, with some authenticating him, some weakening him, and some saying there is no harm with him, or similar. Thus, the researcher's view wavers regarding the biography of such a narrator; sometimes he leans toward grading his hadith as good, and sometimes he leans toward grading it as weak. The opinion of a single hadith scholar may differ regarding a single hadith, let alone two hadith scholars differing on a single hadith; because it is a source of dispute and independent legal reasoning. We must be mindful of these facts. Therefore, the issue that arises on such an occasion is resolved. We do not mean by this that infallibility belongs to anyone after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); rather, every son of Adam errs, and the best of those who err are the repentant. Perhaps you have noticed in some or many of my books that I myself point out an error that preceded me, whether it was authenticating or weakening, and the reason for this is what I mentioned earlier.
Source
www.al-albany.com
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