If a trustworthy narrator narrates from his book and another trustworthy and precise narrator narrates from memory, which of the two is stronger in terms of precision?

The questioner : Now, here is another question regarding the conflict between memory and the book. If the narrator of the hadith is precise or trustworthy and precise, and the one contradicting him is described as having a book that is precise and well-cared for, and he attends to it, and so on, which one is preferred?

The Shaykh : He is, in principle, weak in memory.

The questioner : No, he is, in principle, trustworthy, trustworthy, for example, I mean.

The Shaykh : The owner of the book.

The questioner : The owner of the book is trustworthy, but his book is precise, and the one contradicting him is trustworthy and precise in his memory. The trustworthy and precise one narrated from his memory, and the owner of the book narrated from his book, and he is trustworthy in terms of precision. Which one is preferred?

The Shaykh : It appears that it is the owner of the book, as long as he is trustworthy.

The questioner : As long as he is trustworthy.

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed, because the first one being trustworthy and precise is undoubtedly stronger than one who is merely described as trustworthy. However, this does not prevent some error from occurring on his part. This may pass us by in some examples where the narration of one who is not trustworthy and precise is preferred over one who is trustworthy and precise, due to the availability of reasons that strengthen the narration of the one who is less than what is said about the trustworthy and precise one. As for the trustworthy owner of the book, he now has a stronger guarantee than the guarantee of that one being precise, in addition to being trustworthy. By this consideration, we prefer the narration of the trustworthy owner of the book over the one described as trustworthy and precise. And this is if we assume that this description, the description, is agreed upon by the scholars of hadith, whereas this may not be available for the other.

The questioner : Do you mean which description, may Allah preserve you, and the description means...

The Shaykh : Trustworthy and precise, no, trustworthy and precise. There may not be a consensus among the group of hadith scholars in describing this narrator as trustworthy and precise; rather, we see some of them suffice with describing him as trustworthy, and some of them add to that that he is trustworthy and precise. So, this addition, if we separate it from trustworthy, trustworthy plus precise, does not equal trustworthy plus book.

The questioner : Yes, you reminded me, my Shaykh, with this book that some narrators, for example, five of the imams said about this narrator that he is trustworthy, and the one who said trustworthy, the Hafiz translates his biography as trustworthy. What is correct in that is to say about him that he is trustworthy, or to take the opinion of the majority and say trustworthy?

The Shaykh : It is this.

The questioner : The opinion of the majority.

The Shaykh: Yes.