The Ruling on Later Scholars Authenticating Hadiths That the Scholars of the Salaf Weakened

The question: This is regarding the rejection, Your Eminence, but what about the acceptance? There are hadiths known among the Salaf to be weak, but in our time, some people say that those hadiths are authentic. What is the ruling on this?
The answer: This is a separate issue regarding hadiths other than those in the two Sahihs. Hadiths have a standard mentioned by the scholars, who explained the reasons for authenticity and the reasons for weakness. It is not permissible for anyone to engage in authenticating or weakening hadiths except with knowledge. One who does not have knowledge does not enter into this. Rather, only the scholars speak on this who have known the terminology of the people of hadith, and have known the path of the imams in authenticating and weakening, and have become clear in that. So if he speaks with knowledge and insight, there is no harm, in hadiths that have discussion, whether they are in Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, or Musnad Ahmad, or others. As for what the two Shaykhs narrated and the Ummah received with acceptance, no one among the people has the right to object to it. Rather, it is obligatory to clarify what the scholars said, and to explain what the scholars said regarding that, and to stand firm on what the Salaf of the Ummah stood firm on in accepting authentic hadiths, and using them as evidence, and refuting with them those who contradict the Sunnah. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, Your Eminence! If it is known about one of the Salaf that this hadith is weak, then one of the later scholars comes and says: Rather, this hadith is authentic. How should one act in that case?
The Shaykh: In most cases, this is known by the evidence. Some of the early imams may weaken some hadiths because of the other paths that reached them about them. Then someone else comes after him, years or centuries later, and finds that the hadith has other good paths, so he authenticates it because of the other paths that did not reach that scholar who weakened it. It may be that the scholar weakened it due to a defect, and the defect was removed. It may be that the scholar weakened it because there was a mudallis in it, and it became clear from another path that the mudallis explicitly stated that he heard it. It may be that he weakened it from another path where it was narrated as disconnected, so it comes from another path where there is no disconnection, and another scholar authenticates it; due to the removal of the defect by which that scholar criticized it. And so on, and what is similar to that. Yes.
The presenter: So the correct opinion that you seem to lean toward, Your Eminence, is: that it is permissible to authenticate weak hadiths if it is established that they are authentic according to the scientific standards?
The Shaykh: This is the reality among the scholars. This is the reality between the scholars. Some scholars in the second or third century may weaken some hadiths, then they are found to be authentic with other chains known by the scholars after them.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.