If a hadith is disputed, with some scholars authenticating it and others weakening it, is it considered good? Likewise, if a narrator is deemed trustworthy by some and weak by others, is the hadith considered good?

The questioner : If a hadith is disputed, with some scholars authenticating it and others weakening it, is it considered good? Likewise, if a narrator is deemed trustworthy by some and weak by others, is the hadith considered good, as al-Tahawi claimed in his rules?

The Shaykh : According to whom is it considered good?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : According to whom is it considered good?

The questioner : Al-Tahawi claims this.

The Shaykh : O Shaykh, listen to what I am saying.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : According to whom is it considered good?

The questioner: With whom?

The Shaykh : You are asking if it is considered good, as al-Tahawi said.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : So the complete question is: according to whom is it considered good? According to the scholar or the ignorant person?

The questioner : According to the scholar and the student of knowledge.

The Shaykh : According to the scholar, it is neither good nor bad; rather, he investigates. And investigation differs from scholar to scholar, and from student of knowledge to student of knowledge. There is no middle ground in Islam.

The questioner : But what do you see, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : O Shaykh, may Allah guide you; this is what I see.

The questioner : What you see.

The Shaykh : This is what I see. Did you understand? I do not think you understood.