What is the opinion of some scholars regarding certain hadiths: that they are weak in chain, while they also say it is permissible to act on the good they indicate?

The questioner : So we have seen some hadiths that have weakness in their chains... among them are actions of some good deeds that have an apparent good, not establishing a creed or... rather, it is a good deed and the hadith exists.

The Shaykh : And the hadith exists, but its chain of narration is weak.

The questioner : And there is weakness in its chain of narration.

The Shaykh : And it contains the establishment of a good deed.

The questioner : Yes, how do we do that?

The Shaykh : Yes, the answer is that any hadith that reaches us with a weak chain of narration, in which there is an exhortation to do good, either the reality of the matter in this hadith is that the good mentioned in it is established by this hadith or established by something else. If it is established by something else, then the action at that time is not based on this hadith.

The questioner : It is based on something else.

The Shaykh : On something else. And if the other case is the case—that is, if the claim of the one who claims that this hadith, yes, its chain of narration is weak, but it contains an exhortation to do a good deed or to do one of the good deeds—then it is said to him: "And what makes you know that this action mentioned in this hadith is good? Is it this hadith or another hadith?" If it is the other hadith, there is no problem with the permissibility of acting upon it at that time, but the action is not directly by this hadith itself, but by that one. And if you assume that we do not know that this good deed contained in this hadith except through its path, then your saying that it is a good deed is of no benefit whatsoever.

The questioner : The criticism is not of the hadith itself... The criticism is not of the hadith itself.

The Shaykh : Yes?

Another questioner : It is difficult for him.

The Shaykh : Be patient, let him...

The questioner : A hadith is a hadith.

The Shaykh : No, from where...?

The questioner : But its chain of narration...

The Shaykh : No, allow me, your statement: "A hadith is a hadith" is incorrect, because in this case, I do not know what it is called from a linguistic perspective? It is said—for example—in a section of hadith that is severely weak, it is called: a fabricated hadith, a false hadith, so is it called: a hadith? No.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : If you allow me, it is said: a hadith described with a characteristic, so it is said: this is a fabricated hadith, and it is not said in any case: it is a hadith, did you notice how? It is said: this is a very weak hadith, its chain of narration means, it is not said in any case: it is a hadith.

The questioner : Its attribution, it is just a term.

Another questioner : Yes, technically.

The Shaykh : So we have reached your specific point, this is a hadith whose chain of narration is weak, yes weak, but in any case it is a hadith; no, this is called a hadith figuratively; meaning: it was narrated thus as being attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) as a hadith, but what is its rank? Either weak, or very weak, or fabricated.

Eid Abbasi : It is not established.

The Shaykh : So it is not said of this what was said regarding the authentic hadith in all its ranks, starting from the solitary hadith to the widely transmitted hadith to the famous hadith to the mass-transmitted hadith; because all these varying ranks are united by one rank, which is authenticity, whereas the weak hadith is not so; therefore you say: this is an authentic solitary hadith, yes in any case it is a hadith, this is correct speech, but the weak hadith is not so; therefore the objection you raise regarding the weak hadith by analogy to what was previously explained is not valid.
Add to this, if you recall, the consensus of the Muslim scholars that it is not permissible to rely on a weak hadith in legal rulings, or to establish a Shari'ah ruling, even at its lowest level, which is recommendation, based on a weak hadith. Why do they say this? Because they also agreed that a weak hadith only yields a weak suspicion, and weak suspicion is what Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) forbade the polytheists from following, saying: , and our Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He) said in evaluating this suspicion: , and the Messenger (peace be upon him) emphasized this by saying: . Therefore, this hadith that came with a weak chain yields suspicion, and we have been forbidden in these definitive texts from resorting to it and relying on it absolutely.