What is your opinion regarding some students of knowledge who spend a long time in the lesson discussing the chains of narration, such as the hadith: "Actions are only by intentions"?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O our Shaykh. There is a matter among some students of knowledge: some of them memorize the musannad, the collections of hadiths.
The Shaykh : The musannad or the isnads?
The questioner : The isnads. He narrates them and sits explaining these isnads for a long period, mentioning the narrators and what is in this hadith, to the point that I once heard, regarding the hadith:, from after the Maghrib prayer until the call to Isha, and he did not explain the hadith itself. What is your opinion of this method followed by some students of knowledge?
The Shaykh : We see that this method is barren, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2657Sahih (Darussalam) So the important thing in the Sunnah is its jurisprudence and understanding it. The men and the chain are nothing but a path. If the men are from the men of al-Bukhari and Muslim, and it is in the two Sahihs, for example, then lengthening the speech about them is a burden and a waste of time. But if the men are in books that are not famous among the Muslims, then a person must research them. And if he is a teacher, he says: "People spoke about this man, and most of them weakened him, or most of them strengthened him," and he stops there. Then he speaks about the jurisprudence of the hadith and the benefits and rulings it contains. This is the correct method that benefits people.
As for my knowing people who have been dead for hundreds of years, what their condition was, and what was said about them, the benefit is little, because this hadith is in al-Bukhari and Muslim, which the imams accepted, indeed the people all accepted it. So this is truly a waste of time. Better than this, if he wants to do so, is to take *al-Taqrib or *al-Tahdhib or *Tahdhib al-Tahdhib or other books of the men, and read and explain them, and leave the hadiths aside.
So my advice to my brothers who study in hadith is to focus on the jurisprudence of the hadiths. As for the men, they should not research them except where necessity calls for it. And if they have undertaken teaching, let them speak about what they have found regarding this man. For example, he says: "People spoke about this man; most of them weakened him, or most of them strengthened him, and the stronger position is that he is strong, or the stronger position is that he is weak," if he is qualified for preferring one opinion or weakening it. Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : The musannad or the isnads?
The questioner : The isnads. He narrates them and sits explaining these isnads for a long period, mentioning the narrators and what is in this hadith, to the point that I once heard, regarding the hadith:
Actions are only by intentions
إنما الأعمال بالنياتThe Shaykh : We see that this method is barren, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Perhaps the one it is conveyed to is more understanding than the one who heard it.
رب مبلَّغ أوعى من سامعAs for my knowing people who have been dead for hundreds of years, what their condition was, and what was said about them, the benefit is little, because this hadith is in al-Bukhari and Muslim, which the imams accepted, indeed the people all accepted it. So this is truly a waste of time. Better than this, if he wants to do so, is to take *al-Taqrib or *al-Tahdhib or *Tahdhib al-Tahdhib or other books of the men, and read and explain them, and leave the hadiths aside.
So my advice to my brothers who study in hadith is to focus on the jurisprudence of the hadiths. As for the men, they should not research them except where necessity calls for it. And if they have undertaken teaching, let them speak about what they have found regarding this man. For example, he says: "People spoke about this man; most of them weakened him, or most of them strengthened him, and the stronger position is that he is strong, or the stronger position is that he is weak," if he is qualified for preferring one opinion or weakening it. Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.