Does a weak hadith become good due to the multiplicity of its chains?

The questioner : May Allah reward you. A questioner reports that you said a weak hadith becomes good due to the multiplicity of its chains.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : How do you mean?

The Shaykh : If you have read the terminology of hadith, you have spared me the trouble; otherwise, I will answer you. Or, if you have a doubt—for example—about the rule presented in the science of hadith terminology, we will listen; otherwise, we will answer you.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Well, the scholars of hadith say that a weak hadith—meaning the chain whose weakness is not severe—if this hadith comes from other chains, these chains strengthen one another. This is an intuitive matter; that is, a person feels reassured by this ruling established by the scholars of hadith, especially when one notes their aforementioned statement that the condition is that its weakness not be severe.
The Shaykh : However, this issue is not settled among all scholars of hadith; rather, this is the well-known and practiced position in the science of hadith terminology. I say this because the Hafiz, Imam Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), held the view—though he did not state it explicitly; rather, his words indicate this—that if a hadith comes from multiple chains, and the narrators are from different lands such that it is unlikely they conspired to narrate a hadith and insert it among the people, then the hadith is strengthened by the multiplicity of its chains, without regard to the condition mentioned in the science of hadith terminology, which is that its weakness not be severe. This is one point.
The Shaykh : In contrast to this, we find that some hadiths cited as examples of the category of weak hadiths with many chains were exemplified by "Ibn al-Salah" in his "Introduction" with the hadith: . He (may Allah have mercy on him) acknowledged that this hadith has many chains, but that the hadith does not become strong due to them. From this, he stated that it is a condition for a hadith that the weakness of its chains not be severe. However, upon investigation, we found that this hadith has many chains, some of which strengthen one another because the weakness is not severe, and another whose chain is strong on its own. Thus, the hadith has moved out of the circle of being exemplified as a weak hadith with many chains. Therefore, the matter remains—meaning from this and the aforementioned statement—that the ruling on a weak hadith as being good, authentic, or weak is a relative issue that varies according to the scholars' knowledge, understanding, research, breadth of comprehension, and familiarity with the chains of the hadith.
The Shaykh : This is the answer to what you asked.