Continuation of the discussion on the definition of a sound hadith according to Ibn al-Salah, and clarification of the response to those who found difficulty with the presence of the word "musnad" in the definition of a sound hadith.

The Shaykh: He is defining a sound hadith. Well, what is the difficulty? That a musnad might be weak. Yes, but is it not a condition of a sound hadith that it be musnad?

The questioner: Yes, for him, it is musnad, whether its chain is connected or not.

The Shaykh: My brother, he is not defining musnad; he is defining a sound hadith.

The questioner: A sound hadith.

The Shaykh: Well, one of the conditions of a sound hadith is that it be musnad, meaning attributed to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and that its chain be connected. So if we separate the word "musnad" from his definition of a sound hadith, this difficulty remains, and it is not a difficulty, because not every musnad is sound, just as not every musnad is weak. It is a shared attribute; it may be a weak musnad not because it is musnad, but because one of the conditions of soundness is missing from below. And it may be that the sound hadith, or rather, it must be that the sound hadith is musnad along with the other conditions. So the difficulty is not valid except by separating the word "musnad" from the definition, and this does not hold. Yes?

The questioner: Perhaps, Shaykh, something comes to mind. Of course, your words (may Allah reward you with good) are very clear, but he intends that every musnad is connected, but not every connected one is musnad. So now, when our definition is for a sound hadith...

The Shaykh: Not every musnad is connected!!

The questioner: The musnad, Shaykh, they define it as: "What ends with the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him)," but the connected one may end with Abu Hurayrah or Ibn 'Umar; they share in being connected, but differ in whom the connection leads to.

The Shaykh: Yes, my brother, let us focus on the musnad.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh: Correct? Well.

The questioner: Shaykh, here is the point of their difficulty, as it appears, and Allah knows best. Since the discussion is about the definition of a sound hadith, a sound hadith may be mawquf or may be marfu'.

The Shaykh: All right.

The questioner: That is the difficulty for him.

The Shaykh: No, if it is mawquf, it is not a hadith.

The questioner: Correct, but that is easier. The closest thing to his difficulty seems to be this, Shaykh, because it does not occur to him that it might be mursal.

The Shaykh: My brother, we do not want to widen the tear for the mender.

The questioner: The speech is very clear.

The Shaykh: Listen to him and see what he says about the difficulty.

The questioner: What is your difficulty?

Another questioner: The difficulty of Shaykh Ahmad al-Salik, meaning.

The Shaykh: Understood, understood. You are quoting now.

The questioner : Yes, exactly.

The Shaykh: We are now, he is bringing up another problem and refuting it. We are satisfied with the first problem, so I am telling him: No, this is not the difficulty you are talking about, so state your difficulty.

The questioner: The difficulty is: The musnad is one type of hadith, so including it in the definition of a sound hadith implies that a sound hadith is only the musnad and nothing else.

The Shaykh: Meaning, he is having difficulty. Do you have the phrase written down?

The questioner: He quoted it to me.

The Shaykh: He quoted it to you. Well, what did you understand?

The questioner: I understood that he said: Why did we use the word "musnad" in the definition of a sound hadith, even though the word "musnad" is shared by sound, hasan, weak, and others? So why did he bring it and place it in the sound one?! He said: And Ibn Kathir's definition is more precise when he said: "It is the one whose chain is connected," and did not mention musnad.

The Shaykh: Be patient, be patient. Is it not said: The same argument he made about musnad applies to connected? Yes?

The questioner: He turns it back on his statement: "connected."

The Shaykh: Does the difficulty he raised about musnad not apply to connected?

The questioner: Yes, it may be a weak hadith and still be connected.

The Shaykh: Yes, that is it. What is the value of this difficulty? He is telling you: Several conditions are required for a sound hadith, so one does not say: Why was this condition required? Because if this condition is found in a chain, it alone does not imply that it is sound, like connection. So why did he limit his difficulty to musnad and not to connected?