The ruling on expanding on the explanation of hadith chains
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There is a matter among some students of knowledge where some of them memorize the chains of narration and narrate them, and sit for a long time explaining these chains, mentioning the narrators and what is in this hadith, to the point that I once heard a hadith: (Actions are only by intentions) from after the Maghrib prayer until the Adhan for Isha, and he did not explain the hadith itself. What is your opinion of this method followed by some students of knowledge?
What we see is that this method is barren;Because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Perhaps the one who conveys it understands it better than the one who hears it) So the important thing in the Sunnah is its jurisprudence and knowing it, and the men and the chain are nothing but a path. If the men are from the men of al-Bukhari and Muslim, and it is in the two Sahihs, for example, then lengthening the speech in it has little benefit and is a waste of time. But if the men are in books that are not famous among the Muslims, then here a person must research them,And if he is a teacher, he says about this man: people have spoken about him, most of them weakened him, or most of them strengthened him, and then he speaks about the jurisprudence of the hadith, and the benefits and rulings it contains. This is the correct method that benefits people. As for my knowing people who have been dead for hundreds of years, what their state was, and what was said about them, the benefit is little; because this hadith is in al-Bukhari and Muslim, which the imams received with acceptance, indeed the people all received them with acceptance. This is truly a waste of time. Better than this, if he wants to do so, is to take al-Taqrib or al-Tahdhib or Tahdhib al-Tahdhib or other books of the men, and read and explain, and leave the hadiths aside.
So my advice to my brothers who study in hadith is to focus on the jurisprudence of the hadiths. As for the men, they should not research them except where necessity calls for it, and if they have taken on teaching, let them speak about what they have found regarding this man, saying for example: This man, people have spoken about him, most of them weakened him and most of them strengthened him, and the stronger position is that he is strong, or the stronger position is that he is weak, if he is qualified for preferring one opinion or weakening it.
What we see is that this method is barren;Because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Perhaps the one who conveys it understands it better than the one who hears it) So the important thing in the Sunnah is its jurisprudence and knowing it, and the men and the chain are nothing but a path. If the men are from the men of al-Bukhari and Muslim, and it is in the two Sahihs, for example, then lengthening the speech in it has little benefit and is a waste of time. But if the men are in books that are not famous among the Muslims, then here a person must research them,And if he is a teacher, he says about this man: people have spoken about him, most of them weakened him, or most of them strengthened him, and then he speaks about the jurisprudence of the hadith, and the benefits and rulings it contains. This is the correct method that benefits people. As for my knowing people who have been dead for hundreds of years, what their state was, and what was said about them, the benefit is little; because this hadith is in al-Bukhari and Muslim, which the imams received with acceptance, indeed the people all received them with acceptance. This is truly a waste of time. Better than this, if he wants to do so, is to take al-Taqrib or al-Tahdhib or Tahdhib al-Tahdhib or other books of the men, and read and explain, and leave the hadiths aside.
So my advice to my brothers who study in hadith is to focus on the jurisprudence of the hadiths. As for the men, they should not research them except where necessity calls for it, and if they have taken on teaching, let them speak about what they have found regarding this man, saying for example: This man, people have spoken about him, most of them weakened him and most of them strengthened him, and the stronger position is that he is strong, or the stronger position is that he is weak, if he is qualified for preferring one opinion or weakening it.