He was asked about a statement mentioned by the brother Ali al-Halabi in his book *Al-Anwar al-Khashi'ah*.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : I have three questions?
The Shaykh : Bring up just one question that matters to you right now.
The questioner : O Shaykh Nasser, I recently read the book of the brother Ali.Al-Halabi : *Al-Anwar al-Kashifah*, and I read something in it that I would like to read out, and then I have a question about it. Shall I read it?
The Shaykh : Please go ahead.
The questioner : The brother Ali said, "And how many hadiths did al-Dhahabi approve of al-Hakim's authentication in his *Mustadrak*, only to contradict that in *al-Mizan* or *Muhadhdhab Sunan al-Bayhaqi* or others? And how many hadiths did Ibn al-Jawzi include in *al-Mawdu'at*, yet he has them in *al-'Ilal al-Mutanahiyyah*? And how many narrators did Ibn Hibban authenticate, only to find them in his book *al-Majruhin*? And how many narrators did the Hafiz Ibn Hajar differ on between *Taqrib al-Tahdhib* and *Fath al-Bari* or *al-Talkhis al-Habir*? So can it be said that such memorizers and masters are contradictory? Rather, the one who is contradictory is the one who claims they are contradictory and asserts their inconsistency."
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Then, O Shaykh Nasser, I went to al-Saqaf to see if he had accused these memorizers of contradiction, and he told me and replied to me that you yourself, O Shaykh Nasser, said about these memorizers that they are contradictory, and that you said he did not say about any of them that they are contradictory. He showed me in your books *al-Da'if* and *al-Sahih* that you judged these memorizers, and especially these four, to be contradictory.
The Shaykh : Bring up an example so I can see.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : You started with Ali and ended with Al-Albani, and this is proof that you are not following the correct scholarly path. You started with Ali.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So what do you want when you started with Ali?
The questioner : By Allah, I am merely a questioner and inquirer, O our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : You may be so, if Allah wills, but I am asking you: what do you want from Ali?
The questioner : The book is for...
The Shaykh : And if so, what do you want? What is your question?
The questioner : My question is that al-Saqaf told me that Al-Albani himself judged these...
The Shaykh : O Shaykh, may Allah guide you. You are talking about Ali, not about Al-Albani. Al-Albani came last, and it is still your turn for us to ask you what you want from Al-Albani.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : You started with Ali.
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh Nasser, because this book is a defense of Al-Albani and a response on his behalf, and he is also his student.
The Shaykh : And if you are a student of al-Saqaf?
The questioner : I do not know al-Saqaf, except that I saw him once and asked him about this.
The Shaykh : Okay, did you ask him? Are you his student?
The questioner : No, I am not his student.
The Shaykh : Okay, so what is your question now regarding Ali?
The questioner : My question regarding Ali is that he said the one who is contradictory is the one who claims these memorizers are contradictory.
The Shaykh : Yes, do you know what he means?
The questioner : He means that the one who is contradictory is the one who said that memorizers like these are contradictory.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Yes, then I went to al-Saqaf and found him saying that he did not say this statement, and that he did not say that these are contradictory, but rather he said...
The Shaykh : Yes, you ask the one who wrote the book. You ask him.
The questioner : So I ask Ali?
The Shaykh : Yes, he will answer you, because our Lord says:[An-Najm 53:36-39] So if he is my student and I am his Shaykh, if I made a mistake, he does not bear my mistake. And if he made a mistake, I do not bear his mistake. So go back to him and ask him.
The questioner : Yes, okay, O Shaykh Nasser, would you be kind? I want to ask you about this point: that you yourself judged these memorizers to be contradictory.
The Shaykh : Where did I judge?
The questioner : In your fourth volume of *al-Da'if*, if you would be kind.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes.
The questioner : Four hundred and forty-two.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And you said, "Consider the extent of al-Dhahabi's contradiction so that you strive for correct knowledge and reject the imitation of men."
The Shaykh: Okay
The questioner : Then you said in your *al-Sahih*, volume one, page one hundred and ninety-three: "And therefore Ibn al-Jawzi erred by including it in his hadith in *al-Mawdu'at*, as he contradicted himself and also included it in *al-Wahiyyat*."
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Then you also said in volume three of *al-Da'if*, page two hundred and sixty-six: "And he contradicted Ibn Hajar's opinion on it." Then you said on page two hundred and sixty-seven in volume three of *al-Da'if*: "And this is an apparent contradiction by Ibn Hibban."
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So, O Shaykh Nasser, I saw at al-Saqaf's and he told me that he wrote a treatise on this matter and that he will strive to publish it. And he showed me, meaning the writer, many writings that I noticed.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : Many writings, as if he is trying to publish the second part of the contradictions.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : And I was surprised, and I do not know, he may have put many things in it.
The Shaykh: Yes
The questioner : I do not know, what is your opinion, O Shaykh Nasser? He says your student claims that the one who is contradictory is the one who claims these are contradictory, so it is as if this student is judging his Shaykh to be contradictory.
The Shaykh : You are going back to the student. I told you to ask him.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for me, I am asking you. Every person is responsible for himself. Indeed, a person has clear insight into himself. Why are you going back to the student now after I referred you to him?
The questioner : So now, the premise of this student is wrong in this regard.
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. You are making it clear that you are a follower of al-Saqaf, and more.
The questioner : I, O Shaykh Nasser...
The Shaykh : O Shaykh, may Allah guide you. Your intention is to follow stumbles. I mean, what is your concern if my student is contradictory? What great gain have you achieved, and what great gain has your Shaykh al-Saqaf achieved? Did you know the truth from what you read just now regarding the contradictions of al-Dhahabi, and Ibn al-Jawzi, and others? Did you know the truth from that?
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh, first I want to tell you that I am not a follower of al-Saqaf.
The Shaykh : Answer me: did you know the truth from that contradiction?
AThe questioner : How can I answer you when you have built an accusation against me that I am not in?
The Shaykh : That is what I hope for, but why are you following al-Saqaf's path? Therefore, you were attributed to this affiliation. So if you disavow him, I do not accuse you of anything. But when I found your path to be his path, that is why I said what I said to you now. You are not a follower of al-Saqaf. Did you benefit from what you read just now in *al-Sahih* and *al-Da'if*? Did you know the correct from this contradiction, or are you still confused?
The questioner : I will answer you because I have not looked into these contradictions in detail.
The Shaykh : And why do you not look into them in detail and want to know if there is a contradiction or not? Am I saying that so-and-so's contradiction is yes or no? And is Ali correct in his statement or not? What matters to you in this?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Is this more important to you, or is it more important for you to know the right from the wrong?
The questioner : I will answer you, O Shaykh Nasser.
The Shaykh : It is not the point, may Allah guide you, that you answer me.
The questioner : Yes, I understood the idea from you.
The Shaykh : So give me the answer.
The questioner : I will answer you. In my reading and in my question to you, I did not intend these specific contradictions.
The Shaykh : I do not care what you intended. Give me the answer: did you know the right from the wrong?
The questioner : No, because...
The Shaykh : Therefore, I tell you: search for what matters to you and do not cling to formalities. Whether I erred in saying "contradiction" or not, the important thing is that you know Ibn al-Dhahabi said this in one place and said this in another place, and Ibn al-Jawzi said this in one place and said this in another place. This is what matters to you. As for whether I hit the mark in saying they erred or in saying it is a contradiction, that is a formal matter that does not matter to you or anyone else.
The questioner : Because, allow me to say a word, and it is that the subject of my question is not whether I hit the mark in accusing these of being contradictory. Rather, the subject of my question is that this response contradicts what is in your books only, and the subject of my question is not...
The Shaykh : Also, what does this benefit you?
The questioner : It benefits me.
The Shaykh : I am asking you now: what is more beneficial for you, to know that this hadith is authentic as al-Dhahabi said in some of his books, or that it is weak as he said in another book? Which is more important for you?
The questioner : I will answer you. The most important thing, of course, is for a person to know...
The Shaykh : So focus on the most important thing.
The questioner : But now, I have responses in front of me that I am seeing from two sides, from the side of al-Saqaf.
The Shaykh : These are formal responses. May Allah guide you. It does not matter to you. You need to know if this is a contradiction or not. It matters to you to know if this hadith is authentic or weak.
The questioner : No, at the current time, this does not matter to me. What matters to me is to see these responses. I want to know the truth.
The Shaykh : Okay, and that is not the truth. The truth is to know if a hadith is authentic or weak.
The questioner : This is another matter.
The Shaykh : Of the two matters, you admitted that the first matter is the most important. So why do you not work on the most important thing and work on formalities?
The questioner : That is another place, and this is another place.
The Shaykh : My brother, you are repeating yourself. May Allah guide you. You have repeated your words two or three times. I know this matter well, better than you or as well as you. This is one topic and that is another. And you admitted that the topic you are dealing with is more important than the one you are currently working on. Therefore, I tell you, and this is the conclusion of your argument, that if you seek knowledge, it is abundant, but your lifespan for acquiring it is short. So prioritize the most important over the less important. You are still holding onto the secondary aspect and leaving the essential one. You might say, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said so," but it is not authentic. Then you would be fabricating against the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) without knowing. As for so-and-so, this statement is contradictory; it is not authentic. It is not your concern. It is of second, third, or tenth importance. The first importance is to know whether this hadith is authentic or weak. Is it that al-Dhahabi said once that it is weak and once that it is authentic? That is what concerns you. As for this contradiction, which is not a contradiction, it is not important. I will tell you, I will change the wording for your safety. When al-Dhahabi said here that it is authentic, I say he erred, and when he said it is weak, he was correct. That is the point.
The questioner : Yes, but
The Shaykh : But you did not know whether he erred or was correct.The questioner : But
The Shaykh : Peace be upon you. I have no time to argue with a person who has no knowledge and does not care about the most important over the less important. May Allah guide you. And he says it is not by Saqaf.
The questioner : By Allah, my Shaykh, this is as if
The questioner : The other: This is Ilyas.
The Shaykh : Who is Ilyas?
The questioner : He came to you and gave you a book, saying, "This is a gift from Saqaf. Work for me; I have a period."
The Shaykh : It was not clear. He told you it was from Saqaf, and more.
The questioner : Our Shaykh, a man came here and sat down once.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is the one who was here. You are Abu al-Yaman. He sat here the second time.
The questioner : So, in my strong opinion,
The Shaykh : Were you here when he came?
The questioner : I was here.
The questioner : The other: I was present, my Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Do you know who he is?
The questioner : Our Shaykh, the voice is similar, but I am not sure.
The Shaykh : is it
The questioner : I was almost certain it was him. He knew me and worked for me for a period, my teacher.
The Shaykh: Okay
The questioner : And then he told me that he went to visit you and gave you a book.
The Shaykh : Argument is for argument, not for knowledge. This started with a question. Did you ask me? There is indeed a movement now among the women. It moves them a bit, meaning the women move and ask. More than one woman asked me about the topic that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) rose above the Throne, and the verse[Al-Mulk 67:16]. So this
is also certainly
The Shaykh : Bring up just one question that matters to you right now.
The questioner : O Shaykh Nasser, I recently read the book of the brother Ali.Al-Halabi : *Al-Anwar al-Kashifah*, and I read something in it that I would like to read out, and then I have a question about it. Shall I read it?
The Shaykh : Please go ahead.
The questioner : The brother Ali said, "And how many hadiths did al-Dhahabi approve of al-Hakim's authentication in his *Mustadrak*, only to contradict that in *al-Mizan* or *Muhadhdhab Sunan al-Bayhaqi* or others? And how many hadiths did Ibn al-Jawzi include in *al-Mawdu'at*, yet he has them in *al-'Ilal al-Mutanahiyyah*? And how many narrators did Ibn Hibban authenticate, only to find them in his book *al-Majruhin*? And how many narrators did the Hafiz Ibn Hajar differ on between *Taqrib al-Tahdhib* and *Fath al-Bari* or *al-Talkhis al-Habir*? So can it be said that such memorizers and masters are contradictory? Rather, the one who is contradictory is the one who claims they are contradictory and asserts their inconsistency."
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Then, O Shaykh Nasser, I went to al-Saqaf to see if he had accused these memorizers of contradiction, and he told me and replied to me that you yourself, O Shaykh Nasser, said about these memorizers that they are contradictory, and that you said he did not say about any of them that they are contradictory. He showed me in your books *al-Da'if* and *al-Sahih* that you judged these memorizers, and especially these four, to be contradictory.
The Shaykh : Bring up an example so I can see.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : You started with Ali and ended with Al-Albani, and this is proof that you are not following the correct scholarly path. You started with Ali.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So what do you want when you started with Ali?
The questioner : By Allah, I am merely a questioner and inquirer, O our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : You may be so, if Allah wills, but I am asking you: what do you want from Ali?
The questioner : The book is for...
The Shaykh : And if so, what do you want? What is your question?
The questioner : My question is that al-Saqaf told me that Al-Albani himself judged these...
The Shaykh : O Shaykh, may Allah guide you. You are talking about Ali, not about Al-Albani. Al-Albani came last, and it is still your turn for us to ask you what you want from Al-Albani.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : You started with Ali.
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh Nasser, because this book is a defense of Al-Albani and a response on his behalf, and he is also his student.
The Shaykh : And if you are a student of al-Saqaf?
The questioner : I do not know al-Saqaf, except that I saw him once and asked him about this.
The Shaykh : Okay, did you ask him? Are you his student?
The questioner : No, I am not his student.
The Shaykh : Okay, so what is your question now regarding Ali?
The questioner : My question regarding Ali is that he said the one who is contradictory is the one who claims these memorizers are contradictory.
The Shaykh : Yes, do you know what he means?
The questioner : He means that the one who is contradictory is the one who said that memorizers like these are contradictory.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Yes, then I went to al-Saqaf and found him saying that he did not say this statement, and that he did not say that these are contradictory, but rather he said...
The Shaykh : Yes, you ask the one who wrote the book. You ask him.
The questioner : So I ask Ali?
The Shaykh : Yes, he will answer you, because our Lord says:
(36) Or has he not been informed of what was in the scriptures of Moses (37) And [of] Abraham, who fulfilled [his obligations] - (38) That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another (39) And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives
أم لم ينبأ بما في صحف موسى و إبراهيم الذي وفى ألاّ تزر وازرة وزر أخرى و أن ليس للإنسان إلا ما سعىThe questioner : Yes, okay, O Shaykh Nasser, would you be kind? I want to ask you about this point: that you yourself judged these memorizers to be contradictory.
The Shaykh : Where did I judge?
The questioner : In your fourth volume of *al-Da'if*, if you would be kind.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes.
The questioner : Four hundred and forty-two.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And you said, "Consider the extent of al-Dhahabi's contradiction so that you strive for correct knowledge and reject the imitation of men."
The Shaykh: Okay
The questioner : Then you said in your *al-Sahih*, volume one, page one hundred and ninety-three: "And therefore Ibn al-Jawzi erred by including it in his hadith in *al-Mawdu'at*, as he contradicted himself and also included it in *al-Wahiyyat*."
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Then you also said in volume three of *al-Da'if*, page two hundred and sixty-six: "And he contradicted Ibn Hajar's opinion on it." Then you said on page two hundred and sixty-seven in volume three of *al-Da'if*: "And this is an apparent contradiction by Ibn Hibban."
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So, O Shaykh Nasser, I saw at al-Saqaf's and he told me that he wrote a treatise on this matter and that he will strive to publish it. And he showed me, meaning the writer, many writings that I noticed.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : Many writings, as if he is trying to publish the second part of the contradictions.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : And I was surprised, and I do not know, he may have put many things in it.
The Shaykh: Yes
The questioner : I do not know, what is your opinion, O Shaykh Nasser? He says your student claims that the one who is contradictory is the one who claims these are contradictory, so it is as if this student is judging his Shaykh to be contradictory.
The Shaykh : You are going back to the student. I told you to ask him.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for me, I am asking you. Every person is responsible for himself. Indeed, a person has clear insight into himself. Why are you going back to the student now after I referred you to him?
The questioner : So now, the premise of this student is wrong in this regard.
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. You are making it clear that you are a follower of al-Saqaf, and more.
The questioner : I, O Shaykh Nasser...
The Shaykh : O Shaykh, may Allah guide you. Your intention is to follow stumbles. I mean, what is your concern if my student is contradictory? What great gain have you achieved, and what great gain has your Shaykh al-Saqaf achieved? Did you know the truth from what you read just now regarding the contradictions of al-Dhahabi, and Ibn al-Jawzi, and others? Did you know the truth from that?
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh, first I want to tell you that I am not a follower of al-Saqaf.
The Shaykh : Answer me: did you know the truth from that contradiction?
AThe questioner : How can I answer you when you have built an accusation against me that I am not in?
The Shaykh : That is what I hope for, but why are you following al-Saqaf's path? Therefore, you were attributed to this affiliation. So if you disavow him, I do not accuse you of anything. But when I found your path to be his path, that is why I said what I said to you now. You are not a follower of al-Saqaf. Did you benefit from what you read just now in *al-Sahih* and *al-Da'if*? Did you know the correct from this contradiction, or are you still confused?
The questioner : I will answer you because I have not looked into these contradictions in detail.
The Shaykh : And why do you not look into them in detail and want to know if there is a contradiction or not? Am I saying that so-and-so's contradiction is yes or no? And is Ali correct in his statement or not? What matters to you in this?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Is this more important to you, or is it more important for you to know the right from the wrong?
The questioner : I will answer you, O Shaykh Nasser.
The Shaykh : It is not the point, may Allah guide you, that you answer me.
The questioner : Yes, I understood the idea from you.
The Shaykh : So give me the answer.
The questioner : I will answer you. In my reading and in my question to you, I did not intend these specific contradictions.
The Shaykh : I do not care what you intended. Give me the answer: did you know the right from the wrong?
The questioner : No, because...
The Shaykh : Therefore, I tell you: search for what matters to you and do not cling to formalities. Whether I erred in saying "contradiction" or not, the important thing is that you know Ibn al-Dhahabi said this in one place and said this in another place, and Ibn al-Jawzi said this in one place and said this in another place. This is what matters to you. As for whether I hit the mark in saying they erred or in saying it is a contradiction, that is a formal matter that does not matter to you or anyone else.
The questioner : Because, allow me to say a word, and it is that the subject of my question is not whether I hit the mark in accusing these of being contradictory. Rather, the subject of my question is that this response contradicts what is in your books only, and the subject of my question is not...
The Shaykh : Also, what does this benefit you?
The questioner : It benefits me.
The Shaykh : I am asking you now: what is more beneficial for you, to know that this hadith is authentic as al-Dhahabi said in some of his books, or that it is weak as he said in another book? Which is more important for you?
The questioner : I will answer you. The most important thing, of course, is for a person to know...
The Shaykh : So focus on the most important thing.
The questioner : But now, I have responses in front of me that I am seeing from two sides, from the side of al-Saqaf.
The Shaykh : These are formal responses. May Allah guide you. It does not matter to you. You need to know if this is a contradiction or not. It matters to you to know if this hadith is authentic or weak.
The questioner : No, at the current time, this does not matter to me. What matters to me is to see these responses. I want to know the truth.
The Shaykh : Okay, and that is not the truth. The truth is to know if a hadith is authentic or weak.
The questioner : This is another matter.
The Shaykh : Of the two matters, you admitted that the first matter is the most important. So why do you not work on the most important thing and work on formalities?
The questioner : That is another place, and this is another place.
The Shaykh : My brother, you are repeating yourself. May Allah guide you. You have repeated your words two or three times. I know this matter well, better than you or as well as you. This is one topic and that is another. And you admitted that the topic you are dealing with is more important than the one you are currently working on. Therefore, I tell you, and this is the conclusion of your argument, that if you seek knowledge, it is abundant, but your lifespan for acquiring it is short. So prioritize the most important over the less important. You are still holding onto the secondary aspect and leaving the essential one. You might say, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said so," but it is not authentic. Then you would be fabricating against the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) without knowing. As for so-and-so, this statement is contradictory; it is not authentic. It is not your concern. It is of second, third, or tenth importance. The first importance is to know whether this hadith is authentic or weak. Is it that al-Dhahabi said once that it is weak and once that it is authentic? That is what concerns you. As for this contradiction, which is not a contradiction, it is not important. I will tell you, I will change the wording for your safety. When al-Dhahabi said here that it is authentic, I say he erred, and when he said it is weak, he was correct. That is the point.
The questioner : Yes, but
The Shaykh : But you did not know whether he erred or was correct.The questioner : But
The Shaykh : Peace be upon you. I have no time to argue with a person who has no knowledge and does not care about the most important over the less important. May Allah guide you. And he says it is not by Saqaf.
The questioner : By Allah, my Shaykh, this is as if
The questioner : The other: This is Ilyas.
The Shaykh : Who is Ilyas?
The questioner : He came to you and gave you a book, saying, "This is a gift from Saqaf. Work for me; I have a period."
The Shaykh : It was not clear. He told you it was from Saqaf, and more.
The questioner : Our Shaykh, a man came here and sat down once.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is the one who was here. You are Abu al-Yaman. He sat here the second time.
The questioner : So, in my strong opinion,
The Shaykh : Were you here when he came?
The questioner : I was here.
The questioner : The other: I was present, my Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Do you know who he is?
The questioner : Our Shaykh, the voice is similar, but I am not sure.
The Shaykh : is it
The questioner : I was almost certain it was him. He knew me and worked for me for a period, my teacher.
The Shaykh: Okay
The questioner : And then he told me that he went to visit you and gave you a book.
The Shaykh : Argument is for argument, not for knowledge. This started with a question. Did you ask me? There is indeed a movement now among the women. It moves them a bit, meaning the women move and ask. More than one woman asked me about the topic that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) rose above the Throne, and the verse
Do you feel secure that He who [holds authority] in the heaven
أأمنتم من في السماءis also certainly
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.