Can a narrator narrate a hadith with a lower chain of transmission and with a higher chain of transmission?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : My Shaykh, regarding the narrator; if he narrates the hadith with a lower chain of transmission and with a higher chain of transmission, is that possible? Is there any obstacle to a narrator narrating a hadith with a lower chain of transmission and with a higher chain of transmission?
The Shaykh : You say it is possible? Everything is possible, but I do not understand what...
The questioner : Let me give you an example.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : An example.
The Shaykh : No, before the example, what is the purpose of the question? Is it possible or not?
The questioner : The purpose of that is in a hadith we are studying, and we found that you, my Shaykh... So if it is possible, we would like to see your opinion on the matter?
The Shaykh : And what is it?
The questioner : A supporting narration (mutaba'ah) from al-Jalakh Abu Kathir, the hadith of the sea.
The Shaykh : Of what?
The questioner : The hadith of the sea:Sunan Abi Dawud 83Sahih (Al-Albani), al-Jalakh Abu Kathir in one of the routes of the hadith is a Tabi'i (successor) of Safwan ibn Sulaym, do you remember, my Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, I do not remember. You just clarify what you mean by the question?
The questioner : Al-Jalakh Abu Kathir narrated the hadith twice; once from Sa'id ibn Sulaym, and once from al-Mughirah ibn Abi Burdah. So you, my Shaykh, considered the narration of Abu al-Jalakh here to be a confusion (idtirab) from the first narrator, who is Yahya ibn Bukayr. So the follow-up question is: Why can it not be that al-Jalakh Abu Kathir narrated the hadith once with a higher chain of transmission and once with a lower chain of transmission?
The Shaykh : When you put the book and the phrase in front of me, bring it, and then al-Jalakh, are you sure it is pronounced with a dammah on the jīm?
The questioner : Yes, the Hafiz in "al-Taqrib" as well.
The Shaykh : Junah.
The questioner : Al-Jalakh with a lām.
The Shaykh : Al-Jalakh, because I am hearing it as Junah.
The questioner : No, no, al-Jalakh Abu Kathir.
The Shaykh : "The end of the matter, however, there is a consideration regarding the establishment of this context from Yahya; because the narrator from him, 'Ubayd ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab ibn Sharik, has a discussion regarding him - as well -", the conclusion of the matter.
The questioner : The first is that he inserted between al-Layth...
The Shaykh : ... .
The questioner : ... Do you allow me? My Shaykh, do you allow me?
The Shaykh : What am I allowing you? Do you have two narrators here who differed?
The questioner : I have two narrators who differed.
The Shaykh : Okay; did they differ in the chain of transmission?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay; and one of them is more trustworthy than the other.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay; what is said about this kind of difference?
The questioner : It is said, of course, to prioritize the statement of the more trustworthy one.
The Shaykh : Very good. The research was based on this first, and then in the end, what we could have made a narration, as you want it to be, we said that the narrator from this person about whom there was a disagreement regarding his trustworthiness has a discussion regarding his weakness; so the matter is concluded that the narration is one and it is the stronger position.
The questioner : No problem; let us return a little to the issue of contradiction, my Shaykh. Do I personally apologize now that this rule for you, that if a narrator, when the hadith is from a single narration, comes from two routes; one of which is more trustworthy than the other; do I consider, if in the context there is a narrator who narrates the hadith with the higher and lower chains; knowing that the hadith scholars have established his hearing from both the higher and the lower; is it simply that if there is any, if there is this contradiction, and there is another route narrated by someone more trustworthy than him, do we consider that a defect in the narration?
The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you! What is the definition of an anomalous (shadhdh) hadith?
The questioner : An anomalous hadith is the contradiction of a trustworthy narrator with someone more trustworthy than him, or the contradiction of a trustworthy narrator with the majority of trustworthy narrators.
The Shaykh : Does this definition not apply here?
The questioner : My Shaykh, I mean...
The Shaykh : You say it is possible? Everything is possible, but I do not understand what...
The questioner : Let me give you an example.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : An example.
The Shaykh : No, before the example, what is the purpose of the question? Is it possible or not?
The questioner : The purpose of that is in a hadith we are studying, and we found that you, my Shaykh... So if it is possible, we would like to see your opinion on the matter?
The Shaykh : And what is it?
The questioner : A supporting narration (mutaba'ah) from al-Jalakh Abu Kathir, the hadith of the sea.
The Shaykh : Of what?
The questioner : The hadith of the sea:
Its water is pure and what dies in it is lawful food.
هو الطَّهور ماؤه الحلُّ ميتَتُهThe Shaykh : No, I do not remember. You just clarify what you mean by the question?
The questioner : Al-Jalakh Abu Kathir narrated the hadith twice; once from Sa'id ibn Sulaym, and once from al-Mughirah ibn Abi Burdah. So you, my Shaykh, considered the narration of Abu al-Jalakh here to be a confusion (idtirab) from the first narrator, who is Yahya ibn Bukayr. So the follow-up question is: Why can it not be that al-Jalakh Abu Kathir narrated the hadith once with a higher chain of transmission and once with a lower chain of transmission?
The Shaykh : When you put the book and the phrase in front of me, bring it, and then al-Jalakh, are you sure it is pronounced with a dammah on the jīm?
The questioner : Yes, the Hafiz in "al-Taqrib" as well.
The Shaykh : Junah.
The questioner : Al-Jalakh with a lām.
The Shaykh : Al-Jalakh, because I am hearing it as Junah.
The questioner : No, no, al-Jalakh Abu Kathir.
The Shaykh : "The end of the matter, however, there is a consideration regarding the establishment of this context from Yahya; because the narrator from him, 'Ubayd ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab ibn Sharik, has a discussion regarding him - as well -", the conclusion of the matter.
The questioner : The first is that he inserted between al-Layth...
The Shaykh : ... .
The questioner : ... Do you allow me? My Shaykh, do you allow me?
The Shaykh : What am I allowing you? Do you have two narrators here who differed?
The questioner : I have two narrators who differed.
The Shaykh : Okay; did they differ in the chain of transmission?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay; and one of them is more trustworthy than the other.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay; what is said about this kind of difference?
The questioner : It is said, of course, to prioritize the statement of the more trustworthy one.
The Shaykh : Very good. The research was based on this first, and then in the end, what we could have made a narration, as you want it to be, we said that the narrator from this person about whom there was a disagreement regarding his trustworthiness has a discussion regarding his weakness; so the matter is concluded that the narration is one and it is the stronger position.
The questioner : No problem; let us return a little to the issue of contradiction, my Shaykh. Do I personally apologize now that this rule for you, that if a narrator, when the hadith is from a single narration, comes from two routes; one of which is more trustworthy than the other; do I consider, if in the context there is a narrator who narrates the hadith with the higher and lower chains; knowing that the hadith scholars have established his hearing from both the higher and the lower; is it simply that if there is any, if there is this contradiction, and there is another route narrated by someone more trustworthy than him, do we consider that a defect in the narration?
The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you! What is the definition of an anomalous (shadhdh) hadith?
The questioner : An anomalous hadith is the contradiction of a trustworthy narrator with someone more trustworthy than him, or the contradiction of a trustworthy narrator with the majority of trustworthy narrators.
The Shaykh : Does this definition not apply here?
The questioner : My Shaykh, I mean...
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.