What Should The Muslim Do With Regard
To Scholarly Differences Of Opinion As To Whether A
Hadeeth Is Sound Or Weak?
Islamic Rulings -
Living Shariah Verdicts
Islamic Questions & Answers
What should we do if the scholars of hadeeth
differ as to whether a hadeeth that has to do with
worship is saheeh (sound) or da'eef (weak)?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
There is no difference among the scholars between
scholarly differences of opinion as to whether a
hadeeth is saheeh or da'eef, and their differences
concerning matters of fiqh. That is because the
classification of hadeeth as saheeh or da'eef is
subject to ijtihaad and the scholars vary in their
knowledge of narrators and isnaads of hadeeth. What
one of them knows about the circumstances of a
narrator may be unknown to others, and what another
finds of corroborating reports may not be available to
another. So their rulings on a particular hadeeth may
differ for these reasons. Sometimes all of them found
the biography of a narrator and the isnaads of a
hadeeth, but they varied in the rulings as to whether
it was saheeh or da'eef according to their own
ijtihaad with regard to evaluating the narrator and
according to their view as to whether the hadeeth is
free of any problems.
Imam al-Tirmidhi said:
The imams differed in classing men (narrators) as
da'eef (weak), as they differed in other aspects of
knowledge.
Sunan al-Tirmidhi (5/756), Kitaab al-‘Ilal at the end
of al-Sunan.
Explaining the reasons for differences of opinion
among the scholars, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
The third reason: Belief that a hadeeth is weak on the
basis of ijtihaad, but others disagreed with him,
regardless of other isnaads, and regardless of whether
he or someone else was correct, or both of them were
correct according to those who said that every
mujtahid is correct. That is for several reasons,
including: the one who narrated the hadeeth thought
that one of them was da'eef and the other thought that
he was trustworthy. Knowledge of narrators is a vast
science, and the one who is correct may be the one who
thought it was da'eef, because he had come across a
reason to make him think so, or the other one may have
been correct because he knew that this reason may not
be enough to regard him as da'eef, either because that
reason in and of itself is not a problem or because he
had an excuse which meant that he could not be
classified as da'eef.
This is a broad topic for scholars who study narrators
and their circumstances, and there may be consensus
and differences just as there are among other scholars
in their own fields.
(Another reason is) that he did not believe that the
muhaddith heard the hadeeth from the one from whom he
narrated it, but someone else believed that he did
hear it for reasons which imply that.
(Another reason is) that the muhaddith may have been
through two phases, one when he was sound and credible
and another when there was confusion about his
narrations, such as he got mixed up and his books were
burned or lost, so what he narrated when he was sound
and credible is saheeh and what he narrated when he
was confused is da'eef. So he (the scholar) may not
have known which of the two scenarios applied to this
hadeeth, but someone else knows that he narrated this
particular hadeeth when he was sound and credible.
(Another reason is) that the muhaddith forgot that
hadeeth and did not remember it afterwards, or he
denied having narrated it because he thought that
there was a problem which meant that he should leave
this hadeeth alone, but another scholar may think that
it is something that is valid and may be quoted as
evidence. This issue is well known … and there are
other reasons too.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa (20/240-242).
Secondly:
With regard to the Muslim's attitude towards these
differences which occur among scholars with regard to
whether a hadeeth is saheeh of da'eef, it is the same
attitude as that towards their differences of opinion
in fiqh. If he is qualified to distinguish between
their opinions, he may decide which of the two rulings
concerning one hadeeth he thinks is correct; if he is
not qualified to do so, then he should follow the
opinion of a scholar (taqleed) and he should accept
the verdict of the one who he thinks is more
religiously committed and has greater knowledge
concerning this matter. He should not be deceived by
the fact that he is a faqeeh or scholar of usool or
mufassir, rather the one whose verdict of saheeh or
da'eef is followed should be prominent in the science
of hadeeth, and there is no sin on him if he follows a
prominent scholar. If the hadeeth is saheeh according
to that scholar and he follows him in that, and it
contains a fiqhi ruling, then he must act upon it, but
there is no sin on him for not acting upon it if the
hadeeth is da'eef.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said:
If the scholars differed concerning it in their fatwas
or what is heard in their exhortations and advice, for
example, then he should follow the one who he thinks
is closer to the truth in his knowledge and religious
commitment.
Liqa' al-Baab il-Maftooh (no. 46, question no. 1136)
See also the answer to question no. 22652 for a
discussion of the correct attitude towards scholarly
differences .
And Allaah knows best.
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