A second hadith concerning narration, the principle regarding the mass-transmitted hadith: (May Allah reward the one who heard my statement, preserved it, understood it, and conveyed it)

The questioner : They have another issue; it is a hadith—also—concerning—also—narration. What does the hadith say? The principle, considering the precision of the mass-transmitted hadith, ; does this indicate that narrating the hadith by the exact text as the narrator heard it, conveying it as he heard it, is required?

The Shaykh : In terms of conveying, it is obligatory, but that does not negate narrating the hadith by meaning, meaning here there are two things:
The first thing: the listener conveying the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) word for word, but that does not negate—as a dispensation from the Wise Lawgiver—that it is permissible for him to narrate the hadith by meaning with the two conditions mentioned previously; the supplication for precision is for the one who perfected the narration of the hadith and narrated it as he heard it, but that does not negate the permissibility of narrating the hadith by meaning with the previous two conditions; this very hadith has been narrated with different wordings, and that is just as there are many, and very many, hadiths; so the practical aspect indicates the permissibility of narrating the hadith by meaning, but when the time for conveying comes, he should be mindful of the wording and narrate it as he heard it, but that does not negate the permissibility of narrating it by meaning; especially if the situation calls for it.

The questioner : Regarding the previous two conditions for meaning; is the newer condition that he be a jurist when he narrates a narration?

The Shaykh : No, it is not a condition that he be a jurist, the condition is that he understands the meaning.

The questioner : ... Perhaps a person can be a jurist?

The Shaykh : Perhaps; because the jurist, you know, the scope of jurisprudence is wider than the scope of understanding the meaning, perhaps you remember with me the story of al-Hasan, the student of Abu Hanifah, it is not Abu Yusuf, al-Hasan ibn what? The second student of Abu Hanifah?

The questioner : Muhammad ibn al-Hasan.

The Shaykh : Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani, they mention about him that he stayed as a guest with Imam al-Shafi'i or the reverse, I do not recall now; the important thing is that Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani was praying at night, and al-Shafi'i was on his bed, and when morning came, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan mentioned to al-Shafi'i that he noticed he did not get up to pray at night, as if he was taking it against him, so he said: I spent the night thinking about his statement (peace be upon him): , and I derived from it such and such rulings, now the statement is understandable, it may be difficult for some foreigners like us, what is the nughayr? Do you see? If he knew the nughayr, he knew the meaning of the hadith, yes? But did he know the jurisprudence that Imam al-Shafi'i understood? No, so there is no necessary connection between being a jurist as the Hanafis condition and being aware of what the meaning implies as is the basic condition, is the difference clear?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : ... Often some people, and especially theoretical conditions... are placed, and then they do not stand up to them due to the difficulty of achieving them, so the Hanafis—for example—go in their jurisprudential principles to the position that it is not permissible to specify the mass-transmitted text with singular reports, while you see them in their jurisprudential applications contradicting this rule, and it is not actually possible for a jurist to establish this rule and say: it is not valid to restrict the mass-transmitted text with a singular text, they—for example—prohibit gold and silk—and even silver—on men, with his saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): ; where is this rule that they established and then did not adhere to in such as the prohibition of gold, the prohibition of silk, and even the prohibition of silver which we see is lawful for men except for silver vessels? Is this example clear?
So of this kind is their condition that he be a jurist, where is the jurisprudence in the narrators of the Hanafis for hadiths? Is there anyone like Abu Hanifah or one who approaches him in jurisprudence among the narrators they cite as evidence? There is no existence of this condition in a world of research and verification, but it is—as it is said—ink on paper! Is it clear? Good.