How to reconcile the statement that the Sunnah is preserved with the existence of weak and fabricated hadiths that entered the Sunnah?

The questioner : A questioner asked me about the prayer of 'Isha' regarding the statement of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He: . He said, "Based on our understanding of the interpretation of this verse, the Qur'an and the Sunnah are preserved by Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Everyone knows that weak and fabricated hadiths have entered the Sunnah. So how do we reconcile the statement of Allah with this reality that has befallen the Sunnah? Since some Christians have raised a doubt for this brother that the Qur'an might be distorted as long as the Sunnah has been distorted, and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says that it is preserved and [the Sunnah] has been distorted. How do we respond to these two doubts?"

The Shaykh : First, before answering this question, it is desirable for every Muslim to know that Islam, or rather the Muslim world, or I will say a greater word, the Prophet of Islam, cannot convince every disbeliever of every detail of Islam. Do you understand this premise? Yes. And this is a very clear matter. Why? Because in Islam there are fundamental matters from which thousands of legal rulings branch out. So whoever does not believe in that foundation cannot believe in what branches from that foundation. Therefore, when a disbeliever raises a doubt to a Muslim, that doubt has no value because it is based on his disbelief, not on his faith. So here we will say to the Muslim, especially the one who does not have a legal culture, do not open your heart to listening to the doubts of disbelievers, but open your heart to receiving the correct knowledge from the people of knowledge and understanding of the religion. I think this premise is sufficient for one who truly believes in Allah and His Messenger, that we say to him, "Up to here and that is enough." But I have another method in answering, and although this other method is built upon the first method, I will say: It is known among scholars that words are the molds of meanings, and the matter is as that old poet said, even if he was a disbeliever, but he was a rational person! He said:
"Indeed, speech is in the heart, *** And the tongue is only made a sign for the heart." So words are the molds of meanings. If Allah, Mighty and Majestic, revealed verses, or His Prophet spoke hadiths from His speech, then He, the Exalted, and His Prophet (peace be upon him) intend the meanings contained in these words. And if this reality is known to every rational Muslim, and even to that disbeliever, "Indeed, speech is in the heart, *** And the tongue is only made a sign for the heart," then when Allah, Mighty and Majestic, speaks about His Book: , and this is a reality that the disbelievers themselves cannot deny, especially if they apply the rule that some Arabs said in the past, "By its opposite, things become clear." If they compare the Qur'an to their Gospels, they will find that the Gospel with them is more than seventy Gospels, then they reduced the number and settled on four and abrogated the rest. This is the greatest proof that the Gospel, their Gospel, is not preserved, but rather this copy [is preserved]. While this Mushaf, this Noble Qur'an, to this day, they find no way to touch or criticize it at all. And so they come from the path of the Sunnah! If words are the molds of meanings, we now return to enter the core of the answer to the doubt.
This Muslim, for example, to whom that doubt was sent, believes from the bottom of his heart that this Noble Qur'an is preserved, unlike the Sunnah. We say to him: Have you known the meanings contained in all the Qur'anic verses? His answer will be: No, I have known most of them? They will say from his words: No. If he has known a little of them, he will have to admit this. We must return and say to him: Does this mean that the meanings you did not know and missed are lost to all Muslim scholars, or are they known to them even if they are unknown to you? What do you think his answer will be? At that point, the problem falls away. These hadiths that are weak in the eyes of such a questioner are not so in the eyes of a group of Muslim scholars. Just as the meanings of the Qur'an are preserved among all Muslim scholars, the authentic hadiths of the Messenger (peace be upon him) are preserved among the collective Muslim scholars, not with one person. Because it may be said that the Qur'an itself, its meanings specifically, and the meanings contained in a single verse, a sharp, intelligent scholar may derive dozens of issues from it, while the general people take one or two issues. What about the total of rulings and derivations taken from the total of the Noble verses? These meanings cannot be said to be lost to the entire Ummah; rather, it is a relative matter. Likewise, the authentic hadiths of the Messenger (peace be upon him) are preserved in the hearts of the Ummah, but not in the heart of one individual of the Ummah. In brief and complete summary, it is said regarding the hadiths, regarding the texts of the hadiths, as it is said regarding the meanings of the verses. Clear, if Allah wills, it conveys the message and delivers the trust.