The Shaykh’s reading of what is in the article of the Shaykh al-Islam and his commentary on it.

The Shaykh : He says: "In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.

[All] praise is [due] to Allah, who created the heavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light. Then those who disbelieve equate [others] with their Lord.

الحمد لله الذي خلق السماوات والأرض وجعل الظلمات والنور ثم الذين كفروا بربهم يعدلون

[Al-An'am 6:1]

The Knower of what was, what is, and what will be, who

His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, "Be," and it is.

إنما أمره إذا أراد شيئا أن يقول له كن فيكون

[Ya-Sin 36:82]

who

And your Lord creates what He wills and chooses; not for them was the choice. Exalted is Allah and high above what they associate with Him.

يخلق ما يشاء ويختار ما كان لهم الخيرة سبحان الله وتعالى عما يشركون

[Al-Qasas 28:68]

And He is Allah; there is no deity except Him. To Him is [due all] praise in the first [life] and the Hereafter. And His is the [final] decision, and to Him you will be returned.

وهو الله لا إله إلا هو له الحمد في الأولى والآخرة وله الحكم وإليه ترجعون

[Al-Qasas 28:70]

who indicated His oneness in His divinity through the types of verses, and made known His knowledge to His creation through the precision of the created things, and displayed His power over His creation through what He originated of the types of new things, and guided to His action through His sunnah by the variety of differing conditions, and guided by His mercy to His servants the blessings that none can count except the Lord of the heavens, and made known by His perfect wisdom the proofs of His praise and thanks that He deserves from all conditions. The servants cannot count praise for Him; rather, He is as He has praised Himself, due to His names and attributes. He is the One described with descriptions of perfection and attributes of majesty in which nothing of the existing things resembles Him. He is the Holy, the Peaceful, the One who is exalted above being resembled by anything in descriptions of perfection or being afflicted by any defects. So,

He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and who has not taken a son and has not had a partner in dominion and has created each thing and determined it with [precise] determination.

الذي له ملك السماوات والأرض ولم يتخذ ولدا ولم يكن له شريك في الملك وخلق كل شيء فقدره تقديرا

[Al-Furqan 25:2]

He sent the messengers

[We sent] messengers as bringers of good tidings and warners so that mankind will have no argument against Allah after the messengers. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise.

مبشرين ومنذرين لئلا يكون للناس على الله حجة بعد الرسل وكان الله عزيزا حكيما

[An-Nisa 4:165]

bringing good news to those who obeyed them of the ultimate goal of everything that souls love and see as bliss, and warning those who disobeyed them of the curse and distance, and that they will be punished with a painful punishment. He commanded them to call creation to worship Him alone, having no partner, making their religion sincere for Him, even if the polytheists hate it, as the Exalted said:

[Allah said], "O messengers, eat from the good foods and work righteousness. Indeed, I, of what you do, am Knowing.

يا أيها الرسل كلوا من الطيبات واعملوا صالحا إني بما تعملون عليم

[Al-Mu'minun 23:51]

And indeed this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so fear Me."

وإن هذه أمتكم أمة واحدة وأنا ربكم فاتقون

[Al-Mu'minun 23:52]

And He established for each of them a law and a path so that they would be upright toward Him and not deviate from it in crookedness. He concluded them with Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the best of the first and the last, the choice of the Lord of the worlds, the witness, the bringer of good news and the warner, the guide, the bright lamp by which He brought people out of darkness into light and guided them to the path of the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

Allah, to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And woe to the disbelievers from a severe punishment

الله الذي له ما في السماوات وما في الأرض وويل للكافرين من عذاب شديد

[Ibrahim 14:2]

He sent him with the best of methodologies and laws and nullified by him the types of disbelief and innovations. He revealed to him the best of books and news and made him a guardian over the books of the heavens that came before him.
And He made his nation the best nation produced for mankind, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah. They fulfill the role of seventy nations, being the best of them and the most honorable to Allah. He is a witness over them, and they are witnesses over the people in this world and the Hereafter, due to the hidden and apparent blessings He bestowed upon them and His protecting them from agreeing upon misguidance, as no prophet remained after him to clarify what was altered of the message. He completed their religion for them and perfected His blessings upon them and chose Islam for them as a religion and made it manifest over all religion, manifesting it through victory and establishment, and manifesting it through argument and clarification. He placed among them their scholars, the heirs of the prophets, who take their place in conveying what was revealed of the Book, and a supported group who will remain manifest upon the truth, and those who oppose them or abandon them will not harm them until the time of the Reckoning. He preserved for them the remembrance that He revealed from the hidden Book, as the Exalted said:

Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.

إنا نحن نزلنا الذكر وإنا له لحافظون

[Al-Hijr 15:9]

So there will not occur in their Book any distortion or alteration as occurred with the people of the Torah and the Gospel. He distinguished them with narration and chains of transmission by which the expert critics distinguish between truth and falsehood, and He made this inheritance carried by the righteous ones of every generation, the people of knowledge and religion, who remove from it the distortion of the extremists, the fabrication of the falsifiers, and the interpretation of the ignorant, so that the blessing may continue for the nation through them and the light may appear from the darkness through them, and the religion of Allah by which He sent His messenger may live through them, and Allah may make clear to people His path through them. So the best of creation are those who follow this noble prophet, described in the saying of the Exalted:

There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful.

لقد جاءكم رسول من أنفسكم عزيز عليه ما عنتم حريص عليكم بالمؤمنين رءوف رحيم

[At-Tawbah 9:128]

And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, having no partner, Lord of the worlds, God of the messengers, and Owner of the Day of Judgment. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger. He sent him to all people, and He sent him while people were in disbelief, ignorance, and misguidance, in the ugliest failure and worst condition. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not cease to strive in conveying the religion and the guidance of the worlds, and in fighting the disbelievers and the hypocrites, until the sun of faith rose, the night of slander passed, the army of the Most Merciful was honored, the party of Satan was humbled, the light of the Criterion appeared, the recitation of the Qur'an became famous, the call of the adhan was proclaimed, and the people of the deserts and cities were illuminated by the light of Allah, and the proof of Allah was established over the jinn and humans, when the responsive one from Ma'ad ibn 'Adnan stood up. May Allah send prayers upon him and his family and his companions and those who follow them with excellence, a prayer that the Sovereign Judge is pleased with, and a salam accompanied by satisfaction.
As for what follows: There is no happiness for the servants, and no salvation in the Hereafter, except by following his messenger.

⁽¹³⁾ These are the limits [set by] Allah, and whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will be admitted by Him to gardens [in Paradise] under which rivers flow, abiding eternally therein; and that is the great attainment. ⁽¹⁴⁾ And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger and transgresses His limits - He will put him into the Fire to abide eternally therein, and he will have a humiliating punishment.

ومن يطع الله ورسوله يدخله جنات تجري من تحتها الأنهار خالدين فيها وذلك الفوز العظيم* ومن يعص الله ورسوله ويتعد حدوده يدخله نارا خالدا فيها وله عذاب مهين

[An-Nisa 4:13-14]

Obedience to Allah and His messenger is the axis upon which happiness revolves and the place where salvation is established, from which there is no deviation. For Allah created creation to worship Him, as the Exalted said:

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.

وما خلقت الجن والإنس إلا ليعبدون

[Adh-Dhariyat 51:56]

And He only worships them through obedience to Him and obedience to His messenger. So there is no worship except what is obligatory or recommended in the religion of Allah; and what is other than that is deviation from His path. For this reason, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

He who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf, that is to be rejected.

من عمل عملا ليس عليه أمرنا فهو رد

Sahih Muslim 1718b

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the hadith of al-'Arba' ibn Sari'ah, which the people of the Sunan narrated and al-Tirmidhi authenticated:

for those of you who live after me will see great disagreement. You must then follow my sunnah and that of the rightly-guided caliphs. Hold to it and stick fast to it. Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error.

أنه من يعش منكم بعدي فسيرى اختلافا كثيرا فعليكم بسنتي وسنة الخلفاء الراشدين المهديين من بعدي تمسكوا بها ، وعضوا عليها بالنواجذ ، وإياكم ومحدثات الأمور فإن كل بدعة ضلالة

Sunan Abi Dawud 4607Sahih (Al-Albani)

And in the authentic hadith narrated by Muslim and others, it was mentioned that he used to say in his sermon:

The best of the speech is embodied in the Book of Allah, and the best of the guidance is the guidance given by Muhammad. And the most evil affairs are their innovations; and every innovation is error.

خير الكلام كلام الله وخير الهدي هدي محمد وشر الأمور محدثاتها وكل بدعة ضلالة

Sahih Muslim 867a

And Allah mentioned obedience to the messenger and following him in about forty places in the Qur'an, such as His saying:

He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah

من يطع الرسول فقد أطاع الله

[An-Nisa 4:80]

And His saying:

⁽⁶⁴⁾ And We did not send any messenger except to be obeyed by permission of Allah. And if, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you, [O Muhammad], and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting of repentance and Merciful. ⁽⁶⁵⁾ But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.

وما أرسلنا من رسول إلا ليطاع بإذن الله ولو أنهم إذ ظلموا أنفسهم جاءوك فاستغفروا الله واستغفر لهم الرسول لوجدوا الله توابا رحيما فلا وربك لا يؤمنون حتى يحكموك فيما شجر بينهم ثم لا يجدوا في أنفسهم حرجا مما قضيت ويسلموا تسليما

[An-Nisa 4:64-65]

And His saying:

Say, "Obey Allah and the Messenger." But if they turn away - then indeed, Allah does not like the disbelievers.

قل أطيعوا الله والرسول فإن تولوا فإن الله لا يحب الكافرين

[Ali 'Imran 3:32]

And His saying:

Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins

قل إن كنتم تحبون الله فاتبعوني يحببكم الله ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم

[Ali 'Imran 3:31]

So He made the love of the servant for his Lord necessitating the following of the messenger, and He made following the messenger a cause for Allah's love of His servant. And the Exalted said:

And thus We have revealed to you an inspiration of Our command. You did not know what is the Book or [what is] faith, but We have made it a light by which We guide whom We will of Our servants

وكذلك أوحينا إليك روحا من أمرنا ما كنت تدري ما الكتاب ولا الإيمان ولكن جعلناه نورا نهدي به من نشاء من عبادنا

[Ash-Shuraa 42:52]

So what Allah revealed to him, Allah guides thereby whom He wills of His servants, just as He (peace and blessings be upon him) was guided by Allah through it, as the Exalted said:

Say, "If I should err, I would only err against myself. But if I am guided, it is by what my Lord reveals to me

قل إن ضللت فإنما أضل على نفسي وإن اهتديت فبما يوحي إلي ربي

[Saba 34:50]

And the Exalted said:

There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book. ⁽¹⁶⁾ By which Allah guides those who pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace and brings them out from darknesses into the light, by His permission, and guides them to a straight path.

قد جاءكم من الله نور وكتاب مبين يهدي به الله من اتبع رضوانه سبل السلام ويخرجهم من الظلمات إلى النور بإذنه ويهديهم إلى صراط مستقيم

[Al-Ma'idah 5:15-16]

So through Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), disbelief is distinguished from faith, profit from loss, guidance from misguidance, salvation from calamity, error from rightness, deviation from correctness, the people of Paradise from the people of the Fire, and the righteous from the wicked, and the preference of the path of those upon whom Allah bestowed favor, the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous, over the path of those who earned anger and those who went astray.
So souls are in greater need of knowing what he brought and following it than they are of food and drink, for if this is missed, death occurs in this world, and if that is missed, punishment occurs.
So it is obligatory upon everyone to exert their effort and ability in knowing what he brought and obeying him, for this is the path of salvation from the painful punishment and happiness in the abode of bliss. And the path to that is narration and transmission, for mere intellect is not sufficient for that. Rather, just as the light of the eye is not seen except with the appearance of light before it, so the light of the intellect does not find guidance except when the sun of the message rises upon it. For this reason, conveying the religion is among the greatest obligations of Islam, and knowing what Allah commanded His messenger is obligatory upon all people. And Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, sent Muhammad with the Book and the Sunnah, and by them He completed the favor upon his nation. The Exalted said:

And [it is] so I may complete My favor upon you and that you may be guided.

ولأتم نعمتي عليكم ولعلكم تهتدون

[Al-Baqarah 2:150]

⁽¹⁵¹⁾ Just as We have sent among you a messenger from yourselves reciting to you Our verses and purifying you and teaching you the Book and wisdom and teaching you that which you did not know. ⁽¹⁵²⁾ So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.

كما أرسلنا فيكم رسولا منكم يتلو عليكم آياتنا ويزكيكم ويعلمكم الكتاب والحكمة ويعلمكم ما لم تكونوا تعلمون فاذكروني أذكركم واشكروا لي ولا تكفرون

[Al-Baqarah 2:151-152]

And the Exalted said:

Certainly did Allah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom

لقد من الله على المؤمنين إذ بعث فيهم رسولا من أنفسهم يتلو عليهم آياته ويزكيهم ويعلمهم الكتاب والحكمة

[Ali 'Imran 3:164]

And the Exalted said:

And remember the favor of Allah upon you and what has been revealed to you of the Book and wisdom by which He instructs you

واذكروا نعمة الله عليكم وما أنزل عليكم من الكتاب والحكمة يعظكم به

[Al-Baqarah 2:231]

And the Exalted said:

It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom

هو الذي بعث في الأميين رسولا منهم يتلو عليهم آياته ويزكيهم ويعلمهم الكتاب والحكمة

[Al-Jumu'ah 62:2]

And the Exalted said regarding Ibrahim:

Our Lord, and send among them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and wisdom and purify them

ربنا وابعث فيهم رسولا منهم يتلو عليهم آياتك ويعلمهم الكتاب والحكمة ويزكيهم

[Al-Baqarah 2:129]

And the Exalted said:

And remember what is recited in your houses of the verses of Allah and wisdom

واذكرن ما يتلى في بيوتكن من آيات الله والحكمة

[Al-Ahzab 33:34]

And more than one scholar said, among them Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, Qatadah, al-Shafi'i, and others, they said: Wisdom is the Sunnah, because Allah commanded the wives of His prophet to mention what is recited in their homes of the Book and the wisdom. The Book is the Qur'an, and what is other than that which the messenger used to recite is the Sunnah. And it came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from several angles, from the hadith of Abu Rafi' and Abu Thalhah and others, that he said:

I will not find one of you leaning on his couch, when a matter from my affairs comes to him—of what I have commanded or forbidden—saying, 'Between us and you is the Qur'an; so whatever we find therein as lawful, we make lawful, and whatever we find therein as forbidden, we make forbidden.' Beware, for I have been given the Book and something similar to it with it.

لا ألفين أحدكم متكئا على أريكته يأتيه الأمر من أمري مما أمرت به أو نهيت عنه فيقول بيننا وبينكم القرآن فما وجدنا فيه من حلال استحللناه وما وجدنا فيه من حرام حرمناه ألا وإني أوتيت الكتاب ومثله معه

And in a narration:

Beware, for it is like the Book.

ألا وإنه مثل الكتاب

And because the Qur'an is distinguished in itself by the miraculous nature (i'jaz) that Allah granted it, which sets it apart from the speech of people, as the Exalted said:

Say, "If mankind and the jinn gathered in order to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like of it, even if they were to each other assistants."

قل لئن اجتمعت الإنس والجن على أن يأتوا بمثل هذا القرآن لا يأتون بمثله ولو كان بعضهم لبعض ظهيرا

[Al-Isra 17:88]

And because it was transmitted by mass transmission (tawatur), no one dared to hope to change any of its words or letters. However, Satan hoped to introduce distortion and alteration into its meanings through change and figurative interpretation (ta'wil), and he hoped to introduce into the hadiths deficiencies and additions that would mislead some of the servants. So Allah the Exalted established the masters of critique, the people of guidance and uprightness, who defeated the party of Satan, distinguished between the truth and slander, and dedicated themselves to preserving the Sunnah and the meanings of the Qur'an from addition and subtraction. Every one of the scholars of religion performed the role of the people of jurisprudence (fiqh) who understood the meanings of the Qur'an and hadith by rejecting the errors that occurred in them, both in the past and the present. Among this was the clear and manifest, from which deviation is not permissible; and among it was the subtle, in which independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) for scholars to deviate is permissible. The scholars of transmission and critique engaged in the science of narration and chain of narration (isnad), traveling to lands for it, forsaking the comfort of sleep, parting with wealth and children, spending their new and old resources, and enduring calamities in it. They were content with the provisions of a traveler in this world. They have in this regard famous stories and narrated tales that are known to those who know it and are well-defined for those who seek to know it, such as one of them lying on the earth, forsaking delicious food and drink, leaving the company of family and friends, enduring the bitterness of being away from home, and suffering through severe hardships. This is a matter that Allah made beloved to them and adorned it for them so that they would preserve the religion of Allah by it, just as He made the House a place of return for people and a place of safety, which they visit from every deep valley, and they bear painful matters that occur on the way. And just as He made jihad with soul and wealth beloved to the people of fighting, as a wisdom from Allah by which He preserves the religion, to guide those who seek guidance, and to manifest the guidance and the religion of truth, with which He sent His Messenger, even if the polytheists should be displeased.
So whoever is sincere in the works of religion, performing them for Allah, is among the close friends of Allah (awliya) who are mindful of Him, and the people of abiding bliss, as the Exalted said:

⁽⁶²⁾ Unquestionably, [for] the allies of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve ⁽⁶³⁾ Those who believed and were fearing Allah ⁽⁶⁴⁾ For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words of Allah. That is what is the great attainment.

ألا إن أولياء الله لا خوف عليهم ولا هم يحزنون الذين آمنوا وكانوا يتقون لهم البشرى في الحياة الدنيا وفي الآخرة لا تبديل لكلمات الله ذلك هو الفوز العظيم

[Yunus 10:62-64]

And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained the good news in this world as being of two types: the first is the praise of those who praise him, and the second is the good dream that a righteous man sees, or that is seen for him. It was said:

O Messenger of Allah, a man does a deed for himself and the people praise him for it. He said: That is the immediate good news of the believer.

يا رسول الله ، الرجل يعمل العمل لنفسه فيحمده الناس عليه ، قال : تلك عاجل بشرى المؤمن

And al-Bara' ibn 'Azib said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about His saying:

For them is the good news in this worldly life

لهم البشرى في الحياة الدنيا

He said:

that it was the good dream which the man who was salih saw or which was shown to him.

هي الرؤيا الصالحة يراها الرجل الصالح ; أو ترى له

Muwatta Malik 52:5

The ones who stand by preserving the knowledge inherited from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the rabbanis (divinely inspired scholars) who guard it from addition and subtraction, are among the greatest of the close friends of Allah (awliya) who are mindful of Him and His successful party. Indeed, they have a distinction over others among the people of faith and righteous deeds, as the Exalted said:

Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees

يرفع الله الذين آمنوا منكم والذين أوتوا العلم درجات

[Al-Mujadila 58:11]

The science of chain of narration (isnad) and transmission is what Allah specifically granted to the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and made it a ladder to understanding. The People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab) have no chain of narration (isnad) by which they transmit reports, and so do the innovators (mubtadi') of this Ummah, the people of misguidance. The chain of narration (isnad) is only for those upon whom Allah has bestowed a great favor, the people of Islam and the Sunnah, by whom they distinguish between the valid and the defective, the crooked and the straight. Others among the people of innovation and disbelievers only have reports they transmit without a chain of narration (isnad), and they rely on them in their religion, and they do not know therein the truth from the falsehood, nor the current from the obsolete. As for this mercified Ummah and the people of this infallible Ummah, the people of knowledge and religion among them are certain in their affair, so the truth became apparent to them from the lie, just as the dawn becomes apparent to one who has eyes. Allah protected them from agreeing upon an error in the religion of Allah, whether rational or transmitted. Allah protected them from agreeing upon an error in the religion of Allah, whether rational or transmitted. And He commanded them, when they disagree about something, to refer it to Allah and the Messenger, as the Exalted said:

O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.

يا أيها الذين آمنوا أطيعوا الله وأطيعوا الرسول وأولي الأمر منكم فإن تنازعتم في شيء فردوه إلى الله والرسول إن كنتم تؤمنون بالله واليوم الآخر ذلك خير وأحسن تأويلا

[An-Nisa 4:59]

So if the people of jurisprudence (fiqh) agree upon a ruling, it is nothing but truth, and if the people of hadith agree upon authenticating a hadith, it is nothing but truth. Each of the two groups has from the evidence for their sought matter, both clear and subtle, by which one knows who is well-versed in this matter. And Allah the Exalted inspires them with the correct judgment in this matter, as indicated by the scriptural proofs, and as known by existential experience. For Allah has written faith in their hearts and supported them with a spirit from Him, because they were truthful in their loyalty to Allah and His Messenger, and in their hostility to those who deviated from Him. The Exalted said:

You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred. Those - He has decreed within their hearts faith and supported them with spirit from Him

لا تجد قوما يؤمنون بالله واليوم الآخر يوادون من حاد الله ورسوله ولو كانوا آباءهم أو أبناءهم أو إخوانهم أو عشيرتهم أولئك كتب في قلوبهم الإيمان وأيدهم بروح منه

[Al-Mujadila 58:22]

The people of knowledge inherited from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) are the greatest of people in standing by these principles. No one takes them to task for the sake of Allah, and the great things do not deter them from the path of Allah. Rather, one of them speaks the truth that is upon him and speaks about the people he loves most, acting upon the saying of the Exalted:

O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.

يا أيها الذين آمنوا كونوا قوامين بالقسط شهداء لله ولو على أنفسكم أو الوالدين والأقربين إن يكن غنيا أو فقيرا فالله أولى بهما فلا تتبعوا الهوى أن تعدلوا وإن تلووا أو تعرضوا فإن الله كان بما تعملون خبيرا

[An-Nisa 4:135]

And the saying of the Exalted:

O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.

يا أيها الذين آمنوا كونوا قوامين لله شهداء بالقسط ولا يجرمنكم شنآن قوم على ألا تعدلوا اعدلوا هو أقرب للتقوى واتقوا الله إن الله خبير بما تعملون

[Al-Ma'idah 5:8]

They have from the critique and vindication of narrators (al-jarh wa al-ta'dil), and the weakening and authenticating, a praiseworthy effort and a righteous work that was among the causes of preserving the religion and protecting it from the fabrications of the liars. And they are in this on different levels: some are limited to mere transmission and narration, some are the people of knowledge of hadith and understanding, and some are the people of jurisprudence (fiqh) in it and knowledge of its meanings. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) commanded the Ummah to convey from him what was witnessed for what was absent, and he prayed for the conveyors with the accepted supplication. He said in the authentic hadith:

Convey from me, even if it be an Ayah, and narrate from the Children of Isra'il, and there is no harm, And whoever lies upon me purposely, then let him take his seat in the Fire.

بلغوا عني ولو آية ; وحدثوا عن بني إسرائيل ولا حرج ; ومن كذب علي متعمدا فليتبوأ مقعده من النار

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2669Sahih (Darussalam)

And he also said in his sermon during the Farewell Pilgrimage:

So it is incumbent upon those who are present to convey it (this information) to those who are absent because the informed one might comprehend it (what I have said) better than the present audience, who will convey it to him.

ألا ليبلغ الشاهد الغائب فرب مبلغ أوعى من سامع

Sahih al-Bukhari 1741

...

May Allah bestow favor upon a man who hears a hadith from us and conveys it to one who has not heard it, for perhaps the one who conveys it will understand it better than the one who heard it. And perhaps the one who conveys it will convey it to one who is more learned than he. Three things in which the heart of a Muslim does not become hypocritical: sincerity of work for Allah, giving sincere advice to the rulers, and sticking to the congregation of the Muslims; for their prayer encompasses them from behind.

نضر الله امرأ سمع منا حديثا فبلغه إلى من لم يسمعه ، فرب حامل فقه غير فقيه ، ورب حامل فقه إلى من هو أفقه منه ; ثلاث لا يغل عليهن قلب مسلم إخلاص العمل لله ومناصحة ولاة الأمر ، ولزوم جماعة المسلمين ; فإن دعوتهم تحيط من ورائهم

In this is his supplication for whoever conveys his hadith, even if he is not a jurist, and for whoever conveys it, even if the listener is more knowledgeable than the conveyor. Because of the radiance granted to the conveyors due to the supplication of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it is said "nadhira" (radiant) and "nadhira," and "al-fath" (the opening) is the most eloquent.
The people of knowledge in the past and present have always honored the transmitters of hadith until al-Shafi'i (may Allah be pleased with him) said: " When I see a man from the people of hadith, it is as if I have seen a man from the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) " He only said this because they are in the position of the Companions in conveying the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And al-Shafi'i also said: " The people of hadith have preserved [it], so they have a virtue over us, because they preserved it for us " This is the end of what this researcher found of this wonderful sermon from the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him). He has many other words, and very many, scattered throughout these many volumes, as we mentioned to you earlier, from which a follower can compile a specific treatise on the virtue of the people of hadith and that they are the saved sect, and he will come upon it with many proofs from the Book and the authentic Sunnah.