Is the concept of tadlis among the early scholars the same as it is among the later scholars?

Al-Halabi : ... And this is the issue of the concept of tadlis among the early scholars, meaning, is the concept of tadlis among the early scholars the same as it is now, existing for example in the minds of the scholars, or even scholars like al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, and those before and after him, did they proceed on the same issue? For example, when al-A'mash was accused of tadlis, he is in the two Sahihs in many hadiths containing, for example, the 'an'anah of al-A'mash or the 'an'anah of Qatadah or such. So I mentioned to our Shaykh the issue, meaning I want to seek the correct opinion in it, that when a hadith in the two Sahihs is not declared defective, three things are observed. The first thing is what al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned at the end of the biography of al-A'mash in al-Mizan, that most of his narrations from his sheikhs, from those he narrated a lot from, are attributed to hearing, because it is specific to them...

The Shaykh : ... He was constantly with them.
Al-Halabi : ... And he was constantly with them. The second thing is the narration of the meticulous ones from al-A'mash, for example Sufyan and Shu'bah and such people. The third thing is that this is al-Bukhari, meaning, is al-Bukhari like Ibn Majah, for example, and so-and-so and so-and-so, who are less meticulous and less reliable? So he raised an objection and said, "Well, what about Muslim?" For example, the narration of Abu al-Zubayr from Jabir, why do we not treat the narration of Abu al-Zubayr from Jabir the way we treat the narrations of al-A'mash in Sahih al-Bukhari? So I mentioned to him something, Shaykh, which is the thing you mentioned in the introduction to the summary of Muslim, which is a very great reality, that we do not know that it is established in Muslim that Abu al-Zubayr practiced tadlis. So when we criticize it, we do not criticize it regarding his condition...

The Shaykh: Perfect.
Al-Halabi : ... Yes, Shaykh, we criticize it with something external to this and additional to this.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
Al-Halabi : ... So does this answer address that?

The Shaykh : ... How could it not be addressed? It is completely addressed, yes.
Al-Halabi : May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : ... But I am wondering what the result of this objection he is raising is? Or this questioning, "Perhaps the view of the early scholars regarding tadlis is like the view of the later memorizers." What is the goal of this questioning? Is it to not declare any hadith defective due to tadlis? Or the opposite? Which is to declare any hadith defective due to tadlis, even if it is in the two Sahihs? What is the goal?
Al-Halabi : The goal, Shaykh, is the first one, but not with this scope...

The Shaykh : ... So if he wants to return to it.
Al-Halabi : A very precise and correct answer, yes, correct. Glory be to Allah, the issues of the science of terminology, meaning, and criticism are very precise. Allah is the Greatest, and by Allah, this brother, there is good in him, it appears to me. Glory be to Allah, I feel as if he is displaying the two Sahihs, Shaykh, meaning his mentality is good, praise be to Allah, and sharp...

The Shaykh: Indeed, by Allah.
Al-Halabi : ... Yes, and furthermore, a brother of ours, Shaykh, in Riyadh, he is a student of Abdullah al-Duwaysh, of course. There is a brother in Riyadh who is a specific student of his, and this one is a student of that specific one in Riyadh, and his name is Abdullah al-Sa'd. They told me very strange things about him when I went to Riyadh. They told me about his memorization of chains of narration, 'ilal, and criticism. But he has the issue I pointed to a moment ago, which is, unfortunately, very obscure: the issue of the difference between the methodology of the early scholars and the methodology of the later scholars. So I mentioned to the brother Abdullah yesterday, I said to him, "Truly, if we want to say this and open the door to it, this will become a soup of methodology, the methodology will become a soup. Everyone will say this is for the early scholars and this is for the later scholars. Abu Zur'ah named the science of 'ilal like this, and Abu Hatim said this is inspiration, and others. We are not capable of doing this for ourselves, nor for Ibn Hajar, nor for those before and after him. This is first. Second, when these people used to throw out their things, or declare defects based on narrations and chains, they would declare defects regarding one specific chain before them and one specific path. So when they say, "This hadith is false and has no basis," do we imagine that they mean it has no basis from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but rather it has no basis from this path in this location?

The Shaykh: Yes.
Al-Halabi : ... So before we answer this statement, he said, "I will look, sometimes I see"The Shaykh : ... Nasser in Sahih al-Tirmidhi, for example, Imam al-Tirmidhi says, "And the authentic is mursal,"The Shaykh : ... Nasser says it is authentic. I said to him, "O Shaykh, mursal is looking at the chain itself for this path, but"The Shaykh : ... he looks at the corroborating narrations, he looks at the supporting chains sometimes, because the supporting chain might not be the same path, it might be a supporting chain from another path, a complete supporting chain or such. So the man, meaning, was convinced, as if, Glory be to Allah...

The Shaykh : ... Yes, we are unaware of this.
Al-Halabi : ... Also, an example of this is Hammam, Shaykh, here. Hammam has the issue of the methodology of the early and later scholars, this is common and he focuses on it. And what adds to the confusion, as they say, is that he says it is necessary to study the narrator economically, politically, and socially, and know his connection to his students and his connection to such and such...

The Shaykh : ... I seek refuge in Allah. It means he wants to suspend the work with hadith, like those who set conditions for ijtihad, until they made it imaginary to the point that some of the Imams might not meet them.
Al-Halabi : Yes, yes, it is correct.

The Shaykh : ... It is a beautiful creation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), that this water is present there and present in the basin sometimes. And we often see birds circling around the water to drink. Some birds are not pleased to drink except from the soft pipe that is being drilled.
Al-Halabi : ... There is no god but Allah.

The Shaykh : ... As if they distinguish by their fitrah that this water is cleaner and purer. Do you see this small pipe? The bird comes and stands and puts its beak in the mouth of the pipe and catches this water. So it bothers me sometimes, look at the pipe, first I want to return it so that it pours into the basin below, and second, so that the bird can stand on this rod and then put its beak and drink.
Al-Halabi : ... So a part of the 'ilal of the hadiths of Muslim by Ibn 'Ammar al-Shahid is in the house of our Syrian brother there. It is strange, Shaykh, that in this part there are four hadiths that are not in the copies of Sahih Muslim that are in our hands, or three...

The Shaykh : ... Not in our hands, what?
Al-Halabi : ... Not in the copies of Sahih Muslim that are in our hands...

The Shaykh : ... Yes, strange.
Al-Halabi : ... Yes, and I found in it, and I found in it. And therefore, Shaykh, in al-Silsilah al-Sahihah, part two, I think, at the hadith You, Shaykh, wrote a very long research on 'ilal, and it is very precise. The issue is like the hadith of so-and-so and like the hadith of so-and-so, quoting and discussing Ibn Rajab in Sharh al-'Ilal, where he cited this hadith and attributed it to Muslim. So you, Shaykh, corrected him. He, of course, attributes it to Muslim following Ibn 'Ammar, saying, "And Ibn 'Ammar said."

The Shaykh : ... He is explicit, meaning.
Al-Halabi : ... Yes, explicit, of course.

The Shaykh : ... By Allah, this is a benefit.
Al-Halabi : ... Yes, and al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar in al-Nukat, regarding this same chain, al-Nukat al-Zarfiyyah, of course, at this same chain, he brought the words of Ibn 'Ammar al-Shahid, and the words of al-Bayhaqi that he said, "And some of the Hafiz attributed it to Muslim," and Imam al-Suyuti in al-La'ali al-Masnu'ah, Shaykh, also says: "And perhaps it is in one of the copies of Sahih Muslim" that are not in our hands. And of course, what appears, Shaykh, is not "perhaps," but certainly...

The Shaykh: Certainly.
Al-Halabi : ... Because the man says, "And I found in it."

The Shaykh : ... Yes, meaning he is reporting a specific study, not quoting from others.
Al-Halabi : ... About something he saw. Yes, this is what I always say to our brothers, Shaykh, meaning, it is strange, I say to them, we always think at the timeThe Shaykh : ... that it is lost in the issues or in the questions and answers that others can answer and raise and discuss,The Shaykh : ... a versatile scholar, but his only specialty is the science of hadith. So I say, I feel thatThe Shaykh : ... when someone asks him about the science of hadith, and especially the issues of terminology and criticism, that he feels a hunger, meaning, as if, Glory be to Allah, yes, Shaykh?

The Shaykh : ... No doubt that this is a gain and a profit, yes, by Allah. Praise be to Allah who established us in this station.
Al-Halabi : ... Yes, by Allah, praise be to Allah, this is from Allah.

The Shaykh : ... That is from the favor of Allah upon us and upon the people.

The Shaykh : ... Praise be to Allah, Glory be to Allah.
...

The Shaykh : And he quoted what came in *al-Tahdhib*, a long chain of transmission.
Al-Halabi : This is not knowledge.

The Shaykh : Ah, and so-and-so said this, and so-and-so said that, and so-and-so said that. The least that comes out of this quotation for someone who does not know Al-Albani and his style is: what is this?The Shaykh : Al-Albani answers with hadiths in which he speaks about the narrators in their chains of transmission using this kind of language, as if something new is coming that was hidden from us, with amazing and amazing expansion...