Main: Muhammad Nāsir Uddīn Al-Albāni
Translation: Taher Bin Syed Noor
The Eleventh Principle: It is not permissible to mention weak Hadith except with an explanation of its weakness
There have come forth many authors, especially in this day and age present, upon many differences of opinion in their Madhahib and especially so in regard to narrating Hadith attributed to the Prophet without informing of the weakness within them. Either this is due to ignorance of the Sunnah, or due to a desire, or laziness from them to return to the books of the experts of that matter. And some of them, I mean such experts, are lenient in this particularly in the narrations of Fadha’il Al-A’maal[1].
Abu Shāmah[2] said:
“This, amongst the researchers from Ahl Al-Hadith and the scholars of Usul Al-Fiqh, is a mistake. Rather it is befitting that this matter is conveyed if it is known, and if not it will enter under the warning of his [the Messenger’s] saying,
“Whomsoever narrated from me a Hadith and he sees it as a lie, then he is one of the two liars.”
Narrated by Muslim.”[3] End quote
This ruling is regarding to the one who remains silent on the weak hadith in Fadha’il Al-A’maal, so what about the one who does so regarding to rulings and matters similar to that?
Know, that whoever does this is either one of two people
- Either he knows the weakness in these hadith and he does not inform of its weakness, then he is defrauding the Muslims, and he enters incumbently into the aforementioned threat.
Ibn Hibbān said in his book ‘Al-Du’afāh’ [1/7-8]
“In this narration, is a proof that if the narrator of the hadith, narrates what is not authentic from the Prophet’s statements, and he knows that then he is one of the two liars. And from the apparentness of this narration, there is something which is more severe
“Whomsoever narrates from me a Hadith and he sees it as a lie …”
and the Messenger ﷺ did not say ‘he is sure it is a lie’ – therefore every individual who doubts the authenticity or the inauthenticity [of a narration] then he falls into the apparent address of this narration.” End quote
This was transmitted by Ibn ‘Abd Al-Hādi in ‘Al-Sārim Al-Munki’ [p. 165-166] and I am in support of this.
- Or the person does not know the weakness [of such narration] therefore he is also sinning, due to the attribution of ascribing to him [the Messenger] a matter without knowledge.
The Messenger ﷺ said,
“It is enough proof that one is a liar, to narrate every single thing he hears.”[4]
Therefore, he owns a portion of the sin of lying against the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
This is since it alludes to the point that he is from those who narrates all that he hears, and likewise from the books, and it is falling upon lying upon the messenger without any inevitability, so due to this reason he is one of two liars:
The initial liar – The one who concocts such a lie
The other liar – The one who circulates the lie
Ibn Hibban also said [1/9]
“In this narration is a reprimand to the individual to narrate everything he hears, until he certainly knows of its authenticity.” End quote
And Al-Nawawi clarified that regarding the one who does not recognise the weakness of a Hadith, then it is not Halal for him to come to use this as an evidence, without researching and examining it if he is knowledgeable, or by questioning the people of knowledge if he himself is not knowledgeable.[5]
For more information see the foreword in the introduction of ‘Al-Da’īfah’ [pp. 10-12]
Al-Albani. M., Tamām al-Minnah fi al-Ta’leeq ‘ala Fiqh al-Sunnah, 2nd edn., Amman, The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Dār al-Rāyah li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’, 1408 AH [1988], http://ia801305.us.archive.org/34/items/FP0045/0045.pdf, (accessed February 2018) pp. 32-34.
Footnotes
[1] [Translators note: Such terminologies as a transliteration of the original Arabic text so as to have the reader informed of the title of many of these books in popular circulation and to be aware of them. ‘Fadha’il al-A’maal’ in English translates to ‘’The virtues of deeds.” This is since such groups and sects believe it is permissible to narrate such stories, myths, fairy tales, fables, and weak and fabricated narrations – which upon close inspection are in reality insulting to Islam – if they think it would encourage individuals to do such deeds. Scholars however such as al-Mundhiri and al-Albāni however have made efforts to write content in this field to only include authentic narrations unlike certain newly emerged sects.
[2]‘Bā’ith ‘ala Inkār al-Bid’ah wa al-Hawādith’ [p. 54]
[3] Saheeh Muslim, Abū al-Ḥusayn ‘Asākir ad-Dīn Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj an-Naysābūrī, Vol. 1, p. 7, Wizārat Al-Shu’ūn Al-Islamiyyah wa Al-Da’wah Al-Irshād Al-Sa’udiyyah,
[4] Narrated Muslim #5 and in the introduction to his Saheeh and it is also bought forth in as-Saheehah #205
[5] Also see ‘Qawa’id at-Tahdeeth’
***Courtesy:-http://darhadith.com/pubs/***