Is their statement (he used to narrate from memory and did not produce a book) that he used to disapprove of what he narrated and would ask him for its original source, but he would refuse, making this one of the aspects by which they
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The questioner : He used to narrate from memory and did not produce a book. Does this statement not indicate that he used to narrate hadiths, they would disapprove of them, and ask him for their original source? Is it in your book or not? He would refuse to produce the book. Is this one of the aspects by which they elevate or criticize the narrators?
The Shaykh : It is not correct for us to add to the narration things that appear to us but for which we have no evidence. All that is here is that it was his habit to narrate from his memory and not produce a book. It can be said that he did not have a book; rather, he narrated from his memory, and memory can betray its owner. As for the idea that he had a book but did not compare his memorized texts with what was in the book, these are things that, it seems, and Allah knows best, require narrations clarifying that this is what was intended. Since we do not have anything but this narration, this is the aspect. If such a possibility were claimed, it might strengthen the objection to al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, and the original principle is to lighten the campaign against him.
The questioner : And this is what, when I understood Imam Ahmad’s words in this sense, he did not praise me for, saying, “He used to narrate from memory and did not produce a book.” So I understood that he used to narrate things that were disapproved of, and he would be asked for their original source to compare whether he had included them according to their original source or not, or to the end. But this possibility is remote, especially as you mentioned, my Shaykh, that there are those who authenticated him.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So with the mention of authentication, the suspicion that he took another person’s hadith and claimed it, and was asked for the original source but refused, moves away from the mind.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : And may He reward you.
The Shaykh : It is not correct for us to add to the narration things that appear to us but for which we have no evidence. All that is here is that it was his habit to narrate from his memory and not produce a book. It can be said that he did not have a book; rather, he narrated from his memory, and memory can betray its owner. As for the idea that he had a book but did not compare his memorized texts with what was in the book, these are things that, it seems, and Allah knows best, require narrations clarifying that this is what was intended. Since we do not have anything but this narration, this is the aspect. If such a possibility were claimed, it might strengthen the objection to al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, and the original principle is to lighten the campaign against him.
The questioner : And this is what, when I understood Imam Ahmad’s words in this sense, he did not praise me for, saying, “He used to narrate from memory and did not produce a book.” So I understood that he used to narrate things that were disapproved of, and he would be asked for their original source to compare whether he had included them according to their original source or not, or to the end. But this possibility is remote, especially as you mentioned, my Shaykh, that there are those who authenticated him.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So with the mention of authentication, the suspicion that he took another person’s hadith and claimed it, and was asked for the original source but refused, moves away from the mind.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : And may He reward you.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.