Ali Hasan’s remarks on the hadith of Thabit ibn al-Harith al-Ansari regarding the permissibility of seeking assistance from the People of the Book.

Al-Halabi : But there is a point, subhan Allah, do you remember, Shaykh, when we first discussed the hadith of Thabit ibn al-Harith?

The Shaykh : It was not being discussed at that time.
Al-Halabi : I know. When I told you, Shaykh, that al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar mentioned it in al-Isabah and so on, and you followed up on the topic afterwards, that is what opened the door for me to speak about the research. Otherwise, when he called me, I told him I had nothing to say about the hadith.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
Al-Halabi : He said in al-Isabah what he said: that the Companion said it, and that all the men in its chain are trustworthy.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
Al-Halabi : When I went back to al-Isabah, I actually then called you and said, Shaykh, this is such and such. So you clarified, of course, that this is not a Companion and his companionship is not established. This incident is perhaps the most precise benefit in his book; he did not indicate the source.

The Shaykh : And there is an explicit retraction of what he had previously held.
Al-Halabi : Yes, of course. I am saying this, but it appears, Shaykh, that he had been misled previously by 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Shurayh, if you remember. He brought a statement from Ibn Sa'd about him and said, Ibn Sa'd said he is a denouncer of hadith, even though many of them graded him as trustworthy. Ibn Shurayh.