When is the addition of a trustworthy narrator accepted, and when is it rejected?

The questioner : When is an addition to a hadith accepted and considered the addition of a trustworthy narrator, and when is it rejected and considered anomalous? What are the criteria and conditions for determining this?

The Shaykh : What are the criteria and conditions?

The questioner : For determining this?

The Shaykh : This is a simple matter for one who has mastered it and engaged with it. If we imagine a text narrated by a trustworthy narrator, and this same text is narrated by another trustworthy narrator, and they are equal in memorization and precision, then the addition of the trustworthy narrator is accepted. However, if the one who added the detail is less precise and has less memorization, his addition is called anomalous. This is a simplified example. It is possible that the one who brought the addition is a trustworthy, precise, and memorizing narrator, but the text narrated without the addition was narrated by trustworthy narrators, meaning a group of trustworthy narrators. In this case, the addition of the trustworthy narrator is rejected. This is because those who narrated the hadith without the addition are more numerous, and consequently, they are more precise and have better memorization. Therefore, the addition of that precise, memorizing trustworthy narrator is also an anomalous addition. As mentioned in the books of hadith, the definition of a sound hadith among them is what is narrated by a just, precise narrator from one like him, from one like him, to the end of the chain, and it is not anomalous and not defective. Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The anomalous hadith is not when a trustworthy narrator narrates what no other trustworthy narrator has narrated. No, this is not anomalous. Rather, the anomalous hadith is when a trustworthy narrator narrates what contradicts one who is more trustworthy than him." The one who is more trustworthy may be a single person, as I mentioned earlier at the beginning of the answer, or it may be a group. This group is more trustworthy than that precise, memorizing narrator, so his addition at that time is anomalous. Let me give you two examples now. The famous hadith in the two Sahihs from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . The Messenger (peace be upon him) spoke this hadith, then entered the chamber, and the Companions began to suspect one another regarding these people in a hadith that has some length. I will summarize it now. Then the Messenger (peace be upon him) came out to them and said: . A man from the Companions named Ikamah . This hadith, as I said, is agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim with this wording. Imam Muslim, who participated with al-Bukhari in narrating this hadith with this text, in a narration of his, said that the Messenger (peace be upon him), in describing those seventy thousand, said: . They do not seek ruqyah and they do not perform ruqyah. Then Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, "That this addition is weak," even though it is in Sahih Muslim, and as we know from his knowledge, his knowledge is abundant. In this context, he brings this hadith and points out that the addition of is weak, but he does not explain the reason. We traced the routes of this hadith first in Sahih Muslim and found that Sa'id ibn Mansur, who is one of the preservers of the Sunnah and one of the sheikhsThe Shaykh : in the two Sahihs, uniquely narrated this addition: "They do not seek ruqyah and they do not perform ruqyah." So we said that the reason Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah considered this addition weak is that it is anomalous due to Sa'id ibn Mansur's uniqueness in it, unlike all the preservers who participated with him in narrating this hadith. And I thinkThe Shaykh : it is Hisham ibn Bashir al-Wasiti. This is the first example, and it is likely clear. The second example: He (peace be upon him) said: . The reason for this hadith is the example I wanted. The second example: Mu'awiyah entered a gathering in which were some of the Banu Umayyah, including Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr and Abdullah ibn Amir. In some narrations, there is a third person. The important point is that Abdullah ibn Amir stood up for Mu'awiyah, but Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr did not stand up. The narrator says, "And he was the most dignified of them; he was dignified," even though Mu'awiyah was the one who entered upon the seated people, and one of the Banu Umayyah, Abdullah ibn Amir, stood up, while Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr did not. So he forbade him from standing and said to him: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: . The point is that this hadith came from one route, then the routes branched off from it. All these routes mentioned that the one who stood up was Abdullah ibn Amir and the one who did not stand up was Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr. Sufyan al-Thawri deviated from them. And although Sufyan al-Thawri is a mountain in memorization, some of the preservers, including Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, said—of course, he does not explicitly state that it is anomalous, but he means that the narration of the group, especially since Shu'bah ibn al-Hajjaj is among them, and he is almost equal to Sufyan in memorization and precision—so Shu'bah with the group is on the position that the one who stood up was Abdullah ibn Amir and the one who did not stand up was Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr. Sufyan al-Thawri contradicted them and said that the one who stood up was Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr and the one who did not stand up was Abdullah ibn Amir. So al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar ruled in favor of the group over Sufyan al-Thawri, even though, as we said earlier, he is a mountain in memorization. So if his addition is anomalous, it is not accepted. Therefore, the condition for accepting the addition of a trustworthy narrator is that he does not contradict one who is more memorizing than him or more numerous in number. I hope the answer is also clear.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And beware of yourself.

The questioner : There is a question, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Please, a little. Yes.

The questioner : ... From the two examples, that a trustworthy narrator is contradicted by the number?

The Shaykh : Who is the more memorizing one as well?

The questioner : No, in the two examples, meaning both are in terms of number.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : That is, the two examples are in terms of number. Yes, yes.