Al-Sakhawi criticized Ibn al-Salah for his statement that the absence of a defect is the default, so is the absence of a defect the default?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Is the absence of a defect the default, as...
The Shaykh : How do you mean?
The questioner : Let me clarify my question. There is a statement mentioned by al-Hafiz al-Sakhawi in *al-Fath al-Mughith*. He mentioned there a statement by Ibn al-Salah that Ibn al-Salah said: if the chain of narration is sound, then the hadith is valid in terms of the three positive conditions: continuity, integrity, and precision. He said the hadith is valid because the absence of a defect is the default in hadiths. Al-Hafiz al-Sakhawi criticized this in *al-Fath al-Mughith*, stating that this is a deduction, which contradicts the condition explicitly stated in the definition. However, al-Hafiz al-Sakhawi was also refuted there by those who argued that if a hadith gathers the three conditions...
The Shaykh : Pardon me, "contradicts the condition" means...
The questioner : The condition that it not be defective, that the hadith be valid, and that it not be anomalous or have a defect. So if the absence of a defect is the default, why did they include in the definition that it must not be defective? What is the stronger position, O Shaykh, in your view regarding this?
The Shaykh : I do not see this as a strong answer. If we want to clarify this condition, the intention is not that it must not be defective or anomalous in reality, but rather in the knowledge of the researcher.
The questioner : In the knowledge of the researcher, and this knowledge is not attainable for him except after gathering the various chains of narration.
The Shaykh : But is it possible for every researcher to gather the chains of narration for every hadith? The answer is no, and this cannot be generalized.
The questioner : And why, O Shaykh, did they distinguish between a sound chain of narration and a sound hadith?
The Shaykh : This is well known. A sound chain of narration means its chain of narration is sound.
The questioner : Without addressing the defect.
The Shaykh : If you permit me.
The questioner : Please.
The Shaykh : And their saying "sound hadith" returns to the terminology of the speaker. There is no general, agreed-upon terminology among all people, and you have no agreement with me, Abu al-Hasan.
The questioner : Yes, there is no general, agreed-upon terminology among all people.
The Shaykh : Regarding what?
The questioner : A sound chain of narration and a sound hadith.
The Shaykh : No, regarding the "sound" category only. A sound hadith, a sound hadith. I recall your question that some say that "sound hadith" is stronger than saying "sound chain of narration."
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This may be the case, but it is not the case for the general public, because this is not a general terminology.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But so that we do not stray far from the research I quoted from al-Sakhawi, I said earlier that when they established the condition that it not be defective, that it not be defective, and that it not be anomalous.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is regarding reality, not regarding the researcher, because not every researcher is able to grasp and gather all the chains of narration of a hadith such that it becomes impossible for this hadith to have a defect or to contain an anomaly. This is absolutely impossible.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But the intention is for the researcher to strive within his capacity when he judges a hadith as sound, that it not have a defect or contain an anomaly. And at that point, I see something of what I found difficult in al-Sakhawi's statement, or what al-Sakhawi quoted.
The questioner : Now, it appears to me that I see the strength of what al-Sakhawi held, contrary to what Ibn al-Salah held, who said that if a hadith gathers the three conditions, it is sound because the absence of a defect is the default. Al-Hafiz al-Sakhawi says: why did they include in the definition that it must not be defective? If the absence of a defect were a condition, it would not be a foundational condition or a foundational restriction used to avoid the defective in the definition.
The Shaykh : Now you know the answer, do you not?
The questioner : You mentioned in the previous answer that the issue returns to each researcher and his knowledge and grasp. So, in terms of what the researcher has reached, he is allowed to judge it as sound.
The Shaykh: Correct.
The questioner : Yes, but reality is another matter, which is only attainable for the greatest of the memorizers.
The Shaykh : That is it.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : And this is the reality in all research and verification in the science of hadith.
The Shaykh : How do you mean?
The questioner : Let me clarify my question. There is a statement mentioned by al-Hafiz al-Sakhawi in *al-Fath al-Mughith*. He mentioned there a statement by Ibn al-Salah that Ibn al-Salah said: if the chain of narration is sound, then the hadith is valid in terms of the three positive conditions: continuity, integrity, and precision. He said the hadith is valid because the absence of a defect is the default in hadiths. Al-Hafiz al-Sakhawi criticized this in *al-Fath al-Mughith*, stating that this is a deduction, which contradicts the condition explicitly stated in the definition. However, al-Hafiz al-Sakhawi was also refuted there by those who argued that if a hadith gathers the three conditions...
The Shaykh : Pardon me, "contradicts the condition" means...
The questioner : The condition that it not be defective, that the hadith be valid, and that it not be anomalous or have a defect. So if the absence of a defect is the default, why did they include in the definition that it must not be defective? What is the stronger position, O Shaykh, in your view regarding this?
The Shaykh : I do not see this as a strong answer. If we want to clarify this condition, the intention is not that it must not be defective or anomalous in reality, but rather in the knowledge of the researcher.
The questioner : In the knowledge of the researcher, and this knowledge is not attainable for him except after gathering the various chains of narration.
The Shaykh : But is it possible for every researcher to gather the chains of narration for every hadith? The answer is no, and this cannot be generalized.
The questioner : And why, O Shaykh, did they distinguish between a sound chain of narration and a sound hadith?
The Shaykh : This is well known. A sound chain of narration means its chain of narration is sound.
The questioner : Without addressing the defect.
The Shaykh : If you permit me.
The questioner : Please.
The Shaykh : And their saying "sound hadith" returns to the terminology of the speaker. There is no general, agreed-upon terminology among all people, and you have no agreement with me, Abu al-Hasan.
The questioner : Yes, there is no general, agreed-upon terminology among all people.
The Shaykh : Regarding what?
The questioner : A sound chain of narration and a sound hadith.
The Shaykh : No, regarding the "sound" category only. A sound hadith, a sound hadith. I recall your question that some say that "sound hadith" is stronger than saying "sound chain of narration."
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This may be the case, but it is not the case for the general public, because this is not a general terminology.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But so that we do not stray far from the research I quoted from al-Sakhawi, I said earlier that when they established the condition that it not be defective, that it not be defective, and that it not be anomalous.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is regarding reality, not regarding the researcher, because not every researcher is able to grasp and gather all the chains of narration of a hadith such that it becomes impossible for this hadith to have a defect or to contain an anomaly. This is absolutely impossible.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But the intention is for the researcher to strive within his capacity when he judges a hadith as sound, that it not have a defect or contain an anomaly. And at that point, I see something of what I found difficult in al-Sakhawi's statement, or what al-Sakhawi quoted.
The questioner : Now, it appears to me that I see the strength of what al-Sakhawi held, contrary to what Ibn al-Salah held, who said that if a hadith gathers the three conditions, it is sound because the absence of a defect is the default. Al-Hafiz al-Sakhawi says: why did they include in the definition that it must not be defective? If the absence of a defect were a condition, it would not be a foundational condition or a foundational restriction used to avoid the defective in the definition.
The Shaykh : Now you know the answer, do you not?
The questioner : You mentioned in the previous answer that the issue returns to each researcher and his knowledge and grasp. So, in terms of what the researcher has reached, he is allowed to judge it as sound.
The Shaykh: Correct.
The questioner : Yes, but reality is another matter, which is only attainable for the greatest of the memorizers.
The Shaykh : That is it.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : And this is the reality in all research and verification in the science of hadith.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.