The questioner : Our Shaykh, regarding the obscurity of the narrator's identity (jahl al-'ayn) and how it is resolved, Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his commentary on al-Tirmidhi's 'Ilal that

The questioner: Our Shaykh, regarding the obscurity of the narrator's identity (jahl al-'ayn) and how it is resolved, Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his commentary on al-Tirmidhi's 'Ilal that the early Imams did not have a consistent rule in this chapter. The first one known for establishing that two narrators are required to resolve the obscurity of identity (jahl al-'ayn) was Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Dhuhli (may Allah have mercy on him), and the later scholars followed him in this. He cited examples, stating that Ibn al-Madini would sometimes mention a man who had narrated from three unknown narrators, or from one whom he authenticated and elevated. He intended to say that the early scholars relied on circumstantial evidence. Some of the evidence I mentioned to you, and you mentioned, is that it is not valid to consider the narration of a son or grandson, or the exclusive narration of one who is selective in his teachers, as sufficient. I also have some cases I would like to present to you to know the ruling in them. For example, a student says, "So-and-so narrated to me in such-and-such a year in such-and-such a place," or "So-and-so narrated to me in such-and-such a year in such-and-such a place." This relates to what was in my mind previously, which is that the one whose identity is unknown (mujahhal al-'ayn) is one whose existence is doubted; it is a doubt about his existence. So, does the statement of a student, "So-and-so narrated to me in such-and-such a place in such-and-such a year," resolve the obscurity of his identity?

The Shaykh: This is frequently done by al-Tabarani in

The questioner: his teachers.

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.

The questioner : Yes, indeed.

The Shaykh: That does not resolve the obscurity unless circumstantial evidence is found, as

The questioner : Okay.

The Shaykh: we mentioned.

The questioner: Another case is when he says, "So-and-so narrated to me, and he was a judge or a warrior," and we have only this statement.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner: He was a judge, a warrior, or a muezzin, and he has only this student and this statement from this student?

The Shaykh: What if he said he was a jurist?

The questioner: Is this statement from him established or not?

The Shaykh: It is not established.

The questioner: It is not established.

The Shaykh: No, because as you know, many jurists are not relied upon for their hadith.

The questioner: I do not mean, my Shaykh, authentication; I mean resolving the obscurity of the narrator's identity. My question is only about resolving the obscurity of the narrator's identity.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner: Does this case resolve the obscurity of the narrator's identity: "So-and-so narrated to me, and he was a warrior and a judge"?

The Shaykh: I do not think so, regarding the obscurity of the narrator's identity in the old sense.

The questioner: In the old sense that was in my mind.

The Shaykh: As for the sense we intend, I do not think so.

The questioner: Do you think it is a technical term?

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner: That the later scholars agreed upon.

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.

The questioner: That one who is narrated from by two or more is unknown in status (mujahhal al-hal), and one who is narrated from by only one is unknown in identity (mujahhal al-'ayn).

The Shaykh: Yes, exactly.

The questioner : May Allah bless you.

The Shaykh : May Allah bless you.