Is the Hafiz's statement about Ibn Sa'd in his book *al-Tabaqat* that he took his material from his shaykh al-Waqidi specific to the chains of narration, or does it include his statements regarding the narrators?
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The questioner : Our shaykh, the question is that the Hafiz Ibn Hajar says about Ibn Sa'd, the author of *al-Tabaqat*, that he took his material from his shaykh al-Waqidi. Is this specific to the chains of narration and reports, or does it also include Ibn Sa'd's statements on the critique and vindication of narrators?
The Shaykh : I do not think that the Hafiz Ibn Hajar intended that comprehensiveness in his statement. However, what is observed in the book *al-Tabaqat* by Ibn Sa'd, this Imam and Hafiz, is that his valuable material revolves around three aspects, as far as I recall now. The first aspect is that, like other scholars of hadith, he sees the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his noble biography with the chains of narration that reached him, from many, many shaykhs. This is the first category. The second category, or more accurately, is that he narrates much of the biography, specifically, and of the Prophetic hadiths from his shaykh al-Waqidi, with a chain of narration to the one who informed him, whether that person was a Companion, a Successor, or below that. The third and final category is where he says that al-Waqidi said such-and-such without mentioning a chain of narration for it. In my opinion, the Hafiz means this third category, and the one before it, which is what al-Waqidi narrated with a chain of narration to the one to whom the hadith was attributed. This is what he means, and Allah knows best.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. Does that mean that Ibn Sa'd's critique and vindication of narrators is from his own independent reasoning and not taken from his shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : One looks at Ibn Sa'd's leniency and judges him by this.
The Shaykh : That is correct.
The questioner : All right, you have indicated, our shaykh, that he is closer to leniency.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Yes, this was mentioned previously.
The questioner : Yes, I meant in a previous question.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : And as...
The Shaykh : I do not think that the Hafiz Ibn Hajar intended that comprehensiveness in his statement. However, what is observed in the book *al-Tabaqat* by Ibn Sa'd, this Imam and Hafiz, is that his valuable material revolves around three aspects, as far as I recall now. The first aspect is that, like other scholars of hadith, he sees the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his noble biography with the chains of narration that reached him, from many, many shaykhs. This is the first category. The second category, or more accurately, is that he narrates much of the biography, specifically, and of the Prophetic hadiths from his shaykh al-Waqidi, with a chain of narration to the one who informed him, whether that person was a Companion, a Successor, or below that. The third and final category is where he says that al-Waqidi said such-and-such without mentioning a chain of narration for it. In my opinion, the Hafiz means this third category, and the one before it, which is what al-Waqidi narrated with a chain of narration to the one to whom the hadith was attributed. This is what he means, and Allah knows best.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. Does that mean that Ibn Sa'd's critique and vindication of narrators is from his own independent reasoning and not taken from his shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : One looks at Ibn Sa'd's leniency and judges him by this.
The Shaykh : That is correct.
The questioner : All right, you have indicated, our shaykh, that he is closer to leniency.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Yes, this was mentioned previously.
The questioner : Yes, I meant in a previous question.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : And as...
Source
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