Discussion of Shaykh Maqbul's group in the field of verification.

The questioner : There was a question, Shaykh, that was pressing on us, and I hope it is not a delusion, regarding the group of Shaykh Maqbul ibn Hadi al-Wadi'i (may Allah reward him with good) in Yemen. I do not know if you have any observations regarding their issue of authenticating and weakening hadiths, meaning their verifications. Please, Shaykh?

The Shaykh : I always say that these brothers are good, if Allah wills, and they are young. They should be scrupulous in issuing their rulings on hadiths. Otherwise, we are very pleased that there is a school concerned with training students to engage in the science of hadith, authenticating and weakening narrations. But I always say to our young brothers in this field: they should not be bold in writing for people; they should be bold in writing for themselves. That is, they should write and leave their writings in their private offices until they feel that they have truly become scholars, not just students of knowledge. They should become scholars whom the people of knowledge and virtue, who know the worth and merit of scholars, testify to. What we observe now is a very strange boldness in writing and in self-regard regarding their engagement with the science of hadith. Herein lies the error. On this occasion, I recall a wisdom said by some of the predecessors: "Whoever hastens a matter before its time is afflicted with its deprivation". Therefore, I do not say anything about the ones you mentioned, nor about others who are currently working in the science of hadith in various Islamic lands. This is undoubtedly a sign of great good, provided they adhere to scholarly etiquette. All I say about them is that I hope Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) will bless their steps and that they will know themselves. It has been said, even if it is a report with no basis, but it contains wisdom: "Whoever knows himself has known his Lord". A person must realize that he has been working in the science of hadith for two, three, or five years, and some matters have become clear to him, so he hastens to explain them while he is not yet mature. This is what I say regarding students of knowledge. I am hinting at something that perhaps no one else notices, quoting his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: Unfortunately, centuries have passed in the science of hadith where no one from the people of knowledge would raise their head to it, except for very few individuals, as if this science had been studied and its matter concluded. Now, people have turned to this science and its necessity, and their turning to it was a natural thing, along with the other turning that saved them from sectarian rigidity and sectarian following. This awakening necessitated an interest in the science of hadith, because the jurisprudence in which different opinions are to be distinguished is certainly not accessible except through the science of hadith. So, be aware of the gravity and importance of the science of hadith and pay great attention to it, especially in some universities. I remember when I was a professor at the Islamic University in Madinah al-Munawwarah, the students were particularly eager for the science of hadith that I taught. They pursued us exactly as you pursue us. Why? Because of their feeling that they needed this science. I clearly remember that the movement that occurred at the Islamic University was a strange and very strange one, such that the professors themselves were forced not to expand on narrating hadiths except with caution, because they found before them students who, whenever the professor of jurisprudence, exegesis, or principles cited a hadith, would say, "Professor, who narrated this hadith and what is its authenticity?" This had not happened in any university in the world before. So, there was a movement. I also recall, on this occasion, Shaykh Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Khaliq; perhaps you have heard of him or know him. He was among the students I taught in the second and third years. One day he came to me and said, "Professor, the hadith of Mu'adh ibn Jabal ... this is an authentic hadith." I said, "No, this is a denounced narration." I spoke with him briefly on this matter. He said, "So-and-so, the professor of principles, cited it." I said, "This is a problem that books of principles and professors of principles are afflicted with, as they cite it on the occasion of analogical reasoning." In the next lesson, Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Khaliq said to his professor, "Professor, you cited such-and-such a hadith in the previous lesson, and it is not authentic; in fact, it is denounced." He said to him, "What business is that of yours?" He said, "By Allah, we asked the Shaykh of hadith, Al-Albani. He came the first time to my home, and my home at that time was opposite the home of Shaykh 'Umar Faltata. He said to me, 'I have heard such and such.' I said to him, 'Yes.' He said, 'Is it possible that this hadith is yours? You have traced it.' I said to him, 'Yes.' He said, 'Can I look at it? With all pleasure, please.' And in the third lesson, he said, 'This hadith has paths that strengthen it. I have cited them and explained their defects. But unfortunately, Shaykh Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), in his book *I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in*, strengthened the hadith of Mu'adh in the *Sunan* of Abu Dawud by another path in the *Sunan* of Ibn Majah. He was confused between one narrator and another. The narrator Muhammad ibn Sa'id, known as al-Zanadiqqah, was confused by him with another narrator who could be relied upon, so he strengthened it with him. So, the man who is a specialist in principles and has read the tracing of the hadith, disregarded my transmission and took the word of Ibn al-Qayyim on the basis of the baseless rule: "The end justifies the means". And he was speaking at that time in a manner that was not fitting. The point is that this renaissance, this awakening, is a reaction... Now there is this revolution, but this revolution will also stabilize. I am not going to be long, Abu Layla; I want to get up and go inside a bit. This revolution, if Allah wills, will enter into the normal state in the future, and the researchers and investigators in this science will appear, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:

The questioner : A question, our Shaykh, please.

The Shaykh : Please go ahead.