What are the types of *gharib* in hadith?

The Shaykh : ... and here comes the saying of him (peace be upon him) that is known to you: . Likewise, when one of them says, "This is a *gharib* hadith," it is *gharib* with respect to his knowledge of this chain of narration. And for that reason, perhaps you remember with me that the scholars of terminology divided *gharib* into two categories: absolute *gharib* and relative *gharib*. By relative *gharib*, it is meant that it is *gharib* with respect to this...The Shaykh : ... meaning a shaykh, such as Imam al-Zuhri, for example, who has many students who are trustworthy and famous for narrating from him. One of these trustworthy narrators comes and narrates a hadith from al-Zuhri. He is trustworthy, and there is no room for criticism or attack on his memory; he is a trustworthy memorizer. But he is the only one among al-Zuhri's other students to narrate this hadith... to narrate this hadith, he alone, from Imam al-Zuhri with its correct chain. The scholars of hadith say, "This is a valid *gharib* hadith," meaning *gharib* with respect to this student's narration from Imam al-Zuhri. Where are the other students? They did not narrate this hadith. So they say in such a case, "This is a valid *gharib* hadith." The hadith may be *mutawatir*, or not famous, or widely transmitted through another route other than al-Zuhri's route entirely. Even so, they still say, "It is a valid *gharib* hadith," meaning with respect to this...The Shaykh : ...; as for absolute *gharib*, it is that which is not narrated except from this chain, and the trustworthy narrator is the only one to narrate it. It is called a valid *gharib* hadith absolutely. So here, in the hadith , if the *gharib* nature is, to this day, a true *gharib* because the hadith has not come with a valid chain from any other route; but even so, we say that this *gharib* nature... ... So when a hadith comes with absolute *gharib*, we say this is what reached the scholars. Then we say it is not necessary that every hadith delivered by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to a gathering... of people be transmitted by all those people or every individual among those people. This is not necessary, because the obligation is to transmit what the Messenger (peace be upon him) uttered, so that the Shari'ah is not lost. And this is achieved by the transmission of a single trustworthy person; because we know that knowledge is of two types: individual obligation and collective obligation. So when the collective obligation is fulfilled by some, it drops from the rest. So if a transmitter transmits the hadith, the obligation drops from the others.

The questioner : ... but a hadith like this is very important. Al-Nawawi wrote about it that it is one-third of Islam, so it must be narrated from a number of Companions. The fact that it is narrated through one route, does this indicate that the Messenger said it to Imam 'Umar only?

The Shaykh : ... make it "perhaps," Professor, at that star... I am saying this to convince the people of doubt and suspicion. I began this convincing when I said that transmitting knowledge is a collective obligation, not an individual obligation. But when I said that such a hadith should be transmitted by persons, I am saying "should." This word has no evidence from the Book of Allah or from the valid hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). It is merely an opinion. But this opinion contradicts the rule that distinguishes between collective obligation and individual obligation, unless there is an exception... The hadith reached, just now, that the hope or claim that such a hadith should have been transmitted by a large number is a hope that everyone who desires that the Prophetic hadith in general be free from doubt among the common people can aspire to. But our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) tests His servants with what He wills. The verse says, O Shaykh, the verse. Well, our Lord tested His servants with evil and good as a trial, meaning a test. One of the things in that is that He made Islam the Qur'an and the Sunnah. He could have made Islam all Qur'an, meaning books and sheets that descended from the sky like the sheets of Ibrahim and Musa, with nothing added to them or subtracted from them... ... the terminology of hadith and the biographies of the men of hadith, and they are in thousands upon thousands. You say fifty thousand, you say one hundred thousand, say more. We would have been at rest, but the wisdom of Allah is that the wheel of knowledge remains turning and moving to this day. The knowledge of hadith never ends. Therefore, I say to our scholars, our brothers who print our books, this book is in front of me. I was speaking with this brother of ours, who is named Ahmad...Abu Layla : ... from our brothers in al-Zarqa. In front of me now is the first volume of the Series of Authentic Hadiths, which I am preparing for the new edition...