If the induction of a scholar in hadith, such as al-Dhahabi, conflicts with a rule explicitly stated in the discipline, how is reconciliation achieved?
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The Shaykh : Please go ahead.
Al-Huwaini: Regarding the induction of a scholar, an imam, and a mujtahid in the discipline, such as the science of hadith, if his induction conflicts with a rule explicitly stated in the discipline
The Shaykh: Explicitly stated?
Al-Huwaini: In the discipline. Let us give an example of this: the Imam Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him), when he mentioned in the biography of al-A'mash in Mizan al-I'tidal the smoothing out of al-A'mash's narration and its reconciliation regarding some of the sheikhs from whom he narrated extensively, such as Abu Salih, Abu Wa'il, and Ibrahim al-Nakha'i. He says: "His narration from this type is carried on the assumption of continuity, despite the known text: that the narration of a mudallis, if he uses the 'an expression, is not accepted until he explicitly states that he heard it, whether he narrated extensively from his sheikh or little." Here, it may be observed that Imam al-Dhahabi considered the quantity, meaning he said: "except in the case of sheikhs from whom he narrated extensively." So why did he not consider the quantity in Abu al-Zubayr's narration from Jabir? Both are mudallis! This is a matter that requires an imam to adjudicate.
The Shaykh: Yes, why did he not consider the quantity from Abu al-Zubayr while he considered it from al-A'mash? Is it not sufficient as a difference between the two narrators that Abu al-Zubayr explicitly acknowledged that he had narrations he heard from Jabir and others he did not hear from Jabir, which compelled al-Layth ibn Sa'd—the imam in Egypt at that time—to clarify with him and inquire about the hadiths he heard from Jabir versus those he did not hear, so he marked for him the hadiths he had heard from Jabir? Here, a way emerged for al-Dhahabi and others to distinguish what he explicitly stated or narrated directly from Jabir from what he did not narrate directly from him. Whereas in the narration from al-A'mash, there is nothing of this detail, so he was compelled to find an alternative to what al-Layth obtained, and he found the quantity, which he did not need regarding Abu al-Zubayr's narration from Jabir. This is what appears to me, and Allah knows best, that there may be another aspect regarding the differenceThe Shaykh : between al-A'mash and Abu al-Zubayr in the extent of their tadlis and the reduction of it. This would be another justification for considering the quantity of narrators from al-A'mash, so the soul leans toward that, that the one who narrates extensively from al-A'mash is more knowledgeable about those whose narration was little or who did not practice tadlis. What is there? ... That is enough.
Al-Huwaini: Our Shaykh, regardless of the quantity and the comparison between al-A'mash and al-Zubayr, do you not see that the understanding of Imam al-Dhahabi is also contradictory to the definition of tadlis al-isnad, which is that the narrator narrates from his sheikh from whom he heard what he did not hear from him? I mean, this is possible, indeed likely. I mean, the induction of Imam al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) in reconciling al-A'mash's tadlis from Abu Salih, is it not contradictory to the scholars' definition of tadlis al-isnad?
The Shaykh: May Allah reward you, I do not see it as a contradiction that cannot be reconciled. This is from the category of the general and the specific. In other words, the principle for the mudallis is what you know and we know, but specifically regarding al-A'mash's narration, al-Dhahabi was reassured in what I quoted from him earlier. Whether he was right or wrong is another matter, but we are directing his words. He observed that the one who narrates extensively from al-A'mash becomes clear to him what does not become clear to the one who narrates little from him. Is this not reasonable?
Al-Huwaini: I mean, do you intend, O my master: al-A'mash's extensive narration from Abu Salih, not the narrators' extensive narration from al-A'mash, because the situation is that al-A'mash narrates extensively from Abu Salih, so the narration from al-A'mash from Abu Salih is smoothed out due to the quantity...
The Shaykh: This is the statement of Imam al-Dhahabi, yes, but this quantity implies that al-A'mash was closely connected to Abu Salih, and one who is like that does not usually practice tadlis extensively from him, because the one who needs tadlis is the one who narrates little from his sheikh, who here is Abu Salih. This is what appears to me to be the basis of Imam al-Dhahabi's (may Allah have mercy on him) distinction between al-A'mash and some of his sheikhs when he narrated from them. Yes.
Al-Halabi: Our Shaykh, is it not said that Imam al-Dhahabi's observation of the method of the authors of the authentic collections in handling al-A'mash was a motivator for him for this distinction?
The Shaykh: Yes, but this does not give a distinction between quantity and scarcity.
Al-Halabi: By induction, he observed that perhaps the quantity in al-A'mash's narration from his sheikh Abu Salih, so he said: "and the like." Did he only mention Abu Salih? No, he said: "and the like."
Al-Huwaini: No, he said Abu Salih, Abu Wa'il, and Ibrahim al-Nakha'i, and this type.
Al-Halabi : Yes, that is correct.
The Shaykh : Yes.
Al-Halabi: Then, our Shaykh, another thing, meaning the problem raised by our brother Abu Ishaq, or rather the inclusion of Abu al-Zubayr with al-A'mash, this extends to all the mudallis.
The Shaykh : Yes.
Al-Halabi: Therefore, specifying Abu al-Zubayr by name...
Al-Huwaini: I specified him by name because al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi does not equate Abu al-Zubayr's specific 'an expression from the one who narrates extensively with al-A'mash's 'an expression. He pauses regarding Abu al-Zubayr's 'an expression, even in some hadiths in Sahih Muslim! He pauses in them.
The Shaykh: Yes, he distinguished.
Al-Halabi: The remaining mudallis are even more so!
Al-Huwaini: Perhaps Ibn Ishaq from al-Zuhri, and he is one who narrated extensively from al-Zuhri, so he could be treated like al-A'mash in terms of the quantity.
Al-Halabi: And yet he did not do so.
Al-Huwaini: He did not do so, correct.
The Shaykh: In any case, it is possible that he observed something that did not appear to us, and Allah knows best.
Al-Huwaini: Last question.
The Shaykh: The last of what preceded! Now it is eleven and five.
Al-Huwaini: A detail regarding tadlis only, and we will finish. May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
Al-Huwaini: Regarding the induction of a scholar, an imam, and a mujtahid in the discipline, such as the science of hadith, if his induction conflicts with a rule explicitly stated in the discipline
The Shaykh: Explicitly stated?
Al-Huwaini: In the discipline. Let us give an example of this: the Imam Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him), when he mentioned in the biography of al-A'mash in Mizan al-I'tidal the smoothing out of al-A'mash's narration and its reconciliation regarding some of the sheikhs from whom he narrated extensively, such as Abu Salih, Abu Wa'il, and Ibrahim al-Nakha'i. He says: "His narration from this type is carried on the assumption of continuity, despite the known text: that the narration of a mudallis, if he uses the 'an expression, is not accepted until he explicitly states that he heard it, whether he narrated extensively from his sheikh or little." Here, it may be observed that Imam al-Dhahabi considered the quantity, meaning he said: "except in the case of sheikhs from whom he narrated extensively." So why did he not consider the quantity in Abu al-Zubayr's narration from Jabir? Both are mudallis! This is a matter that requires an imam to adjudicate.
The Shaykh: Yes, why did he not consider the quantity from Abu al-Zubayr while he considered it from al-A'mash? Is it not sufficient as a difference between the two narrators that Abu al-Zubayr explicitly acknowledged that he had narrations he heard from Jabir and others he did not hear from Jabir, which compelled al-Layth ibn Sa'd—the imam in Egypt at that time—to clarify with him and inquire about the hadiths he heard from Jabir versus those he did not hear, so he marked for him the hadiths he had heard from Jabir? Here, a way emerged for al-Dhahabi and others to distinguish what he explicitly stated or narrated directly from Jabir from what he did not narrate directly from him. Whereas in the narration from al-A'mash, there is nothing of this detail, so he was compelled to find an alternative to what al-Layth obtained, and he found the quantity, which he did not need regarding Abu al-Zubayr's narration from Jabir. This is what appears to me, and Allah knows best, that there may be another aspect regarding the differenceThe Shaykh : between al-A'mash and Abu al-Zubayr in the extent of their tadlis and the reduction of it. This would be another justification for considering the quantity of narrators from al-A'mash, so the soul leans toward that, that the one who narrates extensively from al-A'mash is more knowledgeable about those whose narration was little or who did not practice tadlis. What is there? ... That is enough.
Al-Huwaini: Our Shaykh, regardless of the quantity and the comparison between al-A'mash and al-Zubayr, do you not see that the understanding of Imam al-Dhahabi is also contradictory to the definition of tadlis al-isnad, which is that the narrator narrates from his sheikh from whom he heard what he did not hear from him? I mean, this is possible, indeed likely. I mean, the induction of Imam al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) in reconciling al-A'mash's tadlis from Abu Salih, is it not contradictory to the scholars' definition of tadlis al-isnad?
The Shaykh: May Allah reward you, I do not see it as a contradiction that cannot be reconciled. This is from the category of the general and the specific. In other words, the principle for the mudallis is what you know and we know, but specifically regarding al-A'mash's narration, al-Dhahabi was reassured in what I quoted from him earlier. Whether he was right or wrong is another matter, but we are directing his words. He observed that the one who narrates extensively from al-A'mash becomes clear to him what does not become clear to the one who narrates little from him. Is this not reasonable?
Al-Huwaini: I mean, do you intend, O my master: al-A'mash's extensive narration from Abu Salih, not the narrators' extensive narration from al-A'mash, because the situation is that al-A'mash narrates extensively from Abu Salih, so the narration from al-A'mash from Abu Salih is smoothed out due to the quantity...
The Shaykh: This is the statement of Imam al-Dhahabi, yes, but this quantity implies that al-A'mash was closely connected to Abu Salih, and one who is like that does not usually practice tadlis extensively from him, because the one who needs tadlis is the one who narrates little from his sheikh, who here is Abu Salih. This is what appears to me to be the basis of Imam al-Dhahabi's (may Allah have mercy on him) distinction between al-A'mash and some of his sheikhs when he narrated from them. Yes.
Al-Halabi: Our Shaykh, is it not said that Imam al-Dhahabi's observation of the method of the authors of the authentic collections in handling al-A'mash was a motivator for him for this distinction?
The Shaykh: Yes, but this does not give a distinction between quantity and scarcity.
Al-Halabi: By induction, he observed that perhaps the quantity in al-A'mash's narration from his sheikh Abu Salih, so he said: "and the like." Did he only mention Abu Salih? No, he said: "and the like."
Al-Huwaini: No, he said Abu Salih, Abu Wa'il, and Ibrahim al-Nakha'i, and this type.
Al-Halabi : Yes, that is correct.
The Shaykh : Yes.
Al-Halabi: Then, our Shaykh, another thing, meaning the problem raised by our brother Abu Ishaq, or rather the inclusion of Abu al-Zubayr with al-A'mash, this extends to all the mudallis.
The Shaykh : Yes.
Al-Halabi: Therefore, specifying Abu al-Zubayr by name...
Al-Huwaini: I specified him by name because al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi does not equate Abu al-Zubayr's specific 'an expression from the one who narrates extensively with al-A'mash's 'an expression. He pauses regarding Abu al-Zubayr's 'an expression, even in some hadiths in Sahih Muslim! He pauses in them.
The Shaykh: Yes, he distinguished.
Al-Halabi: The remaining mudallis are even more so!
Al-Huwaini: Perhaps Ibn Ishaq from al-Zuhri, and he is one who narrated extensively from al-Zuhri, so he could be treated like al-A'mash in terms of the quantity.
Al-Halabi: And yet he did not do so.
Al-Huwaini: He did not do so, correct.
The Shaykh: In any case, it is possible that he observed something that did not appear to us, and Allah knows best.
Al-Huwaini: Last question.
The Shaykh: The last of what preceded! Now it is eleven and five.
Al-Huwaini: A detail regarding tadlis only, and we will finish. May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
Source
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