How do we know a scholar of hadith? And is everyone who writes on hadith considered a scholar in it?

The questioner : How do we know that a person has knowledge of hadith or does not? How do we know that al-Kawthari has knowledge of hadith, or al-Ghazali, or other scholars, if they are scholars?

The Shaykh : What is your opinion if I develop your question and ask: How do we know that this person is a scholar in language or ignorant? How do we know that this person is a scholar in fiqh or ignorant? How do we know?

The questioner :

The Shaykh : Be patient. How do you know for us a scholar in fiqh regarding the rulings of the Shari'ah? How do you know?

The questioner : It varies according to the person.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : It varies according to the person, like me as a student of knowledge or a beginner in knowledge...

The Shaykh : Is everyone who has more knowledge than you considered a scholar in the Book and the Sunnah, or not? Say no.

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : So your answer is wrong, correct?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : So let us repeat the question, and I hope to receive the answer: How do you know that so-and-so is a scholar?

The questioner : I follow the people of the Sunnah.

The Shaykh : No, I am not asking you what you do. I am asking you, if you are ignorant, what do you do? How do you know that so-and-so is a scholar, and so-and-so is a student of knowledge, and so-and-so is ignorant? How do you know? The answer, my brother, is through association and companionship. This may be direct with a person; now you are in contact with me, and that is not enough. But when the association increases, it becomes clear to you whether he has a certain level of knowledge or not. This is the way to know the scholars in any science, not just in the science of hadith.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : So I tell you, al-Ghazali, who has occupied the Muslim world today with his misguidance, did you know him as a scholar of hadith?

The questioner : No
The Shaykh: Ah, you did not know him as a scholar of hadith. Did you know him as a caller to Islam? You knew him as a caller to Islam, but did you know him as calling to Islam based on the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the pious predecessors? You did not know him. So through association, whether this association, may Allah reward you, is direct or through looking at his books and writings, you have not associated with him, perhaps al-Ghazali, and I have associated with him.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : But not much, but perhaps you looked at his books and I looked at them, and perhaps your looking at his books is more than my books, but you do not see in his books the traces of his knowledge of hadith in terms of authenticating and weakening.

The questioner : Is everyone who writes on hadith considered a scholar in hadith?

The Shaykh : No, absolutely not. There are people, I mean, collectors. There are people who are collectors and woodcutters in hadith, meaning they only collect. As for knowing the authentic and the weak, knowing the men who narrate authentic hadiths, and the men who narrate good hadiths, and the men who know that they narrate weak hadiths, and the others who narrate fabricated hadiths, these are very few in every era. They have increased in this era, which is an omen of evil from one aspect, and although it is a good sign from another aspect. Yes.