Do we act upon weak hadiths in the virtues of deeds, and is the hadith of the market supplication authentic?

The questioner : There are three observations: one for the scholars, one for the brothers, and one for the people. First, we start with the common people, and Glorified is my Lord, we are afflicted by them with cursing and reviling, and we ask Allah for safety. Also, some of the scholars, we ask Allah for safety, we find newspapers and advertisements following elections and such, and the name of Allah is upon them and they are trampled in the streets, and the scholars are very, very negligent in calling to this matter. In one Arab country, and there is no need to mention its name, is the one that places a designated spot for newspapers to be put in. And we find some of the brothers when they find a weak hadith, it is as if it is a germ; they do not approach it, they are not pleased to act upon it, and they do not approach it at all. So we know that it is a weak hadith, and it is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, that we have reached it and known that it is a weak hadith. So, okay, brothers, take it in the virtues of deeds, and they say no, no, as if it is, and as you mentioned, a hadith, and Allah knows best its authenticity, in *Sahih al-Kalim al-Tayyib*, which is that when a person enters the market, for example, he says...

The Shaykh : There is no god but Allah...

The questioner : There is no god but Allah, so some of the brothers were not pleased with saying "Allah knows best" until I brought the hadith and told him thatThe Shaykh : Nasser mentioned the hadith, and the hadith is weak; so the brothers, when they hear the word "weak," it is as if it is not attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and as if we have reached a higher rank, so it is sufficient that we know it is a weak hadith, so we do not approach it at all; so what is your opinion on all these matters?

The Shaykh : You say some...

The questioner : I brought the summary of it.

The Shaykh : This summary is clarified and detailed and explained... some of the brothers, I mean, are not pleased to accept and act upon the weak hadith, and what about the others?

The questioner : They act upon it in the virtues of deeds.

The Shaykh : Listen to a word and its cover, I wonder who is right?

The questioner : Allah knows best.

The Shaykh : Yes, good; so if you are saying and meaning what you say when you say "Allah knows best," it is not permissible for you to deny a statement that is equal to your statement. He says, "I do not act upon the weak hadith," and you say, "I act upon the weak hadith," so when the question comes to you, which of the two statements is correct, you say "Allah knows best"; so you and he are the same, right?

The questioner : Correct.

The Shaykh : So it is not befitting for you to deny him without knowledge, it is obligatory for you to remain silent, or else you deny the one who differs from you in opinion except with knowledge, and if you have knowledge, you present it to him and to others as well, and therefore the truth spreads among people and the word of people agrees and they proceed on a word of agreement with no disagreement among them; the correct one is with those whom you are denying, so the denial turns from them to you; why? Because acting upon the weak hadith means something, and this thing is denied by the Shari'ah. Is it permissible for you to say in a weak hadith that has not been established to you that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said it? Is it permissible?

The questioner : In wording, it is not permissible, but in action...

The Shaykh : And what am I speaking about?

The questioner : In wording, it is not permissible.

The Shaykh : What is my question about?

The questioner : It is not permissible.

The Shaykh : What am I asking you about? About action or about narration?

The questioner : About narration.

The Shaykh : Okay, and is narration wording? Does narration have a relation to narration or to action now?

The questioner : To narration.

The Shaykh : Okay, I repeat and say, is it permissible to narrate a hadith that has not been established from the narrator and I say in this narration that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said?

The questioner : It is not permissible.

The Shaykh : Well done, if the matter is so, then when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says a statement from his statements, and all of them are revelation from his Lord, is the intended meaning of this noble Prophetic statement, as some people say out of ignorance, seeking blessing in its narration, or acting upon it?

The questioner : Seeking blessing is Sufi-like, so to speak.

The Shaykh : I want you to give me an answer to my question and not lose me, because you have lost me now, do you know why?

The questioner : Why?

The Shaykh : Because you did not answer me, I repeat the question, when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) speaks a hadith, any hadith it is, is the intended meaning merely its narration for seeking blessing, or acting upon it?

The questioner : For work.

The Shaykh : Here, this is the answer; so if I or anyone else says that the statement of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) with a word is a means and the goal is action, right?

The questioner : Correct.

The Shaykh : You are with me in this, and I tell you, be careful so that you do not fall later into what contradicts what you believe, I tell you, take your caution; because I am planning now to make you standing upright, not leaning to the right or to the left, so if the statement from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is a means and the goal is acting upon it, the last question, and thereby the answer becomes clear, if it is not permissible to take the means that leads to the goal, is it permissible to act upon the goal while the means is not established?

The questioner : You, the one who answers, I ask you to answer about this?

The Shaykh : This is the last thing, yes, I say, may Allah bless you, it is not permissible to act upon a means that is not permissible to narrate, because we said and agreed upon a word of agreement, which is that the intended meaning of the statements of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is action, so if this statement is not permissible for us to narrate, how is it permissible for us to act upon it; and peace be upon you.

The questioner : The hadith that you...

The Shaykh : This is established, not weak, and your example with it, you are mistaken, and it is sufficient for you in knowledge that I mentioned it in *Sahih al-Kalim al-Tayyib*, this is not a weak hadith, and peace be upon you.

The questioner : Is it permissible for the imam if he does not memorize the Qur'an.

The Shaykh : If there is no one more memorized than him, it is permissible.