If the words of al-Hafiz differ in al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil or in establishing authenticity from one book to another, what is the authoritative position in that?
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The questioner : Here, if the words of al-Hafiz differ in al-Taqrib and al-Fath and al-Talkhis, for example, in judging a man as weak or reliable, and likewise if his words differ in al-Taqrib and al-Isabah in judging the establishment of companionship or a disagreement therein or its absence, is his statement in al-Taqrib preferred because it is in his specialization and his field, and he has the scholars' words in mind regarding it? Or is the other statement preferred? And likewise in al-Isabah in its field? And likewise in the Ranks of the Deceivers? Sometimes his statement in the Ranks of the Deceivers contradicts his statement in al-Nukat, where he mentions some of them in the third rank, where he suspends judgment on their use of the double 'an, and mentions them in the second rank or the second tier of the Ranks of the Deceivers, whose use of the double 'an is accepted.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So his statement in the Ranks of the Deceivers is preferred, and likewise his statement in al-Taqrib in al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil is preferred, and likewise his statement in al-Isabah regarding the establishment of companionship or its absence is preferred. Or are there other indications besides these?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : What I believe, and Allah knows best, as a general rule, is that if a scholar's statement differs from one book to another, then one relies on the book in which he specialized in researching that person whose biography he is writing, because he has gathered what was said about that biographee and then selected what is closest to the truth from what people differed on. As for another book of his, as I mentioned earlier, such as al-Fath or al-Isabah or others, he usually judges from his memory and not from the research he recorded in his specific book on the biography of that man. So if his statement differs regarding a narrator, weakening him in al-Taqrib and strengthening him in al-Fath, or for example in al-Isabah regarding what is in the Ranks of the Deceivers and the like, the point is that if what is in al-Isabah, for example, contradicts what is in the Ranks of the Deceivers, then it is in the Ranks of the Deceivers without a doubt.
The questioner : I mean, Shaykh, al-Nukat and the Ranks of the Deceivers.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : You mentioned al-Isabah; do you mean al-Nukat?
The Shaykh : No, I mean al-Isabah in the Names of the Companions.
The questioner : In the Names of the Companions.
The Shaykh : Yes, I mean, as an example.
The questioner : The Ranks of the Deceivers does not mention the names of the Companions.
The Shaykh : No, but we are talking about the Deceivers.
The questioner : Al-Nukat and the Ranks of the Deceivers.
Another questioner : Shaykh, with his critique of some hadiths in al-Isabah, it may be that...
The Shaykh : Yes, if we rely on his statement that we know he studied with precise scientific scrutiny, when he contradicts one statement or another in another book, we do not imagine that he conducted a specific study in it. Of course, this is what we call a rule, but we cannot apply it one hundred percent. For example, one whom he mentioned as weak in al-Taqrib or as a deceiver in the Ranks of the Deceivers may have strengthened the hadith. This does not mean contradicting what came in the two aforementioned books, al-Taqrib or the Ranks, but rather because he also found in himself that this hadith, which contains deception or that weakness, is actually supported by some corroborating evidence due to his jurisprudential study of the subject, so he cited it and strengthened it and remained silent on it, as is his original practice in the book al-Fath. The point is that if we do not find what we can exclude from this rule, the original principle is to return to his specialized book in al-Jarh or in al-Ta'dil.The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : And may He bless you.
The questioner : So, Shaykh, regarding the principle of the specialized book and the last issue you mentioned, I repeat my understanding of it, even if it is an error, correct me, may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : No error, if Allah wills.
The questioner : It is that when al-Hafiz judges a man in al-Fath or al-Talkhis with a ruling, the ruling may be relative, pertaining to this specific hadith, and not a general ruling as in al-Taqrib.
The Shaykh : That is correct.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : You have done well, Abu al-Hasan.
The Shaykh: May Allah preserve you and bless you.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So his statement in the Ranks of the Deceivers is preferred, and likewise his statement in al-Taqrib in al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil is preferred, and likewise his statement in al-Isabah regarding the establishment of companionship or its absence is preferred. Or are there other indications besides these?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : What I believe, and Allah knows best, as a general rule, is that if a scholar's statement differs from one book to another, then one relies on the book in which he specialized in researching that person whose biography he is writing, because he has gathered what was said about that biographee and then selected what is closest to the truth from what people differed on. As for another book of his, as I mentioned earlier, such as al-Fath or al-Isabah or others, he usually judges from his memory and not from the research he recorded in his specific book on the biography of that man. So if his statement differs regarding a narrator, weakening him in al-Taqrib and strengthening him in al-Fath, or for example in al-Isabah regarding what is in the Ranks of the Deceivers and the like, the point is that if what is in al-Isabah, for example, contradicts what is in the Ranks of the Deceivers, then it is in the Ranks of the Deceivers without a doubt.
The questioner : I mean, Shaykh, al-Nukat and the Ranks of the Deceivers.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : You mentioned al-Isabah; do you mean al-Nukat?
The Shaykh : No, I mean al-Isabah in the Names of the Companions.
The questioner : In the Names of the Companions.
The Shaykh : Yes, I mean, as an example.
The questioner : The Ranks of the Deceivers does not mention the names of the Companions.
The Shaykh : No, but we are talking about the Deceivers.
The questioner : Al-Nukat and the Ranks of the Deceivers.
Another questioner : Shaykh, with his critique of some hadiths in al-Isabah, it may be that...
The Shaykh : Yes, if we rely on his statement that we know he studied with precise scientific scrutiny, when he contradicts one statement or another in another book, we do not imagine that he conducted a specific study in it. Of course, this is what we call a rule, but we cannot apply it one hundred percent. For example, one whom he mentioned as weak in al-Taqrib or as a deceiver in the Ranks of the Deceivers may have strengthened the hadith. This does not mean contradicting what came in the two aforementioned books, al-Taqrib or the Ranks, but rather because he also found in himself that this hadith, which contains deception or that weakness, is actually supported by some corroborating evidence due to his jurisprudential study of the subject, so he cited it and strengthened it and remained silent on it, as is his original practice in the book al-Fath. The point is that if we do not find what we can exclude from this rule, the original principle is to return to his specialized book in al-Jarh or in al-Ta'dil.The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : And may He bless you.
The questioner : So, Shaykh, regarding the principle of the specialized book and the last issue you mentioned, I repeat my understanding of it, even if it is an error, correct me, may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : No error, if Allah wills.
The questioner : It is that when al-Hafiz judges a man in al-Fath or al-Talkhis with a ruling, the ruling may be relative, pertaining to this specific hadith, and not a general ruling as in al-Taqrib.
The Shaykh : That is correct.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : You have done well, Abu al-Hasan.
The Shaykh: May Allah preserve you and bless you.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.