What is the validity of their saying that it is better for us to agree on an error than to disagree on the truth?

The Shaykh : Finally, we come to a third example, and I tell you, they are the Khawarij, or the Ibadis. The most important book for the Ibadis is the book called Musnad al-Rabi' ibn Habib al-Azdi. Some of their later scholars innovated by making it equivalent to what the people of the Sunnah have, namely Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, and Sahih Ibn Hibban. They do not have any book called "Sahih." So, they innovated by taking this book, which has been known in both ancient and modern times as Musnad al-Rabi' ibn Habib, and calling it "Sahih" among themselves, naming it "Sahih" to match Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim and the like. This book, which is Musnad al-Rabi', or as they claim, they call it "Sahih," we say that this "Sahih" relies first on some of the sheikhs of al-Rabi' ibn Habib, whose biographies are not known, not even to them. Their biographies are unknown. And more amazing than this, and with this I conclude my speech on this question, more amazing than this amazement, is that al-Rabi' ibn Habib has no biography, neither with us nor with them. This is the one who narrates the book, what is it? Sahih al-Rabi' ibn Habib. Therefore, the one who says that it is not blameworthy for the Shi'ah to rely on their books, the answer, as we have known through this detailed and brief explanation, is that it is not possible to rely on a narration that occurred in the past, concerning the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), or those after him from the noble Companions, except through the chain of narration first, and the knowledge of the narrators through critique and vindication second. So all the Islamic sects are poor in these two means. And these examples we have presented before you. Therefore, we say, and we praise Allah for making us first Muslims, by which He distinguished us from all the People of the Book, and then made us from the people of the Sunnah among the Muslims, because there is not in the other sects what they can follow as a path.
Abu Layla : May Allah reward you with good.
Al-Halabi : May Allah honor you, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : And beware of following the authentic collection, following al-Bukhari.
Al-Halabi : Our teacher, to complete the research, it is mentioned in some of the books of the Ibadis that he has a biography, and sometimes they lengthen it, saying he took from so-and-so, and went and came, and so on. So how can we answer them in such a case?

The Shaykh : Yes, they mention it according to our method, but they do not have a connection to the same one who mentions this biography of al-Rabi' ibn Habib. That is, for example, whatever biography we want, we elevate it until we reach the closest source of the biographee. Between them and al-Rabi' are centuries. Yet they say so-and-so mentioned it in such-and-such a book, such-and-such a book mentions something, with no chain of narration between him and al-Rabi' ibn Habib, when they biograph him with what they biographed him with, at length and at length.
Al-Halabi : This is what I have in this book, my Shaykh. The author is from the sixth century, and he biographed al-Rabi' ibn Habib.

The Shaykh : That is it.
Al-Halabi : To confirm your words, our teacher.

The Shaykh : This is first. Second: it does not contain what relates to vindication and critique. It does not state that he is trustworthy, and that he is a memorizer and a controller with much narration, or little narration, as is known to us in detail in our books. So all of this indicates, in addition to the fact that he was not mentioned in the books of biographies of the people of the Sunnah at all, although they mention, as you know, who was trustworthy, who was weak, who was a liar, who was unknown. So this man is completely obscure. He has no mention in the books of biographies of the scholars of the Sunnah. So this confirms that those who are in the present age, who want to present this person, do not have high references, but rather they refer to some historians, between whom and the biographee are long centuries. And therefore, with the absence of this biography of authentication, and of explaining his rank in precision and memorization, it is a collection of mursal reports, rather, it is a collection of broken chains with no peak and no bridle, as they say. And now, regarding this book of the Musnad, I want to draw attention to the fact that the first thing a person reads in this book, he finds the following, which indicates that this book, as if it is not correctly attributed to him, because sometimes you find narrations that have no relation to al-Rabi', being later than him. But let us start with our first hadith. It says: al-Rabi' ibn Habib ibn 'Amr al-Basri. Who said "said"? If this is the case, the chain is broken. That is, usually, scholars of hadith, when they narrate a book like this, they mention here in the introduction, so-and-so heard it, and this from so-and-so, and this from so-and-so, until it connects to the author, and the last one is the one who wrote this, his handwriting, or his hearing of the book from his sheikh, and his sheikh from his sheikh, like this, until the author. Here we are surprised, it says: al-Rabi' ibn Habib. Who said "al-Rabi' ibn Habib said"? Where is the chain of narration? There is no chain. So this is broken and has no value. Even if all the chains of al-Rabi' were authentic, and al-Rabi' himself was trustworthy and a memorizer, but there is no chain to him, so the whole book falls completely, like the Torah and the Gospel now, because the Torah and the Gospel have no chains of narration, by their own admission. After this, there is much and very much contradiction in them. So what is the value of these books? Nothing. This book is also nothing. Al-Rabi' ibn Habib does not say: "Abu 'Ubaydah Muslim ibn Abi Karimah narrated to me" – may Allah have mercy on you – Abu 'Ubaydah Muslim ibn Abi Karimah, they said, is unknown to us, and Ibn Hibban mentioned him only in the Thiqat (Trustworthy). This is the first sheikh he started with. He is unknown to us, meaning not famous for narration and integrity. So there is no value in a narration like this. We come here inside, and you find hadiths they do not believe in. It says , there is no intercession with them, they do not believe in it. Yes, after this, you have hadiths that tell you, Jabir ibn Zayd. It did not say "Abu 'Ubaydah narrated to me from Jabir," no, it is a cut head, it says Jabir ibn Zayd. This is its number, one thousand and five. When this verse was revealed , and so on. That is, you find things and things that cut off that this book is compiled from here and here and here, like the book of One Thousand and One Nights, meaning it is not one author and arranger, and its narrations are authentic. Look now here, a hadith we have, Abu Sufyan from al-Rabi' ibn Habib. Here Abu Sufyan from al-Rabi' ibn Habib. Here at the beginning it said Abu 'Amr al-Rabi' ibn Habib. Who is this Abu Sufyan? Bring it, you will find Abu Sufyan? Unknown identity. It says from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Harimah from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, he said, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said . This is known to us in the books of the Sunnah, despite its weakness. It is not on Friday, but in the congregation in general.
Al-Halabi : And Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.

The questioner : Peace be upon you

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. It says al-Rabi' said, Abu 'Ubaydah said, it reached me from Sa'id ibn Jubayr. It reached me. Jabir ibn Zayd said, Ibn 'Abbas. Look at what I pointed out earlier, it said, and Bashar al-Murisi informed us...
Al-Halabi : Good, you finished.

The Shaykh : I saw al-Murisi, he is known to us as a Mu'tazili, one who holds to the createdness of the Qur'an, and some of the people of the Sunnah debated him. This one died in the year two hundred and eighteen. This one has no relation to al-Rabi' ibn Habib, who is a Tabi' al-Tabi'in in their claim, you know how? And from whom does he narrate? From Muhammad ibn Ya'la, a Jahmi, whose hadith is abandoned. He said, al-Hasan ibn Dinar informed us. Look at this wretched chain of ours in the Syrian one, we do not have a golden chain. This is Bashar al-Murisi, the innovator, the misguided, from Muhammad ibn Ya'la, the Jahmi, whose hadith is abandoned. He said, al-Hasan ibn Dinar informed us. Ahmad and Yahya called him a liar. Three from Khasub ibn Jahdar. Shu'bah and al-Qattan and Ibn Ma'in called him a liar. From Ishaq ibn 'Abdullah, that al-Harith ibn Nawfal, and so on. This is first, a chain that has no relation to al-Rabi'. So who put it in this book? Not al-Rabi'. So this is a scrapbook compiled from several narrations. I actually did a study of this book...
Al-Halabi : In the days of Bliq, my Shaykh?

The Shaykh : In the days of Bliq, no, before that, in the Levant.
Al-Halabi : Strange.

The Shaykh : In the Levant, because in one poor place, like this, a child was born, they call it that in the Levant, meaning he wants to show something like what you see, some of the youth, he came to me in the shop and asked me about this book. I said, by Allah, I have not heard of it. And indeed, I had no news of it. I went back to the Zahiriyyah Library.
Al-Halabi : My Shaykh, it is more than thirty years!

The Shaykh : It is just as you say. I went back to the Zahiriyyah Library and checked the indexes, and I found it. I took it and reviewed it, and lo and behold, it contains wonders. I will now tell you about some of them. Here, it says: Rabi' said, Bashir informed us from Isma'il. So, I say here regarding this Bashir: it appears that it is Isma'il ibn Ulayyah, because he narrates from Isma'il ibn Ulayyah, from Dawud ibn Abi 'Aqil or 'Aqil, from Abu Hind. Also, what I found now reminds me that there are strange errors in these chains of narration. Names are mentioned in the chain that have no connection to the chains of narration. Why? Because they do not have a reliable narration. They take it from a narrator to a narrator to a narrator, as is the case with the people of the Sunnah. In truth, this book was neglected and unknown. The group wanted to print books in the printing presses, whatever came to hand, wanting to show people that they are on something, when they are not on anything. They have nothing but this book. If a learned, unbiased man were to study this book—let him be a European disbeliever—he would rule that this book is not to be relied upon because of the disorder in the narration, the intermingling of some chains with others, the breaks, and the like. So, we say that this word about which the question was asked is, in truth, a justification and smoothing over of the reality of the Islamic sects that are poor in narration. Therefore, in any book of jurisprudence that contradicts the jurisprudence of the people of the Sunnah, you will find them arguing with the hadiths of the people of the Sunnah, because they are poor and have no references to rely upon. This is what can be answered regarding the previous matter. Now, we have given the second question.
Al-Halabi : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And beware of that.