What is the difference between a narrator whose hadith is abandoned and one who is accused?
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The Shaykh : What is the difference between a narrator whose hadith is abandoned and one who is accused?
The distinction here involves a nuance of generality and specificity. Every narrator accused of lying in hadith is one whose hadith is abandoned, but not every narrator whose hadith is abandoned is accused of lying in hadith. However, they share the same rank in terms of weakness. A narrator whose hadith is abandoned means his hadith is very weak, and a narrator accused in hadith means his hadith is very weak. The difference is that a narrator accused in hadith is one who is suspected of intentionally lying in hadith. When it is established that he lies, he is not called "accused" but rather a "liar" or a "fabricator" or similar terms. However, when the hadith scholar’s judgment in assessing a narrator does not reach the level of certainty that he lies, but only suspects it, he is described as "accused" of lying. Yet, the man may be righteous and far removed from intentionally lying about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but his memory is very poor in narrating hadiths, to the extent that he may attribute sayings reported from some people to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), or he may take Isra'iliyyat reported from the People of the Book before Islam, which he has memorized over time, and elevate them to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Thus, despite being truthful in himself and not lying, or not being suspected of lying in hadith, he is still called one whose hadith is abandoned due to the severity of his weakness and poor memory. This is the difference between the one whose hadith is abandoned and the one who is accused.
The distinction here involves a nuance of generality and specificity. Every narrator accused of lying in hadith is one whose hadith is abandoned, but not every narrator whose hadith is abandoned is accused of lying in hadith. However, they share the same rank in terms of weakness. A narrator whose hadith is abandoned means his hadith is very weak, and a narrator accused in hadith means his hadith is very weak. The difference is that a narrator accused in hadith is one who is suspected of intentionally lying in hadith. When it is established that he lies, he is not called "accused" but rather a "liar" or a "fabricator" or similar terms. However, when the hadith scholar’s judgment in assessing a narrator does not reach the level of certainty that he lies, but only suspects it, he is described as "accused" of lying. Yet, the man may be righteous and far removed from intentionally lying about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but his memory is very poor in narrating hadiths, to the extent that he may attribute sayings reported from some people to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), or he may take Isra'iliyyat reported from the People of the Book before Islam, which he has memorized over time, and elevate them to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Thus, despite being truthful in himself and not lying, or not being suspected of lying in hadith, he is still called one whose hadith is abandoned due to the severity of his weakness and poor memory. This is the difference between the one whose hadith is abandoned and the one who is accused.