Why did you not produce a complete critical edition of the book *Riyad al-Salihin*?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Regarding this man's work on the issue of verifying and weakening the hadiths in *Riyad al-Salihin*, which looks at your effort and struggle—may Allah bless you—I found that you have focused on many books that, in my opinion, and perhaps I am wrong in this opinion, are of less status and less widespread than *Riyad al-Salihin*. So I do not know the reason for not tracing the hadiths (takhrij) so that it does not give an opportunity for this man and others like him.
The Shaykh : How was the last sentence?
The questioner : I mean the book *Riyad al-Salihin*.
The Shaykh : Do not repeat the whole thing. Do you not know what the end is?
The questioner : I am saying why the book itself was not published with your critical edition.
The Shaykh : It was published.
The questioner : But it did not clarify every hadith.
The Shaykh : Ah, I am telling you something, take a moment. Perhaps you know that I used to work certain hours for Zuhayr al-Shawi?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Well, you know that in addition to that, I agreed with him that I would work for him four hours every day, except for one week of every month.
The questioner : This was before the events in Lebanon.
The Shaykh : A long time ago, after my return from the university.
The questioner : Yes, until close to the events in Lebanon, or...
The Shaykh : No, no, a long time ago. My teaching at the university was from 1980.
Al-Halabi : 1984.
The Shaykh : 1984, yes. The point is, during the period of my teaching at the university, the watch repair shop was closed. So when my teaching period at the university ended, I naturally intended to return to my profession. This man, I had previously edited his book *Mishkat al-Masabih* before my appointment to teach. So you will find the edition like *Riyad al-Salihin*, complete but not comprehensive. The point is, when I returned from the university and he knew that I was determined to return to the shop, he said to me a word that I found to be the height of intelligence and wisdom. He said, "O so-and-so, there are many watchmakers like you, but very, very few like you who care for the Sunnah and for verification and weakening of hadiths." So he was as if saying, "It is forbidden for you to waste this effort and this divine gift in matters in which the righteous and the wicked share, meaning repairing watches. So I see that you should devote yourself to serving the Sunnah." He said this, and I agreed with him that I would work for him four hours of every week, except for one week. I naturally stipulated that this be in the path of da'wah, as I had trips to Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Latakia, and so on. We agreed on this. He, as a publisher, seems to want to print a book and present it to me for editing within certain limits, because he cannot afford for me to specialize as I do now with my books. One hadith takes me not just hours but days. This is not suitable for him as a sponsor and merchant. So he would bring books with quick annotations. So your statement is indeed valid, but I knew the reason. How was that takhrij brief and concise?
The questioner : This is what, when I return to it, I am forced to return to the other books in which you expanded, because most of the hadiths found in *Riyad al-Salihin* are in *al-Silsilah al-Da'ifah* or *al-Sahihah* where you expand. But the spread of this book and the people, with all regret, as you know, this aspect, even though it has a positive side, meaning they started to return and expand, but sometimes just because this is expanded and that is concise, they prefer this over that.
The Shaykh : In any case, the knowledge of the Sunnah, as you know, is very, very extensive in takhrij and verification. And a person is perplexed in preferring this over that. Then perhaps he is not perplexed and one position becomes stronger, but due to certain circumstances, he is unable to act on the stronger position, so he is forced to act on the weaker position, which is good, but that one is stronger. So the person, as it was said in some hadiths, what?
Al-Halabi : Our Shaykh, speaking of the book *Riyad al-Salihin*, following Hasan, a connection was established between me and...The Shaykh : Bakr, meaning two or three days after the 'Id, after I came from my trip. So the conversation takes hold of itself and goes back and forth. So I said to him, "O Abu 'Abdullah, have you come across a copy of *Riyad al-Salihin* that is such and such?" He said, "By Allah, no, I have not come across it." Then he corrected himself, saying, "Some of my brothers from the students of hadith, from the students of knowledge, meaning those specialized in hadith, contacted me in Ramadan and said to me, 'I ate my iftar today.'" I said to him, "Strange, how?" He said, "I saw a wonderful book, and it struck my heart that I broke my fast from seeing this book, and it is the book *Riyad al-Salihin* edited by this man." I said, "By Allah, I am far from that, I seek forgiveness from Allah the Great."
The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar.
Abu Layla : I remembered what I had forgotten.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.
The Shaykh : How was the last sentence?
The questioner : I mean the book *Riyad al-Salihin*.
The Shaykh : Do not repeat the whole thing. Do you not know what the end is?
The questioner : I am saying why the book itself was not published with your critical edition.
The Shaykh : It was published.
The questioner : But it did not clarify every hadith.
The Shaykh : Ah, I am telling you something, take a moment. Perhaps you know that I used to work certain hours for Zuhayr al-Shawi?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Well, you know that in addition to that, I agreed with him that I would work for him four hours every day, except for one week of every month.
The questioner : This was before the events in Lebanon.
The Shaykh : A long time ago, after my return from the university.
The questioner : Yes, until close to the events in Lebanon, or...
The Shaykh : No, no, a long time ago. My teaching at the university was from 1980.
Al-Halabi : 1984.
The Shaykh : 1984, yes. The point is, during the period of my teaching at the university, the watch repair shop was closed. So when my teaching period at the university ended, I naturally intended to return to my profession. This man, I had previously edited his book *Mishkat al-Masabih* before my appointment to teach. So you will find the edition like *Riyad al-Salihin*, complete but not comprehensive. The point is, when I returned from the university and he knew that I was determined to return to the shop, he said to me a word that I found to be the height of intelligence and wisdom. He said, "O so-and-so, there are many watchmakers like you, but very, very few like you who care for the Sunnah and for verification and weakening of hadiths." So he was as if saying, "It is forbidden for you to waste this effort and this divine gift in matters in which the righteous and the wicked share, meaning repairing watches. So I see that you should devote yourself to serving the Sunnah." He said this, and I agreed with him that I would work for him four hours of every week, except for one week. I naturally stipulated that this be in the path of da'wah, as I had trips to Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Latakia, and so on. We agreed on this. He, as a publisher, seems to want to print a book and present it to me for editing within certain limits, because he cannot afford for me to specialize as I do now with my books. One hadith takes me not just hours but days. This is not suitable for him as a sponsor and merchant. So he would bring books with quick annotations. So your statement is indeed valid, but I knew the reason. How was that takhrij brief and concise?
The questioner : This is what, when I return to it, I am forced to return to the other books in which you expanded, because most of the hadiths found in *Riyad al-Salihin* are in *al-Silsilah al-Da'ifah* or *al-Sahihah* where you expand. But the spread of this book and the people, with all regret, as you know, this aspect, even though it has a positive side, meaning they started to return and expand, but sometimes just because this is expanded and that is concise, they prefer this over that.
The Shaykh : In any case, the knowledge of the Sunnah, as you know, is very, very extensive in takhrij and verification. And a person is perplexed in preferring this over that. Then perhaps he is not perplexed and one position becomes stronger, but due to certain circumstances, he is unable to act on the stronger position, so he is forced to act on the weaker position, which is good, but that one is stronger. So the person, as it was said in some hadiths, what?
Al-Halabi : Our Shaykh, speaking of the book *Riyad al-Salihin*, following Hasan, a connection was established between me and...The Shaykh : Bakr, meaning two or three days after the 'Id, after I came from my trip. So the conversation takes hold of itself and goes back and forth. So I said to him, "O Abu 'Abdullah, have you come across a copy of *Riyad al-Salihin* that is such and such?" He said, "By Allah, no, I have not come across it." Then he corrected himself, saying, "Some of my brothers from the students of hadith, from the students of knowledge, meaning those specialized in hadith, contacted me in Ramadan and said to me, 'I ate my iftar today.'" I said to him, "Strange, how?" He said, "I saw a wonderful book, and it struck my heart that I broke my fast from seeing this book, and it is the book *Riyad al-Salihin* edited by this man." I said, "By Allah, I am far from that, I seek forgiveness from Allah the Great."
The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar.
Abu Layla : I remembered what I had forgotten.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.