What is the position of the student of knowledge regarding the disagreement of scholars in authenticating and weakening hadith?

The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Our Shaykh, what is our position, as students of knowledge, regarding the study of this great science, which is the science of hadith? Many people, of course, have devoted themselves to this science, and some have refuted others. So what is our position? Do we follow one of these scholars, or do we prefer what our hearts find peace and comfort in, based on the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): .

The Shaykh : Is the question finished?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : What is your position if two Companions disagree on a matter? What is your position if the four schools of jurisprudence disagree on a matter? If you have taken a position, state it so that we may weigh it with the straight balance. But if you have not yet taken a position, then your question regarding the authentication and weakening of hadith is premature for you. Have you taken a position?

The questioner : We are upon the Book of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (Mighty and Majestic): So we ask the people of knowledge and research in the books, and we find therein what our own souls tell us is the truth, and we act upon it. Then some of them come and say that you...

The Shaykh : Do not deviate so much from the answer. I am patient, but as they say, the written text is clear from its title. You did not start with the answer at all, and when you prolonged it, I wanted to draw your attention to the fact that from the very beginning of your speech, you deviated from the answer. If you find two Companions who disagree on a matter, what do you do? Either you are among the people of knowledge and you can distinguish the truth from the error by evidence, as you mentioned earlier from the Book and the Sunnah, or you are not among the people of knowledge. What do you do in this case if two Companions disagree, or if the four Imams disagree, whom we follow in their methodology, their path, and their knowledge, and so on? You have not answered this, and I believe you have not adopted a methodology in this. I will answer you now: The issue of the science of hadith is undoubtedly more delicate than the question you directed at you, because when you stand before two statements from two Companions, that disagreement is in a practical jurisprudential issue, and one of the statements may be preferred over the other for you easily. But that is not the case if one of the hadith scholars says: "This hadith is authentic," and I do not say another said it is weak; no, that comes in the third rank. One said this is authentic, and the second said this is good. The second said this is good, and the third said this is weak. It is not easy for a student of knowledge to know the truth in this matter: is it with the one who authenticated it, or the one who graded it good, or the one who weakened it? But it is much easier than the example you gave of two Companions who said, for example, that touching a woman breaks the ablution, while another said: No, it does not break the ablution. One said that the discharge of blood breaks the ablution, and another said: No, it does not break the ablution. It is possible to prefer one over the other in a way that is easier than preferring the authentic over the good over the weak. But if you stand before a matter in which the Companions disagreed, and it is from the precise jurisprudence where there is no clear evidence from the Book and the Sunnah to enable you to make a preference, what do you do? Here, I think you and most of the later jurists have not taken a clear position in that. So I say to you now: If two statements from two Companions come to you and you are unable to prefer one over the other by the available, clear, and evident evidence—for example, one stated an opinion based on independent legal reasoning, and the other stated an opinion based on a hadith—then the student of knowledge does not hesitate to prefer the statement of the one who relied on the hadith over the statement of the one who relied on independent legal reasoning. But if the two statements do not have clear evidence, then undoubtedly the student of knowledge will be perplexed, except for one who has adopted a specific position required by knowledge and jurisprudence. So I say now: If you have two scholars from the Companions, you must look at the following facts: Who is the earliest in companionship with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? Who is the most knowledgeable of them? Who is the most knowledgeable of them regarding the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? Who traveled more and stayed more in the company of the Messenger (peace be upon him), and so on. And there are other factors for preference, and they involve some precision. I will suffice with one example now: The issue differs between it occurring from the Messenger (peace be upon him) while he was in his house, and the issue occurring while he was in his mosque, and a third issue occurring while he was on his journey or journeys. Undoubtedly, the issue differs if one of the Mothers of the Believers speaks about a matter that does not occur from the Messenger except while he is in his house. So a male Companion speaks with a statement contrary to the statement of the Mother of the Believers, and we do not have a factor for preference as we said before. Do you not see with me that at that time, the soul finds peace with the statement of the Mother of the Believers over the statement of the other Companion, because it is assumed that the people of the household are more knowledgeable about internal matters than the Companions who live with the Messenger outside the house? This is an approximate example, and the reverse is exactly the same if the issue is related to his journeys (peace be upon him) and...