What is the ruling if the opinion of a single imam differs regarding a narrator in terms of criticism and vindication?
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The questioner : May Allah accept it. May Allah bless you, our Shaykh. If the opinion differs regarding a narrator by a single imam.
The Shaykh : A single imam.
The questioner : I mean, a single imam sometimes vouches for him and sometimes weakens him.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So, sometimes he vouches for him and other times he criticizes him, and no evidence has become apparent to us as to whether the earlier or the later of the two opinions is the correct one. On what basis is it to be understood? Is it said that he criticizes him and the criticism is relied upon, or that he vouches for him, or that a distinction is made between general and specific criticism? May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : We say what we say in the case where the one who criticizes is not the one who vouches for him; what do we say?
The questioner : We look at the specification and the generality of the criticism.
The Shaykh : It is the same answer.
The questioner : Yes, the criterion in that is the chapter of specification and generality.
The Shaykh : The specification of the criticism. If the criticism is specified, and after its specification it becomes clear that it is a genuine criticism, then it is given precedence over the vouching, whether the one who vouches and the one who criticizes are the same person or they are different.
The questioner : And the places where we find in your books, may Allah preserve you, the precedence of the criticism, this is also based on this detail.
The Shaykh : Without a doubt, that the criticism is specified and effective, that it is a specified and effective criticism.
The questioner : The third part of al-Da'ifah.
The Shaykh : A single imam.
The questioner : I mean, a single imam sometimes vouches for him and sometimes weakens him.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So, sometimes he vouches for him and other times he criticizes him, and no evidence has become apparent to us as to whether the earlier or the later of the two opinions is the correct one. On what basis is it to be understood? Is it said that he criticizes him and the criticism is relied upon, or that he vouches for him, or that a distinction is made between general and specific criticism? May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : We say what we say in the case where the one who criticizes is not the one who vouches for him; what do we say?
The questioner : We look at the specification and the generality of the criticism.
The Shaykh : It is the same answer.
The questioner : Yes, the criterion in that is the chapter of specification and generality.
The Shaykh : The specification of the criticism. If the criticism is specified, and after its specification it becomes clear that it is a genuine criticism, then it is given precedence over the vouching, whether the one who vouches and the one who criticizes are the same person or they are different.
The questioner : And the places where we find in your books, may Allah preserve you, the precedence of the criticism, this is also based on this detail.
The Shaykh : Without a doubt, that the criticism is specified and effective, that it is a specified and effective criticism.
The questioner : The third part of al-Da'ifah.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.