Discussion of the mursal hadith and whether it can be strengthened.

The questioner : Regarding the mursal hadith, it is as if one of the narrators is missing from it. And in the case of a hadith with an unknown narrator, it does not rise to the level of being very weak, so how is it with the missing one? Is it considered an unknown narrator?

The Shaykh : As for your statement that the one in which it is present becomes very weak, I do not know of that... Because what prevails in the mind is that the one between this Tabi'i and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is either a Tabi'i like him, or it is possible that he was a Companion. So when the matter fluctuates between these two, first of all, and assuming that the stronger position is that the one missing between him and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is a Tabi'i like him, but lying and fabrication had not yet begun to spread among the Tabi'un for personal or political interests or the like, on the one hand, and on the other hand, that era was not known except for the care taken in memorization. So when we observe these discrepancies that weaken when we descend from the level of the Tabi'i to those below him, the scholars of hadith distinguished between this mursal hadith and the hadith in which there is a man whose identity is unknown. Is that clear?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Okay.

The questioner : Some people say that the mursal hadith cannot be strengthened by supporting chains and corroborating narrations, because the missing man is possibly weak, possibly confused, and possibly such and such?

The Shaykh : This has already been answered earlier.