1 The information in weak narrations should not be absolutely rejected as this could amount to rejecting or ridiculing the wahi. Daa’eef does not equate with Mawdoo’ (Fabricated).

2 The Sunnah as a whole has been preserved, however not the whole of the ummah has preserved the Sunnah in knowledge and practise. Rather for some issues of the haqq only a part of the ummah has knowledge of it and act upon it. However, Da’eef like the other classifications is a man made classification based upon man made conditions, which is applied by Man made efforts. This classification will vary among the muhadditheen according to various factors such as i) Intellect ii) Knowledge iii) Effort iv) Circumstances of the Muhaddith v) Natural differences such as opinions regarding people, behaviour, the circumstances and reality and the information and commands and texts. This will result in differences because both the chains, narrators, narration methods and texts themselves are relevant when authenticating any particular hadeeth.

3 One classification of a muhaddith as ‘daa’eef’ may be countered by another muhaddith who classifies it as ‘hasan’ ‘’saheeh’ or even ‘mawdoo’. No Muhaddith is Ma’soom (infallible) and it may occur that the more knowledgeable or more stricter muhaddith has made an error. There are many examples of this that can be taken from the books compiled on narrators, the books of commentary and the books of hadeeth methodology.

4 The presence of weak hadeeth in a musannaf or any book of fiqh or knowledge is not a reason to disregard such a book. This is because i) Most books including those musannafs regarde to be the most authentic have been judged by other u’lemaa and muhaditheen to contain weak hadeeth, this principle would result in the rejection of all books except the Qu’ran. Man can never match the Qu’ran. ii) The books are most likely to contain information which is not available in other books, to disregard this would be to close the doors to knowledge and the weak narrations are more likely to be the minority of the book. iii) Even if a book was completely da’eef or deviant, this would also be a beneficial knowledge as long as the verdicts or narrations were warned against, the preservation of fabrications or weak narrations assissts in the preservation of the true knowledge as such weaknesses can becom well known and guarded against when they appear else where. iv) It is not prohibited to read weak narrations and these can be benefitted from as we will explain later insha’allah.

5 Classification as weak may be due to many issues e.g. i) Weakness of memory of narrator ii) Distrust of the sect of the narrator iii) Dis approved method of transmission iv) Break in the chain. v) Unknown narrators It should be understood that not all of these weaknesses may necessarily be constant in an individual so that they may not always be disregarded. Similarly a break in the chain may be supported by other chains or may be completed by further research. Similarly a narrator be unknown to some but upon further research may be known to others by kunyas etc.

6 If we take the example of Imaam Bukhaari, He is regarded by the majority of the muhaditheen to be the most strict and the most authentic of hadeeth compilers with regards to his musannaf ‘jaami’us saheeh’. However, Imaam Muslim is preferred by some and he also had his own book called ‘jaami’us saheeh’. There are ahadeeth that are common to both (mutafaq a’layh) but they also both record ahadeeth which the other has not. They both contain many hadeeth that maybe the other preferred not to record for whatever reason. They also both contain hadeeth which the other has not recorded, and yet scholars of hadeeth agree are saheeh. Whatsmore there are many compilations of ahadeeth (perhaps three-hundred or more) and they all contain ahadeeth which are accepted and referred to. This shows the variance in conditions of authenticity and the variance in efforts, views, and knowledge among such hadeeth compilers and it also demonstrates the acceptance of the later muhaditheen of these facts and that they had accepted narrations from others than those who they regard as the best muhaditheen or the most strict.

7 There is a benefit in strictness in that it elimanates fabrications or doubts however there is a loss in that authentic narrations may be excluded and not learnt from or acted upon due to their exclusion for the fear that their may be doubts of others regarding them.

8 If we take the strictest muhadith Bukhaari we can see he has a section of Adab in ‘Jaami’us Saheeh’ but he also has another book ‘Adabul Mufrad’ which is much greater in size. This book does not reach the same level of authenticity and it may even contain many narrations that are weak according to the standard of Bukaari. However, Imaam Bukhaari still compiled and collected these ahadeeth obviously as he regarded it as beneficial. Weaker narrations do not amount to fabrications. Secondly, these ahadeeth may be authentic or good (hasan) according to some standards. Even breaks in the chains may still render them useful, as long as they do not contradict what is established from the deen tey can be benefitted from.

9 If we take the narrations that are mawqoof, there are two types, one where it is not clear whether the sahaabi meant that the sahaabi attributed it to the prophet (saw) and another form where the sahaabi says it and it is clear he did not intend it for the prophet. Now if the aim is to collect hadeeth from the prophet (saw) then the first form would be regarded as weak as it is not verified that it is from the prophet from this narration alone.

As for the aim to collect hadeeth, then the second would not be regarded as weak as it would just be classified as mawqoof and the aim was not restricted to collecting only narrations of Nabi (saw). As for the first type we should also mention that these narrations if authentic will be used to support similar narrations. The mawqoof will also be classed also according to the subject matter and the wording. For instance if the hadeeth is related to ahkaam then it is possible that the statement was ijtihaad of the sahaabi, however the forcefulness of his words may indicate that it was attributed to the prophet. If the subject matter was of specific details of ghayb and beliefs and divine information then this would clearly be from the prophet as it would not be fabricated from sahaabi as he can not know such information. However it could be known in particular cases that it is possible to speak about akhirah generally as the information could be collected from the combination of several ayaat and ahadeeth. Even this though should be benefitted from as the understanding of the shaabah has particular weight due to the praise of the Quran and Nabi (saw) for them and rationally due to their knowledge of Quran Sunnah Arabic circumstances and that which they have learned from other sahaabah and tabi’een.

10 When we take a mursal narration this is a form of daa’eef. The mursal is of a type where the tabi’ is only missing a companion or where he may miss two companions or of a tabi’ and a companion, however according to Quran and Sunnah the sahaabah are all reliable so the omission of one companion is not in reality a weakness depending upon the form of narration. However, the mursal is not mawdoo’ and some of the eminent muhaditheen who are depended upon by the rest would accept them and act upon them due to whom they come from. Maalik accepted mursal and ash Shafi’i accepted Mursal, it is clear that some tabi’een are well know for trustworthyness and knowledge and that those who took from them and recorded from them were not acting randomly but with knowledge. If we look for instance at Muwatta’ we can see that it contains many mursal hadeeth, but most of these are supported and none of these narrations are fundamentally rejected. The acceptance of the report is due to the muhaditths trust in its authenticity due to a combination of the circumstances and the knowledge that he has related to it. Let us look to eminent muhaditheen who accepted mursal narrations:-

i) Imaam Maalik (d.179), even according to some Maaliki fuqahaa and muhaditheen the mursal is stronger in some ways than the musnad as the chain is not left to you research but has already reached you from a trustworthy a’lim so your research is unecessary as he as authenticated it for you.

ii) Imaam Abu Haneefah (d.150)

iii) Shafi’i (d.204)

iv) Ahmad bin Hanbal (d.241)accepts mursal and daa’eef hadeeth if nothing opposing them is found on a particular issue. However the daa’eef of Ahmad is not severe daa’eef but regarded as Hsan according to others as he did not class ahadeeth as Hasan.

v) Abu Dawood (d.275) accepted the mursal with two conditions i) No musnad haddeth is found on the issue ii) If a musnad hadeeth is found it does not contadict it

vi) Al Haakim (d.405) only accepts the mursal of elder tabi’een

vii) Ibn Taymeeyah (d.728) says there are three types acceptable, unacceptable and others needing further investigation. He accepts it if the narrator is known to narrate through reliable authorities and the report is accepted if it does not contradict the accepted reports.

viii) Ibn Salah (d.643) rejects the Mursal unless it is proven to have come through a musnad route.

11 Another point is that even according to the criteria of the muhaddith he can not collect all such ahadeeth that meet that criteria. Or he may have overlooked them. An example of this is the ‘Mustdrak’ of Al Haakim which collects hadeeth according to the criteria of Bukhaari.

12 When looking at conflict of narrations we should be aware that there is preference (tarjeeh) and reconciliation (jaami’). Reconciliation is better than preference as it is more in line with preserving the sunnah and being cautious not to neglect the wahi and the words of the prophet (saw). Preference should only be resorted to when necessary. Recognising the benefits and use of daa’eef ahadeeth is in line with the principle of reconciliation which emanates from preserving the sunnah and not abandoning it.

13 We should know that preference of a saheeh hadeeth over a weaker narration does not prove the report was false or wrong, it is even possible that the one graded saheeh is the one that carries the error. It is possible that the one that was graded daa’eef is actually a true statement that was actually partially reported in terms of its text or it may have other existing supporting chains or it may be that the text was misunderstood by the one rejecting it according to the meaning. There is always a role for the muhaditheen in every age according to the arising of new circumstances that may call for the indepth research and study of particular issues and texts. The muhaditheen must prioritise according to the needs of their time. Later muhadditheen can benefit from the efforts and works of the earlier scholars and are in fact dependent upon them. This is because knowledge of hadeeth is much related to a continuous and reliable transmission of information and later generations are dependent upon the intermediate generations to recive the reports from the early generations. However, the decisions and criteria of the early scholars when they mention their reasons may of course be differed with. This proves that the knowledge of hadeeth and the application of its sciences is not rededundant in any age. The knowledge of narrators and narrations and classifications of muhaditheen upon particular hadeeths whether saheeh, hasan, da’eef or mawdoo’ are all part of the heritage of knowledge and knowledge of the sunnah that has reached us. A weak or even fabricated hadeeth is not excluded from the knowledge of the sunnah but rather it is part of it, this is because it has reached us by mutawaatir that Nabi (saw) warned severely about the fabricated narrations. In addition to this these ahadeeth have reached us along with their classifications and this is basis to work upon, when the causes of weakness are investigated it may be that their classification changes according to the conditions and efforts of the investigator.

14 When we look to the case of a weak hadeeth we see that there may be many other existing chains of narration. Therefore to say that a particular text of a hadeeth is weak due to its isnaad may apply to the investigator but not to others. Other muhaditheen or fuqahaa may have received a hadeeth through another isnaad, and the other muhadith who deemed it weak may not be aware of this, this is why criticism of fuqahaa due their reliance on hadeeth that are deemed weak should be avoided due to the possibility of these fuqahaa i) Having received the hadeeth by an acceptable chain ii) Having a different criterion of acceptance.

15 Another issu to consider is that a weak narrator is not always necessarily weak and this is proven when this weak narrator has narrated ahadeeth that are confirmed by other authentic chains. This is common and proves that the information that the weak narrator reports should not be regarded as false.

16 Another point is that the early Imaams may have acted upon hadeeth that have been classified as weak in a later period. However this does not prove that the hadeeth was weak when it was received by the Imaam. It may well be that up to the Imaam the narrators were authentic and after the Imaam weak narrators entered the chain which made it doubtful for those later.

17 Another point is that narrations that are weak due to their isnaad are strengthened due to other factors which may give them preference over stronger chains of narration. Such factors would include the practise of the companions and tabi’een or the agreement with principles established by the Quran or other ahadeeth.

18 According to definitions of Ibn Salaah and Tirmidhi there exists the category ‘hasan li ghayrihi’ (hasan due to others) as opposed to ‘hasan li dhaatihi’ (hasan in itself), this is when several narrations of a similar or identical text which each contain moderate weakness support and affirm eachother.

19 The ‘Sunnah’ has been preserved as a whole, this does not mean every hadeeth has been preserved. This is because the sunnah are the rules and explanations of the prophet that are extracted from what is reported from him by a’mal, qawl and taqreer. Nabi (saw) repeated these things on many occassions and one hadeeth is enough to establish a sunnah as is a transmitted practise and as is an ijma. In addition much of the words, acts of Nabi (saw) was not legislative (e.g. personal words between his wives) yet this was still wahi. Also many acts and words can establish a general sunnah by way of reporting in general form with omission of the specific details and instances and without specific words, even though this is wahi. There are many such hadeeth which transmit to us a sunnah but do not contain the details. All of this proves without doubt that the preservation of the sunnah does not include the preservation of every single hadeeth. In addition hadeeth includes the acts and not every act was transmitted. In addition it is known from the limited body of hadeeth that has reached us that this does not account for every act and word of the prophet (saw).

20 Shaykh Abu Dhar al Qalamooni said in ‘Fafiroo ila Allah’ [p.281] ‘According to the schlars of Hadeeth and others it is permissable to report da’eef hadeeth without elucidating their weakness of their transmitters which is not the case with the fabricated hadeeth. Two conditions should be met – i) It should not be related to A’qeedah such as the attributes of Allah ii) They should also not be related in ahkaam….this means they should only be used with admonitions, invitation and intimidation and stories and the like. Amongst those who frequently quoted them are Sufyaan ath Thawri, Abdur Rahmaan ibn Mahdi, and Ahmad bin Hanbal. Keep in mind theat when you report these ahadeeth without mentioning their transmission you should not say ‘the messenger of Allah (saw) said…’ Rather you should say ‘It is reported from the Messenger of Allah (saw) ….’ Or ‘We are told that he said…’ Otherwise you are affirming them for the messenger despite you knowing their weakness. He also said ‘The majority of scholars hold that it is recommended to act according to daa’eef hadeeth in the domain of righteous deeds. There are three conditions mentioned by Ibn Hajr i) Its weakness should be of a moderate nature ii) The hadeeth should be endorsed under an agreed upon source. iii) The person who reports it should not think that it is an authentic hadeeth but should have reservation.

In conclusion we say the daa’eef ahadeeth should not be used in establishig ahkaam independently, although this is a disputed point which is opposed by some of the muhaditheen and usooliyeen. A hadeeth regarded as daa’eef should not be used in ahkaam when it is opposed by other ahadeeth that are authentic. Daa’eef ahadeeth should not be used in establising points of a’qeedah. However, daa’eef ahadeeth does have a beneficial role in the following issues, and the u’lemaa’ and the muhaditheen have permitted it:-

i Ahadeeth which exhort to good character

ii Ahadeeth which exhort to good deeds that are establsihed by the shari’ah

iii Ahadeeth which warn of bad character

iv Generally ahadeeth which instill Tarheeb and Targheeb for any matters which are established in the shari’ah by other authentic evidence.

v The meanings of Da’eef ahadeeth can be used to support the authenicated meanings of other similar ahadeeth.

vi Depending upon the nature of the weakness, several weak ahadeeth when combined can raise the status of a daa’eef hadeeth to that of Hasan.

vi When narrating a weak hadeeth we should mention that it has been graded by weak by some muhaditheen and we should not say Nabi (saw) said…’ but rather we should say to the like of ‘It has been reported that Nabi (saw) said…in a weak report….’ In the introduction to his saheeh Imaam Muslim quoted the hadeeth “It is enough for one to be regarded as a liar that he narrates everything he hears” and in MUSLIM there is also the hadeeth “In latter times there will be people from my ummah who will narrate to you that which you nor your fathers have heard so woe to you from them and woe to them.” there is also the report “Whoever attributes to me that which I did not say then let him take his seat in the Fire.” (IBN HIBBAAN, AHMAD) A report like this is even reason to take the caution even in saheeh ahaad narrations of not saying ‘…the Prophet (saw) said…’ but saying ‘It is reported that the prophet (saw) said…’ and there is also the hadeeth “Whoever lies about me intentionally then let him take his seat in the Fire.” (BUKHAARI, MUSLIM) [refer to SHAYKH MUHAMMAD BIN JAMEEL ZAYNO in ‘Minhaajul Firqatun Naajeeyah’ p.188 he mentioned about the adab of narrating weak hadeeth and said that scholars put the following conditions on using them i) The narration is regarding virtuous actions ii) The narration has an authentic basis from the Sunnah iii) The weakness in the narration is not severe iv) That it is believed that acting upon it is not proof of its certainty]

vii When we narrate it we should be aware that it has a weakness

viii We should not regard the weak hadeeth as fabricated without the proof for that.

ix The ahadeeth of good deeds that we should be aware of are those that seem to mention excessive rewards for small deeds that seem to exagerrate greatly over the rewards mentioned for other similar authenticated ahadeeth, this may lead to reliance on insufficient deeds and neglect of duties.

ix We should realise that the classification may be incorrect in reality.

x When mentioning any hadeeth it is preferable to mention the whole chain and at least the narrator (i.e sahaabi) and the collector of the hadeeth and in which Book, and to mention the chapter, number and page will assist the verfication of others.